District XI Football Recaps

It was our pleasure to cover the District XI football playoffs once again this fall on RCN-TV. While some games were one-sided, there were some great contests with many outstanding individual and team triumphs en route to this year’s championships.

CLASS 2A PLAYOFFS
Catasauqua accomplished what it couldn’t do a year ago–when Pen Argyl defeated the Rough Riders in the District title game.

http://youtu.be/pzvmI7-uILY

Like many of the great head coaches in our viewing area, Tom Falzone used this experience as a life-lesson. In speaking with his players before the game, he talked about not always having a second chance in life, being appreciative when you do, and making sure you focus on your priorities when given opportunities. Several of the Catty coaches and administrators have talked about what a special, respectful and fun group of players they have had for the last two years, and it was great for their program to finally have the gold metal placed around their necks.

Palisades, Catty’s opponent in the championship, also had a great year…exceeding everyone’s expectations but their own. Head Coach Kevin Ronalds got an extra special gift this fall, as his son, serving oversees in the military, came home to see his family and got to spend a few weeks in the Lehigh Valley before returning to an “undisclosed location.” Ronalds is one of a handful of coaches in the area who have successfully rebuilt their football programs this fall. In my long-range crystal ball, I see an even more competitive 2014 season in the Colonial League. The Pirates, Southern Lehigh, Saucon Valley, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Pen Argyl, Northern Lehigh and perhaps one other team all have legitimate chances to fight for the league crown.

CLASS 3A PLAYOFFS
In the District XI semifinals, Southern Lehigh dominated in its win over Pottsville with a very balanced attack. While Bethlehem Catholic also won by a significant margin, I was impressed by Lehighton and how they battled the Golden Hawks, especially after sustaining an injury to one of their key players.

http://youtu.be/AR7RH93_GrQ

The championship was one of the most competitive games all season. Perhaps most impressive to me was the Southern Lehigh secondary. Despite giving up between 5 to 9-inches in height to a quicker group of wide receivers, the Spartans held Becahi to 7 passes for 24 yards–one of their lowest outputs of the season. Likewise, Collin Kendricks and company contain the Hawks’ ground game, but Becahi’s defense was also up to the challenge. Guys like Will Ward, Antwon Keenan, Dante Lonardo, Josh Heron, Searn Moroney, Mike McDanniel and others stepped up in key moments, enabling the Hawks to win the title in overtime:

CLASS 4A PLAYOFFS
In the first round, both Parkland and Whitehall looked solid, although Stroudsburg and Pleasant Valley both played valiantly and did not disappear after the Trojans and Zephrys took early leads. The big story for me was the development of Parkland’s DeVante Cross as a passer in this game:

For Whitehall versus Pleasant Valley—two teams that love to run a hurry-up, fast-tempo offense—it was an entertaining game, with lots of highlights on both sides of the football:

http://youtu.be/f9FX6BNX3HI

In the district semifinal, Parkland’s defense stepped up big time as I thought they would (see my blog entry from the second week of September) and held the vaunted Whitehall offense in check until the Trojans had built a solid cushion:

Easton, playing without some key players, defeated Wyoming Valley West by one point in their first round playoff game. A week later they dominated its matchup against undefeated East Stroudsburg South, setting up the championship faceoff with Parkland.

For the second straight year, it was Parkland avenging a regular season loss to Easton in the championship. Another irony, the District XI season ended almost identical to the way it began–with the Trojans dominating a team on both sides of the ball. The win over the Rovers was vastly more impressive than their week-one blowout over a rebuilding Del Val team. Easton had looked as the most well-rounded team of all the schools I visited during August double-sessions. Parkland’s offense and defense have been improving all season and was just too strong last Friday as the Trojans made the title game win look easy.

Which team do you feel had the most impressive run during the district playoffs? Which highlights do you think were the best? Send us an email with your opinions to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and join us for our next live show on December 5th at 6pm. Among out topics on that program, we’ll be updating the PIAA playoff pictures and also talking Eagles and NFL news with beat writers Nick Fierro and Al Thompson.

Check back to our blog soon as we’ll be looking for your help in nominating the top teams, athletes, games and more for our sports “year-in-review” program.

An Algorithm: Founder + CEO = Girls’ Basketball Coach?

I spend part of my Sundays watching two programs – Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes. I watch because I always learn something and find both programs very interesting. This past Sunday (11/24/13), 60 Minutes featured a story about Malcolm Gladwell, the author of a current New York Times bestseller titled, David and Goliath. The book examines the struggles of underdogs versus favorites. Part of Gladwell’s research took him to Vivek Ranadive.

