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

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

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

Girl’s Lacrosse All-Star Team

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

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

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

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

Utility:
Karee Vandever – Freedom
Karsen Hippert – Easton

Most Valuable Player: Devon Bush – Pleasant Valley

Boy’s Lacrosse All-Star Team

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

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

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

Long Stick Midfielder
Cole Angeline – Nazareth
Michael Chies – Emmaus

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

Faceoff
Jared Karabinus – Freedom
James Scott – Parkland

Goalie
Sam Rainford – Emmaus
Andrew Matulevicius – Parkland

Most Valuable Player: William Barber – Emmaus

Boy’s Volleyball All-Star Team

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Ashley Rodrigues and Moravian Athletics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

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

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

Astound Sports: Grandview Speedway (5/24)

Astound Sports: Freedom vs. Nazareth (1/24)

Astound Sports: Polo Highlights

Astound Sports: Grandview Speedway (08/23)

Next up in the College Spotlight series is an interview with one of my teammates and good friends, Jackie Salvatore. Salvatore just completed her junior season on the Women’s Lacrosse team at Moravian University. As a three year starter, she has had standout seasons earning numerous honors throughout her time thus far. In just three seasons she stands with 134 goals, 125 assists, 92 ground balls, 127 draw controls, and 39 caused turnovers. Salvatore now holds the school record for number of points in a single season standing at 109. She registered 52 goals, 57 assists, 91 draw controls , 32 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers this past season. Additionally, she has earned Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year her first year in 2022, Landmark All-Conference 2nd Team in 2023, Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week once in 2023 and twice in 2024, and Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. She also made the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) All Metro Region 1st Team in 2024. I am excited to see Jackie succeed in her senior season and I wish her the best of luck.

What position do you play and what did you/are you studying? 

I play attack, and I am a public health major.

How/when did you start playing lacrosse and how did it lead you to where you are now? 

I did a pee wee lacrosse clinic in kindergarten, but then actually started playing for my hometown’s recreation team in 6th grade. When I reached high school, I tried out for a club lacrosse team-T3 lacrosse. Playing for my club team was really when I started loving lacrosse more than soccer or basketball. My club team allowed me to meet my college lacrosse coach. It also allowed me to play at higher levels and be pushed to a new level.

What inspired you to pursue lacrosse at the collegiate level, and how/why did you choose Moravian? 

My hometown has always been known for having very competitive and high levels of girl’s and boy’s lacrosse, so I was used to playing with girls that would go DI to play lacrosse in college. This pushed me to want to play lacrosse at college. I became aware of Moravian because my club lacrosse coach was also the head coach of the Moravian Women’s lacrosse team. I saw this as an opportunity to play at a higher level of lacrosse while also being able to focus on academics at a D3 level.

Throughout your college career, what do you believe has been the key to your success both individually and as a member of your team? 

I believe my key to success has been keeping myself motivated. It is not always easy but in my off season I always have goals of something new I want to achieve. This keeps me working hard and working towards something new that will make me better. I am never complacent and I believe this is a part of my success. I contribute playing on multiple teams in high school of soccer, basketball, and lacrossel to my success in being a member of my team. I have learned ways in which to communicate, be emotionally intelligent, be flexible, and be positive in teams to be a good teammate.

As a leader on your team, what role do you play in motivating and supporting your teammates to achieve their best both on and off the field? 

I believe that in order to be a good leader there has to be an equal mix of being honest and blunt with your teammates while also being positive. While being at school I would try to constantly work in the off season whether it was running, going to the wall, or shooting, and would encourage my teammates to come and join. Little gestures like this are motivating to my teammates and encouraging them to come and get better at the little things. Outside of lacrosse I would try to be a good role model by being someone that my teammates could come talk to if they needed help with anything. It is important to be a good role model and push your teammates to be better like you wish they pushed you as well. I love being very positive to my teammates because I know sometimes that’s all it takes to change a mood. I would also like to believe I am someone that my teammates can come to for help with mental health and to just be someone to talk to when things get difficult.

More coming in the next edition of “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

Photo by Avery Saladino and Moravian Athletics

This past week I interviewed Trevor Dzama who not only is one of my friends, but also has had a standout lacrosse career at Moravian University so I decided to get an insight from Trevor to see what led him to lacrosse and how he was able to dominate on the field. Dzama completed his career playing in 53 games, and even with a shortened season in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, he has been able to make a name for himself not only at Moravian but across the Landmark Conference and nationally. He holds the school record for total career points standing at 203 points, registering 75 goals, 128 assists, and picked up 69 ground balls. He has earned numerous accolades including holding the Landmark Conference record for total number of assists, which also surpasses the Moravian record which was previously held by Clint Quedenfeld with 124. Additionally, he has earned Landmark Conference Player of the Week in 2024, Landmark All-Conference 2nd Team in 2024, and been on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Team of the Week in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

What position do you play and what did you/are you studying? 

Attack, and majored in History.

How/when did you start playing lacrosse and how did it lead you to where you are now? 

