SPORTS
by Steven Young, Schuylkill Plus! Sportsd
Local Football Final Rankings
It’s come and gone, like the summer wind it just came blowing in; Frank Sinatra couldn’t have put it any better.
Sadly, we are being adieu to another schoolboy football season, and nary a state champion in the offing, but there are two teams still alive for a run to December.
Can Southern Columbia ring up another gold medal? Tough call, especially with the Tigers trying to get by Pius X, a high-flying wire act from the Lehigh Valley in the state Class A semifinal.
Same can be said for Mount Carmel. The Red Tornadoes picked up the District 4, Class AA title when they downed Bloomsburg, but the road is now lined with landmines. It will be tough for the kids from Carmel to stay above water… but you never know?
That being said, the mantel stays in the Village of Fountain Springs. North Schuylkill was the best to start and is the best at the end. The Spartans lost out to Northern Lehigh (28-0) for the second year in the Class AA District 11 semifinals. The only loss for the champions, who now own three-straight, and one can justify for North Schuylkill did defeat Mount Carmel, which defeated Southern Columbia.
Who’s after that?
Shenandoah Valley came on strong at the end defeating Mahanoy Area and No. 4 ranked team Minersville with a sensational come-from-behind 26-25 win to advance to the Class A championship round before getting bumped out of the tournament by Pius X (50-12).
There are some shakeups in the final 2011 Schuylkill Plus Top 10 Poll, but nothing earthshaking.
North Schuylkill (10-1) – Red Thunder is crowned Schuylkill Plus champions for a third straight year.
Mount Carmel (12-1) – Only blemish came from No. 1 North Schuylkill, 21-13 at home in the famed Silver Bowl.
Southern Columbia (12-1) – Tigers only loss to No. 2 Mount Carmel as Southern drives deep into the postseason playoffs.
Crestwood (9-2) – Comets had a super year out of District 4.
Line Mountain (8-1) - Steady climb up the ladder all season. Eagles have fallen only to Southern Columbia.
Lewisburg (9-3) – Bounced Mifflinburg late in the season before getting bounced from the District 4 postseason..
Pine Grove (10-1) – Cardinals had a big season before losing in to eventual Class AA, District 11 champions Pen Argyl.
Shenandoah Valley (8-4) – Great late-season run impressive to push the Blue Devils into this spot. Return nine starters on both sides of the ball next year.
Bloomsburg (9-3) – Panthers exploded into the District 4, Class AA finals before being eliminated from No. 2 Mount Carmel..
Mifflinburg (8-3) – Late season losses dashed the Wildcats down the ladder.
Noteworthy…. Mahanoy Area picked up a piece of jewelry with a second-straight Eastern Conference Division I championship to finish 8-4 on the season, and another winning performance by the Golden Bears.
Bounce, bounce and bounce, just follow the basketball(s).
The scholastic hoops season is back… but we we’re a week off from the “first official” playing date.
The PIAA has moved the season back later and that will give our readers a little breathing room before heading indoors to take in some great hoops action.
Who makes it to the throne in 2011-2012 is a mystery this early… but we do have some strong feedback on who is looking strong.
Lets start with the guys. Pottsville won it a year ago with a great 26-2 record. The Crimson Tide will be good again, very well coached, but watch for North Schuylkill to make an impact this winter.
The Spartans rebuilt things from a year ago, and could be a strong contender to unseat the Tide come February.
The buzz is humming in Shenandoah Valley. The Blue Devils surprised everyone last winter, this time they could be a finalists for the Schuylkill League playoffs.
Mahanoy Area is jacked to the hilt and ready to make another run to glory in a program that is filled with more tradition on the hardwoods than any school in the region.
What teams is looking to surprise much like Shenandoah Valley did last winter? Pine Grove lost a bevy of talent, but will be in the thick of the Big School Schuylkill League Division, as will Blue Mountain. Keep an eye on Lourdes this time around, as well as Tri-Valley.
A year ago the ladies were getting led by a pair of standout teams. Tamaqua won a second-straight championship, Tri-Valley made another great postseason run.
Can it happen again? Tamaqua lost far too much to retrain its title, Amy Zehner is gone but not forgot, as she tears it up for Bucknell as a freshman.
The Lady Bulldogs have their old mentor back in Bob Felty, and he is one of the finest the league has ever had, and is the early favorite to win it all in the rugged Schuylkill League.
Don’t discount Blue Mountain, nor Nativity, and North Schuylkill. Lady Spartans are said to be a sleeper.
Now a refresher from last year and how our teams ended in 2011.
Schuylkill Plus Top 10 Boys Final 2011 Poll
1. Pottsville (26-2)
2. Pine Grove (23-5)
3. Marian (20-6)
4. Minersville (18-6)
5. Shenandoah Valley (16-7)
6. Tri-Valley (19-6)
7. Mahanoy Area (16-9)
8. Danville (22-5)
9. – Shikellamy (20-5)
10. Blue Mountain (15-8)
Schuylkill Plus Top 10 Final Girls 2011 Poll
1. Tamaqua (28-\1)
2. Tri-Valley (23-6)
3. Nativity (16-8)
4. Marian (20-5)
5. Pine Grove (21-5)
6. Jim Thorpe (16-7)
7. Blue Mountain (14-6)
8. Minersville (16-7)
9. Lourdes (18-8)
10. Shamokin (18-4)
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Bowling... everyone wants to do it!
Nah, not the kind you do on the ally, the College Football Bowls.
Some times one wonders are there enough teams to fill the bowls?
