By ED HEDES

The first week of the high school football season has come and gone and it wasn't a pretty one as far as this writer saw it. When you lose more games than you win, it's not the way you want to start the Grid Picks battle here at the TN Sports Department.I wasn't the only one, but a 7-8 record won't be acceptable this week. I took a gamble with a couple of local teams and they failed to come through for me. Then there were some others, who surprised me and came away with victories that I didn't think were possible.So the Ol' Crystal Ball got a good cleaning this week, hoping that it can get me back to a respectable showing once again.So here goes:SCHUYLKILL HAVEN AT MARIAN - The Colts got off on the right foot with a win at Lehighton last week. The Hurricanes faced one of the best teams in the state in its class, Wyomissing. Look for more of the same from these two this week ... Marian, 28-6.JIM THORPE AT BLUE MOUNTAIN - Olympians fell a little short against Tamaqua and the Eagles dropped their opener also. Jim Thorpe has the offensive power to put some points on the board, but it has to pick it up on defense ... Blue Mountain 35-14.SCHUYLKILL VALLEY AT PANTHER VALLEY - Ron Hazlet and his Panthers rode the offense and defense of Richie Smith to pick up a big win over Mahanoy Area in their opener. Look for better things to come this season, but Schuylkill Valley just might be a tad better ... Schuylkill Valley, 21-14.ALLEN AT TAMAQUA - This one could be a lot closer than people think. The Canaries haven't exactly been a team to reckon with in the past couple of years, but they step out of what is their first year of Mountain Valley Conference action and show there are some athletes on this squad. Call it my Upset of the Week ... Allen, 21-20.LEHIGHTON AT STROUDSBURG - Indians got off to a rough start in their opener. So did the Mounts. MVC opener for both to see who can take the step in the right direction ... Stroudsburg, 28-7.PLEASANT VALLEY AT DIERUFF - Huskies find out things aren't as comfortable in the MVC as they might have thought ... Pleasant Valley, 35-7.NORTHERN LEHIGH AT NOTRE DAME (GP) - Bulldogs showed that they don't rebuild, they just reload. And they took down pre-season favorite Southern Lehigh in the Colonial League opener to prove it. The Crusaders are a tad better, but it's NORTHERN LEHIGH, 42-14.SALISBURY AT NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH - A rough opener for Josh Snyder and the Tigers last week on the turf at Palisades. This week, they're back on their home turf ... Northwestern Lehigh, 14-7.PALMERTON AT WILSON - Bombers showed signs of immaturity last week in their opener against Notre Dame. Warriors opened with a tough foe in Catasauqua. It's always tough to play at Wilson on a Saturday afternoon ... Wilson, 14-7.CATASAUQUA AT SOUTHERN LEHIGH - Roughies could be the team to beat this season since the Spartans were shocked in Week One up in Slatington. This is one all of the Colonial League foes will have their eyes on ... Catasauqua, 21-12.SAUCON VALLEY AT BANGOR - Slaters won their opener, while Panthers didn't. These two teams are a lot more identical than you might think ... Bangor, 19-14.EAST STROUDSBURG NORTH AT POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST - The Timberwolves and Cardinals do battle in what could be a close MVC contest. It'll come down to the final series and the winner is ... Pocono Mountain East, 21-14.EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH AT POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST - Ed Christian has the Cavaliers back to respectability so don't be surprised if they're hanging around the top of the MVC come Week 10 ... East Stroudsburg South, 21-12.NATIVITY AT MAHANOY AREA - Two teams that suffered blowout losses last week, look to rebound with a win this time around. Bears can't afford to give up the big play like it did at Panther Valley ... Mahanoy Area, 28-7.EASTON AT PARKLAND - Trojans faces a tough opponent last week in Delaware Valley and lost. Red Rovers head to Orefield coming off a nice opening win ... Easton, 21-14.