I started playing lacrosse before I learned how to walk just by throwing with a stick in my house, but I started playing for real in kindergarten. Obviously starting that young I have gotten very good at the technical skills of lacrosse just by playing for so long but it has also gotten me to a point where I have seen everything that could ever happen on the lacrosse field so that I feel comfortable in any position.

What inspired you to pursue lacrosse at the collegiate level, and how/why did you choose Moravian? 

I think the interest in me as a lacrosse player after my junior year of high school from college coaches really inspired me to play at the collegiate level. For much of my high school career I was undersized and not good enough to play varsity lacrosse so I didn’t ever think I would play in college, but after seeing how many coaches were recruiting me from DI to DIII after my junior year, I felt it would be a waste of my talent to not play at the next level. I chose Moravian because I liked the campus and the city of Bethlehem a lot.

Throughout your college career, what do you believe has been the key to your success both individually and as a member of your team? 

I think my knowledge of the game has been a big help in college as the game is much faster than in high school. Second is the confidence I have in myself and my abilities which is something that I think is vital in team sports. As a member of the team, my leadership abilities and selflessness has helped create both individual and team success.

As a leader on your team, what role do you play in motivating and supporting your teammates to achieve their best both on and off the field? 

In our current leadership group, I have found that where I can most effectively help our team is through individual leadership. Some of our other captains are quite good at motivating an entire team, but I think I really help our team by getting the most out of every individual player, whether that is through encouraging them to be their best or just helping them through tough times at practice and in games. 

We will have more news on local high school and college lacrosse interviews and videos in the next edition of “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.

Last week, the ATVN Sports department had a busy week broadcasting EPC and Colonial League playoff games.  Below are highlights of those games.

For the upcoming baseball and 6A girls softball district playoff games next week, tune in ATVN and also watch the games streamed live on our YouTube channel:  @AstoundTVNetwork

Astound Sports: Liberty vs Bethlehem Catholic (5/24)

Astound Sports: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Wilson (5/24)

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

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

Astound Sports: Nazareth vs. Freedom (9/23)

  DVDs and links to these games can be purchased by contacting the ATVN studio.

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 present this year’s EPC high school baseball all-star teams, a few notes about last week’s league playoff games seen on the Astound TV Network.

First, despite the weather and prom season radically changing almost ALL originally scheduled games (both the EPC and Colonial League tourneys were supposed to start the previous Friday, with most games being delayed as many as three days) there were some outstanding performances by all teams.

Secondly, congrats to Liberty (again) and Wilson (for their first league baseball title since 2008) for bringing home the gold medals.  Most of the games were very competitive and we also saw an abundance of non-seniors stepping up, which indicates next spring’s playoffs should be intense with so many returning players…not to mention the upcoming district playoffs, which begin later this week.

Speaking of this week, ATVN will broadcast for the first-time ever on our network, the 2A & 3A girls and boys District XI lacrosse championships.  It’ll be a very busy “week-plus” around the Memorial Day weekend as we will also have District XI baseball title games involving teams in the ATVN viewing area, along with the 6A girls softball championships all between now and the end of the month.

Enjoy!

Now, here’s the complete listing of EPC “all-conference” and “all-division” team members–the first team members were honored before last Friday’s championship.

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
2024 Baseball

All-Conference 1st Team

Pitcher (2):
Noah Gyauch Quirk- Liberty
Adam Horvath – PME

Catcher (1):
Franklin Pichardo – Liberty

Infielders (4):
Jacob Rivera – Liberty
Rocco Delgiudice – PME
Chad Kauffman- Emmaus
Louis Inserra – Parkland

Outfielders (3):
Braylen Gonzalez – Liberty
Aidan Butz – Nazareth
Jarred Peluso – Freedom

Utility (2):
Josiah Williams – Emmaus
Alex Suarez – Freedom

MVP:
Noah Gyauch Quirk – Liberty

All-Conference 2nd Team

Pitcher (2):
Cole Moreau – Emmaus
Chase Walker – Freedom

Catcher (1):
Luis Reyes – Allen

Infielders (5):
Vincent Paar – Nazareth
Mason Haupt – Northampton
Caden Deegan – Bethlehem Catholic
John Phillips- Freedom
Bobby Ehrmann – Pocono Mt. East

Outfielders (3):
Andrew Klotz – Parkland
Noah Hogan – Emmaus
Adam Horvath – Pocono Mt. East

Utility (2):
Matt Daems – Nazareth
Cohen Schadler – Emmaus

All-Division Team
Division: Lehigh

Pitcher (2):
Cole Moreau – Emmaus
Logan Higgins – Northampton

Catcher (1):
Luis Reyes – Allen

Infielders (4):
Louis Inserra – Parkland
Chad Kauffman – Emmaus
Mason Haupt – Northampton
Trevor Golden – Allen

Outfielders (3):
Andrew Klotz – Parkland
Noah Hogan – Emmaus
Seth Hodorewski – Whitehall