Ranadive, a native of India, arrived in America with $100 in his pocket and one semester paid at MIT. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in four years and then an MBA from Harvard University. He went on to become the founder and CEO of TIBCO, a multi-billion dollar computing company.

The 60 Minutes piece, however, has nothing to do with the business acumen that Ranadive obviously possesses, but instead deals with his approach to coaching basketball for his daughter’s middle school team. Ranadive NEVER played the game of basketball, he never dribbled a basketball, he never scored a basket, and, obviously never was asked to coach a basketball team. As a matter of fact, he never TOUCHED a basketball. Add to the self-admitted lack of basketball knowledge, he, also, had a team that had very little talent and virtually no ability to put the ball in the basket. So he approached the job like he approached the business world – create an algorithm (a step-by-step procedure for calculations), study all aspects, analyze what works and what doesn’t, examine your staff (team) and figure out a path to success.

He observed that the only way his team could score was by shooting lay-ups. The only way they could shoot lay-ups was to steal the ball from the other team. His girls could run – they couldn’t shoot. He decided not to even practice shooting. It was fruitless. Instead, he taught them to press, double-team and triple-team all over the court. With a steal and a quick pass, his girls could shoot lay-ups, the only shots at which they were adept. They frustrated their opponents to the point where one opposing coach threatened to beat him up after a game. His team played so well that the girls competed in the state championship. It was coaching genius, or perhaps more accurately, just genius.

He literally fell in love with basketball. So he took, for him anyway, the next natural step, a new algorithm: Love of Game + Plenty of Money = Buy a Team. And he did.

First, he became co-owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, the first person of Indian descent to do so. He had to sell his share of that team in order to become the leader of the ownership group that bought the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

Perhaps we should all spend a little more time studying algorithms.

You can watch the 60 Minutes piece at:
http://cowbellkingdom.com/2013/11/25/watch-vivek-ranadive-interviewed-for-malcolm-gladwell-piece-on-60-minutes/

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. On Friday night, Kareem Williams of Parkland rushed for 309 yards and four touchdowns. In the past two weeks, he has run for 536 yards and six TDs and has 1,830 yards for the season. BUT it is not even the best rushing performance in his family. Brother Andre, a Parkland grad, rushed for 602 yards the past two weeks for Boston College against North Carolina State and Maryland. He became only the 16th player in NCAA history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season (Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ricky Williams, to name a few). He leads the nation in rushing and is being considered for the Heisman Trophy. Boston College has one more regular season game against Syracuse.

2. Speaking of rushing performances, Nick Savant of Saucon Valley is the leading rusher this season in the District with 2,135 yards.

3. We will continue the state championship run by our local teams on RCNTV -4/1004 HD this Saturday with LIVE coverage of St. Joe’s Prep vs. Parkland in a PIAA AAAA game at 1:00pm and Imhoptep vs. Catasauqua in a AA tape-delayed game at 7:00pm.

4. Drew Reed, the Lafayette freshman QB “phenom”, was named both the Offensive Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week in the Patriot League after his MVP performance in Lafayette’s 50-28 win over Lehigh. He was also named as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award given to the top FCS freshman in the country. Lafayette next moves to the FCS playoffs against New Hampshire. Twenty-four teams will battle it out for the National Championship. You can watch the game Saturday at noon on ESPN3.

5. During this Thanksgiving week, the RCN sports staff thanks all of our viewers for spending time with us during the football season. Enjoy the family, the football and the turkey!

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (7-6-1: Last week; 109-66-1 overall 62%)
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Phillies Pitching Projections

Last week, we examined what I hoped the Phillies’ lineup and position players roster would look like. This week, it’s the pitchers’ turn.

Starting Pitchers
• Cole Hamels
• Cliff Lee
• Matt Garza / Ricky Nolasco / David Price
• M. A. Gonzalez
• Doc Halladay (only on an incentive-laden contract)
• Kyle Kendrick
• Jonathan Pettibone
• Zach Minor (or another free agent “swingman”)

The Bullpen
• Closer — Jonathan Papelbon (if he’s not traded)
• Set-up — Joe Smith
• Lefty Specialists — Antonia Bastardo & Jake Diekman
• Long Men — B.J. Roseberg & Justin DeFratus
• “On the Bubble” Guys — Michael Stutes, Luis Garcia, Ethan Martin, Cesar Jimenez

First of all, you’re probably asking yourself why I listed eight starting pitchers when there’s only five starting slots. When I covered the Phillies back when Larry Bowa was managing, I remember him prophesying that the game was changing, stating teams need to have eight reliable Major League arms entering a season. His words have become commonplace for most teams, as evidence by the ten different starting pitchers (not including their “bullpen games”) used by the Phillies in 2013. The team needs to be proactive in acquiring enough talent going into the season. They must avoid sending out mediocre Triple-A hurlers in (what will hopefully be) meaningful July and August games, as they were forced to do in 2013.

