Indexed locally for search — headlines, people, teams, and short excerpts from reporting originally published in The Morning Call (1998–2010). Full article text on mcall.com; DRE'S TAKE links out and does not republish Morning Call copy.
All six Lehigh Valley Conference games this weekend have importance, including the Doughnut Bowl Saturday at J. Birney Crum Stadium between Allen and Dieruff. Both those teams are 0-9. All the other games have playoff implications. Central Catholic (8-1, 7-1) and Easton (8-1,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Creating a “Wild, Wild East” slogan for Lehigh Valley Conference football may not be a bad idea, especially for this season. It’s been a wild and entertaining season in the LVC and it could end with Easton (8-1 overall, 7-1 LVC), Central Catholic (8-1, 7-1) and Parkland (7-2,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →I t’s Easton vs. Liberty tonight at Cottingham Stadium in what could be the first of two meetings between the Lehigh Valley Conference powerhouses this season. They could meet again in come in the District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional playoffs as they did in 2005 and 2006. Easton…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Trap games do exist in high school football. Emmaus, Easton and Liberty will try to avoid them tonight in Lehigh Valley Conference matchups that have District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional playoff implications. Next week is the traditional rivalry showdowns, featuring Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Your football program is in serious trouble when its internal problems are just as heavy as its external ones, caused by bickering, losing, and parents trying to market their sons as if they’re free agents. That was the shambles Bethlehem Catholic was in while posting a 4-7…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was 48 minutes of grueling, smashmouth, hard-hitting football for Emmaus. And it was at Cottingham Stadium, where the ghosts of storied years past are not supposed to turn against Easton. Not when the Red Rovers are first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. Actually, Easton…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s Allentown vs. Bethlehem weekend and contender or pretender night in Orefield. There are also Lehigh Valley Conference matchups in Easton and Northampton that figure to be highly competitive. Easton (3-0 overall, 2-0 LVC), Central Catholic (3-0, 2-0), Nazareth (3-0, 2-0) and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No Lehigh Valley Conference team is going to pick on Easton this season. Sounds weird saying “pick on” and “Easton” in the same sentence, but last season the Red Rovers lost five games to LVC opponents by a 112-0 margin. Luckily for the Easton players, coach Steve Shiffert…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →This has been a month of all-star football for Liberty linebacker Daryl Klotz. On June 7, he played in the New Jersey-Northeast All-Star Classic at Rutgers University. Tonight, the Hurricane star who often had more blood stains than dirt spots on his uniform after games, will…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus High football coach Joe Bottiglieri doesn’t think organizers of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association All-Star game are trying to piggyback off the Big 33 Football Classic. It just looks like it since the ninth annual PSFCA game in Altoona will be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty has dominated 50 out of 52 quarters it has played this season. The only two quarters it has not owned was in the first half against North Penn. Blocking assignments were missed and it caused the high-powered Hurricanes to stay out of sync and trail 20-0 at halftime. Levi…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior tailback Brandon Brader might have been perceived as selfish if he asked his teammates to carry him off the field Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. After all, Hurricanes junior quarterback Anthony Gonzalez outrushed him by 61 yards in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Somebody has to score when Liberty and Emmaus meet in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional semifinals tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Even if it’s just by a safety, which is not all that farfetched considering the way No. 2 seed Liberty (10-1) and No. 3…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two regular season games remain and Easton and Parkland are both trying to avoid something that has not happened since 1994. And that’s the District 11 playoffs being held without either of them being involved. But the traditionally strong Lehigh Valley Conference teams still…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →C.J. Billera’s Emmaus teammates may have to literally pick him up and carry him off the field when the Green Hornets play Parkland tonight. Otherwise, Billera will not choose to come off, except for extra-point attempts, and punt and kickoff coverage teams that he does not plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The scoreboard operator at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium figures to be busy tonight. That’s because high-scoring city rivals Freedom (31.4 ppg) and Bethlehem Catholic (29 ppg) meet in a Lehigh Valley Conference matchup that has playoff implications with just three…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The mark of a good coach is not only winning and making the playoffs on a consistent basis, but how well he teaches and develops other men to become just as successful as he is when they’re in charge of their own programs. Emmaus coach Joe Bottiglieri is a frontrunner in that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus built a 17-0 lead over Northampton less than a minute into the fourth quarter. And with a defense that had not yielded a