Game Preview: Freedom Hosts East Stroudsburg South in Week 6

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Dan DiEdwardo | September 25, 2025

Both Freedom and East Stroudsburg South looking for a better 2nd half

Neither team is playing at the level that it was last year at this time when Freedom was 5-0 and East Stroudsburg South was 4-1 faced off in week 6 which the Patriots won 40-14. And although the Cavaliers lost that game, they won their next six games including two playoff games to Pleasant Valley 47-7 and Whitehall 22-17 but ultimately loosing to Roman Catholic 31-14 in the state playoffs. Freedom won four of their next five games, only loosing to Easton in a close game 25-21. The Patriots won a playoff game against Northampton 38-15 but ended up loosing their next game to Parkland 21-24 and that ended their playoff run for 2024.

The Patriots started their season at home against Downingtown West. Freedom scored first and went up 7-0, but that would be the last points Coach Roeder’s Patriots would score as Coach Kline’s Whippets would go on to score 44 unanswered point and left BASD Stadium with the win 44-7 in the season opener. The next week Freedom traveled to Orefield to play the Parkland Trojans, and Freedom’s defense held Parkland’s offense to only 18 points, but once again was only able to put 7 points on the board in their second loss of the season. One of the few bright spots so far on offence for Freedom is running back Lashawn Johnson who had 119 yards on 19 carries and scored their only touchdown. Week three took them to J Birney Crum Stadium to face Allentown Central Catholic who was 1-1 after losing to Liberty 38-14 the week before and won their season opener against Trinity on the road 19-16. Week 3 the same defense that held Parkland a Top Ten team in the state to only 17 points, gave up 27 points to the Vikings but shifted their offence into high gear and scored 38 points. And it was Leshawn Johnson revving the engine for 210 yards and four touchdowns, including a kick return for a touchdown and that gave Coach Roeder his first win of the season. Patriots 1-2 hosted the 3-0 Nazareth Blue Eagles and Peyton Falzone week four in Bethlehem at BASD Stadium. The game started great for Freedom matching Nazareth’s first 2 touchdowns and they were tied at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, but that’s as close as it got. Nazareth scored the next touchdown and never looked back, final score 56-21. The bright spot again for Freedom was Lashawn Johnson 166 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown and has 573 yards and six touchdowns for the season. The Patriots 1-3 traveled back to Allentown and J Birney Crum Stadium this time to play the William Allen Canaries who were 3-1 at the time. Coach Roeder finally got the type of performance he knew his team was capable of on both sides of the ball. The defense only gave up 13 points, while the offense had its best game of the season, putting 51 on the board. Leshawn Johnson kept chugging away on the ground with 110 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown and that puts him up to 683 yards and 7 touchdowns for the season. Plus Michael Stofanak started to find his grove passing, he went 6-9 129yards and a pair of touchdowns as Freedom won 51-13 and 2-3 on the season.

That brings us to East Stroudsburg South who started their season at home against a good Abington Heights team who is now 4-1 with a loss 21-13, even though they out gained the Comets 369-362 and led in first downs 23-10 but only managed 13 points. Senior running back Gianni Gonnella ran for 117 yards and senior quarterback Ivan Laubach added 90 rushing yards and threw for 142 yards. Week two the Cavaliers 0-1 traveled to Northampton 1-0 in hopes of getting their first win of the season against the Konkrete Kids at Al Erdosy Stadium. Gianni Gonnella ran it over 60 yards to the house and tied it at 7-7 but the Cavaliers could not keep pace with Northampton who pounded the ball for 372 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns and beat the Cavaliers 48-19. Gianni Gonnella rushed for 137 yards and one touchdown, Ivan Laubach rushed for 52 yards, two touchdowns and passed for 119 yards. East Stroudsburg South now 0-2 traveled south to Lehigh Valley again in week three, this time to Whitehall who was 1-1 and lost the week before to Nazareth 62-33. The stadium was packed not just for the game, Saquon Barkley was there to have his jersey retired. The Cavaliers had their highest point total of the season 21, plus 313 yards, 157 of which came from Gianni Gonnella and 45 from Tramire Banks but Whitehall scored 62 points on the backs of Jeziah Gregory 172 yards 3 touchdowns and Tanner Dogmanits who completed eight of nine for 124 yards and three touchdowns and Whitehall won 62-21. Now 0-3 and eager to get in the win column East Stroudsburg South hosted William Allen 3-0. And the Cavaliers did just that with the help of another solid performance Gianni Gonnella who ran for 111 yards two touchdowns plus caught two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Ivan Laubach returned from his injury in the Whitehall game, to throw for 141 yards and ran for 31 more. The defense did their job and held the Canaries to 18 points and the Cavaliers get their first win of the season 37-18. Now 1-3 on the season East Stroudsburg South hosted Pleasant Valley also 1-3, Ivan Laubach left the game early due to injury, Greyson Fuller replaced him and had decent numbers 10-16 and 137 yards and a touchdown. But the Cavaliers were never able to get Gianni Gonnella and the ground game going and managed only six points and lost 35-6.

There is no question both of teams are hungry for a win, to keep any hopes alive for making the playoffs. Which team does that, we will find out on the field Friday night at 7:00 PM BASD Stadium.

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