Secondly, Garza is the best available free agent pitcher available, but there are a few other options I would pursue, both via trades and free agency. As stated in my analysis of the position players, I think you listen to offers for Dom Brown. Coming off an All-Star “breakout” season, I think you could package him (and additional prospects not-named Mikael Franco) to get a long-term “number-3” starting pitcher whom you can have under club control for the next couple of years.

Thirdly, for fans calling on Adam Morgan or Jesse Biddle to start the season with the big club… cool your jets. Morgan had injury problems throughout 2013, and each time he came back he pitched less effectively. Biddle also looked stellar at times, but battled with his control, and you simply CANNOT rely on a young, unproven arm in a year in which so much is at stake.

Finally, I would not simply hand Ethan Martin a spot on the roster. I know fans salivated at the mid-90s fastball and knee-bending curve he put on display in Philly this past season. However, I saw him battle the strike zone while with the IronPigs and think he has to develop some consistency in throwing strikes before becoming a later-inning reliever.

What do you think of my ideas for Phillies 2014 pitching staff? What players do you think the team will add before spring training? Post a comment and let us know what you would do if you were the Phillies’ general manager this winter!

Incognito – I think Not

You often hear people talk about “living up to your name”. That usually implies you come from a famous, over-achieving family and your life will be scrutinized to determine if you are carrying on the successes. I suppose that if your name is Incognito, you live up to that moniker by simply not doing anything of notoriety.

Richie Incognito is certainly NOT living up to his name. Even before the incident that got him suspended from the Miami Dolphins, he was ejected from games in college, charged with assault after a fight at a party, voted the dirtiest player in the NFL in 2009, let go by the Rams because of a disagreement with the coach, and heavily fined for altercations on the field. He has done just about everything but remain incognito in his football career. But even those incidents pale in comparison to the latest firestorm he has created in the NFL.

If you are reading this and you are not a sports fan (first of all, thank you), Incognito has been publicly accused of ruthlessly bullying a Dolphins teammate, fellow offensive lineman Jonathan Martin. The bullying came in the form of racist remarks, threats (real or in “fun”), and other hazing practices. Incognito, Dolphin players and, in some ways, even Martin blame the culture that envelops pro football as the true culprit. In the near future, more and more information about the relationship of these two men will certainly surface, but if you want to have a lively and, hopefully, educational conversation with others ask, some of these questions:

1) Is this situation more about an individual or more about a culture?
2) Should Jonathan Martin have simply stood up to the bully, like many of us were taught as kids, or simply walk away like HE was probably taught as a kid?
3) Are the Dolphin teammates who came out in support of Incognito as much responsible for the culture that created this problem?
4) Isn’t there one person in an NFL locker room who believes “rookie hazing” has gotten out of hand (read about Cam Cleeland’s 1998 initiation with the New Orleans Saints where he had to run a gauntlet with a sheet over his head, was hit by a sock filled with coins, and shattered his eye socket)?
5) If we love football because of the violence and the aggression, should we really be shocked that the players are violent and aggressive?
6) Are you leaning towards putting more of the blame on Incognito, Martin, or the NFL?
7) How would you rule in this case if you are the NFL commissioner?

Answer the questions as a group or for yourself now and then compare them to the answers that should be coming soon from the NFL.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. We often hear that this or that competitive contest is a “game of inches”. Lafayette had a third and one, followed by a fourth and one and gained only inches. They did not gain 36 inches, however, and any chance to beat Colgate and guarantee themselves a share of the Patriot League title was lost…by mere inches!

2. Did you ever wonder about those people who enter eating contests (hot dogs, wings, etc.)? Bill “El Wingador” Simmons is one of those guys. He is a five-time champion of the 94 WIP (Philadelphia radio) Wing Bowl. In his last attempt to win again, he devoured 250 wings, well short of the 337 wings eaten by the champion. “El Wingador” did not get the $20,000 first prize. He needed the money. On June 12, 2012, he was arrested for selling cocaine and in October 2013 was sentenced to seven years in prison. He will miss Wing Bowl 21 in more ways than one.

