HS Basketball Preview: 2015-16

With scholastic basketball season upon us, I asked three of the most astute basketball minds in the RCN Sports Department, Gary Laubach, Tom Stoudt and John Leone, to join me in giving our thoughts on this winter’s District XI high school basketball season in the RCN-TV viewing area.

Check out our responses to some of the most intriguing storylines of the 2015-16 campaign:

 1.  Who’s your top EPC team (after Parkland)?
Gary Laubach:  Central and/or Emmaus
Tom Stoudt:  Emmaus
JL:  Emmaus
ME:  Allen.  I was very impressed with them in summer league play, although they didn’t win as many games as some thought.  Still remember them challenging Parkland late last winter, and if they can put together performances like that on a nightly basis…?

2.  Who’s your pre-season Colonial League favorite?
TS:  Bangor
JL:  Saucon Valley
ME:  Solehi.   Head Coach Ben Tannous has a great basketball mind and did a great job molding last year’s team into contenders.  I see no reason why they don’t continue to improve and contend for a league title

3.  Top Three HS basketball players to watch this winter?
GL:  Sam Iorio (Parkland), David Kachelries (Emmaus), Zay Jennings (CCHS) , Aidan Ellwood (transferred from Northampton to Central Catholic)
TS:  David Kachelries (Emmaus), Sam Iorio (Parkland),  Taleek Williams (Allen)
JL:  Sam Iorio (Parkland),  Matt Kachelries (Emmaus),  Michael Martino (Bangor
ME:   DeVante Cross (Parkland), Talek Williams (Allen), Amir Griffin (Liberty).  Cross and Williams are two of the most dynamic scoring threats in the area, and Griffin might just be the region’s best defensive player and is really fun to watch

4.  Off the radar player to keep eye on?
GL:  Jahan Dotson (Nazareth), Chance Neilley (Liberty), Talek Williams (Allen)
TS:  Tashon Roberts (Dieruff)
JL:  Mitch Daniel (Notre Dame)
ME:   Mitch Daniel.  He’s getting a late start due to his team’s success on the football field, but he’s always struck me as a player with great ability.  The confidence he (and some of his teammates) built during the fall sports season will carry over for him and the Crusaders during the winter sports campaign

5.  A surprise team to keep an eye on this year?
GL:  Liberty
TS:  Bethlehem Catholic
JL:  Saucon or Bangor
ME: Catty.  They suffered a disappointing season a year ago, and once again didn’t get several of their players due to the football team’s Turkey Day game, but Eric Snyder has worked his magic before.  If a few players step up to join Kevin Bond and Shaquon Mason as scoring options, the Rough Riders could find themselves back in the district playoff picture.

Also, I don’t think it’ll be too long before we start talking about Pen Argyl basketball again.  With Kyle Hutnik embarking on his third year in charge of the program, I believe we’ll start to see some improvements from the Knights—despite the fact that it will be a very competitive season once again in the Colonial League.

6.  One “must-see” game this winter?
GL: Parkland/Imhotep  (January 24^th)
TS:  Parkland/Emmaus (Jan. 5^th)
JL:  Freedom/Easton (Dec. 8^th) *LIVE on RCN-TV!
ME:   Emmaus/Nazareth (December 18^th).  Some of the best, most talented guards in the area will be squaring off against each other.   Two teams I really like and feel they could play with Parkland, so I am curious who’ll win out in this early season showdown.

Who’ll be most accurate with these preseason predictions?  Which teams, players and games do you think we should keep an eye on?  Email us your thoughts to rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and find out as the season unfolds on RCN-TV.  Be sure to check out our broadcast schedule (LINK) for each week’s best games and bookmark it on your browser so you can access it for changes throughout the season!

We’ll also jump deep into the high school hoops conversation in much more detail starting with the January editions of “RCN SportsTalk” (seen live, Thursdays, 7-8 pm on RCN-TV) and our podcasts.

High school is winding down and college football has come to a close.  College basketball has begun and high school basketball is right around the corner.

That can only mean that it is once again time for one of my favorite nights of the year and it has nothing to do with athletics. It is the night that I co-host the Dream Come True Telethon. Believe it or not (and I am a “not”), we will be doing the Telethon for the 30^th year.  I did not host in the early years, but I have been around for most.

The Dream Come True organization, in case you did not know, was founded in 1984 by Kostas Kalogeropoulos, a local businessman.  The goal of the organization is simple – fulfill the dreams of children who are seriously, chronically, and terminally ill and reside in the greater Lehigh Valley area.  Children are referred by family, friends, clergy, doctors, social workers, etc., and the dreams usually fall into three categories – trips, contact with celebrities, and special gifts (computers, shopping sprees, for example).

Scott Barr will be co-hosting again this year. We have spent this night together for many, many years and I would not want to work with anyone else. He handles the auction area and, boy, is he terrific!  If you watch Home Shopping Network or any of the other television all-day shopping channels, just watch Scott do his thing during the four-hour night.  He is as good as, if not better, than the professionals.  Here are the specifics:

The TELETHON will take place live on Monday, December 7, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. RCN customers in the Lehigh Valley (Channel 4, 1004 in HD), Delaware County (Channel 8, 608 in HD), and Washington, DC (Channel 8) areas can watch live on RCN TV.  A popular component of the telethon each year is the auction.  This year, we will again utilize the on-line auction.  The bidding began on Sunday, November 8, and ends Monday, December 7 at 8:00PM, so check it out!

