It’s time for this week’s rankings of the top teams in District XI as we reach the postseason…

Our pollsters this fall will be giving their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall.

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 points for the second-best team, 8 for third and so forth.  The voting committee itself consists of media members, football coaches and athletic directors in this region (we randomly select different coaches and “ADs” each year to get different points of view).

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school.

It’s a different way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters.

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions.

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, our voters have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positioning’s.

As far as which media members have a say?  Don’t be surprised if they identify themselves on our Thursday SportsTalk show, which, this fall, will be streamed live on YouTube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork on Thursdays at 7pm, in addition to being broadcast each week on Astound TV Network.

So, without any further delay, here’s the grand unveiling of this week’s new “Astound 10” poll…(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.)

1. Parkland (9.67)
2. Easton (9.33)
3. Northwestern (7.67)
4. Liberty (6.2)
5. Southern Lehigh (5.5)
6. Nazareth (4.33)
7. Whitehall (3)
8. Freedom (2.33)
9. Notre Dame-Green Pond (1.83)
10. Schuylkill Haven (1.17)

Other team(s) receiving more than one mention: (None)

*Two voters were absent for this week’s poll results

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds of our pollsters!

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.

If you blink (or get tied up in a project at work…), you just might miss the high school field hockey regular season. Teams kick off official competitions in the last week of August, generally play 3-4 games per week, and by the second week of October, only those teams who have qualified for league or district playoffs are still playing. Meanwhile, at the college level, regular season play continues throughout the entirety of October, with league play not beginning until early November, and the National Championship usually falling the weekend before Thanksgiving.  

But at the high school level, for the EPC and Colonial Leagues, conference playoffs are slotted for the second full week of October. In the Colonial League, Palmerton (ranked 6), Bangor (3), Pen Argyl (7), Southern Lehigh (2), Wilson (5), Northwestern (4), Palisades (8), and Salisbury (1) advanced to the league playoff, while the EPC playoff included Emmaus (1), Stroudsburg (8), Northampton (4), Nazareth (5), Parkland (3), Liberty (6), Easton (2), and Freedom (7). 

So, how did we get here? 

In the Colonial League, Salisbury continued the program’s upward trajectory, finishing with an overall record of 15-1 and securing the top spot in the playoffs. That’s an improvement from last season where they compiled a record of 13-3 and the year prior where they ended up 5-8-1 and failed to even reach the league playoffs. Salisbury was followed just behind by Southern Lehigh, who wrapped the regular season with a record of 14-1-1. The Spartans fell to the Falcons early in the season 3-0, but turned around and won the rematch in their last regular season game by a score of 2-1. The Spartans played Wilson to a 0-0 tie, while winning all their remaining league games (but falling to Nazareth 2-1 in non-conference play).  

In the EPC, Emmaus once again dominated the regular season (in what is head coach Sue Butz-Stavin’s 50th–yes, 50th–season at the helm), finishing 13-0 in league play. In non-conference play, Emmaus was able to knock off Oak Knoll, a power house team from New Jersey by a score of 3-2, but fell to Downingtown West 2-1 in OT in a matchup where the Hornets were missing a few key players due to injuries. 

Easton (12-1), Parkland (11-2), and Northampton (10-3) put together impressive seasons and kept things interesting. Parkland gave the Hornets their biggest scare–finding the back of the net despite falling in a 2-1 loss. Northampton was the only other EPC team to score on Emmaus back on August 28th in a 7-1 loss. Meanwhile, the Easton Red Rover defense recorded 13 shutouts in 15 regular season games, surrendering just six goals all season (four of which came in non-conference games).  

District XI playoffs will begin during the third full week of October, where Emmaus (3A), Southern Lehigh (2A), and Northwestern (1A) will seek to repeat as champions.  

Joining Emmaus in the 3A District Playoff will be the same cast of characters that competed in the EPC playoff, with Whitehall, East Stroudsburg South, and Pocono Mountain West failing to advance to either playoff.  

In the 2A bracket, Salisbury, Southern Lehigh, and Bangor will compete for the title. 

Northwestern Lehigh, Wilson, Pen Argyl and Palmerton will vie for the 1A District XI title.  

From there, the champion from the 1A playoff and the 2A playoff will advance to the 1A and 2A PIAA state playoff, respectively, while the top two teams in 3A will advance to the 3A PIAA state playoff beginning on November 4th.  

While the post season schedule and set up is more or less standard at this point, the next few weeks are sure to harbor at least a few surprises. Will it be the year that Salisbury is able to bring home a gold medal? Will Northwestern retain the top spot in District 1A? And will Coach Sue Butz-Stavin and her Hornet squad be able to cap off her 50th season with their 16th PIAA State Championship?

Only time will tell! Dust off your winter hats, gloves, coats, and blankets, fans. Playoff field hockey is here.  

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.

Programming Notes:

This week on Astound TV Network we have three games as part of our regular season finale. 

On Friday, Astound TV customers will be treated to a double header: our live game will be a key rivalry rematch-up between Nazareth and Easton, followed by the Colonial League championship between Northwestern and Southern Lehigh. 

