There comes a time in every season, I like to think, when the best teams start playing like the best teams and the pretenders start to fade and/or expose themselves. I don't think there's a set point in every season where it happens — in the baseball season, for instance, is it after the trading deadline or when September call-ups start? In the NFL season, is it November? College football — conference season?

Truth is, the point varies from sport to sport, year to year. But I can say one thing: I think we've reached that point in Kern County football this year. It might have happened last week, when Bakersfield, Liberty and North announced themselves as contenders, Stockdale lost but reminded everyone it'd be around for the long haul anyway, and teams like West, Centennial, Golden Valley and maybe Garces faded a bit.

But if it wasn't last week, it was this one. Seems like nearly every game this week is one where one team can make a statement, move on and streak towards the playoffs and the other can start thinking about a big Thanksgiving dinner without worrying about football practice. Which are which? On to the predictions! First, a quick look back at last week's results.

The Good: Ahem, Stockdale students. School House Zach does know jack. Or at least I did with the Liberty-over-Stockdale pick. Also, BHS to handle Garces and Frontier to edge Ridgeview.

The Bad: Expecting West to bounce back against North and South to come up short against Centennial again.

The Ugly: Ooh, Delano and Desert made me look bad. I predicted 21- and 30-point victories and got 13- and 3-point losses in return.

On to Week (Lucky number) 7:

Thursday, October 23
BURROUGHS (3-3, 0-1 DSL) AT APPLE VALLEY-GRANITE HILLS (2-4, 0-0) — The Burros might have ruined their chances at a Desert Sky League title last week with a tough loss at Barstow, but a playoff berth is still very much in play.
Prediction: Burroughs 24, Granite Hills 14

Friday, October 24
TEHACHAPI (3-3, 1-0 SSL) AT BAKERSFIELD CHRISTIAN (5-1, 1-0) — Both teams have tested themselves, Tehachapi against bigger schools like Frontier and Burroughs and BCHS against Westlake Village-Oaks Christian. Both have done fairly well. The real question here is whether the Eagles' offensive and defense lines have matured enough to handle the Warriors' physical style. Last year, they weren't close. If they can at least hold their own, Derek Carr will score too much for Tehachapi to keep up.
Prediction: Bakersfield Christian 30, Tehachapi 21

SOUTH (3-3, 1-1 SWYL) AT NORTH (5-1, 3-0) — I love this game because it's between two traditional rivals that don't always garner very much attention for their sports teams. That's going to change this week, because this a huge game in the SWYL race. So who takes home the Civil War sword? I think the Stars' vaunted running attack, if it can continue not to be bogged down by its mistakes, can control the clock and the tempo and nullify South's passing attack.
Prediction: North 33, South 25

GOLDEN VALLEY (3-3, 1-2 SEYL) AT LIBERTY (3-3, 1-1) — It's a chance for the Patriots to keep some momentum going for once — they've gone loss-win-loss-win-loss-win so far this year — against a Golden Valley team that desperately needs to win a close one after heartbreaking losses to Garces and Highland. Last week, Liberty was that team, and they got it done against Stockdale. My hunch is that GVHS is going to have to continue to wait.
Prediction: Liberty 27, Golden Valley 14

BAKERSFIELD (4-2, 2-0 SEYL) AT FOOTHILL (4-2, 1-1) — The Trojans have proven they can move the ball — Lawrence Weldon is Kern County's third leading rusher and he's tops in Bakersfield — and score points — at a 31.5 per-game clip. But what happened the one time Foothill faced a great defense? Liberty 21, Foothill 3. As much as I like Dennis Manning's team, the Drillers and Patriots are on another plane in this league. Even if sophomore Brian Burrell suffers from a letdown, BHS' defense is rolling right now.
Prediction: Bakersfield 35, Foothill 13

FRONTIER (4-2) AT HIGHLAND (5-1) — An underrated game between overachieving teams pits a couple of good defenses and teams who could use the victory in seeding arguments next month. Both teams also escaped with crucial victories last week, Frontier over Ridgeview when the Wolf Pack went for two and missed in a 21-20 game, and Highland over Golden Valley when Alan Roy scored two 90+ yard TDs for the Scots to erase a 14-point deficit late. Who rides the momentum more will decide this one.
Prediction: Highland 19, Frontier 16

RIDGEVIEW (1-5, 0-3 SWYL) AT STOCKDALE (5-1, 2-0) — First chance for Stockdale to show what's it's made of in the face of some weeklong adversity. I think the Mustangs are a tough team in the image of coach Mike Snow, and whether Stephen Silva (who left last week's game with an apparently mild concussion) or Emmanuel Ossai (on crutches in the second half) play, Stockdale should get back on track.
Prediction: Stockdale 30, Ridgeview 10

WEST (2-4, 1-2 SWYL) AT CENTENNIAL (1-5, 0-2) — Hard to believe this has turned into a battle to stay out of the cellar in the league and not for a league title, like it was last year. Centennial has struggled with its youth while West has been a tremendous disappointment. I'm done riding with the Vikings for now, though. Even though the defense has been passable and the offense has some talent, it's tough to win when you have as many issues on the lines as West does.
Prediction: Centennial 27, West 23

