It was a memorable week on several fronts this past week as Astound TV Network covered the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and Colonial League baseball championships. 

Allen won its first baseball title of any kind in over 30 years, with a freshman starting pitcher, Alejandro cartagena, combining to throw a no-hitter against Whitehall in the EPC title game (highlights from that game are below). 

Last Thursday, an emotional win for Southern Lehigh Head Coach Todd Miller and his team over Leighton (see also below). Both the Canaries and the Spartans will be the top seed in the District 11, 6A and 5A playoffs, respectively. ATVN will have all the local baseball championships broadcast live the following week after Memorial Day. 

Before we get to that point, astound will be broadcasting the 2A and 3A district girls and boys lacrosse championship games this upcoming week starting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. 

Check back to ATVN’s The SportsTalk Shop for exclusive interviews recapping those games along with previews of the upcoming baseball championship games. 

Now, here’s recent highlights and interviews of some of the top teams and players in the ATVN coverage area…. 

History: Allen Canaries Throw A NO-HITTER To Win First EPC Title in 30 years! 

Astound TV Network Sports Game Highlight: Boys’ Baseball – Allen vs. Whitehall (5/26) 

ATVN SportsTalk Show Feature: Liberty HS Baseball 2026 

Southern Lehigh Wins the Colonial League Championship! 

Southern Lehigh Manager Todd Miller 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

The high school spring sports playoff season is underway and Astound TV Network has you covered with some of the top games coming up! 

For the third straight spring, ATVN will be the ONLY place that you will be able to see both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference AND the Colonial League baseball championship broadcast in the area. 

For the first time in a very long while, it will be in all Lehigh County affair for the EPC championship on Tuesday, while two of the tallest teams in the area square off for the Colonial League title on Thursday. Be sure to catch both games live on Astound TV Network and streaming for free on our YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, we start our countdown of the top games and players from past school year, featuring those highlights here on our website over the next several weeks.  

Enjoy!

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Bethlehem Catholic vs. North Schuylkill (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Allentown Central Catholic vs. Lehighton (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Jim Thorpe vs. Wilson (12/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Football – Southern Lehigh vs. Cardinal O’Hara (11/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Parkland vs. Nazareth (11/25) 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

The SportsTalk Shop will be joining the ATVN sports crew working on special projects and staying busy getting ready for the final few games of the regular sports season and our expanded coverage this year of the spring post-season.

As we do that, Astound TV Network will be running some of the most requested recent ATVN SportsTalk programs over the next few Thursdays. Be sure to tune in to see which of your favorite episodes pop up before our high school post-season coverage gets underway!

In the meantime, we would like to present the top girls and boys basketball players from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference as those lists were released, honoring all of our standout student athletes from our coverage area.

2025-2026 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference

Boys Basketball All-Stars

1^st Team

KJ Coles – Senior – Pocono Mountain West (MVP)

Blake Nassry – Junior – Parkland

Jake Pukszyn – Senior – Liberty

Noah Walakovits – Senior – Northampton

Tiheed Wise, Jr. – William Allen

2^nd Team

Alphy Deris  – Senior – Dieruff

Yariel Gonzalez – Junior – Allentown Central Catholic

Logan Hahn – Senior – Nazareth

Seth Hoderewski – Senior – Whitehall

Gavin Kershner – Senior – Nazareth

3^rd Team

Tyler Beck – Senior – Parkland

Tae El-Bassiouni – Sophomore – Stroudsburg

Parker McClary – Senior – Bethlehem Catholic

Jacob Ross – Junior – Emmaus

Brady Simock – Senior – Northampton

Teddy Stiehler – Sophomore – Pocono Mountain West

Girls Basketball All-Stars 

1st Team 

Aliyah Brame – Senior – Bethlehem Catholic

 Alexa Davis – Senior – Nazareth

Gabby DeVita – Senior – Emmaus

Ava Kopetskie – Senior – Liberty (MVP)

Jayla Rosario – Senior – Dieruff

2nd Team 

Leah Ault – Senior – Bethlehem Catholic

Kam Gallis – Freshman – Bethlehem Catholic

Aniya Holder – Senior – Dieruff

Karly Leszcynski – Sophomore – Nazareth

Gabby Wismer – Junior – Easton

3rd Team 

Natalie Amato – Senior – Easton

Isabella Hallal – Senior – Parkland

Sara Kokolus – Senior – Freedom

Aneri McGalla – Senior – Parkland

Olive Whitney – Senior – Emmaus

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

With the weather warming up, it is appropriate that we’ll be talking local baseball and other spring sports on this week’s ATVN SportsTalk show.

