Suffering through a rough week of Grid Picks

Can't believe we're closing in on the midway point of the high school football season as Week 5 is on the card.

It was a rough week for most of us in Week 4 with the majority finishing with 9-6 records, including myself.

As a matter of fact, the only writer to have a better week was Shawn McFarland, who was 10-5, and with the help of TJ Engle's 5-10 mark, made it out of the basement.

This week, there are quite a few tough games on the schedule so it might be a good week to try and make a move.

So no sense putting things aside, let's get to it:

TAMAQUA AT PLEASANT VALLEY - Blue Raiders made a big step on Monday night by handing previously unbeaten Mahanoy Area its first defeat. Big question here is can the Raiders prepare for the Bears in just three days. This one will be one of the closest games of the weekend ... Pleasant Valley, 21-19.

POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST AT LEHIGHTON - Saw the Lehighton football staff enjoying breakfast at the Lehighton Orioles on Sunday morning before its prep meeting for this week's game and every member looked like they were off to a good start. I'm not going to let last week's win over Stroudsburg sway me towards the Cardinals ... Lehighton, 14-7.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL AT MARIAN - Colts run into another state-ranked team again this week in the Spartans ... North Schuylkill, 37-7.

SALISBURY AT NORTHERN LEHIGH - The Bulldogs get one more easy week before they get into the "meat" of their schedule ... Northern Lehigh, 41-0.

PALISADES AT PALMERTON - Blue Bombers just weren't ready to play Saucon Valley last Saturday. I guarantee the coaching staff will make sure they are ready this week ... Palmerton, 24-7.

NORTHWESTERN AT NOTRE DAME - Tigers ran into a tough Southern Lehigh squad last week and hope to bounce back with a trip to Notre Dame (not South Bend) ... Northwestern, 24-0.

JIM THORPE AT SHENANDOAH VALLEY - The Olympians dropped their fourth contest in a row and things don't get any easier for Mark Rosenberger's young squad ... Shenandoah Valley, 28-14.

PANTHER VALLEY AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - The Panthers are getting well, as they showed last week against Jim Thorpe. Brock Mitchell got to see action in his first game since suffering the foot injury in an accident last year and it seemed to rub off on the rest of the team. The Hurricanes are playing without their best running back right now so an inside source told me if the defense plays like it did last week, the Panthers could be riding "Mr. Mo" into next week's game in Colt Country ... Panther Valley, 14-0.

EASTON AT WHITEHALL - Zephyrs have been pretty impressive in their 4-0 start. The Red Rovers have struggled a little bit more than they usually do ... Whitehall, 21-7.

MINERSVILLE AT MAHANOY AREA - The Golden Bears got knocked off the pedestal last week by Tamaqua and now travel to face the Battlin' Miners. Both teams are tied for second in the District 11 Class A rankings. Let's go with ... Minersville, 19-14.

CATASAUQUA AT SAUCON VALLEY - It's the unbeaten Rough Riders facing the Panthers, who are coming off their first win. Can't go against the Rough Riders here until they lose ... Catasauqua, 14-6.

EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH AT STROUDSBURG - Mountaineers will still be fuming over last week's loss to Pocono Mountain East. Just a prelim for the real battle on "Turkey Day" ... Stroudsburg, 21-14.

EMMAUS AT BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC - The Green Hornets might be 2-2 and the Golden Hawks are 3-1, but we like Emmaus for some reason in this one ... Emmaus, 21-19.

NAZARETH AT CENTRAL CATHOLIC - Blue Eagles are leading the pack in District 11 4A right now and have looked very solid in every game they've played. Vikings have rebounded after first two losses. Look for a shootout ... Nazareth, 39-35.

SOUTHERN LEHIGH AT PEN ARGYL - Green Knights have been the pick to run through the Colonial League all season long. No sense changing here ... Pen Argyl, 28-21.