Around District 11 with Pam and Guy: Huskies Get a “W”

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News

Guy Smith | October 3, 2023

Our original plan for the week was nine sporting events with five being football. The plan is always fluid, and it ended up as ten sporting events but with four being football.

Tuesday went as planned. We stayed local for Pleasant Valley girls’ volleyball. Two friends have kids on the team. They happened to be playing Freedom, where Guy taught. Pates made the first two games close, but PV won all three and as of this writing have the best volleyball record in any D11 classification at 14-0, although they sit third in the Power Rankings behind Parkland and two-loss Liberty. They are a stellar 42-1 in games. On Wednesday Guy made his way solo to the Bloomsburg Fair for the figure-8 stock car racing, as Pam passed on that one.

Thursday Night High School Football is a thing this year, and we headed to Lehighton to see the Indians host the Blue Mountain Eagles. Friday was Pam’s Pick, and she chose her Catasauqua Rough Riders @ the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes.

Saturday was supposed to be a football double, but turned triple and with only one being football. The plan was to go to West Chester for the NCAA D2 PSAC league game at 2:00, followed by Dieruff High in Allentown at 7:00. But we read that West Chester had scheduled both Homecoming and Family Weekend on the same day, they were advising anyone that wanted to go to the football game to purchase tickets in advance, multiple parking lots were to be closed for tailgating, they were calling for anyone attending to car pool if at all possible, etc. Sounded like way more hassle than it was worth. Of course, that didn’t mean we sat home. Our alternative pick was men’s rugby at Ursinus College. When rugby ended at 2:00 and the Huskies didn’t kick off until 7:00, even going out to dinner couldn’t kill that much time. Pam to the rescue. Pam found us a Gettysburg @ Muhlenberg NCAA women’s soccer match with a 4:00 start. After soccer, we stopped for ice cream before heading to the Dieruff game.

Sunday we were back at DeSales University for a men’s tennis / women’s tennis double header against Moravian. And we wrapped up the week on Monday with the Freedom Patriots @ East Stroudsburg South JV game.

Guy ended the month with visits to see 37 sporting events in the 30 days of September. Of those, 19 were football games (15 high school, 3 high school JV, 1 college).

GAME 30. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023. BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLES @ LEHIGHTON INDIANS. For the fifth straight Thursday there was District 11 football and for the fifth straight Thursday we were there.

Lehighton’s all-purpose turf field stadium is one of our favorite D11 stadiums. Parking is good, and the place has everything needed to make watching high school football there an enjoyable experience.

The matchup had 3-2 Blue Mountain vs. 2-3 Lehighton. On paper if you just looked at the records, it would look like a pretty good pairing. But digging deeper into the season stats told a different story. The two Blue Mountain losses were to a pair of unbeatens, 6-0 Southern Lehigh and 6-0 Northwestern Lehigh. “PA Football News” has both of those teams ranked in the top eight in the entire state. And Blue Mountain’s loss to Northwestern was by just one score. In addition, they gave North Schuylkill, a state-ranking honorable mention, their only loss.

Meanwhile, Lehighton’s two wins both came against teams with losing records. In their lone common opponent, Blue Mountain beat Pottsville, Lehighton lost to Pottsville by three scores. A good example of the lack of parity in area high school football is the fact that one week Lehighton won a divisional game 50-0 and the next week lost a divisional game 49-0.

Lehighton would certainly be in the running for Snack Bar of the Year. They have two. The band runs the stand on the home side, football the stand on the away side. We sat on the away side but made the walk to the home side stand for each visit. The highlight was their famous filling and gravy, so good that Guy went back for a second helping. We always like unique items, and Pam gave the “buff dog” (buffalo chicken dip topped hot dog) a shot.

It’s been a rainy stretch and a very light mist fell throughout the game. Kudos to the Lehighton band and the Blue Mountain cheerleaders for championship caliber performances. Not unexpectedly, Blue Mountain won by multiple (4) scores.

Smith Snack Bar Pick: Filling & Gravy

GAME 31. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023. CATASAUQUA ROUGH RIDERS @ SCHUYLKILL HAVEN HURRICANES. Pam’s third Friday pick was to follow her Roughies to Schuylkill Haven, another of the Schuylkill County stadiums we enjoy very much. Quite frankly, since we completed the quest to see all 47 D11 stadiums, we mostly avoid those we don’t care for.

Catty came into the game with a 3-2 record, an expected loss to Palmerton but an unexpected one to Pen Argyl that knocked them from the top of the 2A Power Rankings. Haven was 4-1, on a win streak after a surprising four-score shutout defeat in their opener against the Colts of Marian Catholic, who themselves later lost a four-score shutout to none other than Catasauqua.

This one looked like it could be a good one and for most of the game it was. Catty scored late to make it 14-13. Because Haven used a run-heavy ball control offense, many thought the Roughs would go for two, since they might not get the ball back. They kicked, but missed the PAT. Then they tried an onside kick which failed, gave up a long TD and that was all she wrote.

We sat on the away side, and never felt the need to leave that side when it came to choosing dinner. Great burgers right off the grill, outstanding chili, and quality pizza were available just a few steps away. We know the soup from the home side stand is also outstanding, but it’s served in a bowl thus carrying it back to the other side is a hassle.

