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Second season begins **The Class 4A district subregional playoffs get under way tonight with four games, three of which involve LVC teams. No. 8 Nazareth meets No. 1 Easton in an LVC rematch.

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…

Easton Nazareth

Nov 13, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

Easton Bethlehem Catholic

The Morning Call

Playoff picture comes into focus **Easton earns No. 1 seed with win over Bethlehem Catholic

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…

Nov 7, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Something at stake in all final weekend games **Only Allen-Dieruff meeting is without playoff implications, and that one is for pride.

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,…

Allen Dieruff

Nov 6, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

It’s been a wild ride in the topsy-turvy LVC

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,…

Nov 5, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Easton, Catty grind out wins **Red Rovers trounce Liberty to stay atop district, LVC standings

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…

Easton Liberty

Oct 31, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

A lot on the line at Cottingham tonight **Easton hosts Liberty in game with huge implications. Parkland and Emmaus will also square off in an important game.

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…

Oct 30, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Friday highlights: An upset, a blowout **Liberty in control from the beginning in rout of Nazareth.

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…

Liberty Nazareth

Oct 24, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Looking ahead could be very costly **With rivalry week looming and playoffs berths on the line, teams can’t afford to lose focus.

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…

Oct 23, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Desopite the cold, LVC heats up **Easton’s late drive gives Rovers first-place tie in LVC

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.…

Easton Parkland

Oct 17, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Easton-Freedom winner will be in district driver’s seat ** Red Rovers, Patriots are tied for first place in Class 4A subregional standings.

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…

Easton Freedom

Oct 16, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

High-scoring homecomings **Liberty seniors enjoy satisfying moments as Becahi falls

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…

Liberty Parkland

Oct 10, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Surging Central looks to remain unbeaten **Vikings host Whitehall. Meanwhile, Liberty and Becahi open Bethlehem city series.

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…

Liberty Whitehall

Oct 9, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Freedom’s Webb rising to his challenges this year **The speedy back has been racking up yardage and looks forward to the Parkland game.

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…

Parkland Freedom

Oct 2, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Fairclough, Vikes have righted their ship

Central Catholic football players and coaches did not dwell on what happened at the end of last season. The Vikings’ parents, on the other hand, probably stewed for a while over the school administration’s decision to reject an Eastern Conference Class 3A playoff invitation.…

Emmaus Liberty

Oct 1, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Tenacious defense tops Valley teams **Easton succumbs to Emmaus’ physicality, determination

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…

Emmaus Easton

Sep 26, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Intriguing logjam atop conference standings **Four LVC teams have 2-0 marks heading into a weekend of interesting matchups.

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…

Sep 25, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Easton discovers that revenge tastes sweet

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…

Easton Parkland

Sep 24, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Top teams proving they’re worthy **Easton, with a long memory, avenges ’08 loss to Parkland

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…

Parkland Easton

Sep 19, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Undefeated Easton, Parkland meet **The visiting Red Rovers are out to avenge a 26-0 loss to the Trojans last season.

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…

Parkland Easton

Sep 18, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Wet and wild games for LVC openers ** Parkland topples Liberty

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…

Parkland Liberty

Sep 12, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Defense is Golden **A goal-line stand in the final minutes gives Gold team 7-3 win over Red team.

It was 1 yard and no more. But it was “no mas.” A stop by Northampton’s Aaron Chamberlain on a fourth-and-3 with the help of other gang-tacklers, was the game-saving play of the 39th annual McDonald’s Lehigh Valley Football Classic Thursday night. Only 10 points had been scored…

Easton Lehigh

Jun 26, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

More than teammates **Southern Lehigh duo, stepbrothers, will lead Red team defense tonight.

Kyle Pochek and Matt Stengel became stepbrothers when they were 6 years old. Helped by a mutual interest in football, bonding became easy. They competed on the same teams through high school at Southern Lehigh, and tonight they’ll compete as all-stars on the Lehigh, Carbon and…

Lehigh Southern Lehigh

Jun 25, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Rivals finally on the same team **Liberty’s Brandon Brader, Freedom’s Eddie Mateo teammates for all-star game.

For one game, their last as high school football players, Liberty’s Brandon Brader and Freedom’s Eddie Mateo will compete as teammates. And the two star running backs hope to put on a show. No better showcase than an all-star game. Mateo, who’s headed to Stony Brook University…

Liberty Freedom

Jun 24, 2009 · Andre D. Williams

The Morning Call

Six inducted into football Hall ** Cortez, Diorio, Silock, LaMontagne, Sniscak, Rudelitsch honored.

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…

Parkland Easton

May 2, 2009 · Andre D. Williams