He can almost feel the gold in his hands.

With just three weeks left, Justin Carlucci took a bold sprint forward to separate himself from the contenders in the race for the Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup. Carlucci’s Week 9-best 14-1 record pulled him ahead of TJ Engle, whose five loss week dropped him from second to fourth.

Pat Matsinko’s late surge continues. He’s moved into second place, three games back of the lead while reigning titleholder Rod Heckman sits in third at four games behind.

Back in the pack, Yours Truly and Brad Hurley are tied for fifth place and are seven games out. Emmett McCall has steadily held his pace with three games above the dreaded Pundit Pit, where Chuck Hixson and Sam Matta now reside. Mike Haines shouldn’t look behind him. He’s two games out of the Den of Darkness, and there’s plenty of room there for three pickers to sleep through the cold winter.

It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the chase for the Cup is a three- or four-man race now, and for the rest of us, well, it’s time to go Christmas shopping for new crystal balls.

Good for the hood

Let’s congratulate Northwestern, Northern Lehigh, Palmerton, and Jim Thorpe for securing postseason play in the D11 tournament.

The final game of the regular season schedule features some classic neighborhood rivalries. Lehighton battles Jim Thorpe for the Route 209 trophy. The Olympians have shut out their last two opponents and are playoff bound, but throw out the records in this one.

The Tribe, finishing a disappointing year, will come ready to rumble, but the unanimous pick is for JT to keep the trophy the Olympians have held during their past three victories over the Indians.

Palmerton meets Northern Lehigh in a marquee matchup between two really good teams. The Bombers have lost just once, and during their seven-game winning streak, have averaged an incredible 47 points.

The Bulldogs are 6-3, and have won three of their last four.

The statistics say go with Palmerton in this one, but based upon having played a tougher schedule, the consensus pick is Northern Lehigh in what could come down to a last possession score with time running out.

Tamaqua and Panther Valley tangle together, and the victor will feel the satisfaction of winning the last game in what has otherwise been a disappointing season for both. The pick is Sam Bonner’s Raiders, but Rick Jones will have his Panthers ready to play for sure.

Tigers terrific

and Colts try for three

Kudos to the Northwestern Tigers, who can complete an undefeated regular season with a win over Catasauqua.

How about those Marian Colts, who look to win their third in a row after seven losses? Northwestern is a unanimous pick, and Chuck “Needs Some Luck” Hixson is riding the Marian mojo and picks the Colts to beat Pine Grove.

Pleasant Valley plays tonight and is currently on the outside looking in at playoff qualification. They take on an up-and-down Stroudsburg team that is the majority pick here to knock off the Bears.

Valley victory

In my out-of-area Grid Picks Game of the Week, Tri-Valley travels to Tower City to play Williams Valley and for certain, a Valley will win. Both teams are 7-1, and have had winning programs in recent years.

Tri-Valley features a three-headed monster attack with Jonas McGrath, Jake Scheib and Kameron Wetzel, who combined for six touchdowns in a recent game.

Williams Valley has a solid ground attack, led by super sophomore Alex Achenbach, who rushed for 329 yards in a win over Panther Valley. This will be a “playoff game” before both teams enter the district tournament next week.

Yours Truly likes WV on its home field, but it’s a toss up game that can go either way.

Crunchtime

With two weeks of playoff football remaining after Week 10, the race will be decided with answers to these questions. Will Justin Carlucci finally do what he has failed to do in the past and hang on to win the inaugural Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup?

Will Pat Matsinko prove that he’s not just a wrestling guru and edge Carlucci by a nose at the finish line?

Will Rod Heckman successfully defend his title and win the Cup again?

Is there a slim chance left for Engle to get back to the lead if the front-runners collapse and fail?

There will definitely be some movement this week in the top three places as Carlucci shows four different picks than Matsinko and Heckman. If Stroudsburg, Nazareth, Emmaus, and Pottsville all win, JC can run away with the Cup. If some or all lose, we could be looking up at the top of this page at a new face in first place.

Will the pickers who sit stuck in the pack take pride that they didn’t finish last? Will Sam Matta finally find a way to claw himself out of the Pundit Pit and not have to reside in the darkness for a second straight year?

Three weeks are left to see who breaks the tape at the finish line, and who is left in the dust behind. Three weeks to find out who drink beer from the Cup and gets office bragging rights for a year.

Who will rise and grab the prize, and who will fumble the ball and fall?

Let’s see who’s leads coming around the bend by the end of Week 10.