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.
— Chanelle Price beat Usain Bolt around the Franklin Field track on Saturday. Amazing, huh? But Price, a sophomore distance standout with the University of Tennessee and former Easton All-American, got to take a victory lap an hour before Bolt after she helped lead the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →She was not vintage Chanelle Price. She was strategical. Competing in her first race since suffering a chest infection 10 days ago, Price ran a solid opening leg for Tennessee in the Championships of America 4×1,500-meter relay at the Penn Relays on Friday at Franklin Field. The…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bruised at heart, the Lehigh women now seek to ease the pain from another lopsided NCAA Tournament loss by preparing for next season. Topping the list goals is winning the Patriot League title a third straight year, extending its 33-game home winning streak, and beating teams…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Kutztown’s Stephen Dennis went two-for-two in major awards on Wednesday, earning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East and Daktronics NCAA Division II Atlantic Region player of the year awards. Now, the 6-foot-6 senior guard with the deceptively quick first-step…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg guard Andy Heimbach’s 3-pointers looked good, felt good and six times swished through the net. Cheyney appeared helpless trying to stop Heimbach in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinal game at Koehler Fieldhouse. “Once Andy made a couple, I had…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →E ast S troudsburg University coach Jeff Wilson didn’t have expectations four years ago that Andy Heimbach would provide highlight-reel dunks. Heimbach, a graduate of Central Catholic, is not that type of player. But he is a shooter, the best in East Stroudsburg’s history from…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Many of the 1,000-point scorers in East Stroudsburg’s history were honored on Saturday before the tip-off of the Warriors game against Cheyney at Koehler Fieldhouse. During a second-half scoring drought that lasted nearly nine minutes, East Stroudsburg coach Jeff Wilson probably…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →E very year about this time bracketology talk begins in reference to Division I teams who appear in, out of, and on the NCAA Tournament bubble. It’s tough to do such a thing in Division II. But it should not be difficult to determine that Kutztown (20-3) and East Stroudsburg…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Just four regular-season games remain and DeSales men’s coach Scott Coval is three wins shy of his 300th victory. He seems guaranteed to reach the milestone this winter. If he doesn’t, then the close to his 17th season in Center Valley will be a bad one. But the chances are…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Frances Koons, one of the greatest distance runners in Lehigh Valley history, has had no greater triumph than beating cancer and then returning to the track and again succeeding in national races. The former Villanova All-American hopes to compete for the United States in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Frances Koons, one of the greatest distance runners in Lehigh Valley history, has had no greater triumph than beating cancer and then returning to the track and again succeeding in national races. The former Villanova All-American hopes to compete for the United States in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The DeSales men are not among the nation’s ranked teams in Division III, but the Bulldogs are 7-0 in the Freedom Conference and have a two-game lead with seven to play. Which means, barring a collapse, the Bulldogs will win the Freedom title again and have homecourt advantage…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The DeSales men are not among the nation’s ranked teams in Division III, but the Bulldogs are 7-0 in the Freedom Conference and have a two-game lead with seven to play. Which means, barring a collapse, the Bulldogs will win the Freedom title again and have homecourt advantage…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It seeme d like the Lehigh Valley’s Division II and III men’s and women’s college basketball teams could not top what they combined to accomplish during 2008-09 season. It’s still to be determined since it’s only January and it’s tough to top a season in which the DeSales men…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It seemed like the Lehigh Valley’s Division II and III men’s and women’s college basketball teams could not top what they combined to accomplish during 2008-09 season. It’s still to be determined since it’s only January and it’s tough to top a season in which the DeSales men…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One game after losing an emotional, intense, seesaw game against rival Kutztown, East Stroudsburg returned home Saturday afternoon with unaltered focus and firepower galore. Shippensburg was overwhelmed. Andy Heimbach, a Central Catholic graduate, was the Warriors’ biggest…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Steve Shiffert is a retired teacher, who has no plans of retiring soon as Easton’s football coach. He still enjoys teaching and building, and of course, winning. Easton went 13-2 this season, twice beating Nazareth and Parkland. A share of the Lehigh Valley Conference title and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic was taken out of offensive rhythm with five turnovers and picked apart on defense behind the precise passing of Selinsgrove quarterback Cory Briggs Friday night at Kemp Memorial Field. It made for a night of disappointment and the end to a great season as the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dave McFadden is Central Catholic’s quiet storm on defense. The type of storm that comes up quickly, catching people by surprise, usually wreaking havoc. McFadden causes damage by blowing past the offensive line. He has been quite a force — and in a quiet way — for the Vikings…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s time for a Central Catholic road trip out of the Lehigh Valley. It’s been planned for a while. Sophomore quarterback Brendan Nosovitch, often rushed but hardly rattled, helped finalize it with three touchdown passes in the Vikings’ 28-14 victory over Abington Heights in a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland again knocks on destiny’s door, hoping another star running back can crash through and carry the Trojans to the District 11 Class 4A title. A mean, stubborn Easton defense awaits, fresh off a punishing effort against rival Phillipsburg on Thanksgiving Day. But punishing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →O utside of playing in a traditional rivalry game today, the next best thing is practicing for a Thanksgiving weekend playoff game. That’s what Central Catholic, the District 11 Class 3A champion, and Parkland, which is in the District 11 Class 4A title game, are doing this…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →O utside of playing in a traditional rivalry game today, the next best thing is practicing for a Thanksgiving weekend playoff game. That’s what Central Catholic, the District 11 Class 3A champion, and Parkland, which is in the District 11 Class 4A title game, are doing this…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Outside of playing in a traditional rivalry game today, the next best thing is practicing for a Thanksgiving weekend playoff game. That’s what Central Catholic, the District 11 Class 3A champion, and Parkland, which is in the District 11 Class 4A title game, are doing this…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 5-6 (Independent) Beat North Texas 17-13 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-3, 4-2 (ACC) Lost to North Carolina 31-13 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 193. Game: 1-for-1 on PATs; 2-for-2 on FGs, 28 and 20 yards.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 5-6(Independent) Beat North Texas 17-13 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-3, 4-2 (ACC) Lost to North Carolina 31-13 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 193. Game: 1-for-1 on PATs; 2-for-2 on FGs, 28 and 20 yards.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Only two running backs since 2002 have run rampant on the Easton defense. One was Parkland’s Austin Scott in 2002, who carried the Trojans to the PIAA Class 4A title. Two years ago, a less flashy, but more bulldozing back from Hazleton named Nate Eachus ran for 263 yards and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Mitchell will retire as Northwestern’s football coach Friday and will take with him the blueprint for success both on and off the field. It’s a blueprint any athletic director in the Lehigh Valley looking to hire a football coach might want Mitchell to share with them. It’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Mitchell will retire as Northwestern’s football coach Friday and will take with him the blueprint for success both on and off the field. It’s a blueprint any athletic director in the Lehigh Valley looking to hire a football coach might want Mitchell to share with them. It’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 4-6 (Independent) Beat VMI 2-17 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-3, 4-2 (ACC) Beat Virginia 14-10 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 193. Game: 2-for-2 on PATs. Season: 34-for-34 on PATs; 7-for-7 on FGs. BROWN 6-3,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Unruffled by a three-point deficit and sluggish early play, Wilson cranked it up on both sides of the ball and demolished visiting Pottsville 44-19 in the District 11 Class 3A semifinals Saturday afternoon, setting up a dream matchup with Central Catholic. Talked about for weeks…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton bulldozed on offense, bone-crushed on defense and coasted to a 28-0 victory over Nazareth in a District 11-2-4 Class 4A quarterfinal matchup Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. The top-seeded Red Rovers (10-1) have won their last four games by a 132-21 margin, their only…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Back in the 1960s Nazareth High’s football team filled up the school’s trophy case. “Back them we won championships pretty regularly,” said Easton coach Steve Shiffert, a 1969 Nazareth grad. “Nazareth was the big school. We played Wilson, Bangor, East Stroudsburg. “I think…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Deep and talented and once again favored to win the Patriot League tournament title, the Lehigh women enter the 2009-10 season determined to be better than last season. To do that, the Mountain Hawks will have to win an NCAA Tournament game, something no Patriot League team has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-6(Independent) Lost to Air Force 35-7 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BROWN 5-3, 3-2 (Ivy League) Beat Yale 35-21 Brendan Gallagher (Parkland) Sr. LB, 6-1, 225. Game: 1 assisted tackle. Season: 8 solo tackles,10 assisted, 2 INTs, 43…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton no longer has a chip on its shoulder. Instead, the Red Rovers have a bulls-eye on their chest. That’s because a year after having a 10-year district playoff run ended, Easton bullied to a 9-1 regular season record and finished as Lehigh Valley Conference co-champs with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →BOSTON COLLEGE 6-3(ACC) Beat Central Michigan 31-10 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 193. Game: 3-for-3 on PATs, 18-yard FG. Season: 32-for-32 on PATs; 7-for-7 on FGs. BROWN 4-3, 2-2 (Ivy League) Lost to Penn 14-7 Brendan Gallagher (Parkland) Sr. LB, 6-1, 225. Game: 1…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton boiled with emotion and played with unstoppable force on both sides of the ball to thwart Lehigh Valley Conference rival Liberty 28-7 on Senior Night Friday at Cottingham Stadium. Statistically, Liberty outgained Easton, 293-135. But Easton worked on a short field most of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two of the area’s top men’s basketball players, Lehigh senior guard Marquis Hall and Kutztown senior guard Stephen Dennis, earned preseason honors on Thursday. Hall, a former Patriot League rookie of the year, was named the preseason player of the year and will try to join…
· 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 →As the season turned into a rollercoaster ride, Whitehall essentially stared in the mirror and readjusted its goal. Not many teams do that because the mentality is often all-or-nothing. Can’t argue with that, but there probably isn’t a football player in the Lehigh Valley…
· 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 →Easton deflated Freedom’s defense with a 19-play, 66-yard scoring drive that took up most of the fourth quarter Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Then the Red Rovers clinched a 14-10 Lehigh Valley Conference victory because of their own rugged defense.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The intensity level in the Easton vs. Freedom Lehigh Valley Conference matchup tonight at Bethlehem Area school District Stadium will be so high that a lot of players may be very sore when they wake up Saturday morning. “When Bethlehem [schools] and Easton get together the kids…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former high school quarterbacks from Emmaus and Parkland will meet for the first time in college on Saturday in Orono, Maine. A major streak will be on the line. Defending Football Championship Subdivision champion Richmond (5-0 overall, 3-0 Colonial Athletic Association) enters…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-3 (Independent) Beat Vanderbilt 16-13 (OT) Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BOSTON COLLEGE 4-2, 2-2 (ACC) Lost to Virginia Tech 48-14 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 193. Game: 2-for-2 on PATs. Season: 20-for-20 on PATs;…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic’s bid for the perfect season continues Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The Vikings (5-0, 4-0) are the lone undefeated Lehigh Valley Conference team and will rely on sophomore quarterback Brendan Nosovitch, a threat running and passing, to try to topple…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 2-3 (Independent) Lost to Tulane 17-16 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Started. BOSTON COL. 4-1, 2-1 (ACC) Beat Florida State 28-21 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 193. Game: 4-for-4 on PATs. Season: 18-for-18 on PATs; 5-for-5 on FGs.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior tailback Darrius Webb ran left, then reversed field, cut inside, sidestepped a defender, dashed right and kept on running. That was one dazzling run. Many more followed in a memorable 19-carry, 367-yard performance in the Patriots’ 34-14 homecoming win over…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior tailback Darrius Webb is always only one missed tackle at the line of scrimmage from going the distance. That’s because trying to tackle the speedy, elusive Webb is tough once he gets into the open field. He displayed his talents over the previous two seasons at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic football players and coaches did not dwell on what happened at the end of last season. The Vikings’ parents, on the other hand, probably stewed for a while over the school administration’s decision to reject an Eastern Conference Class 3A playoff invitation.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 2-2 (Independent) Lost to Iowa State 31-10 Mike McDermott (Bethlehem Catholic) So. OT, 6-6, 255. Game: Played. BOSTON COLLEGE 3-1, 1-1 (ACC) Beat Wake Forest 27-24 (2 OT) Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 193. Game: 3-for-3 on PAT, 2-for-2 on FGs of 32, 23 yards.…
· 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 →BOSTON COLLEGE 2-1, 0-1 (ACC) Lost to Clemson 25-7 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 193. Game: 1-for-1 on PATs. Season: 11-for-11 on PATs; 3-for-3 on FGs. BUCKNELL 1-2 (Patriot League) Lost to Cornell 33-9 Anthony Carter (Freedom) So. OL, 6-0, 275. Game: Started. BUFFALO…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The fourth quarter was wild and entertaining, the kind of helter-skelter stuff that probably made first-year Bethlehem Catholic coach Mike Palos feel a lot older than 31 years old. Wait until next week when Bethlehem Catholic plays Central Catholic in the “Holy War” in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →In the previous two seasons, Easton was not a serious contender for the Lehigh Valley Conference title. Last season, without four-year starter and four-year Morning Call all-area defensive back Jarred Holley — now a redshirt freshman at Pittsburgh — Easton didn’t even post a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior quarterback Anthony Gonzalez got to see a classic Miami and Florida State college football game in person in on Sept. 7. Florida State lost, 38-34, but that’s not the reason Gonzalez won’t be packing his bags and relocating to Tallahassee next fall to play for the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s premature to write Liberty off, despite an 0-2 start and a tough road game to play at Central Catholic Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium. After all, the defending PIAA Class 4A-champion Hurricanes opened up the season losing to state-title contender and established…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland backup defensive back Dan Castillo has been called nicknames that no football player wants to be called. “I get it all,” he said. “Tiny, midget, munchkin.” Well, he is only 5 feet, 5 inches tall. But he probably felt taller than the PPL building in Allentown after…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was Tennessee’s Chanelle Price, then Villanova’s Frances Koons, one former Lehigh Valley high school track and field All-American following another. Both had memorable runs in the college women’s distance medley Championship of America relay Thursday at the Penn Relays. It…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Repeating as Patriot League champs and making it back to the NCAA Tournament is now the primary focus of the Lehigh women. It didn’t take long after the Mountain Hawks’ 85-49 loss to Auburn in an Oklahoma City Region first-round game on Saturday for coach Sue Troyan, the Patriot…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Kutztown men are back in the NCAA Division II basketball tournament for the first time since 1988, and hope to stick around for a while. In Division III, the DeSales men and Muhlenberg women have reached the “Sweet 16” and hope to continue playing on. The Golden Bears,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The drive from Hellertown to East Stroudsburg University never seems that long to Warriors coach Jeff Wilson. It’s something he has enjoyed. “I’ve found whether it’s going to work or coming home from work it’s a good time to get some reflection done,” said Wilson, who’s in his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Central Catholic High standout football player David Horton has one goal for tonight’s Football Championship Subdivision title game. Horton, a 2005 Central graduate, is a redshirt junior who starts at defensive back for Richmond. The Spiders meet Montana (14-1) in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethel Park High has advanced to its first PIAA Class 4A football final, helped by fundamentally sound play and luck, according to its coach, Jeff Metheny. The Black Hawks, after all, are 15-0 and have won each of their last three playoff games by four points or less. “There are…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some players listen to iPods or Walkmans before games. Liberty senior defensive tackle Al Pujols gets his peace of mind by reading a book. “I read as much as I can and sometimes I read on the bus,” Pujols said. “Sometimes I do it at home, but once I get home I’m usually tired.”