Picks get a bit trickier as the season starts to get interesting

Well, I had a tough week on my picks as Glenn Hills rallied past Lakeside and Augusta Christian took care of Laurence Manning. (I am happy I lost that second pick, by the way.) That drops me to 8-3 thus far this season.

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It was an interesting week. As expected, Evans was able to move the ball at will in a blowout win over Harlem, and ACS versus Laurence Manning was a tight contest.

The surprise was Lakeside struggling against Glenn Hills. The Panthers benefitted from early turnovers to jump out to a 14-0 lead, but simply were overmatched the rest of the way. Glenn Hills' athleticism was too much for Lakeside.

Lakeside did have to play much of the game without East Carolina commitment Kyle Tudor, who injured his knee. Lakeside will try to get back on track this week against a Harlem team that is struggling early on.

Lakeside (1-2) at Harlem (0-3): Lakeside leads the all-time series 7-3, having won seven straight after losing their first three meetings. The schools last met in 1999 when the Panthers piled on the points to win 59-14.

Lakeside has outscored the Bulldogs 177-21 in their last four meetings, and 266-55 in their last seven. Lakeside will try to crack 20 points in a game for the first time in 2008, and likely will against a Harlem team that is giving up 33 points per game.

Lakeside 27, Harlem 13

Evans (3-0) vs. Glenn Hills (2-1): This marks the first meeting between Evans and Glenn Hills in 31 years. The two played eight times from 1968-77, with the Spartans winning six.

Evans got through the Columbia County portion of its schedule with a perfect 3-0 mark, but faces its toughest test of the season with the Spartans. The Knights' offensive line will be the key to winning. If they can get Jonathan Finch in some open spaces, their perfect record will stay intact.

Evans 23, Glenn Hills 19

Greenbrier (1-2) at Douglass (1-2): Douglass was 8-4 last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before losing to eventual AAAAA champion Lowndes County. This season, the Astros are 1-2, but they have played some very good teams. Greenbrier will have a tough time in Atlanta.

Douglass 34, Greenbrier 17

Augusta Christian (4-1) vs. Ben Lippen (2-3): The Lions won a wild game over Ben Lippen last season 51-38, and they have averaged 45 points per game in their last three meetings with the Falcons. They may not have that much offensive firepower this time around, but they should still get the win.

ACS 24, Ben Lippen 16