This week here at “The SportsTalk Shop”, we start honoring the top teams and individual accomplishments as designated by the local leagues and districts in the ATVN viewing area and salute the fall sports “All Stars.”

These are determined by the given league or district’s criteria and are posted as we receive them from the respective organizations.  If you have a listing that you would like us to include in upcoming posts, please send them to me at: chris.michael@astound.com

(If you don’t see your favorite sports/athletes mentioned, you may want to send a friendly reminder to the person who handles this at your local school.  Also, each league has different “rules” and not all leagues in our coverage area “host” all-star listings – that’s not Astound’s decision).

We start our list of honorees with the EPC boys and girls golf “all conference teams” …

Regular Season Champion: Nazareth Area High School

Tournament Champion: Nazareth Area High School

EPC Most Valuable Player (Male): Hunter Probst – Stroudsburg

EPC Most Valuable Player (Female): Camryn Hoff – Nazareth

EPC Golf First Team All-Conference:
Gavin Pychinka – Northampton
Zachary Miller – Nazareth
Evan Walters – Emmaus
Lydon Patascher – Pleasant Valley
Landon Benner – Parkland

EPC Golf Second Team All-Conference:
Holden Sparks – Nazareth
Evan Martz – Pocono Mountain East
Allie Tarreto – Nazareth
Matt Rader – Central Catholic
Charlie Gold – Parkland

EPC Golf Third Team All-Conference:
Kohler Strohl – Northampton
Kyan DeLong – Emmaus
Derek Moyer – Northampton
Jeff Snyder – Pocono Mountain East
Jayden Bleiler – Northampton

Next, it’s the Eastern Pennsylvania Conferences girls tennis “all conference” listings…

EPC Most Valuable Player: Alexandria Warsing – Parkland

EPC Girls Tennis (Singles) First Team All-Conference:
Alexandria Warsing – Parkland
Helena Lynn – Liberty
Ellyana Jacobs – Easton

EPC Girls Tennis (Singles) Second Team All-Conference:
Elizabeth Trott – Pocono Mt East
Malka Parker – East Stroudsburg South
Maddie Groff – Allentown Central Catholic

EPC Girls Tennis (Singles) Third Team All-Conference:
Sophia DiGiacinto – Nazareth
Bernadette Gasser – Allentown Central Catholic
Stephanie Zheng – Liberty

EPC Girls Tennis (Doubles) First Team All-Conference:
Aarohi Vaze/Kiana Miles – Parkland
Abigail Mayes/Katie Bruno – Liberty
Malena Stetz / Gabriela Tranguch- Emmaus

EPC Girls Tennis (Doubles) Second Team All-Conference:
Sonia Lee/Kate Gilchrist – Parkland
Brooke DiGiacomo / Natalie Hillegass – Emmaus
Lydia Moyer/Danielle Barnes – Nazareth

EPC Girls Tennis (Doubles) Third Team All-Conference:
Sarah Wang/Paulina Veraschaga – Liberty
Berlin Ulmer/Madison Noonan – Stroudsburg
Belle Mattson/Riley Zangari – Parkland

Last but not least, this fall’s EPC high school football “all stars” for both the league’s “all conference” and “all division” players…

2024 All-Conference All-Stars: Offense
Peyton Falzone – Nazareth
Jerek Cooper – Emmaus
Aaron Beete – Freedom
Dorian Thomas – Easton
Reilly Bechtel – Emmaus
Charles Capers – East Stroudsburg South
Shacre Colwell – Freedom
Caleb Newsome – Nazareth
Jake Pukzsyn – Liberty
Leo Dauberman – Parkland
Xzavier Pusateri – East Stroudsburg South
Kamari Coleman – Stroudsburg
Kurtis Crossman – Easton
Samuel Stephan – Emmaus
Algee Macon – Easton
Tanner Wheeler – Freedom
Brody McHugh – Emmaus
Evan Saylor – Parkland
Ryan Ellis – Freedom
Jackson Fuhrer – Easton
Matt Dorsey – Parkland
Aiden Joyce – Allentown Central Catholic
Dan Shiffert – Freedom
Mason Marcks – Parkland
Will Buck – Emmaus
Nate Stannard – Freedom
Will Day – Easton