Catty lost their second straight, while the Canes are now state honorable mention at 5-1.

Smith Snack Bar Pick: Gotta go with the away side burgers on the grill.

GAME 32. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2023. POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST CARDINALS @ LOUIS E. DIERUFF HUSKIES. Guy grew up watching (and playing) football in this stadium, so he always wants to make sure we get back each year for a game or two. An Allen grad, when Guy was in school his cousin was a Dieruff assistant coach under Bruce Trotter, so he has an affinity for both.

There were some hopes for Dieruff to be much improved this year, but halfway through the ten-game regular season they were still winless. They lost by at least two scores in every game, and had been shutout for the last two, one by a 70-0 margin against Northampton. Pocono Mountain East was just one game better, scoring a lone win over the single win East Stroudsburg North Timberwolves.

The Allentown School District charges just $4 admission, which is tie for the least amount we have seen this year at Abington Heights. In addition, they offer free admission to anyone 60 years of age or older, and we both qualified for free football. Not only was there free admission, but the game program was free as well.

This is not a stadium where we usually eat our dinner, and tonight was no different. No band parents or booster club members making food here, just professional concessionaires. However, we did split a large fry ($10) and would say they were the best non fresh cuts we have had so far this season. Add the chicken tenders to the fries and that cranked the price up to $18. We don’t think anyone should be charging that amount for high school kids attending their school’s games.

The PME band played better than their defense, and despite making a bit of a run after falling behind 21-0 very early, Dieruff reestablished control and cruised to their first win of the season to the tune of 41-18 (PA Football News has it 21-10, the halftime score). We look for the Huskies to earn at least two more wins this season.

Smith Snack Bar Pick: French Fries (non-fresh cuts).

GAME 33. MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023. BETHLEHEM FREEDOM PATRIOT JV @ EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH CAVALIER JV. Our Monday pick for this week was a trip to the Purple Pit to see the Pates JV play on the road for the second time this year.

For the 2nd week in a row and for the 2nd time ever for us, admission to the JV game was $5. Freedom supporters were shocked as they had not been charged admission for any JV game all season. Guy actually bought tickets for a mom and her son that had no cash and whose other son was playing.
While it does seem strange when some JV games cost more than other district’s varsity games, we have no problem if a school asks adult attendees to drop a fin. The costs of the four game officials alone are probably about as much as a school can expect to generate in JV ticket sale revenue. Add announcer, clock operator, ticket seller, security, etc. Schools are not making money off JV football; we guarantee that. The ESS students were free and that’s what matters. We are more concerned about kids being charged $18 for chicken tenders and fries than adults asked to pay five bucks to help offset the cost of having JV football games.

A freshmen game preceded the JV game. Do you know the old saying about the definition of insanity being doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? We can’t remember a freshmen/JV double header with the games scheduled to start 90 minutes apart where the second game actually started on time. The 5:30 start became 6:00, and it was well after 8:00 when this one ended.

It’s a rare game when giving up a touchdown is beneficial to the team not scoring, but that was the case in this one. Each team scored three TDs but were collectively 0-6 on conversions. The Pates scored again, finally added two, and were up by eight with time running down. ESS zoomed down the field and scored again as well, but missed their fourth straight conversion and the Pates were up 26-24. ESS lined up for the onside kick, and Freedom only needed to fall on the ball and run out the clock. But the Pates didn’t fall on the ball, they picked it up and returned it all the way to go back up by eight, then failed on the conversion. Now they had to kick off and ESS had life because although they had less than a minute, they were only down by eight and had the ball. Freedom picked off the 2nd down pass and one knee later had the win. Real fun game to watch.

We had a bit of time to kill between an errand in Bethlehem and the game in East Stroudsburg, so we stopped for steak sandwiches and didn’t buy anything at the refreshment stand this time.

This coming week the plan as of now is for eight sporting events but only two football games are on the docket, Friday (of course) and Monday. Pam and Guy appreciate the feedback at RTRYFBAR@aol.com.

DISTRICT 11 STATS. Five weeks in to the regular season, and of the 50 teams (47 D11 + 3 Subregional teams), 43 of them have both at least one win and at least one loss.

Four are undefeated: Palmerton, Northwestern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh, and Parkland. Bethlehem Catholic dropped from the list this week. Four are winless, with Dieruff getting their first win of the season on Saturday evening.

D11 Power Ranking leaders so far: 1A—Minersville, 2A—Schuylkill Haven, 3A—Northwestern Lehigh (Replaces Palmerton) 4A—Allentown Central Catholic (Replaces Bethlehem Catholic), 5A—Southern Lehigh, and 6A—Parkland.

The Eastern Football Conference has not yet posted their power rankings, as annual membership dues being collected until the end of September.

State Ranked by PA Football News: 5th—Southern Lehigh (5A), 6th—Parkland (6A), 7th—ACC (4A), 8th—Northwester Lehigh (3A), 10th—Nazareth (6A), HM—Northampton (6A), North Schuylkill (3A), Palmerton (3A), Schuylkill Haven (2A), Minersville (1A).

