Around District 11 with Pam and Guy: 2023 All-Snack Bar Team

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Guy Smith | December 19, 2023

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Back by popular demand is our District 11 First Team All Snack Bar for 2023. This column was so very well received in 2021. Since we visited fewer D11 stadiums in 2022, we did a much-truncated version last year, and we were good-naturedly skewered by those looking forward to the full-blog version. Thus, here we go again.

First, the recommended disclaimers from the legal team:

We can only evaluate the snack bars at the stadiums that we visited this year. There are 47 D11 schools with football. Executive Education had two home fields. William Allen, Dieruff, and Allentown Central Catholic share one stadium, as do Freedom, Liberty and Becahi. That makes for a total of 43 stadiums. It would not be possible to visit them all. We were at 26 of the 43 this year.

The schools we did not visit were Bangor, Blue Mountain, ES North, Easton, Emmaus, Executive Education (Muhlenberg). Mahoney Area, Marian, Northampton, Northern Lehigh, Notre Dame, Palisades, Parkland, Pottsville, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, and Tri-Valley. A number of those have awesome concession stands.

In addition, we saw JV games at PM West, Pen Argyl, ES South, Southern Lehigh, Stroudsburg, and PM East. Since schools almost universally have a greatly reduced limited menu for JV games, if anything at all, we are really talking about 20 varsity stadiums.

They were: Executive Education (Lafayette), Jim Thorpe, Catasauqua, Pleasant Valley, BASD (Becahi, Freedom, Liberty), Minersville, North Schuylkill (Nativity), Shenandoah, Pine Grove, Panther Valley, Lehighton, Schuylkill Haven, J. Birney Crum (ACC, Dieruff), Whitehall, Wilson, Tamaqua, Northwestern Lehigh, Palmerton, Williams Valley, and Nazareth.

High Schools from Outside D11 were considered separately, and mentioned for any especially tasty offerings. Those visited were Phillipsburg (NJ), Abington Heights, New Hope Solebury, Hazleton, Wyoming Valley West, Governor Mifflin, Delaware Valley, Northeast Supersite (St. Joe’s Prep), Kutztown University (Northwestern Lehigh), and Cumberland Valley (Northwestern Lehigh).

The same applies to our limited college visits: Lock Haven, West Chester, Shippensburg, Susquehanna, and Slippery Rock. College offerings are very seldom up to the standards of the high schools.

Pam and I are both in our 60s, so we don’t eat like we did when we were young and hungry. We tried to sample as much variety as possible but there are limitations. Obviously, we couldn’t try every item at every stadium.

Our favorites are obviously going to be based on our favorite foods, which are not necessarily your favorites.

Most importantly, IT’S ALL IN FUN AND TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR FAVORITES, NOT TO SLIGHT ANY NOT MENTIONED. Please keep that in mind if you decide to read further.

Best Specialty Item—Blowout here. Tamaqua offered a “Turkey Dinner in a Bowl” at one of their three refreshment stands. It harkened back to something similar we got at Lehighton in 2021. Nothing got close to that one, and Guy said it was his favorite single food item at any high school game this year. On a bun, it was the chicken cutlet-cheese-bacon at Nazareth. And in a bowl, taco mac n cheese at Catasauqua. Outside D11, the pork roll and cheese sandwich at Phillipsburg stands out, and in college, the fresh fish sandwich from the food truck at West Chester was the not only the best “seafood” this year, but the best football fish ever.

Best Burger—Those without outdoor grills need not apply. The two-time defending champions Panther Valley visitors’ side grill once again defended their title of the best burger of the year. It doesn’t matter who they are playing, we sit on the visitors’ side at Panther Valley, just to be closer to the grill. A very close second is the “1/3 Pound Olympian Burger” at Jim Thorpe. Rounding out the podium is the grill on the visitors’ side at Schuylkill Haven. What is it with the best grills being on the away side? Best burger garnishment was the sauteed onions at Minersville. Outside of D11, the burgers at Delaware Valley High School can hang with our best. Surprisingly, two colleges had grills and excellent burgers, with Susquehanna edging out Slippery Rock.

