Panhandle Picks with Greg Lee

Of three possible outcomes each week, two of them are favorable for The Scribe.

So while I didn’t beat my guest, Ryan Collingwood, I didn’t lose. Which means I didn’t lose ground overall in the season-long battle with the guests.

Yours truly and Collingwood picked 11 of 14 games correctly. After two weeks, I’m 19-4 (.827) and the Guests are 16-7 (.696).

My guest this week is North Idaho College women’s basketball coach Chris Carlson, who is about to begin his fourth season as the Cardinals’ head coach.

Carlson has a connection with area high school football. His brother, Roy, is an assistant coach at Lake City.

Chris is headed to the Chicago area next week where his high school football team will celebrate the 30th anniversary of an undefeated regular season.

“I did my research and I’m ready for you,” Carlson told me. “That research took more time than grad school.”

Mead at Coeur d’Alene: A CdA team hasn’t lost three in a row since coach Shawn Amos’ second season (1998). That scenario is a distinct possibility against a Mead team that lost in overtime last week to Lewis and Clark, which was picked to finish second in the Greater Spokane League.

The Panthers lost about as much to graduation as the Vikings. So this is a toss up. There’s a sense of urgency in the CdA camp. The Vikings will respond, but it will be close. CdA 21, Mead 20.

Guest: It’s gut check time for the Vikings, who need to build some “mo” for league play. University only beat Shadle Park by a point and Mead beat Shadle by 46. I’m a basketball coach, so I’m going to use some math on this one. With luck, homecoming adds some focused energy for CHS. Mead 20, CdA 19.

Lake City at Sandpoint: The Bulldogs are improving, but the T-Wolves are better. Much, much, much better. Enough said. LC 35, Sandpoint 10.

Guest: The T-Wolves proved to themselves they can get off a bus and play great football over the past two weeks. Things won’t change at Sandpoint, but Barlow Stadium is worth a few points as the Bulldogs scrap for their identity. LC 31, Sandpoint 6.