PIAA DISTRICT 11 & NCAA D2 PSAC SCORECARD: 2021 – 2023 (76 of 89)

Varsity or JV Home Game in 2021/2022 with Varsity All-Time 1. Allentown Central Catholic Vikings (2021), 2. Bangor Slaters (2021), 3. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks (2021), 4. Blue Mountain Eagles (2021), 5. Catasauqua Rough Riders (2021), 6. Dieruff Huskies (2021), 7. Easton Red Rovers @ Cottingham Stadium (2022), 8. East Stroudsburg North Timberwolves (2021), 9. East Stroudsburg South Cavaliers (2022), 10. Emmaus Hornets (2021), 11. Executive Education Raptors @ Muhlenberg College (2021), 12. Executive Education Raptors @ Lafayette College (2023), 13. Freedom Patriots (2021), 14. Jim Thorpe Olympians (2022), 15. Lehighton Indians (2021), 16. Liberty Hurricanes (2021), 17. Mahanoy Area Golden Bears (2021), 18. Marian Catholic Colts (2021), 19. Minersville Battlin’ Miners (2021), 20. Nativity BVM Green Wave (2021), 21. Nazareth Blue Eagles (2021), 22. Northern Lehigh Bulldogs (2021), 23. Northampton Konkrete Kids (2021), 24. Northwestern Lehigh Tigers (2021), 25. North Schuylkill Spartans (2022), 26. Notre Dame Green Pond Crusaders (2021), 27. Palisades Pirates (2022), 28. Palmerton Blue Bombers (2021), 29. Panther Valley Panthers (2021), 30. Parkland Trojans (2021), 31. Pen Argyl Green Knights (2021), 32. Pine Grove Cardinals (2021), 33. Pleasant Valley Bears (2021), 34. Pocono Mountain East Cardinals (2022), 35. Pocono Mountain West Panthers (2021), 36. Pottsville Crimson Tide (2022), 37. Salisbury Township Falcons (2021), 38. Saucon Valley Panthers (2021), 39. Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes (2022), 40. Shenandoah Valley Blue Devils (2021), 41. Southern Lehigh Spartans (2021), 42. Stroudsburg Mounties (2021), 43. Tamaqua Blue Raiders (2021), 44. Tri-Valley Bulldogs (2022), 45. Whitehall Zephyrs (2021), 46. William Allen Canaries (2022), 47. Williams Valley Vikings (2021), 48. Wilson Area Warriors (2021).

Active Alternative JV Game Sites. 49. Allentown Central Catholic Vikings JV—Percy Ruhe Park (2023), 50. Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks JV–High School (2022), 51. Blue Mountain Eagles JV—East Field (2023), 52. Freedom Patriots JV—FHS Turf Field (2022), 53. Lehighton Indians JV–Old Football Stadium (2022), 54. Nativity BVM Green Wave JV—High School (2022), 55. Pocono Mountain West Panthers JV—Old West Stadium (Grass Field—2023).

D11 Related (Special Events, Sub Regional, or Former EPC teams). 56. Easton Red Rovers @ Lafayette College (Thanksgiving Day Game 2021), 57. 2021 New Hope-Solebury Lions: D1-3A (2023), 58. 2021 Abington Heights Comets: D2-5A (2023), 59. 2021 WYOMING VALLEY WEST SPARTANS: D2-5A, 60. 2022-23 HAZLETON COUGARS: D2-6A, 61. 2022-23 WILKES-BARRE WOLFPACK: D2-6A, 62. 2022-23 WILLIAMSPORT MILLIONAIRES: D4-6A, 63. Phillipsburg Stateliners—Former EPC 2023).

All Star Games with D11 Players. 64. Colonial vs. Schuylkill League All-Star Game (2022 @ Schuylkill Haven), 65. Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic (2022 @ Nazareth), 66. PSFCA East vs. West Small School All Star Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt), 67. PSFCA East vs. West Big School All Star Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt), 68. PSFCA Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Big 33 Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt), 69. Schuylkill League All-Star Game (2021 @ Schuylkill Haven)

Neutral Field State Playoff Games with D11 Teams. 70. Dunmore High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs 2022), 71. Bald Eagle High School (Allentown Central Catholic Vikings 2022), 72. Steelton-Highspire High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs 2022).

NCAA D2 PSAC Colleges. 73. Bloomsburg Huskies (2022), 74. CALIFORNIA VULCANS, 75. Clarion Golden Eagles (2022), 76. East Stroudsburg Warriors (2022), 77. Edinboro Fighting Scots (2022), 78. GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS, 79. INDIANA CRIMSON HAWKS, 80. Kutztown Golden Bears (2022), 81. Lock Haven Bald Eagles (2023), 82. MERCYHURST LAKERS, 83. Millersville Marauders (2022), 84. SETON HILL GRIFFINS, 85. SHEPHERD RAMS (WV), 86. SHIPPENSBURG RAIDERS, 87. SLIPPERY ROCK THE ROCK, 88. WEST CHESTER GOLDEN RAMS, 89. Mansfield Mountaineers.

Missed (For Now). 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), Williamsport (ACC 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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