BOYS

Archbishop Wood Catholic High School 63, Father Judge High School 58

Berks Catholic 67, Wyomissing 39

Bermudian Springs 46, Kennard-Dale 40

Blue Mountain 60, Tamaqua 30

Carlisle 47, Central Dauphin East 33

Cedar Crest 67, Conestoga Valley 63

Devon Preparatory School 45, Cardinal O’Hara 38

Coventry Christian School 51, Conestoga Christian 40

Eastern Lebanon County High 46, Pottsville 41

Elizabethtown 50, Cocalico 46

Environmental 76, Wilmington 72

Erie 54, Fairview 39

First Christian 78, Iroquois 70

Governor Mifflin 46, Lampeter-Strasburg 32

Halifax 45, Columbia 44

Imhotep 73, West Philadelphia 41

Jersey Shore 49, Wellsboro 47

Juniata Valley 56, Bellwood-Antis 51

Karns City 62, West Shamokin 37

Lebanon 55, Donegal 48

Mercer 56, Greenville 43

Millville 55, Columbia-Montour 44

Mohawk 66, Deer Lakes 59

Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast 77, Lansdale Catholic 59

New Covenant 55, Christian School of York 52

Lehighton 73, Northern Lehigh 48

North Schuylkill 56, Palmerton 44

Notre Dame-Green Pond 72, Northwestern Lehigh 70

Old Forge 69, Scranton Holy Cross 48

Philadelphia West Catholic 63, La Salle College High School 47

Pittsburgh Central Catholic 42, Penn Hills 31

Robeson 69, Great Oaks Charter School, Del. 52

Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia 66, Archbishop Carroll 38

Saints John Neumann & Maria Goretti Catholic High School 93, Archbishop Ryan 80

Science Leadership 52, Masterman 51

South Williamsport 62, Bucktail 35

Southern Lehigh 53, Salisbury 51

St. Joseph’s Prep 69, Conwell-Egan 62

State College 52, Chambersburg 50

Turkeyfoot Valley 68, Hancock, Md. 67

W. Carrollton, Ohio 55, Ringgold 49

Warwick 43, Ephrata 36

Wilson 49, Manheim Township 43

GIRLS

Cocalico 56, Elizabethtown 27

Council Rock South 47, Bensalem 45

Dunmore 51, Western Wayne 27

Eastern York 47, Littlestown 31

Friends Select 61, Martin Luther King High School 37

Governor Mifflin 52, Lampeter-Strasburg 42

Grove City 41, Fort LeBoeuf 34

Hughesville 65, Southern Columbia 53

Lakeview 44, Franklin 37

Lebanon 62, Donegal 35

Lehighton 49, Northern Lehigh 31

Lewisburg 28, Mifflinburg 24

Manheim Central 39, Lancaster Catholic 34

Manheim Township 55, Conestoga Valley 46

Marian Catholic High School 47, Schuylkill Haven 39

Mars 40, Peters Township 31

Mountain Ridge (MD), Md. 71, Chestnut Ridge 41

New Covenant 48, Christian School of York 20

Pottsville 35, Eastern Lebanon County High 17

Red Lion 50, Hempfield 15

Scranton Prep 55, Scranton 46

Selinsgrove 40, Jersey Shore 29

Solanco 47, Garden Spot 36

South Fayette 75, Akr. Hoban, Ohio 65

Southern Lehigh 53, Salisbury 51

Susquehannock 38, Northeastern 28

Tulpehocken 45, Pottsville Nativity 33

Twin Valley 37, Wyomissing 26

Warwick 46, Ephrata 41

Some high school basketball scores provided by the Delaware County Daily Times, The Morning Call, the Reading Eagle and Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/

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SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

Boys Basketball

Catasauqua at Pen Argyl, 11:15 a.m.

Saucon Valley at Wilson, 12:45 p.m.

Northampton at Blue Mountain, 1 p.m.

Allentown Central Catholic at Parkland, 1 p.m.