2024 All-Conference All-Stars: Defense
Robert Edwards – Emmaus
Kurtis Crossman – Easton
Mehki Kirkland – Stroudsburg
Dylan Hill – Freedom
Tanner Wheeler – Freedom
Marquis Labossiere – Easton
Braheem Battles- Allentown Central Catholic
Adam Youwakim – Whitehall
Reilly Bechtel – Emmaus
Mekhi Grant – Easton
Jayden Macon – Freedom
Carlos Perez – Bethlehem Catholic
Jasir Frutchey – Easton
Ryan Roeder – Freedom
Marcel Burden – Parkland
Kehmahni Wimberly- William Allen
Shacre Colwell – Freedom
Marquez Wimberly – Nazareth
Jah’Khi Daves – Emmaus
Daniel Duggan – Emmaus
Aaron Beete- Freedom
Will Day – Easton
Aiden Sorrentino – Allentown Central Catholic
Leo Dauberman – Parkland
Dom Martrich – Parkland

2024 All-Conference All-Stars: Specials
Chris Ward – Pleasant Valley
Joseph Geipel – Liberty
Marquez Wimberly – Nazareth
Kamari Coleman – Stroudsburg

All-Conference Offensive MVP: Peyton Falzone – Nazareth

All-Conference Defensive MVP: Robert Edwards – Emmaus 

2024 All-Divisions All-Stars: Offense
Peyton Falzone – Nazareth
Dorian Thomas – Easton
Aaron Beete – Freedom
Shacre Colwell – Freedom
Jake Pukzsyn- Liberty
Caleb Newsome – Nazareth
Kurtis Crossman – Easton
Algee Macon – Easton
Tanner Wheeler – Freedom
Jackson Fuhrer- Easton
Ryan Ellis- Freedom
Gavin Crosson – Easton
Dan Schiffert – Freedom
Nate Stannard – Freedom
Will Day – Easton

2024 All-Divisions All-Stars: Defense
Kurtis Crossman- Easton
Dylan Hill – Freedom
Marquis Labossiere – Easton
Tanner Wheeler – Freedom
Carlos Perez- Bethlehem Catholic
Mekhi Grant – Easton
Jayden Macon – Freedom
Jasir Frutchey – Easton
Ryan Roeder- Freedom
Shacre Colwell – Freedom
Marquez Wimberly- Nazareth
Will Day – Easton
Aaron Beete – Freedom
Joseph Geipel – Liberty
Marquez Wimberly – Nazareth
Ben Bartholomew- Liberty

All-Division Offensive MVP:
*Peyton Falzone – Nazareth
*Aaron Beete – Freedom
*Denotes Co-Winner

All-Conference Defensive MVP: Mekhi Grant – Easton

Keep checking back to “The Shop” and the ATVN SportsTalk show on Thursday evenings on the Astound TV Network as we continue to spotlight local athletes in our coverage areas!

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.

Last week, we took a look at the “Mountain” division of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
Today, we get our first look at highlights featuring teams in the southern portion of the EPC, including strong early season showings by the Nazareth girls, and Liberty boys basketball teams, as well as an impressive win by Northampton wrestling…

Astound TV Network Sports: Emmaus vs. Nazareth (12/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Whitehall vs. Liberty (2/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Northampton vs. Parkland (12/24)

We also have video highlights looking back at a couple of our last high school football “reels” from the state playoffs, featuring teams in both the Lehigh Valley and Delaware County region – Congratulations to both Bonnor-Prendie (their first in school history) and St. Joseph’s Prep for winning PIAA State Championships!

Astound TV Network Sports: Southern Lehigh vs. Bonner Prendergast (11/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Parkland vs. Saint Joseph’s Prep (11/24)

Our high school winter sports season kicks into high gear as ATVN will be broadcasting six HS events over the next four days…tune in for all the top boys and girls basketball and wrestling action in both the EPC and the Colonial League!

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.

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference basketball began this week after several teams competed in tipoff tournaments after Thanksgiving. All six schools in the EPC North competed against each other on Tuesday and Thursday, and there are early signs of who the teams to beat in the division.

On the boys’ side, District 5A champs Pocono Mountain West, now in class 6A, is still the team to beat after a strong opening week that included two 20-point victories over Notre Dame of Green Pond and East Stroudsburg South. East Stroudsburg University commit Adrian Brito is averaging a double-double to start the year, with his most impressive game coming against the Crusaders, where he recorded 32 points and 15 rebounds. 

But the real surprise for the Panthers has been senior Jonathan Mateo, who’s had a couple of 20-point games to start his senior season. Rich Williams was confident Mateo would flourish with a larger role, and it’s coming to fruition.

The other program that’s started strongly is Pocono Mountain East. The Cardinals won their first three games, including a 73-42 blowout of Stroudsburg. In addition to returners Aiden Pierre, Parker Scoz, and Stephon Bethea, East also has transfer Rayshawn Harris, who’s brought some scoring punch with a physical frame. Harris had 28 against Dallas in the opener, while Scoz had 25 against Stroudsburg. This isn’t the first time East has started well, but there is much to like about them.

