They’re BAAAaaaaccck!! It’s another round Around District 11 – The Travels of Guy & Pam: All Star Games & The Plan for This Season

Tagged under: District 11, News

Guy Smith | August 24, 2022

Around District 11: The Travels of Guy & Pam

All Star Games & The Plan for This Season

2022.2.  Pam and Guy are ready to make our transition to “Football Mode” after a winter, spring and summer of other sports.  We transitioned from ten new minor league pro basketball team/venue visits, to finishing off seeing the final eight of the 41 different Bloomsburg University sports teams play.  Next up were ten new minor league soccer team/venues, and then ten for collegiate wood bat summer league baseball.  New for us this summer was Minor League Cricket, where we saw the playoff-bound Manhattan Yorkers beat The Philadelphians.  Just last Saturday, we drove six hours to Joe’s Speedway in Ohio, watched the races, then drove six hours home for the tenth new race track of the year.  It’s football time!

Although we had never been to a high school football all-star game before last season, as usual once we were in, we were all in.  There were six all star games that included players from District 11 teams.

1) SCFCA Schuylkill North vs. South Senior All-Star Game (2021 @ Schuylkill Haven)

2) Colonial League vs. Schuylkill League All-Star Game (2022 @ Schuylkill Haven)

3) PSFCA East vs. West Small School All Star Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt)

4) PSFCA East vs. West Big School All Star Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt)

5) PSFCA Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Big 33 Game (2022 @ Bishop McDevitt)

6) Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic (2022 @ Nazareth)

We have already reviewed our experiences at the first five.  The last was the Lehigh Valley Classic at Nazareth.

GAME 6.  THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022.  LEHIGH VALLEY ALL-STAR FOOTBALL CLASSIC, NAZARETH HIGH SCHOOL.   The last of the all-star games involving District 11 players was the closest to home for us, as we live in the Pleasant Valley School District.  This game has been played for over 50 seasons, and is currently sponsored by McDonald’s.  (Note: Game 1 was not the first all-star game listed above, as that was in November, 2021.  We started the year with an NFL game on January 2: Tampa Bay Bucs at New York Jets.)

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley served as the honorary captain this year, and was on the field for the coin toss.  We saw Barkley play high school football (as well as track and field) for the Whitehall Zephyrs a number of times.  My Freedom Pates goal line stance against him and the Zephs ended Barkley’s high school career.  We also saw him play in person each of the seasons he suited up for the Penn State Nittany Lions, as Pam’s brother was a Penn State Falum and had four season tix.

So it was nice to get a chance to say hello to Saquon before the game.  Equally important was a chance to meet Pennsylvania Football News colleague Daniel Reed in person for the first time.  Reed was on the sidelines for PAFN, along with the well-known Hollywood Brian Ptashinski

The weather was very threatening and that may have affected the crowd, but thankfully the rain held off the entire game.

Nazareth has one of the best refreshment stands in the district, and we, as well as many others, were disappointed in the very limited offerings at this prestigious game.  McDonald’s may have donated the bags, but that was not their food inside them.

The game featured players from PA area schools of all sizes, plus Phillipsburg from across the bridge in New Jersey.  We were glad to see P-Burg included, as the Stateliners were once an integral part of the tough EPC league when I was in school.

The two teams were the Red Squad, which was made up of seniors from Lehigh and Monroe counties plus some from Carbon County, and the Gold Squad, which included seniors from Northampton County plus from Palisades and Phillipsburg.

It was a fun game to watch, with the Gold Squad jumping out to a 17-0 lead, and then falling behind the Red Squad, before scoring one more time on their very next possession to secure the win at the very end.

OUR GAME PLAN FOR 2022.  Last year our goal was to see as many of the 47 District 11 schools that have high school football play either a varsity or JV home game/ or a neutral site playoff game.  We made it to 41 of the 47 schools and had a blast at every single one of them.  Writing about our adventures in PAFN was an honor and the icing on the cake. This year we put our heads together, and drew up some new X’s and O’s for this season.

1)  PIAA District 11.  The new goal for high school is to see everything and anything related to D11 football.

For the 47 schools, it’s for both of us to see a Varsity or JV home game in 2021 or 2022, and a Varsity game at least at some point all-time.  Last year’s visits has us at 38 of the 47 schools to start the season.  Our sights are set on Easton (saw at Lafayette), East Stroudsburg South (Pam had to work), Jim Thorpe (saw JV but have never seen varsity there), North Schuylkill (neutral site), Palisades (before 2021), Pocono Mountain East (before 2021), Pottsville (saw as away team), Schuylkill Haven (saw as away team), and Tri Valley (only school we have never visited).

Alternate JV Sites.  Currently 0 for 5.  Last year six D11 teams played home JV games at other locations, either for all of their games or as one-offs.  The schools that have to pay rent for varsity games almost always play their JV games elsewhere.  Becahi and Nativity play at their schools, and ACC plays at an Allentown park.  Freedom also plays their JV games at their school.  Lehighton played at least one game at their old stadium last year.  Also, Nazareth played one game at the middle school, but I’ve seen their JV schedule for this year and all home games are scheduled for at the high school.  If anyone has any information about any other alternate sites for D11 JV games, please let us know.  Information about the JV game locations is very hard to come by.  Email us at RTRYFBAR@aol.com

All-Star Games That Include D11 Players.  6 for 6.  See list above.

Other.  1 for 5.  Lafayette College, home to Easton Thanksgiving Day game.  Phillipsburg Stateliners—Former EPC team, participates in LV All Star game.  Teams that played in 2021 D11 Subregionals: New Hope-Solebur Lions, Abington Heights Comets, and Wyoming Valley West Spartans.  2022 teams to be determined.

DISTRICT 11 & RELATED: 45 of 63

2) New for this year, we have a two-year plan to visit all of the NCAA Division II colleges that play in the PSAC.  There are 16 schools in the league, 15 from Pennsylvania and Shepherd, WV.  In addition, Mansfield used to be a PSAC school and now only fields a Sprint Football team.  In the past, we have been to a half dozen of those schools to see PSAC football, but we are resetting the counter and starting over.  That should keep us entertained on fall Saturdays for the next two years.

Teams are: Bloomsburg Huskies, California Vulcans, Clarion Golden Eagles, East Stroudsburg Warriors, Edinboro Fighting Scots, Gannon Golden Knights, Indiana Crimson Hawks, Kutztown Golden Bears, Lock Haven Bald Eagles, Mercyhurst Lakers, Millersville Marauders, Seton Hill Griffins, Shepard Rams, Shippersburg Raiders, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Golden Rams

NCAA DII PSAC & RELATED: 0 of 17

We hope you come along with us on this season’s journey.

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