THANKSGIVING PICKS

We’re hoping the weather cooperates for Thursday morning. We just got a text message from Dick Albert that said, “Good weather, great games and I can totally crush Bruce Shwoegler.” Whatever that means. Even if Dickie’s forecast is wrong, ours is exactly right. We have the winners of all the games right here. Read our picks, fill out this form with yours, e-mail it to publishers@cmassinsider.com and win some prizes if you get the most correct.

On to the picks:

Nipmuc at Valley Tech: Nipmuc has proven that last year’s success wasn’t just a blip on the program building plan. The Warriors end the season on a high not with a win over the Beavs.

Gansett at Murdock: Narragansett is a team that was somewhat forgotten in 3 West, even after playing some tough football against the division’s best. Likewise for Murdock over in the East. Look for Gansett to come up with a big play through the air to squeak by the Devils.

Monty Tech at Nashoba Tech: The Bulldogs score a big win for the program.

Tyngsboro at Groton-Dunstable: The Crusaders’ impressive program debut continues with a throttling of Tyngsboro.

Littleton at Ayer: The Panthers are a proud bunch that will be back (we’ll tell you more on that in the December issue), but Littleton gets a win in a primer for the playoffs.

Maynard at Clinton: Clinton won’t be down for long. In fact, the Gaels are already on the upswing. Clinton set a lofty goal and that was to make it out of November unbeaten as a program (varsity and JV). So far, so good and the Gaels make that happen Thursday.

Hudson at Marlboro: The Panthers simply have too much depth for a Hawks team that has watched the injury bug destroy its season.

Lunenburg at St. Bernard’s: Whether or not you think the Bernardians pulled off the biggest upset of the season, you can’t argue that their win over Holy Name didn’t add even more to this game. In the end, the Blue Knight offense finds a crease or angle to beat the stout St. B’s D for a game-changing play.

West Boylston at Quabbin: The Lions had playoff aspirations this year. Unfortunately for Quabbin, it has become the Lions’ biggest game of the year and WB gets it done.

Auburn at Oxford: We could write something really dumb here like “Rockets take flight,” but there’s no need to look for anything fancy. Auburn is one of the area’s most physical teams and that’s why it’ll win Thursday.

Grafton at Millbury: It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving football without a few upsets. Prior to the season, we bet the corporate jet that Grafton wouldn’t go winless under Mike Ross. We still have the jet and we still think the Indians have another win in them.

David Prouty at Leicester: Leicester puts it all together at home and the team that gave some of the toughest teams on its schedule trouble shows up to stop the Panthers.

Uxbridge at Northbridge: Speaking of Thanksgiving upsets, was there any bigger than what went down in this rivalry a few years back? The Rams still remember, and don’t let it happen again in a close win over the Spartans.

Southbridge at Bartlett: The Pioneers offense will run up enough points to win while cell phones all over the bleachers will be running up minutes trying to see if the playoff hopes are still flickering.

South at North: The Polar Bears were a team worth checking out this year and played everyone tough. North puts a nice touch on a fine season with a big win.

Shepherd Hill at Tantasqua: You get the feeling that the playoff spot and the 10-0 record really won’t mean too much to the Warriors if they can’t beat the Hill. The Rams, however, hold the ball long enough to pull of a win.

Oakmont at Gardner: This one could be a shootout or could be a defensive struggle. How’s that for fence walking? Look for Gardner to slow down the Spartan athletes just enough to pick a win.

Holy Name at Wachusett: An interesting game for the armchair coach in all of us. To save something for the playoffs or not to save something. Our bet is these two teams will try to rip each other apart. It is, after all, Thanksgiving football. Holy Name gets the W.

Nashoba at North Middlesex: The Chieftains have proven to be more than a one-man team this year and the added dimensions are too much for the Pats.

St. Peter’s at St. John’s: Neutral fans picking the winner of this game with their hearts will give the edge to the Guardians for sure, but St. John’s has a little too much for an SPM team that will push Big Red to the limit on emotion alone.

Algonquin at Westboro: The T’Hawks have been piling up the points as of late and that trend will continue on Thursday in a win over the Rangers.

Doherty at Burncoat: The Highlanders won’t waste any time wondering “what if” and worrying about things now out of their control. They’ll have their hands full with Burncoat, but come out on top.

Shrewsbury at Milford: If Milford is indeed getting an early start on its farewell tour of CMass they will do it in style by way of a somewhat shocking upset over the Colonials.

Fitchburg at Leominster: Is there any way this one won’t live up to the hype? The Blue Devils have had their way with Fitchburg as of late, but the Red Raiders get it done in this year’s main event.