touchdown in 19 quarters, it seemed like the Green Hornets had victory secured Friday night at Al Erdosy Stadium. But Emmaus coach Joe Bottiglieri,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No longer overlooked, Northampton is excited to welcome Emmaus to Al Erdosy Field tonight for a showdown between undefeated teams battling for first place in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Both teams are 4-0 overall, 3-0 in league play. “This is certainly a big game for us,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No longer overlooked, Northampton is excited to welcome Emmaus to Al Erdosy Field tonight for a showdown between undefeated teams battling for first place in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Both teams are 4-0 overall, 3-0 in league play. “This is certainly a big game for us,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One streak was extended and another one ended for Emmaus Friday night. Both were huge. Both streaks further validated Emmaus as a Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 title contender. That’s because Emmaus blew Easton off the line of scrimmage and bent little on defense —…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Something disturbingly different happened to Easton last week against Parkland. It wasn’t the lopsided score of Parkland 26, Easton 0. Every team gets crushed once in a while, but Easton coach Steve Shiffert wasn’t as concerned about the final score as he was about the way his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Something new in Week 3 of the Lehigh Valley Conference: Neither Liberty, Parkland nor Easton is involved in the top game. Easton (2-0, 1-0) opens its home schedule against Parkland (0-2, 0-1) at 7 tonight at Cottingham Stadium, and it promises to be a festive atmosphere as the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s a Week 2 matchup that would have even more hype had it been scheduled for later in the season with the Lehigh Valley Conference title and possibly the No. 1 seed in the district playoffs on the line. But after not playing the last two seasons, Liberty and Parkland are…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The wait is over for Freedom. Tonight, the defending Eastern Conference Class 4A champion will try to extend its winning streak in season openers under coach Jason Roeder to four games. “There is not a whole lot of room for error,” said Roeder, whose Patriots open at Central…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland is one win away from a perfect 16-0 season and its first PIAA Class 4A championship since 2002. Win or lose against powerful Pittsburgh Central Catholic Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium, Parkland has already surpassed the accomplishments of any other team in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland’s bruising offense was overshadowed by its stubborn defense, which posted its seventh straight shutout in a 17-0 win over Emmaus in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional quarterfinals Friday night in Orefield. The streak was jeopardized in the final minute after Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was a failed defensive stop that frustrated young defensive lineman Joe Davis more than the average flag football player. His mother, Lisa, still remembers the play that America’s Funniest Videos would have loved. “Joey was running downfield trying to get the kid’s flag, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Emmaus boys soccer, field hockey and swim teams may have reasons to be jealous of football stars C.J. Billera, Joe Davis and their teammates. That’s because Emmaus football is starting to steal the spotlight those winning programs have long enjoyed, and it may stay that way,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus junior tailback C.J. Billera hurt Whitehall with hard up-the-gut runs Friday night. More punishment was administered by the Green Hornets defense, which intercepted two passes, forced a fumble and cut off all penetration to the outside in holding Whitehall to 39 yards…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Statistics hardly show the impact Easton senior Jarred Holley has had in the first five games. But he is the best player in the Lehigh Valley Conference, probably the whole area and already a strong candidate to be named to the Associated Press Class 4A first team as a defensive…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One week after losing its first game, Easton seeks redemption. But the Red Rovers have to beat Central Catholic to achieve it. It won’t be easy. Central Catholic has been one of the top early-season success stories in the Lehigh Valley Conference, helped by a strong…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty made a whole lot of big plays Friday night. But only a few were on offense, which suited Hurricanes two-way senior standout Joey Orlando just fine. That’s because Orlando made as many big plays on defense as he did on offense in helping Liberty prevail 21-7 over Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus can forget about being overlooked by high-powered Liberty in their Lehigh Valley Conference matchup tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. That’s because one loss could be detrimental to the Hurricanes’ chances of earning the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton senior tailback Kevin Kowalishen usually turns gaping holes opened by his linemen into big gains or touchdowns. Last season, Kowalishen averaged 9.4 yards per carry, which led the Lehigh Valley Conference. He’s gained 386 yards on 43 carries for an average of 9 yards…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Over the last four years Freedom’s football team has produced three Division I players. Ryan Ehrie is a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman at Syracuse, Colin Neely a redshirt freshman at Michigan State, and Jeremy Kametz is in