More drama for Parkland, ACCHS as unbeatens clash
Fall officially arrives at 2:50 Saturday morning and that would imply that we’re just getting started with high school football. That’s not so.
The teams have been at it in an official capacity since the start of heat acclimatization on Aug. 7 and when Saturday night’s Easton-Bethlehem Catholic game at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium is complete, the first half of the EPC football season will be officially over.
The regular season will end on Oct. 28 and that means as the Halloween decorations go up, the leaves begin to change colors and the weather gets cooler, the games get bigger as teams jockey for division titles and District 11 playoff berths.
Here’s a look at this weekend’s matchups with perhaps the brightest spotlight falling on J. Birney Crum Stadium Friday where two unbeaten and state-ranked teams go head-to-head:
Friday night games Allen (0-4, 0-3 North) at Pocono Mountain West (2-2, 2-1 North) The storylines:
The Canaries, who will play on the road for the fourth time in five weeks, continue to strive for improvement. The Panthers are on a two-game win streak and look like a team that has a good shot at the District 11 Class 5A tourney.
Players to watch: West quarterback Ryder Bray leads the EPC North in passing with 677 yards and six touchdowns. Brady Behr leads the division in receptions with 13 and averages 18.8 yards per catch. Jasius Allen has two of the Canaries’ three touchdowns. What to expect: West has won 10 straight games in the series and took last year’s meeting 42-6. The Panthers ran for 212 yards and will likely keep it on the ground against the Canaries again.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Pocono Mountain West 42-6
ES South (1-3, 1-2 North) at Northampton (3-1, 3-0 North)
The storylines: These two have been rivals throughout their time in the North Division together, but they have been headed in different directions this season. South lost a pair of close games in a span of five nights last week and finds itself on the District 11 5A playoff bubble. The K-Kids have been rolling with lopsided wins since a Week 1 loss in OT to Allentown CCHS and will have no problem returning to the 6A subregional.
Players to watch: Northampton senior Caden Henritzy is just 59 yards away from setting the school’s career rushing mark held by Tyrese Brandon at 2,767 yards. Brandon is a 2020 Northampton grad and former EPC North player of the year who is currently a redshirt junior at East Stroudsburg University. Kids’ senior Colby Reph has eight tackles for loss. The Cavs’ Nathan Gray is on pace for more than 1,000 yards rushing. He has 502 after four games and averages 8.1 yards per carry.
What to expect: If the season ended today, South, which won the District 11 5A title two years ago, would be on the outside looking in at the district tournament. So, expect the Cavaliers to pull out all
the stops to pull an upset. However, Northampton’s lines are the best in the EPC North and will likely dominate and the O-line will help Henritzy get his rushing record.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Northampton 42-13
Freedom (1-3, 0-3 South) at Whitehall (3-1, 2-1 South) Storylines: The Patriots are coming off a tough 35-34 loss to ACCHS that saw them squander leads of 21-0 and 28-14 and fail to make a late 2-point conversion. Veteran coach Jason Roeder has been through it before and while he admits the team’s threegame losing streak — the program’s first since 2016 — has been difficult, they have the proper mindset to turn it around. The Zephyrs, meanwhile, have had two quality wins since a Week 2 loss at Bethlehem Catholic.
Players to watch: Whitehall senior Trey Dogmanits has been an efficient 24-for-37 passing for 358 yards and three TDs and no interceptions over the past two weeks and Jack Kocher had six catches for 95 yards and a score against Emmaus. The Patriots’ Noah Pierre has 314 yards rushing in the past two weeks, getting 24 carries in each game. What to expect: Freedom will try to get a passing game going that has had only 35 completions in four games, but has averaged 191.5 yards the past two weeks. Whitehall will try to control the game defensively with Carter Troxell, Justus Miles and Andy Youwakim, who have combined for 23 tackles for loss, playing a key role. Keith Groller’s prediction: Freedom 21-17
Nazareth (3-1, 2-1 South) at Liberty (2-2, 0-2 South)
Storylines: Both teams are looking to bounce back from disappointing results last weekend. The Blue Eagles lost a thrillerw at Parkland, while the Hurricanes were burned by big plays in a lopsided loss to Bethlehem Catholic. Players to watch: Nazareth sophomore quarterback Peyton Falzone leads the EPC South in passing with 866 yards and eight touchdowns and completes 61% of his passes. Liberty sophomore Jake Pukszyn is tied for the EPC South lead in receiving with 22 catches for 258 yards and three scores.
What to expect: Nazareth coach Tom Falzone is looking for a faster start after his team had to dig out of holes the past two weeks. His team is primed for a big second half, but can’t take anything for granted. The Hurricanes look for improvement defensively after giving up six TDs covering 34 yards or more against Becahi, including three of 50-plus yards. Keith Groller’s prediction: Nazareth 45-10
Parkland (4-0, 3-0 South) at Allentown CCHS (4-0, 3-0) Storylines: It’s this week’s marquee matchup. It’s a battle of two of the last three EPC unbeatens and state-ranked teams and, for added spice, longtime rivals. It also is a meeting of two head coaches, Rob Melosky and Tim Moncman, who have won state titles in the highest classification and have won 254 games between them. Both had memorable wins last week with Parkland pulling out a 31-24 win over Nazareth late and ACCHS staging a big rally and then holding off Freedom 35-34. Players to watch: Parkland’s Trey Tremba has moved to No. 1 on the EPC South rushing chart with 626 yards, averaging 9.6 yards per carry. He’s also tops in scoring with 11 touchdowns. The Vikings have the division’s No. 2 passer in sophomore Antonio Fontanez, who has thrown for 733 yards and seven scores and Jareel Calhoun, tied for No. 1 in the division in receptions with 22.
What to expect: A hardfought game that will probably be determined by the defenses. ACCHS has won the last two meetings by scores of 14-6 in 2021 and 21-14 last year. Look for Parkland senior Luke Spang, whose dad Greg was a standout basketball player for the Vikings, to shine in his final football game vs. his father’s former school.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Parkland 20-16
Pleasant Valley (3-1, 3-0 North) at East Stroudsburg North (1-3, 1-1 North) Storylines: Bears have won three straight and have allowed just 32 points in the three wins. PV continues to grind out yards with its triple-option attack. North is looking to bounce back from a 24-0 loss to Pocono Mountain East. Players to watch: PV has two of the top five rushers in the EPC North in Alex Ecker and Valentino Byers-Robinson. Ecker has scored seven TDs and three 2-point conversions and four other players have tallied two TDs apiece. What to expect: Bears will make it four straight wins as Blaec Saeger returns to a school where he spent 14 seasons as an assistant under Chuck Dailey.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Pleasant Valley 35-0
Stroudsburg (1-3, 1-1 North) at Pocono Mountain East (1-3, 1-1 North) Storylines: Both teams have their South opponents behind them and a much more manageable schedule ahead. Both have hopes of making a playoff push, but it has to start with a win here.
Players to watch: The Cardinals got an 82-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns from Rocco DelGuidice. DelGuidice also completed three passes for 23 yards, two of them to Rasu Wearing-Poindexter. The Mounties got 10 completions for 52 yards from QB Ben Pilcher last week with Ethan Dudsak and Kamari Coleman combining for seven receptions.
What to expect: Stroudsburg rolled to a 35-0 win over East in Week 1 last year when the Mounties ran for 213 yards and didn’t allow the Cardinals to complete a pass. Expect both teams to keep the ball on the ground, but Stroudsburg to run it with more success.
Keith Groller’s prediction: Stroudsburg 28-7