Sports Blog

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 1 MUSINGS

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:59:14 -0500

If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that you can't draw too many conclusions from Week 1 of the high school football season. Just look at what Liberty did last year after losing its opener to North Penn.

That said, there were several things that struck me after the opening week of the 2009 season:

- Speaking of North Penn, they sure didn't seem to miss all those players they lost from last year's team. They're quick, strong, talented, and Craig Needhammer just might be the fastest running back in the area. They don't rebuild at North Penn - they reload.

- I didn't see the game, but I was very surprised that Parkland didn't even score on George Washington until the 4th quarter. Looking at the stats, the Trojans never could get their running game going. Looks like both Parkland and Liberty will be working out the kinks this week, heading into their showdown in Bethlehem Friday night.

- Congratulations to Steve Shiffert for becoming the all-time winningest coach in the history of Easton football. He's been a stalwart at Easton since 1993, and surpassing Bob Rute on an all-time wins list is a pretty special honor.

- While my first impression of the Easton game was happiness for Shiff for breaking the record, my next impression was that East Stroudsburg South is definitely legit. We heard they were the hands-down favorite to win the Mountain Valley Conference this year, and from what I saw, they'd be a tough customer in the L-V-C too. They're a senior-laden team, with plenty of talent. I wouldn't want to run into them in the District playoffs.

- Wilson's Air Raid offense is already in midseason form. It took them just one scoreless quarter to re-discover their groove. Their 35-point, 2nd quarter onslaught against Palmerton was a sight to behold. I'd be surprised if anybody beat the Warriors in the regular season.

- Central Catholic looked really good in its win over Pottsville Saturday night. I was at the game, and I can see why they were a popular sleeper pick in the L-V-C this year. I'm betting we get a Wilson-Central District 3A Final, in what would be one whale of a championship game.

42-10?!? LET'S NOT PANIC JUST YET

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:45:03 -0500

I know people who thought Liberty was going to beat North Penn in its season opener, and I know others who were convinced that North Penn would get by Liberty. But I don't know anybody that thought we'd see a final margin of 32 points.

Could this really be the defending state champs? Losing its opener the following year by a final of 42-10? Yes, the final margin was shocking - but it's no reason to panic if you're a Liberty fan. Here's why...

First, remember the Hurricanes lost their opener to North Penn last year. They also very nearly lost to Parkland in Week 2. It wasn't until the second half of the season that the 'Canes started to really mesh into the team that would ultimately win it all. So a slow start won't necessarily mean a slow finish.

Second, there's a ton of talent on this team. Anthony Gonzalez and Jarrod West are all-state caliber players, and Andrew Klotz will be a stud in the backfield. As the other players develop and progress, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines, Liberty should be dominating teams once again come October and November.

Jim Vaughn

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SURVIVOR CONTEST

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:04:30 -0500

The 2009 high school football season is upon us, and we here at 69 Sports have decided to bring back our most popular contest ever. We had an email glitch in Week 1, so we're starting the contest anew in Week 2. Those of you who played in Week 1, your slate is wiped clean - you can pick those teams again.

Here are the rules for Season 2 of our High School Football Survivor Contest:

Each week, you can pick a team who you think will win its game. If you get it right, you stay alive and move on to the next week. But here's the catch: You can't take the same team more than once during the season. So if you pick Emmaus to beat Germantown in Week 1, you can't pick Emmaus for the rest of the year. The winner of the contest will receive a grand prize (details to come).

You can pick from any game within our Big Ticket coverage area. Those games are listed on our website: www.wfmz.com/bigticket. Once you go there, click on the "schedules" link, and from there you can sort all games by Week 1, 2, 3, etc. You can submit your entry for each week by emailing us at radio@wfmz.com. Please put "Survivor Entry" in the subject line. The deadline for submitting picks is every Friday at 5:00pm.

This contest is being offered in conjunction with our weekly radio show, 69 Sports Saturday, which airs from 10am-12pm every Saturday morning, on ESPN Radio 1230/1320 and www.wfmz.com. Each week on the show, we will run down the winners and losers for that week.

We hope this provides yet another channel through which to enjoy the high school football season. So put on your predicting hats, and good luck!

The 69 Sports Team

BEST OF THE REST: WHO MISSED THE CUT

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:38:05 -0500

We've had a lot of questions about which teams were left on the bubble from our Big Ticket Top 25 Poll. Here's a brief rundown, in no particular order, on who we feel are the top teams that were left on the outside looking in.

CENTRAL CATHOLIC: The Vikings are one of the most popular picks to be a dark horse in the L-V-C this season. They'll get battle-tested all season in one of the toughest conferences in the state. And since they play at the 3A level, they could make a run at a District 11 title.