his final season at Delaware. The three of them…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s Validation Week in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Thrill-a-second Whitehall (2-0) and high-scoring Freedom (2-0) both play their toughest opponents. The circumstances couldn’t be any better for both. Whitehall, coming off a 31-28 double-overtime win over Northampton, plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →What happened in Emmaus last Friday night is not being be dwelled on. That’s because of the request Green Hornets coach Joe Bottiglieri made to his players. Bottiglieri, who’s in his sixth season at Emmaus, tells his players to only concentrate on the current challenge and not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Michael Vick may be in prison by the end of the year, may never play in the NFL nor receive a million-dollar endorsement deal again, and it’s all because of what he termed, “immature acts.” “I need to grow up,” Vick said during a press conference in Richmond, Va. on Monday, not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus football coach Joe Bottiglieri grew up two blocks from Easton’s Cottingham Stadium and had early ambitions to play for the Red Rovers. He eventually did suit up for Easton and then went on to play at the collegiate level. After graduating from Easton in 1966, he played a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton coach Teko Johnson hasn’t flashed back to the last time he was in the heat of battle with Parkland. That was last Sept. 16 at Parkland Stadium in Orefield, when Johnson suddenly felt faint and short of breath. His left side became numb, and he felt pain in his upper…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton, Liberty and Parkland are coming off 41-, 42- and 48-point victories. Just as telling is the fact that their opponents did not score. So, after three weeks, the “Big Three” have established themselves as the teams to beat in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Bethlehem…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There might be a traffic jam around Emmaus High tonight. Perennial Lehigh Valley Conference powerhouse Easton, led by star defensive back Jarred Holley and hard-hitting linebacker Ryan Hartzell, will be playing in Emmaus for the first time since Sept. 26, 1997. “It’s a big game…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus stopped making mistakes and excuses, and stopped losing after its embarrassing Week 4 loss to Nazareth. Maybe it was hard to walk the school hallways after losing 28-7 to Nazareth, a team that had not won a game entering that Lehigh Valley Conference matchup on Sept. 23.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The 98th Thanksgiving Day meeting between Easton and Phillipsburg is not just a game for bragging rights. It’s for historic achievement since both teams will enter Lafayette College’s Fisher Field Thursday morning undefeated for the first time since 1958: Easton at 11-0,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton High is willing and able to play rival Phillipsburg on Thursday and a PIAA Class 4A Eastern semifinal two days later. And the Red Rovers don’t care who thinks they’re physically incapable. Last year has nothing to do with now. Just bring on the competition. Easton’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →An area high school football coach, who showed little mercy when it came to an opponent, was just a fan Saturday afternoon watching the District 11 Class 4A subregional playoff game between Easton and Emmaus at Cottingham Stadium. But former Bethlehem Catholic High coach Bob…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton is 8-0 and has already clinched the No. 1 spot in the PIAA Class 4A sub-regional playoffs, but the Red Rovers still have as much pressure on them as Emmaus and Liberty have entering the Lehigh Valley Conference’s final weekend. Liberty (8-1, 6-1) and Emmaus (8-1, 6-1)…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus could finish the season 9-1 and not make the PIAA Class 4A sub-regional playoffs. It’s not a joke. It’s just the harsh reality of the new playoff system, which has combined Districts 11, 2 and 4. Just four teams will qualify for the playoffs. Currently, Easton (6-0),…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Potential thrillers lie in wait as Lehigh Valley Conference play opens tonight. Who will be surprise winners? Well, the LVC is so balanced that most games tonight and Saturday could be decided late. Who’s feeling the pressure? It’s heaviest for Bethlehem Catholic (0-2), Allen…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →North Penn, the defending PIAA Class 4A champion, and Mount Carmel, a Class 2A powerhouse with five PIAA titles since 1994, will both be playing in the Lehigh Valley Saturday night. Whether that’s good news or bad for the Lehigh Valley Conference teams they are playing remains…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Despite their uniforms and cleats being covered in mud, both Emmaus and Whitehall turned to their defenses to make their Lehigh Valley Conference matchup even nastier Friday night in Whitehall. That played more to Whitehall’s advantage, which was a crunching change from the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Their District 11 Class 4A semifinal games were going awfully poorly for Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland Friday night, raising doubts in both at halftime that the dream rematch between the two powerhouses for the district title might not happen. Underdogs Easton and Freedom…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic entered homecoming Saturday with a 1-3 record and riding on the District 11 playoff bubble. One more loss would have put the Vikings in serious jeopardy of not qualifying for the playoffs. Opponents of CCHS may be in a rush for that to happen, but the Vikings’…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →