The high school football playoffs are upon us with a quick reminder to bookmark and keep checking back to our website for our broadcast schedule of District XI and PIAA playoff games as we move through the post-season!

Also, be sure to check out our LIVE coverage of the District XI boys and girls soccer championships this Thursday on ATVN (times and locations will be decided after this Tuesday evening’s semifinal match-ups and also will be posted here on our website).

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

Astound TV Network Sports: Easton vs. Freedom (10/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Parkland (10/24)

Astound TV Network Sports: Northampton vs. Freedom (10/24)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Easton (10)
2. Freedom (9)
3. Emmaus (7.6)
4. Northwestern (7)
5. Parkland (6.2)
6. Nazareth (4.8)
7. Liberty (3.6)
8. East Stroudsburg South (2.8)
9. Notre Dame-GP (2.6)
10. Southern Lehigh (1.2)

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

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds and opinions of our pollsters!

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.

While we approach the final week of the high school football season – and this week’s big change in our local teams’ poll – we first want to honor this fall’s student-athletes identified as the best of the best in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference for girls field hockey…

EPC 2024 Field Hockey All-Conference Teams

1st Team

Jordan Brunnabend – Defense (Parkland, Grade 12)
Arianna Deliso – Forward (Easton, Grade 12)
Emmy Horner – Forward (Emmaus, Grade 12)
Autum Kernechel – Midfielder (Emmaus, Grade 12)
Aubre Krazer – Midfielder (Easton, Grade 12)
Alyssa Laubach – Midfielder (Freedom, Grade 12)
Jenna Mayer – Forward (Parkland, Grade 11)
Sydney Moritz – Midfielder (Stroudsburg, Grade 12)
Brooke Saul – Mid/Center Back (Northampton, Grade 12)
Olivia Seidel – Midfielder (Nazareth, Grade 12)
Lillianna Trocki – Goalie (Whitehall, Grade 12)
Abigail Wortmann -Midfielder (Nazareth, Grade 12)

2nd Team

Rosella Birns – Defense (Parkland, Grade 12)
Ava DePietro – Midfielder (Nazareth, Grade 12)
Ava George – Defense (Liberty, Grade 12)
Olivia Heryla – Goalie (Easton, Grade 12)
Lydia Keppel – Midfielder (Whitehall, Grade 12)
Ally Kozma – Midfielder (Stroudsburg, Grade 12)
Mackenzie Lopez – Defense/Midfielder (Pocono Mountain East, Grade 12)
Morgann Orobono – Center Back (Emmaus, Grade 11)
Lauren Reznick – Forward (Northampton, Grade 11)
Grace Roberts – Midfielder (Northampton, Grade 11)
Grace Staples – Forward (Stroudsburg, Grade 12)
Julianna Zumas – Midfielder (Liberty, Grade 8)

3rd Team

Lilla Berces – Goalie (Bethlehem Catholic, Grade 11)
Ellis Corr – Forward (Liberty, Grade 12)
Kerigan Dreisbach – Forward (Whitehall, Grade 10)
Olivia Fonzone – Midfielder (Whitehall, Grade 12)
Gabriella King – Defense/Midfielder (Nazareth, Grade 10)
Emily Materna – Defense (Easton, Grade 11)
Olivia Milia – Forward/Midfielder (Easton, Grade 11)
Aiko Price – Goalie (Emmaus, Grade 11)
Tiana Weeks – Forward (East Stroudsburg South, Grade 12)

Congratulations to these athletes for these honors and best of luck to all the teams in our coverage area as you embark on the District XI playoffs!

Also, local field hockey fans should check back for more local news and commentary on this sport as former Southern Lehigh/Lafayette standout Katelyn Arnold continues her blog spotlighting field hockey in Eastern PA later this week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Easton (9.9)
2. Freedom (8.9)
3. Parkland (8.2)
4. Nazareth (6.4)
5. Northwestern (6.2)
6. Emmaus (4.6)
7. Liberty (3.4)
8. Notre Dame (2.8)
9. Southern Lehigh (2.6)
10. East Stroudsburg South (.08)

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

With Easton’s big win over Freedom (as you saw on ATVN last Friday night), the Rovers supplant the Patriots as the top team in our area.  Parkland, despite a solid victory over Whitehall, moves down a spot in our poll.

Also, with Saucon Valley’s loss, they fall out of our poll and East Stroudsburg South – fresh off an impressive shutout victory over Stroudsburg – moves into our poll for the first time this year.

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds and opinions of our pollsters!

