My friend Norm came and sat next to me at a table.
“How are you Norm?”
“Not good,” he replied. “I just can’t stop losing my sports bets. I started out betting the NFL and I lost 10 games in a row. Then I bet on college football and I lost another 10 games. Then I thought I would try the NBA, and wouldn’t you know it, I lost 10 more games in a row.
“That is terrible,” I said. “Have you tried betting on the NHL.”
Norm shook his head. “No. No. No. I can’t do that. I don’t know anything about hockey.
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With the regular season of high school football drawing to a close, it is looking like we have three teams in Washington County that all have a good chance of winning state championships. Here’s how I see each team’s chances:
Greenville Christian (7-1) — The Saints, who play in the Class 3A division of the MAIS, are the biggest favorites since the 1992 Dream Team took on Angola. It’s a mortal lock. I would be surprised if GCS doesn’t win each game by more then 50 points. Championship odds: Minus 50 (This means you have to bet 50 dollars to win one dollar)
Simmons Blue Devils (7-0) — The Blue Devils, who play in MHSAA Class 1A, have outscored their seven opponents by a score of 302-20. While I would certainly bet on Simmons winning it again, I am a little weary because I saw a similar dominant Simmons team fall in the finals to Nanih Waiya in 2018. It is hard to tell what the teams are like on the other side of the state. Championship odds: Even money.
St. Joseph (7-1) — Out of the three teams named here, the Irish, who play in the Class 4A division of the MAIS, are the biggest long shot to win their championship. This is no knock on them, but their seems to be three or four real strong teams in Class 4A that could give St. Joseph fits come payoff time. Championship odds: Five-to-one (This means if you bet $100 on the Irish to win the championship, you win $500 when they win).
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Before we get to the high school playoffs, we have a little unfinished business to get to. Here are my picks for this week’s games.
(Note: All high school games are Friday at 7 p.m.)
Riverside (0-7) at Leland (1-6): A Cub taking on a Bulldog actually sounds like a pretty good fight. I will take the Cub here because he is playing at home. Leland 20, Riverside 15.
West Point (5-2) at Greenville High (1-4): The Hornets are going to have more than their hands full Friday night when one of the best teams in the state come to town. West Point 48, Greenville 16.
Delta Streets Academy (3-6) at Greenville Christian (7-1): The GCS Saints will be singing with joy on the Streets of the Delta Friday night. Greenville Christian 60, Delta Streets 0.
J.Z. George (5-3) at O’Bannon (4-4): The Waves seem to be losing some steam as the season wears on. J.Z. George 21, O’Bannon 18.
Simmons (7-0) at West Tallahatchie (3-5): I do not even need to look into my crystal ball to pick the winner of this one. Simmons 36, West Tallie 10.
St. Joseph (7-1) at Kirk Academy (5-4): Little known fact — the team leader of the Kirk Academy squad is called Captain Kirk. St. Joseph 32, Kirk 28.
Washington School (1-8) at Starkville Academy (5-4): There is always next year for the Generals. Starkville 40, Washington 20.
LSU (4-3) at No. 12 Ole Miss (5-1) Saturday, 2:30 p.m., CBS: Coach Kiffin, and his lucky golf ball, should have enough to sneak away with a win against a Tiger team on a mission to “win one for Coach O.” Ole Miss 48, LSU 38.
Mississippi State (3-3) at Vanderbilt (2-5), Saturday 3 p.m., SECN: Coach Leach better not sleep on Vanderbilt or else he might be in the same line as Mr. Ed. Mississippi State 30, Vandy 18.
Tennessee (4-3) at No. 4 Alabama (6-1), Saturday 6 p.m., ESPN: Vol fans who make the trip to T-town better be on their best behavior or this beat down could get ugly. Alabama 48, Tennessee 38.
Last week’s record: 9-1
Overall record: 58-19
David W. Healy is the sports editor of the Delta Democrat-Times. He can be reached at dhealy@ddtonline.com.
