CJ and André predict the winner of every Week 3 Cape Cod high school football game

Although it was week two of the Cape Cod high school football season, last week was the first picks of the season for me (CJ) and André.

The good news is we both had over .500 of our picks right, so not too bad of a start to the season. I (CJ) went 8-3, while André went 6-5.

Now that our feet are wet, it's time for another week of football.

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There are three unbeaten teams left, who all play on Friday night, and two of them will face Cape opponents. Dennis-Yarmouth will face Monomoy, Cape Tech will travel on the road to play Bourne, and Barnstable will play its first home game against Bridgewater-Raynham.

On Saturday, we have our third Cape matchup as Sandwich looks for their second straight win against a Nantucket team looking to get into the win column for the first time. Nauset and Upper Cape will also host home games as they try to get its first wins.

Let's see if we both can stay above .500 in week three.

Friday

Bridgewater-Raynham (0-2) at Barnstable (2-0), 6 p.m.

Barnstable is firing on all cylinders to start the season, and are home this week taking on a winless team. I see this game as a chance for the Red Hawks to continue to assert their early season claim to being the best team on Cape, and improve to 3-0. Neither of the Red Hawks' first two opponents have kept them from reaching the 40-point mark, as the offense has been both efficient, and diverse. Bridgewater Raynham has struggled defensively, allowing 40 or more in both contests so far this season, and the Red Hawks could be primed for another prolific game. Barnstable can beat teams through the air, and on the ground, and until someone proves otherwise, I'm not picking them to lose.

André's pick: Barnstable 42, Bridgewater-Raynham 21.

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The Red Hawks have a offensive recipe that is working to perfection, and teams have not figured out how to plan against it. With wins by 35 and 25 points, the Red Hawks are not just winning, but are making statements with their wins. They are off to their best offensive start (94 points) since 2012, when they scored 110 points in their first two games. On the defensive side, they have held both opponents under 21 points. On the flip side, Bridgewater-Raynham has only scored seven total points this season, while allowing 40 ppg to opponents. That combination doesn't fare well for them. Barnstable wins this and continues its undefeated start to the season.

CJ's pick: Barnstable 49, Bridgewater-Raynham 28.

Monomoy (1-1) at Dennis-Yarmouth (2-0), 6 p.m.

Monomoy narrowly lost to Cape Tech last week, and will be looking to bounce back from a quiet night offensively. At their best, the Monomoy rushing attack can lean on opponents, controlling both the clock, and field position. The Dolphins are a team that can score in a hurry, so the Sharks will need their offense to click to keep pace. Defensively, the Dolphins present a different type of challenge than Monomoy's last opposition. The Dolphins' aerial attack will test the Sharks secondary, and they'll need to step up as well.

D-Y enters on the heels of two consecutive two-point victories, and are looking to stay undefeated. Jayden Barber has eclipsed 300 yards passing in both games this year, and will look to continue to spread the ball around against the Sharks. Defensively, the Dolphins still have some questions to answer, but while they figure them out, it's nice to have an offense capable of scoring at any time.

André's pick: Dennis-Yarmouth 32, Monomoy 20.

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The Dolphins' offense is firing on all cylinders averaging 37 points per game behind the combination of quarterback Jayden Barber and wide receiver Peyton Kellett. However, the defense is allowing 35 ppg. Like André said, the Dolphins were close to being 0-2 in both games. Monomoy's defense has only allowed 14 points in each game, but they have not faced a offense like the Dolphins yet. The Sharks almost won last week without their starting QB Jake Vagenas (personal reasons). I think D-Y's offense will be too much for the Sharks' defense to overcome, and will have its first 3-0 start since 2017.

CJ's pick: Dennis-Yarmouth 27, Monomoy 17.

Falmouth (0-2) at Medway (0-2), 6 p.m.

The Clippers travel to take on another winless team in week three, and after the Clippers were shut out in week two, they chose to look at the positives. Overall, the team feels like they're heading in the right direction, and after replacing so much of their production from last season, are starting to find their groove. Medway this season has yet to score, and will present a chance for the Falmouth defense to have its best game of the season. The Clippers felt like they started to figure some things out offensively, and will look towards senior Collin Govoni to lead them to the first victory of the season.

André's pick: Falmouth 20, Medway 6.