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

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

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

Frank Nelson is another character who worked in the entertainment industry from 1926 right up until his death in 1986.  While the name may not ring a bell, it’s hard to imagine the early days of television without his memorable contributions.

Frank Brandon Nelson (he never adopted a “stage name”) on May 6th, 1911 in Colorado Spring, Colorado.

Frank’s signature deep voice came to him at an early age.

At 15, he got a job portraying a “thirtysomething” character on a radio drama on KOA AM in Denver.  By 18 he moved to Hollywood and immediately got jobs portraying leading men in radio drama series.

His first experiences in the genre in which he would work for nearly the rest of his career occurred three years later when he was hired for the serial comedy show, Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel – a vehicle created to showcase Groucho and Chico Marx.

His venerable voice allowed him to portray characters on many of radio’s most popular comedy shows, like Fibber Magee and Molly, as well as dramas, like Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

Nelson continued to attract various roles on radio throughout the 1930s, but became a frequent “guest star” on The Jack Benny Show, although his characters were never given a name.  He would simply play general characters to help advance that evening’s show’s plot, but his versatility allowed him to play different characters from week to week.

In the early 1940s Frank was portraying a train ticket clerk (another role he would return to throughout the program’s run on radio and TV).  When Benny approached him to buy a ticket, Nelson responded with a loud and ecstatic, “yyyyyeeeeeeeeesssssssss”…and the radio audience went wild with laughter.

Over the next few years, Nelson would garnish some of the biggest laughs ever heard on radio.

Probably his biggest laugh was when Announcer Don Wilson mispronounced a man’s name in the news as “Drear Pewson.”  When Nelson’s character of the day arrived on the scene and ask who he was, Frank improved by saying, “who do you think I am, Drear Pewson,” and the cast and audience erupted.

While Nelson was featured in a few films in the early 1950s, he mostly stayed on the small screen.

One of his most popular television appearances was when he was on a parody of Perry Mason trying a “chicken murder” case against Raymond Burr himself. Nelson “won” the case when he got “Perry” to admit that he was the killer himself!

Nelson’s versatility won the sometimes incredibly high standards of Lucille Ball, who used Nelson in six different characters during the first several seasons of I Love Lucy and asked Frank back frequently for her first solo spinoff, The Lucy Show.

In the early 1960s, McDonald’s hired Nelson as their main character on their commercials and would frequently utilize his trademark, “yyyyeessssssss” to get a laugh.  His legendary voice would lend itself to numerous characters on some of televisions most popular cartoon shows, including The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

Frank continued acting in shows, frequently using his trademark lines and demenours in television shows through the 60s and 70s, with his last guest appearance on the Linda Lavin-centered sitcom, Alice.  While his last on-screen role was in 1986’s Malibu Bikini Shop, which was released a month after he passed away, he was still referred to frequently in more contemporary shows.

When John Stewart hosted The Daily Show, he often used Frank’s trademark “yyyesssss” and other similar traits.

The Simpsons based characters on all of Nelson’s mannerisms and would give a nod to the late actor by crediting those characters names as “the Frank Nelson type” or the “Yes, Sir” guy.  Many other cartoons use characters with many of Nelson’s different quirks on their shows to this day.

Be on the lookout for Frank Nelson’s signature voice and trademark sayings in roles in films like, The Lucy Show, The Jack Benny Program, and other projects seen on the Astound TV Network.

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

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

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.

Before we bring you more game highlights of ATVN’s record-setting spring sports season for high school sports coverage in the Lehigh Valley, we first have a quick look ahead!

This Tuesday, we’ll kick off our coverage of the Blue Mountain League baseball “Game of the Week” on Astound TV by featuring Easton Falcons hosting the Berlinsville Braves.

The “BML” recently began its 78th season of local baseball in the area and Astound TV has been partners with them for well over a decade.  We will continue that tradition with a featured game each week through the rest of the regular season.

Also, for the first time ever, we will bring you the deciding game(s) of the BML championship series in August.

Both the Braves and Falcons have gotten out to quick starts and Tuesday’s match-up will give one of those two teams a ‘leg up’ on the other in the early season standings.  Tune in Tuesday night and every Tuesday this summer for all the action!

This Thursday, we’ll feature the EPC and District XI champions Liberty tennis team to talk about their great season.  Watch their show live on ATVN at 7pm or watch our “SportsTalk” program on your phone, laptop or smart device by going to Youtube.com/AstoundTVnetwork to catch the free stream of their appearance.

Now, we continue our look at some of the top plays from the spring sports season as seen on the Astound TV Network … enjoy!

