For the third consecutive week, I sit in the King’s Throne, but I have to slide over again to make room for Sam Matta. His Week Eight 11-4 record was one game better than mine, putting him back in front where he was two weeks ago.

Look out for Emmett McCall! He tied Matta with the best record for the week and is just one game back of the lead. Only two games behind is defending champion, Brad Hurley. After him, Pat Matsinko sits at four games behind and Mike Haines is five games out.

Rod Heckman, at seven games back, has officially announced he’s out of contention. “Maybe next year,” he said. Heckman was a favorite, along with Hurley, to win it all. With only two weeks of the regular season remaining plus two playoff weeks, the chance that any of the underdogs: Matta, McCall or Yours Truly can make claim to the Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup until the last week is completed.

The final four …

Behind Heckman, three pickers bring up the back of the pack. Jeff Moeller can possibly catch Heckman and TJ Engle might leap frog over Moeller, but the cellar dweller for the next four weeks is certainly Kyle Magda, who will need a couple of perfect picks records to try to make up a 13 game deficit and pass Engle.

The pick four …

In Week Nine, four area teams are favorites to win their games. Jim Thorpe is the heavy choice to keep the Bangor Slaters winless and pick up its third win of the season. Marian is the unanimous pick to defeat Pine Grove. The Cardinals have given up 160 points in their last three games, including 81 last week to Schuylkill Haven. Northern Lehigh, having a nice bounce back season, is expected to take down the Falcons of Salisbury which would give the ‘Dawgs their seventh victory. The unbeaten Tigers of Northwestern keep rolling along and look to make Tamaqua their ninth straight victim. The Raiders seek to stop a two-game slide after six straight wins.

The Palmerton Bombers travel to Notre Dame-Green Pond and will have their hands full trying to stop the 7-1 Crusaders, who have scored 40 or more points in six of their victories. The Pleasant Valley Bears have a great opportunity to get their first win of the season against the single win Pocono West Panthers. This game will impact the standings with the staff split evenly as to which team will come out ahead at the final horn.

A shout out to the Lehighton Indians! Last week, the Tribe upset Tamaqua by shutting out the Raiders in the second half for a 34-14 win. Not one of our staff had picked the Maroon and White to come out on top.

The Out of Area Game of the Week …

My choice is the Lewisburg Green Dragons at the Montoursville Warriors. The 7-1 Dragons are led by 5-9, 175-pound running back Jeremiah Davis. The senior has 2,278 career rushing yards and this year he has 14 touchdowns and is averaging eight yards every time he carries the ball.

The 5-3 Warriors will counter Davis with junior Christian Banks. This season he has 120 carries for 920 yards and 13 TDs. This should be an old-fashioned ground and pound game as neither team favors to throw the ball. The staff consensus is for Davis and company to defeat Montoursville.

Who gets the chair? …

Week Nine will see certain shuffling in the standings and anyone of the top four pickers can claim the right to sit upon the King’s Throne.

Matta and Yours Truly have five different picks. He favors Pleasant Valley, Liberty, Catasauqua, Stroudsburg and Scranton Prep. Even if he or I get three of the five right, that will kick one of us off the Throne.

McCall can jump right up and take the lead. He and Matta differ on the PM West-Pleasant Valley winner, but McCall and I have four differences. Hurley likes Pen Argyl to win, but Matta and McCall see Catasauqua coming out victorious. Hurley tabs Scranton Prep and Montoursville while I checked off Jersey Shore and Lewisburg.

For three straight weeks, I have either shared the Throne or sat alone in the big chair, but kings get ousted from their empires and this week might very well result in Matta, McCall or Hurley grabbing the lead heading into the final regular season games in Week Ten.

The goal is the same. With three weeks of picks left, the core four want to be in contention for the Cup going into the final week. Yet, a disaster for this week like an 8-7 or 7-8 record can tumble any one of us back into the pack of the also rans.

The Grid Picks Cup awaits the winner of the race. In the meantime, we dream of the glory of the gold. Which one of us will have his name engraved on the trophy? Will it be the defending title holder and favorite to win it all — Brad Hurley — or will a long shot like Matta, McCall or Yours Truly pull off the upset? Behind the core four is Pat Matsinko, who can make his move this week to get into position to get the lead he once had early in the season.

Who will get to the top and who will begin to drop? Bring on Week 10 and we’ll do this all over again!