Around District 11 With Pam and Guy: LED & ESN Both Much Improved

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News

Guy Smith | September 18, 2024

2024 Episode 19.

This week’s sporting events were the Shellhammer Dirt Track races Wednesday, East Stroudsburg North Timberwolves on Thursday and Shenandoah Blue Devils high school football on Friday, NCAA men’s and women’s cross country at Misericordia University on Saturday morning, NCAA field hockey at Wilkes University on Saturday afternoon, New Egypt Speedway racing on Saturday evening, Evergreen Raceway races Sunday, and finally Freedom Patriots high JV football on Monday. Nine in six days, three of which were football.

The Thursday football game was especially entertaining, as both Louis E. Dieruff and East Stroudsburg North are noticeably improved this year. It’s nice to see two programs that have really struggled in recent seasons enter games knowing they have a legitimate chance to win.

2024 GAME 29. DIERUFF HUSKIES (6A) @ EAST STROUDSBURG NORTH TIMBERWOLVES (4A). There were two District 11 game choices for us last Thursday. We could make the 12-minute drive to Pleasant Valley, the school district where we live, to see Da Bears host Parkland. Or we could drive the near hour to East Stroudsburg North see the Timberwolves host Dieruff.

A couple of years ago, ES North was so bad that traveling to see them play was not really an option for us, as the outcome was almost a guarantee. Not anymore. Conversely, as recently as last year Pleasant Valley was a threat to win, and in fact is the defending Eastern Conference 5A/6A champion, having defeated Governor Mifflin on the road last season 28-19 in a game covered in this blog.

That was then, this is now. We made the choice to head to ESN, and that turned out to be a back and forth one score game that included a lead change with only 62 seconds to play. Meanwhile, in Brodheadsville, Parkland rolled 52-0 over the PV Bears.

The week prior, we had made our second-ever visit to Marian Catholic. Tonight was our second ever to ES North. Our only prior visit was for an ES South vs. North blowout rivalry game in the rain.

As two former teachers, Guy & Pam have reservations about teams traveling so far from home for regular season football games on a Thursday school night. The two schools are 58 miles apart. That’s a 75-minute drive by car, but conservatively at least an hour and a half by school bus. Let’s say the game ends at 9:15. Add at least 15 minutes to pack up and get on the road. That puts the kids back at the school at 11:00 p.m. at the earliest. Then, they have to get home. And then get to bed. School starts the next morning for students on Schedule A at 7:20 a.m. Those kids are not getting the needed amount of sleep to be at their best at school the next day.

The ESN Timberwolves stadium refreshment stand has far fewer items available than any other we have been to for a varsity game so far this year. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs are about it. Guy went to get a hamburger at the end of the first quarter and they were already out for the night. Making more was not an option, telling us that the burgers are not made on site. Cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, and hot dog were all decent for three bucks each.

The Menu: Hamburger, cheeseburger, hot dog, chicken sandwich, nachos, walking taco were all $3. Ramen soup and soft pretzel were $2. Chips, candy, drinks $1-$3.

With Guy being an Allentown boy, we sat on the Dieruff side. Guy’s cousin was a former Dieruff assistant under Bruce Trotter. The Huskies needed some extra support, as they had fewer than 50 fans on hand. But those 50 did enough moaning about the officiating for a crowd ten times that size. Dingman’s Ferry is no high school football hotbed, but there was a reasonable count of Timberwolf fans on the home side.

This was a very enjoyable game to watch. Dieruff entered the game with a 3-0 record, and was playing a team two classifications smaller and who was 1-2. But it was an evenly matched game. Dieruff led early, but lost the lead to North in the fourth quarter. Dieruff was down to their last at-bat with a 4th and 11 from the Timberwolves 28-yard line. They went for it all and connected for a perfect TD strike with just 1:02 remaining to move to 4-0 for the first time in over 30 years. Final was Huskies 20, Timberwolves 14.

Both teams made mistakes, but showed promise. They both played well enough to win and it was a shame one team had to lose this one. We are fairly certain that both teams have at least one more win in them this season.

2024 GAME 30. MARIAN CATHOLIC COLTS (1A) @ SHENANDOAH VALLEY BLUE DEVILS (2A). The fourth week of the regular season was Pam’s first Friday to pick the game since we skipped football on week 2, which would have been her turn. Pam picked Shenandoah Valley, for one reason because the aunt of the Shendo punter/kicker Sam Mentusky is one of her former students and goes to all the games. That plus the fact that the school is a former Pam & Guy “Snackbar of the Year” Overall Grand Champion.