Best Cylindrical (Hot Dog Shape) Sandwich. An easy win for the kielbasa sandwich at Shenandoah Valley, where when you order one, they ask you if you would like your sandwich made with fresh or smoked kielbasa. For actual hot dogs, the same grill on the visitor side at Panther Valley is the “weiner.” The most unique topping was the “Buff Dog” at the Lehighton band parents’ stand. A hot dog topped with buffalo chicken dip.
Best BBQ. The defending champion turkey bbq at the BASD stadium has been dethroned. This year’s winner is yet again a visitor side stand, this time the band parents’ stand at Alumni Field in Catasauqua. We tried both the pork and the hamburger versions, both were excellent, and at an unbeatable price of $3. At the same stand, you can get killer homemade mac n cheese, as well as cabbage and noodles. Catty band parents are the kings of the crock pots.

Best Cold Sandwich. A new category. Not many stadiums offer hoagies or subs, and it’s not something we would normally choose. No D11 team is named in this category, but we could not fail to mention the excellent cold sandwich we got out of district at Abington Heights. It was not a “hoagie” in the traditional sense, having no lettuce, tomato, or onion. It was simply salami, cheese, and roasted red peppers on a hard, tubular roll. And it was simply delicious on a hot day. I believe they came from a local sandwich shop.

Best Fresh Cut Fries (Truck). Another Mercy Rule win for Williams Fries, enjoyed at both Williams Valley and at Pine Grove. Williams is the St. Joe Prep of fries. I hear they recruit their taters from Idaho. And that Mercy Rule win was over a stellar field of fry trucks. Williams remains unbeaten and untied. Lots of honorable mentions here. Phil’s at Catasauqua, Smitty’s at both Palmerton and Panther Valley, Island Expressions at Whitehall, and the unnamed truck at Northwestern Lehigh all come to mind. Unfortunately, we missed out on perennial podium finisher Jackie’s at Northern Lehigh this year as our only time there was for soccer and the fry truck was closed. Whitehall gets bonus points for having fried shrimp as an option to go with the fries as an alternative to the universally available overkill known as chicken fingers. Outside of D11, Sammy’s fries at Governor Mifflin tops the list. And for college, it was the fries at Lock Haven, although we didn’t get them until the fourth quarter due to the long single line as the only food option.

Best Fresh Cut Fries (Stand). Shenandoah was the defending champion but was edged out for the top spot this year. The issue at Shendo (and the year before at North Schuylkill) is they make so many fries that they have the potential to sit too long before sold and can get cold and slightly rubbery. If you get them right out of the fryer, they are the best. This year we did not, but they still earn honorable mention status. Best fresh cuts from a stand were probably Nazareth, over Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua. New to the fresh cut world this year is Wilson. We didn’t try them because we didn’t know they had added them before filling up on other stuff. A trip to Wilson next year is a sure thing, just to try the fresh-cuts.

Best Fries (Non-Fresh Cut). Allentown School District’s J. Birney Crum Stadium is at the very bottom of the list when it comes to food choices. But they are tops in this one, as their fries (McDonald’s type) are darn good. They are just about the only hot food worth buying there. Outside of D11, the band fries at the state finals at Cumberland Valley were tops over P-Burg.

Best Non-Fry Potato Product. There were some great pierogies at many of the games, but the filling and gravy at Lehighton is the easy winner here. Give honorable mention to the pierogies at Southern Lehigh. In the non-edible potato category, Shenandoah Valley had the Mrs. T. Pierogi mascot.

Best Soup. One of the great losses this year was that Nativity BVM moved their home games to North Schuylkill and offered a very limited menu. Lost was the fabulous bean soup sold where they previously played. That left the category wide open, and Tamaqua stepped right in to claim the top spot. Pam had the broccoli cheese, Guy the vegetable. Both were unmatched to each of us. Slot Tucson Tortellini at Nazareth in the runner-up spot.

Best Chili. Chili breaks out of the soup section to earn its own category this year, because there was just so darn much good chili to be sampled. Bronze to Minersville, Silver to Schuylkill Haven, and the gold medal unquestionably goes to Williams Valley, the only one of the three so good that Guy went back for another bowl. Kudos to the chef, as the Viking chili was made by a dad, not a mom.

Best Pizza. None of the D11 pizza was outstanding. It’s universally delivered and seldom hot when served. We thought about discontinuing this category. But in the non-D11 division, the pizza at Cumberland Valley from DaVinci’s is so good that for the second year in a row after the game we drove to the restaurant and ordered a whole pie to eat there between games.

