We continue our focus on different local sports teams getting recognized with league and district “All-Star” honors.  Today here at “The Shop,” we spotlight track and field and football, and also finish our honors for local tennis teams in the Astound TV coverage area

First, we’ll start with the final rankings of both the EPC and Colonial League track results… View Results

Next, we’ll take a look at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference football all-stars…

Bo Wheeler, Tight End – Northampton

Tristen Pinnock, Wide Receiver – Northampton

Brady Behr, Wide Receiver – Pocono Mountain West

Kamari Coleman, Wide Receiver – Stroudsburg

Jacob Ladd, Tackle – Northampton

Brandon Stiehler, Tackle – Pocono Mountain West

Colby Reph, Guard – Northampton

Aiden Quintero, Guard – Stroudsburg

Braydon Gable, Center – Northampton

Ryder Bray, Quarterback – Pocono Mountain West

Nathan Gray, Running Back – East Stroudsburg South

Caden Henritzy, Running Back – Northampton

Val Byers-Robinson, Offensive Athlete – Pleasant Valley

Brandon Stiehler, Defensive End, Pocono Mountain West

Mehki Kirkland, Defensive End – Stroudsburg

Colby Rehp, Defensive Lineman – Northampton

Stoney Fuller-Bey, Defensive Lineman – Stroudsburg

Brett Rickert, Inside Linebacker – Northampton

Karter Nuss, Inside Linebacker – Pocono Mountain West

Charles Capers, Outside Linebacker – East Stroudsburg South

AJ Slivka, Outside Linebacker – Northampton

Nekhi Spencer, Cornerback – East Stroudsburg South

Tristen Pinnock, Cornerback – Northampton

Nathan Gray, Safety – East Stroudsburg South

Mike Coleman, Safety – Northampton

Alex Ecker, Defensive Athlete, Pleasant Valley

Luis Martinez, Placekicker – Dieruff

Aaron Gutowski, Punter – Northampton

Juan Mazano, Special Team Player – Dieruff

Caden Henritzy, Offensive MVP – Northampton

Brandon Stiehler, Defensive MVP – Pocono Mountain West

Last but not least, here is the rundown of the boys District XI tennis champions from this past season…

2A Finals- #1 Deven Pandey (Saucon Valley) defeated #2 Ford Koch (Moravian Academy) 6-4, 6-2

3A Finals- #5 Chris Stone (Emmaus) defeated #2 Gideon Knowles (Nazareth) 6-3, 6-3  

We’ll have a few more sports to spotlight here at “The Shop,” plus news on summer basketball leagues and Blue Mountain League baseball highlights – check back to our website for more soon!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Summer hoops in Eastern Pennsylvania has lost some popularity / interest in recent years, but it is still a good barometer to check out early insights for the upcoming winner scholastic season. 

Here’s a few of the biggest stories concerning local hoops that have developed over the last several weeks on the summer league circuits.

BLAKE ON THE MOVE?

For the second straight summer, there are rumors that Liberty might lose its best player – and not because of graduation.

The word is that Blake Hargrove has decided to transfer to an academy that specializes in basketball.  If this turns out to happen, the Hurricanes would have lost their best returning player – again.  If both he and Dwyane Chess (last year’s transfer) would be with the team, Liberty would clearly be “the team to beat” for the 2024-25 season.

CAN THE ROVERS GET OVER THE HUMP?

The Easton girls team will be strong again during the regular season…however, they have had difficulty in the playoffs which has been frustrating for many Rover fans that they only have one league or district title over the last three years, despite having the best record during that span.

You can’t deny what they’ve done during the regular season and once again look like one of the top two or three girls programs in the area again this summer.  But it will be interesting to see if they get over the hump this winter during the playoffs and become that “last team standing,” to which that honor went to Parkland last year.

TOP BOYS TEAM?

Speaking of Parkland, the fact that their boys team graduated 10 players from last season’s squad – including the area’s “player of the year” and a 1st-team all state caliber player that made it to the state championship game – isn’t slowing them down.

They clearly have been the best of the “large schools” teams of the summer and one of the best overall in the area.  They also won the “Bash at the Beach” event a few weeks ago and look to be the team to beat heading into the winter campaign.

Who else is playing well on the boys side?

Despite the fact that Hargrove has not been on the team, Liberty is making a strong case as the second best team in the area (they lost to the Trojans in last year’s league and district championships).

Whitehall and Nazareth are two other teams that have been playing well despite losing some big names to graduation.  Both have had younger players stepping up nicely and should be among the top teams in the bigger schools categories.

As far as smaller schools, both Executive Education Charter Academy and Lehighton have the best summer league records among the “non 6A schools” to date. 

The Indians will join the Colonial League this winter.  While talking with local coaches about the impact of scheduling, division alignments and the playoffs structure, there still seems to be some doubt about how everything will change with the additional teams (Jim Thorpe will also join the conference).

But it seems likely that there could be three divisions and the playoffs will be expanded.  An official word should come on the new aspects of the league over the next several weeks.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It’s been a busy first half of the summer for the Astound TV Network staff members!

Following the conclusion of the high school sports schedule, ATVN has been bringing you Grandview Speedway Racing events and Blue Mountain League baseball every Tuesday and Friday nights.

We also broadcast this year’s McDonald’s All-Star football classic featuring the top senior players on the gridiron from this past year.

And last week, our network made history again by broadcasting the annual City of Allentown Fireworks Spectacular and Celebration of Independence live on ATVN, AND streamed the fireworks for free on our YouTube channel.

Hats off the Astound crew members for braving the drenching downpour to bring you this year’s fireworks display.

There’s a lot more coming up over the next few weeks on Astound TV, starting with this Tuesday’s BML contest between Martin’s Creek and Easton.

We’ll also have some very interesting guests on ATVN SportsTalk and all of our studio shows over the next several weeks.

Keep checking back to the Astound TV website for details and more programming information!

Now, here’s highlights of some of our recent broadcasts on ATVN…

Astound Sports: BML – Avengers vs. Northern Yankees (6/24)

Astound Sports: Blue Mtn. League; Easton Falcons vs. Berlinsville Braves (6/24)

Astound Sports: McDonald’s All-Star Football Classic 2024

Links to the complete video broadcasts of these games are available to purchase.  We also will have DVD copies available  – you can call the ATVN Studio at 610-443-2765 for more details.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The last several weeks here at “The Shop,” we have been putting the spotlight on local sports that don’t normally get much attention in the Astound TV coverage. This week we focus on honoring local girls and boys tennis players and their achievements.

First, we’ll start with a look at the top girls performers in the Colonial League tourney…

#1 Singles – Francesca Bartolacci, Moravian Academy

#2 Singles – Laura Li, Moravian Academy

#3 Singles – Penelope Blomfield, Moravian Academy

# 1 Doubles – Kanchan Gupta / Sunny Chen, Moravian Academy

#2 Doubles – Anika Mehta / Chloe Dahl, Moravian Academy

Next, we’ll take a look at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference girls tournament winners…

#1 Singles – Alexandria Warsing, Parkland

#2 Singles – Suhani Makwana, Easton

#3 Singles – Alison Willis, Stroudsburg

#1 Doubles – Aarohi Vaze / Kiera Miles, Parkland

#2 Doubles – Ali Silman / Kiana Miles, Parkland

#3 Doubles – Natalie Hillegass / Brooke DiGiacomo, Emmaus

Last but not least, here is the rundown of the boys EPC All-Stars …

2023-24 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference:
Boys Tennis All Conference Results

EPC Most Valuable Player:  Luke Appleman, Liberty

EPC Boys Tennis (Singles) First Team All-Conference:

Chris Stone, Emmaus

Manav Patel, Parkland

Roman Farhad, Liberty

EPC Boys Tennis (Singles) Second Team All-Conference:

Noah Rodburg, Freedom

Gideon Knowles, Nazareth

Nicholas Stone, Emmaus

EPC Boys Tennis (Singles) Third Team All-Conference:

Kevin Yao, Parkland

Timmy Spinoas, ACC

Daniel Trott, PM East

EPC Boys Tennis (Doubles) First Team All-Conference:

Elijah Quan / Leo Babbin, Liberty

Ojas Karandikar / Yechan Cho, Parkland

Connor Ohl / Finn Brown, Liberty

EPC Boys Tennis (Doubles) Second Team All-Conference:

Ryan Wu / Matt Ringhold, Parkland

Shahir Ali / Nick Ressler, Easton

Caden Vermuelen / EJ Powers, Liberty

Jack Chu / Noah Elijovich, Parkland

EPC Boys Tennis (Doubles) Third Team All-Conference:

Angle Suarez / Joe Siessmayer, Freedom

Benjamin Fletcher / Quinn Durkin, Emmaus

Chace Roland / Max Kochan, Northampton

We’ll have more tennis achievements from all of District XI, along with more sports “all-stars.” coming up over the next few weeks here at “The Shop.”

