I had an OK week at 8-5, but Ryan was one better at 9-4. Our guest picker, Cascade Christian’s Charlie Velling, also did OK with an 8-5 mark. Thanks for playing, Charlie.

This week’s guest picker is Auburn Riverside quarterback David Paulson. We’re reaching the halfway point of this deal, so I think I need to make a move to catch Ryan, or the guest picker for that matter. There’s some pretty tough games to pick this week, so we’ll see how things go.

WEEKLY PICKS

Eric Williams

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Here’s my take on Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff being paid $55,000 by Bellevue football club boosters. I’m interested to know what people think about this, so let me hear your thoughts.

The word is out on Bellevue football coach Butch Goncharoff.

Exposing what probably was the worst-kept secret in the state’s high school coaching community, an investigation conducted by the Bellevue School District into possible recruiting in Bellevue’s football program revealed that a booster club is paying Goncharoff $55,000. The amount supplements the $5,600 salary paid to Goncharoff by the school district for his work during the

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By Ryan Divish

Is there such a thing as too much football? I honestly don’t think so. Maybe it dominates talk and coverage, but remember high school football dominates ticket and concessions sales.

Speaking of concession sales, I try to sample all of them in an effort to support local schools and booster clubs. I don’t have a favorite, but the pretzel with cheese at Puyallup a few weeks ago may have saved my life.

One thing I always hope to find is 20 oz bottles of soda (Diet Coke is my brand). Maybe I’m

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Gig Harbor and Bellarmine Prep continue to put together good performances in cross country.

The Gig Harbor boys and girls teams traveled to Boise, Idaho to compete in the Bob Firman Invitational.

The Gig Harbor girls, ranked first in state and 13th nationally, took first place with 65 points. Davis came in second, and Boise took third.



The Tides’ Kesslee Payne finished third overall in the 5K run with a time of 18:24. Teammate Amanda Andrews placed 10th, followed by Gig Harbor’s Anna Kalbrener at 15th, and freshman Christy

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(Note): I meant to publish this Thursday but had problems posting (my bad). The picks were made before Thursday’s games.

The taunting has gotten a little louder, both in the newsroom and at the games I cover.

What are you doing with your picks, some say.

Aren’t you supposed to know something about prep football, others say.

I smile and nod. There’s still a lot more season left.

One assistant coach, whose name and team I’ll leave out here, thanked me for not picking his team, because as he says, "I’m wrong all

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It was a respectable effort by myself this week at 9-4, but not enough to overcome a 12-1 effort by newcomer Ryan Divish, who continues to lead the weekly prep picks.

Thanks to Clover Park’s Darriell Beaumonte for participating in Week 2 picks. The guest picker this week is Lakes’ Nick Williams. Hey, Nick, you think going for two in the Tacoma Dome is tough? That’s nothing compared to the pressure cooker of the weekly prep picks.

Just kidding. I’m sure you’ll do fine. You can’t do any worse than I’m doing.

Ryan, let the slaughter

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With the high school football season in full swing, we’re turning our attention to one of the more colorful aspects of the autumn: uniforms.

What football uniforms do you think look the best this season?

Are you partial to the Orange Crush sported by the Lakes Lancers?

Do you instead prefer the traditional simplicity of uniforms such as those worn by Bellarmine Prep and Olympia High School?

Let us know your favorite high school uniforms in the area by posting your comments and voting here.

We’ll post the

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Plenty of prep sports stuff happened over the weekend, as athletes in the South Sound competed on the football field, on the volleyball court, and on the running paths.



Cross-Country kicked off its season over the weekend with several events across the state.



In our area, Capital High School hosted the Capital Invitational in Olympia, where this photo above by Lui Kit Wong was taken. And in Tacoma, Bellarmine Prep hosted the Bellarmine Invitational.



Charlie Williams of Gig Harbor won the boys senior

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