It was a week when “Bad” was good and “No Luck” was lucky.

“Bad” Brad Hurley, with only one loss, pulled himself back into a first place tie with “Hot “ Rod Heckman. From the depths of the Pundit Pit, Chuck “No Luck” Hixson also had a 14-1 record and now is a threat to depart the darkness and be replaced by another cellar dweller. Lucky Chucky was the only one who had the foresight to see Northern Lehigh’s win over Palmerton.

Sam “The Man” Matta is just two games ahead of Hixson, and dare I say, Yours truly sits uncomfortably with 108 wins, six out of the Pit and now one game back of Emmett “Bossman” McCall who recorded a second great week in a row with a 13-2 mark.

Week 11 delivers District 11 playoff football. The games get intense and the picks will test our gridiron gut checks. Just a few weeks to go and this season’s grand champion will be crowned. So let’s bring it on!

Five are alive

Five area teams qualified for the playoffs. Jim Thorpe, Tamaqua, Lehighton, Marian, and Northwestern all get to play at least one bonus game.

Jim Thorpe travels to North Schuylkill to take on the Spartans in a rematch from Week No. 6. North Schuylkill won the first game, 8-6. Both teams play physical football so look for the outcome to be won or lost in the trenches. Defenses should dominate once again, and the consensus pick is Thorpe advances to next week’s District 11 finals.

Unlike the projected low scoring Olympians-Spartans contest, the Notre Dame at Tamaqua event could end with a basketball score. The pass happy Crusaders, who often send out five receivers, are averaging over six touchdowns a game. The Raiders are near that as well so the scoreboard lights should be ablaze. Sam Bonner’s boys will have to establish a solid pass rush and his blitz packages could be the difference maker. I like Tamaqua thinking that Brayden Knoblauch, Nate Boyle, and Nick Breiner will have a field day against a porous Notre Dame defense.

Lehighton and Marian will have tough tasks away from their home fields. The unanimous pick here is Saucon Valley over the Indians, despite the quarterback play of Chris Whiteman, who last week got up from several Red Swarm sacks and made productive plays all game long.

Marian takes on Williams Valley, an eight win team up in Tower City. Expect Matt Doherty to have success running between the tackles, but unless Sam Matta knows something the rest of us don’t, the pick is the Vikings to advance.

Northwestern hosts Allentown Central Catholic. The 8-2 Tigers have won three in a row while scoring an average 48 points for coach Josh Snyder’s offense. The Vikings only have three wins, but they played a brutal schedule in which eight of their 10 opponents finished with .500 records or better. Heckman takes a risk with his ACC pick, but that could help get him a game up on Hurley.

The haves and have nots

Let’s be real. Besides Heckman and Hurley, the only ones with a realistic chance to sit on the king’s throne this season are Steinmetz, Matsinko, and Carlucci. Reining champion. Bob Ford is on the bubble and is putting it all on the line this week by picking against Hurley or Heckman in four of the games.

Then there are the also-rans who have flopped 10 or more games from the top. Emmett “Bossman” McCall appears to have safely distanced himself from Hixson who has put a sudden scare in me and Matta. Hixson and I have disagreed on four games this week. Something is go to give. I just hope I hold my ground and I don’t sink closer to the Pigskin Prediction Hall of Shame!