All hail King Robert Ford

Winner of the Grid Pick Cup award

His magnificent crystal ball

Sent nine writers to their fall

He’s the picture man supreme

Of every football team

Although he never writes the story

He’s the king of pundit glory.

Congratulations to Bob Ford, the 2017 Grid Pick Cup champion. After 13 weeks, Ford defeated Rod Heckman in an exciting race that was actually tied until the Palisades win over Lehighton became official.

With Valley View’s defeat of Berwick, Heckman had tied Ford, but the Indians fell just short of sinking the Pirates, which would have given “Hot Rod” the title.

When asked if he had any help making his grid picks each week, Ford answered, “No, it was all me.

“Next year, I will take my boss, Emmett McCall, under my wing,” he said. “I see how far he fell in the standings this season so he will need my help to get to the top.”

In contrast to Ford’s arrogance, Heckman, a recent two-time Cup winner (2014 and 2015), offered both regret and humility.

“Looking back, I could have changed some of my picks, but I talked myself out of them.” He added, “I’ve won before, so now it’s someone else’s time.”

Here are the final standings:

1. Bob Ford (156-39)

2. Rod Heckman (155-40)

3. Brad Hurley (152-43)

4. Andy Steinemtz (151-44)

5. Justin Carlucci (150-45)

6. Patrick Matsinko (149-46)

7. Rich Strack (148-47)

8. Emmett McCall (143-52)

9. Sam Matta (142-53)

10. TJ Engle (140-55)

So TJ Engle and Son sit in the Pundit Pit and despite an early season spark, that’s where they have been for several weeks. Overall, Steinmetz, Carlucci and Hurley put themselves in great position to win the Cup, but Ford never relinquished his lead. Yours Truly, with a late-season run, not only climbed out of the Pit, I ended with a satisfying seventh place.

A season of dream teams

Several area football teams had outstanding seasons.

Entering Week No. 6, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Tamaqua, and Palmerton had a combined record of 19-1. By the end of their schedules, these four playoff teams finished 36-12 collectively.

Notable games included Jim Thorpe’s final play, “Hail Mary” pass victory over Tamaqua, and Lehighton’s two wins over the Olympians before standing room only crowds at Indian Stadium.

This season also featured spectacular runs and touchdown passes that were a treat to watch for football fans.

The Tribe’s TaQuan Bradley-Chambers thrilled fans with his stutter steps, spin moves and long TD runs. Jim Thorpe’s Justin St. Hill slithered through holes in defenses, and with great downfield vision, brought fans of the Red, White, and Blue to their feet with his athletic ability. Tamaqua’s Nick Breiner lugged the rock 188 times, gained over 1,300 yards and crossed the goal line 18 times.

Palmerton’s quarterback, Tekoah Guedes, passed for over 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns. Lehighton’s QB Cody Scherer and wide receiver Zack Crum completed a thing of beauty each time they hooked up on post patterns or a deep out pass. When Air Scherer pulled the ball down, he bedazzled defenses with his 70 and 80 yard sprints to the house.

An expression coaches like to use when one of their players becomes injured is “next man up.” When Pleasant Valley lost its record-breaking and star quarterback early in the season, sophomore Aiden McHugh found himself under center. Under a late October harvest moon, this “back up” quarterback threw for 445 yards and five touchdowns and was named Times News Player of the Week.

We have witnessed a great gridiron year of entertainment. Our gratitude goes out to the coaches and to their players for providing us with a season of spectacular high school football.

See you next season with our 2018 segment of Grid Picks!