CLICK HERE to bid on incredible auction items donated by your favorite networks!

Great auction items include:

• Apple Watch from TV One Network
• Autographed Mitchell Guitar signed by The Band Perry from Scripps Networks
• Autographed Copy of Outlander Series Book, “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood”, by author Diana Gabaldon from Starz
• Honora Black Pearl Necklace from QVC
• Grill and Chill Tailgating Kit from HBO
• And much more!

You can find all of the items by clicking on the following link:

http://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/home.cfm?auctionID=2691

You will find a variety of unique items donated by local businesses as well as our friends from the cable networks.  If you want something really unique and not found in any store, tune us in and bid on the items.  You will make Scott’s night and, more importantly, some child’s dream.

Ann Savkova, our excellent parade announcer, and Chris Michaels of “Sportstalk” fame will do many of the interviews with the children who have had their dreams fulfilled.  They are a welcome addition to the team.

The important facts again are:

The Date:        Monday, December 7
The Time:        6:00 – 9:00 PM
The Purpose:   To fulfill as many hopes, dreams and fantasies for seriously, chronically,
and terminally ill children as possible
The Phone Number to Make a Donation:       1-800-749-8099

All proceeds from the online and on-air auctions go directly to Dream Come True.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!  Your donation will help make a child’s dream come true!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. As if things were not bad enough with Philadelphia sports, Donovan McNabb who eventually became an admirable role model for the city’s youth and fans, reported for jail on November 30 to serve an 18-day sentence. He was arrested for DUI for the second time in Arizona.  His first sentence was one day; this one longer.
2. How about Whitehall’s Saquon Barkley? On Saturday, he broke the 32-year-old record for most rushing yards by a freshman in Penn State history when he carried for 103 yards against Michigan State.  He broke the record of D J Dozier who was a first-round NFL draft pick.
3. For the “love them or hate them”, the Thanksgiving weekend offered its share of polarizing games. The Eagles were blown away by Detroit; Dallas lost to Carolina; Penn State was blown out by Michigan State; and Notre Dame lost its chance to be in the BCS championship series by losing to Stanford.  For you, is the cup half full or half empty?
4. The second quarter of the Parkland vs. Wyoming Valley West game on Friday night had just about everything. First, Sean Judge of WVW intercepted a Parkland pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to tie the game at 14-14.  That just made Parkland angry as they went on to score five more touchdowns in the quarter – a 15-yard run by QB Devante Cross; a 77-yard run by Cross; a 30-yard interception touchdown by defensive tackle Noel Brouse; a Cross to Kenny Yeboah 23-yard touchdown pass; and a Cross to Yeboah lateral to Zach Bross on the last play of the first half for 46 yards.  At the half, the 14-14 game had turned into a 49-14 “mercy rule” game.
5. The PIAA state quarterfinals are this coming weekend and we have our two local teams on RCN-TV. Saucon Valley will take on Selinsgrove on Friday night at 9:30pm and Parkland hits another District 12 nemesis in LaSalle College in Philadelphia at 1:00pm Saturday.  If you can’t be there, we’ll take you there.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 11-5; OVERALL 107-69 (61%)

NFL PICKS (WEEK THIRTEEN)

GREEN BAY
CHICAGO
CINCINNATI
TENNESSEE
HOUSTON
MIAMI
CAROLINA
SEATTLE
ARIZONA
TAMPA BAY
JETS
DENVER
KANSAS CITY
NEW ENGLAND
PITTSBURGH
WASHINGTON

It was another great fall sports season (and for more than just football!) for the teams, coaches and athletes in the RCN viewing area.  We had some great individual and team performances, with school districts in many regions bringing home district, region and state gold metals.

It was also a busy season here at RCN-TV covering our local sports teams.  We had unveiled new features on our “RCN SportsTalk” show—among them, the “athlete of the week” for the people in the Lehigh and Delaware Valley areas, and the “Sports Minute” for the folks in our Washington, DC region.

Speaking of the “sports minute,” we’re pleased to announce that this element of our show will continue into the winter as we try to cover as many high school basketball teams in our coverage area as possible.  Here are a few samples featuring football teams from the DC area.

Also, we will have video from some of the traditional “Turkey Game” football contests from this past Thanksgiving, coming up on this Thursday’s edition of “SportsTalk” (live, Thursdays at 7pm).

In the Lehigh Valley area, we were able to focus on a number of different girls and boys sports teams from both bigger and smaller school districts over the last several months.  Here’s a compilation of some of our fall sports features.

Now, it’s time to congratulate the teams from the RCN viewing area that have captured state gold medals this fall season.  First, the Parkland girls volleyball team won its second consecutive PIAA championship.  The win marks the third straight volleyball state title won by Parkland (the boys team won it this spring).

We saluted the Emmaus field hockey team on both “SportsTalk” and here at the “SportsTalk Shop” earlier this fall due to Head Coach Sue Butz-Stavin’s tremendous accomplishment—becoming the nation’s all-time leader in wins by a high school field hockey coach in September.  Butz-Stavin added to those numbers as his team once again captured league, district and finally state championship honors, adding another collection of 3A titles (the highest level in Pennsylvania for field hockey) to the Hornets’ trophy case.

