The ol' Scoopster is off to a rough start.

I'm way off the pace I need to set to reach my goal, stumbling out of the gate to an 18-7 record.

Things, though, are starting to come more into focus. Team identities are starting to become more clear.

Let's see if I can go 12-0 and get back on track.

On to the picks:

North Hills 28, Butler 11 — The Golden Tornado enter section play coming off two tough losses to Altoona and Baldwin.

But they have Damien Pickett, who leads the county in rushing yards and is tied for the scoring lead.

Will that be enough against North Hills?

Seneca Valley 35, Norwin 19 — The Raiders are on a roll and are proving the naysayers wrong.

Not much was expected from Seneca Valley this season, but after two weeks, those expectations have changed.

The Raiders will keep right on rolling.

Mars 24, Franklin Regional 23 — The Planets have already played a pair of tough games this season and Franklin Regional will be another stiff test for Mars, which has been more balanced than usual this season.

More balance may make the Fightin' Planets' offense even more dangerous.

Knoch 18, Carrick 9 — Speaking of dangerous ... the Knights can play defense. If Knoch can figure things out offensively, they could be a very dangerous team.

Freeport 30, Apollo-Ridge 14 — And speaking of dangerous teams ... is any team more potent right now than the Yellowjackets?

Quarterback Ryan Weigold already has 551 yards passing and six touchdowns this season.

Burrell 25, Summit Academy 18 — Summit Academy will make a game of this, but Burrell win survive on the road.

CWNC 36, OLSH 15 — In a matchup of the two longest school names in the WPIAL, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic will make it a long night for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Karns City 37, St. Marys 14 — Speaking of long nights ... St. Marys hasn't had much luck against Karns City and this could be another long night for the Flying Dutch.

Moniteau 14, Port Allegany 12 — The Warriors get a badly needed win. They have to endure a rather long road trip to get it.

Union 25, A-C Valley 20 — These Falcons have been feisty. They were deadlocked at 7-7 against St. Marys in the third quarter last week until things got away from them.

Union could be in for a battle.

Slippery Rock 29, Grove City 16 — All bets are off when it comes to this rivalry game, but the Rockets have more firepower.

Grove City has the homefield advantage, but has gotten off to a slow start. Look for the Rockets to bounce back from a tough loss last week.

Scoop took the over on the Meadville-DuBois game last week.