Kick Off Weekend Features Rivals -- Posted by Joe_Stokes on Friday, August 29 2008

How is it possible that the sleepy summer of 2008 is over so quick. Better wake up High School football fans the action starts tonight. The realignment of several leagues has dramatically changed the way this season schedule will look.

The Central League adds Garnet Valley and Harriton while Del-Val adds Glenn Mills to the mix.. These changes have moved many long time rivalries to the front of the schedule instead of the usual final game of the regular season.

The Ridley Green Raiders ended their 2007 season on top in Ed Thomas’ Southeastern Pa Top Twenty despite their season ending loss to District Eleven’s Parkland in the AAAA Eastern Final. This year Ridley opens up number 6 in the Southeast rankings and they open defense of their Central League and District One titles with a showdown with long time rivals Springfield. In yet another great season opener Penncrest travels to Strath Haven with the Media Bowl on the line.

This writer comes off a 50-17 prediction record for 2006 followed by a 55-19 record in 2007. The toughest week of the year for prognostications is always the opening weekend. This year is no exception. Graduation losses are the biggest factor with coaching and schedule changes close behind.

It is now time for the opening week fearless forecast.

Prediction: Strath Haven 20 Penncrest 14

The Media Bowl stays with the Panthers but the Lions will be no pushover. Penncrest enters the game with a little more experience than Strath Haven this year. However Panther running back David Alyanakian may be just enough to get the Panthers through this opening game test.

Prediction: Ridley 35 Springfield 7

The Central League and District One champions get a fresh start with a new look. Early season scouts report a small but quick Green Raiders squad with new starting quarterback Andre Pidgeon leading the way.

Prediction: Unionville 27 Interboro 21

This contest is a tough call. Interboro brings back some great talent with quarterback Jim McMenamin coming back for another Del-Val championship run. However Unionville will be big and deep with talent again this year. Matt Carroll has graduated and his younger brother Greg now runs the offense. Home field is the difference in this call.

Here is the rest of this weeks predictions:

Prediction: Cardinal O’Hara 31 Archbishop Carroll 13

Prediction: Gateway 24 Penn Hills 14

Whitehall vs. Valley West/Scrimmage -- Posted by Frank on Saturday, August 16 2008
Spartans do some talking, on the field

Valley West finds paydirt on four possessions, defense allows just one TD

By Frank Kastreva, WVCD2.com

PLYMOUTH- All Spartan fans will sleep well the next week, as their team showed well in their first scrimmage of the 2008 season, scoring four touchdowns and allowing just one against Whitehall of District 11.

Whitehall made the trip north to the Spartan's practice field for the contest as Spartans Stadium is getting a new surface, which will likely be ready for opening night in two weeks.

Hopefully, you folks are not looking forward to quotes from coach Curry and his Maroon and Gold squad in this short wrap-up, for the simple fact there won't be any.

It just didn't seem appropriate, to ask anyone for a interview from the Spartans as all their talking was done on the gridiron this morning and they spoke quite loud without shouting a word.

The scrimmage would open with both teams unable to find the gold zone on their first ten plays.

Valley West Sr. RB Dave Ryncavage capped the Spartan's first scoring drive as "Rino" lowered the head and bailed in from three yards out.

The Spartan's Sr. WR Ali Muhammed would be the next to find paydirt, hauling in a long TD reception from Sr. QB Jack Crossin.

Crossin would also cap the Spartan's other two scoring drives, both runs on the bootleg.

The only score by Whitehall, was a one yard jaunt by the FB on a fourth and goal.

For what is worth, the Spartans looked ready today, but its hard to get a real feel for it in a scrimmage. The key thing is not getting anyone hurt and neither team had any players down today.

There is one thing to note, that may be one of the best things to come out of this exhibition today. Thing is, it didn't happen out on the gridiron and you would of never noticed it if you were not walking the sidelines, but it was key.

Every member of the Wyoming Valley West football team that was engaged in conversation on the sidelines was talking football. Ya, that's right football, baby!

They were not discussing what they are doing tonight, or talking about the girlfriend. It was all pigskin talk and that my friends is a sign of the times.

Eat it, drink it, sleep it, FOOTBALL!

East Pennsboro Senior No "Couch Potato" -- Posted by Josh_Funk on Tuesday, June 24 2008
East Pennsboro's senior center Matt Couch had just gotten done with his fourth Division-1 football camp in the past 3 weeks.

He had gone to camps in Ann Arbor, Mich., Pittsburgh, and Happy Valley, and his latest excursion took him to Paolo Alto, Calif., on the campus of Stanford University.

