Race for the finish line continues to tighten for Prognosticators

Can it be that we are in week ten of the Pigskin Prognosticators and only three games separate top and bottom? As hard as it for me to believe, our picking panel really is that evenly matched.

Week nine was proof once again of how close they are. The panel had a combined record of 3218, with one panelist going 8-2, another 7-2 and the other three members going 6 and 4.

Suncrest Bank’s Gary Gostanian showed that he is still in the hunt for the championship by going 8-2 for the week. I said last week that we would be seeing Gary inch his way back up the leader board and even though he is currently tied for last place for the season at 44-44-2, he is only one game out of third and only three games out of first. Look out panel, the former leader is on the prowl.

Staying in the middle of the pack, as he has all season is Porterville Mayor Milt Stowe. Milt had a week nine record of 7-3 also, and is now 45-43-2 for the season. That is good enough for third place overall. Milt has stayed close to the top all season and has positioned himself for a run at the top. Only two games keeps him out of first. I think the Mayor is starting to think about putting that first place title on his resume.

Third place in week nine was a tie between David Horowitz, Matt Sarr and Judy Hall. All had 6-4 records for the week. We will start with David, since he is in first place for the year.

David struggled with the pros this past week, and was also bitten by the same upset bug that hit everyone else, as number 25 Appalachian State was beaten by Georgia Southern. David was able to hang onto first place overall though, with a season record of 47-41-2. With some difficult games on the week 10 schedule also, it is still anyone’s championship to claim. But David likes that top spot, and it will be no easy task to remove him.

Still in second place overall is Judy Hall. Judy’s 6-4 mark kept her only a game back of David. With a very much ‘in it to win it’ frame of mind, she is 46-42-2 for the season. When I saw Judy on Saturday at the 110th celebration of the Recorder, she pointed out that she has been at or near the top all season.

Judy thinks David is just a flash in the pan and will certainly not be able to stand the pressure of being number one (those were not actually her words, but I am fairly sure that was what she was thinking). Judy is far too nice to say those things, but I on the other hand might. Just kidding David! Or am I?

Also at 6-4 for the week was Recorder Editor, Matt Sarr. Coming off a 9-1 record in week eight, Matt continues his up and down approach to the season. But once Matt gets off the roller coaster and puts together back to back good weeks, he will be hard to stop as he charges toward the top. Matt is tied for fourth place for the season with Gary Gostanian at 44-44-2, and like Gary, he is only three games out of first.

There you have it, the week nine recap. It is still anyone’s championship to win. These next few weeks should be exciting as our fearless band of Prognosticators battle it out for that top spot. As close as it is now, it will be a battle. They are all good sports and it will be fun to watch (and have some fun with) them.

We appreciate our five panel members and we appreciate you, our readers. During our 110th celebration this past Saturday, it was truly nice to speak with many of our faithful readers and learn that you enjoy the Prognosticators and my weekly effort to recap the games and have some fun at their expense.

It was great seeing such a large crowd and on behalf of the Recorder staff and myself, I would like to thank you for spending part of your Saturday with us. I believe I can speak for our staff (both past and present) in saying that it is our pleasure to bring you your hometown newspaper each day. We truly value your readership and friendship. We look forward to many more years of serving you.