Mr. Pickem's Weekly Football Predictions

Week 4 (Friday Sept. 22, 2023)

#6 Carroll Bulldogs (3-0) Vs #8 Sterlington Panthers (2-1)

Last season, in perhaps one of the biggest shockers of the year, the Carroll Bulldogs rolled into Panther Stadium and upset Sterlington while improving to 3-0. The 'Dawgs are once again undefeated at 3-0 and a rematch vs those same Panthers loom this Friday but with a few slight changes. This year's matchup will happen on Renwick St. in Monroe LA at Thomas -Blade Football Stadium and there will be a new play-caller leading the Bulldogs in battle. After an extraordinary season as former head coach, Brandon Landers resigned his post and in comes former Bulldog head coach, Gary Hines to man the ship. So far, so good for Carroll as they've outscored their opponents 63-16 through 3 games (2-0 forfeit). Stud athlete and D1 talent, Nate Roberts has provided the sparks for Carroll and has 5 touchdowns in the 2 games played on the field. QB Jordan Brisco has also filled in nicely replacing all-everything, Demardrick Blunt. Through 2 games, the junior signal caller has thrown for over 300 yards with 4 TDs.

On the other hand, Sterlington has been about as up and down as a team can be through their first 3 games. One can't complain about the 2-1 record but there means of getting there has not been easy. In a somewhat expected loss to West Monroe in week 1, Panther fans were left feeling great about their defense after only allowing 14 points to the 5A powerhouse. Then in week 2 vs Mangham, a slow start sped up quickly as the Panthers pitched a 41-0 road shut-out. Last week's home-opener appeared to be disastrous as the Panthers spotted the visiting Oak Grove Tigers 21 points before the alarm clock went off. A late rally and a crucial overtime stop by the Panthers improved their record to 2-1 as they head into district play.

Carroll's schedule (Delhi, Southwood, and Green Oaks-forfeit) to this point is certainly not as challenging as the Panthers' (West Monroe, Mangham, and Oak Grove) but that doesn't mean Carroll is inferior. A season ago, not many folks outside of Bulldogs Country gave Carroll a chance at winning on the road over Sterlington, but not only did they win, they did it in fashion 34-20. Wins like that over prominent programs can sometimes be the catalyst for building a championship pedigree, however the loss of Landers has left some of us thinking that Carroll has taken a small step backwards even though they're still unblemished. After a huge rival win a week ago, Sterlington could be set up for a trap game, but something tells me that the loss to the 'Dawgs last year will keep them focused on the task at hand. I'm expecting a game that will be toe-to-toe into the final quarter, but when the dusts settles a strong Panthers, defense will come away with some late takeaways and they'll come away with a victory.

Sterlington 28 Carroll 18

Player Of The Game: Tramell Colvin – 15 Carries, 150 Yards, 3 Td

Area Scores:

Top Ten

#1 Neville 49 North Caddo 8

#2 West Monroe 27 Scotlandville 12

#3 OCS 60 Tensas 6

Lafayette Christian 30 #4 Ruston 28

#5 Franklin Parish 27 Caldwell 18

#8 Sterlington 28 #6 Carroll 18

Calvary Baptist 37 #7 Wossman 23

#9 West Ouachita 34 Grant 16

#10 Vidalia 18 Buckeye 13

Other Games:

Brother Martin 28 Ouachita 17

Union Parish 32 Bastrop 14

Richwood 16 North Webster 15

Oak Grove 53 Rayville 13

Madison Parish 16 Ferriday 14

General Trass 27 Mangham 20

Jonesboro-Hodge 23 Lincoln Prep 14

Beekman Charter 27 Northwood-Lena 12

Cedar Creek 28 Delhi 23

St Fred 35 Delhi Charter 21