It’s starting to become routine for district tournaments to run through the Route-309 exchange as both Parkland and Emmaus seem like they are nearly always in championship games—and usually winning the title contests.  This fall alone, Parkland won four fall sports District XI championships (boys cross, country, girls soccer, girls volleyball and football), while Emmaus won three more (boys soccer, golf and field hockey).  The Hornets’ field hockey team has now captured fourteen consecutive district gold metals and the Parkland volleyball team has won five of the last six district championships.

Special kudos are in order for the magnificent paring of Coco Chen and Logan Lencheski from the Notre Dame-Green Pond High School girls tennis team.  Chen and Lencheski brought home state gold medals in pairs tennis.  I’ve maintained that individual and pair state championships are extremely challenging given all the scrutiny in one or two people, as opposed to an entire team, having to share the workload.  The Crusaders pair was also honored on our most recent “SportsTalk” show as the athletes of the week for their tremendous achievement.

Don’t forget!  All of the above video features and more scholastic “shout-outs” and stories are available to hear on our podcasts (rcn.com/atvn/sports-talk) as well as through RCN On-Demand.  Join us this Thursday live at 7pm for the insights, predictions and analysis of this weekend’s state football playoff games, and also we’ll have strategies and tips for those people involved in fantasy football. Also, we appreciate any feedback or suggestions for sports to cover or to discuss on RCN-TV.  Feel free to email your thoughts to us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com.

Now, anyone who knows me very well knows that I HATE the cold weather.  However, I do love the sports that take place during the winter months, and there certainly are some exciting match-ups featuring teams in our area, and a few schools in both DC and Pennsylvania have opportunities to have very special years.  I’m looking forward to embarking on the winter sports season and I hope everyone enjoys our coverage as we move our cameras and microphones indoors.  Next week here at the “Shop,” we start to take a look at the upcoming high school basketball season with thoughts and insights from knowledgeably hoop-minded individuals on the upcoming season.  Also, we hope to have more good news to report on the high school football teams in our viewing area over the next few weeks.

Lastly, a quick reminder for everyone to tune into the “Dream Come True Telethon” that will be seen live on RCN-TV Monday, December 7^th. Telethon details are here: www.rcn.com/atvn/2015-dct-telethon

Not only does the event raise money for a tremendous charity but you should also check out the auctions items at www.biddingowl.com/dreamcometrue as there are some wonderful items—and potential holiday gift giving ideas—for you to try to pick up, while benefiting our local kids at the same time.

I figured that I would start by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

And then I got to thinking…

On Saturday, I spent my day broadcasting the Lafayette-Lehigh football game.  It is college football’s most-played rivalry and I feel very fortunate that I have done the play-by-play for this game for fifteen years.  My wife and I then had dinner with my daughter and her husband, and hurried off to the Zoellner Arts Center to see Darlene Love in concert.  Except for the Lafayette defeat (and only because I am a fan), it was a really nice day.  I did a job I truly love, spent quality time with the family, and enjoyed what life has to offer in terms of entertainment.  I went to bed that night feeling good about most everything.

But, on Sunday, I started, as I often do, thinking about this weekly blog.  My mind tries to come up with a topic that I hope readers will find interesting, and it usually revolves around the world of sports.  Only this time I kept thinking about the awful tragedy in Paris. I could not read a newspaper or turn on the TV without facing reports of the Parisians’ circumstances and the horrible aftermath.  And that brought me back to Saturday.

I realized that I spent that day much like the Parisians who, prior to suffering through the terrible assaults by ISIS, were just living life on a regular Friday one week ago.  The attacks had come at a soccer game, at a restaurant, and at a concert by a fanatical group that believes violence is the path to paradise.

Eight days later, while I, too, attended the very same types of venues, I took all of the events and locales for granted.  I would be amongst the 16,000 people at Goodman Stadium watching, not soccer, but football; enjoying family at a local restaurant as many were doing at Petit Cambodge restaurant; and, like those at Le Bataclan, I just wanted to enjoy some live music in concert.

The Paris victims just wanted to do the same.

I have much to be thankful for – a wonderful wife (52 years and counting), two successful daughters who are happily married, three grandchildren who are all pursuing their vocational dreams, a great job, good health, and, despite all that goes on in the world, a positive outlook on life.

But I am quite sure that many of the 129 who were killed in Paris and the many, who were wounded, could have said the same thing about their lives and their families.  Until Friday the thirteenth, 2015.

I will join my family around the dinner table on Thanksgiving and think about my good fortune.  But, I will also take pause and reflect on the horrors that exist in the world and, in addition to asking for my family to continue to be blessed, I will also pray that the world finds a way to be a better place. You, too, may want to do the same.  It cannot hurt.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. Lafayette suffered through just an awful 1-10 football season culminating with their arch-rival Lehigh beating them soundly. With Army, Delaware, Villanova, and Princeton on the schedule next year, they could get much, much better and it might not show in their record.
2. As I write this, Philadelphia pro teams have won one home game in November! The Flyers have won three of their last 10, and are 7-9-5 with the fewest wins in the NHL. The 76’ers are 0-14, and the Eagles looked just awful on Sunday losing to Tampa Bay and are now 4-6.  To make matters worse, the Eagles play the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.  If you are an Eagles fan, you might want to eat your turkey BEFORE the game.  If you are lucky, then the tryptophan might kick in just in time to sleep through the game.
3. As the cold begins to creep into the Valley, the RCN crew is ready to move indoors. The wind and cold temperatures on Friday night at Parkland convinced everyone on camera outside that they really like basketball better.
4. Speaking of basketball, we have a rare college doubleheader for you this Sunday when the Lafayette men take on Penn and the Lafayette women play St. Peter’s. The action begins at 2:00pm with the men.
5. There are PIAA state football match-ups in store this weekend on RCN-TV. Wyoming Valley West – Parkland will be LIVE on Friday night at 7:00 followed by a taped replay of the Notre Dame – Dunmore game.  There are no games Saturday.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 11-3; OVERALL 96-64 (60%)

