Wayne Kreitzer wins first week of Halfback Harry

The 2018 football season is underway and with it comes the return of The Standard’s Halfback Harry contest. The opening week of the contest proved to be somewhat of a logjam in all competitions.

Three entries tied in each of the two aspects of the contest, including a trio that missed just two of this week’s 20 games. Wayne Kreitzer of Cresco, Dana Fink of Perry and Mark Goeke of Riceville were locked in that initial battle, requiring the total points scored by winning teams tie-breaker to be implemented. This week’s 20 winning teams racked up 738 total points, giving Kreitzer the first-week nod with his choice of 732 points, with Fink’s guess of 767 points and Goeke’s choice of 680 each being further off.

Fink was also involved in the three-entry tie for Game of the Week honors, as he was one of about half of this week’s entries to pick Decorah to defeat Waukon but was one of just three to be as close as within three points of the Vikings’ final winning score tie-breaker of 24 points with his guess of 21 points scored. Darrel Wicks of Waukon and Sam Hill of Harpers Ferry each guessed Decorah to score 27 points, requiring yet another tie-breaker involving those three entries.

With that second tie-breaker being total combined offensive yards and the Vikings and Indians combining for 722 total yards in their season-opening match-up, Wicks’ guess of 568 yards was closest of those three tied entries to give him this week’s Game of the Week honors, with Hill guessing 500 yards and Fink choosing 479 as his total.