Blitz Picks for Week 5

Have you ever jumping into a movie halfway through and fought to understand the intricacies of the plot the rest of the way?

That was Blitz last week, entering the prognosticating game smack dab in the middle of the season.

So my 14-5 record doesn’t look so bad now. At least, that’s the story I’m going with.

Having a week under my belt, expect Week 5 to be better. Bears keep their promises.

NORTH SIDE AT BISHOP LUERS. The Knights were 2-6 under Kyle Lindsay in games decided by five points or less entering this year. So far this season, they are 3-0. North Side has lost 20 straight games dating back to 2016. The losing streak will end soon, but not this week. BLITZ PICKS LUERS BY 22.

BISHOP DWENGER AT CARROLL. These two teams were on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum in Week 4. While the Saints were proving their undefeated record is no fluke against Homestead, the Chargers defense that shut down Snider so effectively struggled to handle Northrop. Dwenger has looked consistent. Blitz likes consistency. BLITZ PICKS DWENGER BY 5.

WAYNE AT SOUTH SIDE. Things get real for the Generals starting next week with Snider coming to Wayne Stadium. This Friday? Another game in which to perfect some things. South Side hasn’t scored in three of its four games this season. BLITZ PICKS WAYNE BY 37.

HOMESTEAD AT SNIDER. The Spartans have lost their last seven games against the Panthers dating back to a 21-16 sectional victory in 2006. Snider has been an afterthought in the SAC race since its loss to Carroll. Does that change on Friday? BLITZ PICKS SNIDER BY 2.

NORTHROP AT CONCORDIA. Can the Bruins follow up their biggest victory in years with another W? Do not be deceived by the Cadets’ 1-3 record, particularly since defeats to Homestead and Luers came by a combined five points. Is Northrop refocused? That will be the key. BLITZ PICKS CONCORDIA BY 3.

BELLMONT AT HUNTINGTON NORTH. Credit the Braves for hanging around the likes of South Adams and Columbia City this season, in addition to a close loss to Norwell last week. Huntington North is improved. Enough to get its first NE8 win since 2016? BLITZ PICKS HUNTINGTON NORTH BY 3.

COLUMBIA CITY AT DEKALB. Through the first month of the season, Columbia City leads the NE8 in both offensive scoring average (25.0 ppg) and defensive points allowed (10.5 ppg). Things get real starting next week with New Haven coming to town followed by East Noble and Leo. DeKalb is better, but not there yet. BLITZ PICKS COLUMBIA CITY BY 18.

EAST NOBLE AT LEO. The Lions have to bounce back quickly from last week’s late-game disappointment at New Haven. This has been a high-scoring game in the years since the two became conference mates. Expect another shootout. I just don’t see the Lions slipping below .500. Plus, I like conference chaos. BLITZ PICKS LEO BY 3.

NEW HAVEN AT NORWELL. Stephen Owens may return to the Bulldogs lineup this week, a welcome sight for a New Haven team that hasn’t had its primary running back since the opening drive of the season. The offense has shown improvement. Owens’ return will be a further boost to the unit. BLITZ PICKS NEW HAVEN BY 16.

ADAMS CENTRAL AT HERITAGE. The first half of last week’s game against South Adams saw Heritage showing just how good it can be. The second half showed just how far the Patriots still have to go. BLITZ PICKS ADAMS CENTRAL BY 31.

JAY COUNTY AT BLUFFTON. Officially, Bluffton is 0-4 after forfeiting its two wins due to inadvertently using an ineligible player. Unofficially, the Tigers could very well be 5-2 if it can triumph over Jay County, Southern Wells and Heritage the next three weeks. BLITZ PICKS BLUFFTON BY 14.

MONROE CENTRAL AT SOUTH ADAMS. Yes, this is a prime opportunity to see where the Starfires stack up against one of the top teams in 1A. Reality is, South Adams has a darn good 1A team coming to Berne next Friday in Adams Central. That game is the priority. Avoiding injuries is the most important thing for SA on Friday against a team allowing an average of two points per game. BLITZ PICKS MONROE CENTRAL BY 29.

SOUTHERN WELLS AT WOODLAN. In three wins over the Raiders in the last three years, Woodlan has scored 43, 57 and 61 points. Is the Warriors’ offense rounding into form? BLITZ PICKS WOODLAN BY 37.

ANGOLA AT LAKELAND. The season before Andy Thomas took over at Angola, the Hornets were shut out 31-0 by Lakeland. Since then, Angola has four wins over the Lakers by an average of 25 points. BLITZ PICKS ANGOLA BY 25.

EASTSIDE AT GARRETT. These two traditional powers in the NECC are a combined 1-6 thus far. Both teams desperately need a win. Unfortunately, rules dictate that there can be only one victor. BLITZ PICKS EASTSIDE BY 4.

FAIRFIELD AT WEST NOBLE. The Falcons are 0-3, have lost by a combined 162-0 and had to cancel last week’s game against Culver due to too many injuries. They play West Noble and Angola the next two weeks. Ouch. BLITZ PICKS WEST NOBLE BY 42.

FREMONT AT CENTRAL NOBLE. Cougars roll. BLITZ PICKS CENTRAL NOBLE BY 38.

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS AT CHURUBUSCO. Eagles roll. BLITZ PICKS CHURUBUSCO BY 34.

WARSAW AT NORTHRIDGE. This game come downs to one thing – can the Tigers slow down Northridge’s running game? If they can, Warsaw can go to 4-1 for just the second time in the last decade. BLITZ PICKS NORTHRIDGE BY 2.

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