NFL PICKS (WEEK TEN)

DETROIT
CAROLINA
GREEN BAY
OAKLAND
KANSAS CITY
INDIANAPOLIS
GIANTS
HOUSTON
ATLANTA
CINCINNATI
JACKSONVILLE
JETS
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
NEW ENGLAND
BALTIMORE

It’s been a great fall football season on RCN-TV—thus far!

While it’s not quite time yet to take a look back and identify the top teams, games and players in our coverage area, it’s easy to pick out a few of the moments that have stood out from the pack.

First, here are highlights from a few of our recent games on RCN-TV over the last few weeks.

Now, I am very much aware that we have football teams in the RCN area still alive as we move into the state playoff round.  We’ll continue to talk scholastic football on our next “SportsTalk” show—which will be on Thursday, December 3^rd.  (Our crew would absolutely KILL me if I suggested we do a live show on Thanksgiving Day!).

For those of you from our Washington, DC region, we’re also going to have video highlights from some of the annual “Turkey Day” games featuring the city teams.

However, it’s almost time for our annual “end of the year” awards and I’d like to include you once again as we start to reflect on the highlights from both this year’s football season, as well as the top moments overall in the RCN viewing area.  If you have a favorite sports moment, a really great game or event, a standout athlete or team who really exceeded expectations, we’d love for you to get in contact with us.  Email us at RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com with your opinions and suggestions. Be assured that we’ll factor those in when putting together our “Year in Review” selections.

I, myself, like to start reflecting on the top people and moments with a few weeks to spare.  There are usually a few special events that can get lost in everything going on this time of year (fall sports teams winding down with winter sports action heating up), not to mention the holiday season.

Talking strictly football, a couple games and teams that I, and many District XI football fans, will remember for a long time, include:

• Saucon Valley vs. Notre Dame and “The catch”

• The 73-54 shootout between Central Catholic & Liberty

• Freedom football team’s regular season, ending with the school’s first-ever division title (shared with Parkland HS)

• Saucon Valley’s District Semifinal win over Bethlehem Catholic*

*(Despite some public opinion to the contrary, it is NOT incredibly rare for a Colonial League team to beat a team from the “big school conference” (the East Penn Conference, the Lehigh Valley Conference, the “EPC18”) in a District championship. Wilson won District XI 3A playoffs in 2008, and Northwestern won it a couple years before that.)

Check back to the “SportsTalk Shop” in a couple weeks as we look back at this past season and give shout-outs to our favorite moments during this season as well as other sports highlights from this past year.  Also, with basketball season now upon us, we’ll be previewing the high school hoops season and taking a closer look at the top teams and players to watch this winter in both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and Colonial League.

Last but certainly not least: On behalf of everyone at the “SportsTalk Shop” and RCN, I’d like to wish you and your family a safe and heartfelt “Happy Thanksgiving” holiday.  We are very thankful for your readership throughout the year and for the many wonderful comments you pass along to us about our coverage here on this blog and on RCN-TV.  Many thanks to all and have a wonderful holiday season!!

“The Lehigh–Lafayette game is an integral part of a college education. The game provides thrills and excitement and instills an attitude that is essential to succeed in all walks of life. Traditions, pregame hype and celebrations are all as important as the game itself. No other football rivalry is quite like Lehigh-Lafayette. The traditions are pure and the festivities are genuine. Sportswriters are afraid to predict the winner, oddsmakers shy from a point spread and coaches don’t have to worry about getting their players up for the game. Previous records, scores and games against common opponents are meaningless. It’s one game—all or nothing.”

Preface Legends of Lehigh-Lafayette  by Todd Davidson and Bob Donchez D&D Publishing Company, 1995

As college football’s most-played rivalry is set to be played this Saturday at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, the quote continues to ring true.  It was probably just as true on October 25, 1884 when the two teams took the field for the very first time.  Who would have guessed back then that 150 more games would take place prior to this Saturday?

Here are some facts about the rivalry:

First Meeting: Oct. 25, 1884; Easton—Lafayette 56, Lehigh 0

Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2014; Yankee Stadium—Lafayette 27, Lehigh 7

Series Record: Lafayette leads, 78-67-5 (.537) (150 games)

In Easton: Lafayette leads, 41-29-5

In Bethlehem: Lehigh leads, 37-36

Neutral Site: Series tied, 1-1

Lafayette won 27-7 in Bronx, N.Y. (Yankee Stadium) on Nov. 22, 2014 Lehigh won 16-2 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Nov. 25, 1891

Largest Margin of Victory (Lafayette): Nov. 18, 1944; Easton—Lafayette 64, Lehigh 0

Largest Margin of Victory (Lehigh):Nov. 24, 1917; Bethlehem —Lehigh 78, Lafayette 0

Last Shutout: Nov. 22, 1980; Easton—Lehigh 32, Lafayette 0

Last Tie: Nov. 21, 1964; Easton, Lafayette 6, Lehigh 6 (100th meeting)

Points Scored in Series: Lafayette 2,670; Lehigh 2,202

Longest Lafayette Win Streak: 10 wins, 1919-28

Longest Lehigh Win Streak: 7 wins; 1995-2001

Miscellaneous Facts: The schools played each other twice per season from 1884-1901. They met three times in 1891 and did not meet in 1896, due to a player eligibility dispute between the two schools.