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nazareth coach Rob Melosky hopes that he’ll be joined by Liberty coach Tim Moncman in a glorious company of coaches who have led a Lehigh Valley team to the PIAA Class 4A football title. Since 2002 when Melosky coached Parkland — powered by the record-breaking feats of running…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →BOSTON COLLEGE 8-3, 4-3 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Wake Forest 24-21 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 198. Game: 1-for-1 on PATs; 3-for-3 on FGs. Season: 34-for-34 on PATs; 13-for-20 on FGs. BROWN 7-3 6-1 (Ivy League) Beat Columbia 41-10 Brendan Gallagher…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ALBANY 8-3, 7-0 (Northeast Conference) Beat Wagner 30-11 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 6-0, 225. Game: 1 carry, 0 yards. Season: 8 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 0 yards; 1 solo tackle, 3 assisted tackles, 1 forced fumble. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-3, 3-3 (Atlantic Coast…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The player-hater fans need not waste their time harassing East Stroudsburg center Chris Bach with old man jokes this season. It didn’t work last season as Bach proved that 30 isn’t too old to be an effective college basketball player. The 6-foot-9 Bach averaged 11.7 points and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ALBANY 7-3, 6-0 (Northeast Conference) Beat Robert Morris 41-7 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 2-0, 225. Game: 3 catches, 33 yards. Season: 8 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD; 1 solo tackle, 3 assisted tackles, 1 forced fumble. BOSTON COLLEGE 6-3 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Notre…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh basketball fans, circle Dec. 2 on your calendar. Saint Joseph’s University and its colorful coach Phil Martelli will be visiting Stabler Arena in one of the Mountain Hawks’ biggest non-league home game in years. Fittingly, Saint Joe’s bus trip to Bethlehem comes during a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton is a proud football program with a winning tradition that’s much longer than any other Lehigh Valley Conference team, but the Red Rovers’ administration and coaches did not let their pride get in the way of making a smart decision that will benefit their players. Which is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ALBANY 6-3, 5-0 (Northeast Conference) Beat Monmouth 35-17 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 6-0, 225. Game: 1 solo tackle, 1 assisted, 1 forced fumble. Season: 5 catches, 25 yards, 1 TD; 1 solo tackle, 3 assisted tackles, 1 forced fumble. BOSTON COLLEGE 5-3, 2-3 (Atlantic…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh Valley Conference’s version of boxing’s “Main Event” takes place Saturday afternoon at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. That’s when Liberty (8-1, 8-0) and Freedom (8-1, 7-1) clash on the Frank Banko Field turf. “As everybody knows, there’s a lot at stake,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh Valley Conference’s version of boxing’s “Main Event” takes place Saturday afternoon at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. That’s when Liberty (8-1, 8-0) and Freedom (8-1, 7-1) clash on the Frank Banko Field turf. “As everybody knows, there’s a lot at stake,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ALBANY 5-3, 4-0 (Northeast Conference) Beat St. Francis (N.Y.) 27-3 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 2-0, 225. Game: One catch, 5 yards. Season: Five catches, 25 yards, one TD; two assisted tackles. BOSTON COLLEGE 5-2, 2-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Lost to North Carolina…
· 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 →ALBANY 4-3, 3-0 (Northeast) Beat Sacred Heart 26-21 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 2-0, 225. Game: One catch, 2 yards. Season: Four catches, 20 yards, one TD; two assisted tackles. BOSTON COLLEGE 5-1, 2-1 (ACC) Beat Virginia Tech 28-23 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK,…
· 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 →ALBANY 3-3, 2-0 (Northeast Conference) Beat Central Conn. St. 24-22 Justin Peterson (Palmerton) Fr. RB 2-0, 225. Game: Two catches, 16 yards; one assisted tackle. Season: Three catches, 18 yards, one TD; two assisted tackles. BROWN 2-2 (Ivy League) Lost to Holy Cross 41-34…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior tailback Eddie Mateo ran for season highs of 198 yards and four touchdowns last week. He ran rampant on synthetic turf against a Northampton defense that’s one of the Lehigh Valley Conference’s best. Now Mateo, who transferred from Bethlehem Catholic during the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dieruff coach Keith Brader has a question for all other Lehigh Valley Conference coaches, excluding Chris Kinane at Allen, who is 0-6 in his first season and facing a tough battle trying to make the Canaries competitive. Do you want to trade places? “We probably would not have…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →BOSTON COLLEGE 4-1, 1-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat N.C. State 38-31 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 198. Game: 5-for-5 on PATs; 1-for-1 on FGs, 17-yarder. Season: 18-for-18 on PATs; 6-for-8 on FGs. BROWN 2-1 (Ivy League) Lost to Rhode Island 37-13 Brendan…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom snapped a 12-game losing streak against Parkland last week, which raised the Patriots’ confidence level entering tonight’s Lehigh Valley Conference showdown against Northampton at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Both teams are 4-1, 3-1 in conference play, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There are two sides to Liberty junior quarterback Anthony Gonzalez, and both have made him popular with teammates and coaches. “He is low key,” Liberty senior Devin Street said about Gonzalez off the field. But on the field, it’s his aggressiveness and intensity that sets him…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →BOSTON COLLEGE 3-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Rhode Island 42-0 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 198. Game: 5-for-5 on PATs. Season: 13-for-13 on PATs; 5-for-7 on FGs. BROWN 2-0, 1-0 (Ivy League) Beat Harvard 24-22 Brendan Gallagher (Parkland) Jr. LB, 6-1, 225.…
· 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 →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 →BOSTON COLLEGE 2-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Central Florida 34-7 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10, 198. Game: 4-for-4 on PATs; 2-for-3 on FGs of 22 and 25 yards. Season: 8-for-8 on PATs; 5-for-7 on FGs. BROWN 1-0 (Ivy League) Beat Stony Brook 17-7 Brendan…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Surprise, surprise, that’s what Northampton (4-0, 3-0 LVC) has been in posting a perfect record out of the gate to remain tied with Emmaus (4-0, 3-0) for first-place in the Lehigh Valley Conference entering their showdown Friday at Al Erdosy Field. Elsewhere in the conference,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic scored the hard way, grinding on the ground and relying on quarterback Paul Elliott to scramble around and find receivers open. Bethlehem Catholic scored faster, on 87 and 92-yard runs by tailback Darrius Webb and another time on a Tevrin Brandon 91-yard punt…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic scored the hard way, grinding on the ground and relying on quarterback Paul Elliott to scramble around and find receivers open. Bethlehem Catholic scored faster, on 87- and 92-yard runs by tailback Darrius Webb and another on a Tevrin Brandon 91-yard punt…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic High’s two-way senior lineman Brandon Lally was fired up at practice Tuesday as he prepared for Saturday night showdown against Central Catholic. “It’s the biggest game of the year, the two Catholic schools, rivals,” Lally said. But it’s a rivalry that has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Every strong defense is keyed by an impact player, one who’ll go to any limit to try and punish the opponent each down he’s on the field. Parkland has that player in defensive end Clint Miller, a 6-3, 235-pound Division I recruit, who came into his own last season en route to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →CONNECTICUT 3-0 (Big East) Beat Virginia 45-10 Robbie Frey (Lehighton) R-Fr. RB, 6-0, 191. Game: Eight carries, 31 yards. Season: 18 carries, 66 yards, one TD; one kickoff return, 10 yards; one solo tackle, two assisted, one fumble recovery. Mike Ryan (Marian) R-Fr. OT, 6-5,…
· 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 →BOSTON COLLEGE 1-1, 0-1 (ACC) Lost to Georgia Tech 19-16 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Sr. PK, 5-10,. 198. Game: 1-for-1 on PATs; 3-for-3 on FGs of 36, 34 and 26 yards. Season: 4-for-4 on PATs; 3-for-3 on FGs. CONNECTICUT 2-0, 0-0 (Big East) Beat Temple 12-9 Robbie Frey (Lehighton)…
· 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 →ALLEN Coach: Chris Kinane (first year) Last year: 0-10 (0-9, LVC) Impact players: QB Justin Quaye, sr.; QB Nick Rhodes, jr.; WR Matt Wingler, sr.; WR Nik Davis, sr.; WR/RB David Gibbs, sr.; WR Siddiq Shabazz, sr.; OL Lance Troxell, sr.; OL Eddy Torres, sr.; RB/LB Luciano…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ALLEN Coach: Chris Kinane (first year) Last year: 0-10 (0-9, LVC) Impact players: QB Justin Quaye, sr.; QB Nick Rhodes, jr.; WR Matt Wingler, sr.; WR Nik Davis, sr.; WR/RB David Gibbs, sr.; WR Siddiq Shabazz, sr.; OL Lance Troxell, sr.; OL Eddy Torres, sr.; RB/LB Luciano…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior wideout Jaleel Clark accomplished his top goal when he verbally committed to the University of Missouri on Sunday night. Now that Clark, The Morning Call’s 2007 player of the year, has relieved the pressure of having to choose a school, he can tackle the rest of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His nickname is “Tiny,” but East Penn Sting owner Paul Hamsher is a 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman. Not all that tiny, huh? Well, by the end of this afternoon’s inaugural semi-pro Allentown Bowl between the East Penn Sting and Lehigh Valley Steelers at Mountainville…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Like Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, the Lehigh Valley’s Limeport Stadium has created lasting memories for baseball fans. Cozy Limeport Stadium, which resembles a miniature big league stadium from an era gone by, will celebrate its 75th anniversary in grand style…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Joey Orlando always just found a way. He was a two-way starter on a Liberty football team last season that had an All-American linebacker in Brendan Beal, who’s now at the University of Florida on a scholarship. There also was Ahkeem Smith, now at Temple on a scholarship. But…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jarred Holley could have been mistaken for Krazy Glue on a hot Saturday night at HersheyPark Stadium. The Easton High defensive back started at left cornerback for Pennsylvania against Ohio in the Big 33 Football Classic and made two sensational plays in the end zone — one an…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jarred Holley could have been mistaken for Krazy Glue on a hot Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium. The Easton High defensive back started at left cornerback for Pennsylvania against Ohio in the Big 33 Football Classic and made two sensational plays in the end zone — one an…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jarred Holley will not be a utilityman in tonight’s Big 33 Football Classic. Which means he will not play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, kick returner or punt returner when Pennsylvania meets Ohio at Hersheypark Stadium. He played all those positions in four stellar…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s a Big 33 replacement player, but Parkland quarterback John Laub is also a proven winner. Last season, he led Parkland to a 15-1 record and PIAA Class 4A runner-up finish. It was his first season as a starter, and Laub ran coach Jim Morgans’ Wing-T offense to near perfection…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Steve Hixson had another memorable run at the Penn Relays. Never mind that he was not able to rally Kutztown University to a victory in the college men’s Wetzler/Pennsylvania 1,600-meter relay Friday at Franklin Field. Hixson was still overjoyed that he ran one of his fastest…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty’s Joey Orlando and Whitehall’s Matt Hamscher are both getting one last opportunity to make standout plays on both sides of the ball. And Emmaus’ Joe Davis, who enjoyed trying to rip the helmet off offensive players, gets one last chance to try and make an impact on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With the NCAA Basketball Final Four beginning today, Phillipsburg native and ESPN analyst Tom Brennan realizes the heat gets turned up in the studio where he works. Especially when he and fellow college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb are on the set together. “He’s the young…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ESPN Classic could replay the 1988 NCAA Tournament first-round game between Lehigh and Temple, but Mike Polaha wouldn’t be sitting by the tube. The former Lehigh star guard could watch tape of the game — played 20 years ago this month in Hartford, Conn. — anytime, because he has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton celebrated its biggest Signing Day since 1968 with football star Jarred Holley and U.S. Olympic track and field hopeful Chanelle Price heading the list of five Red Rover athletes who signed national letters of intent to Division I-A schools on Wednesday. Holley, a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Darrell Roth quit the Muhlenberg College football team following his freshman year, determined to earn a spot on the Mules’ varsity basketball team. It didn’t immediately happen. Instead, the former Nazareth High two-sport athlete played on the Mules’ junior varsity team as a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg University’s Koehler Fieldhouse was packed Wednesday night. It stirred memories for Andy Heimbach, who played in front of frenzied atmospheres at Central Catholic’s Rockne Hall before bringing his sweet jump shot to the Poconos two years ago. The fans loved the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s time to take notice of the Lehigh women’s basketball team, although the Mountain Hawks have not always performed well when expectations are high. They always seem to fall short when they are expected to contend for the Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The reward for Parkland football coach Jim Morgans leading his team to a 15-1 season and finishing as PIAA Class 4A runner-up is a fourth trip to Hersheypark Stadium to coach in a big game. Morgans, 60, has been named Pennsylvania’s head coach against Ohio all-stars in the Big…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →If you are a local player, have game and can’t seem to obtain a Division I scholarship, don’t worry. East Stroudsburg coach Jeff Wilson can probably find a spot for you on his Division II team. And not just to work hard in practice and then ride the bench on game night. No,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There’s nothing better than a point guard who thrives on setting up his teammates for baskets instead of trying to fill up the scorebook with his own points. DeSales senior guard Eddie Ohlson is just 5-8 but he’s the Bulldogs’ most valuable player because of his passing skills…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Back in August when shoulder pads and helmets were first strapped on, Parkland had a team that on paper looked like it would be good. Good enough to contend for a league and district title. But not good enough to end up in Hershey playing for the state title. After all, Liberty…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland junior wide receiver Jaleel Clark was unstoppable, gracefully and effortlessly racing downfield to make tough catches and score touchdowns. Easton senior Jarred Holley once again played the role of lockdown defensive back, Liberty senior Brendan Beal was a hard-hitting…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland did not return from Hershey with a state championship trophy Saturday night. Too much went wrong. But everything went right for 15 games. That’s why the Trojans went into the PIAA Class 4A title game undefeated. And, after the tears as a result of the Trojans’ 21-0 loss…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some Parkland players stood frozen in place, some cried and many embraced as the state championship they dreamed of winning ended on a bittersweet note Saturday night. Unable to manufacture the offensive plays or make the defensive stops that had been the cornerstones to its…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The burning in the heart won’t last forever. However, positive memories of Parkland’s accomplishments this season will play over and over again in the minds of the Trojan players, coaches and fans. It was special. It just ended with pain, without the Trojans scoring a point for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pro Bowl quarterbacks Dan Marino and Marc Bulger are part of the rich history of football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Parkland’s opponent today in the PIAA Class 4A title game. But so too is the 16-0 Viking team of 2004 that captured the school’s second state 4A title. Terry…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland coach Jim Morgans is a former offensive tackle and nose guard from Louisiana College who describes himself as having been just an average player. The same cannot be said of his coaching. He won two PIAA Class 3A titles in an eight-year span at his alma mater, 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 →He has two solo tackles and one forced fumble. Normally, those are defensive statistics that might be overlooked, except when it’s the kicker. It’s something that Parkland senior kicker Robert Lawler is proud of, especially the forced fumble, which he caused on a kickoff return…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s easy for Austin Scott and Nick Pinchek to be remembered because they scored the most touchdowns on Parkland’s 2002 PIAA Class 4A championship team. The Decker brothers, Cody and Travis, were defensive standouts, who posted 30 sacks between them for a defense that allowed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The final 10 minutes, 36 seconds of Saturday’s PIAA Class 4A semifinal game belonged to Parkland. The key series during that stretch of time was a 99-yard scoring drive that sealed the Trojans’ 35-21 victory over Ridley and sent thousands of Parkland fans into a frenzy at J.