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Both teams have something in common, they are having struggles finding the end zone. Neither has scored on offense this season yet, so this will be a defensive battle. The combination of the loss of seniors, and new head coach Timothy Medeiros, have the Clippers still trying to figure out things early in the season. A game against a team that is going through the same production struggles is a perfect chance to turn their season around. This will be a close a battle with the Clippers giving Medeiros his first victory at the helm.

CJ's pick: Falmouth 17, Medway 14.

Cape Tech (1-0) at Bourne (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

The Crusaders made a statement with their season opening win over the Sharks, and showcased an impressive defense, and an offense that is led by a three pronged rushing attack. Quarterback Aiden Choukri, and running backs Rovens Jean-Baptiste and Peyton Morris are all capable of eating up yards on the ground. What was even more impressive in the Crusaders win last week, was the way their defense played. They held the Sharks to only two rushing touchdowns, and forced turnovers. First-year head coach Calvin Castillas has his team following his lead, and if the defense plays like it did last week again, it could be two wins in two weeks. Bourne scored 21 points week one, but didn't reach the end zone in week two. The offense is still looking for consistency, and the Canalmen will look to go back over .500 with the win. Ultimately, I think this game will come down to who can create turnovers, to give their respective offense extra possessions

André's pick: Cape Tech 24, Bourne 16.

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The Bourne Canalmen looked great in week one behind utility player Ty Kelley, but he was shut down last week to South Shore Tech. Cape Tech won their first game of the season after winning two games last season, with one of those wins coming against the Canalmen ironically. These two teams know each other very well and always battle it out to the final horn. I think this game will be no different as the Canalmen bounce back with a win at home.

CJ's pick: Bourne 20, Cape Tech 14.

St. John Paul II (1-1) at Wareham (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

The Lions got into the win column last week, and did it thanks to the dual efforts of Daniel Cordeiro and Jack Kalkus. Cordeiro has led the offense this season, amassing nearly 400 total yards, (361 on the ground, and 30 through the air), and has scored three touchdowns. Kalkus is the signal caller, and has proven to be a dual threat this year, and as if that wasn't enough contribution, also had a interception on the defensive side. The Lions tightened up defensively in week two, and if they can match the level of defensive intensity, they'll be in good shape.

André's pick: St. John Paul II 28, Wareham 20.

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The Lions are on the road for the third straight week and have split the first two games. After being shut out in the first half of the first game, they scored 28 points in the second half. They carried that momentum over to the next week and came away with their first win last week over Tech Boston Academy. Both teams are coming off of wins, and Wareham put up a 50 piece last week. I think that boosted their confidence and they will be at home. I'm going to give them the slight edge but it will not be easy.

CJ's pick: Wareham 30, St. John Paul II 20.

Mashpee (1-1) at Bristol Plymouth (1-1), 7 p.m.

Mashpee got back to .500 with its week two victory over Nantucket, and they did it with a stifling defensive effort, and a balanced offensive attack. That feels like the formula for Mashpee's success this season. With the ball, Dominic Matteodo, Logan Wills and Ben Squarcia can all do damage. Defensively, the Falcons cleaned up the mistakes that head coach Matt Triveri said plagued them in the week one loss, and will be looking to win their second game in a row. I think this week gives the Falcons another chance to build some defensive strength, and I think that's why they'll come out on top.

André's pick: Mashpee 28, Bristol Plymouth 12.

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After a offensive shootout in week one with D-Y that came down to a missed two-point conversion of going into overtime, the Falcons looked like a different team last week. After allowing 40 points in week one, they held Nantucket to a touchdown last week. Mashpee looked like the playoff team from a season ago and will look to continue that strong play Friday night.

CJ's pick: Mashpee 28, Bristol Plymouth 20

Saturday

Diman (1-1) at Upper Cape (0-2), 12 p.m.

The Rams are still looking for their first win of the season, and this week are hosting a Diman team that is coming off a win, but one in which it scored just 13 points. The Rams' offense has also struggled to start the year, scoring just one touchdown this year, and will need more output to get into the win column. Defensively, Upper Cape hasn't allowed more than 28 points, and does enough to keep them in games. This game comes down to how well the Rams will be able to move the ball. If they're able to find some offensive flow, to help out their defense, it'll help lead to more success.

André's pick Diman 24, Upper Cape 12.

