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.
In the 1970s, Artie Owens often gained inspiration to run hills and practice sprints from watching the Philadelphia Pioneers track team and U.S. Olympic speedster Bob Hayes on Wide World of Sports. The means of motivation worked as Owens went from a three-sport star athlete at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →During many of his long touchdown runs during the football season, Parkland senior Andre Williams got a good rest before going back out onto the field and trying to go the distance again. Not so in track and field when you run the 110-meter high hurdles and 100 dash, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dave Brown has four daughters under the age of 10 and his wife, Sarah, is not open to the idea of having more kids. So, Liberty’s new football coach won’t get the opportunity to coach his own son one day. “I think we’re good. I think we’re going to wrap it up right where we are…
· 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 →“I’m 5-3, between 105, 109 pounds,” she said following a blowout win in the 400-meter dash in a tri-meet at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium Monday afternoon. A junior, Smith is in her first year running track and she has quickly gone from a sprinter nobody knew anything…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior Stephen Lewis had an unusual Thursday by most early-season track and field standards. But Lewis has his own expectations and they are high and will rise even higher as the PIAA Track and Field Championship weekend nears. On Thursday, during a dual meet against…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty’s Stephen Lewis is lean and fast. Parkland’s Andre Williams is lean, fast and powerful. Both are outstanding senior hurdlers coming off top five finishes in the Class 3A 110-meter hurdles in the PIAA Track and Field Championships last year. Lewis was fourth in the 110 in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →She’s a double-double performer on the court, an academic scholar off it, and one day Army junior forward Erin Anthony aspires to make good use of her civil engineering degree by helping to build roads or buildings. Right now, she’s building a legacy at West Point. On Tuesday,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The decision of where they wanted to play college football had long been made by Parkland’s Andre Williams, The Morning Call’s player of the year, and star quarterbacks Anthony Gonzalez of Liberty and Tyler Smith of Wilson. But there’s still nothing like the day of unrestrained…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The decision of where they wanted to play college football had long been made by Parkland’s Andre Williams, The Morning Call’s player of the year, and star quarterbacks Anthony Gonzalez of Liberty and Tyler Smith of Wilson. But there’s still nothing like the day of unrestrained…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Respect is not something you’d think would have been hard for Plymouth-Whitemarsh, undefeated and the No. 1 team in the state before Sunday, to earn. But Plymouth-Whitemarsh, led by 6-10 St. Joseph’s-bound center C.J. Aiken, is not nationally ranked, probably wasn’t even given…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior Darrius Webb was one of the most exciting and effective running backs in the Lehigh Valley over the last two seasons. On Wednesday, Webb joined a cast of star players from around the state with his selection to the Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class 4A all-state…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three games, three carries, 14 yards. That was the extent of Austin Scott’s brief and disappointing experience with the Cleveland Browns in the 2008 preseason, a far cry from what happened nearly every time he touched the ball six years earlier. And for Scott, his ex-coaches Rob…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three games, three carries, 14 yards. That was the extent of Austin Scott’s brief and disappointing experience with the Cleveland Browns in the 2008 preseason, a far cry from what happened nearly every time he touched the ball six years earlier. And for Scott, his ex-coaches Rob…
· 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 →Easton was the first District 11 team to play a Philadelphia team in a PIAA playoff game — in 2004 — and the result was a 15-10 victory over Public League champion George Washington. Five years later, Easton will become the first area team to play a Philadelphia Catholic League…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton extended its decade of playoff domination over Parkland Saturday night. And the way the Red Rovers did it was with a punishing attack on both sides of the ball. The Easton defense, tops in the Lehigh Valley Conference with an 8.5 per game scoring average, stopped Parkland…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was two-sided domination by Easton. On offense, junior quarterback Justin Pacchioli picked apart rival Phillipsburg with his passing and outslicked the Stateliners’ defense with swift runs in the 103rd Thanksgiving Day meeting between the rivals. On defense, senior linebacker…
· 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 →Top-seeded Easton battered and wore down No. 4 Hazleton en route to a 28-6 victory in the District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional semifinals Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. Easton (11-1) is now faced with its annual improbable task: trying to win three games in eight days. The…
· 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 →Five starters and 14 letterwinners are back, providing one of the most successful Division III women’s basketball coaches with a potent arsenal and high expectations that include winning the Landmark Conference title and returning to the NCAA Tournament. Moravian College, coming…
· 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 →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 →Shawn Martell, the son of an established local college football coach, began his inevitable climb up the coaching ranks when he was hired as the wide receivers coach at Nazareth last year. The 24-year-old Martell, a 2002 Morning Call all-area wide receiver from Bethlehem…
· 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 →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 →Liberty played with punch on both sides of the ball to knock Nazareth out of a much-hyped Lehigh Valley Conference game early in the first quarter Friday night. Ahead 21-0 after the first, Liberty added 14 more points in the second quarter and breezed through the rain and chill…
· 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 →Following six straight seasons of three wins or less, Nazareth’s football team is displaying a new mental and physical toughness this season. Already a winner of four games in 2009, Nazareth is playing tougher football because second-year coach Rob Melosky has refused to listen…
· 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 →The top two playmakers, Liberty seniors Anthony Gonzalez and Jarrod West, had already made their share of standout plays in their final homecoming game Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Senior kicker Jordan Roman then joined in the fun when he booted a…
· 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 →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 was 48 minutes of grueling, smashmouth, hard-hitting football for Emmaus. And it was at Cottingham Stadium, where the ghosts of storied years past are not supposed to turn against Easton. Not when the Red Rovers are first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. Actually, Easton…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s Allentown vs. Bethlehem weekend and contender or pretender night in Orefield. There are also Lehigh Valley Conference matchups in Easton and Northampton that figure to be highly competitive. Easton (3-0 overall, 2-0 LVC), Central Catholic (3-0, 2-0), Nazareth (3-0, 2-0) and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No Lehigh Valley Conference team is going to pick on Easton this season. Sounds weird saying “pick on” and “Easton” in the same sentence, but last season the Red Rovers lost five games to LVC opponents by a 112-0 margin. Luckily for the Easton players, coach Steve Shiffert…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →Easton has a chip on its shoulder. Blame it on Parkland, Emmaus and Liberty. All three Lehigh Valley Conference opponents beat the then-inexperienced, mistake-prone Red Rovers by a combined 89-0 margin last season. The chip is still there, despite Easton holding Parkland to 98…
· 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 →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 →SportsFest XIII begins today — and the creator and chairman of the amateur athletics and entertainment event, Ray Atiyeh, is ready to roll. Nothing new. This is his baby, known as Allentown SportsFest before having A-Town removed for Lehigh Valley a couple years ago to give the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two-a-day practices have not bothered Freedom’s Jermel Lee this week. He used to hate them during the early days of summer practice back in Bethlehem. But Lee, a Morning Call all-area defensive back last season, has practiced with all-state players from Pennsylvania this week…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You do not need to be an all-state player or get a scholarship to a big-name college to get selected to play in the Big 33 Football Classic. Liberty linebacker Horvin Latimer is proof of that. But he was an easy sell to the Pennsylvania coaches, who believe Latimer is capable of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom’s Jermel Lee rolled over, smacked the floor and said to Liberty’s Devin Street, “I’m going home.” Street had just remarked how Liberty beat Freedom twice last season, including 28-14 in the District 11 Class 4A final en route to winning the PIAA Class 4A Championship. “I…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One race on tired legs that Wilson senior Anthony Davidson lost by a slim margin did little to detract from the astounding two-week period he had running the 400-meter dash. No Lehigh Valley sprinter had ever run under 48 seconds in the 400 — and Davidson did it three times over…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →— Bethlehem Catholic sprinter Hansol Song had one thing on his mind before the start of the Class 2A 400-meter relay final in the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium. It might have seemed crazy to some. “I was thinking I will break my legs just…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Top-seeded Emmaus unleashed shots on goal fast, building a 6-0 lead before the concession stand had even opened up Wednesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The Green Hornets stayed on strong attack, led by Dan Kinek and Will Scott, to bombard Easton 15-4 in a District 11 boys…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was cloudy, unseasonably cool and occasionally rainy. The weather, however, didn’t prevent Wilson senior Anthony Davidson and other top District 11 sprinters from blazing to impressive victories in the boys Class 2A and 3A track and field championships on Thursday at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Combine the number of athletes on the Bethlehem Catholic, Liberty and Freedom track and field teams and it still wouldn’t equal the size of Parkland’s team. The Trojans have 368 male and female participants, a program record. It sometimes makes the Parkland squad look like a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Whitehall’s Doug Henninger won with strength and Easton’s David Hightower won with speed and crisp hurdling. Then, there was Parkland’s Matt Gillette, who used long strides and a solid finishing kick to anchor the Trojans to victory in the 3,200-meter relay before closing out…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rich Sniscak listened in amazement as one inspiring story after another was told. Then Sniscak, the former star Dieruff High football-player-turned-Parkland High football coach/administrator, got his chance to tell stories Friday night at the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior Dan McLaughlin prepared for the Liberty-Freedom track and field meet Monday by isolating himself before heading to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. “I went home, listened to my music, tried to get myself psyched for it,” he said. “I was trying to get myself…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A nip-and-tuck 3,200-meter relay turned lopsided once University of Tennessee freshman sensation Chanelle Price took the baton for the second leg Saturday. The former Easton High middle distance state and national champion has a history of racing away from the pack. Fueled by…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Take your pick, dual meets, tri-meets or relay carnivals. Dual meets involve athletes of all abilities, while relay carnivals, generally, are for the more talented athletes, athletes who have usually received an invitation to compete. Dual meets can be more draining, especially…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nothing’s popping in track and field just yet. Many coaches prefer to keep it that way this early by not having any of their league- and district-title hopefuls pull muscles that could linger the entire season. The more serious meets are the Penn Relays April 23-25 and Allentown…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland two-sport star Jaleel Clark added another all-state honor to his remarkable high school resume Monday. Clark, the 6-foot-5 centerpiece of the Trojans’ 26-4 team that advanced to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals, was named to the Associated Press Class 4A third team. The…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wilson senior Anthony Davidson, the 2008 PIAA Class 2A track and field champion in the 400-meter dash, and Palmerton senior Austin Cseh, the state runner-up to Davidson, headline the top boys returners this spring. Newcomer Andre Williams, a junior at Parkland who transferred…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The DeSales men’s and women’s basketball programs earned a piece of the national spotlight over the weekend during the NCAA Division III’s championship weekend. Darnell Braswell, the ex-Allen High star, wished that it would have been because of what he and his teammates…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s Sue Troyan is a a two-time Patriot League coach of the year who takes more pride in being an even better mom. Her husband, Fran, Lehigh’s softball coach, and her three children can attest to that. The players she coaches, mentors, and is essentially a second mom to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It seemed like Lehigh sophomore guard Erica Prosser was standing at the free-throw line, her team down a point with one second left. But she instead was sitting in front of a large television screen among teammates, coaches, school administrators and media watching the NCAA…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Melissa Rich never got discouraged when she went from starting forward her sophomore and junior seasons at Lehigh to a backup role earlier this season. The former Parkland High star just believed that she’d eventually get her opportunity to deliver in the clutch for Lehigh. That…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Led by a trio of pesky guards, Lehigh cranked it up and blitzed Army with 14 consecutive second-half points Sunday afternoon. That decisive run enabled the Mountain Hawks to turn a two-point deficit into a 12-point advantage in the Patriot League women’s tournament semifinals at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was a Lehigh and Lafayette women’s basketball game that had more falls than a professional wrestling battle royal Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center. The roughhouse play better suited Lehigh, which relied on its height, bench and overall talent advantages to prevail…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior field hockey player Kyle DeSandes-Moyer signed her National Letter of Intent inside the school’s auditorium on Wednesday. Kisses from her mother and father followed, in addition to extended pound-pounds of the hand with her father, which drew laughter.