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland offensive lineman Ian Tomcho hopes to continue what his dad and his uncles did in the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s at J. Birney Crum Stadium. And that’s win big games. None, however, have been as big as the one that Tomcho will play at noon today when Parkland (14-0) and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland head coach Jim Morgans and his top assistant coaches, Tom Filipovits and John Quinn, have been coaching together longer than any of the Trojan players have been alive. They’ve had so much success together that parting ways would be difficult. “I never think about it…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It wasn’t necessarily David against Goliath, but the Parkland Trojans were bigger, stronger and more experienced than the George Washington Eagles and showed no mercy as they roared past the Philadelphia Public League champions Saturday and on to the state football semifinals.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Brendan Beal paused, gathered himself and then rejoiced at the news that made his Friday. The Liberty High senior linebacker, who posted 113 tackles in his one season with the Hurricanes, was named Gatorade’s 2007-08 Pennsylvania football player of the year. “I’m definitely…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →BOSTON COLLEGE 10-2, 6-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Miami 28-14 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. PK, 5-10, 183. Game: 4-for-4 on PATs, 0-for-1 on FGs. Season; 42-for-45 on PATs; 9-for-14 on FGs, long 45 yards. BRIGHAM YOUNG 9-2, 7-0 (Mountain West) Beat Utah 17-10 Joe…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-8 (Independent) Lost to Tulsa 49-39 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played. Season: Four solo tackles, two assisted. BOSTON COLLEGE 9-2, 5-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Clemson 30-17 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. PK, 5-10, 183. Game: 2-for-2 on PATs,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior quarterback John Laub can be used as an inspiration to help motivate other Trojan players in the future — those who are talented enough to start, but can’t seem to make it off the bench until it’s their turn. Laub patiently waited his turn, not earning the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The District 11 Class 4A trophy is owned once again by Parkland, but the Trojans want more hardware for their awards case before this season ends. They sure played like it Friday night. Behind a balanced offensive attack, led by seniors John Laub and Kale Sweeney, Parkland…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A showdown between two Lehigh Valley Conference powerhouse teams could be only one week away. Liberty and Parkland need to win tonight in District 11-2 Class 4A subregional semifinal games to set up a battle between the two stalwarts. Neither team will admit that they’re looking…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland coach Jim Morgans has been speechless all week, despite requests seeking comment about the dominance of the 2007 Trojans, who are 11-0 and have posted seven straight shutouts. The Trojans’ 17-0 win over Emmaus in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional quarterfinals…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-7 (Independent) Lost to Rutgers 41-6 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played. Season: Four solo tackles, two assisted. BOSTON COLLEGE 8-2, 4-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Lost to Maryland 42-35 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. 5-10, 183. Game: 5-for-5 on PATs,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →How many Lehigh Valley Conference teams already have a wish list for next season? Five teams are still playing — Liberty and Parkland in the District 11-2 Class 4A playoffs; Freedom and Whitehall in the Eastern Conference 4A title game Friday night. Easton lost to Hazleton,…
· 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 →ARMY 3-6 (Independent) Lost to Air Force 30-10 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: One solo tackle, one assist. Season: Four solo tackles, two assisted. BOSTON COLLEGE 8-1, 4-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Lost to Florida State 27 -17 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. K…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Not many players can keep their football coach on hold for the entire summer deciding whether they’re going to play or not, but Central Catholic coach Harold Fairclough didn’t mind waiting for Scott Gulyas to make up his mind. It’s clear why. Gulyas is one of the top wide…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Anthony Gonzalez accounted for more than 200 yards of offense, wideout Joey Orlando made circus catches and tailback Ahkeem Smith gained the tough yards. All three owe gratitude to big Levi Brown and the other Hurricane offensive linemen for the way they…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A player from Freedom High apparently said something that offended players from Liberty. “This is the first time that we’re the underdogs in a game, which is pretty surprising, but let the best team win,” said Liberty senior linebacker Brendan Beal, who verbally committed to the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh Valley Conference all-star team won’t be announced until the regular season ends, but I don’t have to wait that long to make my selections. The final regular season games won’t prove who’s the best because anybody can have a really good game. But the best do it week…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →All 12 Lehigh Valley Conference teams have something important to play for in the final regular season games Friday and Saturday. In alphabetical order: Allen (0-9, 0-8): The Canaries, who’ve scored just 18 points all season, will try to get out of the last place by beating…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-5 (Independent) Lost to Georgia Tech 34-10 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: One solo tackle. Season: Three solo tackles, one assist. Jake Walsh (Liberty) Jr. DT 6-3, 269. Game: Played. Season: No stats. BOSTON COLLEGE 8-0, 4-0 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland finally played a team it could not run over and run away from Friday night. Horrendous weather conditions played a factor, but so too did the hard-sticking defensive effort of Emmaus in a Lehigh Valley Conference game that was decided by three plays. Parkland made all…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The intensity level among certain teams figures to exceed that of any other Friday night of the season. The increased shift in adrenaline is because of showdowns between rival Lehigh Valley Conference teams. Pick a game: Parkland (8-0, 7-0 LVC) at Emmaus (6-2, 5-2) or Liberty…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Next week’s final regular-season games in the Lehigh Valley Conference will have even more suspense, if certain things happen this Friday. And the No. 1 if? If Parkland (8-0, 7-0) beats Emmaus in the battle between Cedar Crest Boulevard teams Friday, then the Trojans can clinch…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-5 (Independent) Lost to Georgia Tech 34-10 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: One solo tackle. Season: Three solo tackles, one assist. Jake Walsh (Liberty) Jr. DT 6-3, 269. Game: Played. Season: No stats. BRIGHAM YOUNG 5-2 (Mountain West) Beat Eastern…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-4 (Independent) Lost to Central Michigan 47-23 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played. Season: Two solo tackles, one assist. Jake Walsh (Liberty) Jr. DT 6-3, 269. Game: Played. Season: No stats. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-0 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Notre Dame…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Five years after riding Austin Scott to the PIAA Class 4A title, Parkland is off and running behind a stable of running backs, and the results are once again impressive. Scott had more breakaway speed and elusive moves en route to posting state single-single records of 3,853…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland coach Jim Morgans doesn’t want to hear any talk about his team being unbeatable. Some people thought that of Liberty, which unraveled on both sides of the ball in losing 28-14 to Bethlehem Catholic last Friday night. “We don’t concern ourselves with other teams, except…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 3-3 (independent) Beat Tulane 20-17 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: One solo tackle. Season: Two solo tackles, one assist. BOSTON COLLEGE 6-0(Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Bowling Green 55-24 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. 5-10, 183. Game: 7-for-7 on PATs;…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom has pummeled all the teams it was supposed to beat by 28, 48, 49 and 21 points this season, but obliterating weak teams does not bring the same pleasure as posting a signature win against one of the Lehigh Valley Conference’s top teams. So far, Freedom is 0-2 against the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty seniors Ahkeem Smith and Justin Rivera have been haunted for the last 364 days over what happened the last time they played city rival Bethlehem Catholic. Terrell Dobbins ran for 162 yards and Kyle John blocked an extra point attempt in helping Bethlehem Catholic…
· 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 →ARMY 2-3 (independent) Beat Temple 37-21 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played. Season: One solo tackle, one assist. BOSTON COLLEGE 5-0 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat UMass 24-14 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. 5-10, 183. Game: 3-for-3 on PATs; 1-for-1 on FGs, 37…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton senior Jarred Holley started at quarterback for the first time in his career and experienced success both passing and running against the Central Catholic defense Saturday night. He completed his first five passes, a couple on spirals across the middle, and he stayed in…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic is not about to wave the white flag just because it has three losses and cannot afford to lose another game. Not if it wants to keep alive hopes of making the District 11 Class 3A playoffs. There are many reasons why the Golden Hawks (1-3, 1-2) are in this…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 1-3 (Independent) Lost to Boston College 37-17 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played. Season: One solo tackle, one assist. BOSTON COLLEGE 4-0 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Army 37-17 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. 5-10, 183. Game: 2-for-3 on PATs; 1-for-2…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The high school football season reaches its midway point this weekend and the Lehigh Valley Conference has its share of teams with questions yet to be answered. The No. 1 question, of course, is who’s going to win the conference title? Liberty (4-0, 3-0) and Parkland (4-0, 3-0)…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic quarterback Thad Kosciolek was mesmerized the first time he walked into the Central Catholic athletic halls. “My first tine ever at Central I was walking through the coaches room, and they have all the state championship pictures of all the state championship…
· 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 →Liberty senior linebacker Brendan Beal has to wait until Oct. 26 to meet Easton and star defensive back Jarred Holley at Cottingham Stadium. Both players will probably make plays all over the field on that night. It will be the first game that Beal, a transfer from Roxbury High…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →ARMY 1-2 (Independent) Lost to Wake Forest 21-10 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: One solo tackle, one assist. Season: Same. BOSTON COLLEGE 3-0, 3-0 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Georgia Tech 24-10 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) Jr. 5-10, 183. Game: 3-for-3 on PATs;…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Only the names have changed in Parkland’s Wing-T attack, but the efficiency is still the same. The Trojans proved it against Freedom with piledriver blocking and bulldozing runs that helped turn an important Lehigh Valley Conference matchup into a runaway 20-3 victory Friday…
· 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 →ALBANY 1-1 (Northeast Conference) Beat Fordham 23-20 Terrell Dobbins (Bethlehem Catholic) Fr. RB, 5-10, 205. Game: Played. Season: One carry, 2 yards. ARMY 1-1 (independent) Beat Rhode Island 14-7 Marcus Millen (Easton) Sr. DE 6-0, 228. Game: Played: Season: No stats. Jake Walsh…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic’s Michael Milano went up the middle with power on most runs, dashed and sprinted away on others. On defense, he also smothered Bethlehem Catholic’s wideouts. He was making plays everywhere on a Saturday night in which he cramped up five times and had to briefly…
· 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 →Normally, you wouldn’t think that a team could set a positive tone for its season by losing, but Central Catholic did it Saturday afternoon. The Vikings did it by fighting back from a 20-3 second-half deficit to pull within seven points of powerhouse Liberty late in the fourth…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There’s no such thing as meaningless games for District 11 Class 4A teams anymore, considering the complicated points system used to determine qualifiers for the PIAA subregional playoffs. But some Lehigh Valley Conference teams aren’t worried about matters they can not control…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior Ahkeem Smith is ready to carry the offensive load, and his teammates, on his shoulders. It’s a big task, especially considering one of his teammates is 6-3, 315-pound two-way tackle Levi Brown. But Smith has waited four years to be in the spotlight and to be a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty is bent on trying to make it back to Hershey and finally win the PIAA Class 4A title, but first must earn its stripes against Easton and other tough Lehigh Valley Conference opponents. That’s because the LVC season figures to be another series of weekly dogfights.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Basketballs will swish nets and bank off backboards. Softballs and volleyballs will be smashed. Footballs and Frisbees will fly. Sheaves will be tossed, muscles will be flexed and dogs will jump through hoops. At the 11th edition of Lehigh Valley SportsFest, kicking off tonight…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For the second straight week, a record-breaking quarterback from the Lehigh Valley will showcase his talents in an all-star game. Wilson’s D.J. Lenehan, who’s headed to Toledo on a scholarship, will play his final high school game in the seventh annual Pennsylvania Football…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is not out to prove anybody wrong, especially mock draft experts, who each week post on Web sites their predictions of where players will likely be drafted in next month’s NBA draft. Gray is not out to prove them wrong because he doesn’t care what they think. “If you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Courtney Molinaro has two more years left to play college basketball, but she won’t be playing them at Penn State. The former Central Catholic star center announced Thursday that she is transferring from the university. Molinaro, who won three PIAA Class 3A titles at Central…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Times are not as tough as they may seem for Penn State sophomore Courtney Molinaro, a former Central Catholic basketball star. That’s because Molinaro is not discouraged by the meager 8.9 minutes per game she averages, fourth lowest on the team, or her 1 point per game scoring…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jackie Adamshick was in no rush to say goodbye Monday night. But when the moment came, the Villanova senior did not shed a tear. That’s because she kept her emotions bottled up inside in her final game at The Pavilion. Adamshick, a former Central Catholic star, received a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Muhlenberg men’s team finished 9-9 again in Centennial Conference play and in fifth place for the second straight season, which seems like the Mules did not make an improvement. But records don’t always tell the story, especially this tale of a Mules team that went from…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Adrienne Blount has done everything in her power to help the Lehigh women’s basketball team win, but often to no avail. Throughout her career, Lehigh has lost several close games because of blown leads, lost composure, and some coaching blunders. All the above have cost Blount,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Going head-to-head with Villanova coach Jay Wright or any other Division I coach for a recruit would not appear to be all that enjoyable for Kutztown University coach Bernie Driscoll. After all, Kutztown is a Division II school, while Villanova competes in the Big East…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Debate continues as to whether college women’s basketball teams should be allowed to use male practice players. It probably wouldn’t be that much of a big deal now, if it were not for the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics calling for ban on male practice players in December.