The Varsity Blog

Dre's Final LVC Football Rankings

The best Lehigh Valley Conference football season is over with Easton (9-1) and Central Catholic (9-1) finishing as co-champs and with defending PIAA Class 4A champion Liberty clinching its sixth consecutive district playoff berth in its final game, 39-21 over Freedom on Saturday afternoon.

It was a season filled with great, long runs by Freedom's Darrius Webb, Parkland's Andre Williams and Nazareth's Chuck Dibilio, whose feats helped the Blue Eagles go 6-4 and advance to districts for the first time since 2000.

Allen, winless the last two seasons, snapped a 29-nine game losing streak, 34-8 over Dieruff (0-10) Saturday afternoon. Gotta crawl before you can walk. There is hope for next season just as long as middle school coach Geroge Clay is inlvolved with the varsity in some capacity.

He took control last week and the result was a victory. The players respect him and obviously played their hears out for him.

Ok, here's my final LVC rankings. Teams are still alive, of course, in the playoffs but this is based on the regular season.

1. Easton (9-1) - Best, most ferocious defense in the area.

2. Parkland (8-2) - Survived Whitehall, has most bruising back in area in Boston College-bound Williams.

3. Central Catholic (9-1) - Vikings are my choice as the District 11 Class 3A favorites.

4. Liberty (6-4) - Senior quarterback Anthony Gonzalez is more focused and dangerous than ever now.

5. Nazareth (6-4) - From 3-7 last season to the district playoffs this season. Impressive.

6. Bethlehem Catholic (5-5) - Very respectable season under first-year coach Mike Palos that should end with an Eastern Conference 3A title.

7. Whitehall (5-5) - Zephyrs are playing solid football right now.

8. Emmaus (5-5) - The Green Hornets are riding a three-game losing streak, but are capable of beating any team in the area. Should end up playing Whitehall for the Eastern Conference 4A title.

9. Freedom (5-5) - Ended season with four straight losses and a lot of head scratching.

10. Northampton (3-7) - Lost final six games.

11. Allen (1-9) - Wonder how the Canaries celebrated Saturday night after snapping 29-game losing streak?

12. Dieruff (0-10) - No time to pout now. Huskies better hit the weight room, condition harder, develop pride and confidence between now and the start of the next football season.

Nazareth not content just making districts

Nazareth cannot be called a Cinderella football team.

No, you have to earn wins in the Lehigh Valley Conference. The Blue Eagles went 5-4 in league play, earning a District 11-2-4 Class 4A playoff berth in their final game, a 42-20 shellacking over Northampton Friday night.

Excitement reigned in Nazareth, which is back in districts for the first time since 2000. Nazareth (6-4) enters as the No. 8 seed and will play at No. 1 Easton (9-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

"It’s been nine years overdue that Nazareth has been in the playoffs," said Nazareth coach Rob Melosky, a second-year coach, who's making his third head coaching stop in the LVC. He coached at Freedom and i 2002 coached Parkland to the 4A state title.

At Nazareth, he doesn't have the same depth as at Parkland, but he has superb offensive talents in junior tailback Chuck Dibilio and seniors Matt Carhart at quarterback and Danny Wilk at wideout.

And he has a team that believes it belongs in districts and hopes to stick around past this week. Nazareth led Easton 17-0 in the first half on Oct. 9 at Cottingham Stadium before going on to lose, 33-23.

The game was filled with controversial calls, but Melosky and nobody in Nazareth is worried about that now.

"Everybody right now is 0-0," Melosky said. "It’s a new season. Everyone’s starting fresh and that’s what we are going to preach to our kids. We are going to work hard to get the job done.

“What more can you ask for? You are playing a game in November that’s meaningful. It’s about moving on. We’re excited about it. We feel good about it.”

