The Game: Northeast Pennsylvania's Largest Sports Network

Welcome to the 2009 high school football season in Northeastern Pennsylvania (it's always football season). Mike Remish and Jim Riley will use this space for news, insights and opinions about the area's schoolboy grid tilts, and some college tidbits as well. Join Remish and Riley for "High School Football Weekend" on The Game Sports Radio network every Thursday afternoon during the football season at 4:30 and Friday morning at 8:30.

If high school and college athletics indeed teach life lessons let's hope West Scranton's Shawn Bodtmann learns well. That may be the only benefit after what happened to him. Nebraska withdrew its scholarship to him, less than a week before National Signing Day. It means Bodtmann has to find some school with a vacancy in its recruiting class, and he's signed with Maine. It was theorized that Bodtmann's offer was in order to entice his more highly-touted classmate Eric Shrive to Nebraska. Teams have done that two-for-one often if one recruit is desirable enough. I was always skeptical about Bodtmann's chances at such a prominent program, but he deserved better treatment.

Friday's first reading of the resolution to increase the PIAA classifications to six passed 19 to 9. That's encouraing for supporters of the measure. A source tells us that there is strong opposition from District 7, the WPIAL, and that the change is 50-50 to pass. The proposal needs a two-thirds vote for increasing the classes and three-quarters approval to reduce the schedule to nine regular season games

There's a strong belief the WPIAL is against the idea because it would prevent them from playing their four games in one day at Heinz Field. Seems like a flimsy reason but, to each his own.

What's with the 'A's in school classes? Texas has an 8A, which comes out to AAAAAAAA. Seems to me it should be every bit as practical to go with A, B, C etc. or maybe list them as 1 through 6. Perhaps a Class F championship doesn't sound all that spectacular.

The American Legion has given out the Hookey Reap awards for 2008. The award is presented to the top offensive and defensive linemen in Lackawanna County. West Scranton's Eric Shrive took the offensive honor, while Riverside's Tom Bennie was chosen on the defensive side. Voting was conducted by area media and officials. It was first given out in 1957

West Scranton's Eric Shrive was the only local player in the 2009 Big 33 game, but has withdrawn. Shrive will start classes at Penn State in late June, not long after his graduation. The 52nd annual game will pit Pennsylvania's best against an Ohio All-star team June 20 in Hershey.

West Scranton football coach Mike DeAntona has resigned after six seasons. His Invaders won two District Two AAA championships and produced four Division One players and signees. His record was 39-39.

Dunmore quarterback Miller Holmes has won the 2008 Fiore Cesare Award. The honor is bestowed by Old Forge Bank to the senior football player who best combines classroom and gridiron excellence.

AAAA- Scranton High School TE Shane Glacken and Wallenpaupack TB Joe DeFebo made first team all-state on the Associated Press AAAA team. Delaware Valley OL Chris Horner was a second team choice

AAA-West Scranton offensive tackle Eric Shrive was chosen first team on the Associated Press Class AAA team for the second straight season. His next game comes in San Antonio January 3 at the Army All-American game. Then it's off to Penn State. Berwick placed two players on the first team: Linebacker Ryan Cordingly and defensive back Evan Crispell. Second-teamers include Abington Heights' Evan Craig and Charlie Armetta and Berwick's Ryan Sitler.

AA- First team selections were Dunmore OL Ryan Eitutis, Lakeland LB Vince Tuzze and GAR defensive back Ryan Womack. Named to the second team were a pair of Dunmore players, J. J. Dempsey (DB) and Michael Perry (TB)

A- Riverside had three first teamers (KR Joe Klebon, LB Kevin Sochovka and DB Matt Talerico). Quarterback Jay Velehoski and DT Tom Bennie were second team choices. Sochovka announced Monday that he will attend Princeton

They used to choose one team, then broke it down to big and small school, now it's based on each of the four classes.

Class A: Steelton-Highspire (3) 35, Clairton (7) 16 - The Steamrollers' second straight title by breaking open a tie game at half

Class AA: Wilmington (10) 35, West Catholic (12) 34, 2 ot - Greyhounds stop two-point play in second overtime

Class AAA: Thomas Jefferson (7) 34, Archbishop Wood (12) 7 - Jaguars repeat against first Philadelphia Catholic school in state championship game

Class AAAA: Bethlehem Liberty (11) 28, Bethel Park (7) 21, ot - Liberty's first title after two runner-up finishes

Congratulations to Lakeland High School, 2008 winner of the third annual Remish and Riley Concession Cuisine Award. Mike and Jim evaluated the fare wherever they broadcast high school football. Previous winners were Riverside Touchdown Club in 2006 and Old Forge Quarterback Club in 2007. A photo of this year's trophy presentation is on the front page of this site.