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Levi Brown, an all-state defensive lineman at Liberty, pointed jubilantly to the Temple Owls’ hat on his head, then smiled as he looked out into the standing room-only crowd inside the school’s Arts Gallery on Wednesday. Liberty football coach Tim Moncman then came up and rubbed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Moravian women’s opponents need to be careful which Greyhounds player they foul when the game is on the line. Actually, not fouling at all is the safest bet. That’s because Moravian, under 400-plus game winner Mary Beth Spirk, is Division III’s top free throw-shooting team.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The St. Benedict’s-Bishop McNamara boys basketball game was the type of back-and-forth thriller, featuring above-the-rim play, sensational moves, blocked shots and enormous intensity that you’d see between very good teams from the New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A week after Liberty High coach Tim Moncman and his star player Anthony Gonzalez shared tears, hugs and the glory of winning the school’s first state football title, the dynamic duo made a sweep of the Associated Press’ All-State Class 4A top honors. Moncman, who has managed the…
· 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 →Hours after Liberty’s dramatic 28-21 overtime win over Bethel Park in the PIAA Class 4A title game in Hershey on Saturday night, Hurricanes coach Tim Moncman had a gift from his neighbor waiting for him when he came home. “I got home at 2:30 and the next-door neighbor had taped…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Overtime belonged to Liberty. Junior two-way star Anthony Gonzalez made sure of it against Bethel Park in the PIAA Class 4A championship game Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium. “Everybody wanted to win the first state title in school history,” Gonzalez said. “We were not…
· 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 →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 →Brandon McManus is the only four-year starting kicker in North Penn history, and he’s been one of the most effective Knights under pressure. “I’m a big fan of pressure,” McManus said. “I’ve liked it my whole life.” North Penn (14-0) averages 36.7 points per game mostly because…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty today tries to extend its winning streak to 13 games and prevent a Philadelphia Public League team from achieving history. Liberty (12-1), coming off a 28-14 win over Freedom for the District 11 title last Saturday, plays District 12 champion George Washington (10-1) in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty has dominated 50 out of 52 quarters it has played this season. The only two quarters it has not owned was in the first half against North Penn. Blocking assignments were missed and it caused the high-powered Hurricanes to stay out of sync and trail 20-0 at halftime. Levi…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →A Bethlehem Catholic football program that went from a consistent district championship contender to rock bottom over the last two seasons is now without a head coach. And Dan Kendra Sr., a longtime Bethlehem Catholic coach, teacher, and admitted die-hard lover of the program,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty’s offensive linemen pounded and pounded away, plowing Freedom linemen out of the way to open wide holes for junior quarterback Anthony Gonzalez to run through Saturday afternoon. And, boy, did Gonzalez run. Left, right and up the middle with dazzling speed. An elusive…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Senior running backs Brandon Brader of Liberty and Eddie Mateo of Freedom have been rivals since middle school. They’ve also been good friends and admired each other’s feats. But it wasn’t until last week when one of them decided to nickname the other. “He’s Superman,” Mateo…
· 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 →Somebody has to score when Liberty and Emmaus meet in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional semifinals tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Even if it’s just by a safety, which is not all that farfetched considering the way No. 2 seed Liberty (10-1) and No. 3…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior Jaleel Clark made one Liberty coverage player miss, then he eluded another and continued to race up field en route to a 38-yard punt return Friday night. It was his only memorable play in the Trojans’ 19-0 loss in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional…
· 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 →Liberty controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock, which put Parkland in an essentially no-win situation in the rematch between Lehigh Valley Conference foes Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Liberty has now made a habit of dominating opponents. Last…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty enters its first-ever district playoff game against Parkland tonight with two senior linebackers who are determined to have fun. Never mind that fun for Daryl Klotz and Horvin Latimer is administering punishment. “We like to tackle and hit people,” Latimer said. “Yeah,…
· 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 →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 →It was about control. Liberty had it in the trenches, led by big Levi Brown, whose emphatic blocking helped clear the way for quarterback Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Brandon Brader to run effectively against rival Freedom in a 20-14 Lehigh Valley Conference victory Saturday…
· 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 →Northampton had its shot at Emmaus, Freedom and Liberty, but lost. The defeats were in successive weeks, knocking the Konkrete Kids out of contention for the Lehigh Valley Conference title and jeopardizing their chances at qualifying for the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Crunch, crunch. That’s what the Parkland defense, fueled by the return of star lineman Clint Miller from a knee injury, did to Emmaus in a grueling Lehigh Valley Conference matchup Friday night. Miller, a 2007 Associated Press all-state first-team selection, missed the previous…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two regular season games remain and Easton and Parkland are both trying to avoid something that has not happened since 1994. And that’s the District 11 playoffs being held without either of them being involved. But the traditionally strong Lehigh Valley Conference teams still…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →C.J. Billera’s Emmaus teammates may have to literally pick him up and carry him off the field when the Green Hornets play Parkland tonight. Otherwise, Billera will not choose to come off, except for extra-point attempts, and punt and kickoff coverage teams that he does not plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →The Lehigh Valley Conference is a tough conference and will be even tougher once Nazareth starts posting winning seasons on a consistent basis. Winning the LVC title probably won’t happen anytime soon because the Blue Eagles do not draw from a talent pool that’s similar to the…
· 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 →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 →In terms of taking steps forward, Freedom football coach Jason Roeder has no complaints. His teams did just that in each of his first three years, going from 2-8 to 5-5 to 9-3 and winning the Eastern Conference Class 4A title last season. Last season marked a school record for…
· 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 →One streak was extended and another one ended for Emmaus Friday night. Both were huge. Both streaks further validated Emmaus as a Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 title contender. That’s because Emmaus blew Easton off the line of scrimmage and bent little on defense —…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Something disturbingly different happened to Easton last week against Parkland. It wasn’t the lopsided score of Parkland 26, Easton 0. Every team gets crushed once in a while, but Easton coach Steve Shiffert wasn’t as concerned about the final score as he was about the way his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →And now Parkland can take a breather. Its toughest three-game stretch to open a season is over and the Trojans capped it off with a dominating second-half performance in a 26-0 victory over rival Easton Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. Entering with an 0-2 record, following…
· 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 →Easton has played two teams it was supposed to crush. The Red Rovers did just that, beating Stroudsburg by 27 points and Dieruff by 35. Now Easton (2-0, 1-0) hosts two-time defending Lehigh Valley Conference champion Parkland on Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. It’s Easton’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →On every snap of the ball Friday night against Parkland, Liberty offensive lineman Levi Brown looked like a raging boxer leaving his corner at the sound of the bell. Instead of throwing a punch, Brown’s mission was to blow Trojans off the ball and clear the way for Liberty…
· 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 →Fair or not, Nazareth football coach Rob Melosky knows that he can’t prevent people from judging his every move because that’s expected when you are a high-profile coach. Melosky’s public perception soared, perhaps more so in the negative than positive last month, when he was on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Execution. Liberty will probably have nightmares about its failure in that regard in the first half against North Penn Friday night. Execution. It was too late once Liberty found openings in the Knights’ defense. That’s because North Penn, a perennial District One powerhouse,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Execution. Liberty will probably have nightmares about its failure in that regard in the first half against North Penn Friday night. Execution. It was too late once Liberty found openings in the Knights’ defense. That’s because North Penn, a perennial District One powerhouse,…
· 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 →Winning streaks and more will be on the line in season-opening games for Liberty and Parkland tonight. Both play state-ranked teams that will provide the ultimate early-season test. Liberty, 8-0 under coach Tim Moncman in openers, puts that record on the line when it hosts…
· 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 →It’s been a decade of memorable games and streaks, of championship glory and the agony of defeat in state title games for District 11 football teams. History was made in 2002 when Parkland, behind Austin Scott’s state-record 53 touchdowns and 3,846 yards rushing, became the…
· 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 →Parkland senior Jaleel Clark stood at the podium, his two diamond-stud earrings sparkling, and spoke enthusiastically about the upcoming football season and the Trojans’ attempt to go undefeated a third straight season in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Clark, the 2007 Morning…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Before thunder and lightning came and forced the PSFCA East-West All-Star game to be halted, Joey Orlando unleashed his own sparks Saturday night. Motivated by the trash talking and a desire to prove his skills, Orlando, a former Liberty star wideout, toasted West defensive…
