As the title of this column suggests, yours truly was pretty dang rusty when it came to picking area high school football games last week.

I went 1-3.

My buddies at The Buttram, Hawkins and Hopper WEIS Prep Scoreboard Show didn’t do me any favors either. On the ride back from Piedmont last Friday night, they originally reported that Sylvania had defeated Collinsville. When I heard that, I actually slapped my forehead and thought I went 0-for-4 picking last week.

As it turned out, the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s website had the incorrect score listed, which our guys promptly corrected in the broadcast, so I dodged a bullet there.

But I still heard about how I crashed and burned on my picks. Sand Rock coaching legend Russell Jacoway texted me Saturday afternoon and asked, “What in the world were you thinking?”

Yeah, Coach, I know.

And picking this week isn’t going to be any easier either. Three out of the four matchups are rivalry games. The other is a first-ever meeting between schools.

Will I go down in flames like I did last week? Or will I rise from the ashes like a phoenix?

For what it’s worth, let’s find out What In the World Is Shannon Fagan Thinking for this week.

Lindsay Lane (1-0) at Gaylesville (0-0)

I’ll begin with the aforementioned first-ever meeting between schools.

The Lions are just getting their football program started. This is the first year they have played sanctioned AHSAA football. They previously competed in 8-man football in 2012 and 2013.

However, they did kick off this season with a 21-6 victory over Brindlee Mountain last week.

Meanwhile, Gaylesville is celebrating its 100th anniversary of football this season, and this year’s Trojans feature 10 seniors, the most Brian Knapp has had in his eighth year at Gaylesville.

Here’s thinking the Trojans’ anniversary celebration begins with a bang.

The pick: Gaylesville.

Cedar Bluff (1-0) at Gaston (1-0)

The key to this game will be how well Cedar Bluff’s defense can handle Gaston sophomore running back Zyien Dupree.

Dupree accumulated 228 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns. He also caught a 74-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chapman Clay and had three 2-point conversions in last week’s 36-12 win at Spring Garden.

Cedar Bluff’s defense had a strong outing last week at West End, lifting the Tigers to a 20-15 victory.

In addition to his 170-yard and a touchdown performance, Jamison Miller posted 4 ½ tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Zach Jones had an interception, two tackles and a pass breakup on defense. Jeremiah Miller managed 8 ½ tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.

The Tigers also had several others, as head coach Cole Murphy said, flying around to the football.

If the Tiger defense can repeat that physical effort, I like their chances. But Dupree is such a load to handle, and the Bulldogs are playing at home. I like Gaston in a close game.

The pick: Gaston.

Sand Rock (0-0) at Spring Garden (0-1)

There are several storylines to watch in this rivalry battle.

As mentioned, the Panthers had to deal with the bruising running of Gaston’s Dupree last week. This week, their defense will have to contend with one of Northeast Alabama’s top passers from last season in Sand Rock senior quarterback Alec Ashley.

Ashley is coming off a 2,000-yard, 28-touchdown season.

Sand Rock also returns 19 starters from last year, so they might have an edge in experience.

Also worth watching is the health of Spring Garden quarterback Brady Ruark, who suffered a left knee injury in the third quarter of last week’s game and did not return.

If Ruark is healthy and has time to make plays, I like Spring Garden’s chances. Here’s thinking he will be.

The pick: Spring Garden.

Piedmont (0-1) at Cherokee County (0-0)

Talk about a close series.

The Bulldogs hold a 40-39 edge with three ties throughout the history of the Battle of Highway 9. Piedmont won last year’s game 24-8 and has won 12 of the last 14 meetings.

Bayley Blanchard will be making his official coaching debut with the Warriors. He went 7-4 at Glencoe last year and is a 2016 Piedmont graduate. He helped the Bulldogs win the 2015 state title.

His alma mater had a tough time slowing down Jacksonville last week. The Bulldogs gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff, then an 80-yard TD pass, and a pick-6 to trail 20-0 at halftime.

It’s also worth noting the Warriors have had an extra week to prepare. They shut out North Jackson in jamboree action two weeks ago 14-0 and had a chance to scout Piedmont last week.

I’ve gone back and forth all week on this pick. It’s hard for me to see Piedmont at 0-2 on the season. However, I’ve been a big fan of what Coach Blanchard has done with the Warriors in a short amount of time.

So, what do I do in a case like this? Coin flip. Heads Piedmont, tails Cherokee County.

It landed on tails.

The pick: Cherokee County.