3. Word is that the Phillies actually would like to sign both Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz for next year. Because Halladay is coming off shoulder surgery, the chances are much greater that he could remain a Phillie than they are for Ruiz. Carlos is testing the free agent market and quite a few major league teams are in need of a good, everyday catcher. It probably is good-bye to Chooch.

4. District football action continues this weekend and the AAA and AA champions will be crowned, with the winners moving into the state playoffs. RCN-TV has Parkland at Whitehall LIVE on Friday night at 7:00pm followed by Palisades at Catasauqua for the AA championship at 9:30pm. The AAA title will be decided Saturday night when Southern Lehigh hosts Bethlehem Catholic LIVE at 7:00pm on RCN-TV.

5. Lafayette takes on undefeated (10-0) Fordham (#6/7 in the FCS polls) Saturday at 3:30pm. Catch that game LIVE also.

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Phillies Position Player 2014 Projections

Back in September, I gave my annual suggestions on what moves the Phillies should make for the upcoming winter trading and free agent season. With the World Series completed and offseason moves in the works, I want to give my take on the Phillies’ projected roster for position players, given the latest news, rumors and insights.

CF Jacob Ellsbury / Curtis Granderson
SS Jimmy Rollins
2b Chase Utley
1b Ryan Howard
RF Mike Morse / Nelson Cruz
C Carlos Ruiz / Dioneer Navaro
3b Cody Asche (might alternate with the catcher depending on if a right or left-handed pitcher is starting)
LF Ben Revere
Right-handed PH — Darin Ruff; Kevin Frandsen, Mark Reynolds or Chris Young
Left-handed PH — Cesar Hernandez or a Free Agent—preferably an outfielder and a ‘power bat’
Utility IF — Freddy Galvis
Backup C — Erik Kratz or Cameron Rupp

ANALYSIS:
First of all, I know you are saying: “Wait…where’s Dom Brown?” I think it’s very possible that the Phillies look to trade Brown for a quality starting pitcher (perhaps included in a package for Tampa Bay’s David Price?). The Phillies’ needs include improving their outfield defense, adding a consistent bat and improving both their bullpen and starting rotation, all at the same time. You have to trade somebody and Brown’s stock will never be higher. I saw him play for years in the minors, and he was very inconsistent, both at the plate and in the field. With the Phillies this year, he hit over .270 with 24 HRs the first half of the year, then hit under .250 with 4 HRs the second half. His defense? Spectacular one minute, botching routine plays the next. You can’t improve this team while keeping it the same, and Brown can get you the most among the trade-able players.

Ellsbury is a guy the Phillies have coveted for some time. Although he’ll be EXTREMELY expensive to acquire, he adds power and a consistent bat to your lineup and is less likely to get resigned by his former team than some of the other free agents the Phils are looking at. Granderson is a cheaper option to play center field, and he should require a shorter deal if the Phillies want to go that route. Cruz is a question mark coming off his PED suspension and his offensive numbers in pitcher-friendly parks are dramatically lower. Morse is a quality clubhouse guy and is coming off a down year—meaning he’ll be affordable and allow you to add a right-handed power bat while allowing you to still spend money elsewhere. Young could also be a right-handed addition who is not a liability defensively. Adding any two of these players improves your outfield defense in THREE spots (moving Revere to left field helps solve his “weak arm” issue that he had in center field).

I’ve heard several other media members strongly suggesting the Phillies will trade Revere instead of Brown, but consider this: what did the Phillies give up last season to acquire Revere…and is that what you really want to have back in return? Trading Brown is not a popular move, but one that must be considered for the right value in return.

The Phillies could also kick the tires on free agent outfielders Carlos Beltran (who I suggested on RCN SportsTalk two years ago when he was available) or Corey Hart, but both have injury issues and the Phillies have enough health-questions already on the roster.

I think the Phillies will try to upgrade by adding a better left-handed bat of the bench than Roger Bernadina, although he did add speed and quality defense. The Phillies were hoping that Bernadina could rebound from his sub-Mendoza batting average in September, but weren’t exactly impressed with what they saw. Because of the lack of outfield depth, I kept Cesar Hernandez off my projected Opening Day roster for now. Major League baseball ruled that he can have an extra option and therefore be sent to Triple-A for the upcoming year. The Phillies were impressed by his bat and the way he adjusted to center field. The plan is to send him to winter ball to see if he can play shortstop. If he can adjust to another new position, he might give Galvis a run for the backup infielder spot.