· 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 →Wilson teammates Anthony Davidson and Adam Eckhart were the only District 11 male athletes to win gold medals in the PIAA Track and Field Championships last weekend at Shippensburg University. Davidson won the Class 2A 400-meter dash and Eckhart won the triple jump. Catasauqua’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Anthony Davidson appeared to be facing a daunting challenge when he showed up later than expected for the finals of the Class 2A 400-meter dash. Lucky for the Wilson junior, he had rival sprinter Austin Cseh of Palmerton to help settle his mind and help him prepare for a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The two-day PIAA Track and Field Championships begins at Shippensburg University this morning with one major question for District 11. Can it get any better for the district than in 2003, when Bethlehem Catholic won the Class 2A team title, becoming the first school in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jesse Sell would prefer to smash a volleyball over crashing the books any day of the week. But the Emmaus senior never lost sight of the fact that he needed to be successful in both. On Wednesday, Sell was rewarded for his hard work in both at the Lehigh Valley Conference…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Google search engine is loaded with links to SportsFest. Not just the one that’s been in Allentown the last 11 summers. There are the Chicago SportsFest, Sports Fest “The Premier Prep Games” at Bethel College in Indiana, the Wisconsin Sports Fest, the SunCoast Sports Fest in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s not all hulked up, but Palmerton sprinter Austin Cseh had all the speed and endurance necessary to prevail over Wilson’s Anthony Davidson in a thrilling race to the finish line in the finals of the 400-meter dash at the Colonial League Track and Field Championships on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic junior sprinter Tevrin Brandon is an underdog no more. Fast and confident since his freshman year, Brandon still entered this spring unfulfilled because he had yet to win the 100-meter dash at the Lehigh Valley Conference Track and Field Championships. But…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For two laps, Liberty junior Tom Hoffman maintained a lead that was established from the outset of the 3,200-meter relay Tuesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Then, after crossing the finish line, Hoffman wobbled off the track and flopped to the turf. He was fatigued, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s finally time to get down to serious business in track and field. Next week’s Lehigh Valley Conference, Colonial League and Mountain Valley Conference championship meets will weed out the pretenders and establish the boys’ athletes who are most likely to contend for district…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One of the most gratifying 11-day spans in Rob Melosky’s life was capped off Tuesday when he was introduced as Nazareth’s new head football coach. Austin Scott, the greatest football player Melosky has ever coached, had rape charges against him dropped on April 18, and the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Steve Roberts and his Quakertown teammates didn’t worry about the blazing times being posted by the Jamaicans and other superfast 1,600-meter relay runners Saturday at the Penn Relays. All Roberts concentrated on was the 400 meters he had to run in his anchor leg of the 1,600…
· 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 →Nazareth High senior Kevin Kroboth has had an easier time sprinting to 100- and 200-meter dash victories than he did breaking away for touchdowns during the football season. A first-year track and field athlete, Kroboth has used the dual-meet season to prove himself as a league,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Devin Street appears to be a natural in track and field. A first-year participant for Liberty, Street established himself as the top long jumper in the Lehigh Valley Conference before the weather even turned warm. He entered the week with an area-high mark of 22 feet, 51/2…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Distance runner Trevor VanAckeren of Liberty and sprinter Aneurys Santos of Salisbury figure to dominate the headlines in boys track and field this spring. Never mind that both began the season injured — the long-legged Princeton-bound VanAckeren with a tweaked left knee and the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Scott Coval did not have a happy ending Saturday to his 400th career game as a coach at DeSales. That’s because the Bulldogs had a collapse on both ends of the court in the final 10 minutes and lost to King’s College, 71-62, in the Freedom Conference tournament final at Billera…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Couldn’t make it off your high school team’s bench to get playing time but still want to play college basketball? Don’t worry, Northampton Community College women’s coach Art Wolfe may have a spot for you on his team. And it’s not riding the pine. Wolfe, who finished his 19th…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Every high school athlete should have winning a championship — whether league, district or state — as one of their main goals because they cannot legitimately compete without drive. Making good grades should be an even higher goal. It would only be an excuse for an athlete to…
· 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 →It was a game that the fans at Parkland High’s gymnasium Sunday afternoon didn’t want to end. That’s because the Chester and Harrisburg game — or maybe it was a track meet — was a show of shows, and it wasn’t just about the exhilarating tempo, dunks, dazzling shake moves and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh junior center Melissa Rich was in her comfort zone with 5.4 seconds remaining Saturday night at Stabler Arena. The game against Army was tied at 57-57 and she was at the free-throw line. “I put everything out of my mind and said, “Another free throw, another practice,’ ”…
· 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 →John Laub has parlayed one season as a record-breaking quarterback at Parkland into a college scholarship. Laub, a Morning Call All-Area first-team selection, made his official visit to Division I-AA Richmond last Friday and verbally committed to the Colonial Athletic…
· 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 →DeSales guard Darnell Braswell and post players Phil Stricker and Ed Lapinski only had to worry about one thing when Eddie Ohlson had the ball in his hands Saturday night. And that was what type of dish Ohlson was going to deliver. Already the owner of every major assist record…
· 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 →Hike the football quickly, Parkland wideout Jaleel Clark is matched up one-on-one with a defensive back. Throw it deep, and Clark promises to make something good happen. “I’m mostly going to win because I have moves to make on them,” Clark said. At 6-4, he also has the height to…
· 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 →Eric Zuber and Sam Tajiri are two of the smallest and lightest players on the roster of Parkland’s undefeated football team. But they are also two of the most respected — by their teammates and opponents. That’s because Zuber, a 5-7, 160-pound junior, and Tajiri, a 5-9,…
· 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 →The George Washington High School football team has never traveled up the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to play a game, but the Eagles were scheduled to board a bus in Philadelphia at about 6:30 this morning bound for Allentown and J. Birney Crum Stadium. The…
· 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 →The Lehigh women’s basketball team is off to a 1-3 start, which doesn’t look good for a team trying to post its first winning season since 2004-05. But coach Sue Troyan is not about to panic because she believes she has enough talent and depth to improve on last season’s 11-19…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was like the final seconds of the 15th round of a heavyweight title fight and it was close. For Parkland, it was also all too similar to the last time it went came down to the final seconds of a playoff game, and it lost on a field goal. But 371 days after suffering…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His name is Nate Eachus and Parkland’s defense will see a lot of him in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional final tonight in Orefield. The Hazleton senior running back figures to be the challenge of all challenges for the Trojans, who have posted shutouts in seven of their…
· 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 →Any team that’s still playing football past the first week of November has something to treasure, which is why Freedom and Whitehall plan to go all out tonight when they meet for the Eastern Conference Class 4A title. Kickoff is at 7 at Whitehall. Both teams are 8-4. They did…
· 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 →Parkland’s bruising offense was overshadowed by its stubborn defense, which posted its seventh straight shutout in a 17-0 win over Emmaus in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional quarterfinals Friday night in Orefield. The streak was jeopardized in the final minute after Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was a failed defensive stop that frustrated young defensive lineman Joe Davis more than the average flag football player. His mother, Lisa, still remembers the play that America’s Funniest Videos would have loved. “Joey was running downfield trying to get the kid’s flag, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland has put together back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and the PIAA Class 4A title in 2002, which will forever warm Trojan hearts. Easton has nine straight district playoff appearances, the second most wins in state history, and, of course, that 100th game…
· 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 →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 →The Emmaus boys soccer, field hockey and swim teams may have reasons to be jealous of football stars C.J. Billera, Joe Davis and their teammates. That’s because Emmaus football is starting to steal the spotlight those winning programs have long enjoyed, and it may stay that way,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →Emmaus junior tailback C.J. Billera hurt Whitehall with hard up-the-gut runs Friday night. More punishment was administered by the Green Hornets defense, which intercepted two passes, forced a fumble and cut off all penetration to the outside in holding Whitehall to 39 yards…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →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 →The punishment for skipping a class at Liberty for the average student is nothing more than a detention for a first-time offender. But Liberty coach Tim Moncman enforced a much harsher punishment on seniors Brendan Beal, Ahkeem Smith, Michael Fritz, Justin Rivera and junior…
· 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 →Parkland unleashed everything on Northampton Friday night in Orefield. It resulted in a 35-0 onslaught for the Trojans’ first shutout of the season. The score could have been worse, but Parkland coach Jim Morgans emptied his bench after building the five-touchdown lead early 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 →Liberty made a whole lot of big plays Friday night. But only a few were on offense, which suited Hurricanes two-way senior standout Joey Orlando just fine. That’s because Orlando made as many big plays on defense as he did on offense in helping Liberty prevail 21-7 over Emmaus…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus can forget about being overlooked by high-powered Liberty in their Lehigh Valley Conference matchup tonight at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. That’s because one loss could be detrimental to the Hurricanes’ chances of earning the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Brothers Kevin and Daryl Herod arrived at Parkland High with enormous talent and unselfish attitudes to go with it. But, much like all Trojan players not named Austin Scott or Tim Massaquoi, the Herod brothers have had to wait their turn in line. And the line at Parkland is…
· 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 →Northampton senior tailback Kevin Kowalishen usually turns gaping holes opened by his linemen into big gains or touchdowns. Last season, Kowalishen averaged 9.4 yards per carry, which led the Lehigh Valley Conference. He’s gained 386 yards on 43 carries for an average of 9 yards…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Over the last four years Freedom’s football team has produced three Division I players. Ryan Ehrie is a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman at Syracuse, Colin Neely a redshirt freshman at Michigan State, and Jeremy Kametz is in his final season at Delaware. The three of them…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom no longer has to give up the home side of Bethlehem Area School District Stadium to visiting teams. It never should have been that way in the first place, and the BASD administration saw to it that it never will be that way again by announcing Monday that home side of…
· 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 →It’s Validation Week in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Thrill-a-second Whitehall (2-0) and high-scoring Freedom (2-0) both play their toughest opponents. The circumstances couldn’t be any better for both. Whitehall, coming off a 31-28 double-overtime win over Northampton, plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →What happened in Emmaus last Friday night is not being be dwelled on. That’s because of the request Green Hornets coach Joe Bottiglieri made to his players. Bottiglieri, who’s in his sixth season at Emmaus, tells his players to only concentrate on the current challenge and not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →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 →Aaron Gray has his first fan in Chicago, and it’s a guy who for 24 years had held the distinction of being the last Lehigh Valley athlete drafted into the NBA. Now 46 years old and with a surgically repaired left knee that prevents him from playing basketball anymore, former…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray waited while Ohio State’s Greg Oden, Florida’s Joakim Noah, China’s Yi Jianlian and four other 7 footers were drafted into the NBA in the first and second rounds Thursday night. Gray, a 7-2 center from Emmaus High and the University of Pittsburgh, had been projected…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is on board with draft analysts, who are predicting Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Texas’ Kevin Durant to go No. 1 and 2 in tonight’s NBA draft. “They can play basketball and they will be great,” Gray said. “They will be the No. 1 and 2 picks in the draft, let’s face it.”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic’s Joe Kovacs is committed beyond the norm to playing in McDonald’s Lehigh Valley Football All-Star Classic at 7 tonight at Parkland Stadium in Orefield. If he wasn’t, Kovacs would be in Puerto Rico, perhaps tanning, eating spicy food and enjoying the scenery.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →What happened last December at Hersheypark Stadium is still fresh in the mind of Wilson’s Adam Thomas and Sean Monahan. Chris LaBatch, their teammate, also still has great memories of the Warriors’ 29-28 win over Jeannette that earned the school its first PIAA Class 2A title.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wilson quarterback D.J. Lenehan came alive in the second half of the PSFCA East West All-Star Game, rifling passes all over the field that led to touchdowns and stirred memories of his many feats last season. But the ending Saturday night wasn’t as rewarding as last December,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehighton’s Robbie Frey has the speed, Bethlehem Catholic’s Terrell Dobbins the power. Together, they hope to be double-trouble tailbacks in the the seventh annual PSFCA East-West All-Star Game tonight in Altoona. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Mansion Park Stadium. Frey and Dobbins,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Before this week, only Parkland teammates of the Trojans’ dominating offensive lineman Michael Fay had seen his humorous side. That’s because Fay, a Morning Call All Area first team pick and second-team Associated Press Class 4A selection, doesn’t play around when he’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wilson quarterback D.J. Lenehan isn’t ready to be reminded of what it’s like to lose a football game. He hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 10, 2005, and that was in the PIAA Class 2A title game. Since that defeat, Lenehan has gone 16-0 as a starter, winning each game during a…