"I think he was the only one (from the East Coast)," said Tom Couch, Matt's father and a former Penn State lineman during the early 1980s.

"Frankly, I think he's done well at all the camps," his father said. "The big thing that these colleges want to see is can he move with the new size? He's D-1 caliber size."

However, as of tonight, Couch, a 6'2, 280-pound center for the Panthers, has only one Division-1 offer from the Naval Academy.

Here's why: schools were interested to see how the younger Couch would move in his larger frame. Following his junior season, Matt stood in at 6'0 and weighed 240 pounds. Then he hit a big growth spurt.

"I grew 2 inches and added 30 good pounds of muscle," he said.

And schools are showing interest. Take Stanford, for example, who expressed interest in Matt's first two game tapes of his senior season.

Matt said he isn't worried about the late start in the recruiting process.

"It can kind of help me," he said, and his father agreed.

"For the most premier schools, it (a late start) hurts," his father said. "But, in terms of choices, it helps."

And, it also helps to be situated in good academic standing. Matt boasts a 4.0 cumulative GPA at East Pennsboro High, and in his graduating class of 260 students, he ranks 11th.

And speaking of climbing up the rankings, East Pennsboro could catch a few people by surprise this coming season.

It was 6 years ago that the Panthers fell in the District 3 "AAA" championship game to Lower Dauphin, who advanced to the 2002 PIAA semi-finals against Strath Haven.

The Panthers have fallen on some hard times recently, going a combined 11-19 the past 3 seasons, but they finished 2007 strong, winning 2 of their last 3 games and narrowly losing to Northern York, 32-30.

"I think we'll be a good team," Matt said. "We've got 3 seniors and 2 juniors on the front line, and we've got some good skill people as well. And, we're all real tight. We're all good friends."

Tom Couch agreed.

"We're gonna be a lot better team," he said. "I heard Matt say there's a lot of chemistry with this team, and the kids are all working very hard."

And with what the Panthers have coming back, all that hard work might just yield some positive results.

WVCD2.com 2008 LIVE Audio Schedule -- Posted by Frank on Thursday, June 19 2008
Anyone interested in advertising on our 2008 HS Football LIVE Audio Network please email wvcmatman@wvcd2.com or Fax (570) 822-1692.

2008 WVW/D2 Football Audio Schedule

(All games begin with a 15 minute preview)

Wyoming Valley West Football

Friday 8/29 Scranton @ Valley West 6:45 PM

Saturday 9/6 @ Abington Heights 12:45 PM

Friday 9/12 Delaware Valley 6:45 PM

Friday 9/19 Berwick 6:45 PM

Friday 9/26 Pleasant Valley 6:45 PM

Friday 10/3 @ Stroudsburg 6:45 PM

Friday 10/10 @ Hazleton Area 6:45 PM

Friday 10/17 Williamsport 6:45 PM

Friday 10/24 Wyoming Area 6:45 PM

Saturday 11/01 @ W-B Coughlin 6:45 PM

District 2 Football

Friday 9/5 W-B Meyers @ Hanover Area 6:45 PM

Saturday 9/27 Pittston Area @ W-B Coughlin 6:45 PM

Saturday 10/11 Delaware Valley @ Abington Heights 12:45 PM

Saturday 10/25 Berwick @ Dallas 12:45 PM

Friday 10/31 Wyoming Area @ Pittston Area 6:45 PM

(Schedule Subject to Change)

Joey Orlando Gears Up for East-West All-Star Game -- Posted by Josh_Funk on Tuesday, June 17 2008
ALTOONA - When Joey Orlando straps on his helmet and laces up his cleats at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium on Saturday evening in the East-West All-Star Game, his father, and former NFL defensive back Bo Orlando, will be watching.

The elder Orlando played in the Big 33 game after his senior year at Berwick, and now his son gets to experience an all-star game of his own.

“I’m glad Joey’s getting to experience some of the things I did when I was in high school,” Bo said in a phone interview Tuesday evening.

“The way I look at it is, ‘Hey, this is your congratulations present for a successful high school football career.’”

Joey Orlando’s career was pretty successful. His Bethlehem Liberty Hurricanes won a District 11 championship reached the 2006 PIAA “AAAA” state title game in his junior season, a year in which he finished with 655 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

2007 was also a solid year for #5 - he totaled 473 receiving yards and scored 8 touchdowns, leading the Hurricanes in both categories and helped Liberty reach its third straight District 2/4/11 “AAAA” semifinals.