On Saturday afternoon, we have live coverage of The Battle of Bethlehem, Liberty vs. Freedom at 1:00 p.m. 

As usual, our live games will be available for free on our YouTube channel… youtube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork

Now, here’s a look at the top plays from recent games broadcast on Astound TV Network… 

Jake Pukszyn’s Record-Tying TD 

Cole Ordway Scores Again! 

Astound TV Network Sports: Easton vs. Liberty (10/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Nazareth vs Bethlehem Catholic (10/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Saucon Valley vs. Pen Argyl (10/25) 

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.

It’s time for this week’s rankings of the top teams in the District XI region. Once again, not much movement in the top four spots but some minor movements up and down among our other teams… 

Our pollsters this fall will be giving their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall. 

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 points for the second-best team, 8 for third and so forth.  The voting committee itself consists of media members, football coaches and athletic directors in this region (we randomly select different coaches and “ADs” each year to get different points of view). 

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school. 

It’s a different way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters.

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions. 

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, our voters have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positioning’s. 

As far as which media members have a say?  Don’t be surprised if they identify themselves on our Thursday SportsTalk show, which, this fall, will be streamed live on YouTube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork on Thursdays at 7pm, in addition to being broadcast each week on Astound TV Network. 

So, without any further delay, here’s the grand unveiling of this week’s new “Astound 10” poll…(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.) 

1. Parkland (9.67) 
2. Easton (9.33) 
3. Northwestern (7.33) 
4. Southern Lehigh (7.17) 
5. Nazareth (5.67) 
6. Liberty (5.17) 
7. Freedom (4.17) 
8. Whitehall (2.33) 
9. Notre Dame-Green Pond (1.67) 
10. Northampton (1.17) 

Other team(s) receiving more than one mention: Schuylkill Haven 

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds of our pollsters! 

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. 

Programming Notes:

This week on Astound TV Network we have FOUR big HS football match-ups — ALL of them have post-season implications as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season. 

On Thursday, the #1 team in our “Astounding 10” football poll (see our blog entry earlier this week), Parkland, takes on a 7-1 Whitehall that hasn’t lost a game since August. 

On Friday, Astound TV customers will be treated to a double header: our live game will be a key rivalry rematch-up between Nazareth and Northampton, with the latter needing at least one more victory to clench a district playoff berth. Then, we’ll celebrate Astound Day at Cunningham Stadium as undefeated Easton hosts Freedom. 

On Saturday afternoon, we have live coverage of a big Colonial League matchup as both Pen Argyl and Catasauqua are fighting for District 11, 2A playoff spots, with the winner getting a leg up on the other for post-season positioning. 

Three of these games will be available for free on our YouTube channel: 

 youtube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork 

Now, here’s a look at the top plays from recent games broadcast on Astound TV Network…

Taylor Rohn’s 2nd TD vs Pen Argyl 

Green Knights Tie It Before Half! 

Carter Vassa Makes It A One-Score Game! 

Blue Eagles Get Tricky 

Cole Ordway Won’t Be Denied 

Jahan Dotson Gives His Nazareth Football Hall of Fame Speech 

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. 

It’s time for this week’s rankings of the top teams in the District XI region. 

Our pollsters this fall will be giving their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall. 

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 points for the second-best team, 8 for third and so forth.  The voting committee itself consists of media members, football coaches and athletic directors in this region (we randomly select different coaches and “ADs” each year to get different points of view). 

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school. 

It’s a different way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters. 

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions. 

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, our voters have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positioning’s. 

As far as which media members have a say?  Don’t be surprised if they identify themselves on our Thursday SportsTalk show, which, this fall, will be streamed live on YouTube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork on Thursdays at 7pm, in addition to being broadcast each week on Astound TV Network. 

So, without any further delay, here’s the grand unveiling of this week’s new “Astound 10” poll…(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.) 

1. Parkland (9.67) 
2. Easton (9.33) 
3. Northwestern (7.67) 
4. Southern Lehigh (7.33) 
5. Nazareth (6.33) 
6. Freedom (4.83) 
7. (tie) Whitehall/Liberty (3.67)
8. (tie) Whitehall/Liberty (3.67)
9. Notre Dame-Green Pond (1.67) 
10. Schuylkill Haven (1.5) 

Other team(s) receiving more than one mention: (none) 

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds of our pollsters! 

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. 

Programming Notes:

Coming up on this Thursday’s live ATVN SportsTalk, our special in-studio guests will be Astound TV Network‘s football analyst, Tony Cocoa and John Breidinger, as they recap the first half of the football season and look ahead to the second half, including handicapping district playoff races. 

Tune in at 7pm to watch the show on Astound TV Network and also live streaming on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork 

Then we’ll have a high school football doubleheader on Friday with Easton taking on Liberty and Bethlehem Catholic facing Nazareth.  