· 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 →Every time he makes his spin move and lifts the shot put, Bethlehem Catholic’s Joe Kovacs is pointing toward heaven, where his father, Joe, has been watching and enjoying his every throw. His mother, Joanna, has been only a hug away, offering warmth, support, and also the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic senior Joe Kovcs relaxed himself, then blew past the Class 2A discus field to win his second gold medal of the PIAA Track and Field Championships Saturday at Shippensburg University. His winning throw traveled 179 feet, 11 inches, which was five inches shorter…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The pressure is now off Bethlehem Catholic senior Joe Kovacs. He took it off with the throw of his life, breaking the 36-year-old area record in the shot put on his final attempt Thursday in the District 11 Track and Field Championships at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bothered little by the rain and dark clouds, Catasauqua junior Kyle Miller cleared 14 feet, 7 inches to establish a Class 2A record in the pole vault in the District 11 Track and Field Championships Thursday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. The height was a personal best for Miller,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The chase is on again for Bethlehem Catholic standout thrower Joe Kovacs. Kovacs, a senior, will attempt to break the area shot put record of 62-113/4 in the District 11 Track and Field Championships. The two-day event begins at 3 p.m. today at J. Birney Crum Stadium in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The finish line was 100 meters away and Liberty junior Trevor VanAckeren was determined to make it there first Wednesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. His legs were heavy, he was fatigued, and he was being pushed to the limit in the finals of the 800 run at the Lehigh Valley…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Standout throwers Joe Kovacs of Bethlehem Catholic and Andy Fahringer of Whitehall both faced immense pressure Tuesday afternoon. It was in different events, and the chase was also different for both in Day 1 of the Lehigh Valley Conference Track and Field Championships at J.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Seniors Joe Kovacs of Bethlehem Catholic and Andy Fahringer of Whitehall have had as much attention paid to them in the throwing events as sprinters, the usual glamor grabbers, have had heeped on them this spring. It’s been hard not to pay attention to good pals Kovacs and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dieruff has not had a top-notch boys track and field athlete since Andrew Battle nine years ago and not a standout sprinter since Stacy McCarthy won the District 11 Class 3A title in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 1996. There have been a lot of downs since then, but first-year…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg’s Tom Scott couldn’t be stopped on drives, capping off his final game at Memorial Hall with one huge basket after another Thursday night. His final bucket was the best, a breakaway two-handed dunk for the exclamation point in the Mules’ come-from-behind, 91-84…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Chris Huber was spoiled when he was at Parkland High. That’s because Huber, now a senior shooting guard at Muhlenberg College, had the perfect point guard in Eddie Ohlson, who’s a junior at DeSales University. Back at Parkland, all Huber had to do was get open and Ohlson was…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You’ve probably heard of Michael Jordan coming out of retirement, Evander Holyfield repeatedly leaving his rocking chair to return to the ring, and Brett Favre declining to retire. But they are professional athletes. Alyssa Antolick, a former 1,000-point scorer at Bethlehem…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s all over. There are no more college recruiting trips to take, no more worrying about whether this school or that school is the right fit. Childhood dreams of playing college football were brought one step closer to reality by several Lehigh Valley Conference standout…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Villanova has another fearless guard with a nasty crossover dribble and awesome finishing ability coming to the Main Line in the fall. Corey Fisher, the starting point guard for nationally ranked St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth, N.J., displayed his wide range of skills before an…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Dan Persa’s postseason awards parade continued Thursday night. The Liberty High senior, who led the Hurricanes to a second straight PIAA Class 4A runner-up finish last month, was named winner of the Maxwell Football Club’s 22nd annual Jim Henry Award as the best high school…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Eddie Ohlson’s fears about college have long passed. That’s because everything is working out well at DeSales University for Ohlson, a 5-8 junior guard from Parkland High. And it’s not just about what he’s accomplished on the hardwood. “I came in not really sure what I was going…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →DeSales junior Phil Stricker waited until money time to go to the bank Tuesday night. Stricker, who was bothered by foul trouble throughout the game, opened up and scored all eight of his points in the final five minutes to help lift DeSales to a 71-63 non-league win over…
· 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 →Enough. Everybody was spent, cold, and as several Liberty players admitted later, very sore. No matter what it took, Liberty defensive end Braxton Isaac was determined to finally put an end to the PIAA Class 4A Eastern final Saturday afternoon before a standing-room-only crowd…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior quarterback Dan Persa made his game against Easton a memorable one Saturday night. He did it with speed, swiftness, and in a testament to his overall toughness, Persa at times also went airborne and dove to pick up yards. Whatever it took, Persa willingly did it,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With the exception of playing quarterback in midget football in Palmer Township, the only other experience Easton senior Jon Baltz had throwing the ball before this season was when he used to goof off with friends in backyard games. But despite his lack of experience, he’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Last week, all Liberty heard about was talk about the Easton-Parkland District 11 showdown. This week, the majority of attention throughout the Lehigh Valley is on the 100th Thanksgiving Day meeting between Easton and Phillipsburg at Lafayette College’s Fisher Field. There’s…
· 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 →Fans of legendary old boxing matches would likely call Easton and Parkland’s District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional semifinal a 15-round cliff-hanger with a telling blow at the end Friday night before a capacity crowd of 9,000 in Orefield. Ian Heck’s 36-yard field goal with 2.7…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two streaks will be on the line when Easton and Parkland meet in the District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional semifinals tonight in Orefield. Parkland (11-0) will try to extend its winning streak to 16 games, dating back to Oct. 21, 2005. The other streak belongs to Easton (10-1),…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Several Bethlehem Catholic players bent over, some crying, while others simply appeared dumbfounded Saturday night. The Golden Hawks had just lost 35-33 to heavy underdog Northwestern in a District 11 Class 3A semifinal at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. It may be one of…
· 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 →Parkland, Easton, Liberty and Bethlehem Catholic, start your engines. It’s time to begin the more serious chase on the road to Hershey. Each Lehigh Valley Conference team is heavily favored to win its first-round playoff game this weekend. Parkland (10-0), Easton (9-1) and…
· 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 →Liberty senior Oscar Rivera rushed to the locker room at halftime on Saturday afternoon, fumes seemingly blowing out of his ears. Rivera was frustrated that Liberty, the team with the high-powered offense and inflated confidence following an emotional victory over Easton last…
· 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 →Phil Bortz is back to running with power and back to cherishing every single down as if it could be his last. Bortz is a senior football player, who starts at fullback and outside linebacker for Parkland High, which enters the final regular-season weekend 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in…
· 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 →The Lehigh Valley Conference finally had a high school football game live up to the hype Friday night. It wasn’t because it was a shootout. It wasn’t because it went down the final seconds before being decided. It was because Easton and Liberty went toe-to-toe, each taking and…
· 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 →Dan Persa was bent backwards, his helmet driven hard into the NeXturf Friday night. Easton’s Connor Moore had just leveled Persa with the hit of the game, forcing Liberty into a fourth-and-four late in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Persa ran right back into the heart of…
· 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 →Liberty senior quarterback Dan Persa will face the daunting prospect of trying to beat Easton standout defensive back Jarred Holley on deep throws Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. He’ll also be summoned to score points against Easton’s first-team defense,…
· 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 →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 →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 →Brothers Oscar and Justin Rivera used to play roughhouse football in their parents’ living room growing up and, as a result, they’d often shake up the furniture. The brothers are now two-way starters at Liberty, and their coach, Tim Moncman, has demanded all season that they…
· 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 →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 →Northampton coach Teko Johnson wasn’t too quick to delete one particular e-mail from his inbox this week. He enjoyed knowing whom it was from and everything it suggested. “I got an e-mail this week from the coach at Colorado, and it was, “Are you willing to take a risk, are you…
· 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 →Parkland didn’t trample another opponent behind its Big Red rushing machine. Instead, the Trojans relied on the arm of senior quarterback Marc Quilling to roll to a 28-0 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Northampton Friday night at Al Erdosy Field. It was a case of whatever…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic two-way lineman Joey Kushner lives to hear his name called over the stadium loudspeaker every time he makes a tackle. That’s true even in tough times, like Saturday night when the Golden Hawks were thoroughly dominated in a 35-0 loss to Parkland. Not a finger…
· 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 →The wait for a competitive Lehigh Valley Conference game continues. Blame it on Parkland for being too overpowering for Bethlehem Catholic to handle Saturday night before a stunned crowd at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. They each entered 3-0, which increased the hype…
· 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 →For years, Jeremy McCullough got away with being a really good football player and just an average student. The latter changed after he graduated from Liberty High in 2002. Forced to improve his grades before he could attend Division I-AA Duquesne, McCullough attended Wyoming…
· 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 →You cannot be considered a winner until you’ve done it on a consistent basis. Like year-after-year. And against elite opponents. The latter is why, despite starting 2-0, Freedom doesn’t have many jumping on its bandwagon just yet. The Patriots started last season by routing two…
· 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 →Every down of every game, one thought will be running through the minds of Nazareth players. “Nobody will give up on the guy next to him,” said senior Shawn Sylvainus. “We’ll never give up.” It was not that way last season, which opened with the Blue Eagles losing 9-0 to Blue…