“Joey had a great year,” his father said. “He was our (team) MVP. I love his work ethic. I was harder on him than any of the other players, and he worked his tail off.”

Now, he’s teaming up with some of the best receivers in the state.

“It’s an honor — just to be with all these athletes, it’s a real honor,” Orlando said.

Orlando will be part of an East team which also features Roman Catholic’s Al Desiderio, Bishop McDevitt’s Julian Harrell, and Wilson-West Lawn’s Chris Hartzell.

Combined, the quartet hauled in 148 passes for 2,372 yards and 30 touchdowns a season ago.

“We’ve been coming together as a team this week,” Orlando said.

And when the talented receviing corps has two strong-armed quarterbacks in Downingtown West’s Nolan Kearney and West Scranton’s Matt McGloin, it makes for a pretty scary offense.

Kearney has thrown for just over 5,000 career yards, and McGloin finished 2007 with a 12-2 record and a berth in the “AAA” quarterfinals against Garnet Valley.

“(Nolan) he’s got a really strong arm,” Orlando said. “And (McGloin) has a strong arm too - he played baseball as well.”

Truth is, Orlando could have played either receiver or defensive back. He played both positions in high school, and racked up 8 career interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.

“Coach Gallagher (Souderton’s Ed Gallagher) had 4 DBs at the beginning, and then (Tyrell) Harris from Bishop McDevitt got called in, so they’re OK at DB,” Orlando said.

“I’d play either position,” Orlando continued, “but I do like catching the ball.”
And come Saturday, both father and son will be experiencing Mansion Park Stadium for the first time.

“Joey tells me it’s a nice little stadium out there with a ton of tradition,” Bo said. “I just told him to be careful and have fun out there.

“That’s what it’s all about.”

DRAKE VERBALLY COMMITS TO PENN STATE -- Posted by Josh_Funk on Thursday, June 12 2008
PHILADELPHIA - West Catholic’s fan base has always been one that is loyal and follows their Burrs very closely.

Come next fall, Burrs’ quarterback Curtis Drake will be playing for another loyal fan base — the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Drake made the verbal commitment to the navy blue and white this morning at 11:30 during a press conference. In addition to Penn State, Drake had heard from Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wisconsin, Purdue, Tennessee, Syracuse, and Michigan State.

“I’m all for it,” said West Catholic head coach Brian Fluck. “Academically and athletically, (Penn State) takes good care of its students.”

Athletically, Penn State will take care of Drake just fine. The Burrs’ field general said that there is an excellent opportunity to play during his freshman year in Happy Valley.

“They wanted me for my athleticism,” Drake said. “They’ve told me that I can make an immediate impact in the slot — catching some passes and getting some handoffs. They want to get the ball in my hands as much as possible.”

And, the potential exists for Drake to even take some snaps at quarterback sometime down the road.

Drake is a career 1,900-yard passer for the Burrs, and has thrown 26 touchdowns. He’s added 852 rushing yards in 20 career games and scored 15 touchdowns.

Last season, Drake completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 1,325 yards and 20 touchdowns, whole adding 597 rushing yards and 9 scores on the ground, averaging over 8 yards per carry.

Drake orchestrated a Burr offense which scored a Catholic League-best 444 points and averaged over 370 yards per contest a season ago.

Most impressively, Drake owns a 19-1 record as a starting varisty quarterback, with his only loss coming to open the 2007 season against PCL Red Division champ Roman Catholic.

In the Roman game, Drake ran for a career high 170 yards.

Verballing to Penn State, a two-time national champion, means that Drake continues to play football for a program steeped in tradition. West Catholic has its own impressive football history, one which includes 478 wins and 13 PCL championships.

Statistics are couresty of tedsilary.com and West Catholic’s team website.

West Catholic Quarterback will make verbal commitment tomorrow -- Posted by Josh_Funk on Wednesday, June 11 2008
PHILADELPHIA - After the noon hour tomorrow, one member of West Catholic's dynamic backfield trio will make his verbal commitment to a Division-1 college, most likely Penn State, according to several sources.

Curtis Drake, the talented dual-threat field general for the two-time defending PCL Blue Division champion Burrs, will announce his school of choice at a press conference at 11:30 a.m., head coach Brian Fluck said earlier this afternoon.

Drake boasts a 19-1 overall record as the Burrs' starting quarterback. His only varsity loss came to PCL Red Division champion Roman Catholic 34-18 in Week 1 of the 2007 season.

The Burrs, regarded as one of the top teams in Class "AA" for 2008, averaged a PCL-best 37 points and 372 yards per game last season, finishing 11-1 overall.

