It feels good to be back and writing another column, but truth be told, I still wish I was on vacation.
The Smoky Mountains are an amazing place and I can’t wait to eventually make my way back there. With so much to do, beautiful views no matter where you look, and one of my newest favorite theme parks in Dollywood, it was a trip I will never forget. My personal highlight was going to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg. It had a tunnel you could go through and see sharks from just about every angle possible. Eight-year old me was crying tears of joy on the inside.
I could go on and on about all the awesome stuff we were able to fit in a four-day span, but that’s not what you’re here for. This is a football column, and it will be treated as such.
I know you’re probably all expecting me to do my usual sky-is-falling routine after my Bears found yet another way to lose in the worst possible fashion and rip my heart out. What about Missouri? They gave up a touchdown with less than 20 seconds to go to effectively end what was already a hail-mary chance at the playoffs. I’m not going to talk about either today. There’s a third football team I root for that gave me, and I’m sure many of you, a night to remember on Friday night.
I’m talking, of course, about the Warsaw Tigers.
Friday night was perhaps the most fun I’ve had in my career as a sports journalist. The vibes at Fisher Field were immaculate. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house, the crowd brought the energy for all four quarters, and so did the Tigers. Lafayette Jefferson gave them everything they had, but at the end of the day, Warsaw gave them more.
Talking to a few players as well as Bart Curtis after the game was incredibly rewarding. The players had smiles on their faces that were each bigger than the last. It wasn’t hard to tell how much this moment meant to them, and that they realized how big of a moment it was. After spending a few moments taking pictures with his seniors, Curtis simply pulled up a chair behind the end zone and took in that moment.
This was a team that was 3-3 a month and a half ago after a pair of heartbreaking losses to Concord and Plymouth. Instead of letting those losses define them, the Tigers kept working. I asked Curtis after the game if he thought there was a specific moment that flipped the switch and led to this run. He assured me there wasn’t. Simply put, this is a group of guys that kept working their tails off, avoided all of the outside noise, and spent the rest of the regular season improving and gearing up for this playoff push.
Over the last two weeks, the No. 1 and No. 2 5A teams in the state fell at the hands of the Tigers. If Warsaw wants to make its first ever trip to Indianapolis at the end of the month, they’ll have to take down No. 3 Friday night at home. If you were there and thought the regional atmosphere was crazy, I’d be willing to wager it will pale in comparison to what the Semi-State round will bring.
This is uncharted territory for the Tigers. They’ve been picked against in each of the last two rounds. They’re playing with house money at this point. They’ve got one last home game to make the most of, win or lose. After the win against Concord, I was confident they’d get it done last week. If Drew Sullivan keeps running like he has been and the defense keeps balling out, the sky's the limit for what this team can achieve.
I’m counting down the days until Friday night. By the time this column comes out, I’ll be counting down the hours. You should be too. You never know the next time you’ll get the chance to root for your favorite team on this big of a stage again. Cherish it, savor it, and make sure these boys know how much you care. They’re out there busting their butts for this community, so make it out to Fisher Field on Friday night and show them some love.
Let’s move on to some quick hitters.
The College Football Playoff is shaping up to be very interesting. It feels like every week we have new teams in and out, and there’s still plenty of time for it to change up some more. Hopefully the games themselves can live up to the hype.
Local basketball is in full swing, with the girls having a few games under their belts and the boys starting some scrimmages this week. I don’t want to say goodbye to football season, but basketball is not a bad crutch to fall back on.
One of the main things we did down in Tennessee was go down to the Titanic museum they have down there. It was an incredible experience, full of recreations and actual artifacts from the ship. Obviously, I had to watch the movie afterwards. It makes me cry every time.
I had no picks last week but in the last column I wrote, I found a way to go .500 again. I’m hoping this can finally be the week I can move above water. Let’s find out.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) at Cleveland Browns
Don’t look now, but the Steelers have established themselves as one of the top teams in the AFC. Last week’s win over Baltimore was Pittsburgh’s biggest yet, and they are now firmly in the driver’s seat in the AFC North. The Browns were fun for a week with Jameis Winston, but are back to stinking it up. Give me the Stellers to stay hot.
The Pick: Steelers -3.5
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) at Chicago Bears
The Bears will never let me be happy. They will always find ways to lose games they should win and they will always do it in the most heartbreaking way possible. That blocked kick against the Packers last weekend was absolutely gut wrenching to watch, but also expected. Matt Eberflus should have been fired after the New England week and he wasn’t, so you reap what you sow. The Vikings are coming off another win, this time off of the Titans. I want to pick Chicago here, but I just can’t. That was another one of those heartbreaking losses that leads to a dud of a performance.