· 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 →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 →Star quarterback Alex Atiyeh may have thrown his final high school pass. Atiyeh, a junior quarterback at Bethlehem Catholic last year, has transferred to Allen and had hoped to take over in the Canaries’ wide-open offensive set this season. But the District 11 Athletic Committee…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nazareth pitcher Ronald Manning walked dejectedly off the mound, his hat pulled down and his jersey drenched. “I’m tired,” Manning later said. For four innings, he had been brilliant, using his fastball and off-speed pitches to stymie Boyertown batters in a Pennsylvania American…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nazareth pitcher Ronald Manning walked dejectedly off the mound, his hat pulled down and his jersey drenched. “I’m tired,” Manning later said. For four innings, he had been brilliant, using his fastball and off-speed pitches to stymie Boyertown batters in a Pennsylvania American…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Where’s the eraser? North Parkland needs it before taking to Owls Field at Ted Palka Park this morning. Two Buffaloes pitchers were battered for seven runs in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday morning, enabling perennial powerhouse Boyertown to hammer out a 13-3 victory in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Where’s the eraser? North Parkland needs it before taking to Owls Field at Ted Palka Park this morning. Two Buffaloes pitchers were battered for seven runs in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday morning, enabling perennial powerhouse Boyertown to hammer out a 13-3 victory in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Amy Heffner ignited the Parkland girls rally from an eight-point deficit with steals, deft passes and the type of all-around hustle that could help her get on the radar screen of Division I scouts. Her Trojans teammate, Erin Anthony, has already received D-I offers, and the 6-0…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →John Babb’s lingering memory about his amateur boxing debut at SportsFest X will be over the decision he wasn’t awarded Saturday. Many fans may remember most the Scottish kilt and socks that Babb wore during his Pennsylvania Golden Gloves super heavyweight novice division bout…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rushane Scott is still running on clouds. He can’t help it because his emotions have remained high. Last Saturday, Allen’s standout senior accomplished what no Lehigh Valley sprinter had done in 41 years when he won the Class 3A 100-meter dash at the PIAA Track and Field…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rushane Scott’s tears of joy lasted for several minutes. Memories of what he accomplished at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Saturday will last forever. The Allen senior closed out his career by winning the Class 3A 100-meter dash in a time of 10.60. Scott surged into the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andy Fahringer’s mind said, “Go slow,’ but slippery conditions forced him to move faster than he wanted to in the Class 3A discus throw Friday morning at Shippensburg University. But driving rain could not prevent Fahringer from winning the event to become the first Whitehall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic did in 2003 what no Lehigh Valley team had ever done — win a PIAA Track and Field team title. Three years later, the Golden Hawks are boasted by a standout distance runner in Eric Yeager, a rising sprinter in Chris Carter and a top-seeded discus thrower in Joe…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Give Rushane Scott a paint brush — or anything else to draw with — and he’ll craft an image of exactly what he plans to accomplish at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. Allen’s star senior sprinter will paint a picture of himself winning the Class 3A title in the 100 and…
· 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 →It didn’t take long for Tyrone Faverey to become one of the state’s top high jumpers. The Parkland senior track and field star won the PIAA Track and Field Class 3A high jump title last year at Shippensburg University in just his third year as a jumper. He’s considered a state…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was raining and windy, but Bethlehem Catholic junior Joe Kovacs was not bothered. He was pumped and anxious to blow out the competition early in the Class 2A discus throw at the District 11 Track and Field Championships Wednesday at Blue Mountain High School. “I practice in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Eric Yeager has eaten mostly pasta and has resisted the temptation for junk food since last Wednesday. He has also focused harder and trained harder. Now, a week later, the Bethlehem Catholic senior is set to close out one of the most successful distance running careers in…
· 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 →Parkland senior John Carelli made the high jump and triple jump seem like routine business Tuesday at the Lehigh Valley Conference Track & Field Championships. It seemed that way because Carelli won both jumping events for the third straight year. He tied his personal best in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton seniors Colin Brett, Derrick Lambert, Alex Nourse and Gerald Lebar have formed an awesome foursome. They have the area’s best time in the 3,200-meter relay (8:28.5) and they are the catalysts on a Red Rovers team that’s 3-0-1 in the LVC. The Red Rovers still have to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The greatest athletic accomplishment of his life was over, and Parkland’s Tyrone Faverey and his mother, Karen, were driving back to the Lehigh Valley from Shippensburg. There was no music blasting, no horns honking. “I fell asleep,” said Faverey, who won the PIAA Class 3A high…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The deans of area track and field coaches are back. Freedom’s Ray Herman returns for his 41st season and Southern Lehigh’s Brian Souerwine is back for his 34th. While not a lot has changed since last spring, a whole lot has changed in general over the years. “It’s amazing,” said…
· 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 →Aaron Gray tried to bring down the basket early in the game Wednesday night. He got the ball just outside the lane, made a swift move, then rose way over Rutgers center Byron Joynes to dunk. But Joynes fouled Gray, preventing the emphatic finish. But Gray stayed aggressive,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg senior Stephanie Coluccini, who has already interned at Columbia and Universal Records, would like to do promotional work in radio and television after graduating. If she works as hard in the work force as she does on the court, Mules coach Ron Rohn believes she’ll be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg coach Dave Madeira knows a Division I player when he sees one, and his eyes lit up when he first saw Lehigh junior guard Jose Olivero catch the ball, turn and bury a 3-pointer with such ease on Wednesday night. Not just once, not just twice but five times in Lehigh’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s weakness in the low post was exposed by a Muhlenberg player who probably could start for most Patriot League schools — including Lehigh. But the hard banging and soft shooting touch of Jeff Stewart wasn’t enough to help the Mules upset the Mountain Hawks Wednesday at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Tim Massaquoi has had touchdown receptions at Michigan Stadium, played in two Rose Bowls and has been named the Big Ten’s best tight end. But the former Parkland High star’s proudest moment over the last five years did not come on a football field. Two weeks ago, with his mother…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty ran into a machine in the PIAA Class 4A championship Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium. McKeesport was the machine, especially on defense. The Tigers were superbly fast, from the quarterback to the tailbacks, and even to the kicker, who kept trotting onto the field…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Dan Persa showed up at Carl’s Corner steak and sub shop a few blocks from school earlier this week and saw an NBC-10 television reporter interviewing the owner about the football team Persa has helped lead to the PIAA Class 4A championship game. He was awed.…
· 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’s Andrew Lee pounded his fist off his chest a few times, once after blocking an extra-point kick, and another time after scoring on an acrobatic reception in the end zone. But his most memorable pounding came after the most emphatic hit of the game, a shot by Lee so hard…
· 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 →Often you hear quarterbacks and running backs wisely give credit for their standout performances to their offensive linemen. Austin Scott, the ex-Parkland High great and owner of the state’s single-season rushing record, did it every week in 2002 en route to leading the Trojans…
· 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 →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 →Whitehall responded to a season-opening 49-20 loss to Berwick by winning eight straight games and earning a share of the Lehigh Valley Conference title and a berth in the PIAA District 2-4-11 Class 3A subregionals. Now the Zephyrs have to mend broken hearts from a 28-21 loss to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The biggest day in Freedom senior Colin Neely’s life came in August when he announced that he had committed to Michigan State, the Big Ten program where he hopes to mature and become a winner once again. His signature on scholarship papers to Michigan State won’t officially come…
· 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 →A coach who has established a legacy in the state, and who might be able to run for mayor in Slatington and win, is about to make one final run at a PIAA Class 2A title. But Northern Lehigh coach Jim Tkach would first like to win a PIAA District 11 Class 2A subregional semifinal…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Oh brother, here came Whitehall, right back in striking distance for quarterback Mike Gnall, with less than two minutes on the clock Friday night at Parkland Stadium. Down seven, ball near midfield, first-and-10, Gnall back in the pocket, bouncing around, trying to see if he can…
· 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 →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 →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 →Steve Shiffert may be known to his players as a perfectionist, intense, and at times, intimidating. But last November, Shifffert’s soft side came out after a loss to Neshaminy in the PIAA Class 4A Eastern final. Shiffert, 53, cried for extended minutes, along with his players,…
· 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 →When Charles Irvin intercepted a pass at the 10-yard line with a little over five minutes remaining, he wanted to run for a touchdown, run out of the end zone, and if possible, run up into the Bethlehem Area School District stadium stands Friday night. In his dreams, his…
· 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 →As a defensive end in the seventh grade, Alex Atiyeh found joy in chasing and tackling quarterbacks. Then in the eighth grade he became a quarterback, and his mind-set changed. “I love being a quarterback,” said Atiyeh, a junior who’s in his second season starting at Bethlehem…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A Lehigh Valley Conference opener between rivals turned into a halftime scare when Northampton coach Teko Johnson stumbled to the bench. He was later carried away by ambulance after experiencing upper-body pains. Parkland trailed by a point, but overwhelmed dispirited…
· 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 →Hold off on considering Liberty as the team to beat in Bethlehem. That’s because Bethlehem Catholic is again powerful and eager to continue proving that it may be the Christmas City’s best team. The Golden Hawks, sparked by punishing tackles by Joe Dancho and Cory McFadden,…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland entered the second half the way they began the first: scoreless. The only highlights had been crunching hits, topped by a sandwich of Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Alex Atiyeh by blitzing Trojans Owen Thomas and Matt Wasley to end the half. But…
· 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 →Freedom High defensive star Colin Neely reeled off a long list of people whom he wanted to thank for helping him earn a scholarship to Michigan State. Then, the rising senior thanked the person who was most responsible for the strenuous work he has done on and off the field over…
· 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 →Big Keith Weaver has never been asked to return kickoffs during a game. But the Palisades two-way lineman got his chance to try it during a light practice Tuesday at Nazareth’s Andrew S. Leh Stadium. “Hey, Keith stay back there and receive the kickoff,” Northampton Gold team…
· 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 →Tyrone Faverey reached down and touched the surface, rose up and leaped high into the air. He landed, stretched his back, glared forward and, after a few seconds of deep concentration, the Parkland junior sprinted toward the high jump pit and the destiny that awaited him…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Emmaus senior Nate Gilbert didn’t need his sunglasses until after his fifth jump. By then, he needed them to block the sun and to hide the tears he thought he was about to shed. He had one jump left and his heart was pumping faster than ever, because he had already clinched the…
· 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 →He was just about even with his rival, the one distance runner Northampton High senior Tyler McCandless said he thought he had lost to 80 times before. This time, only 50 meters remained in the 3,200-meter run and McCandless was no longer worried about past failures against…
· 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 →John Carelli probably won’t show up at J. Birney Crum Stadium with a broom this afternoon. Maybe his Parkland teammate Tyrone Faverey will bring one for him. Carelli is on the verge of sweeping the jumping events in the Lehigh Valley Conference Championships for the second…
· 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 →Allen High junior Rushane Scott stunned his coach, Erika Smith, when he finished the 100-meter dash in 10.9 seconds on March 31. But Smith was stunned even more on April 14 when Scott clocked a 10.7 in a dual meet against Parkland. She won’t be surprised by anything else Scott…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton senior distance runner Tyler McCandless still wants to run a personal-best in the 3,200 and to beat area rival Sam Luff of Emmaus in at least one big race this spring. Recently, McCandless signed a national letter of intent to the University of Maryland where he…
· 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 →The first week of April is far from when you’d expect track and field athletes to be peaking. But Parkland junior Tyrone Faverey may have done just that in the high jump. The hope is that he’ll continue to improve, but it may be tough to surpass the 6 feet, 10 inches he posted…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom High officially has a new football coach and athletic director Fred Harris hopes he doesn’t eventually follow in the footsteps of the last two Patriots head coaches. But Jason Roeder, who was formally introduced as the coach to the players and media on Tuesday, doesn’t…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom’s two-month wait for a new football coach may soon be over. According to two sources close to the Freedom football program, Jason Roeder has been offered the job. Roeder has to be approved at a Bethlehem Area School District school board Monday night before he can be…
