Football fans, this year has been one of the most exciting years in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. 

Every week we are viewing seemingly epic match-ups. Games are being played at their highest level. These young men have been impressive. For an average fan it is easy to see how the skilled backs have virtually dominated every week. 

Most notable is the running attack of Parkland and Nazareth, along with the recent onset of an effective passing attack at Whitehall and Central Catholic. Even teams like Freedom and Liberty continue to make progress offensively. But that is excitement for the average fan.

Then there is the fan who likes to watch the game from the inside out. There is something really special happening in the Lehigh Valley. I am talking about the offensive line play. 

Specifically, I am talking about the guys that often have no name, who often receive no recognition. 

I was THAT guy I was when I played. The guys who just do their job every play, and never get the credit for their teams’ success. I am talking about the game inside the game.

There is an impressive shift in the advanced techniques that these big fellas are playing with consistently. I must admit that I am a little biased. I am noticing absolute poetry as these big fellas are now able to pin and pull with ease, lead step and zone step, pass off stunts on both the first and second level, track down DB’s without hesitation. It is just a beautiful thing to watch, and a higher level than I recall seeing in past years. The average fan won’t recognize these things simply because it’s not a part of the fanfare of the game.

I would like to recognize these hardworking big fellas and their respective o-line coaches for the work that they do and the techniques that they are refining. 

To my fellow big fellas, people will never know your name or recognize your greatness, but right now this guy appreciates the mastery that you are showing to us old lineman. So keep working and adding quality to this great game. 

Rather it be 11 personnel (one back and one tight end), 12 personnel (one back two tight ends) or 13 personnel … do what you do best, big fellas! Dominate and control the outcome of the game. To the number 50’s, 60’s and 70’s thank you for giving us old linemen something to brag about. Keep producing 300 yard passers and 200 yard rushers. And continue to take pride without recognition. 

We are watching. Job well done!

Ok folks. Show these big fellas some love, and start watching the game inside the game. I look forward to your feedback. Until next time…

Football is Life!

PROGRAMMING ALERT:

One of our most popular annual shows of the fall sports season will be coming up this Thursday at 7pm on the Astound TV Network.

District XI Football Chair / Northwestern Athletic Director Jason Zimmerman will be our special guest on ATVN SportsTalk this week. As always, Jason will be talking about the latest news concerning the local high school football scene, the current football season, playoff implications and other items of interest to local sports fans.

He’ll also have insights on his own Tigers success this season on the gridiron.  Another topic will be the major scheduling change for next year’s EPC season and how that will affect district rankings, playoff positions and other “usual” local football items that will be altered for 2024.

If you have a question or comment for Jason about local football issues, please email us at chris.michael@astound.com and we might read and respond to your email live on the show!

Additionally, I had the pleasure of hosting this year’s Lehigh Valley Polo event at Braden Airfield in Easton. Astound was once again the broadcast sponsor of the charity event to help raise money for Equi-librium.  To check this out and find out ways you can support this great local charity, tune in for our broadcast this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. on ATVN.

Now here’s a look at our polls along with our criteria that we use.

I’m proud to say (and no, I don’t vote myself) our football polls have proven to be among the most accurate, year after year, among all media organizations that attempt to rank teams in our coverage area each fall.  (Check out our archived polls from previous years if you’d like proof).

We rotate asking different contributors to our poll along with some “veterans,” consisting of local athletic directors, coaches and media members.  We never announce nor release the names of our non-media voters to get their honest opinions on the local football landscape while avoiding any thoughts of retribution or potential “bulletin board” material.  Our “media voters” usually reveal themselves when we have the pleasure of having them on our weekly SportsTalk program, seen on Thursday nights on the Astound TV Network and available to watch at any time for free through ATVN on Demand.

This year, we are once again going to break down the two polls into EPC and Colonial League schools, within the Astound TV broadcast area.  With the Colonial teams cross-scheduling and playing teams from the Schuylkill League and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playing different “cross-over” teams, our poll will be an interesting barometer for teams in the Lehigh Valley since many local teams will not have the same opponents throughout their schedules.