Neither team is playing for a championship this year.  In fact, Lehigh has a 5-5 record while Lafayette is a dismal 1-9.  But, it does not matter to the players, the alumni, or the Lehigh Valley fans.  This is Lafayette-Lehigh and that is all that is important.  16,000 fans will attend and half will leave ecstatic and half will leave dissatisfied.

If you do not have a ticket, tune in at 12:30 Saturday afternoon to RCNTV channels 4 or 1004; WBPH Channel 60, or GoLeopards.com on the internet.

Because…it is the ultimate rivalry!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. It all started with the Jets losing to Buffalo on Thursday night. The NFL has become totally unpredictable.  On Sunday, Bears killed the Rams, the Redskins beat the Saints, the Dolphins beat the Eagles, the Bucs beat the Cowboys, the Jaguars beat the Ravens, and, (wait for it) the Lions beat the Packers.  What!!!  I bet (pun) they are dancing in Las Vegas!
2. As I write this, the Flyers have won two of their last 10 and are 6-8-3, and the 76’ers are 0-11, and the Eagles now have a losing record of 4-5. It continues to be tough to be a Philadelphia fan.
3. We covered our first college basketball game this past Sunday and it is hard to imagine seeing a better game the rest of the year. Lafayette took on St. Peter’s and went up by 17 in the first half, only to have the Peacocks come back to tie the game in regulation.  In overtime, St. Peter’s went up by 11 and, as people were filing out, Lafayette kept forcing turnover after turnover and came back to win 87-86.  Check it out:

4. The high school football games did not disappoint this past weekend. Easton avenged a loss to Freedom by winning their first round Subregional AAAA game over Freedom.  Saucon Valley (11-0) pulled off the biggest surprise by beating Bethlehem Catholic, a team that “mercy-ruled” them last year.  Parkland beat District Two’s Delaware Valley and Liberty beat Stroudsburg.  Notre Dame and Northwestern both won at the AA level.
5. More great football match-ups are in store this weekend. In addition to Lafayette-Lehigh this Saturday at 12:30, you can watch the Easton – Parkland game on Friday night at 7:00 and the Saucon Valley – Lehighton game at 9:30 on Saturday.

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 4-10; OVERALL 85-61 (58%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

JACKSONVILLE
CAROLINA
DETROIT
DALLAS
ATLANTA
BALTIMORE
JETS
GREEN BAY
PHILADELPHIA
DENVER
ARIZONA
SEATTLE
KANSAS CITY
NEW ENGLAND

First, a quick pat-on-the back for all the people who participated in last week’s “SportsTalk” show poll (a.k.a. “Who will win the Easton/Freedom football game?”).  Extra congratulations are in order for all the people who predicted (and/or rooted) for an Easton victory.  The win sets up one of several great contests this weekend and we’ll be previewing all of the match-ups involving District XI teams on this Thursday’s “RCN SportsTalk” show (live, 7-8pm on RCN-TV).

Secondly, in addition to breaking down and making predictions about this upcoming weekend’s contests, I’d like to give the Easton and Saucon Valley fans a chance to give some payback to our adversarial co-host, Joe Craig, who predicted double-possession losses for both the Rovers and the Panthers.  After all, turnabout is fair play. We’d be happy to read your emails (RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com) and take your phone calls about those predictions as well as your thoughts on how your teams will do again this weekend.

Now, as we promised in last week’s blog, a closer look at the teams vying for a Class 2A and 3A title this weekend…

Class 3A Championship
Both of these teams got to the title game with solid defense…underrated defenses at that!

Saucon Valley has been in the spotlight because of the running ability of Evan Culver, quarterback Zach Thatcher’s effectiveness in running the offense and the spectacular and timely catches of sophomore Alstan Wolfe.  However, it has been the defensive efforts of those three—and many others—that has fueled the Panthers’ success over the last few seasons.  Culver, who joined his teammates as guests on “RCN SportsTalk” (see it again On-Demand or on our podcasts here on the website), said that he actually prefers to play defense.  That’s a pretty interesting statement considering he’s third among active District XI players in rushing yards and his 64 touchdowns and 4,129 ground-yardage blew away the school records quite some time ago.

Head Coach Matt Evancho, who ran the underappreciated defenses for those great Wilson teams in the 2000s, has been one of the top defensive minds in the Valley for some time.  Seniors Mike Kane, Christian Carvis, Nate Harka and Mike Paolini have been defensive stalwarts for several years and have made for one of the stingiest defenses—Colonial League or EPC–in the area.

Lehighton also allowed just one score in their semifinal game against Blue Mountain. The undefeated Indians forced four turnovers in the first half (six for the game) and scored a defensive touchdown. Their stout defense allowed QB Tyler Cann enough time to warm up the offense and post several second-half scores to put the game away.

