Halloween is this weekend, and while there are sorts of treats to be given, it sure is a tricky week for me to pick to end high school football’s regular season.

We have a little bit of everything brewing in the witch’s pot – from rivalry games to interclass top-10 matchups. It makes for a good goulash of entertainment for the fans, but it also has the potential of bringing me some black cat bad luck when it comes to picking.

Good thing I went 5-1 last week to bring my overall record to 49-7 this season, because this week is like finding my way through a corn maze in the dark. And we all know some strange things can happen on All Hallow’s Eve.

Valley Head (4-5) at Collinsville (3-6)

We begin with the first of two Thursday night rivalry games. Valley Head spooked Sumiton Christian 49-21 last week to secure the second spot from Class 1A, Region 7, meaning the Tigers will host a playoff game against Ragland next Friday night. Eian Bain rushed for a game-high 151 yards on 24 attempts with two touchdowns, and Ashton Brown added 146 yards on 23 carries with four scores to lead Valley Head to the win.

Collinsville seeks to end its season on a high note. The Panthers have carved a notch in the win column the last seven times they’ve played Valley Head and lead the overall series 42-36-5. I’ll take the Panthers behind a solid performance from Keaton DeBoard.

The pick: Collinsville.

Sand Rock (6-3) at Cedar Bluff (6-3)

Here’s another Thursday night rivalry treat. To be quite honest, I have no idea what to expect here. It’s kind of like a good horror movie that has twists and turns.

Twenty-six of the 65 meetings in this series have been by a touchdown or less. The Wildcats have lost the last three, including a 28-27 thriller last year at Sand Rock.

But there’s something about Sand Rock playing on the road this season. They’re 6-0 away from home, so who am I to buck that trend? I predict a Wildcat win.

The pick: Sand Rock.

Gaylesville (5-4) at Alabama School for the Deaf (4-3)

Congratulations to the Trojans for clinching their first Class 1A playoff berth in eight years following last week’s results. Now they can close out the regular season with a winning record before heading to Wadley next Friday.

I expect the three-headed rushing monster of Keylon Higgins, Michael Reynolds and Jacob Gordon to mash the Silent Warriors.

The pick: Gaylesville.

Spring Garden (9-0) at Wadley (9-0)

One of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read has been Batman: The Long Halloween. Without giving too much away, it’s a year-long murder mystery early in Batman’s career as a crime fighter which, appropriately, begins and ends on Halloween. It’s also recently been adapted as an animated movie, which is pretty good too, only with a modern take.

So what in the world is Shannon Fagan thinking by bringing a graphic novel into this pick? Well, like the villain Two Face, I thought about flipping a coin here, because these two teams are just so evenly matched.

But there’s one intangible the Panthers have that might give them a little edge.

It’s an opportunity for Spring Garden to finish a regular season with an undefeated record for the first time in school history. I look for that little extra motivation to be that edge the Panthers need on Friday night.

The pick: Spring Garden.

Alexandria (9-0) at Piedmont (8-1)

There’s no better team that screams Halloween than the Valley Cubs. Their colors are predominantly orange and black, and their home field is commonly referred to as Death Valley.

But there’s another House of Horrors for football opponents in Calhoun County called the Field of Champions.

Since becoming the head coach at Piedmont in 2006, Steve Smith has compiled a 103-10 mark in Bulldog territory, including a 6-0 record this season.

Like I said with Spring Garden in my previous pick, I think the Bulldogs have an added incentive here with the Class 3A, Region 5 title on the line. I know Alexandria is one of the premier teams in Class 5A, but there’s no one better than Coach Smith when it comes to preparing a team for this time of year. All one has to do is look at what the Bulldogs did in this game last year on the road, when they came away with a 27-23 victory.

The pick: Piedmont.