EPC TOP 5

1. Parkland
2. Central Catholic
3. Nazareth
4. Bethlehem Catholic
5. Whitehall

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, and Nazareth.

COLONIAL TOP 4

1. Northwestern
2. Southern Lehigh
3. Notre Dame
4. Bangor

Other schools receiving votes: Catasauqua

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh.

Be sure to check back to the “upcoming events” section here on our website and check it frequently for any changes and for our ongoing broadcast schedule information throughout the postseason.

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.

Today, here at the Classic Video Showplace, we kickoff the celebration of Hispanic Heritage with a look at the legendary and diverse career of Richardo Montalban.

Richardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino was born on November 25th, 1920 in Terreon to Spanish immigrants Genaro Montalban Busano and Ricarda Merino Jimenez.  

As a teenager he moved with his brother Carlos to Los Angeles and later to New York City, where he got his first role in a 1940 play titled, Her Cardboard Lover.   He started working as an extra or with small singing roles in short films (billed simply as “Ricardo”) and gradually began to build his screen time before his mother got ill and he returned to be with her in Mexico.

While in Mexico he began performing in Spanish-language films.  Between 1941 and 1947, he performed and later starred in 17 full length films–all produced in Mexico.

Former actor-turned-successful film director Norman Foster, who directed Charlie Chan films and worked with Orson Wells, Walt Disney and other Hollywood legends, was living in Mexico due to visa issues.  Forster saw Montalban’s work and featured him in several films, quickly making him a star.

During this time, Ricardo found the love of his life–Georgiana Young, who was half-sisters of movie stars Polly Ann Young, Sally Blaine and Lorette Young.  The latter became the star of her own television series and would later cast her brother-in-law frequently as a guest star in many different roles.  Georgiana and Ricardo were married in 1944, a bond that lasted until her death in November 2007.

Ricardo’s success in foreign films then caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor producers, who were looking for an authentic looking/sounding Mexican bullfighter to play opposite Esther Williams in a movie called Fiesta.  The film was viewed as a success by both critics and movie-goers and MGM immediately signed Montalban to a long-term contract.

He then took on a variety of roles and starred with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.  Montalban danced in a Frank Sinatra vehicle, The Kissing Bandit, he was Lana Turner’s love interest in Latin Lovers, he sang in multiple films with Williams, he served as a soldier in the wildly successful 1948 film Battleground, and was the lead in several film noir films around the turn of the decade.

Montalban was born with arteriovenous malformation in his spine which was aggravated when he was thrown from his horse and trampled on during the filming of the 1951 film Across The Wild Missouri.  Despite being in constant pain, he continued to work.  The condition never healed and later left him paralyzed below the waist down for the last 15 years of his life.

Instead of lashing out, Ricardo said in various interviews and speeches that he thanked God for the opportunity to use his physical disability to inspire him to create an organization to help support and promote people with handicaps.

In an article entitled “Dignity First” written by Jim Bawden for the Toronto Sun on February 22nd, 1986, Montalban revealed that he was disgusted with many of the Hispanic stereotypes he was either forced to play or refused to play–only to have them go to other actors who would take the role.

He felt so strongly about this that he later teamed with other Hispanic actors to form the Nosotros Organization, which means “We” in English.  Among the organization’s work included forming the Golden Eagle Awards, which identifies outstanding contributions by Latino actors.

By the mid-1950s, he had had enough of the stereotypes and decided to make the potential career-killing decision to leave Hollywood and turn down any roles that featured Spanish or Mexican actors in a negative or prejudicial way.

Montalban was just beginning to make his mark in both Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole.  In addition to changing many people’s views on Hispanic actors, he was about to impact the film industry in a way few others had ever done.

We’ll have more on the life and legacy of Montalban in two weeks here at “The Showplace.”

In the meantime, be on the lookout for Ricardo Montalban’s early television work on programs like The Loretta Young Show, Bonanza and other shows and movies, seen on the Astound TV Network.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

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 showdown week!

Most people had this weekend circled on their calendar with Parkland and Nazareth playing each other.  Neither of our #1 and #2 teams have disappointed so far–winning all three of their games by double digits.

