Panhandle Picks With Greg Lee
All I can say is woe is me.
For the second straight week the sportswriter came out on the short end of the scoreboard. I barely broke the .500 mark last week.
The guest, Steve Myklebust, picked 6 of 9 correctly, one more than yours truly. The scoreboard after four weeks reads: Guests 32 of 41 (.780), Scribe 30 of 41 (.731).
If you’re grading at home, I’m clicking at a C level.
Both Myklebust and I blew it on the Lewiston-Post Falls game. Several things added up to defeat for Post Falls. Even a perfect game by the Trojans might not have been enough against the inspired, error-free Bengals.
But I’ve got some ground to make up. And it means I’ll probably have to take some chances on some picks.
This week’s guest is Dan Hammes, publisher/owner of the weekly St. Maries Gazette Record newspaper. Hammes is a big St. Maries booster, and his daughter, Jamie, a sophomore, starts for the powerhouse volleyball team.
Hammes thinks he knows why I asked him to take me on this week. “The race gets a little tight between you and the guests so you call me right away to pad your lead. I feel like Navy going up against Notre Dame. The only thing missing is NBC.”
We appreciate the kind words. But as I’ve proven the last two weeks, I’m no Jimmy The Greek.
Sandpoint at Lake City: This was a real stinker last year. Not the game, but what happened when I picked Lake City to notch its first win ever.
Sandpoint won easily and I had a dead fish waiting for me on my desk the following Monday.
That mistake won’t happen again. Sandpoint will cruise to an Inland Empire League-opening win over Lake City.
It will take LC’s best effort of the year and the Timberwolves have had some fine performances so far - to stay close to the Bulldogs.
Jeremy Thielbahr and Company will flatten the Timberwolves. But I suspect the T-Wolves will stay close for a while before they fade late. Sandpoint 28, LC 13.
Guest: Lake City executes the veer very well, which will cause problems for any defense. Sandpoint has a great running game, which will not only produce points, but keep the Timberwolves’ offense on the sideline. Sandpoint 24, LC 14.
Kellogg at St. Maries: This was going to be an important game anyway. But it became very critical following Bonners Ferry’s 20-19 upset of Moscow last week.
The Intermountain League chase will be a sprint to the finish now. Kellogg, which fell to Lakeland 39-21 two weeks ago, has revived hopes.
St. Maries can suffer a loss and still be in the hunt. Down deep in the gut I know I shouldn’t do this - especially since St. Maries is at home - but I’m going to take the Wildcats.
It’s one of those go-out-on-a-limb selections. Kellogg 28, St. Maries 27.
Guest: Kellogg has a very good offensive line and Josh Easley is a great running back. But St. Maries’ defense is more than capable. Both teams will be tight for this IML matchup, making St. Maries’ home-field advantage even more of a factor. St. Maries 24, Kellogg 18.
Moscow at Coeur d’Alene: The Vikings can go better than .500 with their Inland Empire League opener a week away.
This would have been a great showdown had Moscow quarterback Adam Miller not separated his shoulder two weeks ago. Miller is out for the year, and the Bears struggled without him last week in a 20-19 upset by Bonners Ferry.
The Bears improve Friday, but the Viks start putting the final pieces of their puzzle together. CdA makes it a happy homecoming. CdA 28, Moscow 13.
Guest: A few weeks ago this game would have gone to Moscow, but the loss of its quarterback changes everything. The Vikings may not be as strong as previous years, but they can handle the Bears. CdA 24, Moscow 7.
Other picks
Greg Lee Dan Hammes
S. Park 21, Post Falls 20 Post Falls 21, S. Park 20
Lakeland 42, P. River 7 Lakeland 46, P. River 14
Lewiston 49, Clarkston 13 Lewiston 48, Clarkston 14
B. Ferry 20, Polson 6 B. Ferry 12, Polson 7
C. Fork 36, Lakeside 34 Lakeside 56, C. Fork 12
Mullan 48, F. Christian 0 Mullan 54, F. Christian 8
Gar-Pal 20, Wallace 13 Gar-Pal 21, Wallace 12
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