· 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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →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 →Recharged and refocused to start the third quarter, Emmaus went to “The Carpenter” to build a double-digit lead over Liberty Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium. Andrew Carpenter, a 6-3 brickhouse senior center, muscled his way for three inside baskets and the Green Hornets…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High may not shoot many opponents out of the gymnasium and will not be bigger in the paint in most of its game. So what the Trojans proved in a 43-28 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Easton Tuesday night in the 25th Street Gymnasium is that they can win with…
· 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 →Easton coach Steve Shiffert would rather forget about the 2001 District 11 Championship Game, and hope that his players don’t dwell on the memory too much, either. It’s not easy because Easton carried a 10-0 record into the 4A title game against Bethlehem Catholic and got routed…
· 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 →The Parkland High football team will look to rebound from a disappointing 3-7 season without the coach who, two years ago, led it to the PIAA Class 4A championship. The Parkland High School administration announced in a press release Friday that Rob Melosky will not be retained…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With Easton sporting a 9-0 record and Liberty, Emmaus and District 2’s Wyoming Valley West each 9-1, the PIAA Class 4A sub-regional playoffs would appear to be up for grabs. “Anything can happen,” said Easton coach Steve Shiffert. But Easton losing at Cottingham Stadium may not…
· 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 →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 →Dieruff High senior linebacker Nick Davis has racked up 275 tackles the last three seasons and is on pace for another 100-plus-tackle season. “The kid gets crazy, crazy out there,” said Dieruff coach Keith Brader. “They just can’t stop him. “He is so hard-nosed. He is the best…
· 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 →In the review of the second week of high school football games, much was observed. The main observation is that all seems well at Parkland, Phillipsburg, Pennridge and Northern Lehigh. Those teams are considered the area’s top heavyweights along with Easton, which was idle. Each…
· 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 →Diehard Lehigh Valley sports fans might have had discussions over coffee or tea Saturday morning about many of the high school football teams that played Friday night. Like Parkland, which blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead in losing to Cumberland Valley 41-38 in overtime. Like…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland discovered that it has four pretty good running backs with speed, nifty cutting ability and power. But the Trojans also found out that they have a defense that needs work after blowing a 20-point first-half lead and losing 41-38 in overtime to Cumberland Valley in their…
· 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 →Nobody threw up or fainted at Easton High. Nobody took lunch break and decided not to return for the afternoon practice. Most of the 108 players on the practice field were in good shape and brought good attitudes as far as coach Steve Shiffert was concerned as the high school…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg-South’s Leyon Azubuike has been at ease as much as any player could possibly be since arriving here for Big 33 practice. There are many reasons. As a chiseled 6-4, 230-pound defensive end, he looks every bit like the Pennsylvania All-Star he is. His 4.58-second…
· 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 →So many times during his high school career, Parkland senior Steve Stern sensed that he was being stared down by opposing sprinters. He was probably right. At just 5-8 and without any bulging muscles, Stern just didn’t care what other sprinters thought because he was confident…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland had an efficient running machine in senior Steve Stern, a sophomore jumper who demonstrated solid bunny hops in John Carelli and a senior pole vaulter who overcame the windy elements to vault to a fifth-place medal in Scott Rogasta. And there were other standout…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High senior Steve Stern pictured the place on his stacked bedroom wall where he could put his silver medal. Emmaus junior Sam Luff, also a silver medal winner, said he was going to hang his medal on a wall, too. Easton senior Rich Ryan said he was going to give his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →This time, the color of the medal didn’t suit Parkland sophomore John Carelli’s taste. That’s because Carelli had gotten spoiled after winning six gold medals over the previous two weeks in the Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 Class 3A Championships. Otherwise, Carelli…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His speed picked up and his head bobbed as the lead to the finish line narrowed. The previous two years, Allen High senior Eugene Clay had been denied victory in the Class 3A 110-meter high hurdles in the District 11 Track and Field Championships, placing second as a junior and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No more 800-meter runs for Bethlehem Catholic senior Jules Eggleston. Once was enough, so he hoped. “After I run one lap, my body shuts down,” Eggleston joked. “I’m not ready for two laps.” But it may be hard for Bethlehem Catholic coach Gary Mohylsky to grant Eggleston his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Seeds mean more than what’s on paper, at least according to Bethlehem Catholic track & field coach Gary Mohylsky. If he’s right, then the most accomplished sprinter in the Lehigh Valley over the last two years will dominate in the District 11 Track & Field Championships today…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The only individual race Parkland senior Steve Stern didn’t finish first or second in was a 10-meter sprint — half-jog actually — against a bunch of kids just having fun Wednesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. That Stern even had the energy to play around seemed amazing considering…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Something about that attempt, his third and final at 6 feet, 6 inches, fueled Parkland sophomore Jon Carelli to accomplish a personal-best Tuesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium. Carelli cleared 6-6 to win the high jump event in the Lehigh Valley Conference track & field…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton High track and field coach Frank Messa looked down at a piece of paper crammed with times, distances, and lots of names Thursday night and uttered the words a college student would say this time of year. “I feel like I’m studying for a math exam,” Messa said. He wasn’t…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh Valley’s fastest sprinter has entered the spring track and field season without a college scholarship offer. That could change for Bethlehem Catholic senior Brandon Carter after he competes in the Penn Relays, April 22-24 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin…
· 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 →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 →A meeting at the line of scrimmage between Freedom’s 6-6, 297-pound Ryan Ehrie and Northwestern’s 6-5, 290-pound Jake Figner might have been a grueling matchup, testing more than just the strength of both. It could not happen because Northwestern played in the Colonial League…
· 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 →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 →You’ve probably seen the Hollywood movies where the former water boy grows up to to earn a position on the high school football team. Rarely is that position as a starter. Hardly ever does the water boy become the star. But in a real life story, Northampton senior Jeff Pammer is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some interceptions alter games, but the first interception of Bethlehem Catholic defensive lineman John Bedics’ career did more than that. His 42-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter against Parkland in last year’s season-opener increased his confidence…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →North Penn junior quarterback Adam Hearns was the only Knights player left on the field on a brisk Tuesday night, but it was not by choice. He still had running to do. Again, it was not by choice. It was by demand of coach Dick Beck that Hearns did a series of flexibility drills…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Marcus Millen’s right wrist wouldn’t stop throbbing after he made a second-quarter tackle against Nazareth Oct. 3. But the Easton standout and son of former NFL star Matt Millen stayed in the game and continued to make plays. After the game, he found out his wrist was broken. “I…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton still owns Parkland in the playoffs. More importantly, Easton now also owns the District 11 Class 4A title for the first time since 1993. The Red Rovers improved to 4-0 against the Trojans in the playoffs with a 23-15 victory before a crowd of 5,800 Friday at Cottingham…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High’s defense was a bone-crushing unit last week in a 35-0 win over East Stroudsburg South. Star lineman Travis Decker figures the Trojans will be even more punishing against Easton at 7 tonight at Cottingham Stadium. “Everyone is pumped up for this game,” Decker said.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton showed its nasty side on offense and defense and booted Northampton from the District 11 Class 4A playoffs in the process Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. The Red Rovers’ two running backs, junior Ovid Goulbourne and senior Brad Piperata, bowled over and blew past…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton had already been out of playoff contention by the time October rolled around and the leaves had changed colors over the past few years. Not so this fall. But how much longer will Northampton’s football season last? The Konkrete Kids (7-3) qualified for the District…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The season-ending game for Bethlehem bragging rights had been circled on the schedules of Freedom and Liberty since August. But only Liberty seemed ready for the challenge when the two rivals met in a Lehigh Valley Conference Northampton Division matchup before a spirited crowd…
· 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 →Northwestern sophomore Jordan Smith was undisturbed by the Palisades defense and windy, brisk weather Thursday afternoon in New Tripoli. Playing on his home field, Smith seemed in control from the outset of the second half of a District 11 Class 2A boys soccer quarterfinal. His…
· 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 →Challenged to win every game in order to keep its District 11 Class 4A playoff hopes alive may turn out to be a good situation for Bethlehem Catholic. Especially if the Golden Hawk defense plays with the same intensity as it did in a 34-7 homecoming victory over Whitehall…
· 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 →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 →Parkland and Liberty linemen tangled at the line of scrimmage, both trying to plow over the other. Only Parkland succeeded. Liberty was missing key players, but the lopsided final margin still might not have mattered had the Hurricanes been at full strength. That’s because…
· 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 →One game in 2001, another in 2002. Both were District 11 Class 3A boys soccer championship thrillers that just didn’t go Pleasant Valley’s way. The Bears were upstaged by Emmaus, 1-0 in 2001 and 3-2 by Parkland in 2002. “Both of them were real tough games,” said Pleasant Valley…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It did not matter whether it was first, second or third down. Pennsylvania just could not move the ball — until the final five minutes of play. By then it was too late, but Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik’s 17-yard draw for a touchdown put Pennsylvania on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott, the record-breaking Parkland High tailback who’ll begin his college career at Penn State next month, will have plenty of star company in the PNC Big 33 Classic at 7 tonight at Hersheypark Stadium. But will Scott be the biggest star? The run-and-shoot offense that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Adam Bednarik had a celebrated high school football season at Bethlehem Catholic last fall, throwing for 27 touchdowns and over 2,300 yards. He was named to the Associated Press Big School first team and was The Morning Call’s all-area quarterback. He was also selected to the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There is a no-blitz rule for the PNC Big 33 Classic Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium. But defensive players can hit quarterbacks, wideouts and running backs as hard as they want. And Freedom defensive star Jeremy Kametz can’t wait to make contact with an offensive player in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Phillipsburg High tailback Leonard Brice waited too late to get serious in the classroom, and that cost him a chance of earning a Division I scholarship. Fortunately, Brice still has a chance to achieve his goal. He just has to go to Hutchinson Junior College in Kansas before…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →So much for the Gold team all-stars’ speed and the hope of it being unleashed in a mighty way. The Red team all-stars, led by a defensive backs that blanketed wideouts and defensive linemen that created havoc, dampened the aspirations of fans looking for a shootout in the 33rd…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Following the third straight year that the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley Football Classic has been postponed because of inclement weather, Bethlehem Catholic coach Chuck Sonon recalled a fitting joke he heard on a New York City sports radio station. “What do you call the day after…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Like all the players in the McDonald’s Football Classic, Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik will wear his school’s helmet for the final time at 7 tonight at Nazareth High. It just won’t be the same Golden Hawks helmet he wore during the season, the one that was loaded…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He was in the middle of a game with Emmaus High when his helmet clamped down awkwardly, resulting in a nasty gash on his face. “It was painful,” said Parkland High senior Nick Pinchek. But Pinchek finished the game and continued to play through the discomfort of the gash until…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Quakertown High senior distance runner Adam Breisch crossed the finish line in the PIAA Track and Field Championships’ Class 3A 1,600-meter final with his arms raised and his mind running faster than his track shoes Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium. Though Breisch had just won his…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High senior Ryan Kleintop visualized the triple jump that clinched his first ever PIAA Track and Field Championships medal Friday at Seth Grove Stadium. But before he focused on his final attempt, he stood on the runway and blocked out the distractions of sprinters…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic sprinter Frank Trovato has already rented his tuxedo, shined his shoes and has limousine service set up for him and his prom date for Friday night. Trovato even has plans for his girlfriend to ride with him from the Lehigh Valley to Shippensburg University…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen’s Eugene Clay jumped up and exclaimed, “Yes!” His teammate, Desroy Miller, said joyfully, “Wow,” to a close bystander. You’d have thought that the Canary juniors had won their races. But Miller was second in the 100-meter dash and Clay second in the 110 high hurdles in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom track coach Ray Herman, who has been coaching and winning consistently in the sport for more than 30 years, has a request that he wants all the principals and members of the District 11 Committee to consider. “I prefer the two-day meet, like our league [Lehigh Valley…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Feet don’t fail me now. How many runners prayed for that not to happen in the Lehigh Valley Conference track and field championships Wednesday at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown? Bethlehem Catholic junior Brandon Carter didn’t have to worry. He won the 100-meter dash in 10.9…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The veins in Parkland senior Ryan Kleintop’s neck seemed as if they would burst through his skin each time he sprinted down the straightaway leading to the jumping pit. “I just try to get as pumped up for each jump as I can,” Kleintop said. He jumped farther and higher than…