The Astound TV Network will be bringing you their contest live this Friday night…and it should be a good one!

I’ve asked a few of our ATVN football analysts about the matchup and to see if there’s one area in which one team has a strong advantage over the other, and everyone seems to agree these teams are very evenly matched.

In addition, we are going to have a competitive Colonial League game as Saucon Valley plays Bangor (both teams tied for 4th in our Colonial poll–see below) on ATVN this weekend.

On this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” our in-studio guest is going to be new Parkland Athletic Director Andy Stephens, who’ll talk about his decision to give up his head coaching of the Trojans’ basketball team–a perennial district champion–in order to take over as the school’s “AD.”

Make sure you tune in for our local sports coverage all week long!

Now here’s a look at our polls along with our criteria that we use.

I’m proud to say (and no, I don’t vote myself) our football polls have proven to be among the most accurate, year after year, among all media organizations that attempt to rank teams in our coverage area each fall.  (Check out our archived polls from previous years if you’d like proof).

We rotate asking different contributors to our poll along with some “veterans,” consisting of local athletic directors, coaches and media members.  We never announce nor release the names of our non-media voters to get their honest opinions on the local football landscape while avoiding any thoughts of retribution or potential “bulletin board” material.  Our “media voters” usually reveal themselves when we have the pleasure of having them on our weekly SportsTalk program, seen on Thursday nights on the Astound TV Network and available to watch at any time for free through ATVN on Demand.

This year, we are once again going to break down the two polls into EPC and Colonial League schools, within the Astound TV broadcast area.  With the Colonial teams cross-scheduling and playing teams from the Schuylkill League and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playing different “cross-over” teams, our poll will be an interesting barometer for teams in the Lehigh Valley since many local teams will not have the same opponents throughout their schedules.

Below we have high school polls for both leagues in the ATVN viewing area, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.

EPC TOP 5

5. Parkland
6. Nazareth
7. Central Catholic
8. Bethlehem Catholic
9. Freedom

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, and Nazareth.

COLONIAL TOP 4

1. Northwestern
2. Southern Lehigh
3. Notre Dame
4. (Tie) Saucon Valley / Bangor

Other schools receiving votes: Catasauqua

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh.

Be sure to check back to the “upcoming events” section here on our website and check it frequently for any changes and for our ongoing broadcast schedule information throughout the postseason.

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.

Well, there’s no doubt right now about the top two teams in our EPC poll!

With our #1 and #2 teams playing the previous week’s #3 and #4 teams in our high school football poll, the result was the top two teams winning…and winning big.

Our top football analyst on ATVN, Mike Joseph, said on-air last Friday if someone told him on Monday that Nazareth would mercy-rule Emmaus, he would have told them they would be crazy…but that’s exactly what the Blue Eagles did.

Parkland also dominated Bethlehem Freedom in their contest and made for two impressive performances on offense and defense last weekend.

Those weren’t the only lopsided contests last week in both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the Colonial League.  Among the blowout games included Saucon Valley winning 36 points, Northwestern winning by 48, Northampton won by 51, Liberty won by 33, Palisades shut out Wilson 48 -0, Tri-Valley won by 30, Pine Grove won by 42, Southern Lehigh beat Notre Dame 68 to 28, East Stroudsburg South scored a 41 point-win, Pen Argyl won by 29, Pleasant Valley won by 28 and Bangor won by 25.

The only “close” game of the weekend was the Whitehall versus Bethlehem Catholic contest on Saturday afternoon, which was 14-7 midway through the third quarter before the Golden Hawks scored three consecutive touchdowns and put the game away.

Needless to say, with so many teams at the very top of our poll from last week putting on solid victories, there isn’t a whole lot of movement in our polls for this week.

******

Now here’s a look at our polls along with our criteria that we use.

I’m proud to say (and no, I don’t vote myself) our football polls have proven to be among the most accurate, year after year, among all media organizations that attempt to rank teams in our coverage area each fall.  (Check out our archived polls from previous years if you’d like proof).