Regarding the rest of the mountain, East Stroudsburg North and Pleasant Valley are fun in their own ways. The Timberwolves are playing with a level of athleticism and pace that makes their brand of basketball entertaining, while the Bears’ senior center, Zach Prator, will give defenses fits.

Those teams met Tuesday night, and Pleasant Valley won its home opener. However, there are things to like about both teams. It will be interesting to see how they progress after a couple more weeks of EPC play.

At the bottom of the EPC North are Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg South, both programs in rebuilding years while facing contenders on the front end of their schedule. It will be a rough season for the Cavaliers and Mounties, one that will see many young guys who will take their lumps in their first varsity experience.

The girls’ side of the EPC North is the same as last year, at least at the top: it’ll come down to Pocono Mountain West and Stroudsburg. After losing by 26 to Valley View on the road, West paid it forward by beating South by 18 in the EPC opener. The Panthers are full of players ready to blossom after last year, namely Mia Bowden and Ashley Hunter-Ali, the latter of whom had a game-high 14 against the South.

East Stroudsburg women’s hoops commit McKayla Strunk has continued her scoring prowess, scoring 23 against Carbondale and 19 against East. Additionally, Teagan Strunk has taken a step forward this season, serving as the team’s leading scorer (18) in a close loss to Wallenpaupack.

We won’t see these teams compete against each other until January, but it should be another classic that fans will want to see.

Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain East, and East Stroudsburg South girls all have new head coaches: Angelica Zimmerman for the Lady Bears, Ben Battle for the Cardinals, and Jose Hernandez for the Cavaliers. All three programs struggled last year, so it’s reasonable to wait until we have a better idea of how those teams will look.

That leaves East Stroudsburg North, which has shown progress in its first EPC game, a 45-25 win against Pleasant Valley. It was only last year that the Timberwolves were on the other side of those score gaps. They aren’t EPC title contenders, but Jerome Taylor’s squad, led by a core of Amber Beckworth, Ayla Hashway, Maiya Baptiste and Donazia Jarrett, should be much more competitive this season.

The Fall 2024 field hockey season officially wrapped up last weekend, with Northwestern University taking home the Division I National Championship, Saint Anselm winning the Division II National Championship, and Middlebury earning the top spot in Division III. 

At the state level, West Perry (1A), Warwick (2A), and Conestoga (3A) were all named PIAA State Champions. 

So, that’s a wrap. See you next August!

Ha-ha. Just kidding. Like many sports, field hockey has become a year-round endeavor. 

The day after Thanksgiving, USA Field Hockey hosted the National Field Hockey Festival, one of their largest events and a massive college showcase, in Naples, Florida. Over 100 college coaches from the Division I, II, and III levels were in attendance to recruit and over 120 club teams comprised of over 1,000 players (ranging from U-10 to U-19 and including co-ed teams) from across the country competed. 

No rest for the weary.

Today, it’s pretty much essential that any field hockey player with aspirations to play at the college level be involved in some out-of-season club team or training. 

“Players in our sport could be involved in the game year long in various ways. The closer the player gets to starting their college career, being consistently involved and developing in the sport is certainly important,” said Jennifer Stone, head coach of the Lafayette field hockey team. 

After the fall season concludes, many players will attend the National Field Hockey Festival, which is always held in a warm weather location during the week of Thanksgiving. 

Following that, players will switch to their indoor sticks. Indoor field hockey is vastly different from outdoor, but the speed of the game (which is MUCH faster) and size of the court (yes, court, not field…) (which is MUCH smaller) provides a phenomenal opportunity for players to refine their skills. 

Indoor field hockey is typically 6 vs. 6 (including a goalkeeper) and played on a playing surface made of synthetic tiles with boards along the long ends of the court which players can use to “bounce” the ball off. The field ranges in size depending on the age of the players, but can range from 36 to 44 meters in length and 18 to 22 meters wide. The rules are also different. Players are only allowed to push or flick the ball (no hitting) and cannot raise the ball off the playing surface (lift) except for a shot on goal. 

Many players will participate in National Indoor Tournament Qualifier tournaments, followed by USA Field Hockey’s National Indoor Tournament and/or National Indoor Festival (both hotspots for recruiting) in the middle of winter (February/March timeframe). 

Once indoor wraps up and the snow melts, it’s back to the outdoor pitch for camps, clinics, tournaments, and summer leagues until that preseason report date comes around. 

