Around District 11 With Pam and Guy: Parity a Pipe Dream in D11

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News

Guy Smith | October 3, 2024

2024 Episode 21. We can’t speak for the rest of the state, but in District 11, it seems the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, so to speak. Week in and week out, there seem to be far more blowouts than close, exciting games. Take last weekend for instance.

There were 24 games involving D11 teams. Of those 24, only six (25%) had a final score with the teams within three scores (24 points) of each other. The other 18 (75%) had final scores where the winning team won by 4-7 scores (more than 25 points). Four games had a team winning by 50 or more. And that is with the running clock Mercy Rule in place, and coaches pulling their starters earlier and earlier to prevent the appearance of intentionally trying to humiliate their opponent. Some of the games had greater point differentials at halftime than at the end, when the dominant team basically stopped trying their best to score.

The three varsity EPC games we attended had Northampton winning by 36, Freedom by 26, and Emmaus by 32. Freedom was up by 33 in the second quarter, and Emmaus was up by 35 before halftime. And Freedom was playing a one-loss team.

The only close game Guy saw in person was the Monday JV game, where Bethlehem Catholic held off Pocono Mountain East at the very end in a one-score differential game.

Our week featured four football games, high school field hockey, NCAA women’s golf, and a sports car race at Pocono Raceway. It also included an insane Saturday morning and afternoon at DeSales University Homecoming Weekend. Guy graduated from DeSales last century when it was still Allentown College of Saint Francis DeSales. For homecoming, they had nine different games on campus with team sports being played for slightly over 9.5 consecutive hours. We were there for every minute. Games included men’s and women’s rugby, soccer, and lacrosse. Plus field hockey, a baseball double header, and an alumni soccer game. We saw at least a portion of every one of them. And after 9.5 hours, what did we do? Went to high school football. Livin’ the Dream.

2024 GAME 35. POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST PANTHERS @ NORTHAMPTON KONKRETE KIDS. As readers of our blog know, we almost always eat our dinner at the games to show our support for the schools. Almost always. Who would have guessed that the best tacos in the world could be found in Northampton, PA? But there they are at Santa Fe Tacos, right on Main Street. In compromise, we did reduce our taco intake by one, so we could get something at the game and still support the school.

We had an errand at Moravian University before tacos, and everything went smoothly at both places so we arrived quite a bit before game time. What’s that you say? JV field hockey just finished the first quarter? We got out the lawn chairs, watched the last three quarters, and saw the Kids down the Liberty Canes 1-0.

Although we had been to Northampton for football many times, we realized that it was either for Catasauqua on Thanksgiving morning or for Freedom. This was the first time we had ever sat on the home side for a varsity game; the only previous time on this side was for a Saturday morning JV game a few seasons back.

Northampton entered the game at 3-2. After a few years of playing in the mostly Monroe County division and running the table, the Kids are back with schools in their own county and have already lost twice, with Easton, Freedom, Nazareth and Becahi still on the schedule. It’s not always good to be home.

Pocono Mountain West was 1-4, winning over Belmont Charter but losing to every D11 team they have played so far. There were fewer than 30 fans in the stands on the away side at kickoff.

We eventually each had a slice of pizza and shared pierogies. As with most (not all) of the Lehigh Valley big schools, the refreshment offerings can’t touch the small Skook schools. Options: French Fries $3 (add cheese $1), Pierogies $4, Nachos $4, Hot Dog $2, Soft Pretzel $2 (add cheese $1), pizza $3, Chicken Fingers $5, Hamburger $5, Cheeseburger $5.50. Interesting that it costs twice as much to add cheese to a pretzel or fries than it does to add it to a burger. Electronic payments add 3.25%.

Pocono Mountain West played with grit and heart, but the Panthers were no match for Northampton. They had virtually no run offense against the NHS defense. The Konkrete Kids on the other hand ran up and down the field. They scored early, let their collective foot off the gas, and cruised to a five-score, 36-point victory by a final score of 42-6. The Kids moved to 4-2, the Big Cats to 1-5. They still have winless PM East and Pleasant Valley on their schedule so more wins are certainly on the table of possibilities for West.

2024 GAME 36. FREEDOM PATRIOTS @ EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH CAVALIARS. It was Pam’s pick this week, and she initially chose the Nativity BVM game as they are one of her favorites. But the weather forecast took a turn for the worse there, and since we stayed dry during the Wilkes U. women’s golf match in the afternoon, we decided to stay close to home and see Guy’s Freedom Pates play for the first time this year.