EAST (1-5, 0-3 SEYL) AT GARCES (4-2, 2-1) — My hunch is that the Rams are more of the "Now we'll prove ourselves all over again" type of team rather than the "Oh my goodness, we lost a blowout, how are we going to regroup?" type. And frankly, East probably is the right team to be playing after the blowout loss to Bakersfield.
Prediction: Garces 28, East 3

WASCO (3-3, 0-1 SSL) AT TAFT (5-1, 1-0) — It'll be great to see Johnathan Wimberly, Wasco's offensive star and one of the leading rushers in Kern County, face the big, physical Taft defense. I don't expect him to get shut down, necissarily, but I don't expect him to carry the Tigers to victory, either. Especially considering he can't shut down the Taft offense by himself on the other side of the ball.
Prediction: Taft 37, Wasco 14

ARVIN (2-4, 0-1 SSL) AT SHAFTER (1-5, 0-1) — Certainly a must-win game for Arvin, which has enough talent to compete in the league but can't afford to get caught in a trap up at Shafter.
Prediction: Arvin 41, Shafter 20

PORTERVILLE-GRANITE HILLS (0-7, 0-3 EYL) AT DELANO (4-2, 1-1) — It's funny, because with the way Delano's schedule has set up, the Tigers easily could/should be 6-0 right now with a game against a winless team to set up an undefeated showdown with Tulare Union. But I guess that's why more teams don't go unbeaten just on the schedule. Delano's not quite good enough. I would really be surprised, though, if it weren't good enough to win this one and keep the Tulare game relevant.
Prediction: Delano 40, Granite HIlls 6

CHAVEZ (3-3, 2-1 EYL) AT PORTERVILLE-MONACHE (4-2, 2-1) — On the flip side, you have Chavez, which continues to find ways to win close games and has a 3-3 record and a legitimate shot at finishing .500 for the first time in school history. A win here would be a huge step towards that goal, but I think Monache seperates itself in the second half.
Prediction: Monache 37, Chavez 24

McFARLAND (2-4, 1-0 ESL) AT SAN LUIS OBISPO-MISSION PREP (5-0, 1-0) — The Cougars dispatched Lemoore-Kings Christian for a league victory last week, and I really think there are more to come. Mission Prep is the only Div. V team in the East Sierra League, though (the rest are Div. VI), and it's clearly a step ahead of about everyone else there.
Prediction: Mission Prep 41, McFarland 10

KERN VALLEY (3-3, 0-0 HDL) AT DESERT (5-2, 0-1) — It's frustrating to not know exactly what the situation is with Desert quarterback Terrance Wells, who either had a bad night or was hurt (a different kind of bad night) in a 19-16 loss to Frazier Mountain. My hunch is that he's hurt. Even so, I think with another week to prepare and a home game, the Scorpions will take care of Kern Valley.
Prediction: Desert 28, Kern Valley 17

FRAZIER MOUNTAIN (3-3, 1-0 HDL) AT ROSAMOND (1-6, 0-1) — Whether Wells was hurt really shouldn't take away from Frazier Mountain's effort. I mean, the Falcons still had to take advantage of the situation, and they won a close game, something they struggled with a bit last year and earlier this year. Now it's time for a little momentum and a 2-0 record. In a league with only five teams, that victory could have some serious legs for the kids from Lebec.
Prediction: Frazier Mountain 38, Rosamond 19

LANCASTER-DESERT CHRISTIAN (2-3, 0-0 DML) AT BORON (6-1, 1-0) — If you've jumped on the Boron bandwagon after the community came together in the face of Vinnie Rodriguez's death, this is one to watch. The Bobcats likely will only face a test in two league games: This one and the season finale against Yermo-Silver Valley. I say they pass the first one with flying colors.
Prediction: Boron 42, Desert Christian 21

MOJAVE (3-4) AT TRANQUILITY (5-1) — The wheels have come off Mojave's longshot campaign for a playoff spot as a freelance team in the last few weeks, with losses to Pasadena-Maranatha, Yermo-Silver Valley and (most damaging) Acton-Vasquez. A win this week could get them back in the conversation, but I don't see it happening.
Prediction: Tranquility 31, Mojave 18

CLOVIS CHRISTIAN (5-1, 2-0 CVSSL) AT LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN (1-5, 0-1) — In 8-man terms, Lighthouse is like Centennial. It's a young team that I think will turn it around by the time the season ends. Time is running out though, and for the Guardians, this isn't the right week to start a rebound.
Prediction: Clovis Christian 55, Lighthouse Christian 22

ENCINO-WESTMARK (5-1) AT MARICOPA (2-4) — A couple of tough weeks ahead for the Indians, who go out of league to play Westmark and then travel to traditional Coast Valley League power Cuyama Valley on Halloween. A win, on the other hand, would make their season.
Prediction: Westmark 48, Maricopa 28

Last week: 14-7 (.667)    Season: 100-44 (.694)