One thing that is not so good at this stadium is the parking. Pam’s looking at knee replacement surgery in the near future, but does not qualify for handicapped parking. Those hills can be very painful for her, at least for now.

We arrived early so we had plenty of time to feast before the game. The ham & bean soup was outstanding, topping Marian Catholic’s chicken, stuffing, and gravy for Best of Show so far this season. And the chili was just a tick behind in deliciousness. Pierogies in butter and onions were winners, as was the kielbasa, their signature item. Unfortunately, the fresh cuts did not make the cut. The only letdown, for the second year in a row, was the fries, not done in the middle. Shenandoah has two large refreshment stands and offers one of the biggest varieties of any D11 school.

The Band Stand Menu: Empanadas $3 (2 for $5), Beef Sticks $1.50, Cheeseburger $4, Hamburger $3.50, Fries $3.50 (add cheese $.50), Mac & Cheese $5, Chicken Fingers $5, Marching Taco $3.50, Hot Bologna $2, Hot Dog $2 (add cheese $.50), Haluski $2.50, Pickles $2, Soft Pretzel with cheese $1, Mozzarella Sticks $5, Smoked Kielbasa $5, Regular Kielbasa $5, Pizza $3, Pierogies $2 (deep fried or butter & onion), Chicken Noodle or Ham & Bean Soup ($2.50 Cup, $3.50 Bowl, $7 Quart). Shoulda went with the quart!

The Other Stand Menu: Chicken Sandwich $4, Hamburger or Cheeseburger $4.00, Fries $4 (with cheese or ranch dressing $5), Buffalo Chicken Dip $4, Chicken Fingers $4, Mozzarella Sticks $3, Pierogies $2, Nachos $3, Mac & Cheese $3, Chili $4, Walking Taco $4, Haluski $3, Hot Dog $2 (add cheese $.50), Pizza $2, Deep Fried Oreos $4, Funnel Cake $4.

Plus, they had the usual drinks and snacks. It’s unusual to see varying prices for the same items at the same stadium, but it was that way at Wilkes-Barre too.

We had seen Shenandoah Valley play their first game against Columbia-Montour Vo Tech. They looked good for a while and actually had the lead close to halftime, before losing by 31. They were shutout in the next two games, including a 77-0 loss to Haven. We had also seen Marian play the previous week, when they handled Panther Valley 27-0. Their only loss was to powerful Tri-Valley.

Shenandoah is hurting for players and they have canceled their entire JV season, despite a JV team picture in the program with 16 players. The varsity roster that includes all four grades lists only 27 names. Still, the community comes out to support the team and a good crowd was on hand. And kudos to the Shendo fans. Despite the fact that they were getting outplayed on the field, we heard no animosity being hurled at the coaches or referees. Good sportsmanship by the Blue Devil faithful.

On the field, the game went pretty much as anticipated. Marian jumped out to a big lead, called off the dogs, and cruised to a 47-23 win. Note: Although they had 47, they were never up by 35, so this was not a Mercy Rule game. For Shenandoah, they have given up at least 44 points in all four of their games to date. Hopefully they will be able to pick up a win somewhere down the road.

2024 GAME 31. NAZARETH BLUE EAGLES (JV) @ FREEDOM PATRIOTS (FHS TURF FIELD) (JV). With Pam sticking with Monday evening yoga this fall, Guy again flew solo for JV Monday. Last week Guy chose Pocono Mountain West for JV Monday, as they play some of their JV games on a different field (grass) from where the varsity plays (turf).

The above is also the case for Freedom, who plays their home JV games at the school while the varsity plays at the school district stadium located downtown at Liberty. The lone exception is the Freedom vs. Liberty JV game, which is played at the stadium no matter who is the home team.

And once again, this was the second-ever visit for a game here. The only previous visit was for a Saturday morning JV game, and this was the first time seeing the field under the lights. There are only two small sets of bleachers on the away side and no seating on the home side. Admission is free, and there are no refreshments available, unless you count the Wawa down the street.

The Pates knocked the Nazareth varsity team out of the PA Football News state top ten ranking for big schools on Friday, and carved a spot for themselves. The JV game between the same two schools was a back-and-forth battle, and the Pates actually had the lead by one with about four minutes to play. But Nazareth came back and won in a wild fourth quarter. At the end of three, it was a one-point game with Freedom up 14-13. The final score was 34-28 Nazareth. Thus, after 27 points in the first three quarters, there were 35 more in the fourth quarter alone.