Utility (2):
Josiah Williams – Emmaus
Cohen Schadler – Emmaus

All-Division Team
Division: Northampton

Pitcher (2):
Noah Gyauch Quirk – Liberty
Chase Walker – Freedom

Catcher (1):
Franklin Pichardo – Liberty

Infielders (4):
Jacob Rivera – Liberty
Caden Deegan – BECA
John Phillips- Freedom
Vincent Paar – Nazareth

Outfielders (3):
Braylen Gonzalez – Liberty
Aidan Butz – Nazareth
Jarred Peluso – Freedom

Utility (2):
Alex Suarez- Freedom
Matt Daems – Nazareth

All-Division Team
Division: Monroe

Pitcher (2):
Adam Horvath – PME
Liam Huffman – East Stroudsburg South

Catcher (1):
Thomas Gonzalez – Stroudsburg

Infielders (4):
Will Mecca – PMW
Rocco Delgiudice – PME
Bobby Ehrmann – PME
Jayden Martinez – PME

Outfielders (3):
Logan Rasmussen – ESS
Adam Horvath – PME
Dakoda Lucas – PV

Utility (2):
Zach Pandolfo – PN
Eric Rivera – PMW

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more all-star listings as they become available to us.

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.

There were some interesting results from the recent tennis tournament championships. 

Here are the results along with pictures of the winning squads…

In the District XI boy’s singles finals:

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

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

In the girl’s District XI TEAM finals…

2A Finals- #1 Moravian Academy 3 #2 Allentown Central Catholic 0    

3A Finals- #1 Parkland 3 #2 Liberty 0 

Next, in the District XI girl’s singles finals:

2A Finals- #1 Francesca Bartolacci (Moravian Academy) defeated #3 Mallory Conner (Northwestern Lehigh) 6-4, 6-0

3A Finals- #1 Helena Lynn (Liberty) defeated #2 Alexandria Warsing (Parkland) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3  

Last but not least, here are the boys Eastern Pennsylvania Conference “All-League” team members…

EPC Most Valuable Player:  Luke Appleman – Liberty  

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

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

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

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

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

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

More local tennis news, award winners and honors, along with other sports’ achievements by student-athletes in the Astound TV Network’s coverage area – as they become available – in future editions of “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.

Today we introduce a new blogger and series of articles by Salome Carr, a standout lacrosse athlete at Saucon Valley HS and Moravian College, to increase the awareness, knowledge and popularity of this growing sport for our readers.

In the realm of sports, lacrosse stands out as one of the top emerging sports with rapid growth in recent years in not only the Lehigh Valley, but across the country and all over the world. There has been a rise in the amount of teams and opportunities at the high school, collegiate, and even professional levels. Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America. The game played today originates from Native American communities and most closely relates to stickball that the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois people. Over the years, it has been adapted to cater to a diverse array of participants across different age groups, genders, and skill levels, and still continues to grow each and every year. 

When it comes to the technicalities of the game, the Men’s and Women’s versions could not be more different. While they do share fundamental principles such as getting the ball in the net, the two variants exhibit distinct differences. Men’s lacrosse is renowned for its physicality and high-speed gameplay, with aggressive stick checks, and lightning-fast shots on goal. Conversely, women’s lacrosse prioritizes finesse, strategy, and precision, with players wielding different equipment and adhering to modified rules regarding contact and protective gear. Not only do the men and women play with different equipment, the field set up and number of players is different too. 

Men 

• 10 players on the field at once
• 6 v 6 on the attacking side 
• Faceoff at the start/after each goal
• Sticks – Field Players
  • Must measure between 40-42 inches in length for standard stick; long pole can be 50-72 inches.
• Equipment – Field Players
  • Helmet
  • Mouthguard
  • Gloves
  • Shoulder & Elbow pads
  • Chest protector

Women 

• 12 players on the field at once 
• 7 v 7 on the attacking side 
• Draw at the start/after each goal 
• Sticks – Field Players
  • Must measure between 35.5 – 43.5 inches in length 
• Equipment – Field Players
  • Mouthguard
  • Goggles or helmet

Despite these differences, both men’s and women’s lacrosse has gained exponential growth in recent years, propelled by an increase in media coverage, sponsorships, and overall popularity. The youth club opportunities in the Lehigh Valley too have grown and expanded in the last 10 years. More importantly, the rise of women’s lacrosse games that are televised has grown exponentially in the more recent years as there is more and more awareness about the game and strong players that are making a name for themselves and the sport as a whole. Additionally, the expansion of professional leagues, such as Premier League Lacrosse (PLL) for men and the Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse League for women, has provided aspiring athletes with pathways to pursue their passion at the highest level. 

Lacrosse’s rise from its indigenous roots to a global sporting phenomenon epitomizes its enduring appeal and adaptability. As it continues to evolve, embracing new audiences and avenues for participation, there is no doubt that this is just the beginning for what is to come. With each passing year, lacrosse cements its status as more than just a game whether on youth “rec fields” or in the professional leagues, it stands as a testament to the power of sport and the impact it has on people.

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