Ruff still needs to learn to better handle breaking pitches at the major league level and will provide insurance at both first base and the corner outfield positions. In extended playing time, Frandsen didn’t exactly have an explosive second-half at the plate. The Phillies could look to add an extra bat if they have money available, but Ryne Sandberg did talk glowingly about Frandsen’s approach at the plate on several occasions, and his double-digit pinch-hits this year were among the best in the Majors this season.

In an upcoming blog entry, we’ll take a look at the projected Phillies pitching staff. In the meantime, send us your thoughts on the Phillies lineup and position players for the 2014 season and post your opinions on what you think of my roster projections.

Drew Reed and “Opportunity”

Good writers often refer to clichés as “unoriginal thoughts”.

Allow me to illustrate. The scenario: The starting quarterback suffers a concussion and cannot return to action. The backup quarterback performs adequately, but not up to the standards set by the head coach. The head coach makes a change. His next choice and third choice is a freshman who has played one down of college football (he was sacked, by the way, on that play).

So the “door of opportunity” or “a golden opportunity which comes by once in a lifetime” was accepted by Lafayette freshman quarterback, Drew Reed. He did not let “yet another golden opportunity slip away”. And, by now, I have used up my litany of “unoriginal thoughts”. So, just let me tell you about Drew Reed.

He played high school football for Arlington High School in Lakeland, Tennessee. He threw for over 6,000 yards and 70 touchdowns. In his senior year alone, he threw for 1,470 yards, completed 63% of his passes, and threw 15 touchdowns by the sixth game! Then he broke his collarbone. This ended his season and, in essence, ended some of his attractiveness to big-time college football programs.

It took a phone call from an assistant coach at Georgia Tech to Lafayette’s offensive coordinator to put Drew on the Leopard radar screen. The coach said that Drew would be a perfect fit for the Patriot League and for Lafayette – excellent academics, model teenager, and outstanding potential. All he needed was the “opportunity”.

The “door of opportunity” came at the start of the second half against Harvard. Lafayette had scored just three points in the first half. On Drew’s first play he threw an interception. His career statistics at this point were: one run for -9 yards; 0-1 passing with an interception. Was “a golden opportunity slipping away”? Far from it. Drew went on to complete 17 of his next 21 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. That performance earned him a starting nod for the next game against Holy Cross.

His passing numbers for the Holy Cross game were even more astounding – 21 completions in 22 attempts with 20 completions in a row (tying a Patriot League record) to end the game for 283 yards and five touchdowns! He was named the National FCS Player of the Week and the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week, an achievement that had never been done before. At this point, he had more touchdown passes (7) than incompletions (6)! This past week against Georgetown, he was 18 for 24 for 275 yards and four more touchdowns! To date, he has completed 82% of his passes (unheard of) for 11 touchdowns in just 10 quarters of college football. More importantly, he has helped to put Lafayette in sole possession of first place in the Patriot League.

“Opportunity knocked”, Drew Reed answered, and he has certainly “made the best of the situation”. Enough! I am clichéd out!!

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. The Eagles destroyed the Oakland Raiders this past Sunday. Ironically, the Raiders’ quarterback, Terrell Pryor, was recruited heavily out of high school by Eagles’ coach, Chip Kelly. Kelly believed Pryor would be the perfect player to run his Oregon offense. There are rumors that Chip Kelly would love to draft Oregon’s Marcus Mariota for next season. After Nick Foles’ record-setting seven touchdowns pass performance this past week, perhaps Kelly has found his “perfect” quarterback.

2. The New York Jets have alternated wins and losses through the first nine games this season going 5-4. I’m sure they will count this week’s bye week as a loss. The last team to alternate wins and losses through nine games was the New England Patriots. They finished 10-6 and made the playoffs.

3. Lafayette can guarantee themselves a share of the Patriot League Championship on Saturday at 3:30pm with a win over Colgate. You can watch the game LIVE on RCN-TV. Should Lafayette win and Lehigh lose to Holy Cross, Lafayette would be the Patriot League Champions. It would be their first outright championship since 1994. They shared the title is 2004, 2005, and 2006.

4. District football action begins this weekend. RCN-TV has Stroudsburg at Parkland LIVE on Friday night at 7:00pm followed by Pleasant Valley at Whitehall at 9:30pm. Bethlehem Catholic will host Lehighton on Saturday night LIVE at 7:00pm on RCN-TV.