The state's most successful high school football coach has resigned. George Curry stepped down after three years at Wyoming Valley West. Curry won six state titles at Berwick, collecting a state-record 413 victories in his career. He gave health reasons when announcing his decision. His resignation was expected, with some saying he'd move on to Central Dauphin East or Bethlehem Catholic. Curry says he is done coaching.

West Scranton tackle Eric Shrive has become the second District 2 player ever named to the US Army All-American game in San Antonio. The prestigious event is known almost as much for its college commitment announcements. Shrive has already committed to Penn State. This year's game is January 3. Wyoming Valley West's Brian Mattes made the game in 2002.

Riverside finished 2008 as the area's only unbeaten team, knocking off fellow undefeated Dunmore 34-20. It was the same score as the 2007 matchup. The Vikings also set a record with 1730 state power points in the formula used to determine playoff spots...On the opposite end is Nanticoke, which has now lost 21 consecutive games. They finish '08 as the area's lone winless squad...Scranton Prep's Robbie Evans finished with a flourish, scoring six touchdowns against Western Wayne

Player of the Week- Joe Klebon, Riverside. Back in action after missing six games with a broken foot he ran the opening kickoff back for a 95 yard touchdown. The senior tailback added 175 yards rushing

Game of the Week- Riverside's win over Dunmore. Only briefly lived up to the expectation, as The Vikes opened a 28-0 lead before Dunmore made a game of it in the second half

He Did What he Could- Justin Koslosky, Coughlin. The senior tailback cut through Wyoming Valley West for 168 yards on just 16 carries

Chant of the Week- Toward the end of their win over Dunmore, some Riverside fans began the "overrated!" chant toward the Bucks. First, the chant works best when it is done before the game, and second, calling your opponent overrated takes away from the ability of your team. Dunmore's not overrated; Riverside's just that good

Valley View moved smack-dab into the midst of the District 2 AA playoff picture with its win over Prep. It'll come down to strength of schedule and tiebreakers as the Cougars fight Carbondale for the final berth. If the Cougars lose to Scranton, they'll be within a point of Carbondale and both teams' fate will sit with results of other games. Plenty of scoreboard watching. Chargers have the tie breaker due to their win over Lakeland...Strength of schedule could create a heartbreaking situation for Wyoming Area. There's a pretty logical scenario where they could beat Pittston, finish with the same record as the Patriots, but lose the fourth seed to them. All goes back to which teams have you beaten, and the Pats have that impressive win over Coughlin. PIAA has shown no indication that they will deduct points for losses as part of their points formula...The GAR/Lake Lehman game lived up to expectations. Grenadiers won 21-15 to seal the #2 seed and first round bye (unless they lose to 2-7 Meyers). Knights scored with ten seconds left, then got the onside kick. A bomb to the end zone was knocked free by a GAR defender and the win was theirs. Good game in defeat for Lehman, which answered a lot of questions about their fitness for lofty expectations. Criticize their schedule all you want, but they have a legitimate playoff team...Lehman's loss leaves two unbeaten teams left, Dunmore and Riverside. They meet Friday night in Taylor (The Game 1280/1340/1400/1590 am 6:45). In and of itself, the game matters little. No playoff berths or seedings are at stake, they won't rematch in postseason, but it's clearly the game of the year. Get your tickets now; get your seat Wednesday. The game is so big the Mayor of Taylor has ordered trick or treat activities moved to Thursday...Eric Ofcharsky of Abington Heights scored six touchdowns with a 258 yard rushing performance. The six TD's are impressive, but moreso when you realize he was only tackled ten times...