Our special in-studio guests will be the defending District 4A baseball champions from Northwestern Lehigh. We’ll look back at last year’s unique championship run along with thoughts and insights on their current season and fight for a Colonial League crown.

We will also have features on other spring sport teams and recaps of games currently going on in our coverage area, including local lacrosse and volleyball features.

Be sure to tune in!

Next, we have our final look back at highlights from our final few basketball broadcasts this season on Astound TV Network, along with the recent segment from ATVN SportsTalk addressing issues concerning girls basketball. Copies of these games and all of our other productions and studio programming can be purchased by contacting our studio.

Enjoy!

Declining Girls Basketball Participants

Astound TV Network Sports: Wrestling – District IX Individual Wrestling Final (2/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Basketball – Pocono Mountain East vs. Northampton (2/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Basketball – Liberty vs. Emmaus (2/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls Basketball – Freedom vs. Parkland (2/26)

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. 

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. Spy thriller fans will probably argue forever about whether Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Daniel Craig is the best James Bond ever. 

But several years before Barry Nelson played the “Jimmy Bond” character in an episode of “Climax,” titled, “Casino Royale,” you can make a strong argument that Brian Donlevy was the first actor to play a 007-esque character on the screen. 

 Donlevy starred as the suave and sophisticated undercover spy in the early 1950s classic television show “Dangerous Assignment,” where he was sent to exotic locations to complete impossible missions, using wit and fighting techniques (along with some unique technological gadgets) in order to save the world from villainy.  

Right down to a quick opening teaser before the credits (over a decade before the first full-length Bond film, “Dr. No”) the format for the on-screen spy film was born. Shortly after the introduction, Steve Michell (Donleavy) would report to his supervisor’s office (there was no “Moneypenny” yet) who would outline his upcoming mission, give key facts about the plot and supply him with the technology and inside information necessary for defeating his nemesis for that evening’s program. 

From there, Mitchell would travel the world, charm women (his delivery paralleled Humphrey Bogart more than any actor who would later handle the role of Bond) and escape death-defying predicaments, with some rather uniquely choreographed fight scenes. Like almost every James Bond film, Mitchell always won the day in the end but did feature very intriguing storylines and exciting climaxes worth watching. 

Guest stars included Hugh Beaumont who, within a couple years would find success as Ward Cleaver on the classic “Leave it to Beaver” shows and Harry Guardino, who also guest starred in over a hundred television programs spanning a four decades career, in shows ranging from “Studio One” to “Murder, She Wrote.” 

Another guest star includes a rare on-air TV performance by Paul Frees who performed many commercial voice-overs and created famous cartoon voices and was even regarded as the original “man of a thousand voices” (according to “The A to Z of Old Time Radio”) while working in the same time period as the venerable voice master, Mel Blanc. 

 Despite having success on NBC radio, the show initially failed to grab a network television sponsor. Donlevy then invested his own money and produced the first 39 episodes before it was eventually picked up and later distributed by NBC television. 

 “Assignment” additionally produced a total 167 radio programs made both before and after its run on the small screen. It was also unique in that it  was one of the first shows to have success in the syndicated market, decades before shows like “Baywatch,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and others began utilizing this valuable outlet. 

 Years later, the TV comedy “Police Squad,” which spoofed many great spy and police-driven classics, paid homage to this Donlevy-led program by poking fun at a few of the show’s quirks, and even titled one of its initial episodes, “A Dangerous Assignment.” Fans of Frank Drebin may want to revisit these shows to get a glimpse of the inside jokes. 

 You can see this episode of “Dangerous Assignment” on ATVN.  Check out our broadcast schedule for more details. 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.  

The sport of swimming does not get much media coverage in Pennsylvania (for one reason, most high definition cameras can’t stand the humidity of being in a natatorium for more than a few minutes), and divers probably receive even less attention.  

We’re going to try to change that this Thursday on ATVN‘s SportsTalk show as we feature two outstanding young athletes from Freedom High School who captured state championships this past sports season in diving. 

