The 32nd annual Football Forecast has entered the homestretch, and you could toss a horse blanket over the top three staff contenders as they approach the finish line in this the 10th and final week.

That’s provided we don’t have to go to the dreaded playoff.

Pete Warner jumped out to a two-game lead by posting a season’s best 19-1 record last week for a 140-40 season mark. He is two games ahead of Dave Barber and John Holyoke, who were 19-1 and 17-3, respectively, last week.

The race is tight on the guest side as well as Kevin Hewes of Brewer, the two-time defending champion, and Michael Aube of Bangor are tied with 16-4 records. Last week’s guest, Gerry Bourgoin of Winterport, was 14-6.

The last person with a chance to better them is this week’s guest, Ed Hackett of Bangor.

Hackett was a 1980 graduate of Orono High, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.

He was the starting catcher at the University of Maine for three years and was captain in 1984. Maine went to the College World Series all four years he played.

Hackett and his wife Candi have three children, Brian, Scott, and Amy.