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg senior Chris Pothering and Moravian junior Megan Kocon aren’t too concerned about their statistics. Just playing their role and contributing as much as possible is good enough for them. “I look at basketball right now and I just love having the outlet, having the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty seemed like it was moving in slow motion at times against Upper St. Clair on Saturday night. And the scoreboard reflected it. Upper St. Clair, led by five rushing touchdowns from Indiana University-bound tailback Dane Conwell, trounced the Hurricanes 47-13 in the PIAA…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One vs. 11 doesn’t work on the football field. Wilson’s defense proved that en route to winning the PIAA Class 2A Championship Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. The Warriors did it by halting Jeannette quarterback Terrell Pryor’s one-man show in the second half. “We knew coming…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With 22 seniors gone from last season’s PIAA Class 4A runner-up team, Liberty entered this season with only a few standout playmakers and vocal leaders. So it seemed. Senior quarterback Dan Persa figured to provide the playmaking, while seniors Oscar Rivera and Al Petros figured…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →‘COLLEGES ARMY 3-8 (Independent) Lost to Notre Dame 41-9 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Game: Played. No stats. Season: Same. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Game: Played. No stats. Season: Same. BOSTON COLLEGE 9-2, 5-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES BOSTON COLLEGE 8-2, 4-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Duke 28-7 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) So. K, 5-11, 175. Game: 4-for-4 on PATs. Season: 15-for-15 on PATs; 5-for-6 on FGs; longest 36 yards. BROWN 3-6, 2-4 (Ivy League) Lost to Dartmouth 19-13 Justin Gallagher…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh women’s basketball team is picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League, which eliminates the pressure of great expectations. The Mountain Hawks were picked to be a contender last season, but ended the season as a team in disarray. They lost four non-league games by…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Four years after winning the PIAA Class 4A championship, Parkland returns to the district playoffs with a balanced team that appears capable of making another run to Hershey. The Trojans don’t have a running back breaking school and state records as Austin Scott did in 2002 with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 3-7 (Independent) Lost to Air Force 43-7 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Game: Played. No stats. Season: Same. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Game: Played. No stats. Season: Same. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-2, 3-2 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Lost to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland can complete it’s first 10-0 regular season since 1996 by beating rival Whitehall tonight. Even better, Parkland (9-0, 8-0 LVC) will clinch its first outright Lehigh Valley Conference title since 2002, the year the Trojans also won the PIAA Class 4A championship.…
· 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 →COLLEGES ARMY 3-6 (Independent) Lost to Tulane 42-28 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Game: Played. No stats. Season: Same. BOSTON COLLEGE 7-1, 3-1 (ACC) Beat Buffalo 41-0 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) So. K, 5-11, 175. Game: 4-for-4 on PATs; 2-for-2 on FGs of 25 and 30…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s no secret that Easton and Liberty want to hit each other hard. It’s still great hearing them say it. It will be even better seeing them do it when Easton (8-0, 7-0 LVC) and Liberty (7-1, 6-1) meet in the much-anticipated Lehigh Valley Conference showdown at 7 tonight at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 3-5 (Independent) Lost to TCU 31-17 Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. No stats. BOSTON COLLEGE 6-1, 3-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Florida State 24-19 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) So. K, 5-11, 175. Game: 3-for-3 on PATs; 1-for-1 on FG of 26…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two weeks ago, Bethlehem Catholic senior Kyle John bulldozed through Liberty offensive linemen with the most fierce pass rush of his life. It was overtime, his Golden Hawks were ahead by a point, and it was loud inside Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. It became even…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →College football has a Cinderella story that’s far more appealing than the ugliness that was the brawl between Miami and Florida International players last Saturday night. The story is the one about walk-on kicker Steve Aponavicius, the baby-faced Boston College sophomore who…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s time for the 20-some remaining players on Dieruff’s football team to walk the hallways, the cafeteria line, and maybe even the streets of East Allentown to ask the former players who abandoned them if they’re happy about the Huskies’ 18-game losing streak, which dates back…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You can win in basketball by having two really good, exciting players, especially if one is a 7-footer and the other a McDonald’s All-American guard. Not so in football. If that were the case, then Allen wouldn’t be 0-7 and looking at 0-7 Dieruff as possibly the only team it can…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 3-4 (Independent) Lost to Connecticut 21-7 Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. No stats. BOSTON COLLEGE 5-1, 2-1 (Atlantic Coast Conference) Beat Virginia Tech 22-3 Steve Aponavicius (Easton) So. K, 5-11, 175. Game: 2-for-2 on PATs; 2-for-2 on FGs…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andres Morales, Andrew Lee, Rich Jarnagin and Mike McClarin, all big playmakers with voices that carry on the sidelines and in the locker room, are not around to fire up their teammates at Liberty High, anymore. They graduated in June, but somebody else better try and find a way…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Steve Aponavicius plans to spend more time praying in church today than his Boston College teammates. That’s because the Easton High graduate will have had almost all of his prayers answered, that he will be BC’s starting kicker tonight in his first-ever football game when the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 3-3 (Independent) Beat VMI 62-7 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Played. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Did not play. BRIGHAM YOUNG 4-2, 2-0 (Mountain West) Beat San Diego State 42-17 Joe Semanoff…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty no longer owns bragging rights in Bethlehem. Bethlehem Catholic’s two-way workhorse Terrell Dobbins made sure of it Saturday night. After punishing Liberty with his running, Dobbins deflated the Hurricanes and sent his coach, Tarik Haddad, into tears in overtime by…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No longer does Matt Rice have to worry about playing time. Like all good players, he wants to be on the field all the time. He didn’t get his wish at Bethlehem Catholic, but he transferred to Liberty after last fall and is now a two-way starter for the Hurricanes. “I was over…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 2-3 (Independent) Lost to Rice 48-14 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Did not play. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Did not play. BYU 3-2, 1-0 (Mtn West) Beat TCU 31-17-0) Joe Semanoff (Lehighton)…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The head coach of the only team in the Lehigh Valley Conference that has not allowed a point yet this season hesitated little in answering a question about how he’d stop Parkland’s Wing-T offense. “Call Doug Powell,” Easton coach Steve Shiffert said, referring to his defensive…
· 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 →The Easton offense would have reason to be jealous of its defense, if it were not for the fact that most of the standout players go both ways. It’s on defense that they’ve excelled the most. “Their defense is outstanding,” said Whitehall coach Bob Panny, whose Zephyrs managed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 2-2 (Independent) Beat Baylor 27-20 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Did not play. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Did not play. BRIGHAM YOUNG 2-2, 0-0 (Mountain West) Beat Utah State 38-0) Joe…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Want bulletin board material, Parkland? Forget about it. The Bethlehem Catholic coaches and players have too much respect for the Trojans. So the Golden Hawks are saying all the right things. Maybe it’s because Bethlehem Catholic coach Tarik Haddad and his offensive coordinator,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY 1-2 (Independent) Lost to Texas A&M; 28-24 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Did not play. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Played. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Did not play. BRIGHAM YOUNG 1-2, 0-0 (Mountain West) Lost to Boston College…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic coach Harold Fairclough’s shirt was drenched once again, his palms were sweaty and his heart was pumping fast. Finally, he was in a ballgame at the end, his first victory as a head coach within grasp if his players could make clutch plays late. It was Saturday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three Freedom players limped off the field, each the victim of punishing tackles by the Parkland defense Friday night. Excluding one big-scoring pass play in the fourth quarter, Freedom managed zilch against the Trojans’ fast-pursuing and hard-hitting defense in a Lehigh Valley…
· 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 →COLLEGES ARMY 1-1 (Independent) Beat Kent State 17-14 Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230 Did not play. Julius Meyers (Pennridge) Sr. LB, 6-2, 232. Did not play. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Did not play. BYU 1-1 (Mountain West) Beat Tulsa 49-14 Joe Semanoff…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic senior Mark Scattene closed out the first and second quarters by thwarting Central Catholic with his hands, moves and speed Saturday night. Terrell Dobbins, the Golden Hawks’ bulldozing tailback, stymied the Vikings even more with breakaway touchdown runs that…
· 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 →COLLEGES ARMY (Independent) Sept. 7 at Arkansas State Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Last season: Did not play. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Last season: Did not play. BRIGHAM YOUNG (Mountain West) Sept. 7 at Arizona Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) Jr. RB, 5-11,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Way too much attention has been given to the players who transferred from Bethlehem Catholic, and not enough praise has been given to the star wideout who stayed put after last season. But stay tuned. Golden Hawks senior Mark Scattene may soon play his way into some headlines.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The questions were so annoying. “The whole offseason people were asking me, how are we going to replace Charles [Irvin]?” said Liberty quarterback Dan Persa. “How are we going to replace Hoagie [linebacker Andres Morales] ? How are we going to replace all those seniors that we…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The stadium lights will be on tonight from Allentown to Easton as Lehigh Valley Conference teams begin play. What should be expected? “I’ll let you know around 9:30,” Easton coach Steve Shiffert said a few days ago. “It’s a lot different when you have 3,000 fans out there,” said…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES ARMY (Independent) Sept. 7 at Arkansas State Marcus Millen (Easton) Jr. DE, 6-1, 230. Last season: Did not play. Jake Walsh (Liberty) So. DT, 6-4, 259. Last season: Did not play. BRIGHAM YOUNG (Mountain West) Sept. 7 at Arizona Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) Jr. RB, 5-11,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody is going to overlook Whitehall this season. The Zephyrs have too much size to be ignored as a contender for the Lehigh Valley Conference title, along with Liberty, Easton and Parkland. “We think we have kids who can be competitive and that are powerful,” said Whitehall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →New beginnings for Allen’s Keith Massey and Central Catholic’s Pete Geist start as soon as the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic finishes tonight in Nazareth. Massey is headed to Kutztown University to play football while Geist is going to Penn State University…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rushane Scott proved, for the second straight year, that he was the fastest sprinter at the District 11 Track and Field Championships. He did it with ease, leaving the crowd in awe as he overcame a sizable deficit in the 400-meter relay to lead Allen to a Class 3A victory at the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen sprinter Rushane Scott had other sprinters looking at the back of his jersey each time he ran Wednesday afternoon at J. Birney Crum Stadium. But he said his victories weren’t as easy as they seemed. Scott gained early leads in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and pulled out…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Villanova forward Jackie Adamshick is paying more attention to North Carolina than any of the other three teams playing in the women’s NCAA Tournament’s Final Four in Boston. It’s not that she’s in love with those Tar Heel baby blue jerseys. Adamshick is doing some advance…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Villanova senior Allan Ray found out more about the New York City streets than he wanted to Friday night. He didn’t like it. Not even close, and the thing about it is he wasn’t driving. Instead, he was a passenger in an ambulance that was transporting him to St. Vincent Hospital…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh coach Billy Taylor hopes his season isn’t over, that the Mountain Hawks’ 19-12 record puts them in contention for a National Invitational Tournament bid. It’s nice to hope and it would certainly be a major boost for the Patriot League’s profile if Lehigh received a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There’s little doubt that Lehigh and Bucknell have a heated rivalry, especially since six of the last eight meetings have been decided by five points or less. You’d expect the fans, those who are loyal, to be more jacked up than normal when the two Patriot League teams meet. The…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →This is the week that college basketball players dream about, and it’s when coaches really earn their pay. This is a week for all fans to enjoy, at the Division I, II and III levels. On of the biggest games will involve the area’s hottest men’s team. Lehigh (18-9, 11-1) will try…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rich Jarnagin entered Liberty High School four years ago as a skinny freshman, but one with a lot of potential. He became stronger and faster and this year made several game-breaking plays on both sides of the ball to help Liberty go 13-2 and finish as the PIAA Class 4A…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s student fans have a chance to prove that they are more loyal than fairweather Wednesday night. They have a chance to get rowdy and become a more effective “sixth man.” They have chance to prove that Stabler Arena is a place you need to bring earplugs to rather than a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Syracuse center Sara Antolick recalled an awesome highlight from a high school matchup with Villanova forward Jackie Adamshick. It was in Antolick’s sophomore year at Bethlehem Catholic. Adamshick was a senior at Central Catholic, the school Antolick transferred to for her…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehighton running back Robbie Frey often ran by, and away from, linemen during a 2,000-yard season. Central Catholic offensive lineman Chris Waldron bowled over opposing linemen, and as a result, exceeded his own expectations in helping to clear the way for an offense that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They made jokes, lots of them. They will do so again tonight, and maybe even on Saturday before making the first-ever trip to Hershey for a Bethlehem Area School District team to play for a PIAA football championship. Pressure, you see, is easier to deal with when you share…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Dan Persa tends to have as much fun as the kids he meets at the playground near his house. “Me and my friends will go there and just try to hit random objects [with a football],” Persa said. “I’ll hit the top bar of the swing set, then I’ll try to throw it at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →North Penn coach Dick Beck reclined in his office chair on Thursday and reeled off the names of Lehigh Valley players and teams he has admired. He humbly talked about his team, which is coming off a 55-20 win over Downingtown East in the District One championship game, which…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody can look into the mind of Liberty junior quarterback Dan Persa, holder of the school’s single-season passing touchdown record, and see what’s brewing. Liberty fans probably hope that it’s full of excitement and drive, and that he doesn’t have any space available for fear.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 6-5, 3-5 (Atlantic 10) Season completed Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Season: Five solo tackles, two for losses, four assists, two pass break ups, two sacks. DUQUESNE 7-3, 4-0 (MAAC) Season completed Travis Decker (Parkland) So. DL, 6-2, 225.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 6-5, 3-5 (Atlantic 10) Beat Villanova 38-13 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Game: One assisted tackle. Season: Five solo tackles, two for losses, four assists, two pass break ups, two sacks. DUQUESNE 7-3, 4-0 (MAAC) Beat Saint Francis 44-17 Travis…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Mike Gnall is best man in his brother Joe’s wedding next Saturday. But, if Whitehall wins tonight’s District 2-4-11 subregional Class 3A title game, he may not get the chance to wear the tuxedo he was recently fitted for. The fourth-seeded Zephyrs (9-2) visit No. 2 Pottsville…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 5-5, 2-5 (Atlantic 10) Beat William & Mary 22-21 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Season: Five solo tackles, two for losses, three assists, two pass break ups, two sacks. DUQUESNE 6-3, 4-0 (MAAC) Bye Travis Decker (Parkland) So. DL, 6-2, 225. Season:…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The black and red bull-rushed, seeking once again to tackle, deflate and possibly sideline Liberty quarterback Dan Persa. Three times Persa was tackled for negative yards. Each time he rose quickly, apparently more determined to prove that he could survive every one of Easton’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 4-5, 1-5 (Atlantic 10) Lost to Massachusetts 35-7 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Game: One assisted tackle. Season: Five solo tackles, two for losses, three assists, two pass break ups, two sacks. DUQUESNE 6-3, 4-0 (MAAC) Beat La Salle 56-14 Travis…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Whitehall has won eight straight games, but may need to extend that streak to nine to secure a District 11/Sub-Regional Class 3A playoff spot. “It’s something the way things fell,” said Zephyrs coach Bob Panny. “After eight conference games we have a chance.” A chance to return…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES BRIGHAM YOUNG 4-4, 3-2 (Mountain West) Beat Air Force 62-41 Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) So. RB, 5-10, 215. Season: One carry, 6 yards; two catches, 25 yards, one TD. DELAWARE 4-4, 1-4 (Atlantic 10) Lost to Maine 25-15 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Game: One…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →First-year Dieruff coach Jake Williams didn’t think he’d contend for the Lehigh Valley Conference title this season. He didn’t figure on finishing last, either, but that will be the harsh reality if Dieruff (0-8 overall, 0-6 LVC) doesn’t pull off an upset over the next two…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Getting mentally up for Dieruff on Sept. 16 at J. Birney Crum Stadium was no problem at all for Liberty, even though the Hurricanes knew they had major advantages on both sides of the ball. Liberty played Dieruff with the same tenacity it expects to have against Easton (5-2,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES BRIGHAM YOUNG 3-4, 2-2 (Mountain West) Lost to Notre Dame 49-23 Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) So. RB, 5-10, 215. Season: One carry, 6 yards; two catches, 25 yards, one touchdown. DELAWARE 4-3, 1-3 (Atlantic 10) Beat James Madison 34-28 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4,…
