Around District 11 With Pam and Guy: Some D11 Upsets but not in Whitehall
Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News, pfn
Guy Smith | November 6, 2024
2024 Episode 26. This week’s events found us at high school football Thursday and Friday, auto racing Saturday, college ice hockey on Sunday, and an unexpected field hockey game.
With no fewer than six Thursday night games with D11 teams, we had more choices than ever. Since we like to see as many different teams play at home as possible during the season, we eliminated the four teams we had already visited. That left Southern Lehigh and Whitehall as our choices, and we figured that both should win but if they did, Southern Lehigh would still be home the following Thursday while Whitehall would go on the road. We figured correctly.
We probably made the wrong pick on Friday. With Guy’s William Allen Canaries (he played for them in 1975) in the Eastern Football Conference 5A/6A Big School Championship, he felt we should go there to support his school. On Saturday morning, we were second guessing that choice.
There were no fewer than five upsets in D11, based on the higher seed beating the lower seed. There were no upsets in 6A or 5A. But then it got interesting. In 4A, a big upset as #7 Lehighton beat #2 Blue Mountain by a point. Also in 4A, Pottsville eliminated an Allentown Central Catholic team that never beat a team with a winning record after opening day. In 3A, #3 North Schuylkill beat #2 state ranked Notre Dame Green Pond. In 2A, #3 Northern Lehigh got waxed by #6 Pen Argyl by three scores. Also in 2A, #5 Executive Education Charter took out #4 Minersville, also by three scores.
Say goodbye to Nativity BVM, Marian Catholic, Palisades, Minersville, Northern Lehigh, Mahanoy Area, Saucon Valley, Notre Dame Green Pond, Jim Thorpe, Allentown Central Catholic, East Stroudsburg North, Blue Mountain, Pleasant Valley, Pocono Mountain East, Stroudsburg, Nazareth, Liberty, and Northampton (at least from state playoffs), Tamaqua, William Allen, Old Forge (Subregion Team), and Holy Cross (Subregion Team)
Still playing are Whitehall, East Stroudsburg South, Pottsville, Southern Lehigh, Lehighton, Bethlehem Catholic, Tri Valley, North Schuylkill, Northwestern Lehigh, Emmaus, Easton, Parkland, Freedom, Executive Education Charter, Schuylkill Haven, Pen Argyl, Williams Valley, and Lackawanna Trail (Subregion Team). Plus Catasauqua and Northampton on Thanksgiving morning.
Out of our 50 teams, 30 are done for the season and 20 are still playing, 18 of those in the state playoffs. Nine more will be eliminated this week.
2024 GAME 53. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31. D11 5A SEMI FINAL. POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST CARDINALS @ WHITEHALL ZEPHYRS. There were five upsets In District 11 playoffs last weekend. This was not one of them.
As mentioned earlier, we chose Whitehall as one of the two of six schools playing Thursday that we had not been to this season. We are very happy to report that not only did this game start at 6:00, but four of the six Thursday games started earlier than the standard 7:00 p.m. kickoff. A common sense move that will hopefully continue into regular season Thursday games next year.
Whitehall used to be one of our favorites of the Lehigh Valley schools to eat at the games. But for this game, the excellent fry truck was nowhere to be found, and there were no Chick-Fil-A sandwiches this time either. Still, the marching band stand came through a nice variety of options including excellent well-done burgers, chili, and pierogies with butter and onions.
The band stand menu: Pierogies $23, Soft Pretzel $2 (add cheese $.50), Mac & Cheese $3, Nachos $3, Hot Dog $2 (add chili or cheese $.50), Hamburger $3.50 (combo $5.50 or $6), Cheeseburger $4 (combo $6 or $6.50), Bacon Cheeseburger $4.50 (combo $6.50 or $7.00), Zephyr Burger $5 (combo $7 or $7.50), Chili $3, Chicken Noodle Soup $3, Cream of Potato Soup $3, Cabbage & Noodles $3, Turkey BBQ $4, Hamburger BBQ $4, Marching Taco $5.
The very limited options at the other end included Hot Dogs $2, Pizza $3, Soft Pretzel $2, and Nachos $4. There were also Kona Ice and coffee trucks.
Now that it is playoff time, all ticket sales are taken over by the district, which means prices go up, ticket purchases are online only, and additional processing fees are tacked on.
There may have been five upsets in the D11 playoffs this past week but this sure wasn’t one of them. The Cardinals entered the game with a playoff qualifying record of 1-9; their lone win was by a scant three in the Bucket Game vs. winless Pleasant Valley, who by the way also made the state playoffs.
Had it not been for our blog, we might have skipped football this night for the D11 3A (big school) field hockey final pitting Easton vs. Emmaus at Catasauqua. We are both fascinated by the incredible success of Emmaus coach Sue Butz-Stavin, who Guy spent a brief time working with while student teaching at Eyer Junior High. Butz-Stavin is the all-time most successful high school field hockey coach in the US by any metric, the most successful Lehigh Valley coach in any sport, and perhaps the most successful in any sport nationally. Can anyone match a 90%+ winning percentage over a 49-year run?
Whitehall made the playoffs with a record of 4-6, a record that included not a single win over a team with a winning record. Yet, this game was still a mismatch. Whitehall jumped out to a 35-0 lead before halftime.
