What a comeback from our staff last week after many of us fumbled the ball in Week 2.

Let’s begin with Sam “The Man” Matta, who had his second red hot week by picking 13 winners that has kicked him through the uprights into sole possession of first place.

I had pegged Matta as a 22-1 shot to hold the gold at season’s end, and to quote myself from my opening Grid Picks column, “Someone betting this also ran will be sipping champagne with Sam should he shock the local sports world and pull out the upset victory.”

We may be surprised by Matta’s picks prowess, but he is not.

“I’m a three-time picks champion for other newspapers,” he said. “This year, I’m studying the teams more, and it’s been paying off.”

Matta compares himself to the great horse, Secretariat, a former Triple Crown winner.

“He wasn’t a winner early in his career, but once he found his stride, he was unbeatable. That’s me, too. I’m looking to win my fourth title”

“Hot” Rod Heckman is a game back, exactly where his history says he likes to be before he makes his expected late-season move to capture the lead. “Yours Truly” and TJ “Carolina” Engle leapfrogged over Pat “The Mat” Matsinko into third place. Holding ground in fourth place is “Bad” Brad Hurley, who has yet to back up his self-proclaimed picks expertise. Kyle “The Rook” Magda and Mike ‘Hurricane” Haines are still kicking inside the pack with Emmett “Bossman” McCall trying not to slip into the Pundit Pit where Chuck “No Luck” Hixson is choking on the dust from the nine pickers ahead of him.

Bears and Bulldogs bandwagon

Pleasant Valley’s win over East Stroudsburg South - its first over the Cavaliers in recent memory - has our pickers unanimously behind the 3-0 Bears this week versus 0-3 Dieruff.

Northern Lehigh - with quarterback Nick Frame leading the charge with his arm and his legs, gets the same nod. The Bulldogs get to 4-0 if they can make Pine Grove their fourth victim.

JT battles the Bombers, and the Indians clash with Warriors

Jim Thorpe travels to Palmerton with the task of trying to stop quarterback Matt Machalik’s high-flying Bombers, who have averaged 41 points per game. The Olympians, after two losses, can light up the board, too, with an infantry attack led by Sal Capria and David Fiorito.

This game has all the makings of a basketball score once the final horn sounds. “Yours Truly” likes Thorpe with a late fourth-quarter field goal by soccer star Dawson Meckes that makes the difference.

Elsewhere, Lehighton is still searching for its first win, and takes on the winless Wilson Warriors tomorrow at noon. My pick is the Tribe wins with a second-half surge.

Tigers favored, Colts are underdogs

Northwestern is our pick to get its third win against the Green Knights of Pen Argyl, but our majority favors the Line Mountain Eagles to upend the Marian Colts.

The Eagles have lost their first three, but play a tough schedule.

Red storm in Easton tonight

The Whitehall Zephyrs play in Easton against the Rovers in my Out of Area Game of the Week. The field will feature the school colors of red and white, as perennial power Easton looks to get victory No. 1 in Week 4. No one can remember the last time the Rovers began a season at 0-4, so my bet is they won’t this year.

Slip sliding away?

With the Bob Ford Memorial Cup race jammed at the front with just three games of separation, the story going into Week 4 is who will fall too far back and be out of contention. Chuck “Needs Some Luck” Hixson is seven back from the lead and in danger of falling deeper and deeper into the Pundit Pit.

The pressure is on “Bossman” McCall, celebrating his birthday this week, to put up or shut up. He needs to gain games. Palisades upsetting Southern Lehigh, and Easton and Lehighton earning their first wins would al help his cause.

Will Sam “The Man” continue to set the pace, or will he slip back into his customary back of the pack place in line? He’s made a few bold picks this week against those chasing him.

As usual, Heckman stalks the leader. “Carolina” Engle and “Yours Truly” look to stay close to the front. TJ’s pick of Blue Mountain over Pottsville could push him up or down.

The quest for the Cup has a long way to go, but at some point, the front-runners will separate from the also-rans.

Could it be this week, or will the back of back make their moves and tighten up the race even more? Week 5 will give us the answer!