What a week it was!

Once all the results came in last Friday night, the race for the Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup got even closer. With just two weeks remaining, only three games separate the top six pickers.

Despite my worst record of the season at 8-7 from Week 10, I still sit in the King’s Throne with a one-game lead over Sam Matta, Brad Hurley and Pat Matsinko. Emmett McCall remains two games behind the lead.

A week’s best 13-2 mark shot Rod Heckman right back into contention after he had waved the white flag last week. Heckman is three back, a tough challenge to catapult past five pickers to win the Cup, but he’s been in these kinds of races before so we cannot count him out.

Honorable mention

Kudos to Jeff Moeller and Kyle Magda. Moeller’s 10-5 mark gives him a shot to jump past Mike Haines during the last two weeks. Magda’s record for the past two weeks is an outstanding 24-6.

Lucky number 7

Six area teams qualified for the District 11 playoffs, and several of this week’s games are rematches. Marian travels to Tri-Valley in a rematch of the second game of the season in which the Bulldogs beat the Colts, 24-0. Each team has been trending in opposite directions, so Marian is the consensus pick.

Northern Lehigh hosts Pen Argyl. Our unanimous pick says that Coach Joe Tout will have his Bulldogs barking and biting and winning this one. The unbeaten Northwestern Tigers are tabbed to claw the Saucon Valley Panthers into a defeat.

Jim Thorpe visits Southern Lehigh, where a month ago the home team won in a rout and the Olympians are expected to succumb again to the Spartans. Lehighton has played well lately, but is not a favorite to beat Blue Mountain. The Eagles beat the Tribe handily in their first encounter. East Stroudsburg South is the heavy favorite to take down the Pleasant Valley Bears.

In an Eastern Conference tussle, Tamaqua is picked to get back on the winning track against Pequea Valley.

Out of Area Game of the Week

The Fightin’ Tigers of Marple-Newton High School play the Falcons of Pottsgrove High School in a District 1 playoff first round game. Both teams are 7-3. The Pottsgrove Falcons are led by junior running back Isaiah Rivera, who in a recent game toted the rock 22 times for 181 yards for an average of over eight yards a carry.

The Tigers feature running back Brian Box, who has 36 career touchdowns and over 3,100 all-purpose yards, including 1,900 yards rushing.

After a 2-3 start to the season, the Tigers have won their last five games and by pretty large margins. The Falcons are 5-2 in their last seven games. This one is a toss-up. The staff slightly favors Pottsgrove. I’m picking Marple-Newton with the thinking that a late fourth-quarter score will decide the outcome.

Courage personified

I’d like to mention the Columbia High School football team from Huntsville, Alabama. Last week, the Eagles lost their 87th straight game to break the national record for most defeats in a row, according to Max Preps. The streak began in 2015. The team continues to practice hard and compete the best it can. The team information website page is titled “The Curse.” Second-year coach Sean Watson keeps a positive outlook and says that his team is ready to break the streak.

In the sports world, we praise the champions as well they should be, but for the Columbia High School Eagles, it takes courage to step on the football field every week having never won a game. If they played their games in our area, I would urge each of our staff members to pick them to win each week and end the streak. Go Eagles!

Favorites and underdogs

Yours Truly, Matta and McCall — three pre-season picks to finish back in the pack — are battling Hurley, Matsinko and Heckman — perennial favorites to win the Cup — right down to the wire. After Week 11, the standings are expected to shuffle once again. The Marian-Tri-Valley game is crucial to the front runners. McCall, Heckman and I have chosen the Colts to win, but Matta and Hurley like Tri-Valley to come out on top. Matta has picked four different winners than me. Other games that will help decide whether or not I can keep the lead or be shoved off the king’s throne include North Schuylkill at Notre Dame-Green Pond. This should be a really good playoff game. Matta, Hurley and Yours Truly have picked the Spartans to defeat high-scoring NDGP, with Matsinko, McCall and Heckman thinking the Crusaders will be the victor.

The out-of-area games will affect the standings, as well because none of us have been following these teams all season. Expect the Dunmore at Susquehanna, Hazleton vs. Williamsport, Mifflinburg against Montoursville, and the Marple-Newton-Pottsgrove contests to change some of the order of the six front runners.

As I sit in the King’s Throne for the fourth straight week, I can feel the revolution coming right outside my castle door as five pickers look to oust me from my red velvet chair.

Who will be at the top of the standings? Will Matta return to the Throne for the third time? Can Hurley jump in front and put himself in great position to win his second title in a row? Can McCall or Matsinko take the lead, or will Heckman finish with another stellar week of picks and take charge heading into the stretch run of the race.

These are questions we will know the answers to by the end of this weekend. Next week’s results will decide who wins the Cup!