Best Popcorn. Both of us are popcorn aficionados, and will try that at every location available. There were pretty some good popcorn offerings, but Minersville and Tamaqua were tied for the best. Pen Argyl was good and they got bonus consideration for having it available at the JV games. Honorable mention to Nazareth. Outside of D11, the popcorn was the savior at Hazleton, as the ridiculous setup would have forced us to miss significant portions of game to wait in line for hot food. Four bags of popcorn from the snack line were all we could “stomach.”

Best Non-Popcorn Snack. Created this category for one item in particular and that was the amazing, hand-rolled onsite soft pretzels at Tamaqua. Had to find a category to mention those, but they could not be forgotten.

Best Dessert. This was another Mercy Rule victory, and that was the apple dumpling a la mode at the band stand at Pine Grove. Not only was this the best dessert at any D11 stadium by far, it was a world-famous Bissinger’s dumpling. Outside of D11, the band parents’ apple crisp at Wyoming Valley West was the only thing we absolutely had to try in the pouring rain that night. And it was nice to see an ice cream truck back at the culinarily-challenged BASD Stadium. Honorable mention to homemade cheerleader fundraiser brownies wherever they are sold. Special commendation to the cupcakes iced in school colors by Nativity BVM (at North Schuylkill).

Best Hot Drink. Whitehall is the only place we were at that featured a full-service coffee and specialty drink truck. Guy has been saying for years that such a thing would be a major hit at any Friday night game. That truck had the largest line of any the entire night.

Best Delivered Hot Item. Chick-Fil-A is on to something, with their sandwiches available at a number of games we attended. Definitely beats the more common trucked in pizza. More schools should try the cold subs from a local sandwich shop.

Best Junior Varsity Snack Bar. Most JV games offer very limited menus, or nothing at all. But a few stand out. For the most variety, the title goes to Pen Argyl. For single item, the surprisingly tasty pasta bowl for a buck at Pocono Mountain East.

Best Design for Fast Service. We didn’t get to Notre Dame this year, the defending champs. But there were a lot of others with great setups. There were also a number with awful setups, who shall remain nameless as this is a “feel good” edition of the blog. Great setups in D11 include Minersville, Shenandoah, Pine Grove, Panther Valley, Tamaqua, Williams Valley, and Nazareth. Hard to really pick a winner here, they are all good. Even better though was one from outside the district, at Governor Mifflin.

County of the Year. How do you pick a “Best Snack Bar County” in D11 when Carbon has Lehighton, Lehigh has Whitehall, Northampton has Nazareth, and Monroe has Stroudsburg? You go by which “team” has the deepest lineup. If you score it like a cross country meet, it would be a crushing victory for Schuylkill County, with Panther Valley, Tamaqua, Williams Valley, Pine Grove, Shenandoah Valley, Schuylkill Haven (for displacement), and several others that we did not make it to this season all having excellent food options.

It appears the key is that the smaller and more rural districts often have the best variety, best prices, best taste, and great service because a lot of the food is homemade and they have a lot of parental support to volunteer to work at the stands. At the larger more urban schools, there is not that level of community support and they have to bring in outside food trucks and pay workers, which leads to much higher prices and food that while good tasting, is lacking that special “made with love” ingredient that comes with parents supporting their children’s schools.

And finally, for the GRAND CHAMPION OVERALL BEST SNACK BAR. A tough call because there are so many good ones and of course it’s a subjective opinion by one couple happily munching their way through District 11 three or four times a week during the fall. But here we go. Honorable Mention: Shenandoah Valley, Minersville, Panther Valley. 5) Pine Grove. 4) Williams Valley. 3) Lehighton. 2) Tamaqua. 1) Nazareth. Nazareth runs the table with tremendous variety, a great setup to keep the lines moving, reasonable prices, and good tasting food and was our unanimous choice for best in 2023. Outside of D11, Governor Mifflin is head and shoulders above, and would give Nazareth a run for their money if they were from our district.
Back next week with our season review, then one more time with a report from the Military Bowl.

“BLOG YEARS” SCORECARD: 2021 – 2023 (100 / 181 Games)

PIAA District 11 Schools (48)

1-48. All 47 D11 football schools plus a second stadium for Executive Education, who played multiple home games at two locations (Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College) not already included for another D11 team.