We rotate asking different contributors to our poll along with some “veterans,” consisting of local athletic directors, coaches and media members.  We never announce nor release the names of our non-media voters to get their honest opinions on the local football landscape while avoiding any thoughts of retribution or potential “bulletin board” material.  Our “media voters” usually reveal themselves when we have the pleasure of having them on our weekly SportsTalk program, seen on Thursday nights on the Astound TV Network and available to watch at any time for free through ATVN on Demand.

This year, we are once again going to break down the two polls into EPC and Colonial League schools, within the Astound TV broadcast area.  With the Colonial teams cross-scheduling and playing teams from the Schuylkill League and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playing different “cross-over” teams, our poll will be an interesting barometer for teams in the Lehigh Valley since many local teams will not have the same opponents throughout their schedules.

Below we have high school polls for both leagues in the ATVN viewing area, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.

EPC TOP 5

1. Parkland
2. Nazareth
3. Central Catholic
4. Emmaus
5. Freedom

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, and Nazareth.

Catasauqua’s loss to Palmerton dropped the Rough Riders out of our top 4 poll for this week, while the remaining top three teams all scored big wins last weekend…

COLONIAL TOP 4

1. Northwestern
2. Southern Lehigh
3. Bangor
4. Notre Dame

Other schools receiving votes: Pen Argyl 

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh.

Be sure to check back to the “upcoming events” section here on our website and check it frequently for any changes and for our ongoing broadcast schedule information throughout the postseason.

Among our upcoming broadcasts include our first look at the Easton Red Rovers as they take on Whitehall this Friday.  It’s usually an honor for the Pennsylvania Cable Network to select a network for a game to air during the season, but PCN will be picking up our broadcast for a second time already this season, as that game will air across the Commonwealth!

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 past weekend I had the privilege of attending a Friday night football game for the first time in quite a while. The game did not disappoint. It was the Whitehall Head Coach Andy Marino’s first game in a head-to-head match with the William Allen first year head coach Joel Rupp Jr’s first game. 

To my surprise the atmosphere was absolutely electric in Whitehall. I noticed their fans and the student body really provided a lot of energy and presented an exciting start to the season.

At kick-off it was noticeable also that both of these new high school head coaches seemed anxious as they would kick-off their new programs. The game started fast as Allen kicked off to Whitehall. The initial play resulted in an offside penalty by Allen. Perhaps it was just the first game jitters. Allen had to re-kick the opening play and just like that, Whitehall was able to capitalize and scored their first touchdown of the year on their opening kick-off, down the right sideline. This would be an indication of how the game would progress for the rest of the night. Whitehall had control of the game from the first whistle to the last. Their defense only allowed one first down the entire first half, while their offense was able to take advantage of an Allen defense that had young players in some key spots.

I think it’s important to talk about what happened that night by shining a light on these twocoaches. I saw a Whitehall football team that seemed disciplined and well coached. I observed a coaching staff that engaged the kids with intensity and passion. I saw a team that had the ability to really do good things this season under the leadership of Coach Marino.

On the other hand, I observed from William Allen a team that had a tremendous amount of fight but lacked the experience of the Friday Night Lights. I observed a coaching staff that hustled to keep their athletes engaged and focused. I was proud mostly of Coach Joel Rupp, whom I observed coaching and teaching from the first whistle to the last. He was consistent despite the 53-0 outcome. There appears to be some growth happening at William Allen.

Whitehall High School thank you for an amazing experience last Friday night. Coach Marino keep up the good work and keep grinding. Coach Rupp, the sky’s the limit and I am looking forward to your program growing and your athletes having success.

Ok folks, this is my first attempt at blogging.  I look forward to your feedback. Until next time…

Football is Life!

Check back to the “SportsTalk Shop” throughout the high school fall football season for more commentary and observations from Mel Thomas Jr and feel free to post a comment or greeting below.

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.

What a weekend to kickoff the high school football season on the Astound TV Network!

Thanks to some creative scheduling, ATVN was able to bring you a network-record four high school games this weekend–three of them live!

We look to bring you four more games coming up next week–Thursday through Saturday.

But first, a look back on an entertaining first weekend to start the scholastic year off with a bang!