We have the Chikc-fil-A Bowl; Kraft Hunger Bowl; TicketCity Bowl and how about the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
How about a Pancake Bowl, with the best pancake block becoming the MVP of the game?
So who is headed where?
There is a good bet that LSU will meet Alabama for a rematch and the National Championship Game. Bah, humbug... why should ‘Bama get a chance at redemption, they lost AT HOME to LSU now they’re crying the blues.
That’s what happens when you don’t have a playoff system.
As far as we’re concerned the only bowls worth mentioning are the old mainstays; Gator, Cotton, Sugar and Rose Bowl. Oh yeah, the Fiesta can join the group.
Really, the other bowls are just to fill the dead space on TV during the Christmas Season. Notice we didn’t say holiday?
Anyway, we will make note of the bowls and the possible matchups that could be in store. Some of the bowls will start crowing before the league championships are completed next weekend.
January 2 Bowl Games look like this... Outback Bowl Michighan State vs. South Carolina; Capitol One Nebraska vs. Arkansas; Gator Iowa vs. Auburn; TicketCity in Dallas Texas Illinois vs. Marshall. Cotton Bowl takes place Jan. 6 and it could be Kansas State vs. Georgia.
Penn State is looking like it will be in San Francisco Dec. 31 to play Cal in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl; Ohio State will meet Texas A&M in the Insight Bowl Dec. 31. Rutgers will meet Missour in New York City in the Pinstripe Bowl; basically the Knights are staying home and there’s no travel money to spend. Notre Dame goes to the Champs Sports Bow to meet Florida State. Temple will play Air Force, in New Mexico Bowl, Albuqurque. Wow that’s a big reward!
Pitts going to fat-in-up in the Beef O’Brady Bowl, Dec. 20 against Southern Miss (belch!).
As for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl? It’s a mashpotato’s for La. Tech and Ohio. Hey, this one might be better than Temple-Air Force or Rutgers Air Force or better yet, Pitt and Southern Miss. Seriously, the MACC teams play impressively in the bowls.
The Holiday Bowl is going to be a pretty nice match between Arizona St. and Baylor.
Those are just some of the possible projected matchups.
Have a great Christmas and a wonderful New York and a lot of holiday bowling and cheer, cheer, cheer!
The “turkey” is finally in the oven; put a fork in the bird; for crying out loud it’s officially done!
Nah, we’re not telling you about the Thanksgiving Turkey, it’s those darn buzzards in South Philly impersonating an NFL team.
The Eagles have landed on the floor of the Link, dead in the water in a season that some thought to be a “dreamy” trip to the Super Bowl come February.
It sure in heck isn’t going come to fruition after these dang Birds laid another egg for the fifth time in six home games. That’s correct; the Eagles lost for the fifth time at home in 2011 and are now going to play out the string.
The lynching has begun for the Andy Reid Era; fans were chanting for the most successful coach in the history of the franchise to get fired after a debilitating 38-20 loss to the New England Patriots.
Reid’s biggest issues, even though he’s had more wins at the helm than any of the other coaches for the franchise, not winning a Super Bowl. He has managed just one trip to the big dance and, ah, came up short in a loss to the Patriots in Jacksonville in 2005.
Too many egos to fill here, and, if Reid doesn’t go, the trading should begin immediately. Asante Samuel, gone; DeSean Jackson, gone; two of the biggest thorns in the side of the team will not be a part of this gathering of flop-artists. And one more note: Michael Vick’s contract is a bigger bust than the Wall Street Bailout idiots. In case you need to know; must refer to the Atlanta Falcons.
Now on to the real issues of who is where as the season has but one more month to play out and runs right up until January 1, 2012. That’s the final regular season playing date before the playoffs start a week later.
The NFC East is going to the wire; Dallas and the Giants are forging ahead and will make for an interesting December. Both teams have to meet one and other in the final month of the season.
The NFC North is all but sewed up in Title Town U.S.A. The Green Bay Packers have all the tools to make it back-to-back Super Bowl championships. If the Packers continue to stay the course undefeated at 11-0, and captures another Vince Lombardi Trophy it will be No. 5 in franchise history.
The NFC South is another two-horse race to the finish line. The New Orleans Saints are holding down the fort for now one-game up in the loss column over the Falcons and it will provide for interesting watching.
The NFC West where Jim Harbaugh has the Forty Niner fans crowing these days and visions of past Super Bowl champions. And rightfully so San Francisco controls its own destiny. The 49ers have only two losses, and no way will they blow a lead and lose the final five games. Second place Seattle and Arizona have seven losses apiece.
In the AFC Conference the Patriots continue to hold steadfast over the boastful Jets. New England has but two losses, the second-place Jets have five losses and could struggle to make it as a wild card for a second straight season.
It’s the same scenario in the AFC South; Houston Texans have three losses, Tennessee Titans sit at 6-5 in second place.
All eyes will look to the AFC North where the Pittsburgh Steelers locked in a dead heat with the Baltimore Ravens, both are 8-3, but the latter has two wins over the Western Pa franchise.
Out West there’s a hootin’ good time going on. The resurgent Oakland Raiders hold a narrow lead over those Denver “Tebow” Broncos who are 6-5. Timmy “T” has breath new life into the Broncos; his attitude is all about winning; his skills say he’s not an NFL quarterback, but all he does is win.
Who is playoff bound is far too close to call. But the bottom line is comes down to one thing: The healthiest team will win it all.
But if one had his druthers look to the Packers coming out of the NFC and the Ravens come out of the AFC.
Steeler fans don’t want to hear that; neither do the 49ers.
