GRIDIRON GURUS: WEEK 15 PICKS

PUTTING IT ON THE LINE: With a full slate of Texas high school football State Quarterfinal playoff games across the state, second-ranked Longhorns get rematch with Georgia; Cowboys look for third straight win

Moving into fourth round of the 2024 Texas high school football postseason, THE SPORTS BUZZ Gridiron Gurus pick’ems panel selects all 44 high school State Quarterfinal and Semifinal playoff games across the state of Texas.

In the meantime, the Gurus pick a slate of 31 college football games across the nation highlighted by the second-ranked Texas Longhorns (7-1 in SEC, 11-1 overall) get a rematch with the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (6-2 in SEC, 10-2 overall) in the SEC Championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, while the surprising eighth-ranked SMU Mustangs (8-0 in ACC, 11-1 overall) square off against the 17th-ranked Clemson Tigers (7-1 in ACC, 9-3 overall)

Then in NFL Week 14 action, the resurgent Dallas Cowboys (5-7) will be looking for their third straight win by hosting the Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) on Monday Night Football, while the AFC Central-leading Houston Texans (8-5) have an open date in the schedule.

This season, THE SPORTS BUZZ Gridiron Gurus pick’ems panel welcomes newcomer Steve Conrad, owner of Clifton Feed & Service Center along with his brother and sister, while Jeff Boutwell, a Recreation Business Line Manager at Lake Whitney with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Toney Rogers, the Crawford High School band director and entertainment promoter, Ed Rieser, owner of the Corner Drug Café and Screen Door Inn in Clifton, and The Sports Buzz’ Brett Voss return from last year.

As we open the new football season, THE SPORTS BUZZ remembers and mourns the loss of one of our original Gridiron Gurus, Don Nicholas, Field Representative for U.S. Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25), who passed away at the age of 71 following his battle with cancer on March 29.

Nicholas grew up in North Dakota in the north central part of the state about 20 miles from the Canadian border, attended high school in a small town of about 175 people, played football, ran track and was very active in FFA before graduating in a class of 14.

With bachelor’s degree in Ag Econ and Communications from North Dakota State and a MBA in Human Resources from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, Nicholas joined the U.S. Army National Guard in 1971 and was activated to the Army in 1978, where he served through 2003. After working as a government contractor, Nicholas worked as the district director for Texas State Rep. Ralph Sheffield from Temple before being hired by Congressman Williams in 2014.

“Don was a crucial member of the Texas-25 team for over 10 years and dedicated his life to selflessly serving his country,” Williams said in a statement at the time of his death. “Time and time again, he stepped up to help those in need. Day or night, he never missed a call from a veteran and opened his home to soldiers every holiday.

“Don was a 31-year Army veteran, a man of great faith and a loving husband, father and grandfather. America lost a patriot, Texas lost a servant leader, and we all lost a friend. He will be dearly missed by those privileged to know him. We pray for God’s grace for his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his life.”

New to the panel this season, Steve Conrad was born and raised in Clifton, where he attended Clifton Public Schools through graduating from high school in May 1976. Growing up in the Womack community on the family ranch founded by his great grandparents in the 1880s, Conrad attended Texas A&M University, graduating in May 1980 with a degree in Agricultural Education.

After working as a sales manager with Ralston Purina Co., Conrad became the General Manager of M&M Farm Supply in Franklin, where he spent 32 years, the last 14 as President. Currently, Steve serves the Sales and Operational Manager at Clifton Feed & Service Center in Clifton, where he works with his siblings to continue serving the people of Bosque County through this family business that was founded by his parents in 1968.

Steve and his wife Charlene raised three daughters who graduated from Franklin High School before earning degrees from Texas A&M University in College Station — as a teacher, a business owner and a journalist. Steve’s values include faith, family, setting goals and holding each other accountable, believing in working within your skill set and making a difference in your community.

Back for a third season, Jeff Boutwell is a longtime “resident” of Laguna Park and an unapologetic Aggie. Born and raised in Cameron, Boutwell played on Cameron’s 3A State Football Championship team before graduating in the Class of 86 at Texas A&M where he was a member of Company S-2 of the Corps of Cadets. Boutwell also played Aggie football as a member of the famous 12th Man Kickoff Team from 1984-86, playing on two Southwest Conference Championship teams, playing in the 1986 Cotton Bowl against Auburn and Bo Jackson, as well as the 1987 Cotton Bowl against Ohio State with Chris Carter and Chris Spielman.

Boutwell has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1986 where he started his career as a Park Ranger at Lake Whitney, and he has also served overseas supporting the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2007 and 2009 and again in Afghanistan in 2011. During the Texas high school football season, Boutwell works as a crew chief in the Waco Chapter of the Texas Association of Sports Official, so he will not be selecting high school games due to a conflict of interest.

Back for his second season, Ed Rieser was born and raised just west of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in Beaver Falls, and proudly claims to be an avid Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirate and Penguin fan. A graduate of St Edward’s University (BA) and Oklahoma City University (MBA), Rieser retired from the U.S. Department of Treasury with 33 years of government service.

Owner of the Brooks Building in Clifton along with his wife Phyllis and daughter Nikkolina, they own and operate the Corner Drug Café and Screen Door Inn. Rieser also serves as a member of the Cranfills Gap Independent School District School Board, a member of the Cranfills Gap Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Board of Trustees of the Bosque Museum, and member of the Clifton Economic Development Corporation board of trustees.

Toney Rogers, owner at Daddy T Entertainment and entertainment agent at Netex Productions, returns to the pick’ems panel for his fifth season and currently serves as the Crawford ISD Director of Bands. He has also served as an announcer for various high school to professional sporting events for several years, such as being the Voice of Crawford Lady Pirate Softball and announcing for UBU Bodybuilding Expos, while serving as Marketing Director for the Waco Tornado indoor football team.

In addition to being involved in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years as a professional musician and a booking agent, Rogers has also been involved in several community organizations such as, Entertainment Director for Fallfest and a member of Lions Club.

As the long-time veteran of pick’em panels, Brett Voss established THE SPORTS BUZZ website in 2019 delivering award-winning sports coverage with daily posts in the Heart of Texas focusing on Class 3A, 2A and 1A high school athletics while including insights into college and professional sports.

With over 40 years of experience as a professional newspaper sports writer and columnist that includes a stint at the Dallas Morning News, Voss’ numerous awards include the Texas Press Association’s prestigious Fred Hartman Award for Excellence in Sports Writing presented the best sports writer in Texas in 2017.

At 11 years old, Voss knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up. When Roger “The Dodger” Staubach arrived and finally led his beloved Cowboys to their first Super Bowl championship in 1971, a family friend sent Brett a copy of the Dallas Morning News covering the Cowboy Super Bowl win. While reading Bob St John’s account of the game, Brett thought to himself, “Someone actually gets paid to do this as a job?”

Join us every Thursday throughout the 2024 football season as THE SPORTS BUZZ Gridiron Gurus pick their winners for a select group of the week’s high school games, your favorite college teams from the NCAA Div. I, Div. II and Div. III, as well as the state’s two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

Be sure to make your picks as well!