Better late than never, eh? Well, it's Thursday and I better take care of my picks. Last week I went 6-3 (I tried the upsets of Lee's Summit over Park Hill South and Truman over LS West but then the Panthers and Titans scoffed at those predictions before winning their games).

So let's try this again. Remember, I pick 'em and you post 'em on your bulletin board.

Gardner Edgerton at Baldwin. No match. Gardner has the depth and talent to play with the best in the state in 5A and will easily roll over every small-class opponent remaining on the schedule. Winner: Gardner Edgerton

Hey there, kids! Hope you're enjoying your weekend. I am. I'm writing this from my mom's house. I went back home to see my cousin 'P' and his Chaminade teammates take on Clayton. My cousin's team won so it was worth me breaking speed limits for 3 1/2 hours and baking in this ungodly sun. Seriously, when is Autumn weather coming?

Now on to teams that ya'll care about. First, a thousand apologies going out to the Raymore-Peculiar PANTHERS. In my Saturday morning column, I referred to Tom Kruse's boys as the 'Tigers.' Maybe I had Tigers on the brain because Ray-Pec's finest were back in town, Chase Coffman and Derrick Washington, enjoying their bye week and decked out in Mizzou Tiger gear. Or maybe I'm waging a one-woman campaign against the unethical treatment of the Panthera and am secretly trying to change the Ray-Pec mascot. Whatever the case, I'm sorry, Ray-Pec fans. I definitely know better. So from here on out, I will refer to your team as THE PANTHERS, only in bold type. There.

So THE PANTHERS came up short in knocking off The Star's No. 1 ranked Wildcats, losing 28-21. I like that Cameron Coffman-Gavin Lutman connection but you could tell they weren't clicking all night. The youngest Coffman has the tools - pocket presence and a good strong arm - but many times he and his receievers just weren't on the same page.