After a scintillating three-week record in the race for the Bob Ford Memorial Cup that had put him far ahead in first place, Brad Hurley is now squirming in his king’s throne.

His 10-5 Week 4 record has allowed Pat Matsinko, TJ Engle, and Rod Heckman to move closer to the lead. Matsinko is now just two games back of Hurley, and Engle (13-2 for the week) and Heckman trail by three going into Week 5.

Matsinko, a former winner of the Cup and perennial front runner, had this to say about his success.

“I try not to pay too much attention to where I’m at in the race, but my family and friends remind me if I’m doing well or if I’m slipping,” he said. “I try to use a somewhat analytical approach. I consider strength of schedules and results from common opponents, but things like injuries that you’re not aware of can change everything. With toss ups, I might just go with the home team or make an educated guess so I don’t make wild predictions and fall down in the order.”

There is no scientific approach that guarantees any pundit continued success, but Matsinko will occasionally step out of the box and go against the majority.

“Sometimes I try to zig where I think others might zag,” he said.

Tying Engle for the week’s best record is “Bossman” Emmett McCall, who now sits comfortably in fifth place ahead of Sam Matta and Mike Haines.

Out of the Pit!

Wallowing in the Pundit Pit since Week 1, Yours Truly can now see the light of day. With my personal best 12-3 mark, I have leapfrogged over Jeff Moeller and Kyle Magda, with Magda now in sole possession of the Depths of Darkness. I plan not to stay in my current comfort zone. With a big Week 5, I might move up more and feel the dust kicked up by the leaders.

Bombers and Tigers roll on

Two unbeaten area teams continue to impress our pundits with their success each week. Superstar quarterback Matt Machalik was responsible for six touchdowns to lead Palmerton over Jim Thorpe in what was an outstanding football game for the fans of both schools to watch. The Olympians - a team on the rise despite having one win, - led by 10 points going into the fourth quarter, guided by the arm and legs of QB Cole Lazorick and the hands of Justin Yescavage, who caught nine passes for nearly 200 yards.

That’s when Machalik worked his magic to attain another win for the Bombers.

This week Palmerton hosts high-scoring Notre Dame-Green Pond. With the Bombers averaging 41 points a game and the Crusaders lighting the scoreboard with 47 per game, this contest has all the makings of a basketball score, with the winner being whomever has the final possession on offense.

Led by Dalton Clymer’s 120 yards rushing and two TDs, and quarterback Shane Leh’s three scoring passes, Northwestern easily disposed of Pen Argyl to go 4-0 on the season. The Tigers host Lehighton tonight, and the Tribe will need to play a solid game on both sides of the ball to hand the Tigers their initial loss of the season.

Who let the ‘Dawgs out!

After a rough two-loss start to the season, Joe Tout’s Northern Lehigh Bulldogs have run wild and won their last two games. Jack Tosh and the dog pound chewed up the yardage last week, as Northern Lehigh scored 45 points against Pine Grove.

This week, the Bulldogs face the Spartans of North Schuylkill with their rapid-fire offense that can score in bunches, so the Bulldogs will have to have their paws primed to claw their way to their third win in a row.

Out of Area Game of the Week

In a battle of unbeatens, the Parkland Trojans take on the Allentown Central Vikings. The Trojans look to be invincible this season, with four convincing wins including last week’s 31-24 win over a very good Nazareth team. In their four victories, the Vikings have kept their fans on the edges of their seats right up until the final buzzer. Three wins have been by a cumulative number of nine points, with two of them won by a single point. The staff believes Parkland prevails. Engle can pick up a big win against the pack if Central finds a way to knock off the Trojan army.

Tight fight

Following Week 4, the race for the lead and jockeying for positions are making the 2023 contest for the Grid Picks Cup an outstanding contest. Three games separate the first four pickers, and only three games separate five pundits in the back of the pack.

Seven of the 15 contests this week will have no effect in the standings because they are unanimous choices. The Notre Dame vs. Palmerton, and the Schuylkill Haven at Palisades games will make a difference with the frontrunners. Heckman gains over Matsinko and Hurley if NDGP hands the Bombers their first loss of the year and if the Pirates defeat Haven.

Engle sits in third place, three games off the lead, and he can get closer to the top or fall farther behind. He’s the only one who tabbed Nativity to beat Marian and ACC over Parkland.

We’ll see who thrives and who survives after Week 5, sending us into Week 6 in the race for the Cup with our grid picks!