D11 Alternative JV Game Sites (7). 49. Allentown Central Catholic Vikings JV (Percy Ruhe Park), 50. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks JV (High School), 51. Blue Mountain Eagles JV (East Field), 52. Freedom Patriots JV (FHS Turf Field), 53. Lehighton Indians JV (Old Football Stadium), 54. Nativity BVM Green Wave JV (High School), 55. Pocono Mountain West Panthers JV (Old/West Stadium Grass Field).

D11 Related–Special Events, Sub Regional, or Former EPC teams (6). 56. Easton vs. Phillipsburg @ Lafayette College (Thanksgiving Day Game), 57. New Hope-Solebury Lions: D1-3A (Sub Regional), 58. Abington Heights Comets: D2-5A (Sub Regional), 59. Wyoming Valley West Spartans: D2-5A (Sub Regional), 60. Hazleton Cougars: D2-6A (Sub Regional) 61. Phillipsburg Stateliners (Former EPC).

All Star Games with D11 Players (6). 62. Colonial vs. Schuylkill League All-Star Game, 63. Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic, 64. PSFCA East vs. West Small School All Star Game, 65. PSFCA East vs. West Big School All Star Game, 66. PSFCA Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Big 33 Game, 67. Schuylkill League All-Star Game.

Out of District Playoff Game Sites with D11 Teams (8). 68. (G) Dunmore High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), 69. Bald Eagle High School (Allentown Central Catholic Vikings), 70. Steelton-Highspire High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), 71. (G) Governor Mifflin High School (Pleasant Valley Bears), 72. (G) Delaware Valley High School (Whitehall Zephyrs), 73. Northeast High School Supersite (Nazareth Blue Eagles), 74. Kutztown University (Northwestern Lehigh Tigers), 75. Cumberland Valley (Northwestern Lehigh Tigers).

Pennsylvania State Finals (6). Both Hershey and Cumberland Valley. 76. 1A State Championship, 77. 2A State Championship, 78. 3A State Championship, 79. 4A State Championship, 80. 5A State Championship, 81. 6A State Championship.

NCAA D2 PSAC Colleges (11). 82. Bloomsburg Huskies, 83. Clarion Golden Eagles, 84. East Stroudsburg Warriors, 85. Edinboro Fighting Scots, 86. Kutztown Golden Bears, 87. Lock Haven Bald Eagles, 88. Millersville Marauders, 89. Shippensburg Raiders, 90. Slippery Rock, The Rock, 91. West Chester Golden Rams, 92. Mansfield Mountaineers (former PSAC).

NCAA Bowl Games / National Playoffs / or NFL (6*). 93. (G) D3 Delaware Valley Aggies, xx–D2 Kutztown University Golden Bears, xx–D2 Slippery Rock, The Rock, 94. (G) D3 Susquehanna River Hawks, 95. New York Jets, 96. New York Giants.

GEFA 8-Main Semi Pro (4). 97. Wilkes Barre Warriors (The Bog), 98. Snyder County Spartans (East Snyder Park), 99. Dauphin County Comanche (Koons Park), 100. Lancaster Cyclone (Manor Middle School).

Other / Not Classified (5). NCAA D1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, NCAA D 1AA Lehigh Mountain Hawks, WFA Harrisburg Havoc, Selinsgrove High School (PIAA Playoffs), Fleetwood High School Tigers.

D11 Related / PSAC Missing Active (8). WILKES-BARRE WOLFPACK: 2022-23 D2-6A Subregion team, WILLIAMSPORT MILLIONAIRES: 2022-23 D4-6A subregion team. PSAC CALIFORNIA VULCANS, PSAC GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS, PSAC INDIANA CRIMSON HAWKS, PSAC MERCYHURST LAKERS, PSAC SETON HILL GRIFFINS, PSAC SHEPHERD RAMS (WV).

Missed for Now (6). Nazareth Blue Eagles JV (Played a game at the middle school in 2021 when the main field was used for a varsity soccer playoff game), Cardinal O’Hara (North Schuylkill Playoff Game 2021), Berks Catholic (Pine Grove Playoff Game 2022), Trinity (Executive Education Playoff Game 2022), South Philly Supersite (Northwestern Lehigh Playoff Game 2022), Germantown Supersite (Whitehall Playoff Game 2022).

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