· 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 →COLLEGES BRIGHAM YOUNG 3-3, 2-2 (Mountain West) Beat Colorado State 24-14 Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) So. RB, 5-10, 215. Season: One carry, 6 yards; two catches, 25 yards, one touchdown. DELAWARE 3-3, 0-3 (Atlantic 10) Lost to Richmond 20-10 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty coach Tim Moncman has a quick response to parents who complain about play-calling and about playing time for their sons, even if that player has Division I talent. “I’d say go some place else,” Moncman said. Another high school, another program, another coach might…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty, Easton and Whitheall control their PIAA sub-regional playoff destinies with four regular-season games remaining. All each has to do is win, though somebody will lose when Liberty (6-0, 4-0) and Easton (5-1, 3-1) meet Oct. 28 at Cottingham Stadium. Whitehall (5-1, 4-0)…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 2-3, 0-2 (Atlantic 10) Lost to Hofstra 10-6 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Season: Four solo tackles, two for losses, one assisted, two pass break ups. DUQUESNE 2-3, 0-0 (MAAC) Lost to Georgetown 10-7 Travis Decker (Parkland) So. DL, 6-2, 225.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Whitehall does not care what people say about it, whether good or bad. It does not care if people say its lucky not having to play Liberty or Easton this season. Actually, Whitehall does not care about anything, except what happens on that football field each week. “I live to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His heartbeat had slowed down and many of the teammates who had piled on him had retreated to the locker room to continue celebrating Sunday night in Whitehall. But James Potocnie, AKA Whitehall’s playmaker, was still on the soggy field, reflecting back on the catch in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Alex Watty and Mike McClarin, two of Liberty’s grunts in the trenches, had fun plowing Bethlehem Catholic linemen Friday night. But they had even more fun watching tailback Charles Irvin turn their yeoman work into touchdowns in a Lehigh Valley Conference mismatch at Bethlehem…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody is going to silence Rich Jarnagin, Liberty’s bullish tight end and linebacker. And he is particularly loud and animated when expressing his feelings about Bethlehem Catholic. The 6-1, 213-pound Jarnagin has had plenty to say this week because Liberty (5-0, 3-0) and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES DELAWARE 3-1, 0-1 (Atl. 10) Lost to Towson 35-31 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) Soph. DL, 6-4, 243. Season: Three solo tackles, two for losses, one assisted, two pass break-ups. DUQUESNE 2-2, 0-0 (MAAC) Bye Travis Decker (Parkland) Soph. DL, 6-2, 225. Season: Five solo…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic and Liberty established the identity of their teams in one quarter Saturday night. It takes some teams a whole season to do that. For Liberty, a 32-25 victor in overtime, moxie, determination, and clutch playmaking ability was discovered as it overcame an…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jonathan Mill, the Liberty kicker whose 37-yard field-goal with 4.9 seconds left in regulation glanced off the goal post and through the crossbar to force overtime, stood motionless on the sidelines. “I’m still shaking,” he said. But at least he was standing to see the finish.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jonathan Mill, the Liberty kicker whose 37-yard field-goal with 4.9 seconds left in regulation glanced off the goal post and through the crossbar to force overtime, stood motionless on the sidelines. “I’m still shaking,” he said. But at least he was standing to see the finish.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The game that will likely decide the Bethlehem city championship is a week away. But Bethlehem Catholic and Liberty must first contend with tough Lehigh Valley Conference opponents before worrying about their showdown at BethlehemArea School District Stadium next Friday night.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh Valley Conference has become more interesting thanks to Allen’s resurgence with consecutive victories over Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic. However, the Canaries (2-2) are in an uphill battle to advance to the PIAA Class 4A sub-regional playoffs because it’s difficult…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The end zone was within sight. Tyler Chomik just couldn’t reach it. The Moravian College senior had already rumbled 42 yards on an interception return, one of two long-distance runs he had in the Greyhounds’ 49-14 rout of winless Juniata Saturday afternoon at Rocco Calvo Field.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty hopes to blow out Parkland in the same fashion it has its first three opponents. But it might not satisfy at least one Liberty High teacher. “One of my teachers said, “Can you make the games more interesting,’ but I said interesting games are usually the bad ones. The…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGES BRIGHAM YOUNG 1-1, 0-0 (Mountain West) Bye Joe Semanoff (Lehighton) So. RB, 5-10, 215. DELAWARE 2-0, 0-0 (Atlantic 10) Beat West Chester 42-21 Jeremy Kametz (Freedom) So. DL, 6-4, 243. Game: Did not play. Season: Three solo tackles, two for losses, two pass breakups.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Teko Johnson has taught his Northampton players as much about how to deal with adversity as how to win football games. “He has a lot of phrases about life,” said Northampton quarterback Josh Harakal. “He talks about how everything is a test. He never stops teaching.” Johnson…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic seeks validation. Beating defending Lehigh Valley Conference champion Easton at 7 p.m. Saturday at J. Birney Crum Stadium would help validate the Vikings as a conference contender. “I don’t have to get them pumped up,” said Central Catholic coach Donnie Roberts.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Stem returns to coaching tonight against a man who admires him, but who’s also yet to beat him. That doesn’t mean that Northampton coach Teko Johnson has already conceded. It’s quite the opposite because Johnson’s Konkrete Kids, led by the multi-talented and dangerous Josh…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic will never be just an average football program, because the coaching staffs and players dressed in Vikings gear will always think they’re as good, if not better, than everybody else. Even if the victories don’t equal the always-high expectations. The fact is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic made a goal-line theft to help clinch a non-league victory and ease the heartbeat of coach Donnie Roberts Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The Vikings, ahead by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, were in danger of falling behind when Downingtown…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He did not sleep with his helmet Thursday night and will not walk around school today with a football. But chances are Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Alex Atiyeh won’t take too long to get dressed in his brown and gold uniform for a Lehigh Valley Conference season-opener against…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty has “Hoagie,” which is what they call star senior linebacker Andres Morales, who’s being recruited by N.C. State, Duke and other Division I schools. It also has junior quarterback Dan Persa, an accurate passer and slick runner who’s healthy again and can pick apart…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →David Horton, a two-time Morning Call all-area player, was on the field in the final minutes of the 48th annual Big 33 Football Classic Saturday night. But it was not like old times. It was close and it was late. Throughout his Central Catholic career, the record-breaking…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ryan Greiser rushed forward, planted and appeared ready to tackle Michigan State-bound tailback Javon Ringer. But Greiser, The Morning Call’s Player of the Year from Pennridge High, missed Ringer, which Ohio’s All-Stars made Pennsylvania defenders do often in the Big 33 Football…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Domenique Price’s name will be on the back of his Pennsylvania uniform tonight at the 48th annual Big 33 Football Classic at HersheyPark Stadium. He’ll get to keep the jersey, and the memories of his week in Hershey may never fade, but Price is lucky to be on Pennsylvania’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →David Horton has drawn up a few plays in his mind, plays he hopes to execute in the Big 33 Football Classic Saturday night in Hersheypark Stadium. They are plays that involve catching, running, eluding, and, of course, scoring a touchdown as Horton did so often throughout his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Domenique Price sat still and quiet, his body exhausted from a Tuesday morning workout with the other Pennsylvania all-stars in scorching heat at Hershey High. “I’m a little beat from two practices a day and it’s hot outside,” he said. “There is a lot of running around.” But he…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →David Horton made playing in the Big 33 Football Classic a personal goal last July. He just needed to have a breakout senior season that would increase his chances of getting selected to the Pennsylvania team that will meet Ohio’s best July 23 at Hersheypark Stadium. The former…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Screen passes, draws, inside handoffs and trap plays were in the playbooks of both all-star teams in the 35th annual McDonald’s Lehigh Valley Football Classic Thursday night. They were just not called much in a wide-open game that featured 742 yards of offense and 75 points at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Goffredo was on the sidelines waiting to be transported to the hospital in his last high school football game, an all-star classic at Catasauqua in 1982. But he was cognizant enough to know the outcome. “Yeah, we won,” said Goffredo, now the Pius X football coach. “The boys…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →John Carelli doesn’t worry about the stares he often gets from more-imposing athletes, the ones he has to compete against in the high jump. He just does his thing. Often, that’s win. He’s just 6-feet tall, and many of the athletes the Parkland High junior has beaten in the long,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen junior Rushane Scott was slightly behind out of the blocks, but he was way ahead at the tape. He’s closed many 100-meter dashes in the same fashion this spring. The stakes were higher in the Class 3A final in the District 11 track and field championships, but Scott easily…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic still has speed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, just not the best around. That’s because former Becahi standouts Brandon Carter and Eddie Scipio have graduated and the area’s fastest boys runner is Allen’s Rushane Scott, who’s been timed at 10.6 in the 100…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen’s Rushane Scott pulled away to win one race, rallied for an impressive finish in another, then blazed to a third gold medal in his final event, the 200-meter dash, Wednesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Then, he took off his cleats, walked slowly to his water bottle, and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The numbers may startle you because you are talking about a track and field team — not a football team. But Parkland’s track team is much larger than any other team in this area, perhaps as large as any team in the state, maybe even the country. The Trojans have 297 athletes —…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Most minor league basketball players pray for an invitation to an NBA training camp. Allentown’s Sammy Barona just hoped for an opportunity to play for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League. He’s finally on the roster and more excited than ever…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus High senior Sam Luff calmed his nerves and then went out and ran the best 3,000-meter race of his career Friday evening at Franklin Field. His debut at the Penn Relays was a memorable one. He used a solid breakaway kick over the final 200 meters to finish in second place…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Chris Pates was running with the wrong crowd and headed toward a dead end until he joined the Liberty High track and field team in the spring of his freshman year. Finally, he had goals to chase, first in the classroom, because without making the grade he wouldn’t have been…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andrew Koeffer sat at the far end of the Saint Joseph’s bench Tuesday night, extremely proud to be wearing his crimson and gray uniform at Madison Square Garden. He only broke a sweat in warm-ups because he did not play in the Hawks’ National Invitation Tournament semifinal game…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jackie Adamshick sat silently, her hands clutched as she nervously watched the NCAA women’s selection show on ESPN Sunday night at the Pavilion. Adamshick, a redshirt sophomore from Central Catholic High, did not expect to be disappointed, not with Villanova having posted a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Teams that make postseason runs in March usually start to play harder and smarter and win more convincingly at this time of the season. Lafayette has done that in its last two Patriot League games. Teams that have short runs in March usually do what Lehigh has done over its last…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Hockey season is not over for Luke Heckenberger, an 18-year-old senior at Central Catholic. He had a game Wednesday night, has practice tonight and will be traveling to Boston on Friday for a weekend tournament with the Lehigh Valley Ice Hockey traveling team, known as the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Drexel senior Danny Hinds experienced the worst drive to the basket of his life Monday night. He jump-stopped and was going up for a layup when his left knee buckled. Tears quickly welled in his eyes as he dropped to the floor during the second half of a Colonial Athletic…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s is making another run at the NCAA Tournament. And the Hawks don’t even control Philadelphia. But that’s the beauty of college basketball because rankings and computers do not determine a team’s fate. Saint Joe’s (12-9) can advance to the “Big Dance” for the third…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bucknell coach Pat Flannery did not allow his spirits to be dampened after losing to Lehigh 57-54 on a Joe Knight 3-pointer at the buzzer Sunday at Stabler Arena. Flannery had missed three games because of an undisclosed medical condition. He hated being out, hated not having to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic senior two-way tackle Matt Kushner appeared to be an unlikely Division I product before last season. He’d made just 12 tackles in two previous seasons. He had played mostly as an offensive lineman and pancake blocks are not listed on any stats sheets. But…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Drexel University senior Danny Hinds is not about to let a fractured left wrist keep him out of the Dragons’ starting lineup. He’s worked too hard to get into it, so he’s not about to let discomfort in his non-shooting hand spoil his last season. Besides, Drexel coach Bruiser…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →James Madison sophomore Ray Barbosa was nearly unstoppable, hitting 3-pointers with defenders breathing hard in his face, running swift on the give-and-go and back-door cuts to the basket. Drexel senior Danny Hinds was off the mark, missing five of his six attempts, including…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Villanova’s non-league schedule had been nothing to boast about, except for games against Big 5 rivals Temple and Pennsylvania. But Saturday, the Wildcats took a break from from the Big East to play second-ranked Kansas at the Wachovia Center. There wasn’t supposed to be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Georgetown University senior guard Mary Lisicky is having more of a Washington, D.C., experience than she’d like her parents in Whitehall to know about. “Georgetown has a lot of shopping centers, and, of course, there’s always clubs and bars, but don’t tell Mom,” Lisicky said.