For players interested in being recruited to play at either the Division I, II, or III levels, it’s almost an expectation that you continue to develop your skills even after the fall season wraps up. In many cases, these off-season opportunities are the only time college coaches can see players play (considering that their own seasons are underway during the fall).

This is no small commitment. Not for players, their parents, nor their other supporters. 

During this season of thanks, it would be remiss not to thank all of those who make these opportunities possible for us as players. To our parents, who have spent countless hours (not to mention dollars) enabling us to take advantage of these opportunities, and to the coaches, umpires, and administrators who make them a reality. 

And, of course, we must give thanks for the sport of field hockey itself. For the gift of competition. For the ability to go out and play the sport we love. 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the wins and losses. The goals and the saves. 

But at the end of the day, we are truly blessed to have a game we love and be given the opportunity to pursue our dreams. 

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.

Before we reveal a sneak peek at the first several weeks of our high school girls and boys wrestling and basketball broadcast schedule for the new winter season, a couple programming notes. 

First of all… 

We have been very busy gearing up for the 39th Annual Dream Come True Telethon on Astound TV (We’ll also be streaming the telethon live on our YouTube channel for the second straight year!).

The bidding auction is now live right here on our website and you can get on right now to check out all the great items on display this year along with placing your bids (Hint: Make your first bid your highest to eliminate all the competition!).

We’ve made some enhancements to the telethon again this year by adding a more diverse group of musical performers to entertain you. Additionally, we’ve expanded Artie Freeman’s interviews with Dream Come True recipients to go more in depth with their stories and show you just how much that your donations and your bids on auction items mean to the families in our community. 

We hope you like these additions to the telethon, but again, the success or failure of whether we reach our goal depends on you and your generosity.

 Please look at our auction items right now and also spread the word to let your friends and family know about the bidding opportunities (and how easy it makes your Christmas shopping, while supporting a great cause.).

Second programming item — our last ATVN-produced high school football broadcast of the fall will be this Friday live at 7pm as we feature teams from BOTH our Lehigh Valley and Delaware Valley viewing areas: Southern Lehigh vs. Bonner Prendergast.  The winner will move on to the PIAA championship, which you will be able to see on PCN (Astound Channel 97).

Last weekend, we were able to broadcast Parkland’s match up against St. Joseph’s that ended the Trojan season.  We are thankful for all the positive comments we received about braving the elements to bring that game home to our viewers here in the Lehigh Valley and help those people avoid having to sit in 30° temperatures in the pouring freezing rain (and snow, which wasn’t in the forecast) for four hours. 

Now, for a look at the first few weeks of our winter high school sports schedule.

Wednesday, December 4th

Live: Parkland @ Northampton (Girls/Boys Wrestling)

Thursday, December 5th

Live: Liberty @ Whitehall (Boys Basketball)

Delay: Emmaus @ Nazareth (Girls Basketball)

Friday, December 6th

Live: Emmaus @ Freedom (Boys Basketball)

Tuesday, December 10th

Live: Boys Game – Teams TBD

Delay: Central @ Dieruff (Girls Basketball)

Wednesday, December 11th

Live: Easton @ Nazareth (Boys Wrestling)

Thursday, December 12th

Live: Catty @ Saucon Valley (Boys Basketball)

Friday, December 13th

Live: Liberty @ Northampton (Boys Basketball)

Delay: Basketball Game – Teams TBD 

Monday, December 16th (Two of the following…)

Allentown @ Nazareth; Salisbury @ Bangor; Central @ Freedom or Emmaus @ Liberty

Tuesday, December 17th

Live: Northampton @ Allentown (Boys Basketball)

Wednesday, December 18th

Live:  Nazareth @ Northampton (Girls AND Boys Wrestling) – 6pm START

Thursday, December 19th

Live: Central @ Parkland

Delay: Basketball Game – Teams TBD

Keep in mind, this is just the first few weeks and we will be featuring many other teams and schools the rest of the winter regular season. As has been our custom the last two years, we will look to feature both as many different schools as possible while also bringing you the best matchups each night (Note: The two top pre-season basketball teams face each other on December 19th LIVE on ATVN!)

Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates and we don’t have too many snowed-out events or weather-related canceled games! 

Make sure you bookmark our website and refer back to our “Broadcasting Pages” for both HS basketball and wrestling throughout the winter season to see our featured teams and the best matchups each night over the next several months.

Lastly, a sincere and Happy Thanksgiving wish to all of our Astound customers and viewers.  We hope you’ll join us over this holiday weekend for our state football playoff coverage and the Dream Come True Telethon this Monday night at 6:00 p.m.!

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.

