For prognosticators and high school football teams, one more chance before playoffs

You could call these Wednesday and Thursday games the final contests of the high school football regular season.

Or call them a starting point. You know the coaches will. They'll tell the players this is where we turn the corner into the postseason, which begins Tuesday for most teams and Friday for Class 6A teams. It's where we clinch a higher seed. It's where we send a message about readiness.

It's that time of the season for Star Tribune reporters Jim Paulsen and David La Vaque, too, in their annual competition to see who can correctly predict the most winners. They're starting fresh; each is 16-8 this season, a nice .667 batting average. We'd be worried about the fact they both predicted the same three winners this week, but we're not, and here's why: The postseason schedule insists they predict winners for games Tuesday, Friday and Saturday next week. There's plenty of opportunity to break ties.

Their picks and their analysis:

Jim says: Has Andover been under-respected all season? Despite losing starting QB Chase Pemberton in the second game of the season (he returned last Friday), Andover has put up big point totals and is only a Week 2 loss to Mankato West, No. 1 in Class 5A at the time, from an undefeated season. RB D'Mario Davenport has been ballin' out all year. He has 1,006 yards rushing and receiving and has 19 total TDs. The pick: Andover 44, Armstrong 24

David says: Andover coach Tom Develice looked at his team's unforgiving schedule and said before the season, "It will be a grind for our players and coaches this year that will take a lot of focus, dedication and hard work." So far so good. Armstrong, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, is part of that difficult lineup. Junior running back Kevon Johnson is running wild this season. The pick: Andover 35, Armstrong 31

Jim says: Minnetonka put the ball in the hands of its playmakers and scored eight rushing touchdowns in a 61-21 rout of Buffalo, three each from Lucas Knox and Chase Conrad. Maple Grove outgained St. Michael-Albertville 370-247 in total yards but failed to close too often and suffered its second one-point loss of the season, 14-13. Too strange to happen again. The pick: Maple Grove 26, Minnetonka 16

David says: Minnetonka is rallying behind new starting sophomore quarterback Caleb Francois, but the good vibes end at Maple Grove. As Jim pointed out, the Crimson defense did enough to win last week. On Thursday, the unit will get rewarded for its efforts against Francois and company. The pick: Maple Grove 24, Minnetonka 10

Jim says: Just which Rosemount team will show up? The one that ended Lakeville South's undefeated season two weeks ago or the group that has totaled only three first-half points in its three losses? Centennial seems to be hitting its stride, outscoring foes 105-22 in its past three games. The pick: Centennial 18, Rosemount 7

David says: A slugfest is on tap for this game. Both teams will try pounding the opposition into submission. Running back Maverick Harper will be a key cog in a hard-fought Centennial victory — which would be the Cougars' fifth consecutive. It's hard to pick against a team with such momentum. The pick: Centennial 21, Rosemount 14