Palisades at Bangor, 1 p.m.

Kutztown at Northwestern Lehigh, 1:30 p.m.

Pocono Mountain West at Bethlehem Catholic, 2 p.m.

Lehigh Valley Academy at Bethlehem Christian, 3 p.m.

Downingtown West at Liberty, 3 p.m.

Pocono Mountain East at Freedom, 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Wilson at Saucon Valley, 12:45 p.m.

Notre Dame–Green Pond at Northwestern Lehigh, 12:45 p.m.

Pen Argyl at Catasauqua, 12:45 p.m.

Bangor at Palisades, 1 p.m.

Blue Mountain at Northampton, 1 p.m.

Liberty at Allentown Central Catholic, 1 p.m.

Northern Lehigh at Kutztown, 1:15 p.m.

Dallas at Pocono Mountain West, 1:30 p.m.

Wrestling

Executive Education at Harrisburg, 12 p.m.

Bethlehem Catholic at Notre Dame-Green Pond, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY’S SCORES

No scores reported before print deadline.

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FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

Boys basketball

Salisbury at Southern Lehigh, 4 p.m.

Northern Lehigh at Lehighton, 6:45 p.m.

Northwestern Lehigh at Notre Dame-Green Pond, 6:45 p.m.

Palmerton at North Schuylkill, 6:45 p.m.

Girls basketball

Southern Lehigh at Salisbury, 4 p.m.

Northern Lehigh at Lehighton, 5:30 p.m.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

No scores reported before print deadline.

SEND US YOUR SCORES

Coaches and scorekeepers can help ensure their student-athletes are recognized by promptly reporting scores, stats and summaries by using a form that can be found at themorningcall.com/submitascore.

Have questions? Email sports@mcall.com

Barry got his start in journalism at the West Chester Daily Local News, was almost hired by The Inquirer in 1983, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988, and has written more than 40 books, including a terrific memoir, Class Clown, that was published in May. (Dave, when you update the “Acknowledgments” section for the paperback edition, it’s S-I-E-L-S-K-I.) So in honor of a great writer with strong local ties, let’s close out 2025 with a look back at the year in Philadelphia sports.

January

The year got off to a rough start when Howard Eskin, the Edward R. Murrow of autograph seekers, lost his very important job of telling everyone how awesome the Eagles are. Tanner McKee started the team’s final regular-season game and played well against the Giants, proving that he is better than Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady, and Joe Montana combined. Nevertheless, coach Nick Sirianni insisted on starting Hurts in the Eagles’ first playoff game, which led to wide receiver A.J. Brown’s decision to sit on the sideline and read a book called Magic in the Air, which was written by some hack from the suburbs. Hurts shook off his two tepid performances against the Packers and the Rams to play brilliantly in the NFC championship game against the Commanders, who aided him by refusing to cover any receivers or tackle Saquon Barkley.

Meanwhile, the Sixers played 17 games in the month and lost 11 of them, which cut into the listenership for Paul George’s podcast. But on the bright side, Penn State lost a close game to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, inspiring optimism that James Franklin finally would guide the Nittany Lions to a national championship the following season.

February

Speculation of a pro-Chiefs conspiracy among NFL officials swirled in the run-up to Super Bowl LIX, but those rumors were put to rest once Patrick Mahomes conspired to throw the ball to Cooper DeJean and Zack Baun throughout the first half. The Eagles thumped Kansas City, 40-22, prompting Brady to provide no discernable analysis on the telecast other than shouting “WOW!” after every significant play. At the Super Bowl parade, Eagles vice president Howie Roseman was struck in the head by a full can of beer. He immediately found the fan who threw the beer and signed him to a three-year, cap-friendly contract. On WIP, Spike Eskin argued that the fan should start ahead of Hurts.