Earlier this fall, I wrote about how Pennsylvania is a hotbed for field hockey. To defend that claim, I noted that, if you looked at the rosters of the Preseason Top Ten Division I field hockey teams, you’d find 54 Pennsylvanians, including 7 players from the greater Lehigh Valley area.

Well, I’m here to double-down on that claim. 

If you look at the rosters of the teams that advanced to the Division I, II, and III NCAA Tournaments, you’ll find 31 players from the Lehigh Valley. There are six Lehigh Valley products playing in the DI tournament, 13 in the DII tournament, and 12 in the DIII tournament. They hail from Northwestern Lehigh (5), Parkland (4), Emmaus (3), Stroudsburg (3), Bangor (2), Liberty (2),  Northampton (2), Easton (1), Northern Lehigh (1), Palisades (1), Palmerton (1), Pocono Mountain East (1), Quakertown (1) (I know, I know, Bucks County, but I’m counting it…), East Stroudsburg South (1), Pleasant Valley (1), Salisbury (1), and Saucon Valley (1).

As of 11/18, the DI tournament has advanced to the Final Four—with UNC, Saint Joseph’s, Northwestern, and Massachusetts still in the running for the national title. The semi-final round will take place on Friday, 11/22, to be followed by the championship game on Sunday, 11/24.

The first round of the tournament featured one of our hometown teams, Lafayette College, who received an automatic bid to the big dance after winning the Patriot League Championship in a thrilling OT victory over American University. It was the first time Lafayette has won the league title since 2012 and landed the Leopards a spot in the NFHCA’s Coaches’ Poll as the 20th seed in the Week 10 rankings on 11/12. Lafayette was matched up against an impressive Saint Joseph’s team (ranked #4 overall in the tournament). The Leopards put up an impressive fight—ultimately falling by a score of just 1-0. 

Similarly in the DII tournament, the semi-finals will pick back up again on Friday, 11/22. Shippensburg, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, and St. Anselm will battle for a chance to play for the Division II National Championship on Sunday, 11/24. If you tune into Friday’s matchups, you’ll have a chance to see Elaina Fragassi of Parkland playing for Shippensburg, Dakota Stiff from Pocono Mountain East and Sydney Frantz from Palmerton playing for East Stroudsburg, and Brinley Rex and Greenleigh McGehee from Northwestern Lehigh, Olivia Vaccari from Parkland, and Kiera Gallagher from Quakertown all playing for Kutztown. 

As for the DIII tournament, Tufts, Williams, Salisbury, and Middlebury will compete on Friday, 11/22 for a spot in the finals on Sunday, 11/24. 

At the high school level, the fall season wrapped up with Emmaus advancing to the PIAA 3A semi-final round, where they were ultimately knocked off by Villa Maria in overtime by a score of 2-1—surrendering the game-winning goal with only 17 seconds remaining the the first overtime period. The loss capped off another impressive season for the Hornets. The team went 25-2 (with their only losses in non-conference play to Penn Manor and Villa Maria) and earned EPC and District XI titles. 

Southern Lehigh was matched up against Upper Perkiomen in the opening round of the 2A tournament. The Spartans fell by a score of 4-1. The 1A tournament featured Northwestern Lehigh and Palmerton—with Northwestern Lehigh falling in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Susquenita and Palmerton being defeated by Faith Christian by a score of 7-0.

As we have seen come to fruition this fall, many of our local high school teams have and will continue to pump out some of the nation’s top field hockey players at the Division I, II, and III levels. Not to mention, the Lehigh Valley is also home to an Olympian in Meredith Sholder and the 2023 National Umpire Award winner in Allie Mikelson. So, while the fall season may be coming to a close, be sure to continue to keep an eye and an ear out for the many talented field hockey players we have here in the Lehigh Valley. 

There’s no telling how far they may go.

Division I NCAA Tournament Participants:

Fairfield: Gabby Gober (Northwestern Lehigh)

UNC: Melea Weber (Emmaus)

Maryland: Rayne Wright (Liberty)

Michigan: Abby Burnett (Emmaus), Aurora Gery (Parkland)

Vermont: Lauren Schellhamer (Northwestern Lehigh)

Division II NCAA Tournament Participants:

Shippensburg: Elaina Fragassi (Parkland)

ESU: Dakota Stiff, (Pocono Mountain East), Sydney Frantz (Palmerton)

Bloomsburg: Morgan Magditch (Palisades), Kendall Iasiello (Northampton), Raegan Iasiello (Northampton)

Assumption: Riley Tepper (Stroudsburg), Abigail Romano (Emmaus) 

Kutztown: Brinley Rex (Northwestern Lehigh), Jocelyn Morgan (Easton), Olivia Vaccari (Parkland), Greenleigh McGehee (Northwestern Lehigh), Kiera Gallagher (Quakertown)