The Pick: Vikings -3.5
Detroit Lions (-7.5) at Indianapolis Colts
The best team in football is headed to Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend. Anthony Richardson returned as Indy’s starting quarterback last week, and looked good while pulling off a game-winning drive against the Jets. Unfortunately for him, he’s going up against a juggernaut of a team in Detroit. These are two of the best teams in the league against the spread this season, but one of them is just absolutely killing everything in its path. Hard for me to go against the Lions with how they’ve been playing recently.
The Pick: Lions -7.5
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-7)
The Patriots came back down to Earth in a loss to the Rams last weekend, while the Dolphins took down the Raiders and got back into the win column for the second week in a row. For some reason, I like New England in this one. Drake Maye has looked pretty good since he made his debut. He has absolutely no offensive line but is still able to make plays in tough spots. The Dolphins are definitely playing better recently, but I don’t like this line in a divisional game.
The Pick: Patriots +7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) at New York Giants
The Giants finally made the decision to bench Daniel Jones in favor of Tommy DeVito this week. They probably made that decision about six years too late, but it's better late than never. The Bucs had a much needed bye last week and will most likely be getting healthier because of it. The fact that New York is going directly to their third stringer as opposed to second string QB Drew Lock tells me they’re trying to get a top draft pick. Give me Tampa Bay.
The Pick: Buccaneers -5.5
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders (-10)
Uh oh… it looks like the Commanders are starting to show cracks in the armor. The offense did not look good at all in a loss to Philly last Thursday, and truthfully, it hasn’t looked good in a couple of weeks. The Cowboys are just an absolute mess though, with losses getting worse and worse by the week. Without Dak Prescott, the team is not scoring any points at all. So why do I feel like they have a puncher’s chance in this game? It is a divisional game, and Washington has not looked good in weeks. You know what, let’s get crazy.
The Pick: Cowboys +10.
Kansas City Chiefs (-10.5) at Carolina Panthers
The Chiefs dropped a game for the first time this season in a tough game against the Bills last week. Kansas City was in it until the end, but was unable to get the necessary stop at the end of the contest to give themselves a chance to win it. The Panthers had a week off, but I’m not sure how much that’s going to help them here. If the Chiefs can’t win a game like this by double figures, I don’t know if they will at any point this year.
The Pick: Chiefs -10.5
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (-8.5)
It had been a few weeks since the Texans had looked like the team we expected them to look like in the preseason, but they finally did on Monday night. This week, they get a Titans team that has lost by double figures in four of the last five games. This is one of the worst teams in the league going up against a pretty good one, so I’m going to go with the favorite. It’s so simple it’s scary.
The Pick: Texans -8.5

LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Denver Broncos (-4.5) at Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos are probably the best story in the NFL up to this point, and would be in the playoffs if they started today. Bo Nix continues to surprise everyone, coming off his best game as a pro against the Falcons. The Raiders have fallen off of a cliff over the last month or so, so this should be another big win for Denver. Another one of those games that is so easy to pick, I’m worried about it.
The Pick: Broncos -4.5
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (-1.5)
The Niners have lost so many games they’ve been favored in this season. They’re clearly not the juggernaut that breezed through the NFC last season. The Packers are winning games, but consistently in the luckiest ways possible Half of their wins this year have come on the last play of the game, so it’s not like they’re crushing people. One thing I know to be certain is that the Niners always find a way to beat the Packers. They do it again here.
The Pick: 49ers +1.5
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-1.5)
The Cardinals had a bye this week while the Seahawks picked up a massive win on the road in San Fran. Along with the Broncos, Arizona has been one of the biggest surprises so far this year. They’re still in first place and have a chance to extend that divisional lead with a victory here. I think they get it done on the road here.
The Pick: Cardinals +1.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) at Los Angeles Rams
The Eagles are quietly establishing themselves as perhaps the second best team in the NFC. Saquon Barkley has been awesome, the defense has improved every week and they are finding ways to win every week. The Rams have definitely improved since getting their star receivers back, but I don’t know if they’ll be able to do enough in this game to pull it off. Give me the Eagles to keep it going with a win here.
The Pick: Eagles -2.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Los Angeles Chargers
The Ravens are coming off of a tough loss to the Steelers while the Chargers survived surrendering a big lead to find a way to dispatch the Bengals. LA is firmly in the playoff picture right now in the first year under Jim Harbaugh, which is not surprising as he wins everywhere he goes. The Ravens might have to settle for a wildcard spot as well after that loss to Pittsburgh. I think they’re the better team in this one though, so I’ll go with the visitors.
The Pick: Ravens -3
On the bye: Bengals, Bills, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Saints
Hopefully we can keep things going here. I feel a little rusty after a week off so I hope these picks don’t reflect that. Go Tigers!
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 7-7
Season Record: 68-68