7 on 7 Schedules -- Posted by Dave on Wednesday, June 11 2008

We are putting a list together of 7 on 7 games.Please email us your 7 on 7 schedule list (Date, time and location).

Click here:7 on 7 Schedules

HS Football Fundraisers -- Posted by Dave on Friday, June 6 2008

Team Sunglasses are the ultimate school fundraiser

Mudslingers Custom Shades are personalized team sunglasses that come with your school's name, team colors, mascot and logo. Show off your school, team, club or organization's spirit with pride and raise money in the process. Mudslingers Custom Shades are an affordable and highly profitable school fundraiser. Our school spirit sunglasses are stylish, sturdy and comfortable. Schools, parents, teachers, students, coaches and athletes love to show school spirit with our custom sunglasses.

**Special Offer**$150.00 discount to the first 5 schools that mention EasternPAFootball.com and this offer good for a 300 pair order.




www.mudslingersshades.com

2008-09 Top Players in Eastern PA -- Posted by Dave on Wednesday, June 4 2008

Josh Funk of Eastern PA Football.com will be featuring top players to watch in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, and 12 before the start of the 2008 high school football season. Keep in mind that not all of these athletes are Division-1 type athletes, but they are individuals who will help to have a say in what their respective teams do in the upcoming football season. Each player includes the position(s) played and what year in high school, as well as a 50-150 word write-up about their statistics, career exploits, or team. This is just one more way to get football fans across the Commonwealth ready for 2008.

Schedule for district top players:

6/02/08 - District 3

6/09/08 - District 11

6/16/08 - District 1

6/23/08 - District 4

6/30/08 - District 12 & Independent teams

7/07/08 - District 2

Football Game Postponed -- Posted by Dave on Sunday, June 1 2008

The annual Montgomery County All-Star Football game scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday night at Souderton H.S., has been postponed until Monday night -- at the same time and location -- due to inclement weather.

Name That Network Contest -- Posted by Dave on Wednesday, May 21 2008
Hello everyone. We are beginning a small contest to "rename" the radio network. With the addition of westernpafootball.net and keystonesportstalk.com sites to our family we thought it would be a good idea to change the official Radio Network name from EasternPAFootball Radio Network to something new and fresh. Please submit your suggestions to this thread or to jeremy@easternpafootball.com by June 4th.

Winner will receive a free appetizer card from The Outback Steakhouse Restaurant.

Help us out by "Naming The Network", a QB Production!

New Feature on Schedule page -- Posted by Dave on Wednesday, May 21 2008
You can now save any schedule as a PDF for easy saving/printing. Just click the PDF icon at the bottom of each schedule. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader or another suitable PDF plugin to view these files. Please email us and let us know what you think of the new feature: dave@easternpafootball.com

Former C.B. East Coach joins The Lions All-Star football Game. -- Posted by Dave on Sunday, April 20 2008

Former C.B. East Coach Larry Greene has joined the Lions All-Star Football Game as the North Coordinator. Larry’s job will be to be the liaison between the all-star game committee and the coaches and players of the north squads. Coach Greene has coached in the all-star game eight times, four as an assistant coach and four as a head coach. Besides coaching in the Lions all-star game coach Greene has also coached in the big 33 as an assistant in 2004.Coach Greene has a career record of 125-85-4 over a 28 year span.

Larry stated that he has been involved with the game for many years would like to see it continue and grow and hopefully I can make a great game even better.

Lion Joe Warner, Chairman of the Bucks county Lions All-star game stated that “we are very excited to have Larry on board as our north coordinator. He has been involved with the all-star football game for the past 20 years and he is close to both the players and coaches of both the north and south teams. We feel Larry will bring a new dimension to our all-star game.”

This year’s game will be played at Neshaminy High School on Saturday, June 7th. The coach for the north is Randy Cuthbert of Pennridge High School and for the south is Mark Schmidt of Neshaminy High School.

Coal Crackers: Last chance to sign up -- Posted by Dave on Tuesday, March 18 2008

LAST CHANCE SIGN UPS
The Coal Crackers will hold one last sign up date. All players who are interested in playing this season must fill out 2008 paperwork. The final sign up will be held:

Date: April 5, 2008
Time: 1 pm to 3 pm
Place: Maroon's Sports Bar and Grill
556 North Center Street
Pottsville, PA 17901
Cost: $35 Non-refundable

The Coal Crackers will also host a Combine on April 12th from 10:30 am till ??? Location TBA shortly.