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

We continue to honor our local student athletes in the Astound TV coverage area here at “The Shop.”

First, here’s pictures of the Northwestern boys and Southern Lehigh girls track and field Colonial League champions…

Next, here are the EPC girls field hockey “all-conference” players for the 2023-24 campaign…

First Team

Sr. FWD – Jocelyn Morgan, Easton

Sr. FWD/MID – Morgan Herceg, Nazareth

Sr. FWD/MID – Raegan Iasiello, Northampton

Sr. FWD/MID – Melea Weber, Emmaus (MVP)

Sr. MID – Lexi Causa, Easton

Sr. MID – Elaina Fragassi, Parkland

Sr. MID – Aurora Gery, Parkland

Sr. MID – Eleanor Kirkwood, East Stroudsburg South

Jr. MID – Alyssa Laubach, Freedom

Sr. MID – Ruby Miller, Liberty

Sr. MID – Riley Tepper, Stroudsburg

Sr. G – Mackenzie Mann, Nazareth

Second Team

Sr. FWD – Kendall Iasiello, Northampton

Sr. FWD – Ava O’Connor, Stroudsburg

Sr. FWD – Molly Sobers, Pleasant Valley

Jr. FWD – Tiana Weeks, East Stroudsburg South

Sr. MID – Cameron Alvino, Nazareth

Jr. MID – Autumn Kernechel, Emmaus

Sr. MID – Ella Steirer, Northampton

Jr. MID – Abby Wortmann, Nazareth

Sr. MID/DEF – Dakota Stiff, Pocono Mountain East

Sr. DEF – Raegan Day, Easton

Sr. DEF – Mena Kazista, Nazareth

Jr. DEF – Mackenzie Lopez, Pocono Mountain East

Jr. DEF – Sydney Moritz, Stroudsburg

So. DEF – Morgann Orobono, Emmaus

Jr. G – Lily Trocki, Whitehall

Third Team

Jr. FWD – Emmy Horner, Emmaus

So. FWD – Julianna Zumas, Liberty

Sr. FWD/MID – Haley Kvacky, Emmaus

Fr. MID – Jodi Bowen, Pocono Mountain West

Jr. MID – Lydia Keppel, Whitehall

Jr. MID – Aubre Krazer, Easton

Sr. MID – Aubrey Steiner, Whitehall

Jr. DEF – Jordan Brunnabend, Parkland

Sr. DEF – Ashlee Gensits, Nazareth

Jr. DEF – Ava George, Liberty

So. G – Lilla Berces, Bethlehem Catholic

Sr. G – Emma Cari, Emmaus

Last but not least, here is the rundown of Easter Pennsylvania Conference’s girls softball “all-league” players for their recently completed season…

2024 Softball 1st All Conference Team

1st Base – Brianca Pridham, Pleasant Valley

2nd Base – Kate Miller, Freedom

2nd Base – Alina Weaver, Nazareth

3rd Base – Maia D’Amico, Freedom

Shortstop – Madison Glick, Freedom

Catcher – Hannah Duerr, Northampton

Outfield – Brooke Rummel, Freedom

Outfield – Addison Sabo, Liberty

Outfield – Molly Yard, Emmaus

Outfield – Lydia Borger, Pleasant Valley

Designated Player – Maria Moore, Parkland

Utility Player – Abby Derr, Emmaus

Pitcher – Adelynn Smith, Liberty (MVP)