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The Rams are still looking for answers on offense under new head coach Tom Pandiscio as they only have six total points for the season. . I think this will be the best week for the Rams on both side of the ball. However, they are still figuring out a new system that may take longer than three weeks to figure out. This will be a close contest, but the Rams will have to find some solutions to get Coach Pandiscio his first win.

CJ's pick: Diman 17, Upper Cape 12.

Lunenburg (2-0) at Martha’s Vineyard (1-1), 1:30 p.m.

The Vineyarders' offense came back down to earth last weekend after a 40 point explosion in week one. There's no rest for the weary, as the Vineyarders face a Lunenburg team that has yet to taste defeat, and has won six out of its last seven dating back to last season. If Martha's Vineyard can replicate their offensive production this week, the Vineyarders could be looking at a statement win over a playoff team from last season. A big key for the week one victory, was the explosive play. The Vineyarders had four different touchdowns of over 40 yards, and three over 50 yards, and they'll need to create some chunk yardage to hand Lunenburg its first loss of the season.

André's pick Lunenberg 28, Martha's Vineyard 26.

The Vineyarders will look to stay unbeaten at home, where they won their first home game 40-20 over Sutton. The script flipped last week as they allowed 50 points and only scored one touchdown against Cardinal Spellman. Lunenburg will be no easy task as they look to remain unbeaten. Lunenburg barely beat that same Sutton team 18-14, so this will be a interesting matchup. I think the loss last week was a big hit to the Vineyarders.

CJ's pick: Lunenburg 30, Martha's Vineyard 17.

Nantucket (0-2) at Sandwich (1-1), 1:30 p.m.

Sandwich picked up the first win under Robert Lomp last week, and will now turn its attention towards building some momentum. Adam Ferriera was the star for the Blue Knights' offense, scoring twice in the win over Plymouth North. The defense also stepped up, creating turnovers and scoring a touchdown in the win. This week gives the Blue Knights another opportunity to flex its muscles defensively, taking on a Nantucket team that has yet to reach double digits this season.

The Whalers are still searching for a rhythm on offense, after struggling for the bulk of the game against Mashpee. With that being said, they did reach the end zone in the fourth quarter, and on that drive could have found some early solutions to some of their woes. The key for the Whalers will be keeping possession, the more turnovers they have, the less likely they are to be successful.

André's pick Sandwich 24, Nantucket 8.

These two teams are very familiar with each other. Over the past four seasons, they have split the last four games, with Sandwich winning the most recent 7-0 last season. Both teams are still making adjustments on offense, as the Whalers have scored 13 total points and Sandwich has scored 27 through the first two games.

I think the difference in this game will the defense of Sandwich, who know hold to force turnovers. In addition to that, the Whalers have trouble keeping teams from scoring as they have given up 74 points over the first two weeks. I think Sandwich and Coach Lomp keep the winning ways going with two straight wins.

CJ's pick: Sandwich 27, Nantucket 12.

North Middlesex (2-0) at Nauset (0-2), 3 p.m.

Nauset has gotten off to a slow start in 2023, after its bounce back 2022 season. There's still plenty of time for the Warriors to change the trajectory of their season, and it starts with a tough matchup with undefeated North Middlesex. This game will be a test for the Nauset defense. So far this year, the Warriors have allowed 27 points per game, but are trending in the right direction after only allowing 18 points in week two. North Middlesex has a pair of 40-point games under its belt, and the Warriors will need to step up defensively to give their offense a shot. It's an offense that has yet to top 20 points this season, and will need quarterback Brendan Peno and the offense to take the next step to help give the season a jumpstart.

André's pick North Middlesex 35, Nauset 21.

After going winless in 2021, the Warriors turned things around with a 6-5 season last year. That included a 32-21 win over North Middlesex, but the Warriors don't look the same early on. A team that averaged 25 ppg last season is only averaging half of that this season. After giving up 40 points in week one, they now face a North Middlesex team that has done that in both games this season like André mentioned. I think the Warriors stop North Middlesex's 40 points streak, but North Middlesex will avenge its loss from a season ago, and Nauset will start 0-3 for the second time in the last three years.

CJ's pick: North Middlesex 34, Nauset 13.

CJ's picks: Last week 8-3

Overall 8-3

André picks: Last week 6-5

Overall 6-5

Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter/X: @CJ_Journalist.

André Simms covers high school sports for the Times. Contact him at asimms@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @that1guyandre.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod high school football: Predictions for the Week 3 games