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

Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Southern Lehigh (5/24)

You can call the ATVN studio during normal business hours for information on purchasing DVDs or ordering links to these and other games broadcast on our network.

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

With the spring playoff season nearly upon us – and the summer and fall sports seasons rapidly approaching – we wanted to let you know that the Astound Sports family has expanded … again!

Last month, we introduced Dawn Cipolla–legendary local lacrosse head coach–joining our staff to announce our first ever lacrosse district championships coming up for both the boys and girls 2A and 3A title games, to be aired on the Astound TV Network later this month.

Now, we would like to welcome in several more new on-air announcers to our team.

Sally Whittaker-Kahan

A member of the DeSales University and Parkland High School softball Hall of Fame, Whittaker-Kahan will make her broadcasting debut with us this May as part of our coverage of the District XI girls softball tournament.  In addition to an outstanding playing career, she also excelled in the coaching ranks at Northampton, winning the district title her final year as a head coach. She also excelled and will lend her expertise as a standout basketball and volleyball player to our staff as well. 

Sally will return to the place (Patriots Park in Allentown) where she had great successes as both a player and coach by providing color analysis for ATVN’s broadcasts this spring.

Victoria Newsome

The Villanova University product joins the ATVN staff after stops at the CBS News affiliate in Philadelphia and was an on-air host and sideline reporter for the Wildcats Sports Network. She has a love for sports media, storytelling, hosting, and helping give a voice to the voiceless. In addition, Victoria was on the Villanova Dance Team where she dedicated a majority of my time to practicing, performing, competing, and serving the Delaware Valley community.

Victoria will be making her ATVN debut as sideline reporter for our coverage of the EPC baseball semifinals on May 13th.

Gabrielle DiPaula

 Gabrielle has worked as a sideline reporter for Penn and Princeton University of the Ivy League, and has done both play-by-play in color for Division III McDaniel College in various sports. She is an on-air announcer for WBAL Newsradio and has worked for 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore/Washington, DC, covering the Ravens, Orioles and the University of Maryland football and basketball teams. Gabby also works as a social media correspondent for CBS Sports.

Andrew Harris

Andrew is a former Whitehall High School football standout (who played AHEAD of current Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Saquon Barkley in high school when the latter was a freshman).  He went on to be a multi-year starter at linebacker at Bloomsburg University and returned to the Lehigh Valley after graduation.  Harris will be doing sideline reporting for our fall football coverage.

We also will announce a new blogger joining us with a unique perspective on different local sports in our viewing area – details on yet another new addition coming soon right here on our website! 

Please join me in welcoming all our new broadcasters to the Astound TV Network sports family!

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 is a very busy week for everyone in the Lehigh Valley as there’s a rush to get in all the remaining regular season spring sports games this week, with league and then district playoffs for most sports commencing in just a few days!

A few sports already completed their local playoff season.         

Congratulations are in order to both the Central Catholic and Liberty tennis teams for REPEATING as District XI champs in both the 2A and 3A classifications.  We talked about both of these squads quite a bit a year ago on our “SportsTalk” program and they continued to impress again this year.

Meanwhile, the Astound Broadband TV Network is gearing up for our full broadcast coverage of games next week, starting with the EPC baseball semifinals on Monday, May 16, starting at 4pm.  Make sure you bookmark our broadcast schedule and keep checking back for more information on our playoff coverage as it becomes available.

I honestly can’t remember the last time all spring playoff games went off “as scheduled” due to the weather, field conditions, etc., so there WILL be changes!

The local baseball playoffs got a little more intriguing this past week as the local Colonial League favorite, Southern Lehigh, had a rare loss and a tough time beating a struggling Northern Lehigh squad, who played well down at Limeport Stadium last week.  Meanwhile, Northwestern, Saucon Valley and Palisades are three teams that haven’t lost in a while and seem to be peeking at the right time–just before the post-season.

We’ll have interviews from Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, Northwestern and others coming up on this Thursday’s show on ATVN, plus a comprehensive look at all the local baseball teams as we embark on the post-season.

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop,” as we continue to follow the high school sports teams in our area and have interviews with local coaches and athletes every Thursday at 7pm on “ATVN SportsTalk.”  Don’t forget to chime in with a question or comment during our live show or suggestions of which teams we should try to focus on this spring by emailing us.

Now, here’s our next installment of the best plays from our ATVN sports broadcast season to date:

1. Astound Sports: Executive Education Academy vs. Notre Dame (2/22)
   
2. Astound Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. Allentown Central Catholic (3/22)
   
3. Astound Sports: Northampton vs. Nazareth (3/22)
   
4. Astound Sports: Northampton vs. Freedom Girls (2/22)
   
5. Astound Sports: Northampton vs. Nazareth Consolation Round (3/22)
   

Come back next week for more information on ATVN’s coverage of local sports in our area and also to see more of our top highlights from the past sports season to see if your favorite teams and players make our weekly list!

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.

OK, I admit. I’m looking ahead just a little bit and took some liberties with the use of the term “summer” basketball in this week’s blog title.  Perhaps, I’m still feeling a little chilly inside after sitting through a couple local scholastic baseball games this past week in which the temperature dipped down into the 40-degree range (and later, that evening, the 30s!), before things warmed up this past weekend.

However, believe it or not – the spring/summer high school basketball official league schedule will be starting in just a couple weeks.  It has become a key time of year for gauging how next season’s varsity teams will shake out and will factor in for our thought processes when it comes time to put our winter sports season together for the following school year.

History has shown us that, while the final scores of these games may not be as important as other times of the year, it is important to keep an eye out for developing players, unique storylines and the ever-changing landscape of local talent–whether it be players coming in or moving out of the region.

A few items to keep an eye on as we approach the first set of games:

• Teams like Northampton, Nazareth, Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Parkland and Allen–to name a few–have lost some very big names to graduation after this past winter season.  Which players will step-up to fill their shoes and how will the chemistry be trying to replace so many talented athletes?  All of these teams had success during the ‘21-22 seasons and each program will be in the spotlight with high expectations for the season going forward.
• Northampton’s Coy Stampone recently stepped down after 10 years as the head coach of the Northampton boys basketball program (if you missed his appearance on our ATVN SportsTalk show, ATVN customers can hear his comments for yourself through our On-Demand services, available for free).  Who will take over a program that has had so much success in recent years and how smooth will the transition be?
• There’s rumors of other coaches who may be on the move in Eastern Pennsylvania and also in our Washington, DC region..which coaches will stay and which may move on?
• The Easton girls teams had one of the most successful seasons last winter–yet had no title to show for it…how will the Rovers respond and who will step up to take over running the offense and distributing the basketball as the squad graduated its starting point guard?

Also, here are a few pictures for last year’s summer hoops action that never made it to publication.  See if your favorite sports stars are listed in the gallery below.

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop,” throughout the spring and summer months as we continue to follow the action on the Lehigh Valley basketball courts, bringing you news, rumors and developments on local storylines, along with pictures of the “new” basketball season coming up.

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

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

This week will be our final update on the local summer high school basketball leagues along with our last look at some of the still pictures featuring teams in the RCN viewing area. We also want to give a shout out to RCN freelance crew member Dan Moyer, as his son and grandson, as coach and player – respectively, reached the finals in the Forks Township summer baseball tournament. Great job!

As you saw on RCN SportsTalk a few weeks back (but can still see the entire interview through RCN on demand–free for RCN customers), TOC Director Eric Snyder announced that the annual Catasauqua basketball tourney will not be conducted this year.  Also, its future is also very much in doubt.  This year’s decision was based on the declining interest and participation in summer basketball programs around the entire region. Quite a few coaches have also been on our show this past year expressing concern about the lack of participation numbers in certain sports programs, most noticeably in basketball, baseball and several girls sports. It will certainly be something to watch over the upcoming weeks and months.

A couple of annual basketball tournaments were held over the last month, including the Holy Name July Tournament and this past weekend’s “AwesomeFest” (formerly SportsFest of Allentown.)

The Holy Name Tournament featured outstanding performances by the Northampton, Whitehall, Allentown Central Catholic and Notre Dame-Green Pond girls basketball squads.

This tourney also had decreased numbers of school participants but featured a great semi-final matchup in which Central Catholic edged Northampton 45-40. The Vikettes went on to win the championship over Scranton Prep later that same day.

“Awesomefest,” meanwhile, was dominated by teams from OUTSIDE the Lehigh Valley.  Dunmore captured the girls title and Reading High School defeated Lincoln of Philadelphia for the boys championship. Pocono Mountain West was another team that also impressed many before losing its semi-final matchup late Sunday afternoon.

We’ll begin to turn our attention to the fall sports programs as all local high school teams have now “officially” begun their preseason workouts this week.  On this Thursday’s SportsTalk TV show, we will start our fall sports previews by featuring the new head football coach at Allen High School.

Keep checking back for more fall sports previews as we get you ready for the upcoming seasons!