Pittston Area has come from the clouds to be a likely District Two playoff team. With winnable games left against Meyers and Wyoming Area, Tony Donato's Patriots can claim the fourth and final seed at 6-4. It'll get them a date with Abington Heights (Donato's old team). Nobody paid any attention to Pittston until a couple weeks ago, but Tunkhannock's slump and Prep's weak schedule cleared the way...Huzzahs to some defensive stars this weekend. Berwick's Ryan Cordingly had three sacks, while Vinne Amacio of Lakeland intercepted three passes...Dunmore RB Michael Perry scored on a 32 yard run late in the fourth quarter of the Bucks' win over Valley View. It was likely the easiest score of his career. The Cougars let him score so they could get the ball back and try for the tying touchdown...Lake Lehman's remarkable turnaround continues. In 2006 they were 0-10, last year they improved to 2-8. Their schedule has been very easy to manage, and they will get all they want from GAR Friday, but Carl Kern deserves credit for putting a pretty good team on the field

Not only doesn't Riverside not have a kicker, it appears Harry Armstrong doesn't feel like he should develop one. The Vikings go for two after every touchdown, even when ahead 66-7 as they were Friday against Western Wayne. At 66-7 you should at least give someone an audition. Old Forge was in a similar spot several years ago and it cost them a game. Trailing Bishop O'Hara 14-8, the Devils scored late to tie the game, but without a kicker for the extra point they had to go for two. They were stopped and lost the game in overtime.

Back to Riverside. While his offense seems potent enough to make two point conversions whenever they try, there may be a need for a kicker. being that far ahead of Western Wayne would've been a perfect opportunity to work one in. Which is to say nothing of the apparent lack of sportsmanship in going for two with a 59 point lead

Player of the Week- Nate Volkel, QB, Lake Lehman. Completed all eight of his passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns

Game of the Week- Dunmore 27, Valley View 19. Trailing by six at halftime, the Bucks recovered from a listless first half to keep their unbeaten record

There were some dazzling efforts around the conferences this weekend, with Riverside and GAR being quite impressive in divisional showdowns. Riverside coach Harry Armstrong took no prisoners against Lakeland, with multiple onside kicks, two point conversions and fake punts. Not everything worked, but there was enough success to craft a 44-13 win...GAR used the big play to rout a good hanover team 39-6. Ryan Womack had a 29-yard TD run and took a punt back 65 yards, while backfield mate Godson Tandoh (maybe the fastest player in D-2) scored on an 82-yard interception return and 44-yard run...It's too bad Riverside isn't still a AA school. They'd make a fantastic playoff field even more juicy with Dunmore and GAR in there...Double kudos to Dallas coach Ted Jackson. He won his 200th career game Saturday over Crestwood. Moreover, he got his first win of 2008.

Player of the Week- Steven Andujar, Susquehanna. 220 rushing yards on just nine carries

Game of the Week- Abington Hts 24, Delaware Valley 21. Charlie Armetta kicked a 26-yard field goal with a half-second remaining to lift the Comets. The biggest lead of the day was eight points and both teams answered the other's challenge.

Dallas gave Hanover all they had before dropping a 13-12 decision. Scott Daube's 96 yard interception return put the Mounties in front before the Hawkeyes pulled it out. In six games Dallas has four touchdowns- two on offense, two on returns...The most emphatic win came from GAR, which routed Wyoming Area 39-0. Sets up a big showdown with Hanover Saturday night (7 p.m. on The Game)...Berwick scored 37 points or more in each of its first four games before tallying just 17 total the past two weeks...Delaware Valley used 18 different ball carriers and receivers in their win over Honesdale. Dunmore employed 15...Berwick's defense limited West Scranton to 62 yards of offense; Old Forge held Holy Cross to 90....Five teams surpassed 400 yards

Player of the Week- Jay Velehoski, Riverside. Completed 12 of 19 passes for 323 yards and three TD.

Game of the Week (exciting category)- Riverside 42, Scranton Prep 20. Six touchdowns came from 30+ yards out

He Did What He Could- Crestwood quarterback Matt Wotherspoon. 259 yards passing in a loss to Williamsport

Three of the seven unbeaten teams lost this weekend, Berwick, Coughlin and Wallenpaupack. That leaves Hazleton, Riverside, Dunmore and Lake Lehman...Coughlin's loss ended their win streak at six, longest in the region....Nanticoke's losing streak stretched to 16 games, longest in the area...Old Forge's Bobby Vieira returned two punts for touchdowns against Nanticoke (64 and 81 yards)...Scranton's 27-7 win over West Scranton gives them possession of The Bell, an old Erie Lackawanna railroad bell that will be displayed in the hallway...West's Shawn Bodtman will miss another four weeks with a broken collarbone...Tunkhannock had two 100-yard rushers in their win over Crestwood, Colton Rosario with 143 and Matt Alfieri with 132...Lakeland won despite 11 penalties for 90 yards. Continuing a strange and unexplained trend, teams with more penalty yardage were 10-4 this weekend

Game of the Week- Pittston 44, Coughlin 43, six OT. yes, six. Pittston tied the game at 14 with a half minute to play. The defenses then hit the showers and it came down to a blocked extra point to save the Patriots. After taking a 37-31 lead in OT5, PA missed the PAT. Coughlin tied it and missed their own kick.