In the Colonial League, there were a number of big performances: Northwestern, Notre Dame, Bangor, Catasauqua and Pen Argyl all started off their fall seasons with very impressive victories (the latter two teams were on ATVN and we’ll see the TIgers coming up this week).

There were a few surprises (see this week’s poll below) and there should be some great battles for both league and district playoff positioning throughout the season.

In the EPC, the results were pretty much as expected with Parkland, Nazareth, Emmaus, Freedom and Central Catholic (our top five teams last week) all securing victories in week one, with the Vikings win over Northampton in overtime also broadcast on our network.

In addition, we brought you a very entertaining game between big city schools Liberty and Dieruff–a contest that was 0-0 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter and Dieruff stopped just outside the red zone midway through the fourth quarter trailing 7-0.

Things will get interesting this weekend as ATVN will be you the great “Blue Mountain” rivalry on Thursday, and our top four EPC teams all playing against each other on Friday.

Saturday, two teams with brand new coaches looking to win their first divisional game square off.

Like last week, it should be a fun week coming up!

*****

Now here’s a look at our polls along with our criteria that we use.

I’m proud to say (and no, I don’t vote myself) our football polls have proven to be among the most accurate, year after year, among all media organizations that attempt to rank teams in our coverage area each fall.  (Check out our archived polls from previous years if you’d like proof).

We rotate asking different contributors to our poll along with some “veterans,” consisting of local athletic directors, coaches and media members.  We never announce nor release the names of our non-media voters to get their honest opinions on the local football landscape while avoiding any thoughts of retribution or potential “bulletin board” material.  Our “media voters” usually reveal themselves when we have the pleasure of having them on our weekly SportsTalk program, seen on Thursday nights on the Astound TV Network and available to watch at any time for free through ATVN on Demand.

This year, we are once again going to break down the two polls into EPC and Colonial League schools, within the Astound TV broadcast area.  With the Colonial teams cross-scheduling and playing teams from the Schuylkill League and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playing different “cross-over” teams, our poll will be an interesting barometer for teams in the Lehigh Valley since many local teams will not have the same opponents throughout their schedules.

Below we have high school polls for both leagues in the ATVN viewing area, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.

EPC TOP 5

1. Parkland
2. Nazareth
3. Emmaus
4. Freedom
5. Central Catholic

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, and Nazareth.

COLONIAL TOP 4

1. Northwestern
2. Catasauqua
3. Bangor
4. Notre Dame

Other schools receiving votes:  Southern Lehigh, Pen Argyl 

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh.

Be sure to check back to the “upcoming events” section here on our website and check it frequently for any changes and for our ongoing broadcast schedule information throughout the postseason.

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.

 For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

On September 3rd, the Astound TV Network will officially launch our fall programming schedule.  Among the changes to the ATVN broadcast lineup includes the return of a classic 1960s sitcom to our schedule – Petticoat Junction.

The “Junction” was somewhat revolutionary for its time in that it featured a single, widowed mother raising three kids on her own.

Veteran radio and television character actress Bea Benaderet, after three decades of small roles and guest-starring on some of the most classic programs of all time, finally got her first chance at a leading role. (She actually played the role of Lucille Ball’s trusted neighbor on Ball’s radio show that would later become the Ethel Mertz role on the TV version of the program, I Love Lucy.)  

Benaderet’s character on “Junction,” Kate Bradley, was the anchor of a creative collection of zany characters that made up the fictional town, Hooterville, the show’s main setting.

Plot lines relied on feel good situations and familiar family issues with Benaderet often solving the problems of her daughters and their neighbors.  

One of the highlights of the cast was their live-in Uncle Joe, played by Edgar Buchanan, who became one of the more popular sit-com figures of the early/mid-1960s television landscape.

Another popular pairing of characters were the train conductors, Floyd Smoot and Charlie Pratt, played by Rufe Davis and Smiley Burnette.

Burnette wasn’t the only actor smiling after the first several seasons of the program. Petticoat Junction became one of the most successful comedies on television for the first several years of its run.

However, the cast and crew were in for more twists and turns than anyone ever found on the Cannonball’s train tracks over the next few years.  Tragically, the end of the 1960s not only started a decline in popularity for the “Junction” but some of the show’s most beloved characters met a dubious fate in real life.