Lehighton is similar to Saucon Valley in that they have a core of seniors who have been building to do some special things this fall.  The Indians have a very good secondary and it will not be easy when (if?) the Panthers look to pass the ball.

Class 2A Championship
Speaking of being underrated, I don’t think there’s been a less-mentioned player who’s deserved more accolades than Northwestern’s Harry Hall, who, oh, by the way leads ALL active District XI players in rushing yards.  Hall came into last weekend’s semifinal with 4,860 yards on the ground and 51 TDs (both school records).

I think the Lehigh Valley fan base looked at all the talent that the Tigers lost to graduation from a year ago, and assumed it would be a rebuilding year up in New Tripoli (although they were the #5 team in the “SportsTalk” preseason poll—just sayin’).  However, Northwestern has gotten solid performances on both sides of the ball and played well—even in their losses this season.

One of their losses was to the team they will face in the championship, Notre Dame-Green Pond.  The Crusaders are led by Tre Jordan, who’s passed for over 7,000 yards during his high school career, and he’s just as lethal running the ball.  Mitch Daniel, an outstanding point guard for the basketball team, has made a name for himself as a tailback.  Destyn Woody, Austin Kaulius, Nick Basenese, Jalen Simpson and Aaron Weller all have outstanding abilities receiving the football.  Christian Candelaria, Julian Wismer, Taino Gonzalez and EJ Medina have all had impressive seasons on the defensive side.

The Crusaders have a ton of weapons, a ton of speed and some outstanding defenders.  One would think Notre Dame just has too many horses for Northwestern to handle, but people have discounted the Tigers a few times now, so I’m expecting a very close game on Friday night.

Don’t forget, we’ll be talking about all the 2A/3A/4A playoff teams in our viewing area in action this weekend on this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show (if you miss the program, the podcast will be available Friday afternoon here or catch the program On-Demand).  Also, make sure you check out the Easton/Parkland game Friday and Saucon Valley/Lehighton game Saturday on RCN-TV.

The high school football playoff season is upon us with interesting matchups in the PIAA District 2/4/11 sub-regionals.

First, a quick plug.  For the next two weeks, we’ll be spending most of our “RCN SportsTalk” programs (Thursdays, live, 7-8pm), breaking down ALL of the football sub-regional playoff games, along with thoughts on the Eastern Conference post-season as well.  Feel free to contact us before/during the show to weigh in with your thoughts and questions about the playoffs.

Now, some observations and details on the 4A contests involving District XI teams (we’ll look at the 2A/3A playoff teams in our next blog entry).

Easton/Freedom
If this was almost any other year, I would say the Red Rovers have the advantage—if for no other reason than Freedom already defeated Easton once this year…and Easton RARELY loses to the same team twice in one season.  In fact, even though I thought Freedom was the favorite heading into the first game between these two schools, I might have given the Rovers the nod.  But that was before last weekend.

(BTW:  Freedom was our pre-season #2 team in our “SportsTalk” poll, ranked just ahead of Easton).

I was very impressed with the way Freedom played last Saturday against their traditional rivals, the Liberty Hurricanes.  Andres Santos, who came into the season as the number-two back, finished the regular season with 136 carries, 625 rushing yards, 12-touchdowns and a 5-yards per carry average.  He took on a Liberty defense that was determined to try to stop him, and responded with a 200-yard rushing day (a personal best—his previous high was 117) and two scores.

Furthermore, the senior leaders—Brennan Reinert, Cordell Cotto, Alkiohn Dunkins, Joeshua Ortiz—to name just a few, have been outstanding and have made key contributions on both sides of the ball.  Teamed with junior Brady Hornbaker and sophomore Alec Huertas, I really believe this team is special.  The Patriots have already won a share of their first league/division title, but I believe they have the potential for even greater heights this post-season.

Nasir Minney-Gratz had another awesome performance last week against Nazareth, and before that game I thought that Easton might have had the best, all-around defense in the EPC-South.  I’m no longer sure of that opinion, but I do feel it will be a great game (Friday, live, 7pm on RCN-TV).

Del Val/Parkland
When District XI puts the schedule together before the season starts, they should probably just schedule these two teams to play each other, as these schools have run into each other—at least once—for several years in a row.

Del Val boasts senior running back Austin Cernek (156 carries, 920 yards, 9-TDs) and sophomore wide receiver Dylan Kelly (13 catches, 271, 4-TDs).  Junior QB Matt Cavallero 68-128 passing, 975 yards, 8-TDs, 12-INTs) does a good job orchestrating the offense.  However, I don’t think the Warriors are as strong as some of the previous years’ DV-teams that Parkland has faced.

The Trojans themselves are an interesting team.  The one time I’ve seen them in person (against Freedom), they looked flat-out phenomenal.   They have, in my opinion, the best athlete in the area (QB Devante Cross) and are loaded with depth at nearly every position, along with players (Kenny Yeboah, Eric Digirolamo and others) who have appeared quite a bit on the “SportsTalk” highlight reels this fall.

I’ve talked to some of my colleagues who’ve seen them more often and they opined that the team sometimes plays to the level of their competition and/or lacks emotion.  I feel that will not be the case now that the post-season is here, and I’d say that Parkland heads into the playoffs as the favorite in this game…if not the entire sub-regional tournament.

