Gotta thank KU wordsmith Tyshawn Taylor for introducing me to this new phase "point plankn." I must be getting old because I have no clue what it means - but hey, I can borrow it for this special occassion.

Yes, friends. Last Friday night, my predictions started out a bit rough with losses from Blue Springs South and Winnetonka but I rallied back to go 6-3 overall. Not bad, I guess I've got mad skillz (notice the "z" that makes it sound much cooler). POINT PLANKN!

So let's get to the picks, shall we?

Bishop Ward at Lansing. Let's hear it for KCK football, eh? I haven't paid much attention to Ward since the Chris Wing days (2007) but the team is off to a decent start. A setback last week against Turner doesn't dissuade me from believing that Ward, a Class 4A team, can handle Class 5A Lansing. Winner: Bishop Ward

Blue Valley Northwest at Bishop Miege. Gotta feel happy for BV Northwest coach Mike Zegunis. Since he's became head coach, he's had two solid teams but since 2005 the Huskies have struggled a bit. Now, BV Northwest is off to an undefeated start and the defense looks unshakeable. But I do recommend this: Don't throw single coverage on Justin McCay. BV West learned that last week the hard way. Winner: BV Northwest

Blue Valley West at St. Thomas Aquinas. Keeping it in the EKL for now, there are a lot of great things going on for the Aquinas athletic program. The girls x-country team looks like one of the best in the state, the volleyball team is on a roll, the boys' soccer squad is undefeated and just beat Rockhurst and then there's the football team. Really, name another metro-area sports program that has won more conference, district and state titles than Aquinas? The football Saints are my pick to add another EKL championship banner to the gymnasium so... Winner: Aquinas

Harrisonville at Pleasant Hill. A pair of 3-1 teams battling for the MRVC West crown. But take a closer look at Plez Hill, they're the great escape artists. Three wins by a total of only nine points. While Harrisonville looks better every week they step on the field, especially after just humbling big-class and improved Winnetonka by two touchdowns. Winner: Harrisonville

Platte County at Hickman Mills. Here's my upset pick for the week. Yeah, it seems kinda weird that a team that has been shut out the last two weeks could beat a 3-1 team...but I just got a feeling. Winner: Hickman Mills

Raymore-Peculiar at Blue Springs. When Ray-Pec gets its running game in order, then holla at me. Winner: Blue Springs

Rockhurst at Jefferson City. Five weeks into the season and I'm finally picking Rockhurst to win a game. Even more than their upset over Blue Springs, the Hawklets' 17-7 loss to Mullen has actually persuaded me that they're a much better than I thought. Yeah, a loss did it for me. If there truly exists such a thing as a "good loss," that would be it. Winner: Rockhurst

Shawnee Mission East at Lawrence. Two 0-3 teams. Hey, somebody's gotta win this one. Winner: Lawrence

Saturday, Lawrence Free State at Shawnee Mission West: Thanks to a new rule in Kansas that allowed coaches and players to work more together in the summer months, the Vikings look far more advanced offensively this early in the season than they have in previous years. But the goal on this day will be stopping the free-flowing Firebirds. Camren Torneden (coolest name in the city), Kirk Resseguie, Keene Niemack to name a few. This week, SM West made their season debut in our Star top 5s poll. So, er, don't mess up now. Winner: SM West

As always, thanks for reading. Leave a comment if you feel the urge. My bosses will be happy to know that actual human beings are reading these blogs. And again, follow me at twitter.com/KCCandace Till later, peeps!