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Who’s beating the pros

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Todd Wivell
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Now that the 2008 National Football season is more than halfway through, the Carolina Flyer program "Beat the Pro" is at its halfway point as well. 

Each week during the professional football season, a senior member of wing leadership is asked to pick the winners of five preselected games. Their picks are then published in the Carolina Flyer the Friday before the games are played. 

Pope Airmen, their family members and civilian employees have a chance to match wits with the 'pros' each week by simply selecting their picks for the week and submitting them before the games kick off each Sunday. Any submissions received after the start of the first game on Sunday are not accepted. 

Contestants then e-mail their picks to the Carolina Flyer in-box at carolina.flyer@pope.af.mil. The top five contestants each week who correctly select more winning games or those who tie with the 'pro' are published in the following week's paper. 

After the regular season, the top three with the best records, who have played a minimum of 10 weeks, will win the designated prizes of: first place - two tickets to Super Bowl Bingo, second place - one ticket to Super Bowl Bingo and third place is buy one Super Bowl Bingo ticket and get the other at 50 percent off. 

After nine weeks of play, here are the top 10 people for Pope in the "Beat the Pro" program: 

Kelley Koch: 22 correct picks out of 40 games (8 weeks) 

Levon Atterberry: 22 correct picks out of 40 games (8 weeks) 

Jessica Kosisky: 22 correct picks out of 35 games (7 weeks) 

Brandon Johnson: 21 correct picks out of 40 games (8 weeks) 

James Koch: 21 correct picks out of 45 games (9 weeks) 

Brenda Atterberry: 21 correct picks out of 45 games (9 weeks) 

John McDonald: 19 correct picks out of 45 games (9 weeks) 

Ryan McDonald: 19 correct picks out of 35 games (7 weeks) 

Jon LaDue: 18 correct picks out of 35 games (7 weeks) 

Brian Cerney: 18 correct picks out of 40 games (8 weeks) 

As there are still eight weeks to go in the regular NFL season, it is anyone's game. Even if you have only played two times, you can still play each week for the remainder of the season and have a chance of making it to the top 10. 

Anyone who has not played but wants to get in, should watch each edition of the paper for the week's games, e-mail your picks and take a chance of outwitting the 'pro.' 

(Current as of Nov. 7)