The stadium at East Stroudsburg South is awash in school sports tradition. At no other D11 football stadium can you see as many photos of past athletes as you can in the halls underneath the home side stands.

The ”Purple Pit” is not overly friendly for visiting fans. There is a nice parking lot behind the visitor stands and a gate there, but it remains locked. Visitors must enter in the middle of the home side and walk all the way around. There is no refreshment stand on the visitor side either. Even the gate right by the parking lot is not opened after the game.
Many expected this to be a close game. Freedom entered the game at 5-0 and East Stroudsburg South 4-1. PA Football News had this a three-point game. “Yeah, maybe 33” said Guy, perhaps a bit biased in favor of the school where he spent almost three decades, but also with years of experience watching Lehigh/Northampton school results when playing Monroe teams.

The current team records didn’t tell the true story, but the story of teams they had previously played painted a clearer picture. Freedom started off the season beating Torrey Pines of San Deigo, CA; then handed Parkland their only loss by three scores, and handled two-loss Nazareth by four scores. Meanwhile ESS may have had four wins, but as we write this, none of those four schools they beat have a winning record. And looking at their remaining four games, none of those schools currently have a winning record either. They could potentially go 8-2 without beating any teams with a winning record, depending what the teams on their schedule do in their remaining four weeks.

We figured to get rained on some, and that was the case, but the rain was much less than we feared. Nevertheless, we ate very soon after arrival. No fries, pierogies, or popcorn at all here, but they did bring in the Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, which are always good. In addition, we each also had a cheeseburger and they were also very good at an amazing sporting event price of just $3. Overall, a very limited selection though.

The Menu: Hot Pretzel $2 (add cup of cheese $1), Nachos $3, Chick-Fil-A $6, Hot Dog $3, Hamburger $3, Cheeseburger $3, Pizza $3.

The Cavaliers have some offense, but had trouble finishing drives. Freedom on the other hand had no trouble with the Cavs defense, pretty much scoring on each possession in the first half. In the second quarter it was 33-0 Pates, indeed the differential Guy had mentioned before the game. The Pates slowed it down in the second half, but still cruised to a 26-point, four-score victory by a final score of 40-14.

2024 GAME 37. EMMAUS HORNETS @ ALLENTOWN CENTRAL CATHOLIC VIKINGS. After spending over nine and a half hours watching sports at DeSales, we hustled to J. Birney Crum Stadium. Since ACC rents the stadium, they play their home games on Saturday nights as the two city schools, William Allen & Louis E. Dieruff get Friday Night Lights priority.

We left as soon as the second game of the baseball double-header at DeSales ended, and fell into the seats at Crum just three minutes before kickoff.

J. Birney Crum Stadium, formerly Allentown School District Stadium, opened in 1948 replacing Jack Coffield Stadium which was located at the current site of the Allen High Phys. Ed. Center. The seats at Coffield were relocated to the visitor side at the new stadium, before being removed in 2002 when ASD was renovated and a turf field added to replace the grass field. There is no longer seating on the visitor side, reducing the seating capacity from 23,000 to the current 15,000. It is still the largest area stadium, seating a thousand more than the Bethlehem Area School District Stadum, which seats 14,000 currently. BASD once had additional seats in the end zone that increased the capacity there as well.

We had eaten at DeSales during homecoming festivities and thus limited our food purchases to fries and popcorn. Both were excellent, but pricy. The disappointing aspect is that the bigger the city, the higher the prices, and in many cases, those places have the students that can least afford to pay.

Available Items Top: Chicken & Fries $12/$18, Fries $6/$10/$13 (add cheese $1), Cheeseburger $8, Funnel Cake $8, Deep Fried Oreos $8, Cotton Candy $4.

Available Items Bottom: Hot Dog $2, Pizza $3, Soft Pretzel $2, Popcorn $5/$8/$10, Nuts $9 (two for $15), Cotton Candy $5.

An $18 food item at a high school football game seems a bit over the top to us. By far the most expensive item we’ve seen at a game this year. And in one night, the cheeseburger went from $3 to $8. If one school is making money at $3, do they have to charge the kids eight bucks for a burger at another? One unique item not seen elsewhere were apples for a buck.

ACC entered the game with a record of 2-3. An early state ranked team by PFN, the Vikings opened with a win against a team outside D11 but since then the only D11 team they have beaten was winless Pocono Mountain East.

Emmaus was a very strong 3-2, with their two losses being by just three to Neshaminy in their opener, and to one-loss Easton in overtime.

