For at least one more week, I can sit in the King’s Throne — but there is no leaning back. I am in no comfort zone.

Those in the chase close behind me are making their move with just three weeks to go in the race for the Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup.

Sam Matta finished Week Nine with an 11-4 record and fell out of a tie for first with me. Defending Cup champion, Brad Hurley, sits two games back of the lead and is poised to stake claim to the trophy that already bears his name from last year. Emmett McCall is three games out and Pat Matsinko at five back barely remains in striking range. He might need a big Week 10, coupled with bad weeks from those he is chasing.

Magda magic …

In the world of high school football prognostication, everyone can have the best week of picking winners. This past week, Kyle Magda — who has been laboring in the Pundit Pit for the good part of two consecutive seasons — defeated everyone else with a 14-1 record. No matter what place he will finish, congratulations are in order to Kyle for his outstanding results!

Tigers to be tested …

Northwestern, with its perfect 9-0 record, travels to Southern Lehigh to battle the 8-1 Spartans. The Tigers have outscored their opponents by a whopping 421-36 in their first nine games and have three straight shutouts. This is a revenge game for Southern Lehigh. Last year, with both teams undefeated, Northwestern routed the Spartans 42-14.

Both teams can burn the lights out on the scoreboard with how many times they find the end zone, but the unanimous pick here is the Tigers’ defense will slow down the Spartans’ offense enough to finish a perfect 10-0 regular season for the second year in a row.

Raiders look to right the ship …

After starting the season with six straight wins, Tamaqua has lost three straight and looks to get back on the victory side tonight when they host the 6-3 Blue Mountain Eagles. Senior Raiders’ quarterback, Luke Kane, has amassed a total of 47 career passing and rushing touchdowns and most likely will need a big game to get his team back in the habit of scoring enough points to win.

The majority pick in this game is Blue Mountain, but Yours Truly believes Coach Sam Bonner’s Raiders flip the switch and will ground the Eagles.

The backyard brawl and too close to call …

Jim Thorpe battles Lehighton for the Route 209 trophy. Both teams have three wins and despite the staff heavily favoring the Tribe, this game has a strong upset feel to it for the Olympians to hoist the gold after the final buzzer. Saucon Valley comes to Northern Lehigh in a toss-up game between two 7-2 teams. Another flip of the coin contest is Catasauqua at Palmerton. This game could impact the positions of the frontrunners with McCall and Yours Truly tabbing Catty to win, but Matta and Hurley picking the Bombers to take down the Rough Riders.

Out of Area Game of the Week …

It’s the Trojans from Parkland versus the Hornets of Emmaus. With combined records of 15-3, this game could be decided late in the fourth quarter. Parkland spreads the ball around with quarterback Osmany Guzman and four running backs, while Emmaus will run the ball with senior Reilly Bechtel, who has rushed for 14 TDs this season. This game could be a low scoring affair. Both teams have strong defenses, so it’s likely that points will result from long drives rather than big plays. Parkland is the majority pick, but this is another game where an upset wouldn’t surprise anyone.

The keys to the kingdom …

Teams that we circle in Week 10 that should affect the standings include our locals: Tamaqua, Northern Lehigh and Palmerton. Matta can jump over me and back into first place should the Bulldogs and Bombers prevail. Hurley, McCall and I are betting on Tamaqua and Saucon Valley to win. Hurley tabbed Palmerton, but McCall and I chose Catasauqua.

It could be that McCall stands to gain or lose the most ground this week. He has selected three different winners than me and seven of his picks contradict those from Matta. All it takes is one of the top three pickers to win three or more games than his contenders and there will be a new resident upon the king’s throne where I now sit.

As it stands, three long shots: Matta, McCall and Yours Truly are trying to fight off two Cup favorites in Hurley and Matsinko. The next two weeks will have playoff games on the Grid Picks docket. The first of those weeks will be the easier picks of the two when top-seeded teams play the lower seeds, but Week 12 will be the biggest challenge with either district championships or a trip to the district finals on the line.

I’ve gotten used to being in first place and if I can avoid a week of five losses or more, I should remain in contention even if I am kicked off the King’s Throne. Yet, I have reason to squirm with the race so close.

It’s too close to know. Here we go. First place is on the line!