Bear River lost a tough league opener to arch-rival Colfax last week, but the  Bruins still have a lot to play for as they enter the second week of Pioneer Valley League competition tonight.

With a 5-1 record, the Bruins figure to be a playoff team even if they win just two of their last four games. With upcoming games against Placer and Foothill, that shouldn’t be difficult, and don’t be surprised if Colfax loses tonight (see below).

But after today’s home game against the Hillmen, the Bruins finish the season with three straight road games. That’s not an ideal situation, but it’s doable for a team that has shown considerable resolve this season. A win over Placer tonight–Bear River figures to be 20.5 points better–would be good way to end its home schedule.

In other PVL games tonight:
Center over Colfax by 2 points;
Lincoln over Foothill by 52.5 points

Team power ratings going into tonight’s games:

                           PIONEER VALLEY LEAGUE
Teams            Base Rating      Opponents      Power Rating
Lincoln                  125.8               -5.2                  120.6
Colfax                   120.5               -1.0                  119.5
Center                  108.8               +9.9                  118.7
Bear River            117.5                -3.6                  113.9
Placer                     97.5                -1.0                    96.5
Foothill                    71.2                 0                       71.2

The following statement tells you all you need to know about Nevada Union’s football season:

Tonight’s game at Woodcreek is the Miners’ last good chance of winning a game this season. Nevada Union figures to be a 16.5-point underdog.

NU’s focus should be on the future, with juniors and sophomores getting the bulk of playing time in the team’s last four games. It’s time to start preparing for next season.

In other SFL games:
–Rocklin over Granite Bay by 6 points;
–Del Oro over Roseville by 3 points.

Team power ratings going into tonight’s games:

                             SIERRA FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Team            Base Rating      Opponents      Power Rating
Rocklin                116.1              +2.1                 118.2
Granite Bay         109.0                 0                   109.0
Del Oro               101.1              +7.4                 108.5
Roseville               94.0            +14.5                 108.5
Woodcreek           87.5              +7.0                   94.5
Nevada Union       61.5           +19.4                   80.9

REPORT CARD:  My picks went 4-2 last week, an outcome I’ll take any day I’m in Reno investing in sporting propositions. The projections indicated Nevada Union would lose a blow out (it did) and that Bear River had a slight edge in a game that could go either way (Colfax scored the winning TD with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game). Let’s see how we do this week.