2024 EPC Softball 2nd Team All-Conference

1st Base – Emma Cozy, Emmaus

2nd Base – Kylie Eberts, Northampton

3rd Base – Rosalie Echevarria, Northampton

Shortstop – Ariana Castillo, Liberty

Catcher – Shauna McNamee, Nazareth

Outfield – Vanessa DeFalco, Stroudsburg

Outfield – Alyssa Mayorca, Easton

Outfield – Natalie Chloros, Nazareth

Designated Player – Souadou Barrie, East Stroudsburg North

Utility Player – Allison Hunsberger, Parkland

Pitcher – Kailyn Getz, Pleasant Valley

Division All-Conference Teams

2024 EPC North Softball 1st Team All-Conference

Brianca Pridham, Pleasant Valley

Johanna Carey, East Stroudsburg South

Eva Massaro, East Stroudsburg North

Dorothy Elko, Stroudsburg

Sierra Thieme, Stroudsburg

Souadou Barrie, East Stroudsburg North

Lydia Borger, Pleasant Valley

Vanessa Defalco, Stroudsburg

Hailey Krock, Pleasant Valley

Kailyn Getz, Pleasant Valley

2024 EPC North Softball 2nd Team All-Conference

Karlie Jurasits, Pocono Mountain East

Elizabeth Molinaro, Stroudsburg

Riley Evans, Pocono Mountain West

Madison Nadasi, East Stroudsburg North

Alexa DelGiudice, Pocono Mountain East

Sarah Tsantker, East Stroudsburg South

Isabella Thomas, Stroudsburg

Jillian-Grace Alvarez, East Stroudsburg North

Katie Verwys, East Stroudsburg South

EPC West 1st Team All-Conference

Emma Cozy, Northampton

Kylie Eberts, Northampton

Rosalie Echevarria, Northampton

Ashley Cruz, William Allen

Abby Derr, Emmaus

Maria Moore, Parkland

Molly Yard, Emmaus

Anna Belletieri, Parkland

Page Tacker, Whitehall

Hannah Duerr, Northampton

Autumn Held, Emmaus

EPC West 2nd Team All-Conference

Avery Deibert, Northampton

Hailey Kahr, Allentown Central Catholic

Taylor Gitski, Emmaus

Brianna Amey, Emmaus

Alison Hunsberger, Parkland

Taylor Bruckler, Emmaus

Aubrey Steiner, Whitehall

Ava Cascario, Northampton

Gianna Montone, Allentown Central Catholic

Masielys Hiciano Reynoso, William Allen

EPC East 1st Team All Conference

Leah Onia, Liberty

Alina Weaver, Nazareth

Kate Miller, Freedom

Maia D’Amico, Freedom

Madison Glick, Freedom

Shauna McNamee, Nazareth

Brooklyn Pronovich, Freedom

Brooke Rummel, Freedom

Addison Sabo, Parkland

Alyssa Mayorca, Easton

Adelynn Smith, Liberty

EPC East 2nd Team All-Conference

Hailey Mandala, Nazareth

Faith Zimmerman, Easton

Taylor Friel, Nazareth

Ariana Castillo, Liberty

Madison Noll, Liberty

Natalie Chloros, Nazareth

Lily Moretti, Nazareth

Hannah Heidemann, Freedom

Kylie Grover, Nazareth

Congratulations to all these honorees!

We appreciate our local athletic directors and conference chairs for sending this information to my attention.  If you would like to send addition honors for athletes in the Astound TV coverage area, please email me at Chris.Michael@astound.com

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

About once every decade or so in Lehigh Valley’s Blue Mountain League baseball, a team puts together a great run of success.

Nearly 20 years ago, it was the Hellertown Royals winning three consecutive BML titles with perhaps, the most dominating pitching staff the league has ever seen. Before COVID, the Northern Yankees put together three tremendous seasons, which was unique because the team had just jumped into the league after being a part of the now-defunct Tri-County Baseball Conference.

And to perhaps top both of those team’s accomplishments, last year’s Orioles squad did something that apparently no other team had ever done in the 77th year history of the organization.  It swept ALL of its three rounds of playoff games, without losing a single contest, en route to its second title in a row.

This year, the team changed its sponsorship…a few of its players…and its manager.  Yet, entering this week, the O’s are once again one of the top teams in the league.  If they have had any perceived “hiccups” so far, you could point to the fact that they have several baseball players on the Whitehall High School team–who ended up being the last team from the area standing in the state playoffs.  For that reason, they were missing a few of their young players which may have had a factor in their few early season losses.

That being said, they return many faces from last year’s team.  They also have a pitcher on the brink of shattering an all-time record in the history of the league.

These and other storylines about the Orioles will be discussed on this Thursday’s live “SportsTalk” show.  Tune into the Astound TV Network this week at 7pm or, if you are away from your TV sets, dial the show up on our free live-stream by going to YouTube, type in “Astound TV Network,” and click on the “live” tab on our stations YouTube page.

