By RICH STRACK

TNSPORTS@TNONLINE.COM

We are really good or really lucky.

Five of ten pickers had perfect 15-0 weeks including yours truly, so for me, I’ll have to say more luck is involved than skill.

Bob Ford proved he’s human with a one - loss week and now holds only a two game lead over the surging “Hot” Rod Heckman. Justin Carlucci slipped to third place, followed by Hurley, Matsinko, and Steinmetz who are bunched in fourth.

At the other end of the standings, I pulled two games ahead of TJ Engle and Son who sit alone in the Pundit Pit. I now have my eyes set on passing Sam Matta, who is a mere two games ahead of me.

Beware the jaws of the trap

Week Nine offers several toss up games with no area teams going head to head. After its last second Hail Mary pass for a game winning touchdown last week, unbeaten Jim Thorpe will hope the football gods remain on their sideline as they play host to Pottsville. The 4-4 Crimson Tide have been on both winning and losing sides of blowout scores. This is a dangerous trap game test for the red, white, and blue and Coach Mark Rosenberger will have his Olympians focused on the Tide and not looking forward to their Week Ten showdown with Lehighton.

Speaking of Lehighton, the Tribe continue to ramp up their offense for enough points to outscore opponents every week. Tonight they travel to Blue Mountain which prognosticators might also call a trap game. The Blue Eagles are another team hard to figure. After battling Tamaqua in a tough loss and then following that with a shut out defeat to Jim Thorpe, they upended Pottsville convincingly, before getting shut out again by North Schuylkill. Indians’ coach, Ton McCarroll will also have his team very wary and hope that Dr. Jekyll and not Mr. Hyde shows up tonight in Blue Mountain uniforms.

Seven up and eight down

Seven unanimous picks come off the board as non- factors this week, but that leaves eight games with differences of opinions. Pocono Mountain East travels to Pleasant Valley tonight. Both teams sport losing recorda, but have shown flashes that they can beat good teams on any given night. PME seems to either win or lose by a basketball score while the Bears’ offense has been clicking with quarterback, Aidan McHugh who passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns last week.

I’m on the team with “Bossman” McCall, and “Handy” Andy Steinmetz in thinking that Pleasant Valley prevails in a shootout by a lay up late to win by two.

Easton visits Emmaus in another toss up tilt. Both teams have modest two game winning streaks, but you can be sure the two loss Rovers, who play a brutal week to week schedule, will bring their A game to the line of scrimmage so the Hornets will have to match the intensity to come away with s victory. Heckman can close in on Ford for first place if Emmaus comes out on top.

Jockeys position for the stretch run

Carlucci and Matsinko make their moves to catch Ford while Sam “The Man” Matta looks to join the group of contenders with a couple of bold upset selections.

“The Voice” Carlucci and Pat “The Mat” like Saucon Valley over Ford’s Notre Dame pick and Matsinko feels that North Schuylkill will defeat a Tamaqua team that’s dropped two straight fourth quarter heartbreakers. Most of us like Sam Bonner’s Raiders to take out their frustrations on the always dangerous Spartans.

Matta also tabs North Schuylkill and adds Salisbury over Palmerton and Northern Lehigh to win their first of the season against Northwestern. It’s sink or swim for Sam as he’ll either be on the heels of the front runners or he just might give me hope that I can pass him on by and leave him hanging over the Pit.

Checking late night scores will be interesting tonight!