Trick, or treat?

Halloween is upon us, and all of our area football teams want to close out the regular season with all kinds of treats.

But their opponents want to go “Boo!” and spook them before the playoffs begin. Will we see some upsets as our teams venture out of region play? Hmm …

Sand Rock head coach Russell Jacoway perhaps said it best after his team’s 27-19 win last Thursday against Westbrook Christian: “It’s Halloween, so you never know what’ll happen.”

Trick or treat, indeed.

Speaking of treats, yours truly went 9-2 last week, with the only hiccups being in the college ranks. Seems like I said before I should stick with high school picking, but I digress. I’m now 86-14 for the year.

Now, on to a special Halloween edition of this week’s picks.

Randolph County at Cedar Bluff (Thursday): Cedar Bluff head coach Jonathan McWhorter has the right idea. How do you avoid some Halloween hijinks? By playing a day early, of course.

The Tigers could have sworn Halloween was last week, as they escaped Gaylesville with a 14-6 win. I think that game was a wake-up call for the Tigers, who I see finishing the regular season strong against Class 2A Randolph County … Cedar Bluff 28, Randolph County 14.

Jefferson Christian at Gaylesville: It’s just one of those seasons where a black cat crosses the Gaylesville Trojans’ path seemingly every week. No matter how hard they play, something goes horribly wrong. Take last week, for example. The Trojans’ Andrew Lindsey had an 85-yard interception return to put Gaylesville up 6-0 in the third quarter against Cedar Bluff. That lead didn’t last long, as the Tigers marched up the field for the go-ahead score.

Will another black cat cross the Trojans’ path this week against Jefferson Christian? My Magic-8 ball says “All signs point to yes” … Jefferson Christian 23, Gaylesville 21.

David Brainerd Christian (Tenn.) at Collinsville: Congratulations go out to the Panthers, who are headed to the Class 1A state playoffs for the first time in seven years.

But they had better be on guard this week as to not suffer a letdown heading into next week’s second season.

I must admit I know nothing about the team they’re playing. All I know is it was a late addition to Collinsville’s schedule and that they’re from Tennessee. In an instance like that, logic says go with the home team … Collinsville 22, David Brainerd Christian (Tenn.) 16.

Woodland at Piedmont: The Piedmont Bulldogs get a dose of déjà vu this week when they entertain the Woodland Bobcats.

This is the team Piedmont finally defeated in the third round of the Class 2A state playoffs last season after coming up short in all of their previous meetings. This isn’t one of Woodland head coach Larry Strain’s better teams, and this is one of Piedmont’s finest, so … Piedmont 35, Woodland 21.

Cherokee County at Scottsboro: The Warriors don’t have to dress for Halloween. They have a perfect mix of two of the more prominent colors associated with the season: black and yellow.

Cherokee County may come away black and blue after this tussle with Class 5A Scottsboro. But, like I said last week, I think this Warrior team is a special one and I see them going 10-0 … Cherokee County 32, Scottsboro 24.

Sand Rock at Spring Garden: Here’s one of the more intriguing match-ups around Northeast Alabama. The Wildcats have a perfect regular season at stake, and the Panthers know it.

Spring Garden has proven it can play with Sand Rock over the past couple of seasons, and this is one of the best football teams they’ve had at The Garden in their history. Despite a brilliant effort from Trey Littlefield and company, I think the Panthers will fall just short once again … Sand Rock 28, Spring Garden 17.

College Football

Troy at Louisiana-Monroe: Despite losing a couple of key players to injury this season, the men of Troy are proving to be resilient. They can see a Sun Belt Conference title on the horizon, but standing in their way is Louisiana-Monroe.

No hijinks afoot in this one, as I see the Trojans marching to victory … Troy 36, Louisiana-Monroe 14.

Austin Peay at Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks’ season started out with promise, but its now relegated to playing for pride.

With last week’s loss to UT-Martin, the Ohio Valley Conference title is now out of the picture, and most likely a Division I-AA playoff berth.

But pride can be a powerful thing, especially when you have quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and receiver Maurice Dupree on your side … JSU 32, Austin Peay 16.

Arkansas State at Alabama: Do you really think Arkansas State has a chance in this one? It’s homecoming in Tuscaloosa, and the Tide is riding high after sending Tennessee to a rocky low. This is just a bump in the road before next week’s clash at LSU … Alabama 42, Arkansas State 14.

Auburn at Ole Miss: No matter where Houston Nutt coaches, he always seems to have Auburn’s number. He did so at Arkansas, and now he gets his first crack at the Tigers in Oxford, Miss.

Get used to seeing the Wild Rebel offense, Auburn. You’re going to see plenty of it, as well as a few more tricks Nutt has up his sleeves … Ole Miss 24, Auburn 17.

Bonus College Pick

Georgia vs. Florida: Defenses could go out the window in this one. Both teams feature two of the more prominent offenses in the nation and demonstrated them once again last week. The Gators drilled Kentucky 63-5, while the Dawgs chewed up LSU 52-38.

The SEC Eastern Division title is pretty much at stake in this one, and while Georgia has come on strong of late, I still think Tim Tebow and the Gators triumph … Florida 30, Georgia 27.