ACC has a lot of cheerleaders, but not that many football players. In fact, the differential was just one, with 33 players suited up and 32 cheerleaders in action.

The football program at Central Catholic has been strong for a long time, and it’s not something expected to see them get handled so easily. In a fine mist, Emmaus made short work of the Vikes, putting this one away early.

Fan Quote of the Weekend came from two ACC girls. Student 1: “Are we the green or white team?” Student 2: “I’m not sure.” This with the score already 21-0.

The Hornets locked this one down before halftime. They went into the break up 35-0, assuring the Mercy Rule clock would run for the entire second half.

2024 GAME 38. POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST CARDINALS (JV) @ BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC GOLDEN HAWKS (JV). With Pam sitting out much of the JV season this year, Guy has free rein to pick his games. And for the fourth week in a row, he picked a school where the JV games are played on a different field than the varsity games. First it was Pocono Mountain West on the grass field instead of the turf field. Then Freedom where all home games other than Freedom vs Liberty are held at the school. Next up was Allentown Central Catholic who plays their JV games at Percy Ruhe Park as opposed to JBC. And this week it was Bethlehem Catholic, where the JV games are also played at the school instead of at BASD Stadium.

All four of the above games had free admission, and none had any concessions available. At Bethlehem Catholic, there is a working scoreboard and clock, but no seating. Bring your lawn chairs.

Guy is always surprised that more of us fanatics do not take advantage of the JV games. It’s good football, often free, and this season the games have been much closer than the varsity games we have attended. PMW beat Dieruff by six. Freedom had the lead with four minutes to play before falling to Nazareth. ACC gave Becahi everything they had and were right in it until the very end at the Junior Holy War.

And that brings us to the Monday game. Pocono Mountain East, whose varsity team is 0-6, traveled to Becahi with only 18 players. The home side seemed pretty confident this was going to be an easy one. Some may even say cocky. Not so fast.

The Cardinals struck first and led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks took the lead, but when the game came down to the final minute, PME had the ball with first and goal, only down eight points and with a chance to tie.

There was no storybook ending for Pocono Mountain. On second down and goal, trying to make something happen, the QB lost the ball and Becahi jumped on it, preserving the 20-12 win. Lots of varsity blowouts, but Guy is four for four in picking good JV games this season.

Things got a little chippy in this one, especially for a JV game, as the refs tossed one of the Cardinal spectators. Another declared victory, claiming “I don’t care what the scoreboard says.” A third that went to the wrong place for the game (BASD Stadium where Liberty was playing ESN), blamed Becahi for not knowing the correct location.

Just another interesting Monday of JV football here in District 11.

Planning on just a pair of football games again this week, on Thursday and Friday. Other sports on the agenda Saturday-Monday. Feedback always welcome at RTRYFBAR@AOL.COM.

DISTRICT 11 TOP RATED TEAMS. 1A) Lackawanna Trail (D2 Subregion team). The top ranked true D11 team is Nativity BVM in 2nd. 2A) Williams Valley. 3A) Northwestern Lehigh replaces Tamaqua. 4A) Southern Lehigh replaces Blue Mountain. 5A) East Stroudsburg South. 6A) Liberty.

DISTRICT 11 UNDEFEATED TEAMS (5 GAMES). Liberty (6A), Freedom (6A), Tamaqua (3A), Northwestern Lehigh (3A). After just six games, only four of 47 teams are unbeaten, Williams Valley having lost their first last week. Five teams are winless, as Palmerton got a win over Wilson.

PA FOOTBALL NEWS D11 STATE RANKED TOP 10 TEAMS

1. Northwestern Lehigh (3A–Same)
6. Lackawanna Trail (1A—D2 in Subregion with D11, Same)
6. Freedom (6A—UP two)
6. Schuylkill Haven (2A—UP two)
9. Tamaqua (3A—Same)
9. Williams Valley (2A—DOWN three)
HM. Parkland (6A—Same), Liberty (6A—Same), Notre Dame Green Pond (3A—Same), Nativity BVM (1A—Same)

Dropped Out: Minersville (2A)

GUY & PAM BLOG ERA TEAM SCORECARD
(Addition: None 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)

8. 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 (Sub Regional), Williamsport Millionaires D4-6A (Sub Regional) 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 (2024-). Shenandoah Valley @ Columbia Montour Vo-Tech Rams. Executive Education Academy @ Central Columbia Blue Jays (3)

CURRENT TOTAL: 110

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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