· 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 →Confetti will not be dropped from the rafters and fireworks won’t be fired off in the building. No big-named musician will sing the National Anthem. The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs just want to open their home season at Stabler Arena, please the fans with dunks, long-range…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High’s Garrison Rausch wanted to drive Bethlehem Catholic pitcher Adam Bednarik off the mound. When the chance came, Rausch did just that, lining a three-run double to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning that put the Trojans ahead by three runs en route to a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior Austin Scott had many breakaway runs en route to a 53-touchdown football season last fall. Often, he seemed on the verge of being off to the races the second he took handoffs. But a change of season has brought a different result for Scott. His football feats…
· 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 →Parkland running back Austin Scott and Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik will rush and pass as high school players on the same football field one more time. Finally, it will be as teammates. They have been selected to the Pennsylvania All-Star team that will play the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott turned into Kid Scott on Tuesday afternoon at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel grand ballroom. He just couldn’t believe that he was in the same room with athletes and coaches he has seen so often on television. Nor could Scott believe that later Tuesday the Maxwell…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Making the varsity basketball team at the United States Naval Academy as a freshman this season was starting to look like an impossibility for former Parkland star Adam Lane until his coach called him over after a JV practice for some stunning news. “Coach just called me and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Despite his arm being smacked, Zlatko “Zo” Savovic hung in the air long enough to dish to Matt Crawford for a one-handed dunk. It was just another in a long list of deft plays the Lehigh senior guard made against Navy Saturday night. Behind Savovic’s well-rounded play and senior…
· 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 →Tom Osonte was just as involved in Parkland football games this season as anyone dressed in uniform or on the coaching staff. Never mind that he was the statistician, because he was just as busy as coach Rob Melosky on game nights, mostly charting each Austin Scott run. Scott…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They started the season by having their hearts ripped out. Bethlehem Catholic capped off a stirring season-opener with quarterback Adam Bednarik’s completion of a two-point conversion pass to Fred Rice for a 29-28 overtime victory. But after that loss, Parkland did all the…
· 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 →If faced with the challenge, could the Parkland defense have swallowed up Trojan record-breaking tailback Austin Scott in the same nasty way it did Woodland Hills in the PIAA Class 4A Championship game Saturday night in Hershey? Think about it. No defense stopped Scott. Some had…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →She was the lady in the fur coat standing on the muddy steps in Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night, requesting to talk to the star Parkland running back, her nephew Austin Scott. He was the man wearing a much less flamboyant coat, proudly talking about the astuteness of his son,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There are many ways to score touchdowns. Long runs, short runs. Long pass receptions, short pass receptions. Punt returns. Kickoff returns. Defensively. Parkland’s Austin Scott has explored most of these options during his memorable and historic season. And he’s not done, yet.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Woodland Hills High football team has three 300-plus-pound starting offensive linemen and a safety in Ryan Mundy, who is being recruited by Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Virginia and Notre Dame. In essence, it’s the type of talent pool that veteran Wolverines coach…
· 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 →They were beauty on offense, and a beast on defense, in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals Friday night. Parkland’s offense was led by perhaps the best dancer in cleats that the Lehigh Valley has ever seen, in senior tailback Austin Scott. The Trojans were also that dominant on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The school buses that are used to transport Parkland football players, band members and fans will have to be cranked up for one more trip. And it will be a sweet one, because the Trojans are going to Hershey for the PIAA Class 4A championship. “We’ve been working since March for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →North Penn kind of backed into the District One playoffs as the eighth seed. And the Knights refused to be kicked out once they got there. They won three straight, including last week’s 25-14 win over Interboro in the district championship game, to secure a matchup against…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High senior Nick Pinchek had to turn over the reins of the Trojans offense, knowing that the return of tailback Austin Scott would mean less handoffs and the possibility of not rushing for 1,000-plus yards again. But less touches of the football has not meant less…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The way Parkland senior lineman Cody Decker likes to eat, the refrigerator at the Decker’s house has to be stacked with food. “He’s chowing all the time,” said Decker’s father Gary. “He’s at the refrigerator now.” But Decker wasn’t looking for junk food. He’s more interested in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some of them rolled around on the artificial turf. One even kissed the surface. “The game is over,” said Parkland senior fullback Nick Pinchek Saturday afternoon. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world. Until they play again. Junior defensive end Travis Decker assured that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The planning is over. Now it’s time for Parkland to just go out and beat the USA Today’s 13th-ranked team, a team that is averaging 47 points and which once rolled up 76 points on an opponent this season. That team is Central Dauphin, which will bring a 12-0 record into…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Dauphin coach George Chaump has been an assistant coach under the legendary Woody Hayes at Ohio State and under John McKay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has also been a head coach at Marshall, Navy and Indiana University at Pennsylvania. He has been around awhile.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →As guaranteed by star tailback Austin Scott 12 weeks ago, Parkland got the rematch with Bethlehem Catholic Friday night with the District 11 Class 4A title on the line. And led by Scott’s 222 yards rushing and touchdown runs that covered 57 and 28 yards, Parkland made the best…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →First, Parkland tailback Nick Pinchek did his part with hard, punishing blocks, helping teammate Austin Scott rush for over 200 yards and into the state record books Friday night in the District 11 Class 4A championship game at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Then the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Down, set, hike. The former high school and college quarterback is being rushed from all points, but he is not running anywhere. Parkland coach Rob Melosky is just standing there, taking all the shots and handling the pressure just as he used to do when he was taking snaps from…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Following his sensational running show, which made Bethlehem Catholic’s defense appear to be frozen in place, Parkland tailback Austin Scott huddled his teammates and made a very bold prediction. “We will see them again,” Scott told his teammates. Many of those Parkland players…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No team has stopped the offense of Bethlehem Catholic or Parkland. They didn’t even stop each other. But the defenses of both teams will give it another shot when Parkland (10-1) meets Bethlehem Catholic (11-0) at 7 tonight for the District 11 Class 4A championship at Bethlehem…
· 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 →Bethlehem Catholic’s gritty effort against Easton was kind of like scraping for every penny in the piggy bank. Survival depended on what was found. The end to an undefeated season and rematch with Parkland also depended on Bethlehem Catholic’s ability to solve and score on an…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic-Parkland II now appears to be only a week away. At least that’s what most people outside the Easton and Freedom programs believe. “It’s high school football,” said Easton coach Steve Shiffert. “Anything can happen. You never know how they will react.” So hold…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They are not called “hogs” or “beef brothers” or the “the plow crew.” Nothing intimidating. Instead, Parkland’s offensive linemen go by the nickname, “Merculators”, which sounds more suited for a dance studio than for the trenches on a football field. But they are called that…
· 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 →Their mark in school history was cemented before they even stepped onto the field Saturday at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. They had already earned the first-ever District 11 Class 4A playoff berth for Freedom. But there’s a more important mark still to be accomplished…
· 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 →Great Scott. Parkland tailback Austin Scott didn’t allow the rain, muddy field, or the Freedom defense to slow him Friday night at Parkland Stadium. His cuts to the left were sharp. So were his dashes right and up the middle. Getting a hand on him seemed tough the way Trojans…
· 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 →With its crunching tackles, the Parkland defense seemed to break the spirit of Liberty about as much as Trojans tailback Austin Scott’s elusive running did Friday night in Orefield. But it was only the same devastating double-dose that the Trojans have used to beat every…
· 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 Bethlehem Catholic, Catasauqua and Salisbury football teams each won weekend games that provided encouraging signs about the success they might enjoy the rest of the season. For Bethlehem Catholic, the Class 4A state title that has eluded the last two Becahi teams seems all…
· 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 →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 →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 →Division I recruiters have been looking at Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik since last season, probably drooling over his beautiful spirals and the distance he can throw. Shouldn’t they also be looking at Allen quarterback Michael Bernhard and Dieruff QB Richard…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The game was better than the hype. The ending was cliffhanging, leaving Bethlehem Catholic exhilarated and Parkland drowned in disappointment. It came down to The Decision. One or two points for victory or defeat. “It was in my mind all the time,” said Bethlehem Catholic…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Adam Bednarik knows the Parkland defense wants to smother him, maybe even turn him into mashed potatoes. But by no means will Parkland distract Bednarik, the strong-armed, 6-3, 220-pound senior. He is just too confident, ready to play against the…
· 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 →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 →The future fast lanes of District 11 athletes may have been paved by Bethlehem Catholic’s Eddie Scipio and his supporting cast of Golden Hawks sprinters in the PIAA Track and Field Championships last weekend at Shippensburg University. Scipio, a senior three-sport star, anchored…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic pole vaulter Neil Schwab thought he was going to get an energy boost from a power bar he ate during competition in the Class 2A portion of the event in the PIAA Track and Field Championships Friday at Shippensburg University. Instead, the junior got sick to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Athletes in The Morning Call’s circulation area from District 11 and District 3 who have legitimate shots of winning medals in the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University today and Saturday probably spent most of Thursday reflecting on what they need to do…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Eddie Scipio, the fastest of the Bethlehem Catholic High sprinters, enthusiastically raised his voice after winning his fourth gold medal in the District 11 Class 2A championships a week ago and proclaimed, “We’re on the map in track and field.” Not just as a dot, either. Four…