On Saturday, will have Colonial League action as Penn Argyl plays Saucon Valley (this game will be live streamed on our YouTube channel Saturday afternoon and airs on ATVN “tape delayed” Saturday night at 7pm.) 

Now, here’s a look at the top plays from recent games broadcast on Astound TV Network…which team do you think had the most impressive highlights? 

Green Hornets Get Tricky! 

Cole Ordway’s MONSTER 6 TD Game 

Chase Kessler Strikes Quickly In The 2nd Half 

Astound TV Network Sports: Emmaus vs. Whitehall (10/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Easton vs. Northampton (10/25) 

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.

It’s time for this week’s rankings of the top teams in the District XI region. 

Our pollsters this fall will be giving their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall. 

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 points for the second-best team, 8 for third and so forth.  The voting committee itself consists of media members, football coaches and athletic directors in this region (we randomly select different coaches and “ADs” each year to get different points of view). 

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school. 

It’s a different way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters. 

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions. 

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, our voters have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positioning’s. 

As far as which media members have a say?  Don’t be surprised if they identify themselves on our Thursday SportsTalk show, which, this fall, will be streamed live on YouTube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork on Thursdays at 7pm, in addition to being broadcast each week on Astound TV Network. 

So, without any further delay, here’s the grand unveiling of this week’s new “Astound 10” poll…(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.) 

1. Parkland (9.67) 
2. Easton (9.13) 
3. Nazareth (7.33) 
4. Northwestern (7.13) 
5. Southern Lehigh (6.33) 
6. Liberty (5.2) 
7. Whitehall (4.13) 
8. Freedom (2.33) 
9. Notre Dame-Green Pond (1.83) 
10. Northampton (.83) 

Other team(s) receiving more than two mentions: Pen Argyl 

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds of our pollsters! 

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. 

PROGRAMMING NOTES: 

Coming up on this Thursday’s live ATVN SportsTalk, our special in-studio guests will be new Whitehall Athletic Director Jeff Pukszyn and his son, Liberty two sport-standout, Jake.  The two faced off on the football field a few times and have some interesting stories about that, as well as their current roles with rival teams.  

Tune in at 7pm to watch the show on Astound TV Network and also live streaming on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@AstoundTVnetwork 

Then we’ll have a high school football doubleheader on Friday with Easton taking on Northampton and Whitehall facing Emmaus. 

Now, here’s a look at the top plays from recent games broadcast on Astound TV Network…which team do you think had the most impressive highlights?

Astound TV Network Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. Allentown Central Catholic (9/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Parkland vs. Nazareth (9/25) 

Astound TV Network Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Emmaus (9/25) 

Bethlehem Catholic Goes Back On Top 

Luis Martinez Just Walks In 

Matthew Leluga Incredible TD Catch 

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.

Not much movement regarding the top three teams…but the other seven spots are very much up for grabs! 

It’s time for this week’s rankings of the top teams in the District XI region. 

Our pollsters this fall will be giving their selections for who they believe are the top 10 performing football teams that you’ll see on the Astound TV Network this fall. 

Each voter will select the top 10 teams – with the top team getting 10 points, 9 points for the second-best team, 8 for third and so forth.  The voting committee itself consists of media members, football coaches and athletic directors in this region (we randomly select different coaches and “ADs” each year to get different points of view). 

One caveat – in order to balance the bigger and smaller schools in the region, each pollster MUST include at least three teams that are NOT a 6A-sized school. 

It’s a different way to gauge the top teams in Eastern Pennsylvania this fall, and we invite you to check back each week throughout this football season to see which teams make our poll…and who’s listed where, as decided by our diverse group of voters. 

One other unique aspect to our poll…the coaches and athletic directors’ names are never revealed so they can vote with their minds…and also avoid any potential “bulletin board” material, so each one can make selections without repercussions. 

Throughout the years that we have done our poll, our voters (especially the pollsters from the schools themselves) have always maintained very objective opinions.  If you look back through our archives, you’ll notice that our pollsters have been amazingly accurate and unbiased in their selections, and our polls’ top teams very often finish similarly in the same order as the “power points” system that District XI uses when compiling its standings and playoff positioning’s. 

As far as which media members have a say?  Don’t be surprised if they identify themselves on our Thursday SportsTalk show, which, this fall, will be streamed live on YouTube on Thursdays at 7pm, in addition to being broadcast each week on ATVN. 

So, without any further delay, here’s the grand unveiling of this week’s new “Astound 10” poll…(the number in parenthesis is the average points received for each team, with ‘10’ being the maximum.) 

1. Parkland (9.67) 
2. Easton (9.13) 
3. Northwestern (7.67) 
4. Nazareth (6.5) 
5. Southern Lehigh (6.33) 
6. Liberty (3.6) 
7. Whitehall (3.5) 
8. Notre Dame-Green Pond (2.33) 
9. Freedom (1.5) 
10. Bethlehem Catholic (1.17) 

Other team(s) receiving more than one mention: Northampton, Pen Argyl 

Bookmark and return to our page each week and check back after this weekend’s game to see if your favorite teams moved up or down in the minds of our pollsters! 

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.