Morning Call photo

Pa. Football News Rankings

PENNSYLVANIA FOOTBALL NEWS

2009 Week Ten Rankings

Rank - School- District - Record - Result - Last Week Ranking

Class AAAA:

1. North Penn (1) (10-0) Defeated Pennridge, 39-12 (1)

2. Bishop McDevitt (3) (9-0) Did Not Play (2)

3. Gateway (7)(10-0) Defeated Plum, 49-0 (3)

4. Woodland Hills (7) (9-1) Defeated Baldwin, 42-7 (5)

5. LaSalle College (12) (8-1) Defeated Cardinal O'Hara, 24-14 (6)

6. Easton Area (11) (9-1) Defeated Bethlehem Catholic, 34-7 (8)

7. Garnet Valley (1) (9-1) Defeated Lower Merion, 52-6 (9)

8. Wilson (West Lawn) (3) (9-1) Defeated Warwick, 31-13 (10)

9. North Allegheny (7) (9-1) Defeated Greater Latrobe, 47-0 (OTW)

10. McDowell (10) (8-2) Did Not Play (OTW)

Others to Watch:

Avon Grove (1) (9-1)

Bethel Park (7) (9-1)

Cardinal O'Hara (12) (8-2)

Downingtown West (1)(9-1)

East Stroudsburg South (11) (9-1)

Neshaminy (1) (8-2)

Norristown (1) (9-1)

Pennsbury (1) (9-1)

Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) (8-2)

Ridley (1) (9-1)

Shaler Area (7) (9-1)

St. Joseph's Prep (12)(7-2)

State College (6) (7-2)

Rank - School- District - Record - Result - Last Week Ranking

Class AAA:

1. Thomas Jefferson (7)(10-0) Defeated Laurel Highlands, 51-7 (1)

2. Manheim Central (3) (10-0) Defeated Garden Spot, 49-0 (2)

3. Selinsgrove (4) (10-0) Defeated Montoursville, 42-0 (3)

4. Wilson Area (11)(10-0) Defeated Notre Dame, 41-0 (4)

5. Hopewell (7) (10-0) Defeated Derry Area, 28-14 (5)

6. Bayard Rustin (1) (10-0) Defeated Oxford Area, 42-7 (7)

7. Pottsgrove (1) (10-0) Defeated St. Pius X, 10-6 (8)

8. Allentown Central Catholic (11) (9-1) Defeated Emmaus, 14-6 (9)

9. Cathedral Prep (10) (8-2) Defeated Erie Central, 45-6 (10)

10. Interboro (1) (10-0) Defeated Glen Mills, 20-13 (OTW)

Others to Watch:

Abington Heights (2)(9-1)

Dallas Area (2) (9-1)

Daniel Boone (3) (8-2)

ELCO (3) (8-2)

Greensburg Salem (7) (9-1)

Littlestown (3) (8-2)

North Pocono (2) (9-1)

Owen J. Roberts (1) (8-1)

Schenley (8) (8-1)

Strong Vincent (10) (8-2)

Susquehanna Township (3) (9-1)

West Allegheny (7) (8-2)

West York (3)(9-1)

Rank - School- District - Record - Result - Last Week Ranking

Class AA:

1. Dunmore (2) (10-0) Defeated Riverside, 48-14 (1)

2. Aliquippa (7)(9-1) Defeated McGuffey, 27-7 (2)

3. Lancaster Catholic (3) (9-1) Defeated ELCO, 51-28 (3)

4. General McLane (10) (10-0) Defeated Fairview, 26-24 (4)

5. Wilmington (10) (9-1) Defeated Karns City, 55-9 (5)

6. North Schuylkill (11) (10-0) Defeated Mount Carmel Area, 27-7 (6)

7. South Fayette (7) (10-0) Defeated Beaver Area, 35-15 (7)

8. Center (7) (9-1) Defeated Washington, 27-0 (8)

9. Beaver Falls (7)(9-1) Defeated Steel Valley, 42-14 (9)

10. Mount Pleasant (7) (10-0) Defeated Kittanning, 45-6 (10)

Others to Watch:

Central (Martinsburg) (6) (9-1)

Delone Catholic (3) (9-1)

Edward Bok Vo-Tech (12) (9-0)

Forest Hills (6) (10-0)

Hughesville (4) (9-1)

Karns City (9) (8-2)

Keystone Oaks (7) (9-1)

Lewisburg (4) (9-1)

Towanda (4) (10-0)

Tyrone Area (6) (9-1)

West Catholic (12) (8-2)

Rank - School- District - Record - Result - Last Week Ranking

Class A:

1. Farrell (10) (10-0) Defeated Kennedy Catholic, 56-7 (1)

2. Rochester Area (7)(10-0) Defeated Carmichaels, 40-6 (2)

3. Bishop McCort (6) (9-0) Did Not Play (3)

4. Laurel (7) (9-1) Defeated Burgettstown, 55-7 (4)

5. Clairton (7)(9-1) Defeated South Side Area, 61-0 (5)

6. Portage Area (6) (9-0) Did Not Play (6)

7. Bellwood-Antis (6) (9-0) Did Not Play (7)

8. Old Forge (2) (10-0) Defeated Susquehanna Community, 36-22 (8)

9. Mercyhurst Prep (10) (10-0) Defeated Union City, 41-26 (9)

10. Steelton-Highspire (3) (7-2) Defeated Camp Hill, 48-20 (OTW)

Others to Watch:

Avonworth (7) (8-2)

Bethlehem-Center (7) (8-2)

Calvary Christian Academy (1) (7-1)

Cameron County (9) (9-1)

Conemaugh Township (5) (8-1)

Curwensville (9) (8-2)

Penns Manor (6) (9-1)

Pittsburgh North Catholic (7) (8-2)

Sharpsville (10) (8-2)

Springdale (7) (8-2)

United (6) (9-1)

Upper Dauphin (3) (9-1)

Becahi building hope and character

Bethlehem Catholic is back in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the third straght season, entering with a 5-5 record under first-year coach Mike Palos.

It's one more win than the Golden Hawks had last season, but there's a difference in the team's mentality and they way it plays.

The Hawks were routed 34-7 by powerhouse Easton on Friday night, but can still end the season on a high by winning the 3A Eastern Conference title.

This is a program that hit rock bottom, but is on its way back. Winning Eastern Conference would increase hope and demonstrate the chracter the players have developed under Palos, an ex-Hawks player.

Photo of Bethlehem Catholic's R.J. Taylor by Kevin Mingora of The Morning Call

Eastern Pa. Football Rankings

Super 10 Big School

1)Bishop McDevitt (3) 9-0 (1)

2)Selinsgrove (4) 10-0 (2)

3)Manheim Central (3) 10-0 (3)

4)North Penn (1) 10-0 (4)

5)St. Joseph's Prep (12) 8-1 (5)

6)LaSalle (12) 8-1 (6)

7)Easton Area (11) 9-1 (8)

8)Wilson West Lawn (3) 9-1 (10)

9)Pottsgrove (1) 10-0 (9)

10)Pennsbury (1) 9-1 (NR)

Super 10 Small School

1)Lancaster Catholic (3) 9-1 (1)

2)Dunmore (2) 10-0 (2)

3)North Schuylkill (11) 10-0 (3)

4)Towanda (4) 10-0 (4)

5)Delone Catholic (3) 9-1 (5)

6)Old Forge (2) 10-0 (6)

7)Hughesville (4) 9-1 (7)

8)Panther Valley (11) 8-2 (8)

9)Upper Dauphin (3) 9-1 (10)

10)Lewisburg (4) 9-1 (NR)

District 11 Football Rankings

District 11 Football Rankings

(including Eastern Conference, includes Dist. 2 and Dist. 4)

Class 4A

Team Rec.    PPG

1. Easton 9-1 131

2. ES South 9-1 123

3. Parkland 8-2 115

4. Hazleton (2)       7-3 98

5. Williamsprt (4) 7-3 94

6. Wallenpck(2)     7-3 91

7. Liberty 6-4 83

8. Nazareth 6-4 82

Class 3A

1. Allentown CC     9-1 141

2. Wilson 10-0    133

3. Pottsville 6-4 94

4. So. Lehigh    7-3 88

Class 2A

1. N. Schlkill     10-0    135

2. No. Lehigh 8-2 116

3. Catasauqua     7-3 104

4. Panther Val        8-2 100

5. Tamaqua 8-2 94

6. Palisades 6-4 81

7. Salisbury 4-6 57

8. Pen Argyl     4-6 52

Class A

1. Pius X    8-2 117

2. Willams Vly        7-3 95

3. Tri-Valley     6-4 84

4. Sch. Haven 6-4 83

Eastern Conference Final

Class 4A North

    Rcd. PPG

1. WV West     6-4 85

2. Del Val 5-5 65

Class 4A South

1. Emmaus 5-5 68

2. Whitehall     5-5 67

Class 3A

1. NW Lehigh (S) 7-3 84

2. W-B Coughlin (N)         6-4 84

3. Beth. Cath (E)    5-5 74

4. Scrntn Prep (WC)     7-3 76

Class 2A

1. Carbondale (N)       6-4 78

2. Sch. Vlley (E)       5-5 67

3. Mt. Carmel (S)         5-5 66

4. Hanover (C)        5-5    65

CLASS A

1. Lourdes (C)           7-2 108.9

2. Canton (N)    5-5 74

3. Shendoah Vall. (S)     5-5 72

4. Muncy (WC)        5-5 69

NOTES: in Class 4A North No. 2 plays at South No. 1 and South No. 2 plays at North No. 1 in furst round. In Class 3A Northwestern over W-B Coughlin on W-L record. In Class 4A South Freedom tied Whitehall at 67 but lost tiebreaker on head-to-head. Wild Card is always fourth seed.

Some quick Colonial League thoughts

With the Colonial League regular season over, seven of the league's 12 football teams have qualified for the District 11 playoffs -- Wilson and Southern Lehigh in Class 3A, and Northern Lehigh, Catasauqua, Palisades, Salisbury and Pen Argyl in Class 2A. Northwestern wound up the hard-luck team in the league, going 7-3 but getting nudged out of districts by Southern Lehigh for the final spot in the four-team Class 3A field.
While the playoff matchups aren't official yet, these are the matchups we appear headed for that involve Colonial League teams.
Class 3A
No. 3 Pottsville at No. 2 Wilson
No. 4 Southern Lehigh at No. 1 Central Catholic
Class 2A
No. 7 Salisbury at No. 2 Northern Lehigh
No. 6 Palisades at No. 3 Catasauqua
No. 8 Pen Argyl at No. 1 North Schuylkill
Here are some quick-hit thoughts after Friday's results.
* The Palisades-Catasauqua matchup is the most intriguing one involving Colonial League teams next week. Catasauqua won 31-21 at Palisades earlier this season in a game in which Palisades made a ton of mistakes. I think the Pirates are the most dangerous team in the bottom half of the bracket and think it's possible they will end up in a third straight District 11 Class 2A final.
* Southern Lehigh had the most disappointing effort of the night. While Salisbury played well in pulling a 28-14 upset, Southern Lehigh played a sloppy game in all facets. Southern Lehigh coach John Toman said he thought injuries and illness over the last few weeks had hurt the Spartans because it had limited players' practice reps, which had taken away some of the in-game sharpness Southern Lehigh showed earlier in the season.
Southern Lehigh has to forget about the way it played against Salisbury, because Central Catholic may well be the best team the Spartans will run into this season. Wilson also may fit that description, and it overwhelmed Southern Lehigh earlier this year.
* Tyrell Colbert put on an impressive show for Salisbury this week, often turning the corner against Southern Lehigh. He finished with 36 carries for 172 yards and three touchdowns.
Salisbury lost 41-14 to Northern Lehigh in Week 5. That was the one game Salisbury coach Rob Sawicki felt his team was not competitive in. The Falcons have improved over the season, and Colbert has been a big part of that improvement.
* Northwestern must be thinking about what might have been after narrowly missing districts. Two of its three losses stick out -- a 16-7 setback to Southern Lehigh and a 21-7 loss to Northern Lehigh. The Tigers could not finish drives in either one of those games.
I have a feeling I won't be on Northwestern coach Bob Mitchell's Christmas card list. The Tigers went 0-3 when I covered them and 7-0 when I wasn't in attendance.
I've got 3 days off coming up, but I'm already looking forward to next weekend's playoff games. It's going to be tough to decide which games to attend.

Colonial League Week 10: The end has arrived

My first year of covering Colonial League football won't end for at least a few weeks, but my first regular season will be finished Friday night. The last 10 weeks have flown by, probably because I've been bouncing between high school football and Phillies playoff coverage.
The last week of the regular season should be an intriguing one, with Southern Lehigh, Salisbury and Pen Argyl all trying to lock up district playoff berths, and Northern Lehigh and Catasauqua trying to nail down the No. 2 seed in the District 11 Class 2A field.
I'm interested to see how Pen Argyl plays this week. The Green Knights looked like a certain playoff team early in the year when they battled Palisades in a close Week 1 loss, won two straight games and then forced a bunch of turnovers in a loss at Wilson. That loss to Wilson, however, started a five-game losing streak that Pen Argyl didn't end until beating Palmerton last week.
Pen Argyl coach Paul Reduzzi said he thought his team started to play better during the later stages of its losing streak, including in a seven-point loss to Catasauqua and a six-point loss to Northwestern.
"We've seen kids step up athletically and as leaders," Reduzzi said. "You could be winless for three years. Going into this game, you always feel good."
This week will also give me my first look at Salisbury, one of only two Colonial League teams I haven't seen in person (Notre Dame-Green Pond is the other). Every time I've talked with coaches this year they've spoken about the strides the Falcons have made. Will they be good enough to beat a talented Southern Lehigh team on its own field?
Southern Lehigh should be at full strength this week, with running back Matt Gotzon expected to return to the lineup after missing the last game and a half because of a sprained ankle. Salisbury had a few players battling the flu when I talked to coach Rob Sawicki earlier in the week, so we'll see tonight if health is an issue.

Two Central Catholic signings

Central Catholic senior point guard Taylor Maldonado (left) will sign a letter of intent to play at Division II Florida Southern College when the NCAA's early signing period opens Wednesday, Nov. 11. Maldonado averaged 7.5 points per game last season and was the Vikettes' top perimeter defender, helping them go 26-4 and win both Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 Class 3A championships.
Maldonado will sign her letter of intent in a ceremony at Central Catholic on November 11. She will be joined by Audra Brady, a senior setter for Central Catholic's volleyball team. Brady will sign a letter of intent to play volleyball at Division I Marist.

Dre's LVC Football Rankings

One more regular season week remains in the Lehigh Valley Conference football schedule.

One more week to secure a district or Eastern Conference playoff spot.

One more week to end a winless streak for Dieruff or Allen.

One more week before the best LVC season will end.

My rankings:

1. Easton (8-1) - Can clinch top seed in District 11-2-4 Class 4A subregional finals with a win over Bethlehem Catholic Friday night in Bethlehem.

2. Parkland (7-2) - For a team that doesn't pass well, Trojans are still mighty scary. Senior running back Andre Williams is the reason. Big game against rival Whitehall Friday night.

3. Central Catholic (8-1) - Can clinch the top seed in District 11 Class 4A playoffs with a win over Emmaus Friday night.

4. Liberty (5-4) - Out-toughed, roughed up in 28-7 loss to Easton, but can clinch district/subregional playoff spot with a win over Bethlehem City rival Freedom on Saturday afternoon.

5. Nazareth (5-4) - Gotta give Blue Eagles props. Beat Emmaus and Freedom this season, hung relatively tough against Easton and will clnch a district playoff spot with a win over Northampton on Friday.

6. Whitehall (5-4) - The Zephyrs are hot at the right time. Beating Parkland Friday would be a season-maker.

7. Bethlehem Catholic (5-4) - Great run by the Golden Hawks, could have qualified for the Eastern Conference playoffs.

8. Emmaus (5-4) - Despite two straight nail-biting defeats, Green Hornets will clinch one of five district/subregional playoff spots guaranteed District 11 by beating Central Catholic Friday night. No easy game, but hope is at least still alive.

9. Freedom (5-4) - Patriots have turned into most disappointing team in the conference, hurt by a paper-thin defense.

10. Northampton (3-6) - Tough season, disappointing season.

11. Dieruff (0-9) - Tougher season. Can end OK with a win over Allen on Saturday.

12. Allen (0-9) - Riding a 29-game losing streak. Third straight winless season very possible.