We’ll have more on Petticoat Junction in a future blog entry here at the Showplace.

In the meantime, check out this program’s popular episodes making their return to the ATVN Wednesday programming schedule, starting on September 6th.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on the Astound TV Network, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

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 kickoff of the high school football season is here!

This weekend, the season begins with four great matchups that we will be featuring on the Astound TV Network, featuring four teams that qualified for the district tournament a year ago.

Central Catholic and Northern Lehigh are two of those teams ranked in our poll we’ll be featuring this weekend.

Several of the other teams ranked in both our polls will be seen on ATVN later in the season (we’ll have Freedom, Parkland, Emmaus and Nazareth will be featured prominently in our schedule throughout the season).

Northwestern is ranked number one in our poll and we’ll see them next weekend.

Not familiar with our annual scholastic football polling?

I’m glad you asked.

I’m proud to say (and no, I don’t vote myself) our football polls have proven to be among the most accurate, year after year, among all media organizations that attempt to rank teams in our coverage area each fall.  (Check out our archived polls from previous years if you’d like proof).

We never announce nor release the names of our non-media voters to get their honest opinions on the local football landscape while avoiding any thoughts of retribution or potential “bulletin board” material.  Our “media voters” usually reveal themselves when we have the pleasure of having them on our weekly SportsTalk program, seen on Thursday nights on the Astound TV Network and available to watch at any time for free through ATVN on Demand.

This year, we are once again going to break the two polls down into EPC and Colonial League schools, within the Astound broadcast area.  With the Colonial teams cross-scheduling and playing teams from the Schuylkill League and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playing different “cross-over” teams, our poll will be an interesting barometer for teams in the Lehigh Valley since many local teams will not have the same opponents throughout their schedules.

Below we have high school polls for both leagues in the ATVN viewing area, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.

EPC TOP 5

1. Parkland
2. Nazareth
3. Emmaus
4. Freedom
5. Central Catholic

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Allentown Central Catholic, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, and Nazareth.

COLONIAL TOP 4

1. Northern Lehigh
2. Northwestern
3. Bangor
4. (tie) Southern Lehigh/Catasauqua 

Eligible Teams (in no particular order):

Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh and Southern Lehigh.

Be sure to check back to  the “upcoming events” section here on our website and check it frequently for any changes and for our ongoing broadcast schedule information throughout the postseason.

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 have spent a lot of time preparing for this brand new broadcasting year for our ATVN video customers.

Part of that preparation involves putting together the best on-air staff that we can find.  We are blessed to welcome in the following new additions to the Astound TV Network’s sportscasting family for the autumn 2023 high school sports season.

RENEE WASHINGTON

 Philadelphia’s 6/ABC Action News’s Renee Washington – yes, THAT Renee Washington – will be calling soccer games with us this fall in addition to her handling sideline/courtside reporting. Renee has been a frequent guest on our “ATVN SportsTalk” show, and can also be seen throughout the year handling broadcasting duties for ESPN, Fox Sports and other national TV outlets.

McKENNA WALL

McKenna will begin her ATVN broadcast career with our coverage of high school volleyball this season.  She has experience doing both play-by-play and color analyst work for the Big 10+ Network doing volleyball and basketball and will also be working for the Penn State Network on their Saturday football broadcasts this fall.

JAMES MIDDLETON

James joins our on-air staff as a color analyst for the fall high school football season.   Lehigh Valley fans will remember him as a featured running back with the Easton Red Rovers.  An outstanding two-sport athlete, Middleton went on to play basketball at the collegiate level and will also be taking over as the new head girls basketball coach at Whitehall High School this winter.

MELVIN THOMAS JR

Mel was a three-time letter winner playing Division I college football at the University of Colorado before being drafted by Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles.  After stints as a high school football coach, he’s joining the ATVN broadcast team and will also be writing a bi-weekly football blog here on our website.

Please join me in welcoming these new personalities to your television sets and video monitors this fall!

 Also, be on the lookout for more announcers coming to the ATVN Sports family for the winter sports season!

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.