We’ll also have two of this year’s other premiere teams on ATVN coming up in our next “BML Game of the Week” featuring the Avengers and the Yankees.  Tune in for the broadcast on Tuesday following our coverage of this weekend’s Grandview Racing events!

Lots of great summertime sports action coming up this week on Astound TV – check it out!

Now, here’s highlights of recent sports events broadcast on the Astound TV Network.

Astound Sports: Easton vs. Pleasant Valley (5/24)

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Easton (5/24)

Astound Sports: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Allentown Central Catholic (5/24)

BML fans – check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” as we’ll have highlights of recent Blue Mountain League games broadcast on ATVN posted here on our site real soon!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

If you are fans of these two sports, Astound TV video customers witnessed history for our network as we brought you our first ever district championships for girls and boys lacrosse and for volleyball this past school year!

The ATVN sports team is busy gearing up for even more ‘firsts’ for the 2024-25 seasons.

But before we do, we wanted to honor the members of this year’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s “All-Star” teams for their recently completed seasons.

Girl’s Lacrosse All-Star Team

Low Attack:
Jocelyn Morgan – Easton
Jordyn Poll – Emmaus
Ashlee Gensits – Nazareth
Gigi Leonzi – Parkland
Lydia Attisano – Easton
Brianna McClain – Emmaus
Olivia Iandoli – Pleasant Valley

Low Defense:
Lucy Kontir – Freedom
Sophie Cole – Nazareth
Cecelia Cordova – Pleasant Valley
Alivia Rath – Pleasant Valley
Marley Geiger – Easton
Abbey Thomas – Emmaus
Braygan Bender – Nazareth
Madison Roseman – Parkland
Briana Palmieri – Pleasant Valley

Midfielder:
Olivia Schmidt – Emmaus
Devon Bush – Pleasant Valley
Rylee Rath – Pleasant Valley
Kate Raymond – Cedar Crest High School

Goalie:
Arianna O’Keefe – Freedom
Erika Broesicke – Liberty

Utility:
Karee Vandever – Freedom
Karsen Hippert – Easton

Most Valuable Player: Devon Bush – Pleasant Valley

Boy’s Lacrosse All-Star Team

Attack
Mike Restino – Cedar Crest High School
William Barber – Emmaus
Parker Kusko – Parkland
Shae Linegar – Easton
Alex Greenberg – Freedom
Blake Smith – Nazareth

Midfielder
Cael DiSora – Easton
Kaleb Mains – Emmaus
Jake Parker – Parkland
Tate Shoemaker – Cedar Crest High School
Ryan Kane – Nazareth

Defense
Luke Placotaris – Easton
Zachary Yenawine – Emmaus
Jonah Ortwein- Freedom
Jack Foley – Cedar Crest High School
Erik Matulevicius – Parkland

Long Stick Midfielder
Cole Angeline – Nazareth
Michael Chies – Emmaus

Short Stick Midfielder
Shawn Quinn – Easton
Jake Beidleman – Parkland
Reilly Bechtel – Emmaus
Sam Neuffer – Freedom

Faceoff
Jared Karabinus – Freedom
James Scott – Parkland

Goalie
Sam Rainford – Emmaus
Andrew Matulevicius – Parkland

Most Valuable Player: William Barber – Emmaus

Boy’s Volleyball All-Star Team

1st Team
Adam Mittl (Outside Hitter) – Liberty
Jametric Harris (Middle Hitter) – Emmaus
Cristian Matos (Setter) – Liberty
Luke Smith (Middle Hitter) – Parkland
Josh Nation (Outside Hitter) – Parkland
Ethan Ringenberger ( Outside Hitter) – Whitehall
Jack Kocher (Outside Hitter) – Whitehall

2nd Team
Daniel Sledz (Setter) – Bethlehem Catholic
Cooper Henseler (Setter) – Emmaus
Ayden Willman (Opposite Hitter) – Freedom
Dan Soleymani (Outside Hitter) – Freedom
Jackson Biechy (Outside Hitter) – Nazareth
Landon Nickischer (Opposite Hitter) – Northampton
Will Stiles (Setter) – Parkland

3rd Team
Calvin Long (Outside Hitter) – Allentown
Joe Braun (Setter) – Freedom
Jake Rice (Setter) – Nazareth
Owen Hasker (Middle Hitter) – Nazareth
Nicholas Ingrassia (Libero) – Pocono Mountain East
Aaron Jacob Ruiz (Outside Hitter) – Pocono Mountain West
Kumayl Soonasra (Libero) – Parkland

We’ll have more news on other “All-Stars” in the ATVN viewing area as they are “named” by the local sports organizations over the next few weeks.

