Results: Week 8 Picks and Predictions

Name; Week 7; Overall

Andy Sandrik: 14-5; 112-33

Andy Shay: 14-5; 109-36

Adam Kulikowski: 15-4; 106-39

Thursday, Oct. 10

Colonial

Milton Hershey 62, Boiling Springs 27

Andy Shay: Milton Hershey 32, Boiling Springs 21: Spartans are 2-2 in their last four games and have found some more offense to lean on to help a defense that gives up yards and points. Bubblers’ struggles are all around.

Andy Sandrik: Milton Hershey 35, Boiling Springs 14: The Bubblers have raised their scoring average in recent weeks, but continue to give up points in bulk. I’m not sure that trend stops this week.

Adam Kulikowski: Milton Hershey 45, Boiling Springs 7: Spartans possess a few more weapons to utilize as we enter the stretch run of the season. 

Friday, Oct. 11

Non-League

Greencastle-Antrim 40, Juniata 21

Andy Shay: Juniata 31, Greencastle-Antrim 7: Only three touchdowns surrendered the last four games and 62 total points allowed this season. Give me the Juniata defense, please.

Andy Sandrik: Juniata 14, Greencastle-Antrim 0: Has any team in the Mid-Penn had a more heartbreaking season than Greencastle this fall? The Blue Devils have been competitive almost every week, but only have one win to show for it.

Adam Kulikowski: Juniata 24, Greencastle-Antrim 21:  Blue Devils have shown that they are a tough out each week. No solace there, however.

Commonwealth

Altoona 21, Chambersburg 14

Andy Shay: Chambersburg 22, Altoona 14: Several close calls for the Mountain Lions, but the bottom line is they are still without a victory. Chambersburg has three wins and is looking to make it three straight for the Trojans. Won’t be easy, though.

Andy Sandrik: Chambersburg 28, Altoona 14: I trust Chambersburg a little bit more than the Mountain Lions, who have been shut out four times in seven games this fall. 

Adam Kulikowski: Chambersburg 31, Altoona 21: Both teams have had shining moments this year including the Mountain Lions taking a playoff-bound Bishop McDevitt squad to the wire. Key match ups favor the home squad. 

Bishop McDevitt 28, Central Dauphin 10

Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 28, Central Dauphin 7: Despite a 2-5 record, the Rams have proven themselves as a tough team to beat. Nearly upset rival CD East undefeated apple cart last week. Crusaders have to pay attention to details with this team. Talent gap heavily favors McD offense.

Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 38, Central Dauphin 14: With all due respect to the steadily-improving Rams, they’re going to have matchup problems all over the field against the star-studded Crusaders.

Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 31, Central Dauphin 14: Finding enough firepower to keep up with the Crusaders is a tall task for any team. Rams are no exception. 

Carlisle at Cedar Cliff

Andy Shay: Cedar Cliff 20, Carlisle 17: After a hot start it has been a rough ride for the Colts in the Commonwealth Division. If Carlisle is still a hungry team to get win No. 1 they have a real shot because this playing field is more level.

Andy Sandrik: Cedar Cliff 24, Carlisle 7: I’d love to pick my backyard team to spring the upset here, but Carlisle is averaging 5.4 points per game. If the Colts put up 20 points, I think that’s more than enough to win.

Adam Kulikowski: Cedar Cliff 21, Carlisle 7:  There’s no better time than the present for the Colts to snap that five game slide. 

State College 55, Central Dauphin East 16

Andy Shay: State College 21, CD East 14: And so begins the stretch where the rubber meets the road for the undefeated Panthers from CD East. Not sure they have the depth to hang with the Little Lions.

Andy Sandrik: State College 23, CD East 21: The Panthers are now entering the gauntlet of their season. State College is a little more battle-tested and has the numbers to wear down CD East, but make no mistake, Lance Deane’s squad has been looking forward to this battle and is eager for the challenge.

Adam Kulikowski: CD East 31, State College 28: When is the last time the Panthers have opened a season with eight straight victories? Asking for a friend.  Whether or not CD East stays undefeated, this is quickly becoming one of those seasons you remember for a long time. 