5. Believe it or not, college basketball begins LIVE on RCN-TV on Tuesday, November 9, when Lafayette hosts Robert Morris at 7:00pm. Robert Morris had 24 wins last year, including an NIT first round victory over Kentucky – yes, that Kentucky. The Kirby Sports Center, by the way, is completely renovated.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (8-5: Last week; 86-47 overall 65%)
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DETROIT
SAN FRANCISCO
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DENVER
NEW ORLEANS
MIAMI

The Shop’s New Wrinkle

One of the major driving forces behind the RCN SportsTalk show and this blog is highlighting the tremendous accomplishments of athletes, coaches and administrators in the RCN viewing area. Each season we try to spotlight different teams, schools and sports. We’re always looking for ideas and suggestions to better honor the special people who work so hard at their given talents. So with that said, we’d like to unveil a new dimension to our SportsTalk Shop blog.

Periodically, we’re going to post highlights of our sports productions seen on RCN-TV. By doing this, we hope to reach a new audience in showcasing young men and women’s outstanding efforts in the sports community. Some of these highlights are also shown on our live Thursday show, in which we discuss these teams in more detail.

To launch this new addition, we’re presenting highlights from a few of the “rivalry contests” RCN covered the last couple of weeks. We’ll start with highlights from the Parkland/Emmaus game:

Here’s some of the highlights from the “Christmas City” battle between Liberty and Freedom:

Finally, highlights from the big Easton/Whitehall game—a contest featuring two teams who were tied for first place in the Lehigh Valley Conference when they faced each other at Cottingham Stadium.

What do you think of this newest addition to our blog? Which RCN-TV broadcast playoff games would you like us to focus on for our next set of highlights? Post your votes here and check back soon for more blog entries and highlights!

ANTI-Poll Small Schools Regular Season Wrap

Last week, we broke down the playoff possibilities and reviewed the regular season performances for the larger schools in the Lehigh Valley. This week, we’ll examine the Class A, 2A and 3A teams in the RCN coverage area.

PIUS X – The Royals have once again battled a very challenging independent schedule and find themselves in the fourth and final playoff spot in the Class A District standings. They enter their regular season finale against Colombia-Montour on Saturday. They have gotten great efforts by sophomore quarterback Tre Jordan and senior back Dashon Russell. Jordan is completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and has thrown for over 1,200 yards; while Russell eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark in Pius’ game against Carson Long. Their chief competitors, Williams Valley, Tri-Valley and Schuylkill Haven all have some very strong skilled-position players themselves. The Class A playoffs just might be the most competitive race of any within District XI this fall.

PEN ARGYL – For the second consecutive year, some people started counting out the Green Knights after they picked up their second loss early in the season. That was before they had to battle Catasauqua and Northwestern in consecutive weeks. Pen Argyl also had significant injuries during the first four weeks of the season which resulted in some underclassmen gaining valuable ‘under-fire’ experience. As of today’s standings (not including their traditional rivalry game with Bangor this weekend), Pen Argyl would play Pine Grove in the first round of the playoffs, and then the winner between Catasauqua/Palisades for the title. Here’s the issue: I think Pen Argyl has a great shot at advancing to the championship game, but must beware of a rejuvenated Slater ball club this Friday. Bangor is playing much better than they did in the first half of the season and just missed upsetting the Tigers last weekend. It’s one of the most passionate rivalry games in Eastern Pennsylvania and Pen Argyl still needs to get a win to clinch a playoff spot. That being said, they can’t leave Bangor with any big injuries if they want to extend their season beyond next weekend.

BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC – The Hawks had a major struggle beating Freedom last weekend. The win meant a “Christmas City Championship” and guaranteed spot in the district playoffs. I think this Becahi team has the talent to go deep in the state playoffs – IF they play the way they did in the first half of the season and the way I saw them battle in the first half of their game against Whitehall. The team has already rejuvenated the Hawks fan base with its five wins so far. They have an opportunity to really deliver a message to all detractors if they can remain focused on the team-concept for the next month.

SOUTHERN LEHIGH – The Spartans continued to steamroll their opponents in the Colonial League by defeating a very strong Palisades team last Friday night. Their offensive line, which was a question mark at the beginning of the season, played about as well as any line in the league. It has proved to be protection for Travis Edmond, Jacob Del Priore and company to have excellent seasons. Southern Lehigh has been knocking on the door of a championship for some time. Any letdown by the Golden Hawks should pave the way for the Spartans to capture a long-awaited title.