Also, with the summer basketball season heating up in the Lehigh Valley, be sure to check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for news and highlights as the action unfolds over the next two months.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

   As the high school lacrosse season winds down and after watching the men’s and women’s college National Championships, I thought that I would reflect on my own lacrosse career playing in the Lehigh Valley. Throughout my lacrosse career, I have been able to play in high competition both in high school and college. I went to Saucon Valley High School and then went on to play at Moravian University. During my time at Saucon, we were the 2A District XI champions three years in a row in 2017, 2018, and 2019, making an appearance in the State competition all three years. Although the 2020 season was canceled, I’m sure that it would have been another good battle for the title. Then at Moravian, although I was only on the field for one season due to injury, we made it to the Landmark Conference playoffs all four years. 

   The end of the season in high school was always exciting because it was always towards the end of the school year. Getting to the District finals game and getting to play in Lehigh or DeSales’ stadiums was always special because we didn’t get to play on many turf fields so getting to be able to do that in a new and special environment was something that everyone always looked forward to. Then once we got to States we got the police escort down Main St. and getting to see our families and friends cheer us on along the road was something that was so fun. 

   In 2017, it was Saucon’s first District XI title and PIAA State appearance. Being able to be a part of our program’s history is something that I will always remember. One of the things that we were most looking forward to was finally getting a “Girls Lacrosse” banner hung up in the gym. Being a part of our school’s program history was even more meaningful because our head coach, Jane Hoff had started the youth program and had coached most of us from the time that we started playing until we graduated so that was something very special to experience. Then to be able to do it with all of my friends was even better. We had all been really close and played other sports outside of lacrosse together whether that was field hockey, soccer or basketball. I think that our team chemistry was something that led us to our success and something that made playing lacrosse so enjoyable. 

   In college, it was a similar experience. I got to be teammates with some of the girls that I had played against in high school like Meaghan McMullan (Moravian Academy), Liv Clearie (Nazareth), Bre Frederico (Naazareth), Rylee Soltis (Easton), Alise Downey (SoLehigh), and Liv Williams (Quakertown) and play against some of my former teammates Sarah Duffy (Muhlenberg) and Kat Naiburg (TCNJ). The Landmark playoffs were always during our finals week which was always a little bit stressful, but an exciting time of year. Every year we knew that it was the start of a “new season” and that there was another level of competition. The game that stands out to me the most was beating Scranton for the first time in program history in 2023 after losing to them in every matchup. Being a part of the team and being out on the field to experience it first hand was a moment that I will never forget. 

   Although my lacrosse career was not a traditional one with many roadblocks and setbacks, I could not have asked for a better one. I was able to learn and gain so much knowledge of the game throughout my time watching and playing. Getting to experience and be able to make history in both my high school and college careers is something that I will cherish forever, and I could not have done it without my coaches, parents, athletic trainers and amazing teammates.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company

This Thursday, we’ll have our final high school sports event of the “school year” – the McDonald’s All-Star football game.

As we normally do, we invite you to see the game in person–all proceeds go to charity.  However,  Astound TV will once again broadcast the game and air the game on a tape-delayed basis for people who can’t get to Nazareth on Thursday.  We also will have DVD copies available and provide a link for the broadcast – you can call the ATVN Studio at 610-443-2765 for more details.

With the Lehigh Valley baseball season coming to an end with Whitehall’s loss to Governor Mifflin, we start our look back at the top plays from this spring’s postseason action.

While we are losing many talented seniors to graduation this June, the future is still very bright for all the teams we saw in the league and district playoffs and I think we’ll see many of these teams again this time of year twelve months from now.

Now, part one of the top plays from this year’s baseball playoff season…enjoy!

Astound Sports: Northampton vs. Liberty (5/24)

Astound Sports: Liberty vs. Neshaminy (6/24)

Astound Sports: Whitehall vs. Pocono Mountain East (5/24)

Astound Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. North Schuylkill (5/24)

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Photo by Ashley Rodrigues and Moravian Athletics

Today we bring you part two of our interview with college standout Jackie Savatore (see our last entry for part one of this interview)…

How do you approach each game mentally and physically to consistently perform at such a high level? 

