KAILUA-KONA — Dusty Mareko took one look at the expert panel, and didn’t think much of ‘em.
That panel of alleged sharks predicted the outcomes of football games for 20 weeks this season and often — as in every week, really — plenty of people out there also picking games beat them.
There were some really, really rough weeks for the board: 4-12 wasn’t uncommon, which would strip a bettor down to their skimpies had they taken those picks to the books.
“We didn’t really think anything of the panel at first,”said Dusty Mareko, on why he ended up taking part in West Hawaii Today’s Football Fever contest every week after his father-in-law urged him over and over again to do so. “But then I looked at the panel and saw who was winning, so I was like, agh, maybe I can beat that panel.”
That he did with a week 16 victory, going 12-4 against the spread. And on top of that, the Kealakehe High School grad won the grand prize drawing, which earned him a trip for two to Las Vegas and $500 cash.
“I was so, so stoked,” he said when he learned his name was selected over the winners of the 19 other weeks.
He even fist pumped in the car driving down to the WHT office to claim his prize.
“So stoked,” he added again.
Football Fever is a fun promotion West Hawaii Today runs throughout the football season. It engages the community from the preseason to the playoffs and promotes the winners on the front page of the paper, not to mention awards them $250 for their gridiron acumen.
And yes, West Hawaii Today’s very own sports reporting team J.R. De Groote and Rick Winters and editor Tom Hasslinger comprised the panel along with local celeb Sean “Peaman” Pagett and ESPN voice Josh Pacheco. Hasslinger, with a 139-151 record, and De Groote, 138-152, had a rough go, to be sure. Peaman was right there with them at 140-150. Bringing a bit of prognostication cred to the board, Winters, a college football hawk and pretty good NFL one to boot, finished over .500 at 150-140, and Pacheco was the best of them all, going 156-134.
“I’m proud of Winters for giving a little football respectability to West Hawaii Today’s picks,” Hasslinger said. “Lord knows, I didn’t.”
Mareko said he didn’t spend hours pouring over the lines or data prior to making his picks, just going off hunches and watching games. As a diehard Steelers fan, he did, however, always take the Black and Gold to cover, which they only did six out of 16 times.
Still, Mareko’s favorite team will be playing in the AFC Championship game Sunday and Mareko’s going to Vegas.
Who’s he taking with him?
“My better half,” he said.