Realizing the second half would be mostly running out the clock, and knowing that the Emmaus field hockey game was just across the river in Catty and was still a few minutes away from starting (it was the second game of a double header), we bailed on the football game and scooted over to Catty, arriving midway through the first quarter. Easton scored first to take a 1-0 lead, but then Emmaus knocked in six straight to secure their 36th consecutive D11 field hockey championship, and run Coach Butz-Stavin’s record to 1,090-85-35.
The final in Whitehall was a 49-7 Mercy Rule dismantling by the Zepyhs.
Back to football, we sometimes wonder if teams with losing records might be better served to opt out of districts and play in Eastern Conference where they might be able to have a competitive game as opposed to being a sacrificial lamb in the PIAA.
2024 GAME 54. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1. EASTERN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 5A/6A BIG SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP. MUHLENBERG TOWNSHIP MUHLS @ WILLIAM ALLEN CANARIES. During our four blog years, we have always supported an Eastern Conference game with a District 11 team playing. In 2021 we went to Bangor, the next year Pottsville, last year Governor Mifflin (Pleasant Valley), and this year Guy’s alma mater William Allen.
Since the PIAA playoffs have expanded so that the majority of schools advance to the state playoffs, there have been slim pickings left for Eastern Conference. In the 5A/6A championship game, Allen ranked 17th and Muhlenberg 18th. The top 15 teams all made the state playoffs, and number 16 Dieruff opted out. By the way, Freedom at 9-1 was the top ranked team over 10-0 Conrad Weiser. Now that would have been a game to see!
Both teams entered the game with 3-7 records. Allen started off 2-0, lost seven straight, then beat Dieruff in overtime in the ASD rivalry game. Their wins were all against teams with losing records. Muhlenberg Township opened with a nice win against a good Schuylkill Valley team, started out 3-1, then dropped their last six straight regular season games.
Menus for games at JBC Stadium were posted earlier this year when we attended an Allentown Central Catholic game there. We continue to feel sorry for the kids from the bigger cities, where outside vendors are often used and charge much higher prices than the schools that have school booster organizations run their stands. The kids that can least afford it are charged the most. Cases in point. At Whitehall a hamburger at the game cost $3.50, at Allentown a hamburger at the game cost $8. Two burgers and two large fries set us back $36. What city high school kids can afford that?
Muhlenberg was able to move the ball on the ground and scored three times in three plus quarters, and converted the two-pointer each time.
Allen was also able to move the ball. But we have never seen a team that time after time can’t finish a drive. In the first quarter, Allen drove into the red zone and were stopped on fourth and one. In the second quarter, a receiver was just about to cross the goal line for a touchdown when he fumbled on the one for a touchback. Later that quarter, they were intercepted on the one. In the third quarter, they again drove down the field and apparently scored on a run to the corner of the end zone. The announcer screamed “Touchdown Canaries!” But the runner was marked out inside the one. And there was holding. And a couple of sacks. The apparent touchdown drive ended with the Canaries turning the ball over on downs all the way back at the thirty. And early in the fourth quarter, they again drove down the field for a first and goal. One play later, the game was over.
On first and goal, Allen ran left and made little progress. A fight broke out. Although there were over ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, the referees decided to call the game complete at that point, the existing score of 24-0 being recorded as the final score.
They changed the time remaining on the scoreboard to 0:00 and the announcer oddly announced that “time has expired,” For Allen, it was their second big end-of-the-game brawl in six days.
None of the four Eastern Conference games this year were competitive, with three ending in shutouts. The four-game combined score was 169-7. Allen was the only home team to lose. We may rethink our Eastern Conference loyalty for next year. Feedback always welcome at RTRYFBAR@AOL.COM.
PA FOOTBALL NEWS D11 STATE RANKED TOP 10 TEAMS
- Northwestern Lehigh (3A) +/- 0
- Schuylkill Haven (2A) +/- 0
- Williams Valley (2A) +/- 0
- Lackawanna Trail (1A) +/- 0
- Easton (6A) +/- 0
- Freedom (6A) +/- 0
- Southern Lehigh (4A) +/- 0
Dropped Out: Notre Dame Green Pond (Was 9th)
Dropped Out: Minersville (Was HM)
Dropped Out: Nativity BVM (Was HM)
Northwestern Lehigh is the only remaining undefeated team from District 11.
PA COLLEGE TEAMS NATIONALLY RANKED
With the Penn State loss and Kutztown win, the K.U. Golden Bears are now the highest nationally ranked college team in the state of Pennsylvania. Guy and Pam both graduated from Kutztown.
- Kutztown (D2) +1
- Susquehanna (D3) +/-0
- Penn State (FBS) -4
- Slippery Rock (D2) +4
- Villanova (FCS) +2
- Carnegie Mellon (D3) -1
- California (D2) +5
- Grove City (D3) +/-0
- Washington and Jefferson (D3) +1
- Pittsburgh (FBS) -6
GUY & PAM BLOG ERA TEAM SCORECARD
(Additions This Week: None)
2021-2024
47/47. All District 11 Varsity Football Teams at Home.
7/8. District 11 JV Teams Playing at Different Locations Than Varsity.
11/11. D11 related: Subregional Teams, Special Events or Former EPC Teams.
6/6. All-Star Games with D11 Players.
8/13. Outside D11 State Playoff Game Sites with D11 Teams.
2022-2024
11/19. NCAA D2 PSAC Colleges Including Former PSAC Schools.
- NCAA Bowl Games, National Playoffs, or NFL.
2023-2024
14/20. GEFA 8-Man Semi Pro football.
2024
2/18. D11 Teams Playing Regular Season Games Outside D11. This is where the fun will be next year.
Total: 113
Plus 9 “Other”
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