When the smoke cleared ...
Well, we were 6 of 8 on our high school football picks last week.
As in, Jason Elliott and I picked eight games, and six were played.
Two were not due to air quality concerns — Central Valley at Lake City, a nonleague game which will not be made up, and Timberline of Weippe at Kootenai, a North Star League clash in which they will try to reschedule.
Both Jason and I went 4-2 on our high school picks, and I picked up a game on him overall by going 2-1 on the college picks to his 1-2. For the season, Jason is 19-8 overall, and I am 18-9.
We won’t bother picking Sunday’s 49ers-Seahawks game, though the early line is Seattle, 9-3 — reflecting how many points each team scored last week.
Actually, it’ll be a lot worse.
HIGH SCHOOL
Moses Lake (1-1) at Coeur d’Alene (2-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: Moses Lake has been a pretty competitive foe for the Vikings through the years. But Coeur d’Alene’s offense will again be too much.
Coeur d’Alene, 49-20
ELLIOTT: Coeur d’Alene has a lot of different options to get the offense flowing.
Coeur d’Alene, 56-28
Cheney (0-2) at Post Falls (3-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: A letdown would be natural for Post Falls, but playing at home should keep those thoughts to a minimum.
Post Falls, 42-12
ELLIOTT: Good teams defend their home turf. Post Falls is a good team right now.
Post Falls, 48-14
Rogers (0-1) at Lakeland (1-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: Lakeland beat Rogers last year in its first trip to Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. Rogers’ game last week was canceled due to poor air quality. Lakeland is coming off a big win over East Valley last week.
Lakeland, 38-12
ELLIOTT: Lakeland gets its first home win of 2017.
Lakeland, 35-17
Priest River (2-1) at St. Maries (1-2)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: St. Maries is looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses.
Priest River, 22-18
ELLIOTT: St. Maries gets back on track after a tough one at the Kibbie Dome last Friday.
St. Maries, 24-20
Lakeside (1-1) at Garfield-Palouse (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: Gar-Pal also lost a game last week to poor air quality. In the opener, the Vikings beat Troy, which played fifth-ranked (1A Division I) Lapwai tough the following week.
Gar-Pal, 36-18
ELLIOTT: The last time I witnessed a Garfield-Palouse game — in high school, mind you — my alma mater Wallace won on a game-winning field goal. They’re not kicking field goals anymore.
Gar-Pal, 44-30
Mullan (0-1) at Kootenai (1-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
NELKE: Last year, the teams played a 6-man game because Mullan had a shortage of players. This year’s game might look like one. Kootenai hasn’t played for three weeks, Mullan for two.
Kootenai, 54-22
ELLIOTT: Watching that 6-man game last year was a lot of fun. Kootenai has more experienced players.
Kootenai, 48-30
Hillcrest (3-0) at Lake City (0-2)
Saturday, noon
NELKE: Last year, Lake City traveled to eastern Idaho and recorded one of its three victories on a Saturday afternoon in mid-September. This year, the Knights will try to return the favor.
Hillcrest, 37-21
ELLIOTT: The Timberwolves haven’t played in two weeks and will be hungry.
Lake City, 28-20
COLLEGE
New Mexico (1-1) at Boise State (1-1)
Thursday, 5 p.m.
NELKE: No matter who the quarterback is, the Broncos should bounce back in a big way after coughing up a 21-point lead and losing at WSU in three overtimes.
BSU, 42-7
ELLIOTT: Boise State needs this one if they want to lay claim to one of those New Year’s bowl games.
Boise State, 35-10
Idaho (1-1) at Western Michigan (0-2)
Saturday, 4 p.m.
NELKE: After watching the Vandals get drubbed by UNLV last week, maybe Howard was better than we thought. Meanwhile, Western Michigan was respectable in losses at USC (49-31) and Michigan State (28-14).
Western Michigan, 42-28
ELLIOTT: The Vandals play well ... but ...
Western Michigan, 38-21
Oregon State (1-2) at Washington State (2-0)
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
NELKE: The only thing that could keep the score down on this one is WSU having a letdown from last week’s emotional win over Boise State. Coug fans can stay in the stands and celebrate this one.
WSU, 49-14
ELLIOTT: Jake Luton, an Idaho transfer, returns to the Palouse ... and leaves with a loss.
WSU, 45-21
Eastern Washington (0-2) at Fordham (1-1)
Saturday, 10 a.m.
NELKE: After getting thumped twice, you would think the Eags should be able to rebound this week — albeit some 3,000 miles from home. If not ...
EWU, 28-21
ELLIOTT: Eastern Washington gets its first win of the season.
EWU, 35-24