Defending champion Pete Warner has regained his three game cushion and there is a three-way tie for second as the NEWS Football forecast enters its 10th and final week.

Last week was a tough one for the predictors as the best staffers were Andrew Neff and Deirdre Fleming with 13-7 each.

The best mark went to the guest, Dave Keys of Millinocket, at 14-6, a fine effort in a rough week. Pete Cooper of Fairfield and Don Perryman of Belfast continue to lead the guests at 17-3.

Making this year’s final attempt to pull out the guest crown is Steve Strout of Bangor, the sports director of radio stations WHMX-FM in Lincoln and WHCF-FM in Bangor.

Strout is a 1991 graduate of Bangor Christian High School and a ’95 grad of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., with a degree in broadcast journalism.

He worked at WLNI in Charlottesville, Va., from 1992-96, including announcing University of Virginia games. He also announced Liberty men’s basketball and baseball games for the campus radio station.

Strout, 26 and single, returned to Maine in 1996.