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There are some games in which Villanova guard Jackie Adamshick is all-world — just like she was in high school when she led Central Catholic to back-to-back PIAA Class 3A titles in 2001 and 2002. Her 25-point performance in leading Villanova to a 59-54 upset of then-No. 4 Notre…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s Patriot League opponents are not having many good nights trying to contain Mountain Hawks junior guard Joe Knight. The 6-1 transfer from High Point University has turned into a clutch late-game performer, hitting the game-winning shot with 25.4 seconds left in a 56-53…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The excitement is slowly returning to Navy basketball. Though the Midshipmen’s 4-9 start has included a 75-69 loss to Division III Gettysburg on Dec. 18 in Annapolis, first-year coach Billy Lange is not discouraged. A stale offense was the main reason the Midshipmen compiled a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette College’s talent pool is not as depleted as the Patriot League’s sports information directors and coaches preseason poll seemed to suggest. The Leopards were picked to finish sixth. It’s too late to change, but Lafayette will finish closer to the top than the bottom in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette College has a slim chance of pulling off this college basketball season’s biggest upset Tuesday night in a non-league game against No. 9 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. But the Leopards (3-6) may not get too blown out of Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which is located on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jim Morgans sat in Parkland principal Rich Sniscak’s office Wednesday and said he’s made his final coaching stop. Morgans, 58, was approved Tuesday night by the Parkland school board to succeed Rob Melosky as the Trojans’ head coach. It’s his third coaching job since 1998,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Opposing defensive linemen might have been more successful blocking Keith Weaver, Palisades’ massive 6-4, 320-pound senior lineman, if they had done what Pirates coach Brian Gilbert used to do in practice. “What we would do was put two guys over him and just treat them as one,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic senior David Horton probably has Vikings coach Donnie Roberts high on his Christmas list. Roberts’ decision to move Horton from running back to wide receiver as a junior has panned out wonderfully. Horton’s 51-catch, 617-yard season with five touchdowns was…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette will experience on Dec. 28 what former Allen High star Ray Barbosa has already experienced when the James Madison sophomore and his teammates played then-No. 3 Georgia Tech Dec. 15 in Atlanta. Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon is in no rush to find out. “They are pretty…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennridge High senior tailback Ryan Greiser, The Morning Call’s player of the year, received an expected honor but at an unexpected position Saturday. And Parkland’s 6-4, 310-pound, two-way standout lineman Morgan Thomas, finally got his due. Greiser and Thomas were selected to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The opponents hit hard. Easton just hit harder. The opponents were often bigger. Easton never buckled. For 13 straight games, Easton just won, mostly with smashmouth offense and punishing defense, and by taking advantage of some turnover opportunities in the playoffs during…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His shoulders and ankles are fine now, but his knees now ache so much after games that Drexel University senior Danny Hinds often has to ice them for several minutes after games. “I’m getting older,” Hinds, a Central Catholic High graduate, said after a recent game at Lafayette…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton clawed and scrapped and kept Rover Nation’s hope alive until the final gun. Even then, Red Rover players pleaded with the officials for just one more play, hoping that they would call a pass-interference penalty. But they didn’t, and Easton’s bid for a school-record 14th…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette may be in for a long and frustrating season. And the Leopards’ 78-67 non-league loss to Drexel Tuesday night at Kirby Sports Center may not be the worst of their woes. The Leopards (1-3) still have to play at No. 17 Louisville in the Cardinals’ home opener Saturday and…
· 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 →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 7-4, 4-2 (Patriot) Beat Duquesne 30-20 Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Season: 14 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD; 6 catches, 62 yards, TD. DELAWARE 6-3, 6-1 (Atl. 10) Beat Richmond 23-14 Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr. 6-0, 220. Season: 66 carries, 333 yards, 2…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty has yet to hit the panic button in a game this season. There’s that one loss — 21-7 to Easton — but the Hurricanes have demonstrated mettle and perseverance in many tough games, including last week’s dramatic 28-23 win over Wyoming Valley West that set up a rematch with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 6-4, 4-2 (Patriot) Beat Colgate 42-7 Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Game: One catch, four yards. Season: 14 carries, 93 yards, TD; six catches, 62 yards, TD. DELAWARE 6-3, 6-1 (Atl. 10) Beat Richmond 23-14 Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr. 6-0, 220. Season:…
· 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 →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 5-4, 3-2 (Patriot) Beat Fordham 21-20 Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Game: Two catches, 25 yards, TD. Season: 13 carries, 89 yards, TD; six catches, 62 yards, TD. DELAWARE 6-3, 5-1 (Atl. 10) Lost 20-13 to James Madison Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr. 6-0,…
· 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 →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 4-4, 2-2 (Patriot) Beat Holy Cross 42-27 Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Season: 13 carries, 89 yards, TD; 4 catches, 37 yards. DELAWARE 6-2, 5-0 (Atl. 10) Lost 34-20 to Navy Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr. 6-0, 220. Season: 66 carries, 333 yards, 2 TD; 5…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty and Easton tuned up for the “Battle of the Unbeatens” by smashing their opponents last Friday night. Liberty beat Nazareth 22-0 and Easton rolled over Northampton 45-14. Liberty (8-0, 6-0) did not play its best game, but still proved merciless, holding Nazareth to just…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 3-4, 1-2 (Patriot) Lost 40-17 to Lehigh Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Game: Three carries, 11 yards. Season: 13 carries, 89 yards, TD; four catches, 37 yards. DELAWARE 6-1, 5-0 (Atl. 10) Beat William & Mary 31-28 Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr. 6-0, 220.…
· 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 →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 3-3, 1-1 (Patriot) Lost 14-13 to Lafayette Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Game: Three carries, 19 yards; one catch, 24 yards. Season: 10 carries, 69 yards, TD; four catches, 37 yards. DELAWARE 5-1, 4-0 (Atl. 10) Beat Hofstra 20-19 Sean Bleiler…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Games that resembled Mud Bowls were played throughout the Lehigh Valley Friday night. Dieruff may have enjoyed slopping around more than any other team its 21-7 victory over Whitehall. The Huskies snapped a 15-game losing streak that dated back to Sept. 6 of last year. But the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For a team that bashes opponents with nasty defense, nasty weather was to Liberty’s advantage Friday night. The conditions and the Hurricanes’ fierce rush were a nightmare for Northampton in a fumble-plagued Lehigh Valley Conference matchup at Bethlehem Area School District…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton and Liberty are still undefeated in the Lehigh Valley Conference, but will probably have to battle hard tonight to stay that way. And again next week. Then, on Oct. 29, Easton (5-0) and Liberty (6-0) will meet each other at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, but will…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty had been outplayed and trailed rival Bethlehem Catholic 10-0 at halftime of their Lehigh Valley Conference matchup Saturday night. But the Hurricanes were not chewed out in the locker room by coach Tim Moncman. That’s the natural assumption. “We didn’t do any yelling or…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →COLLEGE BUCKNELL 3-2, 1-0 (Patriot) Lost 32-25 to Penn (2OT) Mike Cangelosi (Nazareth) Sr. 6-0, 197. Game: seven carries, 50 yards, one touchdown. Season: seven carries, 50 yards, one TD; three catches, 13 yards. DELAWARE 4-1, 3-1 (Atlantic 10) Bye Sean Bleiler (Parkland) Sr.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty is now the talk of Bethlehem. That’s what happens when you’re 5-0 and ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 4A by the Harrisburg Patriot-News. The Hurricanes also still have bragging rights because they swept city rivals Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic last season. Until…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Although Allen started the season 0-4 before beating Nazareth 10-7 Friday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium, the Canaries never lost confidence. “We weren’t stressing,” said Allen coach Kevin Ronalds. “We knew that were were going to get some wins.” Three of the Canaries’ games…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No more proof is needed. Liberty is for real. The Hurricanes were solid, even merciless at times in a 42-14 pummeling of Central Catholic Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. The ‘Canes turned two first-half fumble recoveries into touchdowns and built a 28-0…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus and Whitehall are no longer being overlooked by other Lehigh Valley Conference teams. “That’s too bad,” said Emmaus coach Bottiglieri. “We need them to overlook us a little bit.” Neither Emmaus (3-1, 1-1 LVC) nor Whitehall (3-1, 2-0) will get breaks tonight, next week or…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh Valley Conference teams have to be on their own Hurricane watch, but it has nothing to do with high winds and heavy rains. “Watch out for Liberty,” Easton coach Steve Shiffert said before Liberty went to Parkland Stadium Friday night and throttled the Trojans defensively…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton’s highly-touted band figures to rock in the stands as the Red Rovers football team goes after the 700th win in school history against Dieruff at 7 tonight at J. Birney Crum Stadium. It’s big. Maybe, the biggest storyline in the LVC in Week 3, but in an unusual twist, it…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg-South may or may not be as good as some LVC teams such as Easton (2-0), Parkland (2-2), Liberty (3-0) or Freedom (3-0). However, the Cavaliers may never know. It would be nice to find out on the field, but that can only happen in the PIAA Class 4A sub-regional…
· 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 →Central Catholic’s fate against Mount Carmel was finally sealed with a fourth-and-no more Saturday night. No more of tailback Tyler McCambridge using his quickness and power to move the chains and bedazzle the Tornadoes defense. No more of quarterback Matt Melly, harassed and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic’s fate against Mount Carmel was finally sealed with a fourth-and-no more Saturday night. No more of tailback Tyler McCambridge using his quickness and power to move the chains and bedazzle the Tornadoes defense. No more of quarterback Matt Melly, harassed and…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic, Easton and Parkland have had their runs of dominance in the previous two years of the Lehigh Valley Conference. Now, Central Catholic hopes to make its own run. The Vikings, who have gone 10-12 under coach Donnie Roberts the last two seasons, begin their…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Must-win games will begin the second week of the season for Lehigh Valley Conference teams after they lose their season-openers. That’s because of the PIAA’s new sub-regional playoff format that has combined District 11 with District 2 and District 4 teams in a chase to secure…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was the type of game meant for playmakers to show off, either on offense or defense Thursday night in Nazareth. Then, maybe enjoy a Big Mac and french fries for a postgame meal with a milkshake or apple pie for dessert. It was, after all, the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Don’t expect Easton coach Steve Shiffert to be all fired up for the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic tonight at Nazareth High. The fund-raising game for the Ronald McDonald’s charities just won’t seem the seem as Easton playing against Parkland or Bethlehem…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic coach Donnie Roberts may be one of the luckiest coaches in the history of the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic. He has a quarterback for every situation. If you like pass-happy offenses, which Roberts does, he has quarterbacks who can…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic High distance runner Frances Koons capped off two days of fantastic running in the Penn Relays Friday at Franklin Field. Koons, a senior, ran a 2:12.8 anchor-leg that helped the Vikettes place eighth in the High School Girls Championship of America 3,200-meter…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Artie Owens made sure he did his offseason conditioning work when he was with the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s and 80s, but he also made sure he scheduled his vacation time around the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Owens had been a football and track and field star at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s and Xavier of the Atlantic 10 were so close to the Final Four last Saturday, they could just about taste the sizzling fajitas of San Antonio. But both lost in regional finals, Saint Joe’s 64-62 to Oklahoma State in East Rutherford, N.J., and Xavier 66-63 to Duke…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Home-grown official Frank Scagliotta will be sitting by his television this evening in his Slate Belt home watching the Final Four games, cheering more for the three guys wearing zebra shirts than for Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Duke or UConn. Scagliotta, 53, officiated 1996…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The grunt men for Saint Joseph’s will be hard at work tonight as they have been all season. Not everything that Dwayne Jones, John Bryant and Dave Mallon do may be noticed, but they are used to it. Jones, Bryant and Mallon couldn’t care less that they have been outrebounded by…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wake Forest guard Chris Paul has shown little sign of rookie jitters in his first NCAA Tournament. The Demon Deacons’ 6-0 freshman has averaged 25.5 points and 7.5 assists, better than expected numbers for even the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year. But now Paul will…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →American University advanced to its third straight Patriot League Tournament championship game with a victory 65-55 over Colgate on Sunday. But the Eagles would have felt cheated had Lehigh not also won. That’s because the Eagles’ two regular-season losses to Lehigh remain sore…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s freshman Andrew Koefer, a walk-on out of Central Catholic, experienced only 1:47 of garbage time Tuesday night. It’s a moment he probably will never forget even though he never touched the ball. He got his name into the scorebook, which enabled him to join stars…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Danny Hinds was one of the many Drexel players disappointed with Saturday’s 76-64 loss at Delaware, which prevented the Dragons from clinching first place in the Colonial Athletic Conference. But Hinds, a 6-6 junior forward from Central Catholic, also knows how to look past the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Temple assistant coach Mark Macon and college basketball analyst Digger Phelps, a former coach at Notre Dame, both need to get up to speed with what Saint Joseph’s has done this season. That would help keep both from putting their feet in their mouths as the No. 2-ranked Hawks…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette College coach Fran O’Hanlon couldn’t have been more correct Saturday when he said, “We haven’t won anything yet.” O’Hanlon was responding to Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard’s statement that he had picked Lafayette to win the Patriot League title. Lafayette (18-5) beat…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette College’s bid for a 14-0 regular-season record in the Patriot League ended with the Leopards’ 85-77 loss to Colgate on Friday in Hamilton, N.Y. But the the Leopards’ hope to win the league’s regular-season and tournament titles remains alive. Even if Lafayette coach…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton High athletic director Mike Schneider would like nothing more than for interest in the school’s football program to boom following the Jeff Pammer’s ceremony this morning for NCAA national letter of intent day. Pammer, a multiple position star who was named The…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andrew Koefer was no star at Allentown Central Catholic and may never experience more than a few minutes playing time in college. But he will not complain. In fact, he believes that he is living out a dream as a freshman walk-on at No. 3-ranked Saint Joseph’s. His dream world,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There are arenas that are great because of their style, seating capacity, or crowd noise. Lafayette College’s Kirby Sports Center is not exactly a state-of-the-art facility. It lacks the pizzazz of other venues because of its lack of theater-type seating and has a seating…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh University now has a fun-and-gun offense, led by guards Austen Rowland and Jose Olivero, that is entertaining and producing winning results. Maybe it’s a taste of what’s to come in future years under Billy Taylor, the second-year coach who now sports a 25-18 record after…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He takes at least two insulin shots a day to help control his diabetes. Sometimes he’s woozy and so fatigued that he could just skip a practice or a game without anybody complaining. But the fire within Lafayette College senior forward Mike Farrell burns too much. He scores,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Drexel’s Danny Hinds shot only twice. James Madison’s Ray Barbosa converted only one shot in 10 attempts Wednesday night. It was far from the way it used to be when they were high school stars in Allentown. No longer can they just gun away and score at will because the offensive…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh University’s athletic administration might want to consider giving head men’s basketball coach Billy Taylor a