CATASAUQUA – We have spent a ton of time and blog space this year discussing the Rough Riders, and rightly so. They have easily disposed of every team on their schedule this fall and are coming off another shutout, 40-0, over Northern Lehigh last Friday. Every week we get emails on RCN Sports Talk asking us to analyze this team and give our opinions of whether this team is good enough to win a state title. We received another one last week and we’ll address it on our October 31 RCN Sports Talk show at 6:00 PM. In the meantime, I want to give a shout-out to the Catty offensive linemen for their outstanding efforts so far this season. With exceptionally skilled guys like Burton, Bradley, Marshall, Stopay and others seeing their names in the spotlight (both for their offense and defense), the guys up front have been buying time for their teammates to do what they do best. They are a huge reason why this team will likely come home with at least one, if not more, championships this fall.

Which teams do you feel will bring home district gold medals in two weeks? Which players from our “small schools” in the RCN region deserve some extra mentions? Email your comments to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com and we’ll respond to your insights on RCN Sports Talk every Thursday at 6:00 PM. During the district playoff season we’ll have special guests break down each of the playoff match-ups.

PBS – “League of Denial”

Brett Favre said this week that he is suffering memory loss. He was sacked in the NFL a record 525 times. Brett Favre has now become the most high-profile football player to put the spotlight on head injuries in the NFL.

I love football. I have played it, coached it, and now broadcast it. I venture to guess that I have sat in the booth to broadcast over 1,000 football games. I still love the big play, the good block, the perfect pass and catch, and the big hit. I must admit, however, that I was shocked watching League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis on PBS Frontline several weeks ago. The hits that are shown are eye-popping. The medical descriptions and the traumatic effects are devastating. And the reaction by the NFL to the players of the past who have suffered both physically and mentally from these collisions is close to being “criminal”.

The documentary  focuses on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) resulting from head injuries in NFL players. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been diagnosed in former players, who have developed dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, which research suggests is the result of constant hits to the head. Research is now being conducted on current, active players.

A great deal of criticism is levied at the NFL in this documentary for their denial of the issue and even covering up and controlling the research. The suicide death of Owen Thomas, graduate of Parkland High School and University of Pennsylvania student, is discussed in depth as a warning of the dangers of the game even for younger players. He was only 21 years old.

Former and active NFL players have weighed in on the program:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/what-nfl-players-are-saying-about-league-of-denial/

Here is a small sampling:

• Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints:
“I think certainly there were mistakes made in the past in regards to what people knew or how it was handled. But as we think about moving forward here, and especially when we talk about youth sports, there are protocols that need to be in place and that need to be followed to a T because obviously it’s very serious stuff.”

• Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers:
“I will not be watching. I know the risks that I take when I step on the field. I’m risking future health, future physical health and future mental health. I understand that.”

• Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, 1989-2000:
“I do not have a son. If I had a son, I wouldn’t necessarily discourage him from playing football, but I don’t know that I would encourage him to play either. I don’t know what the data show, but I haven’t sensed there’s been a reduction in head injuries. With that in mind, that’s concerning. As long as we’re having contact and as long as there are collisions, there’s going to be head injuries.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he does not plan to watch the program and that the NFL just settled a $765 million lawsuit over this issue with past players. Part of the settlement, however, kept some information from getting out to the public.

There is no question that the documentary will make any fan think about their allegiance to the game. It will certainly make a parent think twice about encouraging their son(s) to play. Take a look at the program and come to your own conclusions.

ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)

1. In case you missed it, Lafayette freshman quarterback Drew Reed started his first collegiate game ever on Saturday at Holy Cross. He completed 21 of 22 passes (the last 20 in a row) for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns. He became the first freshman to win the Patriot League Offensive Player of the week award and the first to win both the Offensive Player and Rookie of the week awards concurrently. He also won the College Football Performance Award FCS National Player of the Week. His passing efficiency rating was 278.5, the second-highest single-game mark recorded this year. In his two appearances this year, he has more touchdowns (7) than incompletions (6).

2. No touchdowns by the offense again this week for the Eagles. There does not seem to be any fix for this mess either. Oakland up next in Oakland. Ugly!!