Division III NCAA Tournament Participants:

Babson: Ellie Powers (Liberty)

Ithaca: Emma Garver (Stroudsburg), Delaney Szwast (Northern Lehigh)

Shenandoah: Lily Kyvelos (Parkland)

Susquehanna: Casey Bruchak (Saucon Valley), Ella DeFazio (Salisbury), Reagan Heard (Bangor)

St Mary’s: Charlotte Horn (Northwestern Lehigh)

York: Billie Francis (Stroudsburg), Erin Maher (East Stroudsburg South) 

Marywood: Megan Engle (Bangor)

Ohio Wesleyan: Mattison Hyland (Pleasant Valley)

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 several years now, I thought that we at Astound TV Sports had generated the most comprehensive high school football poll in our District XI/ATVN coverage area.

Each season, we are blessed to have a rotating panel of very knowledgeable Lehigh Valley football coaches, athletic directors and media members to give their opinion and vote for the top teams in the area.

But with a changing landscape to both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the Colonial League over the couple years, we decided to roll the dice and try something a little more challenging.

Instead of having one poll for large schools and another one for small schools, we tried to incorporate ALL teams in the same listing, while also navigating through an “unbalanced” schedule (ie., many schools not getting the opportunity to play each other during the regular season).

To be honest, it would have been safer to just keep our tradition poll and our unbelievable track record in being very accurate in our prognostication abilities over the years (and no, I’m not being self serving as I don’t get a vote and all the credit goes to our local coaches, administrators and media members who participate each year!)

But not wanting to rest on our reputation we shook things up with a brand new way to evaluate local teams.

 Our pollsters this fall gave their selections for who are the top 10 performing football teams.   Each voter selected the top 10 teams – with each team getting 10 points for the top team, 9 for the second best team, 8 for third and so forth.  In order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school.

 One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions.

 Throughout the years that we have done our poll, the coaches and athletic directors have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positionings.

Something else most other media outlets will NOT do: each year we also go back and evaluate how we did and tell you what worked and what didn’t.

So without any further delay, here’s a look at our preseason poll, followed by a look at how our FINAL poll shook out….(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.)

Preseason Poll

1. Parkland (9.6)
   
2. Nazareth (7.6)
   
3. Freedom (7.2)
   
4. Emmaus (6.2)
   
5. Northampton (5.4)
   
6. Northwestern (4.8)
   
7. Becahi (3.2)
   
8. Notre Dame-Green Pond (2.8)
   
9. Central Catholic (1.4)
   
10. Whitehall (.06)

Other teams receiving more than one mention: Southern Lehigh, Liberty.

Final Poll

1. Parkland (10)
2. Emmaus (8.8)
3. (Tie) Easton / Northwestern (7.2)
4. N/A
5. Freedom (6.8)
6. Nazareth (4.6)
7. Southern Lehigh (3.2)
8. East Stroudsburg South (3)
9. Liberty (2.8)
10. Whitehall (0.6)

Evaluation:

On the one hand, eight of the twelve teams mentioned in our preseason selections made it to the final polling results.

Our pollsters once again correctly identify the top team heading into the season, with Parkland capturing its second District 11 title in 3 years by beating Emmaus last week 17-3.

Freedom defeated Parkland week 2 and took over our number one spot for most of the year before losing to Easton week 9 and then lost to Parkland in the semi-final round of the playoffs.

Easton was the biggest “miss” on our part – and, in our defense, the expectations of most people cross the area. After totaling just three wins the last two years, not many people expected the Rovers to do much better than a .500 record. Their success was the biggest positive surprise of the fall of 2024. With a lot of big pieces back for next year, they will not fly under the radar heading into the 2025 season

East Stroudsburg South entered our poll two-thirds of the way through the regular season and solidified their spot in the top 10 with its second win over the defending champions from Whitehall, to win the District XI 5A title.

Two schools – Northampton and Central Catholic – were featured in our preseason poll but lost traction with a series of losses midway through the year and never bounced back (both made the playoffs but lost in the first round).  Notre Dame-Green Pond received votes in our preseason poll and was ranked as high as 7th at one point but suffered from a first round exit from the playoffs after getting upset by North Schuylkill.

Bethlehem Catholic also started well, winning four of their first five games but went 0-5 in Northampton Division play in the second half of the regular season and never returned into our “Top 10”.

 As always, we listen to and appreciate your feedback.  Did you like our “new look” poll? Should we go back to the previous way we ranked local football teams? Or should we go back to the drawing board and come up with something different for 2025?

