When it comes to out-of-region play this season, I’ve been out of luck.

Back during the first week of the season – all non-region games – yours truly went a dismal 1-3. After two straight weeks of going unbeaten in region play, we hit another non-region week at the midway point of the season. I went 4-3 to drop to 22-11 overall.

But to my credit, two of my losses last week were by a combined total of three points.

Oh well. As I’ve said in this column before you win some, you lose some.

The good news is we’re back in region play this week. The bad news is we’ve got several matchups that could go either way.

Here’s hoping I make some lucky guesses in this week’s ‘What In the World Is Shannon Fagan Thinking?’

Appalachian (2-3, 1-1) at Gaylesville (3-2, 1-2)

In one of the more interesting games from last Friday, Gaylesville defeated Donoho by a point in a defensive battle despite taking just 18 snaps on offense. Credit the Trojan defense for keeping the Falcons grounded, but it might be a little too much to ask of the Trojan ‘D’ to keep the defending Region 8 champion Eagles from soaring in this Thursday night battle.

The pick: Appalachian.

Collinsville (4-1, 3-0) at Section (1-4, 0-3)

Collinsville’s offense was held in check last week at Class 5A Douglas. Mason McAteer was limited to just 64 yards passing and no touchdowns. I expect the Panthers to bounce back in a big way in this one.

The pick: Collinsville.

Sand Rock (2-3, 1-2) at North Sand Mountain (2-4, 1-2)

Both of these teams come in limping.

After opening the season with a 23-7 win over Southeastern, the Bison have now lost four of their last five. Sand Rock has lost three of its last four, including a heartbreaker to previously winless Valley Head last week.

I’ll go with the home team in this one.

The pick: North Sand Mountain.

Piedmont (5-1, 3-0) at Pleasant Valley (5-1, 2-1)

The Raiders have won only once against Piedmont in 22 previous meetings. That came all the way back in 1995.

Even though this is one of the better Pleasant Valley teams in school history, led by Virginia Tech commitment Braxton Salster, I still think the Bulldogs are the better of the two here.

The pick: Piedmont.

Scottsboro (5-0, 3-0) at Cherokee County (3-2, 3-0)

This game is a crucial one in the Class 4A, Region 8 standings. The Warriors and Wildcats are tied with Good Hope atop the standings, with all three at 3-0 in region play.

Since a 20-14 win over Class 5A Fort Payne, Scottsboro has steamrolled its opponents. The Wildcats have outscored them 201-13, including last week’s 49-6 victory at North Jackson.

I think they Warriors have their hands full in this one.

The pick: Scottsboro.

Cedar Bluff (3-2, 1-1) at Spring Garden (3-3, 3-0)

The Tigers appear to be turning things around.

Since their bye week back on Sept. 11, Cedar Bluff has now won two in a row: a 34-32 nail-biter over Valley Head and last week’s 33-6 decision over Ider on homecoming.

Meanwhile, Spring Garden saw its three-game winning streak snapped in a shutout loss at Pleasant Valley.

The Panthers look to remain unbeaten in Class 1A, Region 8 play, but they’ll find it tough against the Tigers. However, I feel like Spring Garden will prevail in a close battle in Friday night’s Foothills Tractor Mahindra Game of the Week.

The pick: Spring Garden.