If you want to hear more about the sport and these young athletes’ amazing careers, or have a young person that would like to know more about participating in this sport, tune into this Thursday’s show live at 7:00pm EST on Astound TV Network. 

The program will also be live stream for free on our YouTube channel. 

Now, we continue our countdown of the top games, matches and individual highlights from the past season as seen on Astound TV Network… 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Liberty vs. Whitehall (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Emmaus vs. Parkland (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Nazareth vs. Easton (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Allen vs. Parkland (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Liberty vs. Nazareth (2/26) 

We have begun one of the more interesting times of year as we are wrapping up all the winter sports activities, honors and recaps.

At the same time, we’re also already underway with spring sports activities.

We will have a mix of both of the above coming up over the next several weeks on ATVN‘s SportsTalk on Thursday nights, featuring both guests and features on local sports teams from the winter season (those that played deep into the postseason) and a look ahead at all of the activities that are going on with the spring sports season underway.

On this week’s program, we will feature Head Coach Andrew Oswald the ladies from the Catasauqua powder Puff team to talk about their new sport, how popular it’s been in the area and also about their big rivalry with Northampton. A few of these platers also were a big part of this year’s Catty girls basketball team and we’ll talk about their successes on the hardwood as well on this week’s show. If you miss the live airing Thursday at 7:00 p.m., you can catch the replay Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Now, here’s a look at some of the top highlights from recent sports featured on the Astound Television Network…

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – West Catholic vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (3/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Parkland vs. Imhotep (3/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Bethlehem Catholic vs. Archbishop Wood (3/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Liberty vs. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (3/26)

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Parkland vs. Delaware Valley (3/26)

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, company or subsidiary.

The Astound TV Network Sports winter season officially came to an end on Tuesday night with the loss of Notre Dame Green pond in the PIAA semi-final round, was the last remaining team standing in the ATVN – Lehigh Valley viewing area. 

Although we had a lot of great games, exciting moments and some everlasting individual performances throughout the winter, the state playoff did remind us of a perennial issue with sports in the state of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia basketball is King! 

A number of teams from our Delaware Valley viewing area will be playing for state championships this weekend. Astound TV customers can watch these games on the Pennsylvania Cable Network as they hold the rights to broadcasting the state finals. 

Coach Marlon Randall who joined me for ATVN’s final broadcast of the season pointed out on the air during our last telecast that a major reason why Philly is so good in basketball is their leagues allow for many more non-league competition opportunities. While a few teams did schedule schools from the Delaware Valley market as part of their non-league schedule, he pointed out that it is tough for Lehigh Valley teams to add many of those schools to their schedule since our local leagues only allow for a small handful of games to be played outside of their league and the District 11 region. 

Conversely, a team like Philadelphia West Catholic, who will be playing in the state finals this weekend, got to play some of the best teams from New York, Washington. DC, Maryland and Virginia in addition to the top teams in Pennsylvania. 

Supporting his argument is the fact that many of those teams that went out to seek the best competition outside of the area will be playing for state championships this weekend and many of them ended up mercy ruling their competition during the PIAA playoffs. 

Of course, another reason the teams still remaining are where they are is because of their ability to recruit and bring in players from different regions. This has been a hotly debated topic for decades and arguments about this usually pop up around this time of year.  

Still, many of those “non-boundary” teams defeated other non-boundary teams in the state playoffs…a few rather significantly. 

There’s always numerous discussions with people bringing up different ideas on how the state playoffs “should” be laid out. I think one of the best “newest” ideas I’ve heard during the last few weeks includes going back to a four classification format the way it had been for many years but expanding the number of teams involved.   

Will this be the year where action is taken and the PIAA playoffs get revamped? /enhanced to try to ensure better competition going forward?  

We’ll have to wait and see what the powers that be decide as there are quite a few high school sports issues up for debate over the next few months. 

Now, here’s a look at the top plays from some of our recent broadcasts on ATVN….

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Executive Education vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Blue Mountain vs. Allentown Central Catholic (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Emmaus vs. Easton (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Girls’ Basketball – Parkland vs. Nazareth (2/26) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Boys’ Basketball – Parkland vs. Pocono Mountain East (2/24) 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, company or subsidiary.