Email your thoughts about our poll, local sports blogs or our fall sports coverage in general to 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.

 First of all, it was another historic day for our Network as ATVN broadcast for the first time in our history the District XI boys – and girls – soccer championship live!

The student-athletes did not disappoint with the Northampton girls winning their first ever title (more on this team in a moment) and the Parkland boys team outlasting the K-Kids through 2 overtimes and a sudden death shootout.

It was yet another example of a continuing theme for us at the Astound Television Network as we continue to broadcast more high school sports to our viewers than ever before once again this year!

If you missed the outstanding efforts by both playoff teams, here’s highlights of both the girls and boys 4A championship games…

Astound TV Network Sports: Northampton vs. Emmaus (11/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Parkland vs. Northampton (11/24)

Northampton girls Head Coach Mike Missmer shared a story with me which I retold on a recent edition of “SportsTalk” prior to the soccer playoffs commencing and I wanted to highlight the accomplishment of his team from earlier in the year, here in an email he shared with me…

My 2007 Western Lehigh United girls, probably the smallest club to ever earn a spot at the US Soccer National Presidents Cup, finished 5th in the Country.

1st time in our club history since 1989 for any team to make the National Championship.

Our entire goal this season was to compete for our first PA State Championship. We achieved that goal after 120 minutes of overtime and a PK shootout in Philadelphia.  After winning the State title we went to WV for the US Regional Championships where we went undefeated against other State champions until the final, losing 1-0 to WV.  With 4 US Soccer regions in the country they take the finalists from each to create the 8 team National Championship tournament in KS.

After flying to Kansas (our first time we flew anywhere as a team) we went 1-1-1 beating the US Southern regional champions and earning a draw with the very talented US Far West Regional Champions (Who are in the final being played as I write this)

The teams we faced were all academy and ECNL kids – all stacked with high level college commits…  we have no kids committed to college yet and only a few even looking to play after HS.  We are just a bunch of HS players, some who have yet to, and some who didn’t even make their HS teams.

Through the entire State, Regional, and National tournaments we lost a total of TWO games.

Congratulations to both the Northampton girls and Parkland boys programs on an outstanding year!

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.

Congratulations to East Stroudsburg South and Northwestern for already capturing District XI championships in their respective classifications last weekend.  Also, best of luck to those going after the 4A and 6A titles coming up this week (both championship games will be broadcast LIVE on ATVN this week!)

Before we unveil our second last edition of the “Astounding 10” football teams in our Lehigh Valley coverage area, here’s a look back at highlights of games recently broadcast on the Astound TV Network…

Astound TV Network Sports: Freedom vs. Parkland (11/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Whitehall vs. East Stroudsburg South (11/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Liberty vs. Parkland (11/24)

Now for the latest “Astounding 10’’ high school football weekly poll for this fall season.

Our pollsters give their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall.

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 for the second best team, 8 for third and so forth.

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school.

It’s a brand new way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters.

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions.

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, the coaches and athletic directors have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positionings.

So without any further delay, here’s this week’s edition of the “Astounding 10” … (the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.)

1. Emmaus (10)
2. Parkland (9)
3. Easton (7.2)
4. Northwestern (7)
5. Freedom (6.6)
6. East Stroudsburg South (2.6)
7. Nazareth (2.4)
8. Liberty (2.2)
9. So. Lehigh (1.2)
10. Becahi (.6)

Other team(s) receiving more than one mention: (none)

Coming up this week we’ll have live coverage of our poll’s #1 versus #2 teams as they play for the district 11 6a championship on Friday. We’ll also have the number 9 and 10 teams facing off against each other for the 4A title game – which we will also broadcast live on Thursday.  Last but not least we’ll have our number four ranked team, Northwestern, play their first state playoff game against Conwell Egan.Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds and opinions of our pollsters.  And, be sure to check out the FINAL poll of the season next week, right here at “The SportsTalk 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.

November is upon us, and fall sports at every level are transitioning into playoff mode. While high school programs are kicking off the PIAA State Championships, teams at the college level are beginning conference playoffs.

The Lehigh Valley is home to six NCAA field hockey teams: four at the Division III level and two at the Division I level. The rosters of all four DIII teams are flooded with Lehigh Valley products, while the two DI programs’ rosters boast quite a few Pennsylvania products among many international recruits. If you recall me mentioning in an earlier blog post this fall, the sport is much more popular and commonly played throughout Europe, with many players having played since childhood, making them some of the top prospects for NCAA DI coaches. 

Some of these programs are gearing up for their respective conference playoffs, while others (those who failed to qualify for the postseason) have just wrapped up their regular seasons and are transitioning to the off-season. 

