Week 1: Fearless Friday Football Forecast, presented by State Farm agent Sean Reali (updated with results)
The Fearless Friday Football Forecasters are back for a fourth season and better than ever.
Better? Well, that remains to be scene, but at least this season we’ve got a sponsor: Seal Reali of State Farm. So that’s a good start.
The bad thing? Geez, these Week 1 picks are rough. Next to impossible, really. The stress level of trying to make these picks is overwhelming. Two of the Forecasters fainted while perusing the matchups, one put in for early retirement, and a fourth checked into a local psychiatric institution. (He’ll recover in time to cover a game Friday night, we hope.)
There aren’t many layups this week. I mean, our Forecasters went 12-0 in favor of Wyomissing but who are we kidding here? No one will be surprised if 14-time state champ Southern Columbia wins. Reallistically, it’s a pick ’em. The big guys in Vegas refused to put out a line.
The Hall of Fame Trophy Game, between Kutztown and Fleetwood, literally is a pick ’em: We’ve got six Forecasters on each side of the fence there.
Forecasters spread their “Double Downs” across six different games this week; that’s telling you something. There’s no sure bet.
Each week throughout the season MikeDragoSports.com staff writers, photographers, and contributors, along with writers from football partner LNP/Lancasteronline, will pick all the Berks games, as well as selected Lancaster-Lebanon League games.
We’ll keep standings and the Forecaster with the most points at the end of the season will get a (relatively) big prize!
Each correct pick earns one point; if a Forecaster “Doubles Down” on a Berks team and is correct he gets two points. Each Fearless Forecaster can “Double Down” on a team only once during the regular season (and once again during the postseason).
We’ve got three former champs back to battle for the year-end prize: Coach Joe Mays, who won in 2022 and shared first in 2023; Sam Cavalieri, who made a late push to grab part of that ’23 trophy; and Matt Hagy, who put on a Tiger-like charge down the back nine to steal last year’s crown.
We’ve got some new players, too, most notably Hall of Fame sportswriter Rod Frisco, who knows a thing or two about high school football (but not enough to avoid public humiliations such as this). Also joining us this season are Christian Eby and Brian Markley of LNP/LancasterOnline.
This week’s games
- Cheltenham at Wilson
- Reading High at Phoenixville
- Daniel Boone at Exeter
- Muhlenberg at Schuylkill Valley
- Gov. Mifflin at Pleasant Valley
- Kutztown at Fleetwood
- Conrad Weiser at Abington
- Solanco at Lampeter-Strasburg
- Berks Catholic at Twin Valley
- Wyomissing at Southern Columbia
- Hamburg at Octorara
- Dallastown at Hempfield
- Cumberland Valley at Manheim Township
| Week 1 | Chelten. Wilson | Reading Phoen. | Boone Exeter | Muhl. SV | Mifflin PV | Kutz Fleet | Weiser Abington |
| Mike Drago | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | Muhl. | Mifflin | Kutz | Abington |
| Sam Cavalieri | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | Muhl. | Mifflin (DD) | Kutz | Weiser |
| Christian Eby | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter (DD) | SV | Mifflin | Fleet | Abington |
| Rod Frisco | Wilson (DD) | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Kutz | Weiser |
| Matt Hagy | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Fleet (DD) | Weiser |
| Phil Marabella | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter (DD) | Muhl. | Mifflin | Kutz | Weiser |
| Brian Markley | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Fleet (DD) | Weiser |
| Joe Mays | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin (DD) | Fleet | Weiser |
| Sean McBryan | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | Muhl. | Mifflin | Kutz | Weiser (DD) |
| Logan Moyer | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Kutz | Weiser (DD) |
| Clay Oberholtzr | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Fleet (DD) | Weiser |
| Jeff Reinhart | Wilson | Phoen. | Exeter | SV | Mifflin | Fleet (DD) | Weiser |
| Staff composite | Wilson 12-0 | Phoen. 12-0 | Exeter 12-0 | SV 8-4 | Mifflin 12-0 | Tie 6-6 | Weiser 10-2 |
| Berks Cath Twin Valley | Wyom. Southern | Hamburg Octorara | Solanco L-S | Dallastown Hempfield | CV MT | Week 1 record | |
| Mike Drago | Twin Valley (DD) | Wyom. | Octorara | Solanco | Dallastown | MT | 10-4 |
| Sam Cavalieri | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Hempfield | MT | 13-1 |
| Christian Eby | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Hamburg | L-S | Dallastown | MT | 10-4 |
| Rod Frisco | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Hempfield | Man. Twp. | 12-2 |
| Matt Hagy | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Hempfield | MT | 13-1 |
| Phil Marabella | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Hamburg | L-S | Dallastown | MT | 11-3 |
| Brian Markley | Berks Cath | Wyom. | Hamburg | L-S | Hempfield | MT | 11-3 |
| Joe Mays | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Dallastown | CV | 11-3 |
| Sean McBryan | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Dallastown | CV | 11-3 |
| Logan Moyer | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | Solanco | Dallastown | MT | 10-4 |
| Clay Oberholtzr | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | L-S | Dallastown | MT | 12-2 |
| Jeff Reinhart | Twin Valley | Wyom. | Octorara | Solanco | Dallastown | MT | 11-3 |
| Staff composite | Twin Valley 11-1 | Wyom 12-0 | Octorara 9-3 | L-S 9-3 | Dallasown 8-4 | MT 10-2 | 11-1-1 |