WHITEHALL: We'll learn a lot about the Zephyrs when they host a very good Conrad Weiser team from Berks County in week one. They return some key seniors on both sides of the ball, but will need to fill some holes if they want to contend in the L-V-C.

PHILLIPSBURG: The Stateliners are a bit hard to figure out. They won a New Jersey state championship last year, but also laid a tremendous egg in a lopsided loss to Easton on Thanksgiving. A lot is gone from last year's team, but we think they'll contend again in the Skyland Conference.

TOP TEAMS NO-BRAINERS IN TOP 25

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:31:27 -0500

In all the years we've done our Big Ticket Top 25 High School Football poll, we can't remember having less internal debate or external complaints about our number-one selections. In our Big Schools poll, Liberty was the obvious choice. When you've just won the state championship, and return the best player in the entire state, it really doesn't matter who else you've lost - you're number one. In our Small Schools poll, Palisades was the clear-cut choice. They lost versatile playmaker Jon Gruver, but just about everyone else is back from a two-time defending District 11 championship team.

That being said, there have been some questions (as is to be expected) surrounding the other selections. Here are a few of them, and my brief, Cliff's Notes answers:

Q: Why isn't Wilson ranked higher than #11?

PHILLIES MINOR LEAGUE CUPBOARD FAR FROM BARE

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:57:23 -0500

Baseball America has the Phillies minor league system ranked #12 when it comes to prospects. If you're talking about pitching prospects, and let's be honest that's what everyone wants and needs, the Phillies are loaded. Tonight in Reading, Johan Flande will make his AA debut. The 23-year old Dominica was 7-1 in Clearwater with a 2.52 ERA and will pitch in the MLB Futures Game at next month's All Star Game in St. Louis.

Flande comes to Reading less than a month after Kyle Drabek made the jump to AA. Drabek, the Phillies 2006 first round draft pick, is also throwing in the futures game. Since coming to Baseballtown is 4 and 0 and has looked every bit like a staff ace. The fact is, Drabek doesn't need to be an ace in Reading because Joe Savery has already taken care of that. Savery was the Phils' first round selection in the 2007 draft. Over his last eight starts with the R-Phils, Savery is 7-0 with a 2.15 ERA. Mike Stutes and Vance Worley round out the current Reading staff and they are both young and improving. Reading has never before had so many young arms in the rotation at the same time.

Not only is Reading loaded with pitching, but the R-Phils have already seen multiple pitchers who were on the roster opening day move up to Lehigh Valley and the Phillies. Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona have both helped out the Major League Club this season. Lehigh Valley also boasts Andrew Carpenter and the team's #1 prospect Carlos Carrasco. Yes, Carrasco's development has been slower that the organization would have hoped, but he still has electric stuff and is only 22 years old. If Carrasco can develop mentally he still could be a front of the rotation starter in the majors.

So next time someone tells you the Phillies aren't developing young talent, don't buy it. The arms are there on the farm. Now it's the team's job to figure out who to keep and how to deal. There's not enough room for all of these arms in Philadelphia.

Tim McMaster

PARKLAND, NORTH PENN SET FOR ALL-AREA STATE FINAL

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:22:00 -0500

Parkland has pounded out 13 runs in its last two state playoff games. North Penn cranked out 12 runs in the semifinal round alone. But when the two area teams meet for the PIAA 4A Championship this Friday, don't expect a slugfest.

On the heels of Andrew Kulp's near-no-hitter against St. Joe's Prep on Monday, Parkland will likely send junior Casey Cooperman to the mound in the title game. All he's done is scatter seven hits and one run during his last two starts. They also have the option of starting Kulp on three days rest. Either way, they'll be confident in their pitching.

North Penn will counter with a sterling stopper of its own. Senior Eric Ruth has been dominant all season, and struck out a whopping 23 batters in his two state playoff starts. He's been the catalyst in the Knights' surprising playoff run (they were the 5th and final seed to make the playoffs from District One).

So while the offenses have been potent, expect pitching to steal the show on Friday. It should be a whale of a state final out in Altoona.

And note the time change - the originally scheduled 7:00pm start has been bumped up to 4:30pm. Be sure to tune into to 69 News at 10:00 Friday night, for a complete recap of the state championship game.

PARKLAND SOFTBALL MAKING RAY'S FINAL SEASON SPECIAL

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:51:31 -0500

For a team that didn't even win its District Championship, Parkland sure has made the most of its state tournament appearance. The Trojans have advanced to the PIAA 4A title game, thanks mainly to lights out pitching and excellent defense.

Deanna Stinner has had a great career at Parkland, but she's taken her game to a whole new level in the state playoffs. In Parkland's three wins, she's allowed a total of one run, and has posted back-to-back shutouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

And you can't forget the sentimental element for the Trojans. Glen Ray, who's been at the helm of the Parkland softball program for the last 26 years, has announced that this season will be his last. What better way to go out than riding off into the sunset with his third state championship.

Best of luck to the Trojans on Friday. They'll face District 7 runner-up Shaler at 10:00am out at Shippensburg University. You can catch the highlights on 69 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 that night.

SURPRISING RUN CARRIES BECAHI ALL THE WAY TO THE SHIP

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:43:36 -0500

I'm not sure how many people expected Bethlehem Catholic to be playing at this point in the season. But when you spend the entire regular season playing against top-notch, 4A competition, you've set yourself up pretty well to make a run in the 3A state tournament.

The Golden Hawks have followed up their District 11 Championship with an impressive run through the state playoffs. The highlight, without a doubt, came in Monday's semifinal win.

Facing a heavily favored Milton team (they were 22-1 entering the game), the Golden Hawks went toe-to-toe with the Panthers through the first six innings. They then plated a pair of runs (with Erika Esposito and Kelly King supplying the RBIs) in the 7th inning, and held on for a dramatic, 2-1 upset victory.

Now, Becahi turns its attention to Friday's state title game, where it will face Greencastle Antrim, another powerhouse out of District 3. The game is slated for 4:00pm out at Shippensburg's Robb Field, and you can catch all the highlights on 69 News at 10:00.

National Signing Day Is Here

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:44:22 -0500

National Signing Day is a day where a lot of the focus is on college football programs and who those programs are bringing in. In the Lehigh Valley area, there are a number of football players signing today, as well as athletes from a ton of other sports.

The signing that is generating the most buzz is Parkland receiver Jaleel Clark who is going to the Big 12. Clark has signed his letter of intent this afternoon to play his college football at Missouri. Clark made his decision a while back, but today is the day he can make it official. Missouri was ranked in the top five nationally at one point this past season, but playing with Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma in the Big 12 wasn't easy.

Clark isn't the only area football standout moving on. State Champion Liberty has a few, Devin Street is going to Pittsburgh, Levi Brown is going to Temple, Horvin Latimer is going to Duquesne, and Christian Rodriguez is going to Millersville.
Freedom tailback Eddie Mateo is going to Stony Brook to continue his career. Jermel Lee is going to IUP, and Tyree Pompey will head up to Lock Haven.

A complete list of other athletes by school is below. We will continue to update the list as commitments are announced.

High School Football Survivor Contest

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:18:02 -0500

As we creep closer toward the start of the 2008 high school football season, we here at 69 Sports are introducing a brand new, season-long survivor contest. Here's how it works.

Each week, you can pick a team who you think will win its game. If you get it right, you stay alive and move on to the next week. But here's the catch: You can't take the same team more than once during the season. So if you pick Emmaus to beat Germantown in Week 1, you can't pick Emmaus for the rest of the year. The winner of the contest will receive a prize pack valued at $250.

You can pick from any game within our Big Ticket coverage area. Those games are listed on our website: www.wfmz.com/bigticket. Once you go there, click on the "schedules" link, and from there you can sort all games by Week 1, 2, 3, etc. You can submit your entry for each week by emailing us at radio@wfmz.com. Please put "Survivor Entry" in the subject line.

This contest is being offered in conjunction with our weekly radio show, 69 Sports Saturday, which airs from 10am-12pm every Saturday morning, on ESPN Radio 1230/1320 and www.wfmz.com. Each week on the show, we will run down the winners and losers for that week.

We hope this provides yet another channel through which to enjoy the high school football season. So put on your predicting hats, and good luck!

The 69 Sports Team

69 Sports Saturday Baseball Predictions

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:07:34 -0500

On Saturday we took a little time on the radio show to make our preseason baseball predictions, and as you'll see below, they vary quite a bit from one person to another. If you want to add your thoughts on who will win the divisions, send us an email and we may include it on the sports blog.

Troy Hein - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Detroit, AL West - A's, AL Wild Card - Cleveland
NL East - Mets, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Colorado, NL Wild Card - Braves
World Series - Mets over the Red Sox in 6 Games

Jim Vaughn - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Detroit, AL West - Angels, AL Wild Card - Cleveland
NL East - Phillies, NL Central - Milwaukee, NL West - Arizona, NL Wild Card - Mets
World Series - Angels over Arizona

Tim McMaster - AL East - Red Sox, AL Central - Cleveland, AL West - Seattle, AL Wild Card - Yankees
NL East - Mets, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Arizona, NL Wild Card - Phillies
World Series - Red Sox over the Cubs

Dave Rank (Starter's) - NL East - Phillies, NL Central - Cubs, NL West - Colorado, NL Wild Card - Mets
World Series - Phillies over Boston

NCAA "Play-In" Game Should Be Left "At-Large"

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:52:46 -0500

I first fell in love with the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1987. That was the first year that my father let me participate in his office pool. I picked Billy Donovan and his Providence College team to go to the Final Four and didn't miss a game as the Friars actually did it. Billy the kid and his coach Rick Pitino helped me finish second in that pool. Since then I've watched as Pitino won the Championship twice at the University of Kentucky and Donovan won back-to-back titles coaching Florida. Since I first started watching "the Dance" it's always been the little schools, like Providence in 1987, that have made it great.

As great as the tournament is, I believe it now has a flaw. The play-in game was started in 2001 and with it the tournament expanded from 64 teams to 65 teams. That's great. The problem is that every year the two teams that are forced to "play in" are two teams that have already played their way in by winning conference tournaments. Meanwhile the eighth place team from the Big East or the sixth place team from the PAC 10 get a free pass into the field of 64. There's no question that if this year's Villanova team was to play one of the teams in tonight's play in game the Wildcats would probably win easily. But that isn't the point. Mount Saint Mary's and Coppin State won conference tournaments to guarantee themselves a place in the tournament, yet they're now forced to play a single game in Dayton, Ohio with the loser heading home having never gotten a true feel for what the tournament is all about.

How can we fix this problem? I'm glad you asked. Tournament organizers can make the play-in game a battle of "at-large" teams and not conference champions. The winner of the game would then receive a #12 seed in the field. Normally the lowest ranking at large bid ends up with an eleven or twelve seed. If this system had been adopted this season, tonight's play in game would most likely feature a matchup between Kentucky and Arizona. Isn't that a little more exciting than Mount Saint Mary's taking on Coppin State. Almost every year, the game would pit a pair of teams from major conferences with national reputations. Because of that, the game would bring in better ratings and it would be a win for everyone. The biggest winner would be those little schools. They ones that make this tournament so great to begin with.

Tim

Big Dance Survivor Contest

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:18:01 -0500

Most March Madness contests are typically held after the brackets have been released. But we here at 69 Sports are giving you a shot at picking the champ before the field of 64 is even set, by playing the Big Dance Survivor Contest.

The Contest

In the 11:00 hour of our weekly radio show (69 Sports Saturday, presented by Scott Cars, on ESPN Radio 1230 & 1320, and wfmz.com), we will open up the phone lines. Listeners will then get a chance to call in, and pick one team that they think will win the NCAA Championship. But here's the catch: when a team is picked, that team is then off the board. For example, if the first 5 callers pick North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, Kansas, and Mount St. Mary's (hey, it could happen!), then the subsequent callers would have to pick someone else.

The Prize

Whoever picks the national champion will win a prize pack consisting of 4 Lehigh Valley IronPigs tickets, and a $50 gift certificate to Bennigan's.

Good luck, and we'll talk to you on Saturday!

Signing Day is a Busy Day Around Here

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:04:36 -0500

National Signing Day is when college football coaches set themselves up for the future. It's when the top high school athletes in the country sign their letters of intent to play at the next level. Today, a lot of football players and a lot of other athletes from our area did that, putting pen to paper to secure their futures. Here's a list of who signed and where they're heading.

Jared Holley - Pittsburgh Football
Chanelle Price - Tennessee Track
Jordan Oliver - Oklahoma St. Wrestling
Abby Shaffer - Virginia Tech Track
Ali Hartzell - Rhode Island Softball
Ahkeem Smith - Temple Football
Trevor Van Ackeren - Princeton Track
Joe Orlando - New Hampshire Football
Christy Jones - Michigan St. Field Hockey
Justin Rivera - Bloomsburg Football
Alex Schlener - Penn St. Field Hockey
Caitlin Donnelly - Lehigh Field Hockey
Mary Lawrence - Coastal Carolina Track
Kevin McCarthy - Virginia Swimming
Doug Marcincin - Lehigh Golf
Brendan Mohler - Franklin and Marshall Golf
Kevin Kroboth - Temple Football
Ashley Williams - St. Joseph's Track
Anthony Carter - Bucknell Football
Natasha Tukeva - Rider Field Hockey
Melanie Hay - Iona Softball
John Laub - Richmond Football
Dan Moller - Temple Baseball
Rebecca Pany - Indiana Field Hockey
Mallory Smith - Bucknell Field Hockey
Vaughan Carraway - Temple Football
Jeremy Rodriguez - Villanova Football
Tyler Sands - Illinois Football
Rayell Heistand - Connecticut Field Hockey
Courtney Hamsher - Towson St. Soccer
Lauren Leed - Central Michigan Field Hockey
Malcolm Williams - Temple Football
Francis Camarra - Holy Cross Football
Corey Hertzog - Penn St. Soccer
Lindsey Witmer - Toledo Volleyball
Christina Patrick- Albany Field Hockey
Laura Johnson - Drexel Soccer