Player of the Week- Fabby Desir, Scranton. Rushed for 215 yards and a 57-yard TD in the second quarter that essentially sealed the Knights' win.

He Did What he Could- Nick Raven, North Pocono. Completed 21 of 40 passes for 310 yards and 2 TD in the Trojans loss to Delaware Valley

Another major figure suffered a major injury this weekend as West Scranton's Shawn Bodtman broke his collarbone against Abington Heights. The Nebraska recruit could miss the rest of the season, which was spiraling out of control for the Invaders anyway. At 1-3, West has games upcoming against Scranton and Berwick...Lakeland lost consecutive games for the first time since 1999 after a 35-13 loss at Dunmore. The Bucks sure seem ready to continue the recent trend of AA state runners-up getting back and winning the title the next year...The merger of Bishop Hannan and Bishop O'Hara hasn't seemed to have produced the bounty some had hoped for Holy Cross. The Crusaders lost 62-7 to Holy Redeemer Saturday. It's fair to wonder if they could finish the season, though there are no big schools on their schedule...Chris Price of Pittston Area peeled off four touchdown runs against Dallas (and how far have the Mountaineers fallen?)

Still Unbeaten: Hazleton, Berwick, Coughlin, Riverside, Dunmore, Lake Lehman and Wallenpaupack

Player of the Week- Robbie Evans. The Prep tailback rushed for 203 yards in the Cavaliers win over Tunkhannock. In AAA for the first time, Prep could win six or seven games and make the playoffs

Game of the Week- Coughlin 28, Williamsport 27. Crusaders led 14-0 early, then the Millionaires tied it in the 3rd quarter. A kickoff return put Coughlin back up before the teams traded TD's again in the fourth. After scoring with 23 seconds to play, Williamsport went for two. The Crusaders broke up the pass, held on for the win and improved to 4-0, their sixth straight victory dating back to the Eastern Conference playoffs of 2007

Things are starting to crystallize in area high school football. The really good teams are winning, and a few that found themselves in dire straits did their best to correct their slow starts. Dunmore and Riverside scored impressive wins again and hype has already begun for their week ten showdown in Taylor. It may lose some luster in the coming weeks with news that Riverside's outstanding tailback Joe Klebon has a foot injury and could be out a month. Harry Armstrong's a talented coach and he'll need his imagination to offset Klebon's loss with games coming up against Valley View and Lakeland...Dunmore's 28-7 win over West Scranton was very businesslike. They controlled the ball and did very well on third downs. Quarterback Miller Holmes was outstanding. If he were three or four inches taller he could write his own scholarship. West is looking at a 1-5 record with games coming up vs. Abington Heights, Scranton, and Berwick...Coughlin allowed their first points of the season but toppled GAR 23-7. Koslosky and McClosky had 247 yards and two similar surnames in the Crusaders win...Don't sleep on Lake Lehman in AA. The Knights clubbed Northwest 40-14 and look like they can score at every chance...Carbondale won at Lakeland for the first time ever, 28-21, perhaps catching the Chiefs looking ahead to Dunmore this weekend...Wallenpaupack's Joe DeFebo scored four touchdowns Friday, down from his usual five.

Player of the Week- Hanover QB Rich Colorusso. Friday night Colorusso threw for 214 yards and ran for 125 while tallying five total touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Holy Redeemer.

Game of the Week- Honesdale 29, East Stroudsburg North 28. Down 28-7 in the 4th the Hornets rallied behind Andrew Branning's three TD passes and a game winning two point try for their second win

Two-minute Drill of the Week- East Stroudsburg South scored on a 44-yard pass with :12 left in the first half against Scranton. The Cavaliers recovered an onside kick and threw another TD pass to take a 14-0 lead into the locker room. The stunned Knights hung in there but lost 24-14

He Did What he Could- Lackawanna Trail's Austin Kodish ran for 55 yards, returned three kickoffs for 72 yards and made eight tackles in the Lions' 49-0 loss to Scranton Prep Saturday

Sources tell The Game that Riverside TB Joe Klebon has a broken foot and could miss the rest of the season

Wyoming Valley West coach George Curry showed why he's won more games than any other Pennsylvania coach. He rallied a staggering Spartan team to an impressive 26-7 win over Delaware Valley for their first win. Just in time, too; Berwick's next.