The majority of the JV games are free, and the two Guy has been to this season have both been one-score games. We are surprised that more football devotees don’t attend and get an early look at the future stars.

Planning on three football games again this week. Feedback always welcome at RTRYFBAR@AOL.COM.

PA FOOTBALL NEWS D11 STATE RANKED TOP 10 TEAMS

1. Northwestern Lehigh (3A–Same)
6. Williams Valley (2A—Up, Was 7th)
6. Lackawanna Trail 2A—D2 in Subregion with D11, Same)
8. Freedom (6A—Up, Was HM)
8. Schuylkill Haven (2A—Up, Was 10th)
10. Tamaqua (3A—Down, Was 9th)

HM. Nazareth (6A—Down, Was 8th), Liberty (6A—Same), Notre Dame Green Pond (3A—Same), Minersville (2A—Down, Was 5th), Nativity BVM (1A—Same)

Dropped Out: North Schuylkill (3A—Was HM),

GUY & PAM BLOG ERA SCORECARD
(No Additions This Week)

47. PIAA District 11 Schools (2021-). Varsity home games for all District 11 schools that have football. (47/47)

7. D11 Alternative JV Game Sites (2021-). Seven of eight that we know of for schools that played JV games at fields other than where their varsity plays. Missed a 2021 Nazareth game when they played a JV football game at the middle school due to a conflict with soccer playoffs. (7/7 Active)

7. D11 Related–Special Events, Sub-Regional, or Former EPC Teams (2021-). Easton vs. Phillipsburg @ Lafayette College (Thanksgiving Day Game), New Hope-Solebury Lions: D1-3A (Sub Regional), Abington Heights Comets: D2-5A (Sub Regional), Wyoming Valley West Spartans: D2-5A (Sub Regional), Hazleton Cougars: D2-6A (Sub Regional), Wilkes Barre Wolfpack: D2-6A, Phillipsburg Stateliners (Former EPC).

6. All Star Games with D11 Players (2021-). Colonial vs. Schuylkill League, Lehigh Valley Football Classic, PSFCA East vs. West Small School, PSFCA East vs. West Big School, PSFCA Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Big 33 Game, Schuylkill League (6/6).

8. Out of District State Playoff Game Sites with D11 Teams (2022-) (G) Dunmore High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), Bald Eagle High School (Allentown Central Catholic Vikings), Steelton-Highspire High School (Northern Lehigh Bulldogs), (G) Governor Mifflin High School (Pleasant Valley Bears), (G) Delaware Valley High School (Whitehall Zephyrs), Northeast High School Supersite (Nazareth Blue Eagles), Kutztown University (Northwestern Lehigh Tigers), Cumberland Valley (Northwestern Lehigh Tigers). Made this one retroactive and missed five from 2021-222 before adding this category. They were: 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). (8/13)

11. NCAA D2 PSAC Colleges (2022-). Eleven teams so far including former PSAC school Mansfield Mountaineers who now compete in Sprint Football. Still have six PSAC and two former PSAC colleges on the Hit List. (11/18).

7. NCAA Bowl Games / National Playoffs / or NFL (2022-). (G) D3 Delaware Valley Aggies, D2 Kutztown University Golden Bears, D2 Slippery Rock The Rock, (G) D3 Susquehanna River Hawks, New York Jets, New York Giants. D1 Military Bowl. (7)

14. GEFA 8-Main Semi Pro (2023-). 2024 Eight of 11 teams at home. 2024 three neutral fields: Kickoff Classic, Keystone Bowl, All-Star Game. 2023 three additional home fields. Note: 2023 Wilkes Barre Warriors (The Bog), 2024 Wilkes Barre Warriors (Exeter Panther Junior Football Assoc. Field) (14)

2. NEW FOR 2024! D11 Teams Playing Regular Season Games Outside D11 & Related (2024-). Shenandoah Valley @ Columbia Montour Vo-Tech Rams. Executive Education Academy @ Central Columbia Blue Jays (3)

CURRENT TOTAL: 109

Other. NCAA D1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights, NCAA D 1AA Lehigh Mountain Hawks, WFA Harrisburg Havoc (Harrisburg High School & Palmyra High School), Harrisburg Stampede (PA Farm Show Complex), Selinsgrove High School (PIAA Playoffs), Fleetwood High School Tigers, Scranton Lions City vs. County Dream Game (Valley View High School)

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