Let’s see how we got here.

Division III Programs: 

Cedar Crest College

The Falcons ended their season with a 5-13 overall record, failing to qualify for the postseason after going 1-4 in the United East Conference. 

The program is home to four Lehigh Valley natives, including the co-team leader in points, junior forward Avery Daku (5 goals, 3 assists), who went to highschool at Catasaqua, Courtney Gibbons, a sophomore defender out of Parkland (17 games started), Olivia Horninger, a junior midfielder from Northern Lehigh (3G), and sophomore goalkeeper, Shelby Heater from Lehighton (2.78 goals against average, 79.8% save percentage, 3 shutouts).

DeSales University

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 9-9 overall record and a 5-2 record in the Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference. DeSales is the #3 seed in the playoff tournament and will take on #2 seed Stevens in the first round on Wednesday, 11/6.

Remarkably, ten players on the DeSales roster come from the Lehigh Valley, including sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Schlussmann from Stroudsburg (2.80 goals-against-average, 74.9% save percentage, 2 shutouts), senior midfielder Maddie Trocki from Whitehall, who is the team leader in points (12G, 7A), junior midfielder/defender Nikki Chiaradia from Moravian Academy (3G, 4A), junior forward Brooke Sodl from Bethlehem Catholic (3G, 2A), sophomore midfielder/defender Megan McLain from Pocono Mountain East (3G), junior forward Brynn Ballet from Northwestern Lehigh (1G, 1A), junior midfielder Maddie Siegfried from Northampton (7 games played), junior midfielder/defender Morgan Benner from Southern Lehigh (1G, 1A), junior midfielder/defender, Angelina Day from Palisades (2G), and senior defender Paige Busch from Moravian Academy (17 games started).

Moravian University 

The Greyhounds went 7-10 overall and 5-4 in the Landmark Conference during the regular season.

Moravian entered the playoffs ranked #4, taking on #5 Juniata College in the Landmark Conference Tournament First Round. The teams tied 1-1 in regulation and after two sudden death, 7 vs. 7 overtime periods went by without either team scoring, the game advanced to a shootout (which is similar to a shootout in ice hockey with one attacking player versus the other team’s goalkeeper). The Greyhounds ultimately won the shootout 3-2.

“I am extremely proud of this group,” said head coach Sarah Dalrymple.

“Despite a challenging start, the team found its rhythm in October, displaying resilience and determination. The leadership of our seniors has been significant, guiding the team through adversity to the excitement of a shootout victory in the first round of the playoffs.”

The Greyhounds will play in the Landmark Conference Tournament Semifinal against #1 seeded Susquehanna University on Wednesday, 11/6.

The Greyhound roster features four players out of the Lehigh Valley, including the team leader in goals and points, Gia Ambrosino from Easton (13G, 3A). Joining Ambrosino is senior forward Carolina Catilao-Sanchez from Parkland (18 games started), Sophia Calantino, a freshman forward from Bangor (16 games played, 6 games started), and Shawna Mamrak, a freshman forward from Pen Argyl (5 games played).

Muhlenburg College

The Mules ended the season with a 7-10 overall record and going 2-8 in the Centennial Conference. They did not qualify for the playoffs. 

Sophomore defender Madison Horvath, a Freedom High School product, appeared in 12 games for Muhlenburg, starting four. 

Division I Programs:

Lehigh University

The Mountain Hawks went 7-10 overall and 2-4 in Patriot League play, failing to advance to the playoffs.

The Lehigh roster features eight players from Pennsylvania and three international players, hailing from Canada and the Netherlands.

Lafayette College

The Leopards ended the regular season with a 12-6 overall record (notably knocking off #20 ranked Temple University) and going 5-1 in the Patriot League. Their sole league loss came in double overtime to American University, who went undefeated in Patriot League play and will host the playoffs as the #1 seed.

Lafayette advanced to playoffs as the #2 seed. They will play third-seeded Bucknell on Thursday, 11/7.

The Leopard’s roster has five players from Pennsylvania and 10 international players from the likes of Germany, Netherlands, England, Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand.

Lafayette head coach Jennifer Stone recorded her 100th career victory this season. 

“It’s a celebration of the success of the program,” said Stone. 

Stone said the team remains focused on the process as they move into post-season play: “One step at a time. Bucknell is a fierce opponent, but we also believe in ourselves as a group.”

The eventual Patriot League champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Lafayette last won the Patriot League championship in 2012, advancing to the NCAA Division I Tournament on a at-large bid, the only at-large bid earned by a Patriot League school in league history.

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.