contract extension — and maybe offer to pay his dry cleaning bill. It might not hurt to send his wife Avlon a dozen or so roses once in a while as an expression…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Whitehall has effectively used a slow-down brand of basketball to frustrate and topple many teams over the years. Remember the Zephyrs’ 33-29 overtime victory over Central Catholic earlier in the season? Just boring. “Yes it was,” said Whitehall guard Jason Greene. But the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The men in suits who represent the NCAA and the college basketball coaches who are often at odds with them, met in Chicago before the season started and discussed ways to help change apparent perceptions that coaches will go to unethical lengths to win and stay on top. Also…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The lane closed quickly and was being clogged by Lafayette College backup 7-foot center Jamie Hughes. With just 3 seconds left on the clock, Drexel guard Jeremiah King had to attempt the shot that would either win or lose the non-league game Tuesday night at the Dragons’…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A team-leading 18.7 points per game scoring average, Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week accolade and a starting position after just three games may seem like a fantasy tale for most freshmen who were not McDonald’s High School All-Americans. The reality is that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →This morning, the Easton football players should be able to stare in the mirror and feel proud. The reflection will be of players who demonstrated more vigor, drive and fight than seemed humanly possible considering they played two games against immensely talented and fast teams…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Drexel University junior Danny Hinds has been bothered by ankle and shoulder injuries in the preseason, but at 8 tonight when he steps into the University of Pennsylvania’s Palestra to play the host Quakers, he may forget about all of his aches. “It’s a real historic place,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For the fifth straight year, Easton and Bethlehem Catholic will meet in a meaningful game. But it’s more meaningful for Easton. The Red Rovers (7-1, 4-0) can clinch the Lehigh Valley Conference Northampton Division title outright and the No. 1 spot and homefield advantage in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic is still alive and making a strong run at qualifying for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs for the sixth straight year. Parkland is just hours away from proving it is the best team holding residence on Cedar Crest Boulevard, and the Trojans (6-2) visit Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The wake-up call Easton apparently needed came on Sept. 26 when the Red Rovers were smashed 40-20 by Altoona at Cottingham Stadium. It was the Red Rovers’ first loss and it was devastating. Gone, along with Easton’s aura of invincibility, was the No. 1 ranking in The Morning…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It didn’t matter that the Parkland High offense stumbled for most of its Lehigh Valley Conference game against Central Catholic because the Trojans’ defense gave a bone-crushing performance Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Led by defensive end Travis Decker, the Trojans…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Compelling questions about Freedom (5-1) and Easton (4-1) will be answered when they meet in a Lehigh Valley Conference Northampton Division game at 7 tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Who’s tougher? Who can run the ball better? And, of course, who’s No. 1? With…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Opportunity to beat an elite team knocks for Liberty when the Hurricanes play Bethlehem Catholic at 7 tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. “It knocks too many times,” said Liberty coach Tim Moncman, which isn’t exactly a joke considering that the Hurricanes (3-2)…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Notre Dame of Green Pond junior Chris Unera busted through the line of scrimmage and mad thoughts rushed through his mind as he stared down the Palisades kicker and holder on an extra-point attempt during a recent Colonial League game. “I didn’t know if I should tackle the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton was expected to be a top contender for the Lehigh Valley Conference title and a top District 11 Class 4A playoff spot. Emmaus and Northampton did not have the same expectations, but all three teams enter the fifth week of the season with stronger possibilities for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A year ago, Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland played two games that were like the Super Bowls of Lehigh Valley football. Bethlehem Catholic won the first meeting, 29-28 in overtime. Parkland prevailed in the second game, 14-11 to win the District 11 Class 4A title en route to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The atmosphere was not like old times between Bethlehem Catholic and Central Catholic, at least not the way former Central Catholic lineman and current Vikings assistant coach William Edwards proudly remembered. “We used to play in front of 18,000 fans,” he said during the week.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One more chance. “This is my fourth year,” said Central Catholic High senior quarterback Josh Hinkle. “I’ve got to get one.” Just one victory over Bethlehem Catholic, the arch rival that has bombarded Central Catholic by a 126-31 margin in their last three meetings. Hinkle has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty High survived last week, beating Pleasant Valley 35-28 in double overtime. Now comes a bigger team, a bigger task. Parkland’s visit to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium to play Liberty at 7 p.m. Saturday will be the Hurricanes’ biggest home game in years. Parkland…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The stadium lights will be turned on and the blocking, tackling, passing, punishing and juking between the lines will commence throughout the Lehigh Valley this weekend as the high school football season kicks off. Lehigh Valley Conference powers Parkland, Bethlehem Catholic and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Kutztown University forward Sammy Barona is living a dream as a basketball player in the Dominican Republic. But it’s not the dream he sees with his eyes closed, the one the 27-year-old Allentown native has been chasing the last four years while he has played…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →In the next four weeks league, district and state champions will be crowned in track and field. May is designed for that. April is supposed to be about building speed, strength, distance and mental toughness. Unfortunately, April was also a misleading month for far too many area…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The race developed faster than any other the Liberty 1,600 relay had competed in this spring. It got faster and faster. But most races in the Penn Relays are like that. The Liberty coaches had preached that to their runners, but sophomore Stacey Haas had to experience it for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two defending PIAA Class 3A track and field champions, Beth Crocus of Freedom and Liberty’s Lauren Birckhead, will head the list of local athletes who will compete in the 109th Penn Relays today at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. An intriguing question is: Will both try to peak…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Who’s back? Who’s fast? Who’s faster? Who’s stronger and hungrier? Every spring those are the No. 1 questions in track and field. Nothing has changed, except the weather has been absolutely horrible, making it difficult for sprinters and field performers to train like normal.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Drexel sophomore Danny Hinds patiently waited, towel often resting on his shoulder, and his jaws working hard as he chewed gum. His first national postseason tournament game was coming to a close. Hinds was disappointed because he believed that he had not done enough to help…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Senior forward Nicole Druckenmiller tightly held onto the television remote control from her front row seat and braced herself for the NCAA Selection Committee’s announcement on Sunday. She anxiously waited to see which team she and her Villanova Wildcats teammates were going to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The conference and NCAA Tournament games of March should not be overshadowed by the scandal and controversy of a few naughty programs. Because for every Georgia, Fresno State and St. Bonaventure, there are dozens upon dozens of Lehighs and Lafayettes, Penns and Princetons —…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Patriot League standings has a sole occupant of first place. It’s not two-time defending league champion Holy Cross, which has the league’s tallest and best frontcourt; it’s Lehigh. But the Crusaders can move back into a tie for the top spot on Friday by beating the Mountain…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High’s all-everything running back Austin Scott has fallen into countless daydreams while watching ESPN’s SportsCenter. Often he hears the voices of Stuart Scott and Chris Berman ringing through his mind. Stuart Scott, the master of airwaves slang, is saying, “Did you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Coaching on the big-time level has brought big-time thrills to former Lafayette College assistant coach Pat Brogan, who is in his first season as an assistant coach at Penn State. But Brogan has not forgotten the eight seasons he spent coaching at Lafayette, a period that ended…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Big East Conference has been a headache to Patriot League teams this season, though not as big as you might think. Not even to improved Lehigh, which had a chance to drown the fans in Coral Gables, Fla. on Dec. 30 with disappointment before Ohio State’s football team did the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Those who wondered whether 28-year-old Billy Taylor could rescue the Lehigh men’s basketball team from the cloud it has been under for so long have their answer. Ten games into Taylor’s rookie season as a coach, Lehigh has confidence, better chemistry, and — best of all — a 6-4…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic senior quarterback Adam Bednarik seemed to almost faint when told that he had been selected to the Associated Press Big School (Classes 4A/3A) All-State team. “That’s awesome,” Bednarik said, pausing on the phone before becoming even more exhilarated over his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He is now an all-everything to Central Catholic on the hardwood, and it’s a role that Central Catholic senior Jim Curran handled well in a physical Lehigh Valley Conference game against rival Whitehall Tuesday night at Rockne Hall. Helping rouse Curran even more were the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They often yelled during stretching drills, “Orefield Beach, baby,” despite bitter cold temperatures that had frozen the ground Wednesday at Parkland Stadium. “I think it was colder out here [Tuesday], but it’s nice to be out here now when nobody else from the Lehigh Valley is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Danny Hinds is returning to the Lehigh Valley in a defensive state of mind. For Drexel, Hinds’ team, that’s good news. That might be bad news for Lafayette (0-3) when it meets Drexel (2-1) at 7 tonight at Kirby Sports Center for a non-conference game. The Leopards, led by Mike…
· 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 →He has been nicknamed Boomer Jr. since birth. “I was a real big baby,” said Bethlehem Catholic junior Fred Rice. “I was almost 13 pounds when I was born, so they just called me Boomer.” The nickname fits him perfectly on the field where Rice is a star fullback and linebacker,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The sight of Parkland tailback Austin Scott warming up his throwing arm on the sidelines in the fourth quarter might have seemed odd at the time, but it sure looked sweet when he actually did it in the game Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. Scott lofted a spiral, landing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen, Easton or Freedom will have their District 11 Class 4A football playoff hopes spoiled this weekend. Delivering the boot could be Dieruff, Parkland or Liberty. Could there be a more interesting climax to the final week of the first Lehigh Valley Conference regular season?…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott seemed to learn more from playing hide-and-seek and tag as a youngster than most kids. That’s because he concentrated on being elusive and running fast. “I used to get away any way that I could,” said Scott. The Parkland High senior tailback has returned from a knee…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northern Lehigh coach Jim Tkach has been getting more “kicks” out of Colonial League games this season than ever before. That’s because junior kicker Aaron Mill has thrilled Tkach, his teammates and Bulldogs fans with his field goal accuracy. Even on rainy nights and muddy…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No team in the first-year Lehigh Valley Conference has suffered as much heartbreak with no time left on the clock as Freedom. But the Patriots have become mentally tougher after losing 25-24 to Dieruff on a Brian School 20-yard field-goal on Sept. 20, and 22-21 to Easton on a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →And Rob Hauke scored. And again. And again. And the Central Catholic tailback scored four more times, the last on a 60-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, for the final exclamation mark in the Vikings’ 49-0 nonleague victory over host Crestwood of District 2 Saturday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dieruff and Liberty are playing “Survivor” this weekend, both going against powerhouse Lehigh Valley Conference teams that are among the best in the state. The chances both have of qualifying for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs may depend on the outcome of Liberty’s visit to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Easton Red Rovers are going on a shopping spree at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium for the second week in a row when they play the Liberty Hurricanes in a Lehigh Valley Conference matchup at 7 tonight. And the thing the Red Rovers (3-2, 3-1) will be looking for most…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →All that counts to Parkland High senior Nick Pinchek is that he’s happy and the Trojans are winning. Never mind the fact that Pinchek won’t come anywhere close to the 1,321 yards he rushed for last season as the Trojans’ featured tailback. Never mind that he was moved to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →And now the Lehigh Valley Conference race thickens. No more easy games, at least on paper. Though powerhouse Bethlehem Catholic and Austin Scott-led Parkland appear headed for Dream Match II in the District 11 Class 4A playoffs, Allen, Freedom and Liberty each have a 4-1 overall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A soft pillow should have been among the requirements for players signing up for the Pius X football team this season. It would have been put to good use. The Royals, a Class 1A school in Roseto, will log 2,500 miles on six away games. On Friday they traveled to Shamokin, losing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Last week, the Allentown public schools had Bethlehem’s number on the football field. In one game, Dieruff rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge Freedom, 25-24 on a Brian Scholl 20-yard field goal with time expiring at J. Birney Crum Stadium. In Bethlehem, Allen…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik notices the passing statistics of all the area’s other top quarterbacks. He was impressed by Friday night’s air shows of 258 yards yards by Allen’s Michael Bernhard against Liberty and the 269 yards Dieruff’s Richard Ocelus torched…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Liberty Hurricanes know they’re not facing a cupcake in the Allen Canaries, who visit Liberty for a Lehigh Valley Conference game tonight at 7. But the Hurricanes aren’t buckling at the knees. They want to prove their mettle against a good team. “As long as everybody plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic went from enjoying early-game heroics to experiencing second-half nightmares in a 45-19 non-league loss to Downingtown Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The Vikings (1-2) had worked so hard to build a 19-7 lead early in the second half with Nick Bet…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland tailback Austin Scott did not want to be hounded by bandwagon jumpers the rest of the season, especially since his heart has been set on playing for Penn State since his sophomore season. The senior Trojans star will make his choice official today by making an oral…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The mind games started as early as 4 a.m. when Dieruff wide receiver Joel Rupp’s father had him running 40-yard sprints. “I tell him you have got to be ready to run whenever the coaches ask you,” said Rupp Sr. The mind games also extended from 20 feet away when Rupp’s father…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland tailback Austin Scott helped cure all that had been aching the Trojans the best way he knows Friday night in Orefield. Scott’s way was to just break loose, tire, frustrate and outslick the defense. He seemed to get better with each carry, confounding Central Catholic…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The swagger is still there, though the players who figure to be leading the Bethlehem Catholic charge are different. The speed is also there, maybe more so than in the past. Look out for a junior named Brandon Carter. There is a new team leader, senior quarterback Adam Bednarik,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They are all back together in competition, old rivals, longtime friends, fans who want to engage in rah-rah chants, and coaches who want to outfox other coaches by any means possible. Most of them have been separated for four calender school years, leaving Allen deprived of a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Donnie Roberts might have looked like a maintenance worker to people driving or walking by on American Parkway the way he was manicuring the Central Catholic High practice field Saturday. More people might have thought the same of Roberts following the opening day of football…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Running on playing fields as hard as concrete was more fun than swimming for high school football stars Austin Scott of Parkland and Freedom’s Afa Anaoi and Jeremy Kametz on a Monday where temperatures neared 