Keystone

Gettysburg 42, Palmyra 14

Andy Shay: Gettysburg 20, Palmyra 13: Couple of squads who have endured their fair share of time on the struggle bus. Warriors find a way to get the victory here.

Andy Sandrik: Gettysburg 28, Palmyra 14: Gettysburg seems to have a little bit more in the cupboard, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this game evolved into a barnburner.

Adam Kulikowski: Gettysburg 35, Palmyra 20: Both teams struggle to stop opponents, so one should expect this one to feature some fireworks. Give the edge to the Warriors who possess the more experienced cats. 

Lower Dauphin 9, Mifflin County 7

Andy Shay: Lower Dauphin 26, Mifflin County 19: Couple of three-win teams looking to make a late season push to the next level. Feels like the Falcons have figured out a few things offensively at this point.

Andy Sandrik: Lower Dauphin 33, Mifflin County 14: My preseason pick of LD winning the Keystone was a bust, but the Falcons still have a team that can make a run for the postseason.

Adam Kulikowski: Mifflin County 28, Lower Dauphin 21: Huskies are playing their best football of the season, riding a two game winning streak. This one is decided late. 

Mechanicsburg 35, Waynesboro 13

Andy Shay: Mechanicsburg 35, Waynesboro 14: The undefeated Wildcats have not had a game decided by fewer than 21 points this season in seven outings. That is not an accident.

Andy Sandrik: Mechanicsburg 44, Waynesboro 7: The Wildcats were finally challenged last week when they were locked in a 14-all contest with Northern. How did they respond? By scoring 28 unanswered points and turning the nail-biter into yet another blowout victory.

Adam Kulikowski: Mechanicsburg 38, Waynesboro 14: Eli Reider has quietly been one of the finest quarterbacks in the Mid-Penn Conference, completing 71 percent of his passes and tossing just one interception. 

Shippensburg 42, Red Land 0

Andy Shay: Shippensburg 42, Red Land 7: This has been a mild surprise run by the Greyhounds, but they are looking more and more like a championship quality team with each passing week.

Andy Sandrik: Shippensburg 35, Red Land 14: Big win for the Patriots over Hershey last week, but stopping this Shippensburg rushing attack will be no easy task.

Adam Kulikowski: Shippensburg 41, Red Land 13: Cheers to the Patriots who knocked off a quality club in Hershey last week. Just not sure the Patriots have the pieces to replicate that effort against the Greyhounds.

Capital

Steelton-Highspire 37, Camp Hill 14

Andy Shay: Steelton-Highspire 30, Camp Hill 28: Bottom line is the Rollers do not have a bad loss on their schedule and this Rollers squad has been consistent week to week. Lions have been up and down, but are easily capable of winning this one.

Andy Sandrik: Steelton-Highspire 33, Camp Hill 21: Lions QB Drew Branstetter and Co. can put points up on anybody, but I’ll still trust the Rollers’ defense over a Camp Hill “D” that has been especially susceptible in recent weeks.

Adam Kulikowski: Steelton-Highspire 37, Camp Hill 21: Lions are entering Week 8 with injuries at some key positions while the Rollers are finding their stride. 

Newport 42, Halifax 7

Andy Shay: Newport 20, Halifax 14: I expect this to be a close one, but the Buffaloes have found a way to get a victory against Milton Hershey two weeks ago and the winless Wildcats still aren’t sure they can win and that matters.

Andy Sandrik: Newport 14, Halifax 12: Both of these teams have made strides this season. I think the Buffs have the “been there, done that” winning advantage, but I’m also impressed with how the Halifax defense has played over the last three games. Coin flip?

Adam Kulikowski: Newport 28, Halifax 7: Zach Bates, the elusive running back for the Buffs is the most dynamic weapon on the field. If the Wildcats can contain him, they should be in this match up–however, that’s a big if. 

Line Mountain 59, James Buchanan 17

Andy Shay: Line Mountain 37, James Buchanan 13: Only one game separates these clubs in terms of their overall records. Don’t be fooled, though, LM is clearly the stronger squad and will show that.

Andy Sandrik: Line Mountain 49, James Buchanan 14: Too many weapons on the LM side for this game to be close, plus the Eagles seem to have found another gear since that loss to Steel-High in Week 6.

Adam Kulikowski: Line Mountain 44, James Buchanan 13: Rockets have had their moments this season, but in this one the Eagles are the superior squad. 

Upper Dauphin 46, Susquenita 14

Andy Shay: Upper Dauphin 33, Susquenita 20: Not sure you can say the Trojans own a loss that doesn’t belong and they beat Camp Hill a week ago. That kind of momentum matters.

Andy Sandrik: Upper Dauphin 38, Susquenita 10: I’ll have whatever Caleb Snyder’s having. He put up some some dude-like numbers — 44 carries, 338 yards,  4 TDs — in Upper Dauphin’s win over Camp Hill last week.

Adam Kulikowski: Upper Dauphin 45, Susquenita 14: ‘Nita is averaging less than 10 points per game through Week 7. That’s tough sledding against an Upper Dauphin crew who has plenty of weapons to light up the scoreboard. 

Colonial

Susquehanna Township 70, Big Spring 27

Andy Shay: Susquehanna Township 28, Big Spring 14: Two straight victories by a touchdown each time shows what the Indians are made of. Bulldogs provide a physical challenge, see how Hanna handles that.

Andy Sandrik: Susquehanna Township 33, Big Spring 18: Tribe QB Torin Evans is averaging more than 250 passing yards a game and has thrown 18 TDs against two interceptions. Could he be in for another big game this week?

Adam Kulikowski: Susquehanna Township 41, Big Spring 30: Bulldogs promise to provide a physical challenge to the Indians. I see coach Joe Headen’s crew taking advantage of earlier adversity this season have his gents ready for the battle. 

Trinity 27, West Perry 26

Andy Shay: Trinity 31, West Perry 14: If you had Trinity at 6-1 entering this game on your bingo card, congrats you are smarter than us all. T-Rocks are gaining momentum week to week, too. The bottom has fallen out on the Mustangs and they are scrambling to pick up the pieces right now.

Andy Sandrik: Trinity 28, West Perry 21: Trinity sure seems like it’s on track to nail down its first win against WP since 2015.

Adam Kulikowski: Trinity 35, West Perry 21: The Mustangs haven’t scored more than 14 points in a game since mid-September.  Where did the offense go? 

Saturday, Oct. 12

Commonwealth

Cumberland Valley at Harrisburg, 1 p.m.

Andy Shay: Harrisburg 28, Cumberland Valley 7: Eagles have lost three of their last four games and that is not the kind of tag you want to have on your luggage when you visit Market Street in Harrisburg to visit the Cougars.

Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 24, Cumberland Valley 10: Harrisburg is not the team you want to see after three straight losses. CV has the defense to keep it close, but if the Eagles get discouraged this game could get ugly.

Adam Kulikowski: Harrisburg 31, Cumberland Valley 7: You know Josh Oswalt’s teams will never lay down, but the weapons each bring into this battle are not the same. 

Keystone

Northern York at Hershey, 6 p.m.

Andy Shay: Hershey 20, Northern 17: Still trying to figure out what happened to the Trojans last week in that upset loss to Red Land. Hey the Polar Bears have to feel like they have a shot now.

Andy Sandrik: Northern 21, Hershey 14: Give the Polar Bears some credit, they made seemingly-invincible Mechanicsburg work for it last week. This most certainly seems like a winnable game for Northern after Hershey’s mystifying loss to Red Land.

Adam Kulikowski: Hershey 28, Northern 21: Trojans stumbled last week against Red Land. I’m betting on a rebound performance from a club that had previously won four straight. 

Colonial

East Pennsboro at Middletown, 2 p.m.

Andy Shay: East Pennsboro 21, Middletown 14: Shake off last week and move forward if you are the Panthers. They’ve been playing some solid ball. Don’t bring your best to the table and Middletown will gladly add another loss to your column. Blue Raiders are NOT easy to beat.

Andy Sandrik: East Pennsboro 28, Middletown 21: Four wins over the last five games for the Panthers, with that loss coming to Susquehanna Township last week. I think EP still has enough momentum for a bounce back win, here.

Adam Kulikowski: East Pennsboro 33, Middletown 21: After a sluggish start to the season, the Panthers are rolling as winners of four of their last five games. Middletown is no easy out, however.