The Parkland/Del Val game will be broadcast on RCN-TV, tape-delayed, Friday at 9:30 pm.

Stroudsburg/Liberty
The Hurricanes may have the best quarterback (Doug Erney) in the area.  They have, in my opinion, one of the best junior running backs (Gunner Anglovich) in the region.  They have an outstanding offensive live and a great collection of receivers.  On paper, they have the advantage in every offensive aspect of the game.

However…

Over the last two weeks, the Liberty defense has surrendered a whopping 89 points.  They’ve had issues with tackling and have committed untimely penalties at times throughout the season.  They feature some great individual performers, but the team overall has lacked consistency.  If Liberty plays to its potential on Saturday night (live, 7pm, RCN-TV), the game could be a blow-out.  But I don’t see the Mountaineers going away quietly.  If the Canes take Stroudsburg lightly, look ahead to a possible second-round contest against Parkland, or if they lack consistency and focus for an extended period, this game could be much tighter than people are expecting.

Wyoming Valley West/Nazareth
There are some really great athletes at Nazareth right now…perhaps, a few of their future “all-time greats.”  The Blue Eagles have to be cautious heading into their first round match-up.  It’s not uncommon for District XI teams to face a team with a great regular season record, only to mercy-rule them before halftime.  It’s doubtful this will be the case.  The Spartans have played some good teams this year, and have a number of playmakers who will have to be contained.  Junior QB Aaron Austin has passed for nearly 1,500 yards, and running back Sean Judge has rushed for over 1,100 yards.

Nazareth can build on a strong showing last week against Easton, and, regardless of this Friday’s outcome, has exceeded expectations this fall—with many of these players returning next year.  However, I believe this will be a close ball game with lots of scoring, and an all-out shootout could translate to the Eagles coming home with a round-one victory.

Feel free to email your comments on our District XI 4-A football teams to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and tune in to this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” for your comments, along with more insights, predictions, players to watch and keys to victory on this weekend’s contests.  If you miss our live show, don’t forget to check out the program’s podcast available on Friday afternoon.

Nysir Minney-Gratz of Easton High School is a running back.   He wears #7 and is listed at 5’ 7” and weighs 155 pounds.   On Friday night, he rushed for 469 yards against the Nazareth Blue Eagles.  He also scored six touchdowns.  469 yards!!  That is a new Easton High school rushing record at a school where rushing the football is equivalent to Saturday following Friday.  It happens every single week of every single game during the football season.  The forward pass is an afterthought.

So, suffice it to say that Easton has had, year in and year out, exceptional running backs.  But no one has ever rushed for more than 400 yards in one game for the Rovers.  The previous record was set by Juan Gaddy in 1991 when he ran for, what now seems like a paltry 314 yards.  Minney-Gratz ran for more than that in the second half alone – 20 carries for 325 yards.  By the way, he caught one pass for 23 yards.

If you like football numbers, you know that one of the personal goals of any running back is to attain 1,000 yards rushing in a season.  Minney-Gratz ran for 875 yards the last three weeks alone – 1715 yards for the season. And to think that in the two years prior to this season, he ran for a total of 289 yards.  But, as I mentioned, there have been many, many great running backs at Easton and Minney-Gratz sat behind another Easton legend, Shane Simpson, for the past two years.

There have been seven running backs this year who have rushed for over 300 yards in a game, five who have set school records.  Emmaus’ Kyle Boney will rush for over 2000 yards before he puts away his jersey.  His high this year is 377 yards in one game.  Liberty’s Gunner Anglovitch rushed for 391 yards just two Saturdays ago.  Saucon Valley’s Evan Culver needs just 52 yards to go over 2,000 yards for this season.

This certainly begs the question – Are these athletes so outstanding or are defenses non-existent?  I made a quick count of EPC and Colonial games and there were 24 games where a team scored 50+ points in a game and 11 more where a team scored 49 points.  In one game, a team scored 54 points and lost by 21. 75-54!!  Where are the defenses?

Many coaches attribute the high scores to outstanding offensive talent, but also to poor defensive skills.  They say there is much less time spent on contact drills in practice due to the fear of injury and this has limited the repetition necessary for an individual to become a good run stuffer and a good tackler.  Everywhere I go now I hear the phrase, “Nobody can tackle any more”.

In case you are wondering, the Pennsylvania single-game record is 722 yards set this year in a 107-90 game.  107-90?

Maybe, by comparison, our defense isn’t so bad in the Lehigh Valley!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. The Eagles’ victory on Sunday night in overtime was refreshing for a couple of reasons – Sam Bradford threw a perfect pass to win the game and it was caught, not dropped. And, it took some of the spotlight off of Greg Hardy, who should not be playing for the Cowboys at all, except he settled a financial civil suit with his girlfriend so she would not testify in his jury trial.  No matter how you spin it, he should not be playing football – another reason for fans to hate the Cowboys.
2. As I write this, the Flyers are 5-9, losing six of their last seven, and the 76ers are 0-6, so the Eagles are the last vestige of hope for the Philadelphia fans through the winter.
3. In the Football Bowl Subdivision, there are only six undefeated teams – Clemson, Baylor, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Houston. Baylor and Oklahoma State play of November 21 and Ohio State will probably play Iowa for the Big Ten Championship.  That will leave four and that’s what the NCAA likes for their playoff system.  Houston may end up playing Temple for the American Athletic Conference title.
4. The Allentown public schools can be proud of the weekend dedication of the Andre Reed Field and the spirited play of their two football teams. Both Allen and Dieruff did themselves proud and I’m sure Andre was happy to see the Huskies come away victorious.
5. You can find all of the brackets for the District XI football games which begin this weekend at the following site:  http://www.districtxi.com/fall/football