100 degrees. Each player said he had eagerly awaited the opening day…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rich Baker worked his whole life to become a Division I basketball player, and when the opportunity came, he earned a starting position in the backcourt of the Rider Broncs of the Metro Athletic Conference. But now Baker is again searching for the right college situation. Rider…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They made winning their races look as easy as blowing out candles on a cake. Congratulations, however, for these District 11 track and field champions, were awarded in other ways. First, with the cheers of parents, coaches, teammates, and of course, admiring fans. Then with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Something about Lehigh is starting to impress me. No, it’s not the campus. Too hilly. Certainly, it’s not one of the university’s nicknames. It’s the men’s basketball program, yes, that 5-22 team that closed out the regular season by losing 11 of its final 12 games. Until…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The guessing game of who’s in, who’s out, and who needs to do what to get into the good graces of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has heated up as college basketball enters its final two weeks of the regular season. Locally, Lafayette (13-12) and Lehigh (4-21) can only…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →I stopped by Lafayette College’s Kirby Sports Center on Monday and was amazed at the skinny kid with the braids gliding effortlessly through the air, doing windmill dunks and several other impressive slams. It was Leopards sophomore Winston Davis. I said to myself: “Why is this…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The noise level is more boisterous and the atmosphere more lively at the University of Pennsylvania’s Palestra than at any other college gymnasium in Philadelphia, especially in matchups between Big 5 teams. “This is a great place to play when it is filled,” Penn junior Ugonna…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Billy McCaffrey should get out his notepad and scribble down a few things from Kort Wickenheiser, mostly about details of how to move up in the college basketball coaching ranks as an assistant coach before becoming the man in charge. Sometimes the game really is about paying…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Now the man with the baby face looks back at those snowy days in Whitehall when his dreams ran wild along with his older brother, NFL star Eddie McCaffrey of the Denver Broncos. But unlike “Easy Ed,” the now 29-year-old Billy McCaffrey, often thought about playing pro basketball…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →As the 2002 part of the college basketball season rolls in, let’s take a capsule look at what has gone on and what is expected of Division I teams in the Lehigh Valley/Philadelphia/University Park areas. Lehigh — Playing against weaker teams has enabled the Engineers (3-8) to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →What happens when the head basketball coach goes on a rampage, criticizing one player in particular in front of everybody in the gymnasium? Both are boiling, the coach from repeating himself and not getting expected results, and the player from being berated by a man other than…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Mark Borda has turned into pure adrenaline, taking pretty much what he wants on the hardwood in all but one game for Bethlehem Catholic this season. It’s helping the senior make amends for a football season that was cut short because of a night of drinking., which was in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton had to prove to itself, and to opponents around the Mountain Valley Conference, that it could win close games by making all the key plays. So what if it was on the road? And against a Freedom team that had won three in a row for the school’s best start since 1981? A year…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →“Hit the showers,” the rowdy Saint Joseph’s student body shouted often. The verbal taunt was directed at Drexel center Steve Showers, a 6-9 freshman from Northwestern High. But numerous times throughout the No. 16 ranked Hawks’ 85-64 victory it seemed like outgunned and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No place in this city thumped more from the sound of cheers and chants galore from college basketball fanatics than the Palestra in the inaugural Big 5 Classic on Saturday. Never before had all Big 5 teams played in the same building on the same day with such an attractive cast…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No place in this city thumped more from the sound of cheers and chants galore from college basketball fanatics than the Palestra in the inaugural Big 5 Classic on Saturday. Never before had all Big 5 teams played in the same building on the same day with such an attractive cast…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The night started with Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon, a Philadelphia native, having to listen to Drexel coach James “Bruiser” Flint being cheered by Dragons fans after receiving an Internet award for being the best-dressed coach in college basketball. “I knew I wasn’t even in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bewilderment rocked the Penn State campus two weeks ago when Yale beat the Nittany Lions on the basketball court. It has happened before. It’s just that nobody on the current Nittany Lions roster or head coach Jerry Dunn was even born when the Bulldogs beat Penn State 33-31 in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Watching from the bench at the climax of a Big 5 matchup in the old and stuffy Palestra seemed a little odd for Drexel freshman Danny Hinds Wednesday night. Especially since the game against neighboring University of Pennsylvania was close. “I don’t know if I would have been…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette has been close. Really close to Miami of the Big East in the second half on Saturday. The Leopards also led Penn State by 13 points in the first half last Wednesday. The two road games ended in defeats, 75-66 to Penn State and 79-69 to Miami. Lafayette beat Albany,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They wait. They think, visualizing as best they can how the season-opening college basketball game will go. Winning big, yes that’s it, but the butterflies are still there. So are the what-ifs, like “What if we lose?” Like us, the nationally ranked team getting upset by the team…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dust blew off the ripped-up grass field and over the hills as the sun began to set near the close of a businesslike Easton High football practice Thursday evening. There was no smacking of the helmets, no banging up against each other as the Red Rover players jogged off the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Around this time of the football season, some high school coaches warn their players not to say the wrong things, to be careful not to just speak their minds and fuel the rage in their opponents. Not so at Bethlehem Catholic, where shrewd coach Bob Stem has his Golden Hawks…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Maryland Terrapins and the Florida Gators, ranked No. 2 and No. 6 in the preseason Associated Press poll, are looking to get off to perfect starts. Unranked Arizona, the defending national runner-up will be looking to gain confidence with at least five freshmen playing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Atlantic 10 Conference has seven new coaches and a new member from Richmond. But the best thing the upgraded 12-team, realigned conference has is two nationally ranked programs in Saint Joseph’s and Temple. And the two rival Philadelphia schools have two rival Philadelphia…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allentown Central Catholic graduate Danny Marakovits and Parkland High product Brad Szalachowski turned cheek on what other people thought and used hearts that are actually larger than their abilities to make the rosters of Division I teams as walk-ons. Right now, Marakovits, a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Danny Hinds, the 2000-01 Morning Call Player of the Year in boys basketball, lasted one day in practice at Drexel University last weekend. Now, he’s on the Dragons’ disabled list. But his new coach, James “Bruiser” Flint, told him he must make a fast recovery, even though the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was the 11th day of December last year, a trial-filled day that Lafayette senior guard Brian Burke couldn’t stop thinking about as he stood at the podium accepting the ECAC Award of Valor on Oct. 2 in Hyannis, Mass. Stories of players returning to play Division I basketball…
· 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 →“Go, Nick, go.” That’s a cheer Parkland junior Nick Pinchek has waited two years to hear more regularly than just a few times a game when he would be given token handoffs. No, the game plan has changed at Parkland. Pinchek is now a key part of the game plan, the running back on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott waits and wonders, hoping that he will play high school football for Parkland again this season. One doctor says no. Another will give his opinion on Monday. Tonight, however, Scott will sit and watch. His nerves may be unsettled when the Trojans play host to Pocono…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →“Beca, Beca, Beca.” The words have become so draining that it’s gotten to the point where all the Parkland players want to do is … well, let them speak for themselves. “I think we may try and strike fear into them right away, show them that we’re coming out to play and that we…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →New Parkland head football coach Rob Melosky turned to the immaculate building over the hills from the practice field 13 days ago, raised his arms and the enthusiasm in his voice rose. He has the job, the facilities, the program that the other Mountain Valley Conference teams…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs will soon be on the loose. Once off and running, they won’t stop until the end of June, maybe a day into July if they advance to the United States Basketball League championship game. The ‘Dawgs, who are entering their third season — all with former…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The celebrating team was jumping around, hugging, and shouting at halfcourt. It wasn’t a scene many Central Catholic players could watch without having heavy hearts. That’s because it was the Franklin Knights dancing around, perhaps long into Friday night, following a 58-50…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bill Hager’s coaching milestones are not hard to remember. Win No. 100 came in a playoff game against Kennedy Christian, No. 200 while he was at Maple Wood, No. 300 in his one season in Jamestown, N.Y., and No. 400 in his oldest son Nathan’s senior season at Franklin High in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The father of the star player began jumping and waving his arm in the stands at Reading High’s Geigle Complex with a little under two minutes remaining, and the frenzied Central Catholic student body began shouting, “We smell Hershey.” For Kenny Hinds, the father of Vikings…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The hardwood floor at Memorial Gymnasium opened up like the runway at nearby Lehigh Valley International Airport for Central Catholic’s Daniel Hinds in the second half Tuesday night. With the lanes to the basket more clear, his passion to score and take command of the game…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic seniors Daniel Hinds and Andrew Guman handled the ending with poise — not celebrating too much — just walking off the court slowly following the Vikings’ 59-41 victory over Blue Mountain in a District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal Friday at Dieruff High. Whitehall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The black arm bands worn by the Emmaus High boys basketball team were a tribute to their former classmates and swim team members Tom Gray and Matt Kush, who were killed in an automobile accident early last Saturday morning. The game, an East Penn Conference tournament semifinal…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Bethlehem Catholic defensive scheme is to force its opponent to wilt from its 1-3-1 trapping zone, and then lure that opponent to sleep with its patient offense. If you are Allen and you like to run and rely on your athleticism to carry you to victory, then you are in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dieruff could have picked any one of 10 players on the Central Catholic roster that have played significant minutes, and it’s unlikely the Huskies would have figured Jim Birkhead to be the one to bust them up. In fact, most Central Catholic opponents would probably think the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen sophomore Raymond Barbosa came to the free throw line, his cheeks blown up as he stared at the basket inside Central Catholic’s Rockne Hall. He was about to attempt two free throws with 35 seconds left in overtime that, if converted, could lift Allen to its fourth straight…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →More truths will be told as the high school basketball season ages and teams mature and settle on an identity. Right now, Emmaus doesn’t appear to be one of those teams searching for anything. The Green Hornets know what they are about, and they have victories over Parkland,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One minute remained in a blowout win over Columbia at Miami Arena on Nov. 21 when Danny Marakovits was told to take off his University of Miami warmup suit and check into his first collegiate basketball game. What could he do in a minute? That really didn’t matter. He was going…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Central Catholic girls will press you out of your shorts and shoes if you allow them. They will rattle your brain and force you to forget the offensive set you are supposed to be in. They will make you rush your shot, almost wilt at the sound of their footsteps. Basically,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Less than two seconds remained in overtime when Notre Dame freshman Jeff Dailey had the ball kicked out to him in the corner, just inside the 3-point line. A fastbreak thriller, the type of game fans enjoy and players have more fun with, was just an 18-foot jump shot away from…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic was out of groove and down by two points when Danny Hinds broke loose, basically demanding to have the ball in his hands. He is the senior leader, the go-to player who’s on the recruiting list of several Division I men’s basketball programs. So when the game is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Tim Massaquoi made Michigan his college choice before the high school football season kicked off, ending speculation over which Big Ten program he’d choose and allowing him to concentrate on scoring touchdowns for Parkland this season. But in nonleague games against Emmaus and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Matt Loebsack has been looking for The Look all week, and the Easton High quarterback said it’s almost the same look of desire and eagerness his teammates had the last time they played Parkland. ‘It’s not quite as much, but it’s starting to come around,’ Loebsack said Wednesday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The shot blazed ahead, bringing some fans from their cold seats and holding players on the field not involved with the play at a standstill. But Emmaus goalie Kyle Grim did not stay frozen. He turned quickly, leaped into the air and got a hand on the ball that had been rapidly…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The homecoming king and his teammates opened with a stale drive inside rusty old J. Birney Crum Stadium that resulted in a three-and-out. Then Central Catholic quarterback Frank Novogratz began to sparkle off rollout passes, and the Vikings’ running game began to click against a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The pitches kept coming. The holes kept opening — some wide, some narrow. Parkland’s Austin Scott kept going, bursting or spinning through holes, and then often outracing or hurdling over Northampton defenders. ‘He’s unbelievable,” Parkland wide receiver Tim Massaquoi said.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →So far, both have carried their weight and deflated their opponents to carry 3-0 records into their most challenging regular-season games. Oh, to be a player at Muhlenberg or Moravian. All has gone so right, yet all can become so much better. All both have to do is subdue…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was fastbreak basketball on grass, at least that’s what Parkland quarterback Adam Lane might have been thinking. Throw the ball, and if it’s overthrown or underthrown, try again. So here it went: Up, spiraling and into the hands of double-covered wide receiver Tim Massaquoi…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Have you heard the rumbling sound around Liberty High School? It’s the football team stampeding. Have you noticed the two wins and zero losses? That’s the result of playing up to potential. Do you believe Liberty is really that good? It will be time to find out when the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andrew Guman made the catch that sent a buzz through the crowd. Then, the Central Catholic multi-purpose senior covered 73 yards of ground that shook up the Parkland defense. He just couldn’t finish off the game-breaking play with a touchdown. ‘I just ran as hard as I could,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Johnny Santiago has run the ball one way since he began playing competitive football for the Bethlehem Saints at age 6. ‘When I get the ball I look for the hole,” said Santiago, a senior tailback at Freedom. ‘I just want to run through (the defender ), right through his back.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →She stands in goal, gobbling up and turning away shots. She does it with such ease. Her goal is to disrupt the attacking team’s flow, and Central Catholic senior goalkeeper Naomi Campano does just that. Campano recorded 20 shutouts in her previous two seasons and continues to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Stem, the highly successful head football coach at Bethlehem Catholic, has won 201 games in 26 seasons. Obviously, what Stem and his staff have done is working. The results, year-in and year-out prove it. Jim Morgans, the head coach of Central Catholic’s 1993 and 1998 state…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The idea in scholastic athletics is to provide an arena, playing field or surface where a student-athlete can look to achieve maximum results. Personal or for the team. But an athlete can not experience thrills or disappointments without tough competition — at least something on…
· Andre D. Williams
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