Three grid pickers are deadlocked in first place with records of 12-2 after the first week of the season.

It’s no surprise that perennial contenders Hot Rod Heckman, Bob “Photo” Ford, and Bad Brad Hurley all squeezed onto the king’s throne, with their only losses coming from Nativity’s upset of Pottsville and Lake-Lehman’s defeat of Berwick.

A stacked pack and Hixon and McCall fall

Yours Truly can stake claim of a misleading second-place with three losses. My crystal ball was the only one to pick Lehman over Berwick.

Six are tied for third, including defending champion Handy Andy Steinmetz.

Sitting together in the Pundit Pit with five defeats are Bossman Emmett McCall and Chuck “What happened to his luck” Hixson. It’s very early in the season, but with the abbreviated number of games to be played and already three behind the leaders, the Pit might become a permanent residence for McCall and Hixson if they both fail to come back with a strong Week 2.

Marquee matchups

Two great games and difficult picks highlight Week 2.

Jim Thorpe, a 43- 0 victor last Friday against Marian, and Blue Mountain, with a 35-O drubbing of Schuylkill Haven, square off tonight at the Eagles’ home field.

JT signal caller Davier Calcano and speedy running back Brandon Fasolino will try to get the first score on Blue Mountain’s “D.”

Coach Mark Rosenberger’s new version of the Red Swarm defense will look to stop the Eagles, who bring size and speed up against the Olympians.

The consensus says Thorpe wins in what could go down to the wire.

Lehighton takes on the Tamaqua Blue Raiders in an early season battle that could determine bragging rights in the Times News circulation area.

The Tribe features stud bookend wide receivers in Zack Hunsicker and Hunter Crum, who had a big game last week with a combined 15 catches for 191 yards. QB Richard Fronheiser fired five TD passes in just the first half.

Tamaqua, with a big roster turnover, picked up right where it left off a year ago with a Week 1 49-7 victory over Shenandoah Valley. The Raiders rushed for 359 yards, powered by Nate Curvey and Logan Hess, who crossed the goal line for five touchdowns.

Veteran coaches in the Tribe’s Tom McCarroll and Tamaqua’s Sam Bonner will move their chess pieces in another game that might need a late fourth quarter score to decide the winner.

The staff splits on the winner so this game can shuffle the standings in Week 2.

Colts, Panthers, and Tigers, oh my!

The Marian Colts gallop to play PV’s Panthers tonight in a game where both teams need wins to help forget last season’s struggles. The side story features two coaches with over 80 years of combined experience between Marian’s Stan Dakosty and Panther Valley’s Rick Jones.

On the field, PV’s Louis Clouser had a big game against Lehighton, which included a 60-yard kickoff return and an 80-yard TD run. Look for QB Mike Pascoe and Clouser to be too much for the Colt defense in a Panthers’ triumph.

Northwestern’s opponent, Berks Catholic, was a last-minute change on the schedule. Last week, Tigers’ RB Nick Henry lugged the rock 22 times for 119 yards ,and QB, Justin Holmes threw three TD passes in an eight-point win over Palisades.

Berks won eight games a year ago and lost in the District playoff finals. so expect the Saints to be a formidable foe.

The majority feels that the Tigers will prevail against Berks, which will be playing its first game of the season.

Bold picks in the mix

With five unanimous picks on the ledger, that leaves 10 games that could significantly change the standings in Week 2.

Bossman McCall, already feeling the heat to redeem himself from a year ago, can strike out his nine competitors if Marian upends Panther Valley. Hixson and Heckman score big if Minersville tops Pottsville, which was upset by Nativity in Week 1.

Hixson and Ford like Hazelton over Wilkes Barre against the picks of eight other staffers. Matta gains a game on the pack if Wilson knocks off the Pirates of Palisades, and another if Pittston drops Berwick to its second straight loss.

Perhaps the best out of area matchup pits the Millionaires of Williamsport against the reigning PIAA Class 3A champions Wyoming Area. In Port’s opening night win, five different backs took handoffs, four receivers caught passes and five different players scored touchdowns. Nine different backs carried the rock and five different receivers caught balls for Wyoming Area in its win.

Now these two teams are truly definitions of balanced attacks.

The staff is split on the pick, but I say, sorry Millionaires, my money is on the reigning state champs to pull out a close one.

Heckman, Hurley, and Ford are out of the gate and in the lead while McCall and Hixson will look to make their run from the back of the pack.

Who will challenge from the bunch in the middle?

Let’s see who comes out of the first turn in the Grid Picks race toward the finish!