Groller's Corner

Tonight's Pleasant Valley Hall of Fame Class features former Penn State football player

Five new members will be inducted into the Pleasant Valley Sports Hall of Fame tonight during a ceremony at halftime of the Bears boys basketball game against Stroudsburg.

The five new inductees include Charles Arnold, John Blick, Roger Borger, Karyn Kern Pinter and Kevin Scheller. Here are their bios.

Charles H. Arnold

B.S. from East Stroudsburg University where he was a member of the baseball team
Master’s Degree from Lehigh University
Doctoral Candidate of the University of Virginia; where he was a member of Phi Delta Kappa
Superintendent’s letter of Eligibility from Lehigh University
Math teacher at Chestnuthill High School 1945 to 1959
Pleasant Valley High School Principal 1974 to 1976
Assistant Superintendent at Pleasant Valley School District 1976 to 1983

Honors Received: Old Fellows Lodge Exceptional Service Award

Pocono Mountain Baseball League Most Deserving Official

Member and Past High Priest of Monroe Royal Arch Chapter 281

Member and Past Commander of Samuel H. Yohe Commandry 81

Accomplishment: His career in education spanned five decades. He was a teacher, math department head, assistant principal and assistant superintendent in the Stroudsburg Area School District. He was a teacher at Chestnuthill, Pleasant Valley High School Principal and Pleasant Valley Assistant Superintendent.

Community Service: Monroe County Redevelopment Authority Board

Easter Seals Board

Western Pocono Lions Club

Monroe County Vo-Tech Authority Board

Zion United Lutheran Church Council

Pennsylvania Association of School Retires and American Association of

School Administrators

John Blick

Graduate of PV in 1996

3 year football letter winner
4 year track letter winner
Holds Shot Put & Discus Record for PVHS
District Champion

1993-1994 Discus 158 ft. – 2 in.

1994-1995 Discus 171 ft. - 5 in.

Shot Put 52 ft.-8 1/2 in.

Allstate Football 1994-1995
All-American Football 1995
Big 33 Selection 1996
Athlete of the year 1995-1996 for Pleasant Valley High School
Graduate of Penn State University in 2000 B.A. in Journalism; East Stroudsburg University in 2005 - MED Professional & Secondary Education and is currently attending Cabrini College working on his principal certification.

Honors Received: 4 Year Letter Winner in Football at Penn State University

Red Warrell Award Recipient

Richard Maginnis Memorial Award

State College Quarterback Club Award

Accomplishment: He is teaching English / Journalism Teacher at Northampton Area High

School; where he is a member of the coaching staff for football & track.

Played 1 season in NFL with Kansas City Chiefs.

Started 10 games for Rhein Fire in NFL Europe during 2001 season.

He currently resides in Nazareth, PA with his wife Alicia of 2 years.

Roger R. Borger

Graduated of PV in 1964
Played football, basketball and baseball for Pleasant Valley and also was a class president and Sports Club President in his senior year.
Graduate of Penn State in 1968 with a BS in Science and Agriculture
Retired from Pleasant Valley School District where he was the Coordinator of Buildings & Grounds/Construction Manager of 29 years

Honors Received: Inducted into National Honor Society

State Star Farmer of Future Farmers of America (FFA)

Pleasant Valley School District 25 Years Service Award

Community Service: West End Fair Director

West End Fair Treasurer

Western Pocono Jaycees

Accomplishment: Pleasant Valley School District recognition for prompt completion of building projects. He currently resides in Kunkletown, PA with his wife Anita. He has 3 children, Shawn, Annette and Shane and 10 grandchildren.

Karyn Kern Pinter

Graduate of Pleasant Valley 1996

3 Year Cross Country letter winner
4 Year Girls’ Basketball letter winner
4 Year Track & Field Letter winner
Member of the Pleasant Valley Marching Band – 4 years
All Around Athlete – she was the All Around Athlete winner her senior year in high school
All-Time Leading Girls’ Basketball Scorer, second in rebounding here at PV
Inducted into National Honor Society
Graduated from Susquehanna University earning Bachelor of Arts degree in both Psychology and Corporate Communications in 2001 and was inducted into Susquehanna Athletic Hall of Fame in February 2008.

Honors Received: All-American @ Susquehanna in women’s basketball, where she was the All-time leading rebounder (1,079 rebounds) and third leading scorer in program history (1,773 points). She remains ranked 14^th in career field goal percentage (.597) in NCAA Division III history, while also ranking 20^th in single season field goal percentage (.650).

Kern-Pinter was also a four-time Middle Atlantic Conference jumping champion, capturing the triple jump title three times and the long jump crown once.

Community Service: Western Pocono Community Library

Accomplishment: Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic Team

Inducted into Psi Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Societies Dean’s List

Four-time Commonwealth Conference Women’s basketball All-Star

Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year

Verizon District II College Division Women’s Basketball All-Academic 2^nd team

She currently resides in Mt. Bethel, PA with her husband Martin and six-year old daughter Julia.

Kevin D. Scheller

Person accepting award – Maxine Scheller (widow) with daughters Krystel Scheller and Erica Smith

Graduate of Pleasant Valley 1973
4 Year Baseball Letter Winner
Graduate of Pennsylvania Realtors Institute
Real Estate Broker of Koehler Marvin Realty where he achieved his Real Estate Appraiser Certificate

Honors Received: John Sousa Award; Kevin was one of the founders of Pleasant Valley Education Foundation, established 11 years ago.

Community Service: West End Little League Coach and umpire for 20 years

Umpire in Chief of West End Little League

West End Little League Board

Board of Directors for the Pleasant Valley School District

Pocono Raceway NASCAR Races – section group leader of 50 or more

volunteers that park vehicles, hich raise money for may non-profit youth

organizations.

Tribute to the Weave on tonight's 'After Further Review' show on 1470

I have been told that the legendary Andy "The Weave" Weaver, Nazareth's finest, will be talked about on tonight's "After Further Review" show on AM-1470, the Fox.

Rob Melosky, the Nazareth football coach, will be Bob Holder's co-host. The show goes from 5-7 p.m.

I will call in around 5:15 to talk about the Weave.

That's AM-1470, the Fox, and fox1470.com.

List of Lehigh's football recruits finally revealed

More on this list later, but Lehigh has just released its list of football recruits, which includes locals Noah Robb of Central Catholic and Matt Laub of Parkland.

Lehigh Football Class of 2016

Name	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Hometown/High School	College
Donnyell Burgeous, Jr.	LB	6-2/230	Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack	Arts and Sciences
Dan Brown	RB	5-10/185	Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South	Arts and Sciences
Steven Camasta	OL	6-2/275	Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack	Arts and Sciences
Josh Chiasson	DL	6-4/225	Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s	Engineering
Austin Devine	K/P	6-3/195	Oradell, N.J./Bergen Catholic	Business
Matt Ford	OL	6-3/265	Wall, N.J./Wall	Business
Ryan James	OL	6-3/295	Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway	Engineering
Grant Jamgochian	DL	6-3/230	Newtown Square, Pa./The Haverford School	Arts and Sciences
DJ Kee	RB	5-11/185	Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur	Arts and Sciences
Derek Knott	WR	5-9/160	Orlando, Fla./Colonial	Arts and Sciences
Cody Kondas	LB	6-2/220	Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central	Business
LaQuan Lambert	DB	6-1/180	Chichester, Pa./Chichester	Business
Matthew Laub	LB	6-3/215	Coplay, Pa./Parkland	Business
Randall Lawson	DB	5-11/180	Clarksville, Md./River Hill	Business
Tony Manganiello	OL	6-1/255	Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston	Business
Terez Owens	OL	6-2/310	Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian Academy	Business
Greg Palma	DL	6-3/240	Nutley, N.J./Nutley	Business
Russhon Phillips	DB	6-1/170	Conshohocken, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh	Arts and Sciences
Olivier Rigaud	DB	6-0/175	Hollywood, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter	Business
Noah Robb	LB	6-3/195	Orefield, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic	Engineering
Chris Ruhl	TE	6-4/170	Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington	Engineering
Matthew Verdon	LB	6-5/195	Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek	Business

Nosovitch wins Maxwell Club's Jim Henry Award; will be honored in AC on March 2

Another day, another award for Central Catholic senior Brendan Nosovitch.

Maxwell Football Club president Ron Jaworski announced on Wednesday morning that the Vikings' record-breaking quarterback has been selected as the MFC's 27th Jim Henry Award winner.

Nosovitch was already named the Maxwell Club's Pennsylvania Player of the Year at a banquet last month. It was between him and New Jersey's Jim Cashman from Haddonfield for the Jim Henry Award. The announcement was expected to be made at the Maxwell Club's pre-banquet press conference on March 2 in Harrah's Atlantic City. Instead, it came on Wednesday morning.

Nosovitch joins a prestigious list of previous Jim Henry Award winners including Parkland's Austin Scott, Pennridge's Ryan Greiser and most recently Liberty's Dan Persa in 2007.

The South Carolina recruit had one of the most prolific careers in Pennsylvania high school football history. By now you know he threw for a District 11 single-season record 3,809 yards with 39 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a senior this past fall helping the Vikings reach the PIAA Class 3A semifinals.

As a junior in 2010, he led Central to an undefeated 16-0 season and the PIAA Class 3A title while being named the state's 3A player of the year as well as The Morning Call's player of the year.

He finished his career with 9,249 passing yards and 106 touchdown passes, both ranking him No. 2 all-time in the state. He also ended up as Central Catholic's all-time leader with 3,628 rushing yards and wound up with 12,877 yards of total offense.

Nosovitch can add this honor to a long list of accolades highlighted by the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010 and being selected as a Parade All-American in 2011.

The Maxwell Club prides itself on honoring top student-athletes and Nosovitch is an honor roll student with a 3.3 GPA. He is active in the Student Council at Allentown Central Catholic and volunteers his time as a youth sports coach and in church events.

Mark Dianno, winner of the first Jim Henry Award and current Maxwell Football Club officer said on a release: "Being associated with the Maxwell Football Club for the past 27 years, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Jim Henry and understand the kind of gentleman that he was and why the award is so representative of his many and significant contributions to athletics, scholarship and community service. Over these years, I have also had the good fortune of meeting many exceptional student-athletes. This year's Jim Henry Award winner, Brendan Nosovitch, is an outstanding and deserving recipient of this prestigious award. His on field prowess is rivaled only by his academic accomplishments and the dedication to his community. It is an honor and a privilege to welcome him to the Maxwell Football Club family of Jim Henry Award winners."

At the 75th annual Maxwell Club gala banquet on March 2 in Atlantic City, Nosovitch will be among some of the game's greats. Here's a list of the other award winners who are all expected to be in attendance:

The Bert Bell Award – Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), The Earle "Greasy" Neale Award – Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers), The Maxwell Award – Andrew Luck (Stanford University), The Chuck Bednarik Award – Tyrann Mathieu (LSU), The Francis "Reds" Bagnell Award – Archie Manning (National Football Foundation), The Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award – Eddie Delaney (Univ. at Albany), The MFC Collegiate Coach of the Year Award – Brady Hoke (Michigan), The Harrah’s Broadcaster Award – Mike Tirico (ESPN Monday Night Football),The MFC Tri-State Player of the Year Award – Mohamed Sanu (Rutgers University) and the MFC Tri-State Coach of the Year Award – Jim Clements (Delaware Valley College).

The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased on the Maxwell Football Club website www.maxwellfootballclub.org or by calling 215-643-3833.

Looking at the league tournaments in area boys basketball

Here's what we know after Tuesday night's games:

In the Colonial League -- Bangor (14-1), Salisbury (14-1) and Northern Lehigh (12-3) are definitely in. The last spot will go to either Notre Dame (11-4) or Southern Lehigh (10-5). Solehi would need to beat Salisbury and then hope Notre Dame loses to Wilson to force a one-game playoff. Considering three things need to happen there for Solehi -- two of them being unlikely -- look for Notre Dame to get the last spot.

If Bangor and Salisbury both win on Friday, or both lose, Salisbury gets the top seed by virtue of winning their head-to-head meeting.

So, from here, it looks like 1. Salisbury; 2. Bangor; 3. Northern Lehigh; 4. Notre Dame going into the tournament, which is supposed to begin Wednesday night.

That means you'd have a rematch of that great game last Friday between Salisbury and Notre Dame. They have split their two meetings this season. The other matchup wold be Bangor-Northern Lehigh and the Slaters have won both previous meetings.

The only other team, besides the five teams in contention for the league title to qualify for the District 11 tournament from the Colonial League team will be Wilson (12-9 overall).

In the Lehigh Valley Conference -- Freedom (11-2), Emmaus (11-2) and Parkland (11-2) are in and based on head-to-head matchups Parkland would be the top seed assuming it beats Whitehall on Friday night.

Assuming both Emmaus and Freedom win as well on Friday and finish tied, I believe the second seed would be Emmaus based on previous its win over Freedom.

The fourth spot is going to go to either Liberty or Easton.

Assuming Easton beats Becahi and Freedom beats Liberty on Friday, Easton is in.

If both Easton and Liberty win, however, we believe -- but this hasn't been confirmed -- that the two teams would have a one-game playoff on Monday night to determine the final slot and that would push the start of the LVC tournament back by one night until Wednesday.

My feeling, however, is that Freedom will beat Liberty to knock the Hurricanes, who probably won't have K.J. Williams, out of the last spot.

So, my best guess at this point is that the LVC tourney will look like this:

1. Parkland; 2. Emmaus; 3. Freedom; 4. Easton and then you'd have Parkland-Easton and Emmaus-Freedom in the semis, both great matchups.

But stay tuned. We'll try to get more information leading into Friday's final regular season games.

And when it comes to districts, seven LVC teams are definitely in -- Parkland, Emmaus, Freedom, Easton, Liberty, Allen and Central Catholic. The only other team with a shot of qualifying is Whitehall. The Zephyrs need to beat Parkland on Friday night at Parkland to get in. How ironic this is because last year it was the Zephyrs who beat the Trojans twice within a matter of days to keep them out districts.

Revenge could definitely be in the air here.

Former Lehigh football player joins the Steelhawks

Former Lehigh University defensive back John Kennedy has made the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks roster after a successful tryout.

Kennedy, who is from Philadelphia, was both a defensive back and return specialist for Mountain Hawks. He played in 45 games in his career, and recorded 135 tackles. He led the team in all-purpose yards in 2007 (1,087 yds), 2009 (794 yds), and was second on the team in 2008 (775 yds). Kennedy holds the record at Lehigh for the longest kick return, 92 yds (2009).

He was selected to the All-Patriot League 1^st team as a defensive back (2009 & 2010), and to the 2^nd team as a return specialist (2007 and 2009).

Kennedy's biggest moments may have come in back-to-back games -- albeit nearly 10 months apart.

His 94-yard interception sealed Lehigh's 31-15 win over Lafayette at the end of the 2008 season, a key win since it snapped the Mountain Hawks' four-game losing streak to the Leopards.

And then he opened the 2009 season with a 92-yard kickoff return against Central Connecticut State, a 28-21 loss for Lehigh.

After three losing seasons to start his career at Lehigh, Kennedy was instrumental in the 2010 season when Lehigh turned it around, going 10-3 and winning the Patriot League title and beating Northern Iowa in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

The vastly revamped Steelhawks, featuring plenty of roster changes and a new head coach after a 4-10 season a year ago, open their second season on Feb. 25 at Chicago. The home opener is slated for March 10 at Stabler Arena.

Phillies radio broadcasts now available on FM

Phillies baseball games can now be heard on FM radio. That was revealed in a release put out by the Phillies on Monday.

The Phillies will continue to be heard on AM-1210, but now the five-time National League East champs can also be heard on FM at 94WIP. Both stations are owned by CBS Radio.

WPHT (AM-1210) has been the team's flagship station for a long time, but adding a FM option figures to be quite popular with the fans.

The agreement takes effect in time for spring training games next month.

Scott Frankze and Larry Andersen will return as the main radio team with others such as Jim Jackson popping in the booth from time to time.

In the Lehigh Valley, the Phillies can also be heard on AM-1470, the Fox.

New numbers show this Super Bowl was most-watched TV program ever

Earlier today, NBC put out a release saying that Sunday night's Super Bowl was only the third highest rated Super Bowl Bowl in history. But that was based on overnight ratings which reflect only the top 56 markets in the country.

Now a release, also from NBC Universal, is saying that after all of the numbers from everywhere were computed, Sunday night's game was the most-watched televison show ever and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, topping even last year's Super Bowl.

Ratings and overall viewership totals are different things because each rating point is one percent of the total number of television households in the United States. And that total grows each year. A single national ratings point represents one percent of the total number.

Here's the release:

INDIANAPOLIS – Feb. 6, 2012 – Super Bowl XLVI is the most-watched television program in U.S. history and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, according to fast national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The game, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 21-17, was seen by a record 111.3 million viewers (6:31-9:58 p.m. ET), topping last year’s 111.0 for Super Bowl XLV on Fox and is the biggest audience to watch a television program in U.S. history.

MOST-WATCHED PROGRAMS IN U.S. TELEVISION HISTORY

1. 111.3 Million – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (Last Night’s Game)
2. 111.0 Million – Super Bowl XLV, Fox
3. 106.5 Million – Super Bowl XLIV, CBS
4. 106.0 Million – M.A.S.H. Finale, CBS
5. 98.7 Million – Super Bowl XLIII, NBC

HIGHEST-RATED SUPER BOWL IN 26 YEARS: The game earned a 47.0 rating and a 71 share, a gain of two percent from last year’s 46.0/69 for Super Bowl XLV and is the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1986 (Bears-Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 48.3/70). The 47.0 rating is the 6^th highest in Super Bowl history.

· The game drew a 40.5 rating in the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demographic, the highest for a Super Bowl in 16 years (41.2 for Super Bowl XXX on Jan. 28, 1996)

HIGEST-RATED SUPER BOWLS:

1. 49.1/73 – Super Bowl XVI, CBS
2. 48.6/69 – Super Bowl XVII, NBC
3. 48.3/70 – Super Bowl XX, NBC
4. 47.2/67 – Super Bowl XII, CBS
5. 47.1/74 – Super Bowl XIII, NBC
6. 47.0/71 – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC (Last Night’s Game)
T7. 46.4/71 – Super Bowl XVIII, CBS
T7. 46.4/63 – Super Bowl XIX, ABC
9. 46.3/67 – Super Bowl XIV, CBS
10. 46.0/69 – Super Bowl XLV, Fox

VIEWERSHIP GROWS THROUGHOUT THE GAME: The viewership and rating grew throughout the game and peaked at a 117.7 million viewers and a 50.7/72, respectively, from 9:30-9:58 p.m. ET in the fourth quarter when Eli Manning led the Giants on a game-winning drive.

HALF HOUR VIEWERSHIP (Times ET):

6:31-7, 99.2 million
7-7:30, 107.9 million
7:30-8, 110.9 million
8-8:30, 114.0 million
8:30-9, 114.3 million
9-9:30, 115.4 million
9:30-9:58, 117.7 million

HALF HOUR RATINGS (Times ET):

6:31-7, 42.5/69
7-7:30, 45.5/71
7:30-8, 46.4/71
8-8:30, 47.4/70
8:30-9, 47.7/70
9-9:30, 48.9/70
9:30-9:58, 50.7/72

HALFTIME SHOW FEATURING MADONNA IS MOST-WATCHED EVER: The halftime performance by Madonna (8-8:30), was seen by 114.0 million viewers, nearly four million more than last year’s performance featuring the Black Eyed Peas (110.3 million), and is the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show featuring entertainment ever (dating back to 1991).

Overnight ratings indicate this was the third most-watched Super Bowl

The overnight ratings, which measure only the country's top 56 markets, indicate that Sunday night's Super Bowl win by the Giants was the third-most watched Super Bowl ever. The complete ratings for the entire country will be released later.

According to a release issued on Monday morning by NBC Universal, this game ranks behind only the Packers-Steelers Super Bowl last year and Super Bowl XXI (21) between the Broncos and Giants in 1987.

Other notes include that the game had its largest audience between 9:30 and 10 p.m. when the Giants rallied, and also that the last half-hour of the pregame show and Madonna's halftime show did very well. Also, note that Philadelphia basically was disinterested in the game since New York and Boston was involved.

Here's the release from NBC:

Super Bowl XLVI in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17, earned a 47.8/71 overnight rating/share last night on NBC, the third-highest overnight rating in Super Bowl history and less than one percent off the highest (47.9 for both Super Bowl XLV and Super Bowl XXI), according to overnight data released today by The Nielsen Company.

· The 47.8/71 is seven percent higher than Super Bowl XLII on Fox when the Giants defeated the Patriots 17-14.

· The overnight rating is 14 percent higher than the last Super Bowl on NBC (Super Bowl XLIII, Steelers 27, Cardinals 23) and higher than any of NBC’s previous 11 Super Bowls in which there were metered markets.

· Tops all other Super Bowls involving the Giants and Patriots in Nielsen People Meter History (Since 1988).

“This confirms that the Super Bowl is the most dominant and consistent property on television,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “We are fortunate, in our new agreement with the NFL, to be able to broadcast three more Super Bowls over the next nine years.”

TOP 5 SUPER BOWL OVERNIGHTS OF ALL TIME:

T1. 47.9/71 – Super Bowl XLV, Packers 31-Steelers 25, Fox

T1. 47.9/68 – Super Bowl XXI, Giants 39-Broncos 20, CBS

3. 47.8/71 – Super Bowl XLVI, Giants 21-Patriots 17, NBC

4. 47.4/NA – Super Bowl XIV, Steelers 31-Rams 19, CBS

5. 46.9/70 – Super Bowl XX, Bears 46-Patriots 10, NBC

RATING GROWS THROUGHOUT THE GAME: The rating grew throughout the game and peaked at a 51.8/73 from 9:30-10 p.m. ET in the fourth quarter when Eli Manning led the Giants on a game-winning drive.

HALF HOURS (Times ET):

6:30-7, 43.3/69

7-7:30, 45.9/71

7:30-8, 47.7/72

8-8:30, 48.1/72

8:30-9, 48.3/71

9-9:30, 49.3/70

9:30-10, 51.8/73

FINAL HALF HOUR OF PRE-GAME SHOW BEST SINCE ’03: From 6-6:30, the Super Bowl XLVI Pre-Game show drew a 34.5 overnight rating, two percent higher than last year and the best for the final half-hour of the pre-game show since Super Bowl XXXVII (35.3 on ABC). Total pre-game (2-6:30) registered a 12.0/23 just two percent off from last year’s (12.2/23) and two percent higher than the last NBC Super Bowl (11.8/23 for Super Bowl XLIII).

· The halftime performance by Madonna (8-8:30), earned a 48.1/72 overnight, one percent ahead of last year’s 8-8:30 time period featuring the Black Eyed Peas (47.4/70) and 20 percent higher than NBC’s last Super Bowl with Bruce Springsteen (40.2/62).

· The post-game (10-10:15) registered a 35.3/54, 17 percent higher than last year’s 30.3 for Super Bowl XLV in Fox.

BOSTON SETS LOCAL MARKET RECORD: The rating in Boston was the best ever for an NFL game in that market (56.7/81) topping the previous high of 56.1/78 for Super Bowl XXXVI (56.1/78 on Fox).

· The New York market registered a 49.7/74, the second-highest overnight for an NFL game in that market, trailing only the 53.4/72 for Super Bowl XXI, the Giants first-ever Super Bowl. By comparison, New York registered a 44.9/67 for Super Bowl XLII, the last time they were in the big game.

· The host market of Indianapolis registered a 56.4/79 overnight rating, the second-best overnight for a host market only trailing Jacksonville (58.9/77) for Super Bowl XXXIX).

TOP 10 METERED MARKETS FOR SUPER BOWL XLVI:

1. Boston, 56.7/81

2. Indianapolis, 56.4/79

3. Norfolk, 54.2/73

4. Columbus, 54.1/72

5. New Orleans, 54.0/72

T6. Nashville, 53.5/74

T6. Jacksonville, 53.5/70

8. Buffalo, 52.9/72

9. Kansas City, 52.1/73

10. Milwaukee, 52.0/73

*New York ranked 18^th with a 49.7/74

When Fast National data is available from Nielsen this afternoon, the viewership could approach last year’s 111.0 million that watched Super Bowl XLV, the most-watched Super Bowl ever, and the most-watched television audience in U.S. history.

Emmaus, Salisbury still making the top 10 in state boys basketball rankings

Just one more week left in the regular season.

Here's how it looks around the state, courtesy of Michael Bullock of the Harrisburg Patriot-News:

PENNSYLVANIA STATE BOYS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS
CLASS AAAA Rec Pvs
1. Chester* (1) 19-0 1
2. Lower Merion (1) 19-2 2
3. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 17-2 4
4. Roman Catholic (12) 12-7 3
5. Shaler (7) 19-2 5
6. Central Dauphin (3) 19-1 6
7. Chartiers Valley (7) 17-2 7
8. Wissahickon (1) 18-2 9
9. Emmaus (11) 17-3 10
10. Hershey (3) 20-0 NR
Honorable mention: Coatesville (1) 17-3, Council Rock North (1) 15-4, J.P. McCaskey (3) 15-5, Manheim Twp (3) 17-2, Norristown (1) 14-5, Parkland (11) 17-3, Pennsbury (1) 14-6, State College (6) 13-3.

CLASS AAA Rec Pvs
1. Neumann-Goretti* (12) 17-3 1
2. New Castle (7) 19-0 2
3. Montour (7) 15-2 3
4. Boys Latin Charter (12) 18-4 8
5. Hampton (7) 17-3 5
6. Archbishop Carroll (12) 13-6 6
7. General McLane (10) 18-0 9
8. Berks Catholic (3) 19-2 4
9. Philadelphia Electrical (12) 14-8 7
10. Holy Ghost Prep (1) 19-1 10
Honorable mention: Danville (4) 16-2, Donegal (3) 19-1, Engineering & Science (12) 20-1, Johnstown (6) 17-2, Keystone Oaks (7) 17-2, Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 18-2, Octorara (1) 17-3, Trinity (3) 19-2.

CLASS AA Rec Pvs
1. Imhotep Charter* (12) 15-7 1
2. Beaver Falls (7) 18-2 2
3. Monessen (7) 19-1 3
4. Communications Tech (12) 14-8 4
5. Vaux (12) 12-9 5
6. Quaker Valley (7) 17-2 9
7. Sto-Rox (7) 16-2 7
8. Riverside (2) 18-1 10
9. Meyers (2) 16-2 NR
10. Salisbury (11) 19-1 8
Honorable mention: Athens (4) 15-2, Bishop McCort (6) 12-4, GAR Memorial (2) 17-1, Holy Cross (2) 14-4, Lewisburg (4) 14-3, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 15-2, Notre Dame-Green Pond (11) 15-6, York Catholic (3) 15-6.

CLASS A Rec Pvs
1. Constitution (12) 12-9 1
2. Math, Civics & Sciences* (12) 14-8 2
3. Lincoln Park (7) 16-4 3
4. Girard College (1) 19-0 5
5. Church Farm (1) 14-5 4
6. West Middlesex (10) 13-4 6
7. North Catholic (7) 14-4 7
8. Vincentian (7) 15-3 8
9. Greenwood (3) 16-1 9
10. Ridgway (9) 18-0 10
Honorable mention: Clarion-Limestone (9) 14-3, Cornell (7) 14-5, Faith Christian (1) 16-3, Johnsonburg (9) 14-3, Kennedy Catholic (10) 11-5, Our Lady of Sacred Heart (7) 14-4, Serra Catholic (7) 14-5, Southern Fulton (5) 16-2.
*-reigning PIAA champion. Number in parentheses is PIAA district.

The bios of the LV football scholar-athletes to be honored on March 4

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will hold its annual scholar-athlete dinner on March 4 at the Northampton Community Center. Kutztown University coach Ray Monica is the main speaker. Dinner begins at 4:30.

It's a great night to showcase the very best of our football community.

Here are the bios of each school's scholar-athletes:

William Allen High School – Dominic R. Singleton

A 5’8” 205 lb. defensive end, he ranks 197 out of 687 students. He ranks in the top 25 percent of his class. He participates in varsity wrestling and tennis, and is involved in his community.

Allentown Central Catholic High School – Kevin T. Gulyas

A 6’ 175 lb. wide receiver, he ranks 54 out of 215 students. He is an Honor Roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. He earned All Conference and All State first team honors, participates in lacrosse, the PA and Catholic Math leagues, and is a Student Government member. He volunteers with the Allentown YMCA and a youth football camp.

Bangor Area High School – Ryan Allen Telepo

A 5’11” 185 lb. offensive center and defensive nose guard, he ranks 27 out of 274 students. He earned All Conference honors, is an Honor Roll Student, and a member of the National Honor Society. He participates in track, weightlifting club, the band, and class plays. He is active in his Church and has been on several mission trips.

Bethlehem Catholic High School – Bernard Francis Brown II

A 6’2” 255 lb. center and defensive end, he ranks 8 out of 172 students. He is an Honor Roll student and member of the National Honor Society. His many school activities include volleyball, JETS (Jr. Engineers), Science Olympiad, and PJAS Science Fair. He is active in Dream Come True, the Soup Kitchen, tutoring, and youth sports.

Catasauqua Area High School – Jacob Michael Bloszinsky

A 6’1” 190 lb. quarterback, he ranks 6 out of 128 students. He is an Honor Roll student, participates in basketball, baseball, the Varsity “C” Club, SADD, and is a Student Government member. He volunteers as a youth football coach and in the concession stand.

Louis E. Dieruff Area High School – Shaun M. McLaughlin

A 6’1” 215 lb. offensive and defensive lineman, he ranks 122 out of 455 students. He participates in varsity basketball, the Environmental Club, and was a captain of the football team. He is active as a community volunteer and serves as a School Leader.

East Stroudsburg North High School – Nicholas James Roughan

A 6’3” 265 lb. guard and defensive tackle, he ranks 45^th in his class, which is the top 10 percent. He is an Honor Roll student, earned All Conference honors, and participates in track. His community activities include the Salvation Army, Relay for Life, Read Across Campus, Pennies for Patients, and serving as a youth football camp counselor.

East Stroudsburg South High School – Nathan Thomas Grayuski

A 5’10” 155 lb. tight end, linebacker, and defensive end, he ranks 6 out of 345 students. He is a High Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, football captain, and participates in baseball. His school activities include the Physics, Math and Computer, and Key clubs, weightlifting, Model UN, FBLA, and the Principal’s Advisory Committee. He is active in Little League Baseball, Special Olympics, and the Salvation Army.

Easton Area High School – Ian Werner Hayden

A 6’ 180 lb. quarterback and safety, he ranks 62 out of 627 students. He is an Honor Roll student and member of the National Honor Society, earned All Conference honors, and participates in varsity baseball. His community activities include serving as a youth sports coach and public address announcer.

Emmaus High School – Brian James Auvil

A 6’4” 255 lb. guard and defensive tackle, he ranks 21 out of 614 students. He is an Honor Roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and is a National Merit Scholar. He is a member of the PA Math League Club, Spanish Honor Society, and a high school math tutor. His community activities include several youth sports functions.

Freedom High School – Frank Joseph Bucsi

A 5’10” 175 lb. wide receiver and safety, he ranks 190 out of 507 students. He is an Honor Roll student, earned All conference honors, and participates in baseball. His community activities include Meals on Wheels, Soup Kitchen, the Salvation Army, Project Hope, Read Across America, Musikfest, and he is a youth football volunteer.

Jim Thorpe High School – Benjamin Robert Moore

A 6’2” 185 lb. fullback, tight end, and defensive end, he ranks 48 out of 120 students. He is an Honor Roll student and participates in basketball, track, the school newspaper, Student Government, and is Class President. He has won awards for Rotary Youth Leadership and Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership. He is active in his church, the Positive Behavior Club, and the Anti-Bullying Initiative.

Lehighton High School – Zachary Tyler Coleman

A 5’8” 175 lb. running back and linebacker, he ranks 13 out of 175 students. He is a member of the National Honor Society and participates in varsity wrestling and track. His community activities include participation in Special Olympics and he is active in his Church Group.

Liberty High School – G. Damian Brusko

A 6’3” 180 lb. wide receiver, he ranks 8 out of 643 students. He is an Honor Roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and participates in baseball. He is active as an assistant football coach in both youth and middle school football, volunteers at a local hospital, and is active in his Church.

Nazareth Area High School – Benjamin Thomas Schmitt

A 5’8” 175 lb. safety and wide receiver, he ranks 10 out of 424 students. He is an Honor Roll student, President of the National Honor Society, a member of Blue Eagle Ambassadors, participates in baseball, and the Pennsylvania Math League. He volunteers for several organizations, is involved with the Points of Light Youth Leadership, and is active in his Church.

Northampton Area High School – Marcus Newsom

A 6’ 195 lb. fullback and defensive end, he ranks 31 out of 408 students. He is an Honor Roll student, member of the National Honor Society, earned All Conference honors, and participates in wrestling, baseball, and Student Government. He is a member of the DECA and SADD organizations, and volunteers with Angel 34 and also as a youth football coach.

Northern Lehigh High School – Kirk Mathew Bender

A 5’9” 175 lb. running back and linebacker, he ranks 7 out of 146 students. He is an Honor Roll Student, earned All Conference honors, and participates in varsity baseball and basketball. His community activities include nurturing at a local fish pond.

Northwestern Lehigh Regional High School – Kyle K. Klase

A 5’8” 185 lb. running back and linebacker, he ranks 48 out of 204 students. He is an Honor Roll student and participates in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program. He is active with his Church Mission Team as well as the Church Youth Group.

Notre Dame High School – Ian Parrick Myers

A 6’3” 178 lb. offensive tackle and defensive end, he ranks 2 out of 179 students. He is an Honor Roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and participates in Student Government, the school newspaper, yearbook staff, and basketball. He is Scholastic Scrimmage Captain and member of several school clubs. He is a Jeff Dailey Foundation volunteer, a West Point Leaders Attendee, and is active in his Church.

Palisades High School – Justin Andrew Marsh

A 5’9” 170 lb. running back and linebacker, he ranks 21 out of 157 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, and participates in the Spanish Club and wrestling. His Key Club activities include Collection of Supplies for the Troops, Shoes for Souls Collection, and he volunteers as a youth sports mentor.

Palmerton High School – Aaron Cameron Cook

A 5’8” 195 lb. fullback and linebacker, he ranks 4 out of 139 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, football team captain, and participates in baseball and the yearbook staff. He is a 2011 Mini Maxwell Award Winner, Class Secretary, FBLA and Environmental Club member. His numerous volunteering activities include the Miracle League and Special Olympics.

Parkland High School – Matthew Douglas Laub

A 6’3” 220 lb. tight end, linebacker, and defensive end, he ranks 164 out of 721 students. He an Honor Roll student, earned All Conference honors, and participates in the Latin Club and lacrosse. He is a school tour guide, DARE representative, Special Olympics volunteer, a youth sports coach, and is active in his Church.

Pen Argyl High School – John Thomas Krincek

A 5’8” 255 lb. two-way guard and placekicker, he ranks 33 out of 161 students. He is an Honor Roll student, earned All Conference Honors, and is a member of FBLA. His activities include participating in Calculus Workshops and guitar activities.

Phillipsburg High School – Robert S. Waterson

A 6’ 190 lb. tight end and linebacker, he ranks 48 out of 398 students. He is an Honor Roll student, Student Council Executive Board Member, and participates in basketball. He is involved with Veteran’s Tribute, AAG, Giving Tree, and local blood drives.

Pius X High School – Matthew L. Camilletti

A 6’1” 205 lb. tight end, wide receiver, and kicker, he ranks 9 out of 59 students. He is an Honor Roll Student, President of the National Honor Society, and earned All Conference and All State honors. He participates in baseball and basketball, is a member of the Pro Life Club, SADD, the Prom Committee, and is active in his Church as an Altar Server.

Pleasant Valley High School – Robert Jacob Getz

A 5’7” 185 lb. tailback, defensive back, and kick returner, he ranks 46 out of 512 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, and participates in baseball and basketball. He is a National Leadership Forum representative, President of the Health/PE Club, and volunteers with Special Olympics, the Salvation Army, Cystic Fibrosis, Angel 34, and the Lucy Fund.

Pocono Mountain East High School – Jacob Fritz

A 6’1” 225 lb. offensive tackle and defensive end, he ranks 21 out of 366 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, participates in track, school fundraisers, the Reading Competition Team, Scholastic Scrimmage, the Controversial Debate Club, and is the Spanish Honor Society Treasurer. He is active in his Church and the Community Soldier Support Group.

Pocono Mountain West High School – Mikiel Ruach Crosby

A 6’2” 152 lb. wide receiver and defensive back, he ranks 141 out of 443 students. He is an Honor Roll student, participates in varsity track, weightlifting, and the Fitness Club. He volunteers as a Camp Counselor, with the Salvation Army, and is a Peer Tutor.

Salisbury High School – Andrew David Eherts

A 6’1” 215 lb. running back and linebacker, he ranks 5 out of 153 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, and participates in track and Student Government. He is a Key Club member.

Saucon Valley High School – Kenneth Donovan Solt

A 5’11” 185 lb. quarterback, he ranks 57 out of 198 students. He is an Honor Roll Student, earned All Conference honors, is the Yearbook Editor, and participates in varsity wrestling and track. He is active in the Cops n’ Kids Program.

Southern Lehigh High School – Tyler Edmond

A 6’ 190 lb. quarterback, he ranks 9 out of 249 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, and participates in baseball and basketball. He is a member of the PA Math League, the Power-lifting Team, served as a youth football coach and camp volunteer, and planted trees to help create the Lower Milford Community Park.

Stroudsburg High School – Jonathan Thomas Passmore

A 6’2” 230 lb. offensive guard and defensive end, he ranks 41 out of 498 students. He is an Honor Roll student, earned All Conference honors, and participates in varsity track. He is active in his community.

Whitehall High School – Logan B. Kreglow

A 6’ 175 lb. wide receiver and defensive back, he ranks 14 out of 376 students. He is an Honor Roll student, National Honor Society member, earned All Conference honors, participates in track, the Pep Club, Weightlifting Club, and is involved in the Big Brother program. He is active in his Church, volunteers with Special Olympics, the DaVinci Center, and is a youth sports instructor.

Wilson Area High School – Joe F. Crivellaro

A 5’10” 240 lb. center and defensive tackle, he ranks 37 out of 153 students. He participates in varsity track and is a member of the Ski Club. He is active in his community.

COLLEGES

East Stroudsburg University – Dan Caffrey

A 6’ 280 lb. center, he has a 3.23 GPA majoring in Sociology with a concentration on Criminal Justice. He is a four year starter, team captain, and Dean’s List member. He earned first team All PSAC East honors, first team Daktronics All Region honors, and was an ESU Redshirt Award recipient. He is active with Breakfast with the Warriors and as a Salvation Army bell ringer.

Kutztown University – Joshua Smith

A 6’3” 220 lb. wide receiver, he has a 3.76 GPA majoring in Secondary Education – Social Studies and History. He earned Dean’s List honors multiple times and is a member of the History Honors Society. He earned the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference 2010-11 Champion Scholar Athlete Award, was a Capital One Academic All-American, and was selected to the All District I First Team. He actively works as a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Lafayette College – Brandon Ellis

A 5’9” 185 lb. cornerback, he has 3.56 GPA majoring in Economics and Business. He is a three time Dean’s List member, three time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selection, and Capital One Academic All American selection in 2011, and an ESPN Academic All American in 2010. He was a three time All Patriot League selection, an FCS AD’s Association All Star Team selection, while starting the final 33 games of his 4 year career. He is active in his Church and upon graduation will work for Johnson & Johnson in their Financial Leadership Development Program.

Lehigh University – Tanner Rivas

A 6’ 240 lb. linebacker, he has a 3.52 GPA majoring in Finance, with a minor in Engineering. He earned Dean’s List honors multiple times, was a member of the Patriot League Football All Academic Honor Roll, and a Scholar Athlete Academic Award winner. His hobbies include hunting and fishing.

Moravian College – Allen Petros

A 6’1” 225 lb. defensive end, he has a 3.42 GPA majoring in Biology. He is a three time Dean’s List member, a three time ESPN Academic All American All-District First Team selection, a 2011 Capital One Academic All American, and a 2008 PSAC Scholar Athlete. He is a member of the Moravian Pre-Health Professional Club, volunteers as a reader at local elementary schools, is a youth sports volunteer coach, and is active in the National Bone Marrow Donor Drive. He intends to continue his education with a goal of becoming an oral surgeon.

Muhlenberg College – Phil Musick

A 6’ 240 lb. offensive tackle, he has a 3.69 GPA majoring in Economics and Mathematics. He is a three year varsity letter winner, team captain, and Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll selection in 2010 and 2011. He earned Dean’s List honors for 5 semesters and was selected to the Capital One Academic All –District First Team in 2011.

Congrats to John Donmoyer on his 600th career victory

There's not a finer gentleman in local sports than John Donmoyer, and not a more successful coach.

Donmoyer got the 600th victory of his high school boys basketball coaching career today when his Moravian Academy team defeated Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg.

Donmoyer is now 177-171 in 15 seasons at Moravian Academy after going 423-226 in 23 seasons at Allen, his alma matter. With the Canaries, John also won six District 11 titles, five East Penn Conference crowns and two PIAA Eastern championships.

He told me that he never expected to coach this long at Moravian Academy after retiring from Allen.

As long as his health holds out, expect Donmoyer to continue with the Lions who are now 10-9 this season and one win away from clinching another district tournament berth.

Under Donmoyer, Moravian Academy has qualified for districts for the past eight years and 10 times overall after qualifiying just four times -- period -- before his arrival. Moravian has three games left, needing to win one, to secure a berth.

Chanelle Price posts automatic NCAA Indoor qualifying time in the 800

Easton High graduate and University of Tennessee track star Chanelle Price made her mark at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at The Armory in New York City on Saturday.

Price gave the Lady Volunteers their third entry into the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships, reeling off an automatic-qualifying time of 2:04.25 in the championship division of the women’s 800 meters. Price wound up third behind BYU’s Nachelle Mackie (2:03.56) and Katie Palmer (2:03.79).

Price, sixth at last year’s national meet, delivered the fastest regular-season 800 readout of her career. She will join UT's Annie Alexander (shot put) and UT’s distance medley relay team at NCAA Indoors, which will be held in Nampa, Idaho, on March 9-10.

Price runs the opening leg on the Tennessee DMR, collaborating with senior Ellen Wortham, Snapp and senior Brittany Sheffey.

“Chanelle set the race up well, and she came out with an automatic qualifying time,” UT Director of Track & Field J.J. Clark said. “It was good to see her run her fastest time outside NCAAs or SECs and auto this early, so she’s progressing. Obviously, we want to win, and we’ll work the kinks out to make sure she’s able to respond when it’s time.”

Disappointment again for Andre Reed and his family and friends

It was another sour Saturday before the Super Bowl for the family and friends of Andre Reed.

The former Dieruff High School, Kutztown University and Buffalo Bills standout made the final 10, but was not one of the six men selected for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The six men who were selected for enshrinement on Aug. 4 in Canton included cornerback and senior selection Jack Butler, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, center Dermontti Dawson, offensive tackle Willie Roaf, running back Curtis Martin and defensive end Chris Doleman.

It was the sixth time Reed was a finalist, and for the second straight year he was among the final 10 nominees, but he didn't secure the 80 percent support he needed from the 44-man committee consisting of media members from around the country.

The panel met on Saturday morning in Indianapolis, the site of today's Super Bowl.

While Reed and the nearly 300 family members and friends who gathered at Starters Riverport in Bethlehem were disappointed with the results, the committee shocked many by not voting in any wide receiver. Cris Carter and Tim Brown were also expected to be given strong considation and expected to be in a fight with Reed for one of the spots. Carter joined Reed in the final 10; Brown did not.

And almost as stunning was the fact that neither two-time Super Bowl champion Bill Parcells nor longtime San Francisco 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo, Jr., who headed the organization when they won five Super Bowls, was selected.

Even before the announcement was made on The NFL Network, Reed, who was in Indianapolis, got word that no receivers and texted family members the bad news.

"He's doing ok, he just feels bad for everybody back home who were so excited," Dion Reed, Andre's brother said. "He's more worried about his family and friends back here than he is for himself."

"They're idiots, i-d-i-o-t-s," Reed's mother, Joyce Reed-Ebling said. "They're so full of it."

Whitehall grad Hamscher honored by Penn

Matt Hamscher, the Whitehall High graduate who had an outstanding football career at the University of Pennsylvania, was honored by the school at its annual football banquet on Friday night.

Hamscher (seen at right in action against Lafayette) and senior captain Luke Nawrocki received the Edgar Church Memorial Award, designated to the defensive and offensive players who, by vote of the letterwinners, made the biggest overall contribution to the team. Hamscher was a second-team All-Ivy recipient for the second year in a row with 51 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown this season. He finished his career at Penn with a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and a defensive touchdown.

Parkland volleyball team has All-American girls

Two members of Parkland's state championship volleyball team, Taylor Krause and Kelly Robertson, were named All-Americans by PrepVolleyball.com.

Krause and Robertson are both juniors, just two of 36 11th graders around the country to receive the honor.

The two Trojans were just two of 150 All-Americans selected.

According to the website, to be considered for the list, a player must be among the top players in her state and have demonstrated a “massive impact” on the performance of her team. The list this year is dominated by volleyball powerhouse states California (16), Texas (10) and Florida (9). Six states, including Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio, had 6 to 7 players each, while Alabama, Arizona and Missouri had five. With four players on the list, Pennsylvania ranked 13th in the country, tying with Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska and Tennessee.

Robertson (below left) is a middle hitter and recognized as the MVP of the Lehigh Valley Conference, District 11 and PIAA tournament. She was The Morning Call's player of the year.

She also was an all-state selection and finished third in hitting percentage in the state and 29th in the country.

The Penn State-bound Krause (bottom left) is a setter and led the state in assists per set and finished ninth in the country in assists. She was an all-LVC and District 11 selection and was named to the PIAA state championship all-tournament team. She was recognized as The Morning Call's setter of the year.

"Believe in the Weave" -- Video of my man Andy Weaver walking at Nazareth pep rally

What can I say.

I am proud to call Andy Weaver my friend. Andy has battled cerebral palsy his entire life, but nothing, and I mean nothing, keeps the "Weave" down.

He has made me smile many times, but perhaps this is his finest moment and you get to see why he is beloved in Blue Eagle country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No8VWScYRFU

Colonial League boys basketball rankings, predictions, playoff picture

Big game tonight at Green Pond.

That's where I will be for Salisbury at Notre Dame.

The Falcons want to stay unbeaten, and the Crusaders are trying to get into the Colonial League tournament.

By the way, the CL semis will be on Wednesday, Feb. 15, most likely at Catasauqua with the championship doubleheader set for Freedom on Friday, the 17th.

While we wait for that one, here's how the teams stack up in the league:

1. Salisbury (18-0, 13-0) ... last week No. 1 ... play at Notre Dame tonight, play Mahanoy Area at 4:15 Saturday at Southern Lehigh ... If the Falcons get through this weekend, they're definitely headed for 22-0.

2. Bangor (14-4, 12-1) ... last week No. 2 ... play at Catasauqua tonight ... The Slaters probably still feel like they were the best team in the league last year and have a title coming to them. Maybe they'll get it a year late.

3. Northern Lehigh (15-3, 10-3) ... last week No. 3 ... play at Pen Argyl tonight, host Blue Mountain on Saturday ... The Bulldogs will probably get Bangor for the third time in the CL semis.

4. Notre Dame (14-6, 10-4) ... last week No. 5 ... host Salisbury and then have a week off before playing Wilson next Friday in the season finale.

5. Southern Lehigh (11-7, 9-4) ... last week No. 4 ... host Palisades tonight ... Spartans need help to make league tournament and will be rooting for Salisbury tonight.

6. Wilson (11-8, 6-7) ... last week No. 7 .... host Saucon Valley tonight ... Despite lackluster record, the Warriors will be dangerous in districts.

7. Saucon Valley (7-12, 6-7) ... last week No. 6 ... visit Wilson tonight ... Panthers need to win of three to qualify for districts. It's doable.

8. Catasauqua (7-11, 6-7) ... last week No. 8 ... host Bangor tonight ... Roughies need to upset either Bangor or Northern Lehigh to qualify for districts. Not likely.

9. Palisades (4-16, 2-12) ... last week No. 9 ... at Southern Lehigh tonight ... Pirates spoiled John Donmoyer's bid for No. 600 on Thursday night.

10. Pen Argyl (5-14, 4-9) ... last week No. 10 ... host Northern Lehigh tonight ... Coy Stampone said that despite the poor record, his team made progress this year. He just wishes he had Muller coming back next year.

11. Northwestern (2-15, 1-12) ... last week No. 11 ... host Palmerton tonight ... Tigers going for a sweep over the Blue Bombers.

12. Palmerton (2-16, 0-13) ... last week No. 12 ... visit Northwestern tonight, host Panther Valley on Saturday ... Wouldn't shock me if the Bombers win as many games this weekend as as they won all season.

Predictions

Bangor 55, Catasauqua 50 ... another close loss for Roughies.

Palmerton 47, Northwestern 38 .... Tigers just don't score.

Northern Lehigh 71, Pen Argyl 51 ...Bulldogs clinch playoff spot with a win and Notre Dame loss.

Salisbury 68, Notre Dame 63 ... Should be a great game, but can't go against the Falcons even in a tough place like Notre Dame.

Wilson 58, Saucon Valley 53 ... Rematch of a thrilling CL semifinal last yeare.

Southern Lehigh 50, Palisades 46 ... Pirates remain pesky.

Also, Salisbury over Mahanoy Area, Northern Lehigh over Blue Mountain and Palmerton over Panther Valley on Saturday.

Would Salisbury run the table in the LVC, too?

How would Salisbury do in the Lehigh Valley Conference?

One former Falcon posed the question to me this morning.

I think we're comparing apples and oranges here, to throw out a food-oriented cliche.

Salisbury is an outstanding 2A team and has a great chance to finish the Colonial League regular season unblemished and repeat as district champs.

But would the Falcons run the table in the LVC? Uh, no.

While the summer league is not a full-proof barometer of how things will turn out in winter (see Whitehall, Becahi and Northampton) for example), it does give us at least something of a gauge of where the teams will stand.

Here's the final regular season standings from Cedar Beach last summer:

1) Freedom                   12 - 2

2) Emmaus                    12 - 2

3) Whitehall                  11 - 3

4) Parkland                   10 - 4

5) Liberty                       9 - 5

6) Northampton             9 - 5

7) Allen                          9 - 5

8) Becahi                       8 - 6

9) Salisbury                   8 - 6

10) Bangor                    7 - 6

11) Faith Christian        7 - 7

12) Dieruff                    6 - 9

13) Southern Lehigh     5 - 8

14) Northern Lehigh     5 - 9

15) Pleasant Valley      4 - 8

16) Boyertown             4 - 9

17) Brandywine            3 - 11

18) Quakertown           1 - 13

19) Nazareth                1 - 13

So, while the Falcons would clearly win a lot of games in the LVC this season, they would not be as perfect as they are in the Colonial League. Jason Weaver is doing a great job with a talented, deep team that may mesh together as well as any in the area. We'll see what happens over these final three regular season games, especially tonight's major test at Notre Dame.

LVC boys basketball rankings, predictions and playoff picture

We're now just two weeks away from "Championship Friday" in area high school basketball. Feb. 17 is the night that six league title games -- three boys, three girls -- will be played.

We've heard that Allen is the likely site for the LVC tournament because the LVC is determined to host the semis and finals at a neutral site and neither of Allen's teams are going to make the league tournament; at least barring a major collapse by the Emmaus boys.

Here's how the teams rank on this Friday morning as I digest what happened between Easton and Freedom tonight -- a game that ended 40-29 and could be described as a defensive showcase or an offensive debacle.

1. Emmaus (15-3, 9-2) ... last week No. 3 ... host Allen tonight and Pottsville on Saturday ... Win over Allen will clinch the LVC West.

2. Freedom (16-2, 10-2) ... last week No. 2 ... host Becahi on Tuesday ... after beginning his career at Allen and making a stop at Becahi, Tajmire Flood has found a home at Freedom and Joe Stellato is certainly happy he landed as a Patriot.

3. Parkland (16-3, 9-2) ... last week No. 1 ... host Nazareth tonight ... the Trojans close out regular season with struggling North Division neighbors and should be able to get on a roll entering the postseason.

4. Easton (15-5, 8-4) ... last week No. 4 ... Rovers certainly know how to make things ugly and hold other teams down, but at some point you need to score, too.

5. Liberty (13-6, 8-3) ... last week No. 5 ... host Becahi tonight ... LVC could avoid tiebreaking headaches if Hurricanes beat Easton on Tuesday.

6. Allen (10-8, 7-4) ... last week No. 6 ... play at Emmaus tonight ... Canaries second alumin game on Saturday after Pocono Mt. East game should be a treat.

7. CCHS (11-8, 5-6) ... last week No. 7 ... play at Dieruff tonight ... Rich Fatzinger should get his 500th career wn (including his time with the Parkland girls) tonight.

8. Whitehall (8-11, 3-8) ... last week No. 8 ... host Northampton tonight ... Zephyrs need to win out to qualify for districts.

9. Northampton (6-12, 3-8) ... last week No. 9 ... visit Whitehall tonight ... K-Kids never could get on a roll this season.

10. Nazareth (7-11, 2-9) ... last week No. 10 ... at Parkland tonight ... Andy "Weave" Weaver will fire up the student body by walking at the pep rally today. Look for "Weave" on Channel 69.

11. Dieruff (5-14, 1-10) ... last week No. 12 ... host CCHS tonight ... Garcia playing well for the Huskies.

12. Becahi (5-13, 2-9) ... last week No. 11 ... at Liberty tonight ... It's funny, no one ever accuses the Golden Hawks of recruiting in boys basketball.

Predictions

CCHS 70, Dieruff 52 ... Once upon a time this was a great rivalry.

Emmaus 68, Allen 60 ... Steve Yoder downplayed importance of win over Freedom, but I think it was huge for the team's psyche entering postseason.

Parkland 55, Nazareth 44 ... Blue Eagles offense not as potent as the football team's.

Whitehall 52, Northampton 49 ... Wonder who's going to get these schools' football jobs. Yadush's budding broadcasting career keeps him out of the mix.

Liberty 59, Becahi 44 ... Calm before the storm for the Hurricanes.

In Saturday's games, I see Emmaus in a rout over Pottsville, Bangor to beat Nazareth, Allen to whip Pocono Mt. East and Freedom over Bensalem Twp.

Central Catholic grad Tim Cramsey gets a new job

Just back from a College Signing Day ceremony at Parkland where I learned from Jim Morgans that Tim Cramsey has a new job.

Cramsey, of course, played for Morgans at Central Catholic and was the starting quarterback on the Vikings' 1993 state title team.

He had done a wonderful job as the offensive coordinator for his college alma mater, the University of New Hampshire over the last several years and has been a UNH assistant for nine years. Plus his ties to the Lehigh Valley had been instrumental in luring many local kids to Durham, including Liberty's Joey Orlando's and Central's Shane McNeely among many others.

But Cramsey is moving down -- geographically -- but up in terms of classification by taking the offensive coordinator position at Florida International University, a FBS school located in Miami.

While New Hampshire is nice, it's not Miami. So you can't blame Cramsey there.

Florida International University plays in the Sun Belt Conference.

I always thought that if Cramsey would leave UNH it would be to Oregon where his mentor Chip Kelly runs the show.

Cramsey has told me several times that he has aspirations of becoming a head coach one day and this step up is obviously moving him closer to his goal.

“We’re very disappointed to lose him, but it’s a great opportunity for him,” UNH coach Sean McDonnell told the Union Leader. “He grew up in the UNH family and we never missed a beat when he took over.”

UNH will likely continue to be one of the top FCS-level programs in the country. The Wildcats have the longest streak of FCS playoff appearance with eight. They were 8-4 last season.

FIU was 8-5 last season and lost to Marshall, 20-10, in something called the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

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Pius X's Matt Camilletti is headed to St. Francis of Pennsylvania

Pius X football coach Phil Stambaugh announced earlier today that star receiver Matt Camilletti will continue his career at St. Francis of Loretto.

Camilletti had one of the most prolific pass-catching careers in District 11 history. He ranks second all-time, behind only Central Catholic's Kevin Gulyas, with 183 career receptions and 2,642 receiving yards.

In 2011, he helped the Royals win their second All-American League title, their fourth District 11 Class A crown and advance to the state quarterfinals. Pius X finished 12-2 as Camilletti caught 58 passes for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. He also kicked 41 PATs.

Camilletti was a second-team Morning Call All-Area choice at wide receiver. He was also PA Football News' first-team all-state tight end and was also an all-league and all-area selection.

St. Francis, coming off a 2-9 season, plays in the Northeast Conference. The Red Flash also features Easton graduate Kyle Harbridge, who is coming off a stellar junior season in which he ran for 1,474 yards on 249 carries and scored 14 touchdowns. Harbridge was a third-team All-American selection by the Beyond Sports Network.

Harbridge, by the way, ranked top-seven nationally in rushing yards per game and in the top five in all-purpose yards. His season was highlighted by his game against Morehead State where he rushed for 346 yards (the fifth-most in FCS history) and racked up 457 all-purpose yards, missing the FCS record by just 10 yards.

Here's St. Francis' 2012 schedule:

9/1/12                 @ James Madison                  TBA

9/8/12                 Bryant*                                   12:00PM

9/15/12               @Morehead State                   TBA

9/22/12               @Towson                               TBA

9/29/12               @Duquesne*                          TBA

10/6/12               Robert Morris*                    TBA

10/13/12             @Albany*                               TBA

10/20/12             Wagner*                                12:00PM

10/27/12             @Central Connecticut*         12:00PM

11/10/12             @Monmouth*                         TBA

11/17/12             Sacred Heart*                       12:00PM

Islanders, Devils to play first hockey game at new Brooklyn arena

They've been talking about a new arena in Brooklyn for so long that you began to doubt it was ever going to get built.

But it is, and the first sporting event for the Barclays Center has been announced. It's a preseason NHL hockey game between the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.

Here are the details courtesy of the New York Islanders:

UNIONDALE, NY/BROOKLYN, NY (January 31, 2012) – The New York Islanders will play the first-ever NHL game at Barclays Center on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 when they take on the New Jersey Devils at 7:30 p.m. The preseason game will mark the first hockey event at Barclays Center, the new major sports and entertainment venue, which will officially open on September 28 with the first of multiple JAY-Z concerts. The game will also mark the first NHL game to be played in Brooklyn.

“We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center,” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said. “We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn.”

“We feel Brooklyn is an untapped hockey market that offers the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow its fan base,” Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said. “Barclays Center will also afford current Islander fans with great accessibility, as the Long Island Rail Road and nine subway lines will come directly to the arena at the Atlantic Terminal transit hub.”

In addition to hosting hockey, Barclays Center will showcase an extensive variety of more than 220 events annually, including premier concerts, monthly major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, and NETS Basketball. Some of the special programming that is already scheduled includes JAY-Z, Andrea Bocelli, the Barclays Center Classic college basketball tournament, presented by Sheets Brand, featuring Kentucky vs. Maryland, Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship, Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Legends Classic, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice, and the New York Masters equestrian show jumping competition. Current programming alliances with Barclays Center include Golden Boy Promotions, IMG, Feld Entertainment, Lagardère Unlimited, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Fans are encouraged to visit www.barclayscenter.com.

Double dose of Nick at Night on local TV

RCN-4 viewers are a lucky bunch.

They still have an opportunity to see and hear The Morning Call's Nick Fierro twice this week.

Fierro is the one and only guest on tonight's "Calling All Sports" show, seen at 6 p.m. (Service Electric viewers, hopefully, saw the show on Monday night).

And then Fierro is back -- live this time -- on the Chris Michael-hosted "SportsTalk" show on Thursday night at 6.

The Eagles and Super Bowl talk -- and you can't get enough of either topic, can you? -- will be the focus on both shows.

On the Thursday night show, fans have the added bonus of calling in and peppering Nick with questions.

The phone number to call into the show live is 610-443-2766.

Lehighton's new football coach has coached at Whitehall and Catty

Tom McCarroll was approved as Lehighton's new football coach last week and the 34-year-old Marian Catholic and Colgate University graduate has spent the last five years as an assistant coach in the Lehigh Valley.

McCarroll got his coaching start at Marian, but was on Tony Trisciani's staff at Whitehall for two years and spent the last three with Tom Falzone at Catasauqua.

"I've been exposed to a lot of different leagues and actually when it comes to the area the Mountain Valley Conference is the only league or conference I haven't coached in," McCarroll said.

McCarroll lives in Lehighton and has been teaching in Reading, but will become a special education teacher at Whitehall very shortly.

He is excited about his first head coaching position.

"Lehighton is a place where football has been important for a very long time," McCarroll said. "There's a good tradition in Lehighton and going back through the years, they've been in the playoffs. There's an opportunity there; there's support there and it's exciting to be the next guy in line. I am excited to be a part of it and want to do what I can to get Lehighton back on track."

McCarroll was a defensive back at Colgate, but has coached on the offensive side of the ball in high school.

"I've learned so much by working for three great head coaches and I have to give them so much credit," McCarroll said. "Stan Dakosty [Marian's longtime coach] is just a class act and showed me how a program should be run. And then Coach Trisciani was just a stickler for detail at Whitehall and really taught X's and O's and the great concepts behind them.

"Coach Falzone has such great energy and enthusiasm that's contagious and the kids really want to play for him. They'll do anything for him. So, I've been really lucky to be with these three guys who each bring different, positive facets to coaching. I'm going to try to take a little bit from each of them and implement my own program and put my own stamp on Lehighton football."

The Indians are coming off a 4-6 season in which five of the losses came by seven points or less. Lehighton is going to graduate 24 or 25 seniors, according to McCarroll, who said he still has some positions to fill on his coaching.

McCarroll is the third new head coach in the Mountain Valley Conference, joining the new guys in charge at both Allen and Dieruff who will play their first seasons in the MVC next fall.