For the second straight week a coach went for two and a win instead of an overtime tie. Riverside's Harry Armstrong ordered the try with his Vikings trailing West Scranton 21-20 in the final seconds. The play worked and Riverside won 22-21. The winning drive was started with a fourth-and-1 stop with 1:23 left to play....Wallenpaupack's Joe DeFebo scored five more touchdowns (that's ten in two weeks if you're scoring at home, though it's hard to believe anyone is scoring at home as frequently as Joe is on the field)...Lake Lehman set a couple of District 2 records, total points and margin of victory, in a 74-6 win over Holy Cross. It was 53-6 at halftime...Coughlin forced seven turnovers for its second straight shutout, 41-0 over Dallas

Player of the Week: Let's go with Joe Siclari (the best players in the league seem to be named Joe). The Western Wayne quarterback threw three TD passes as the Wildcats beat Susquehanna 21-6 to end a 41-game losing streak.

He Did What he Could: West Scranton's Shawn Bodtman. The Nebraska recruit rushed for 133 yards and two TD and caught four passes for 43 more yards

How can Lake Lehman get to 74 points if there is a supposed "Mercy Rule" in high school games? Well, the rule doesn't take hold until the second half. L-L had a 53-6 lead at intermission. Several years ago there was a 96-0 game in the Lancaster area. That halftime score was 77-0 I believe. The ref can keep the clock moving earlier than the second half if both coaches agree

Western Wayne ended a 41-game losing streak with a 21-6 win over Susquehanna. Congratulations to the Wildcats and coach Butch Keller

Players were warming up, fans were taking their seats, hot dogs were cooking, administrators were wimping. Saturday's Abington Heights postponement has to rank right up (down) there with the best (worst) of them. Yes, it was raining. But it had been raining all morning and everyone knew it would rain all day. So why drag everyone to the stadium only to send them home? Someone has some explaining to do, and I doubt it's interim AD Mike Beamish. He was adamant all week that weather would not interfere with the game. But someone twisted his arm, an arm that could have been twisted a lot sooner to save plenty of inconvenience. It was later revealed Superintendent Michael Mahon called the game, fearful of a thunderstorm

Riverside's Joe Klebon had his usual spectacular game Friday. Against Old Forge he scored three touchdowns and had three others called back due to penalty. His Vikings opened up a 36-6 lead at halftime and coasted behind Klebon's 238 rush yards. I understand Syracuse has been scouting him...As great as Klebon was he wasn't even the best tailback named Joe this weekend. Wallenpaupack's Joe DeFebo slashed through Pocono Mountain West for 348 yards and five TD. The Buckhorns fell behind 14-0 before scoring 30 unanswered points...Jeff Wasilchak's debut at Lakeland was pretty impressive. His current team led his old one 41-0 in the second quarter. What really gladdened Chiefs fans was the eight passes he called in the first 30 minutes. Don't discount Lakeland in the AA mix this season...Hard to tell where Coughlin and Meyers are. The Crusaders won 57-0 Friday. They won an Eastern Conference title last season, their first winning year in eleven, but Meyers was expected to be a small-school contender. Losing by 57 points is no way to engender hope for November success, but I still say the Mohawks will fit well in Class A. Keep an eye on how they each perform in week two to see a verification of what we witnessed so far.

Game of the Week- Hazleton's 18-17 overtime win over Abington Heights. It ended a four-game skid to the Comets and came after coach Rocco Petrone went for two after his overtime touchdown. It was win or lose right then and there and his team responded to his confidence by making the try and winning. Cougars held the Comets to 30 rushing yards

He Did What He Could- This year we will recognize players who had great games in losing efforts or for overmatched teams. This week's winner is Mid Valley's Jason Karlavage. Against Dunmore he ran 85 yards for one TD and took a kickoff back 90 for another score. It was part of a 300+ yard all-purpose performance. Dunmore won 42-21, but Mid Valley had a chance to pull within seven points before a late Buck TD on an interception runback sealed their victory

Williamsport ended a ten-game losing streak with a 21-7 win at Dallas. No such luck for Western Wayne which lost for the 41st consecutive game Friday. The Wildcats play Susquehanna this week and Montrose on September 19. Other than that it's hard to see them finding winnable games this season.