Matthew Sparks: Swinging for the fences

Sep. 10—Major League Baseball played a game in an Iowa cornfield a few weeks ago.

The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees tried to recreate the atmosphere inspired by the movie "Field of Dreams." The film is a classic and will stand the test of time.

Kevin Costner and Dwier Brown were on hand and took part in the pregame festivities. Father and son were reunited again on the same Dyersville property where the movie took place. Spoiler alert!

Sport has the ability to excite and inspire us just like in the movies. We are still in the opening act of the 2021 football season. The plot starts to thicken with district play on the horizon.

I hope the script for these picks will not need a rewrite. I am sticking with the baseball movie theme this week. These selections could be a diamond in the rough.

Week 4 Picks

Boyd County 28, Greenup County 13. These two teams feature "The Rookie" quarterbacks. Dakota Thompson and Rhett Holbrook have seen more field time for Boyd County than Greenup County's Tyson Sammons. The Musketeers will take another step forward, but the Lions want to grab the momentum at home before embarking on a four-game road trip.

East Carter 24, West Carter 20. Carter County Schools mandated its sports programs take last week off due to COVID-19. The Comets and Raiders get back to business as they prepare for this huge rivalry game. You can expect an electric atmosphere no matter when or where this contest is played. With the Barrel at stake, both teams would play at "The Sandlot" if needed. East Carter takes back the prized possession.

Archbishop Moeller 30, Ironton 17. The Fighting Tigers enjoy the confines of Tanks Stadium once again and welcome a "Major League" opponent tonight with the undefeated Crusaders. Moeller beat one of Indiana's best Class 4A teams last week and should have too much for Ironton.

Lewis County 27, Shawnee 16. The Lions and Golden Eagles admirably continue to play "For Love of the Game." Lewis County has dropped its last 20 games, last winning in the 2018 regular season finale, while Shawnee's losing skid in games actually played sits at 62. The Golden Eagles make a long bus trip upriver from Louisville to Vanceburg in search of their first win since Sept. 12, 2014 (hat tip to Lewis County principal Jack Lykins for that factoid) but come up empty.

Rowan County 27, Fleming County 20. They play "Moneyball" in Morehead. When the Vikings hand the pigskin to Cole Wallace, he usually cashes in with an explosive play in the running game. The Panthers put up large numbers last week. Rowan County will have enough offense to get a return on this pick investment.

Paintsville 28, Somerset 14. The Tigers have had "Trouble With The Curve" to start the season. Paintsville needs time to get acclimated to a new system, which is not easy against quality opponents such as Pikeville and Beechwood. After an extra week of preparation, the Tigers hope to get straightened out against the Briar Jumpers. Somerset suffered a 49-0 defeat at Beechwood last week and will fall to another team of Tigers tonight.

Bath County 30, Western Hills 14. A trio of tough outings for the Wolverines this year — in which they've been outscored 125-8 — make the Wildcats "The Natural" pick in this one. Whether Bath County wins or loses, expect a more competitive game than the last time they met Western Hills in Frankfort, a 64-26 Wolverines win in 2017.

Johnson Central 32, Cahokia (Illinois) 15. The Golden Eagles are in "A League of Their Own." The Comanches are 0-2, according to MaxPreps. Johnson Central returns to the field Saturday after dispensing the Bishop Sycamore situation. It's difficult to prepare for a team you have never met. Cahokia can expect a physical and unrelenting defense on its visit to Paintsville.

Listen Up!

Tonight's radio coverage:

Greenup County at Boyd County: koolhits1057.com

West Carter at East Carter: WUGO 99.7 FM, koolhits1057.com

Archbishop Moeller at Ironton: WIRO 1230 AM

Shawnee at Lewis County: WKKS 104.9 FM

Fleming County at Rowan County: WFLE 95.1 FM, WIVY 96.3 FM

Paintsville at Somerset: WKLW 94.7 FM

Bath County at Western Hills: WKCA 97.7 FM

Saturday:

Cahokia at Johnson Central: WSIP 98.9 FM

Reach MATTHEW SPARKS at msparks@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654. Follow @SparksWillFly35 on Twitter.