After last year’s disappointing fifth-place finish, he’s out of the gate with a vengeance in the 2025 race for the Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup.

Rod Heckman stands alone in first place with a solid 12-3 record, and holds a one-game lead over Yours Truly and Brad Hurley.

Heckman’s football acumen was especially on target with Pen Argyl’s victory over Tamaqua, when eight other pickers had tabbed the Raiders to win. His pick of Palisades to defeat Bristol also went against the majority.

A logjam behind the leaders

With Heckman running first and Hurley and I in close chase, the rest of the pack stumbled at the start. Sam Matta, Justin Carlucci and Pat Matsinko each have nine wins, with Emmett McCall, Jeff Moeller, TJ Engle and Mike Haines jammed into the Pundit Pit with records of 8-7.

It was the first time in Grid Picks history that all 15 visiting teams won their games. So much for home-field advantage.

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the week was North Schuylkill’s 62-20 rout of a highly ranked Mount Carmel team. The Spartans put up 32 points in the second quarter and never looked back.

On the local scene, Northern Lehigh, Jim Thorpe, Marian and Northwestern all won their opening games. The reigning state champion Tigers disposed of Wilson 42-14, building a 36-0 lead by halftime.

Hurley makes his move

It’s only Week 2, and a favorite to win the Cup has already made a few bold picks to try to grab the lead from Heckman and put a little distance between himself and Yours Truly. While Heckman and I tabbed Pottsville to defeat Jim Thorpe, Hurley likes the Olympians to go 2-0.

He’s also chosen Stroudsburg — a 28-7 opening-week winner — to topple Wilkes-Barre, which lost 38-14 to Whitehall. We picked the home team to even its record. Both Hurley and Heckman selected Lackawanna Trail (1-0) to beat Western Wayne (1-0). I took the Wildcats on the road to pull out the victory.

The rat packs

Moeller and Engle can jump up with the contenders, or they might find themselves inside the dark abyss of the Pundit Pit without flashlights. Moeller picked six winners against the consensus of the rest of the field, as did Engle.

It’s early in the race, of course, but nobody wants to fall five or more games off the leaderboard. That puts them in a position where they might have to choose upsets week to week and hope they pan out — perhaps the only way to stay in closer contention as we get into the end of September.

Out-of-Area Game of the Week

It’s fun to pick a game where a school that bears the same name as the home city of an NFL franchise is competing against another Pennsylvania school named after a state — in this case, the home of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. That would be Dallas vs. Wyoming Area.

Dallas lost its first game to powerhouse Jersey Shore (another odd town name, especially for those who live at the Jersey Shore in New Jersey). The Mountaineers did feature a punishing ground game led by Hunter Pitcavage and Sam Kelley, who combined for 128 yards against a really tough Shore defense.

Wyoming Area likes to pound and ground as well, but they can air it out, too. Trustin Johnson averaged nearly six yards a carry in the Warriors’ win over Crestwood. Junior quarterback Jack Gravine ran for 128 yards, and passed for another 102.

On paper, and despite their opening-season loss, Dallas looks like it should win this game. But my crystal ball tabs Wyoming to go 2-0.

Keeping the pace

After Week 1, there is already a four-game gap between first and last place. To remain in contention, Week Two is critical for the pickers at the back of the pack. McCall, Moeller, Engle and Haines have to keep pace and stay within striking range.

At the top, the favorites will battle each other and try to play leapfrog until the season moves along. It’s way too early to figure out which teams are headed for good seasons. Two years ago, Tamaqua began its season with four straight losses before winning five of its last seven, as an example.

It’s only Week 2 of Grid Picks. Everyone in the race is still in the mix. Heckman leads the pack, with Hurley and Strack close behind. Next come Pat, Justin and Sam, before the four bunched in a logjam. Can McCall kick it in gear and get out of the rear? A good week for Engle, Moeller and Haines is a must to move up from the dust.

Will the standings shuffle after Week 2? We’ll have to wait until the games are done to see!