No one thought he would just drift away.

Brad Hurley, the 2023 Bob Ford Memorial Grid Picks Cup winner and a preseason favorite to win it again this year, had a Week 5 best record of 12-3 to pull within three games of the lead.

A standstill

Rod Heckman and Yours Truly remain tied for first place. Along with us, four other pickers finished with 11-4 marks, and no one won fewer than 10 picks. That simply means there was no movement in the standings heading into Week 6.

The back of the pack is still very close. Only four games separate Sam Matta in sixth place from Emmett McCall in last, so there’s a good chance that after this week there could be some leapfrogging that brings a new resident into the Pundit Pit.

Shuffle the deck

With the start of the second half of the regular season, there should be some movement at the top of the standings in Week 6. Six games come off the board as unanimous picks.

A coin-toss game is Minersville at Marian. The high-scoring Battlin’ Miners will be a huge test for the Colts’ defense, which has held opponents to fewer than two touchdowns since Hanover scored three TDs in the opener. The staff has picked Minersville to win, but only by a 6-4 margin.

Another game that might cause some faces at the top of this page to move either way is Mahanoy at Pine Grove. Pine Grove picked up its first win last week, while the winless Golden Bears have scored only 19 points through five games. We’re split right down the middle on this one. I’ll take the Cardinals’ defense to keep the Bears from scoring much in a low-scoring contest.

Out of Area Game of the Week

This week I’m going with Schuylkill Haven at Williams Valley. Both are unbeaten at 5-0.

Haven likes to bulldoze its way to touchdowns, and has two explosive running backs who have done just that. Senior Nico Castillo has rushed for 1,171 career yards and found the end zone 20 times. His junior running mate, Colton Reber — at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds — gained 353 yards last week on 31 carries. He has 2,375 career yards, averaged nearly 13 yards per carry, and scored 31 touchdowns with still a season-and-a-half to play. Not surprisingly, the Hurricanes are averaging 52 points per game.

The Vikings are led by dual-threat quarterback Brady Shomper, whose career totals are off the charts. Shomper has thrown for 3,454 yards and rushed for another 1,888 yards. Through the air and on the ground, he has totaled 84 touchdowns. Williams Valley is averaging 40 points per game.

No opponent has slowed the storm the Hurricanes have brought on Friday nights. The Vikings, who have three shutouts this season, will try to keep Haven from lighting up the scoreboard. I think they can. This will be the first big test for the ’Canes since their opening win against Blue Mountain.

Look for Williams Valley to score late in the second half and take down Haven in a high-scoring shootout.

Keys to the kingdom

Who is sitting in the king’s chair next week will be determined by a few different picks among the three leaders. Yours Truly and Heckman differ on three games, while Hurley can gain ground on me if Haven beats Williams Valley.

At the back end of the standings, McCall will try for the third straight week to climb out of the Pundit Pit. This could be his chance if Bangor, Marian and Mahanoy come through with victories.

We’ll be halfway through the 12-game season — including playoffs — after this week. There’s still a long way to go, but we’ll know who’s in the lead, who needs big weeks to move toward the top, and who is starting to fall back.

Who wins Week 6 with the best picks? After this weekend, the standings could very well have a new look.