He’s an amazing prognosticator and a proven favorite to win every year.

Now he will be the first to have his name engraved on the brand - new Cup and take his rightful place of residency on the king’s throne.

Congratulations to Rod Heckman, the winner of the 2022 Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup.

Ahead by only two games going into the final week, Heckman closed out the competition with a personal- and staff-best 14-1 record.

“Hot Rod” turned up the fire jets a notch and left those chasing him choking on his smoke, winning the race by a large margin of five games.

Heckman offered this dedication for his triumphant achievement.

“While our trophy is named after Bob Ford, our longtime photographer and friend who passed away way too early, I would like to dedicate this win to Brian Unangst, my close friend who was a sports anchor at BRC13. This was the first high school football season without him. He passed away last December and is missed by his former co-workers, his friends, and especially his family.

“Brian helped in getting my son, Brock, a job at the station. Brock sat down with me every week when I was deciding what picks I should make. He deserves credit for helping me gain this win.”

Heckman also discussed his view of the Cup race.

“It was a tight race with a number of people contending, and I was lucky to end up on top. To me, it was being consistent every week. You want to avoid those weeks where you have five, six losses. I had a six-loss week near the end and it nearly cost me. Fortunately, I was able to hang on.”

Brad Hurley, at two games back of Heckman going into the final week, went for broke with several upset picks mostly from the out-of-area teams, but his strategy didn’t work. The Dallas, Muncy, and Berwick losses left him with no chance to win while Heckman was gaining “Ws” with all those games.

Finishing third is Pat Matsinko, who held on to nip Yours Truly by one game. I had a great week at 13-2, lifting me past Sam Matta and into fourth place.

The First Annual Hashmark Awards

As a new feature to my Grid Picks Cup column for the end of the season, I’m announcing the names of staff members who have won my First Annual Hashmark Awards.

The Galloping Ghost Award

This award, named for the Illinois All - American and great Chicago Bears’ football player, Red Grange, is presented to the staff member who was consistently successful with his picks for the entire season. The Galloping Ghost Award is Cup winner, Rod Heckman. Rod was in the top three for much of the season before making his move to the front. As the leader of the pack, Heckman kept the charging Hurley, Matsinko, and Matta behind him, despite a season low, 9-6 mark, as he had mentioned having a few weeks ago.

Comeback Player of Year Award

This award goes to the staff member who improved his picks record the most since last season. The Comeback Player of the Year is Sam Matta. A perennial back-of-the-pack picker and a past resident of the Pundit Pit, Sam charged into first place early this season, and remained there for several weeks before slipping back into fifth place. Often referred to as Sam “The Sham” because of his previous bad season records, Sam has earned the right to have his name. Sam “The Man” Matta respectfully restored.

The Trash Talk Award

This honor is presented to the picker who brags about his ability to make successful picks and remain in contention to win the Cup. This year’s Trash Talk Award goes to Brad Hurley. Placed at preseason 12-1 odds to win the gold, he responded by saying, “Who the hell came up with those odds! I have never in 12 years finished out of the top five.”

After placing the odds for Yours Truly to win the Cup at 10-1, Hurley replied, “You need a little more consistency before your odds to win are better than mine, buddy!”

Hurley certainly walked the talk by finishing second this year, earning him 8-1 preseason odds to win the Cup next year.

The Onside Kick Award

This award is presented to the picker who is constantly behind in the picks game, and with time winding down has to recover onside kicks with his picks to keep the mojo moving and remain competitive. This season, the Onside Kick Award goes to Emmett McCall. For a while this year, McCall teetered on the edge of the Pit from the back of the pack. H rallied with several onside kick pick recoveries to keep himself out of the Pit and finish in a seventh-place tie. Nothing to brag about there boss, but credit is given for improving. His battle cry will once again be, “Wait til next year!”

The Detroit Lions Award

The Lions are the NFL’s best team at never contending in the NFC’s North Division. They’ll win a game here or there, but just can’t put it all together to make a serious run. This years’ Detroit Lions Award has multiple winners. Mike Haines, Chuck Hixson, and TJ Engle all had a good week here or there, but were unable to pull themselves out of the back of the pack. Lions’ fans would be proud of you boys!

The Mercy Rule Award

This prize is presented to the picker who fell so far behind the leaders, he had no chance of escaping the Pundit Pit. The Mercy Rule Award goes to Kyle Magda, who finished 26 games behind Heckman. Kyle was a first-time player this season so we’ll give him a pass this time, but to avoid this mercy award in the future, he’ll have to dig himself out from the Depths of Darkness and get himself running with the pack.

The Grid Iron Gratitude Award

The honor for the Grid Iron Gratitude Award is bestowed upon all of our area high school football teams for giving us another thrilling season under the Friday night lights and the Saturday afternoon sunshine. Special acknowledgments go to Northern Lehigh for winning a district championship, and to Northwestern, who will battle North Schuylkill tonight in Lehighton for the 3A title. Go Tigers!

That’s our Hashmark Awards for this football season and until next year, this is Yours Truly saying thanks for following our Grid Picks Cup Race this fall in honor of Bob Ford, whose legacy is preserved by naming the Cup trophy after him for his many years of contributions to the Times News as both a colleague and a friend.

See you all next season!