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 5-8; OVERALL 81-51 (61%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

JETS
GREEN BAY
DALLAS
CAROLINA
ST LOUIS
NEW ORLEANS
PHILADELPHIA
PITTSBURGH
BALTIMORE
MINNESOTA
DENVER
NEW ENGLAND
SEATTLE
CINCINNATI

When I sit down to schedule high school football games, you just never know what you are going to get.  That was not the case this past weekend.  Every game had the potential to be a classic or, as often happens when there is so much hype, disappointing the spectators and the viewers at home.  Well, guess what – every game became a future classic.

The night began with Easton traveling to Bethlehem to take on Freedom.  Freedom was coming off their first loss of the season and Easton was trying to stay alive in the Conference championship race.  Based on past meetings, Easton was probably a heavy favorite to win and quickly jumped out to a 13-0 lead after three possessions and maintained that lead at the half.  And Easton would receive the second-half kickoff.

Easton did not get a first down and Freedom scored on the following possession: 13-7.  Freedom’s defense caused four turnovers on Easton’s next four offensive sets and finally scored with 2:07 to go in the game: 13-13 with the extra point to follow for the win.  It was blocked!  13-13 at the end of regulation.

Easton fumbled in overtime and on a fourth and one, Freedom won the game 19-13.  One could make the argument that this was the biggest win in Freedom football history.

Game two matched undefeated Notre Dame (9-0) against undefeated Saucon Valley (9-0).  The winner would most likely win the Colonial League championship.  Saucon Valley last won the title in 2004 and Notre Dame had never won one.

Notre Dame scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35-35.  With 45-seconds to play in regulation, Saucon Valley scored and captured a thrilling 42-35 victory.  Notre Dame’s quarterback threw for 224 yards and ran for 111.  Saucon’s Evan Culver ran for 208 yards and two TD’s.  Saucon’s QB Zach Thatcher ran for 172 yards and three TD’s and threw for 86 yards, 75 on the last drive.

And, believe it or not, the craziest game was saved for Saturday afternoon with Liberty taking on Central Catholic.  For starters, the score was 75-54!!  129 points!  Nineteen touchdowns were scored!  Liberty won.

Liberty rushed for 594 yards; Central ran and threw for 561.  The game featured 1,206 total yards when all the passing numbers were added.  Liberty’s Gunner Anglovich scored seven TD’s and rushed for 361 yards.  Central’s Alvin Pacheco scored four rushing TD’s.  Central QB Ethan Persa threw for 343 yards.  Oh, there were three punts in the game.  That might be the most unbelievable stat.  There were possessions when a team did NOT score!

So, we hit the tri-fecta this past weekend and it will be pretty much impossible to duplicate these three games on one weekend.  But… Freedom plays Liberty on Saturday and Central plays Bethlehem Catholic (another offensive machine) on Saturday night.

Who knows… just maybe…

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. One of the more common phrases used in sports is that “defense wins championships”. The World Series proved the opposite – “Lack of defense loses championships”.  The Mets had six errors in five games, none bigger than the throwing error by Lucas Duda that kept them from winning Game Five.
2. The Royals won their second title with the previous one coming in 1985. Remember they lost Game Seven last year to the San Francisco Giants.  Ironically, the Mets led after eight innings in three games they lost.
3. The NCAA will probably now switch to a centralized replay review system like that used by the NFL, NBA, NHL, and the MLB after the fiasco at the end of the Duke-Miami game. There were eight laterals, and four missed calls that would have resulted in a Duke win.  The officiating crew was suspended for two games, but the ruling on the field was not changed.  Miami won!

In case you missed the play:

http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/11/01/miami-duke-ending-ncaa-replay-reform-refs

4. With the Eagles having a bye week, all the football attention in Philadelphia was on the Notre Dame – Temple game. Both teams came in ranked in the NCAA.  Notre Dame had one loss and Temple was undefeated.  The atmosphere was electric and Temple played a superb game losing late on an interception by a 24-20 score.  It’s good to see a Philly school play big-time college football again.
5. The District XI football brackets will be out by noon on Sunday. There will be four classifications for the last time as the District adds two more starting next season.  The first round in AAAA and semifinals in AAA, AA, and A all start on the weekend of the 13^th.

And finally, a very, very sad note.  Last week’s blog focused on former Easton football player “Chevy” Graham and his determination to play college football at Kansas.  He achieved that goal.  Tragically, this past Monday, his 14-year-old sister, Lelieth, died in her sleep. She was an honor student and involved in many in-school and out-of-school activities.  She suffered from an irregular heartbeat.  So tragic. http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2015/11/chelsie_graham_recalled_as_act.html

NFL PICKS LAST WEEK – 8-6; OVERALL 76-43 (64%)
NFL PICKS (WEEK NINE)

CINCINNATI
GREEN BAY
PATRIOTS
NEW ORLEANS
MIAMI
ST LOUIS
JETS
OAKLAND
GIANTS
ATLANTA
DENVER
PHILADELPHIA
SAN DIEGO