· 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 →The promise made to win a state track and field championship in the 100-meter dash by Parkland High sprinter Lee Riley to his mother, Sandra, while she lay in a coma at Hershey Medical Center in March, is one the junior said he will stop at nothing to accomplish. His mother died…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The gold medal seemed as if it might melt in Liberty senior Eric Eggleston’s hand, the way he kept looking at it, caressing it. For the last two years, he had left the District 11 Class 3A Track and Field Championships with a silver medal in the triple jump. All that changed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Now it’s time to run faster, throw further, and jump higher as the District 11 Class 3A and 2A track and field championships draw closer. “You don’t need much to motivate the kids now,” said Easton coach Frank Messa. Indeed, they now must “just do it.’ Even those who have been…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The answer to the most intriguing question of the scholastic track and field season, “Who has been dedicated enough to win a state title,” will be revealed over the next two weeks. For now, most people in District 11 know that Freedom junior Beth Crocus has a serious shot at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A freak pre-race injury left one of the area’s top girl sprinters bruised in the face and woozy despite about a 10-minute period to recover. Danielle Lattimore of Easton was nowhere near her blazing self in the girls 400-meter finals in Wednesday’s Mountain Valley Conference…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior Erin Cadden could not wait to exchange her track cleats for dancing shoes Tuesday following the Mountain Valley Conference track and field championships at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. The anxiety seemed reasonable, considering that Cadden had…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Not enough people around District 11 probably know about the speed of Parkland sophomore Steve Stern and Lehighton senior Katie Grant. Start paying attention. Stern and Grant legitimized their claims as two of the area’s top sprinters with victories in the 100-, 200- and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ebony Barbosa of Allen and Erin Lentz of Emmaus both went to the Crimson Tide Invitational at Pottsville High last Friday expecting nothing big. Like winning. That mindest, however, wasn’t because of a lack of confidence. The field that both competed in was top notch, with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Crossing the finish line first is something Easton junior Danielle Lattimore has gotten used to this spring. She has, after all, smoked just about every other top female sprinter in District 11. Nothing changed Tuesday at Parkland High, even though windy conditions prevented…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →While others are posting times in sprint and distance events that are impressive, none of them has what Easton High senior D.J. Williams has going for himself. Williams, unlike the rest, was a District 11 and PIAA track and field title contender in the long jump before the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Welcome back, Ray Herman. Freedom High, good choice. A legend is back at the head of a track and field program three years after being disloyally treated at Easton, the program he built into a PIAA power over his 31 years there. “I’m just as excited as when I was 25,” Herman…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some people may have thought the Emmaus Green Hornets were buried emotionally with that 1-6 record to start the season. Obviously, somebody forgot that 6-11 junior center Aaron Gray was out with a broken left ankle during that horrible beginning. But Gray was ever present on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →That 25-0 record the Parkland Trojans posted in the regular season has been playing on the mind of Emmaus center Aaron Gray. Now more than ever, following Gray’s dominating performance in Emmaus’ 56-47 victory over Freedom in the District 11 Class 4A boys basketball preliminary…
· 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 →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 →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 →Sean Burgio ran the ball up the middle often, cherishing every yard he gained and sucking up every jolting hit to carry the ball another down. He had become Easton’s best offensive option, but Burgio was rendered to watching from the sidelines as the drive that would decide 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 →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 →Having been blanketed, had its rushing game stymied, and even been socked around a little bit, Easton regrouped at halftime and stomped Parkland on both sides of the ball in the second half Friday night. It was nothing new because Easton has made a habit of wrecking opponents in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They were denied crossing the goal line once from inside the red zone. Then, the Easton Red Rovers made sure it didn’t happen again. Now, Easton will head into its final Mountain Valley Conference game next Friday at Parkland assured of at least a tie for the Valley Division…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →More than just one game was on the line Friday night before a Homecoming crowd of 7,600 at Parkland High’s football stadium. Both Parkland and Whitehall needed to win in order to remain tied with Easton for first-place in the Mountain Conference Valley Division and extend…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Discussions of football and war have been persistent at the house of East Stroudsburg University coach Denny Douds. Especially this week. America is striking back for the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11 and Douds and his coaching staff are preparing the Warriors for a key…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Easton Red Rovers have turned Friday night football games into hammer time. They bring it all, suffocating opponents with a quick-pursuing defense and rolling up points behind an offense that clicks running and passing. Good opponent or mediocre, it hasn’t mattered. The…
· 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 →It’s the game of the week in the Mountain Valley Conference, Nazareth at Easton in a crossover matchup at Cottingham Stadium, a game featuring two teams that play defense exceptionally well and rely on their rushing attacks to lead their offenses. Nazareth has pummeled its first…
· 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 →A record-breaking high school football season by Parkland High’s Austin Scott was followed by a spring of mistakes, one that resulted in him being expelled from the school in April and forced to attend a private school the rest of the school year. Scott hung out with the wrong…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Philadelphia 76ers cleared one hurdle in their last game, reaching the 50-win mark for the first time in 11 years by beating the Golden State Warriors 102-89 Friday at the First Union Center. Today, they must try to keep that momentum going by beating the Indiana Pacers in a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →With the game over, fans standing and cheering, Parkland junior Adam Lane took the ball and tossed it up into the air, nearly reaching the rafters inside Allen High’s Sewards Gymnasium Saturday night. An even greater outburst of joy and laughter followed for Lane, his teammates,…
· 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 →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 →It started early with an interception that set up a long scoring drive of 72 yards in six plays, that consumed 4 minutes, 8 seconds. Believe it or not, that was a long scoring drive for Bethlehem Catholic against Easton in the District 11 Class 4A championship game Friday night…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The most rewarding high school football game of Larry Holmes Jr.’s career had just finished, a 41-14 victory over Parkland last Friday in the District 11 Class 4A semifinals. And within minutes, he was on his mother’s cell phone trying to reach his dad in Biloxi, Miss. “I got…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They needed nobody to tell them what they already knew. ‘We knew the whole week that we were going to win, honestly,’ said Easton quarterback Matt Loebsack. ‘We had the confidence.’ ‘The difference between this game and the last game is I felt a lot more confident, and when you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s a score that continues to be talked about because it was an upset last year that halted Parkland’s undefeated season and continued Easton’s postseason run. Easton 7, Parkland 6. “It was the toughest night I ever played in my life,” said Easton senior defensive lineman Larry…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It has been a fun week at East Stroudsburg High fotball practices. Sunday could be a fun day, too, perhaps reminiscing about good things that happened in the Mountain Valley Conference championship game against Parkland. To make for a happy Sunday, the Cavaliers (6-3) must beat…
· 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 →His first touchdown run was nothing special, although Parkland sophomore Austin Scott plowed through several Freedom defenders en route to a 4-yard score. His second touchdown? Now that was something to talk about, something the Trojans could build on, something Freedom…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Control the hype. That’s what Freedom coach Rob Melosky has tried to do all week, but too much is on the line to be cool. Too much can be gained, and possibly too much lost when Freedom (6-1) travels to Orefield to play Parkland (6-1) in a Mountain Valley Conference matchup for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His movement in the pocket is swifter, his throws crisper, his ability to read defensive coverages even better, but the thing that has East Stroudsburg quarterback Jim Terwilliger gloating most is in the Cavaliers’ 4-2 record. Six weeks into last season East Stroudsburg was 0-6…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jason Beck’s last carry from the 4-yard line late in the fourth quarter was just as punishing as what he had done on the other side of the ball. But what the Parkland two-way player had done on defense was more telling sack, sack, crunch, ouch. Beck was so devastating in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His team was nursing an eight-point lead over rival Whitehall with just 2:51 remaining last Oct. 9. Parkland kicker Greg Knauss was summoned by coach Rich Sniscak to attempt a 47-yard field goal. Make it and victory in the Mountain Valley Conference football game that had…
· 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 →One mistake after another has cost senior YaYah McGurn a chance to resume his high school football career at Easton. The reasons for this action are unknown. McGurn had violated the Easton Area School District’s drug and alcohol policy in August and was serving a six-week…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He pulled on an off-tackle running play and kept raging through the hole, boiling with anticipation as he neared a seemingly helpless defender. Smack! Just like that, Parkland High senior John Gray “pancaked a linebacker,” Trojans coach Rich Sniscak said, remembering the…
· 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 →Whitey Williams, the first-year Nazareth football coach, believed junior Mike Cangelosi had the talent to play quarterback just by looking at him. ‘He has that sparkle in his eye,” Williams said. A look that says ‘He is a competitor,” Williams said, ‘And he has great character.…
· 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 →A season thought to be lost for Easton High running back YaYah McGurn may not be lost after all. It all depends on whether McGurn can stay drug- and alcohol-free, something the star running back, who gained 1,002 yards last season, has admitted he’s had trouble doing in 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 →Tim Massaquoi looked around the auditorium at Parkland High School on Wednesday and shook his head in amazement. ‘I didn’t think it would be this big,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think this many people would show up.’ That’s because the announcement of Massaquoi’s college choice was big…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was the final drill of Parkland High’s exhausting varsity morning football practice, and many of the players were running half-speed. That had head coach Rich Sniscak disgruntled. ‘We’re 45 minutes over schedule, so I know you won’t make it because you’re mentally weak,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Eugene Newsome discovered his love of football by playing tackle football at a young age on gravel in Stroudsburg. “I had a lot of scrapes on my knees,” Newsome said. But he continued playing and enjoyed every crunching play. “I just love to hit,” Newsome said. “A lot of people…
· 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 →Allen High’s Chris Franklin was not favored to win a gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles last weekend in the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University. And given District 11’s shortcomings in the sprint events over the last decade, it seemed improbable…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bangor Memorial Park, they love you. They love your spongy track surface and well-manicured grass field. They love your environment — a clean stadium, clean bathrooms, nice concession stands. And, most of all, Mountain Valley Conference track and field athletes and coaches have…
· 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
Read on mcall.com →Every year, Emmaus or Parkland — many times both teams — seem to have a swimmer that’s All-Water, that is someone able to swim many events extremely well. This high school swim season it’s Parkland junior Chris Johnson, a key member on the Trojans’ 200 and 400-yard relay’s that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →