NFL star Dotson still loves his basketball
Jahan Dotson will report to his second NFL training camp with the Washington Commanders in a little more than a week.
But Dotson was back at Allentown’s Cedar Beach on Saturday morning rekindling memories of a place where he had a lot of success in another sport.
Dotson, football fans may forget, was a phenomenal basketball player at Nazareth High School and won a couple of tournament championships at Cedar Beach.
While a stellar career at Penn State was his ticket to the NFL, there are those who think he could have had a career in basketball as well.
“I really enjoy being back home and I’m getting sun and seeing some good basketball,” Dotson said. “I won twice out here in SportsFest and I love being out here and watching the games. I am enjoying being out here with the guys, especially the Nazareth kids. I try to give them some encouragement and support. I just tell them to keep attacking. I am not a coach or anything, but it’s easier when you play together and play as a family.”
Dotson said if you added his three years at Nazareth with one season at the Peddie School, he would have been a 1,000-point scorer.
“If I added everything up, I would have had 1,000,” he said.
Dotson said he had a lot of fun in his first season in the NFL.
“There were lot of ups and downs and a lot of learning experiences,” he said. “Better times are ahead for our team. We should have a big year this year. We just need to put some pieces together and if we do we have a very solid team.”
Dotson said the thing he learned the most was how long an NFL season can be with a 17-game schedule.
“You have to take care of your body because your body is your biggest investment,” he said. “Taking care of your body is the No. 1 thing.”
He said his top highlight of the season was beating the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Eagles entered that Monday night game at 8-0.
“It was a thrill knocking off the No. 1 team in that league; that was a fun night,” he said.
“We just have to come together as a group as a family off the field. It makes it easier to play for each other when you’re on the field.”
Later in the day Dotson did the LVHN Impact Athlete Football Clinic at the Charles Chrin Community Center. He was joined by other local standouts such as Tristan Wheeler, Nick Dawkins, Kaden Moore, Braelin Moore and Dallas Holmes.
Dotson said he enjoys role as an LVHN ambassador.
“It’s for a good cause and I’ve always wanted to help out the kids,” Dotson said. “I tell the kids they can make it happen, too. We’ve had a lot of stars come from the Lehigh Valley. It’s a small, close-knit family, but you can make it happen and play on the biggest stage of them all with the best of them all. You just have to keep striving for your dream.”
Parkland, ACCHS advance to final 4
Two defending district champs who are expected to do well again this coming season are having a lot of success in the Cedar Beach Showcase. They are in the winners bracket final four in the big-school division.
Parkland rolled to a 48-23 win over Nazareth and Allentown Central Catholic cruised to a 42-26 victory over Ephrata in their one and only games on Saturday and will start Sunday at 11 a.m. as the only local teams left in the winners bracket.
The Vikings will play Reading and the Trojans will face Muhlenberg Township. The winners play in the winners bracket final at 1 p.m.
Lucas Mushrush, who made eight 3-pointers and scored 24 points in a win over Whitehall Friday night, didn’t have a big game against Ephrata but the Vikings have lots of depth and Jahrel Vigo, another rising junior, figures to be one of the top players in the area next winter.
“Against Whitehall I got hit in the thigh a little bit so my main goal is to rest and recover for Sunday,” Mushrush said after the game. “You’re playing in the heat and it’s a little uncomfortable and exhausting, but it’s another challenge you have to overcome. We want to come back and win this thing.”
ACCHS coach Dennis Csensits said Mushrush was phenomenal Friday night against Whitehall.
“He can really shoot the basketball and he’s really working hard to become a complete player,” Csensits said. “His defense is improving and he’s getting better off the ball on offense. I am really proud of the effort he’s putting in.”
ACCHS won the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 4A titles and won three PIAA playoffs before losing to Neumann-Goretti in the state semis to finish 23-9.
The Vikings graduated just four players from last year’s team.
“We’ve got some guys who are trying to figure out their roles, but David Fridia played very well against Whitehall on Friday and we hope he’s back Sunday after playing AAU today,” Csensits said. “Jahrel Vigo continues to improve and we’re getting more play out of Ja’Keir Ensley who has a high basketball IQ. With each game, his confidence continues to grow. I hope that will continue because we just need a few things to fall into place before we get to December.”
Parkland is coming off a 20-10 season that included the 6A district gold and a trip to the state quarterfinals.
Much of the focus is on firstteam all-state selection Nick Coval, but the Trojans are getting contributions from up and down the roster in the summer.
“We’ve had two good games in this tournament against Freedom and Nazareth,” said Austin Beidelman, who is one of several guys coaching the team after Andy Stephens resigned to become Parkland’s athletic director. “Our guys are really competing and playing well together. We’re pleased with how the summer has been going. The kids are putting in the work. They can see the success from that work.”
Beidelman said Coval may not have high point totals every game, but his contributions extend well beyond the box score.
“Nick does everything,” said Beidelman. “He does so much for us … passing, defends, he’s our leader on the floor. We’re really happy with Jayden Thomas who suffered an injury and missed last season. But he’s really progressing and we’re getting better day by day. The kids like being here. They like being coached. It’s a coach’s dream.”
Beidelman said everyone is pulling together until a new coach is officially hired.
“We’re all taking on the increased load, but the big thing is we have great kids at Parkland and a great group coming back, so it’s been pretty easy for us,” Beidelman said.
Palmerton pride
In the small-school bracket, Palmerton and defending champ Holy Cross are the only two unbeatens left entering Sunday.
The Blue Bombers will play the Wilkes-Barre school at 10 a.m. and the winner goes automatically to the championship game which is set for a 5 p.m. start.
Ken Termini’s team is coming off a 20-8 season that ended in the state tournament and has gone 3-0 in the showcase.
“It has been an interesting tournament considering we started out by falling behind Northwestern Lehigh 31-13 on Thursday and found a way to win that game,” Termini said. “Then we played a great Oley Valley team Friday inside which was a plus for them because they shoot a lot of 3s and got to play inside. We won that game by three and then we got a chance to play a lot of guys against Salisbury. So far, so good and we hope to keep it rolling at 10 a.m. Sunday.”
Palmerton is led by all-area players Matt Machalik and Brayden Hosier, but he said the summer has been good for developing role players.
“We even dressed four guys today who are rising into ninth grade or lower,” Termini said. “We’ve been trying to balance it giving the older guys the chance to chase their goals while looking ahead to keep the program strong not only this year, but for years to come.”
Haas hole-in-one
Longtime area official Greg Haas worked three games in the heat on Saturday at the Showcase, but didn’t let the heat slow him down on the court or earlier this week on the golf course.
Haas had a his first career holein-one Thursday at Northampton
Country Club using 1-wood on the 212-yard No. 4 hole.
SATURDAY’S SCORES BOYS VARSITY BIG SCHOOL
Parkland 48, Nazareth 23 … Jayden Thomas 21.
Muhlenberg Twp 52, Liberrty 44 … Killens 22.
ACCHS 42, Ephrata 26 … Jahrel Vigo 13.
Reading 52, Berks Catholic 44 … Yadiel Cruz 13.
Elimination bracket
Easton 58, Southern Lehigh 27 … Cornish 17.
Whitehall 44, Allen 39 … Keppel 12. Wilson West Lawn 58, Parkland ‘B’ … Kevin Twiford 22.
PM East 52, Gov. Mifflin 48 … Taemus Jones 27.
Emmaus 50, Bangor 17 … Jack Csensits 10.
P’burg 51, Dieruff 42 … Andrew Martin, Ameer Herran 13 apiece. Notre Dame-GP 61, Freedom 57 … Abdrew Lessig 19.
Whitehall 69, Daniel Boone 37 … Mason Roberts 17,.
Emmaus 45, Pocono Mt. East 39 … Will Barber 14.
Phillipsburg 43, Easton 42 … Andrew Martin 18.
Wilson West Lawn 55, Notre Dame-GP 49 … Kevin Twiford 17.
BOYS VARSITY SMALL SCHOOL
Salisbury 42, Lehighton 39 … McCaul, Petrie 11 apiece.
Holy Cross 58, Kutztown 28 … Hughes 20.
Palmerton 61, Salisbury 43 … Brayden Hosier 23.
Elimination bracket
Oley Valley 43, Jim Thorpe 28 … Nick DeBalko 12.
Roberto Clemente 48, Lehighton 33.
Panther Valley 64, Coventry Christian 35 … Drew Kokinda 15. Northwestern Lehigh 57, Panther Valley 40 … Shane Marth 12.
BOYS JV
Allen 66, Holy Cross 52 … Xayan Wimberley 24.
Liberty 39, Gov. Mifflin 26 … Palmer 14.
Easton ‘A’ 47, Whitehall 23 … Delgado 13.
Nazareth 40, Emmaus 36 … Hahn
9.
Allen 41, Easton ‘B’ 35 … Xayan Wimberley 14.
Muhlenberg Twp 49, Liberty 42 … Armstrong 10.
Holy Cross 52, ACCHS 15 … Urban 15.
Southern Lehigh 37, Dieruff 34 … Adams 8.
Holy Cross 54, Emmaus 45 … Thompson, Badyrka 13 apiece. Liberty 50, ACCHS ‘A’ 29 … Ebenezer Slippe 13.
Gov. Mifflin 47, Whitehall 38 … Leith 13. Southern Lehigh 44, Easton ‘B’ 35 … Ruggeri 9.
Sunday schedule
VARSITY BOYS BIG SCHOOL
Parkland vs. Muhlenberg Twp (11); ACCHS vs. Reading (11).
VARSITY SMALL SCHOOL
Palmerton vs. Holy Cross (10).
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
JV tournament finals, 4 p.m. Varsity small school finals, 5 p.m. Varsity big school finals, 7 p.m.