I personally go into every game with no expectations. I have watched so many lacrosse games where the “expected” team to win loses, and where the “expected” team to lose wins, so I genuinely go into every single lacrosse game not thinking whether my team is going to win or to lose because I know anything can happen. Lacrosse is a game in which it can go either way any day, and I believe with that mindset and no expectations you are encouraged to push yourself and work as hard as you can every game no matter who you are playing. This mentally eases my mind because when I think too much about a team we are playing I don’t play to my potential.

Can you share any particular challenges you’ve encountered during your collegiate career and how you’ve overcome them? 

During my collegiate career I have had trouble with keeping myself in shape on my own. I was always used to going from back to back seasons in high school so I was always in shape, but in college I had to teach myself how to train on my own. In the off season I would make a schedule for myself where I would either run, shoot, or do wall ball every day. This would keep me in shape and motivated. I have also struggled with figuring out how to eat properly before practices and games. I would struggle on how to find a balance between eating enough to properly nourish me, but also not eating too much to where it’s unhealthy. My strength and conditioning coaches would help me with eating and learning what is good and not good to eat before training, or when not training. 

Another challenge I would encounter being in season was with mental health. Being a full time college student while also practicing 4 times a week and having 2 games is a lot. It can be very difficult to keep stress levels low when all of this is going on. Having a bad game and then learning how to try to forget about it and keep playing 100% the next day can be hard, but it is doable. A lot of times this season I tried to remind myself that I only play college lacrosse once in my life, so I should be enjoying it. Seeing it as a privilege and not a job helped my mental health a lot. It allowed me to be thankful for what I have and realize that mistakes and stress are okay, and to know that everything will end up okay.

How has your experience as a collegiate lacrosse player shaped you as a person, both in terms of character development and future aspirations? 

Playing collegiate lacrosse has helped me improve my teamwork and leadership skills that I would have never learned in the classroom. I will be able to use these interpersonal skills in my future career. I have learned skills from my teammates and coaches like communication, trustworthiness, commitment, and empathy. I have learned that being committed to something and putting in all my hardwork and effort into something will come with rewards. I have also learned a lot about myself while playing lacrosse like my ability to stay level headed or at least try to stay level headed in stressful moments during games. Although I get frustrated at times, I would say for the most part I stay level headed and have been working on trying to not get frustrated over little mistakes.

Reflecting on your time at Moravian, what achievements or moments stand out to you as the most memorable or significant, on and/or off the field? 

I would say my most significant achievement was either beating Scranton in the 2023 season, or beating Susquehanna in the 2024 season. Both of these games were such great team wins and showed what our team was capable of. These were very good teams in our conference who are usually competitive games for us. Not only did these games put another win for us on our schedule, but our team became so much closer because of them. It really puts into perspective how good we can be, and what we can work towards. This was such a unique experience and is really unexplainable at times because of how special it was. 

When I came into Moravian as a freshman, I created goals for myself going into my first season. I worked so hard going into that season to get rookie of the year for my conference, but earning offensive player of the year this year, my junior season has been the most meaningful to me. It is such a great feeling being awarded for all the hard work and dedication I put in leading up to this year. It really made me feel like I was working towards something great, and it paid of . There were so many great players in the conference so it really felt great to be awarded for this. I am so thankful for my teammates and coaches that helped me get these accomplishments as well.

Lastly, what advice would you give to younger athletes who aspire to follow in your footsteps and achieve success in collegiate lacrosse? 

If I had any advice to give to a younger athlete it would be to never be complacent and that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Coming in from high school to college, I never would have thought that I would be getting the achievements I have and having so much fun while doing it, but I put my mind and energy into getting better every single day. Whatever level you play, whether it be DI, DII, or DIII, you can always become the best version of yourself with confidence and dedication.

Another piece of advice I have is to find what makes you happy. If you are not happy while playing lacrosse, it is not worth it to try and force it. Do what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing. This can be bitter-sweet, but happiness is the most important thing.

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

If the Whitehall baseball or Northwestern softball teams advance in the PIAA playoffs this week, Astound TV will try to broadcast that state semifinal game on Monday, provided it’s held at a site that is conducive for broadcasting.  That decision is made by the PIAA and is out of our hands, but we hope to bring any game involving these local teams in our coverage area home to our viewers, if possible.  Please keep checking back to our website for information on any potential broadcasts for this upcoming Monday!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company