Friday Night Picks: Elgin, Ridgedale meet in rare Week 2 league game
With the expansion of the Northwest Central Conference to include Cory-Rawson and North Baltimore, the preliminaries for Elgin and Ridgedale are over.
The games really matter now.
The NWCC went to a nine-game league schedule for 2023 and beyond. That means tonight's Elgin at Ridgedale game is more than a cross-county rivalry. It has league implications in just the second week of the season.
"Going back to the 10-team league with nine league games, it does put a sense of urgency in your step," Elgin coach Zack Winslow said. "My No. 1 goal is to win a conference title. It’s one thing we haven’t done yet since I’ve been here. We talked in the preseason that that’s our main goal this year. If we do that, all our other goals will still be attainable, but that’s going to be our first one."
More: Elgin football guide: Athleticism, experience to carry Comets in 2023
And while all the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference and Knox Morrow Athletic Conference won't start league games until Week 4 and North Union until Week 6, it's go-time for the Comets and Rockets.
"It’s definitely different, but when I played in the MOAC, that’s how the schedule was," Winslow said. "It’s kind of back to normal for me. I miss playing some of those non-league games. I always enjoyed playing Mount Gilead and Northmor and those Morrow County schools that we don’t get to see anymore. Recently they’ve been pretty doggone tough for us to play, but I like playing those guys and seeing something new or something old that’s new again. It’s good for our kids."
But those days are over, which means Friday night at Ridgedale is a truly important game even though it's only Week 2.
Here are Rob McCurdy's area high school football picks for Week 2:
Marion Harding at Ashland
Ashland got a scare from River Valley last week when the Vikings charged back from being down two touchdowns to force overtime. The Arrows have one of the top young quarterbacks in the state in the highly recruited Nathan Berrnhard and that's an asset that's tough to match. The Presidents were way too generous last weekend at Mount Vernon, turning it over six times. Ashland will be more of a challenge. Pick: Ashland.
Madison at River Valley
A young Vikings squad pushed one of the better Ohio Cardinal Conference squads to the brink. Up next for River Valley is another OCC foe, only this one is in a rebuilding mode with a first-year head coach that lost badly to Shelby in Week 1. Pick: River Valley.
Pleasant at Wynford
If these two programs met 15 or 20 years ago when both programs were in the midst of being state powerhouses, it would have been the plot of a Godzilla movie. Still, it's nice to see the former North Central Conference rivals renew it in the present day. Pleasant's only win last year came at the expense of the Royals. Wynford played Galion, an MOAC team like Pleasant, extremely tough last week, but the Royals fell a few plays short in the loss. Pleasant picked up a heartening win over another former league foe North Union and showed it is to be taken seriously in 2023. Pick: Pleasant.
More: Ridgedale football guide: Rockets 'light years ahead' as program grows
Elgin at Ridgedale
Both teams have thumpers on defense. Ridgedale has the more dynamic offense, but Elgin's line is more seasoned, and it has a cast of runners to give the ball. Recent history suggests picking Elgin is the prudent choice, but Ridgedale is likely better than it's been in a long time. It truly is a pick 'em game. However, it there is a year for the Rockets to win the rivalry game, this is the time. Pick: Ridgedale.
Columbus Academy at Cardington
The Pirates got shut out at Elgin last week, while Columbus Academy went all the way to Cincinnati to pick up a one-sided win over Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. This is a tough assignment for an uber-young Cardington squad: Pick: Columbus Academy.
Upper Sandusky at Mount Gilead
The Rams have the top arm in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference with Kaden Holman, so they will put points on the board this year. Mount Gilead's defense showed up and showed out on the road at Triad in pulling off the victory. The Indians will be tested again, but can the offense generate enough points to keep up with Upper Sandusky? Pick: Upper Sandusky.
South Central at Northmor
Northmor's 42-21 win over Upper Sandusky was an eye opener. Hunter Fulk picked off two passes and returned them for touchdowns, and A.J. Bower and his receivers showed lots of spark in leading the Golden Knights to the victory. South Central suffered a one-sided loss to nearby rival Willard. Pick: Northmor.
Triad at North Union
This should be one for the Wildcats to get. North Union played Pleasant tough all night in the opener, while Triad struggled to get anything going at home against Mount Gilead. The Wildcats need to get the offense moving more consistently, and this is the week it can happen. Pick: North Union,
Last week: 5-3.
Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at the Marion Star and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.
Marion Star Football Player of Week 1 Poll
Evan Ricketts of Ridgedale, who had five sacks, six tackles for loss and a touchdown reception in a win over Hilltop was voted Marion Star Football Player of Week 1 Poll winner with 613 of 2,458 votes (25 percent). Other nominees were Alex Stokes of Marion Harding, Kolton Stover of Highland, Owen Lowry of Pleasant, Hunter Fulk of Northmor and Chase Ebert of River Valley.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Friday Night Picks: Elgin, Ridgedale meet in rare Week 2 league game
