Ralph Tryon said his best chance to win a football contest was before the NFL games were played. That’s just one week out of the season, and Tryon took advantage of his opportunity.

Boy did he!

Only a handful of prognosticators have ever had a perfect entry submitted to The Evening Sun Football Contest, and Tryon of Lyon Brook Road, Norwich, is the first in over 15 years to finish 20-for-20. In the past 15-plus years, The Evening Sun has received well over 15,000 imperfect contest entries, so Tryon’s feat was indeed a rare one. As a result of his perfection, Tryon is also the first person to pocket the $100 top prize that the contest offers for all entrants, although that sum of money has remained in the Sun’s coffers for over a decade and a half.

“It was pure luck, and I sweated out a couple of the games,” Tryon said, who has won the contest multiple times over the years. “I won’t do anything from now on, because I only get about 40 percent of the pro games right.”

Overall, week one of our ten-week series of contests was one of the easiest weeks we’ve ever seen. Bob Osowski of Sherburne; and Stan Klockowski along with Sylvia Figary, each of Norwich, finished with 19 out of 20 correct. Over the past 15 years, the Sun had previously received just two entries to match those respective efforts. Also among the “19 right group,” but not eligible to win was one on our “experts,” Todd Hall of Ye Old Shanty.

Another 12 people out of the 87 entries received in week one had 18 perfect picks. Week two of contest out of our 10-week series appeared in the Tuesday, Sept. 7 edition on page 10.

Week One Results

1. Oneonta, 2. Norwich, 3. Oxford, 4. B-G, 5. Canastota, 6. Syracuse, 7. Kansas St., 8. Kentucky, 9. Notre Dame, 10. Michigan, 11. Colorado, 12. Missouri, 13. Colgate, 14. Oklahoma St., 15. BYU, 16. Troy, 17. Northwestern, 18. TCU, 19. LSU, 20. Wisconsin. Tiebreaker: Assumption 33, Millersville 28.