After just three weeks, Brad Hurley is looking like he has the mojo to go wire-to-wire without getting knocked off the king’s throne. After winning Week 3 with a staff best 13-2 mark, he now holds a five-game lead with an incredible 38-7 overall record.

Hurley spoke about his success.

“Getting off to a good start is key,” he said. “The last few years, I’ve gotten off to slow starts and I battled back to finish pretty well, but put myself into too deep of a hole to catch Rod Heckman late in the season.”

He was asked to share the formula for his uncanny ability to predict so many winners so far this season.

“I read a lot of newspapers in our coverage area and outside our area as well,” said Hurley. “I check box scores and look at common opponents. I try to stay informed so I’m not ‘winging it’ every week.”

He was a bit rustled with why I posted him at pretty long odds last year to win it all.

“I’m a past Grid Picks champion, and never finished lower than fourth or fifth since we’ve been making predictions for the Times News,” he said.

Hurley has used my disparaging odds from last year as motivation. He says it’s too early in the race for trash talking, but he did throw a jab at Yours Truly, who has been floundering in the Pundit Pit for the past three weeks. I have to admit his jab was deserved, but I can take a punch!

The bunch crunch

With about nine weeks left in the 2023 Bob Ford Memorial Cup race, the middle of the pack is trying to stay within a touchdown behind Hurley’s rapid run.

Pat Matsinko is hanging tough. His 12-3 mark last week was second best, and leaves him four games off the lead. He’ll need to string some 12-plus win weeks together and hope Hurley stumbles. Defending champion Rod Heckman is five behind, but never count him out. He has a great-late season kick, and Hurley is aware of Heckman’s pigskin prognostication prowess.

TJ Engle sits in fourth place following a solid 11-4 week. Sam Matta holds fifth, and despite last week’s sideline swoon, Bossman McCall is sixth after he too won 11 games in Week 3.

The final four - and these words certainly do not have the same meaning as college basketball’s Final Four - are Haines, Magda, Moeller, and Yours Truly. Seeing the light from the Depths of Darkness, a great week of picks can lift me past the three amigos, but I will have to get a few upsets on my ledger to leapfrog over the trio.

Off the schneid

Both Jim Thorpe and Northern Lehigh had impressive first wins of the season last week. The Olympians - led by Times News Player of the Week Cole Lazorick at quarterback - put up 48 points in the first half in a rout, and the Bulldogs stunned undefeated Pen Argyl with a stellar defensive effort for a 16-12 win. This week, JT hosts Palmerton. No defense has been able to stop Bombers’ QB Matt Machalik and company, and the Olympians have had early season difficulties getting stops.

The staff unanimously likes the Bombers to win their fourth in a row. Our consensus says that the ‘Dawgs will beat Pine Grove to even their record.

Lucky No. 7

Counting Northern Lehigh and Palmerton, we like five more area teams to come away with victories in Week 4. Marian defeats Sayre. Lehighton goes to 2-2 with a win over Wilson. Panther Valley goes to Shenandoah and comes back with a triumph over the Blue Devils. We like the Pleasant Valley Bears to run past Allen, and Northwestern – after a big win last week over Blue Mountain – to remain undefeated with a victory over Pen Argyl.

Out of Area Game of the Week

The selection this week is a no-brainer. Powerful Nazareth travels to Parkland to battle an almost invincible army of Trojans. The Blue Eagles have outscored opponents by 100 points in three games, while Parkland has defeated three teams by combined scores of 125-21. Trojan QB Luke Spang is ranked No. 1 statistically in Eastern Pennsylvania, and running back Trey Tremba has rushed for seven TDs. Nazareth counters with Peyton Falzone, who has passed for over 600 yards in just three weeks. Two explosive offenses and two cement-wall defenses could result in what fans may be calling the Game of the Year. The consensus here is the Trojans shoot down the Eagles with a late game score.

Closing the gap

Four games can have an impact upon closing the gap between Hurley and his gap chasers, Matsinko and Heckman. The Panther Valley vs. Shenandoah Valley game has Hurley and Mastsinko giving the nod to the Blue Devils, but Heckman can gain a game if the Panthers prevail.

The Nazareth-Parkland contest can also bring Heckman closer to the front should Parkland win with Hurley and Matsinko picking Nazareth. Matsinko gains if Williams Valley beats Minersville, and drops if the Battlin’ Miners send the Vikings down for the count.

Heckman is calculating how he can reduce Hurley’s big lead. He knows he can’t pass him all at once. If Panther Valley and Parkland both reward him with victories, he can be just three back moving into Week 5, and then the defending champion will have Hurley right where he wants him - and that’s looking over his shoulder!