The Port Arthur News will begin a new season of the Football Showdown, a weekly pick ‘em contest, with 15 games for readers to choose from in Wednesday’s issue and six new celebrity guessers.

News reporter Chris Moore, KBMT (ABC channel 12) sports director Lance Edwards, KFDM (CBS channel 6) sports director Mike Friedman, former Port Arthur/Beaumont and current Houston anchor Randy McIlvoy (sports director at KPRC, NBC channel 2), Football Showdown co-organizer Joel Pinnt and KSAP-FM 96.9 sports talk host Greg “XBig Pappa” Richard are joining the fold. News sports editor I.C. Murrell, former sports editor and current golf reporter Bob West and KLVI-AM 560 sportscaster Harold Mann are returning prognosticators.

As in past years, readers may participate by dropping their selections inside a box at The News’ office, now located at 2349 Memorial Blvd. The Football Showdown was canceled for the 2017 season as locals focused on rebuilding efforts after the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey and a portion of the District 22-5A football schedule was staggered to weeknights to make up games in time for the UIL playoffs.

This time, the forecast calls for a season of forecasting football. While turning in picks to The News’ office will still be an option, readers can also email their selections to Pinnt at jpinnt@gt.rr.com.

Each competitor with the best win-loss record will receive a mini-plaque and a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings (or if a tie exists, trophies will still be awarded but a tiebreaker will be enacted to determine the gift card winner. See official rules below:)

 

2018 OFFICIAL RULES

THE NEWS FOOTBALL SHOWDOWN

(PLEASE READ as rules have been updated from past years **updated 8/28/18 to emphasize giving name, address and phone number to make entries official**)

1. DATES OF COMPETITION: “The News Football Showdown” contest will be held weekly. The first edition will be printed Aug. 29, 2018, and the final edition will be printed Dec. 26, 2018.

2. IF PLAYING VIA NEWSPAPER, CIRCLE or HIGHLIGHT the team you project to win each game within each matchup to the LEFT of the chart. Please PRINT your name, address and phone number to make your entry official. IF PLAYING VIA EMAIL, send an email listing each team you project to win each game along with your name, address and phone number to jpinnt@gt.rr.com. Please make sure to pick each game. Readers who enter — employees of The News and their relatives are ineligible to compete — only compete against each other for prizes, listed in item No. 3 of these rules, and not against the weekly featured “celebrity” pickers.

3. PRIZES: Every week, each person with the best win-loss record (the most victories correctly predicted) will receive a mini-plaque, even in the event of a tie for the best record. If no tie exists, the winner also receives a $25 gift card from Buffalo Wild Wings (except on the 18th week of the contest, when the amount of the gift card is $50). If a game results in a tie or is incorrectly listed (example: a team is incorrectly listed in a matchup), the game will not count toward standings. If more than one person matches the best record, the tiebreaker procedure listed in item No. 4 of these rules will be used to determine the winner of the gift card.

   Prizes may be picked up at The News’ office at 2349 Memorial Blvd., Port Arthur, upon announcement of the winners.

4. TIEBREAKER: You are asked to predict the score in our tiebreaker game. If a tie for the best win-loss record exists, (a) the person in the tie who correctly predicts the winner and either matches or comes closest to the winning score, regardless of whether the actual score goes over or under the prediction, wins the gift card; or if a tie still exists after (a), then (b) the person in the tie with the closest losing score, regardless of whether the actual score is over or under the prediction, wins. If a tie still exists after (b), each person involved in the tiebreaker will receive a gift card.

5. Entries VIA NEWSPAPER must be received (via dropoff or mail) at The News’ office at 2349 Memorial Blvd., Port Arthur, by 5 p.m. of the Friday immediately after the contest is published (or 5 p.m. Thursday immediately after the contest is published if a Thursday game is listed). Entries VIA EMAIL must be sent to jpinnt@gt.rr.com by 5 p.m. of the Friday immediately after the contest is published (or 5 p.m. Thursday immediately after the contest is published if a Thursday game is listed).

   • (Example: If a game listed in the Wednesday, Sept. 19 issue of The News is to be played Thursday, Sept. 20, the entries must be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 20. If no Thursday game is listed, the deadline for The News or jpinnt@gt.rr.com to receive entries is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21.) If mailing, address to “Port Arthur News, ATTN: Football Showdown,” P.O. Box 789 (or 2349 Memorial Blvd.), Port Arthur, TX 77640. ONLY TWO ENTRIES PER ADDRESS ARE ALLOWED.