By the way, I saw the Eagles offense at its most bizarre when we traveled to Princeton to do the Lafayette game. The Tigers run Chip Kelly’s Oregon offense with no huddle, hurry-up, multiple formations, and wild personnel. On the first play of the game there was a center and one lineman on each side of him. The others were over five yards away AND there were THREE quarterbacks in the game! They do a great job of communicating the plays to the players. Only players who get admitted to Princeton would comprehend this offense. Princeton beat previously undefeated Harvard this past weekend 51-48 in triple overtime. That offense is still working.

3. If you really want to learn some of the intricacies of football, visit Inside The Huddle on www.goleopards.com . Mike Joseph does a great job explaining various aspects of the game.

4. This is the last week of the high school football regular season. League and conference champions will be crowned after this weekend and then the attention turns to Districts. Right now East Stroudsburg South is the #1 seed in AAAA; Southern Lehigh in AAA; Pine Grove in AA; Williams Valley in A. Don’t be shocked if none of the top seeds win the District title. Stay tuned.

5. RCN TV will broadcast Emmaus at Parkland Live on Friday night at 7:00 PM.  Mike Joseph and I will call the game.  Parkland is tied with Whitehall for first place in the LVC. Whitehall has what looks like an easy matchup with Northampton this week.

NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (11-2: Last week; 78-42 overall 65%)
CINCINNATI
CAROLINA
DALLAS
NEW ORLEANS
TENNESSEE
KANSAS CITY
SAN DIEGO
OAKLAND
SEATTLE
CLEVELAND
NEW ENGLAND
INDIANAPOLIS
GREEN BAY

FB Anti-Poll: Big School/Playoff Picture

We’re closing in on the home stretch of the high school football “first season”. The regular season wraps on November 2nd with the all-important playoffs on the horizon. Here’s a playoff outlook for the 4-A schools in the Lehigh Valley region.

EASTON — The Rovers have two big ball games coming up: this Friday against Whitehall (broadcast live on RCN TV at 7:00 PM) and Nazareth next week. Both of these teams will need a win to enhance their playoff chances. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with a number of Easton players this year (including the week after their loss to Emmaus). They seem like a group that does not want to taste defeat anytime soon. They are also smart enough to study film and go the extra mile in the weight room and on the practice field to do what it takes to keep winning. I know they would like another post-season shot at Parkland, the team that ended their 2012 playoff hopes. It’ll be a tough 4-A playoff field. However, it’s very possible we can see a rematch of Week Two between the Rovers and the Trojans in the playoffs.

PARKLAND — The Trojans will also be fueled by revenge and hope to take another crack at Easton in the playoffs. Since their only loss, they are steamrolling the competition and appear to be on track, on both sides of the ball. With all the outstanding backs they have running the football, they should be a very dangerous team in the playoffs if DeVante Cross continues to develop as a passer.

WHITEHALL — To have a long playoff run, the Zephyrs will have to play better offensively than they did against Emmaus last Friday. The question with Whitehall is depth. They hope to have key, two-way player Nick Nejad back in time for the playoffs. If they can avoid any other major injuries, they can contend for a district title. A win over Easton Friday would give them a shot at home-field advantage for the first round of the post-season.

EMMAUS — The Hornets must recover quickly to fight for a district playoff berth. I was impressed by their game-winning/last possession drive against Central Catholic in Week Three, which seemed to propel their five-game winning streak. That said, I was surprised they couldn’t muster more offense against Whitehall, even without their top running back Wyl Miller. Their regular season finale against Parkland looks like a must-win game right now if they want to reach Districts. I still think the future is bright for this team and they could be the team to beat if they have to settle for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

NAZARETH — Two solid wins over Bethlehem Catholic and Central Catholic have the Blue Eagles back in the district conversation. Their offense has found its stride and still boosts a ton of scoring weapons, including Matt Tuerk, Jordan Gray and Max Wasilewski. Right now, they need some of the teams in front of them to lose and would still have to upset Easton to qualify. The Nazareth offense is fun to watch and could also be a dangerous unit in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Entering Week Nine, East Stroudsburg South and Wyoming Valley West own the top two playoff positions, with Stroudsburg, Scranton and Pleasant Valley also capturing spots. It seems unlikely E.S. South will lose a game during the regular season. If they capture home-field advantage through Districts, it means the road to the championship, depending on how the teams match up, could run through the Poconos this fall.

Stop by next week for my insight on more schools in my next blog entry. In the meantime, I want to hear from you! Which 4-A teams do you think will make the playoffs, and which team will win the title? We’ll continue to break down the high school football playoff picture on RCN Sports Talk the next few Thursdays at 6:00 PM. Send your comments and questions to RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com. We’ll read and respond live on our next program.