Friday Night Picks: Expect higher level of play in Week 2 games in Marion area

It's become a cliché, but there is some truth to what they say.

The most progress a football team will see during a season is between Week 1 and Week 2.

The anxiety and excitement of a new season has passed. With school starting, routines become more routine. Younger players have adjusted to the speed and strength that comes from playing on Friday nights instead of Saturday mornings. Older players settle in.

Scrimmages are fine, but they are dress rehearsals. Those aren't held in front of big crowds and surrounded by the hoopla of a real game. Coaches have broken down film, and players can see what they did right and what they got wrong.

In short, everyone has gotten a feel for the rhythms of a work week and have endured all that goes into a Friday night.

It's a learning process and that learning curve gets accelerated between the first two weeks of the football season.

We are entering Week 2, so we should be see better football all the way around.

Here is a look at the area's Week 2 high school football schedule and Rob McCurdy's picks of those games:

≫ Ashland at Marion Harding: The Erie Bell trophy gets dusted off this week in a series dominated by the Presidents. Harding owns a 14-1-1 edge over Ashland. The only victory for the Arrows came in 1994 when the matchup was renewed after going dormant since the 1959 season. It is the first time they've played since 2002. Harding is young and suffered some key injuries in Week 1. They also seemed to wear down in the second half and overtime against Mount Vernon. Ashland had the worst first half in the state, failing to field three kickoffs and seeing two passes get intercepted for touchdowns in a loss to Division V Norwayne. The Arrows showed a potent offense in the opener and one that will continually pressure the Harding' pass defense. Also, don't expect Ashland to make those kind of mistakes in Week 2. Pick: Ashland.

≫ River Valley at Madison Comprehensive: This is a different Madison squad from the one RV has beaten in the past as it showed in going to Shelby's emotional last game in Skiles Field and falling 10-7 on a last-second field goal. The Rams have a sophomore quarterback who is getting used to running head coach Scott Valentine's version of the spread offense, and their defense obviously has a pulse in holding the Whippets to 10 points and 342 yards of total offense. The Vikings need a cleaner approach in Week 2, and as a veteran squad with an All-Ohio QB, expect that to be the case. Pick: River Valley.

≫ Wynford at Pleasant: From the mid-90s through the late 2010s, this would have been a marquee matchup in the state. These are two storied programs with lots of heart and even more tradition. Wynford played well enough to beat a regional power in Otsego, but couldn't hold on late in the game. Pleasant played one the top team's in Division V's Region 18 and struggled against North Union. Pick: Wynford.

≫ Cardington at Elgin: Last year the two former Mid Ohio Athletic Conference rivals played an exciting one with Cardington coming away with a 20-16 victory. These are two entirely different teams in 2022, and both are coming off lopsided Week 1 losses. Flip a coin. Pirates are heads, Comets are tails. That's what I did. Pick: Cardington.

≫ Ridgedale at Vanlue, Saturday: This one has been moved to Saturday due to scheduling conflicts with officials. There are no must-win games in Week 2, but this one is pretty close to that for the Rockets. Vanlue is similar to Ridgedale in its roster makeup, and it should be an even playing field for the two teams. Pick: Ridgedale.

≫ Highland at Wooster Triway: The Titans got rocked 41-7, but it was to the defending state runners-up West Holmes and they were within a touchdown at halftime before losing steam in the second half. Triway is also coming off a 7-2 season, so this is a definite step-up in opponent for the Scots. Pick: Wooster Triway.

≫ Mount Gilead at Upper Sandusky: The Indians got to play a half of football before calling off the onslaught at Ridgedale in a 56-0 win, but they'll need a full four quarters against Upper Sandusky. While River Valley was never really threatened by the Rams in the opener, Upper Sandusky did show some pluck in making it interesting in the second half. Upper will come into the game expecting to win. Mount Gilead will need to take some shots early to show they're not going to lay down. Pick: Upper Sandusky.

≫ Northmor at South Central: The Golden Knights, hit hard by graduation, carried on like always in rolling to a 45-0 win over Elgin. South Central is a different entity and one that can produce points as its 44-43 win over Willard attests. Pick: South Central.

≫ North Union at Triad: The Wildcats should easily make it to 2-0 in this one. Pick: North Union.

≫ Last Week: 6-1.

≫ Be sure to visit MarionStar.com and its app Friday night and Saturday morning for score updates, photo galleries and high school football game stories and roundup. Also pick up a copy of Sunday's Marion Star to see the content in print.

Rob McCurdy is the sports writer at the Marion Star and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

Marion Star Football Player of Week 1 Poll

Highland's Dane Nauman ran for 300 yards and a touchdown, plus added 10 tackles with 2.5 for loss in a win over Fredericktown. The performance was enough for him to win the Marion Star Football Player of Week 1 Poll, garnering 898 of 2,511 votes (36 percent), Others nominated were Mount Gilead's Garrett George, Marion Harding's Parker Davis, Northmor's Maxton Lower, North Union's Cayden Lassiter and River Valley's Grant Butler.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Friday Night Picks: Expect higher level of play in Week 2 games