March

The Phillies began the 2025 season with three wins in their first four games and the expectation that, if the team did not win the World Series, fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag team president Dave Dombrowski, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Villanova’s men’s basketball team lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament and fired coach Kyle Neptune, which reminded everyone that Kyle Neptune had been coaching Villanova’s men’s basketball team. The Flyers lost 11 times in a 12-game stretch and fired coach John Tortorella, which reminded everyone that Philadelphia used to have a hockey team.

Brandon Graham said he was retiring after 15 years with the Eagles. Yep. He said that. There was a news conference and everything.

April

Aaron Nola lost four consecutive starts for the Phillies, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag him, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Coaches and executives around the NFL began lobbying the league to ban the Tush Push. The Eagles responded by encouraging their offensive linemen to stop blocking altogether — a strategy they carried into the 2025 season. The team then drafted Jihaad Campbell, the first time that the Eagles had selected a linebacker in the first round since 1979 … two years before their head coach was born. Seriously.

May

A busy time. The Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as their new head coach, which prompted several 55-year-old South Jersey women to dig their TOCCHET, ZEZEL, and MELLANBY jerseys out of mothballs and start wearing them again.

The Phillies won nine straight games, but bad news marred their hot streak. Major League Baseball suspended closer José Alvarado for 80 games and ruled him ineligible for the postseason after a drug test revealed he had not told gamblers that he was using a banned substance. Nola gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs over 3⅔ innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, after which the Phillies placed him on the injured list. Then Jesús Luzardo gave up 12 hits and 12 earned runs over 3⅓ innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park and insist that Nola pitch again.

DeJean and his fellow Eagles defensive back Reed Blankenship launched their podcast, Exciting Whites, which immediately rocketed up the audience rankings in Mayfair, Somerton, and Ridley Township. The College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, a Villanova alumnus, as the new Pope. In his first declaration as Pope Leo XIV, Prevost announced that “V for Villanova” would become the official Communion hymn for every Catholic Mass in the United States, replacing “Taste and See,” “Eat This Bread,” and the ever popular “One Bread, One Body.”

June

The Indiana Pacers’ remarkable run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals — thanks in large part to T.J. McConnell — reminded Sixers fans of those halcyon days when the team tanked for three years to acquire a 5-10 backup point guard who might someday lead them to an almost-championship. Things got better once the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the draft, allowing them to phase out Joel Embiid and George with a roster made up entirely of guards who were 6-4 or shorter.

The Flyers used their first-round pick on a promising winger, Porter Mantone, though fans remained disappointed that neither Tocchet, general manager Danny Brière, nor team president Keith Jones would be suiting up for the team himself.

July

The WNBA announced that Philadelphia would get an expansion franchise in 2030, provided that the WNBA still exists in 2030. The NCAA announced that it would keep the March Madness field at 68, quelling any remaining hope that any Big 5 team would ever qualify for the Tournament again. At the MLB trade deadline, the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader, who immediately became their best player, and Jhoan Duran, who immediately increased their in-game pyrotechnic production costs by 250%.

The Eagles began training camp, and Hurts laid out the team’s message for the season: “We are focused on 2025. We’re acting like we didn’t just win the Super Bowl. We’ve forgotten that we won the Super Bowl. You either win or you learn. We are keeping the main thing the thing that is mainly the thing that we think is, in the main, what we want to be doing. What is the Super Bowl anyway? What is soup? What are bowls? Who am I? Why am I here?”

August

Kyle Schwarber became the 21st player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a game, raising questions about whether the Phillies would re-sign him in the offseason — questions that Dombrowski dispelled: “Kyle is an elite power hitter. He’s the most elite hitter we have. He’s the elitist elite hitter around. Got all that, Bryce?”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced that they were engaged and that their wedding ceremony would be streamed live on the New Heights podcast. That way, someone would finally have a reason to listen to a full episode of the New Heights podcast.

September

Seconds into the Eagles’ season opener, Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter was ejected from the game and, via referendum, elected mayor of Philadelphia. The Eagles won their first four games, which everyone agreed was awful, just like A.J. Brown said on Twitter/X.

Before the ninth inning of a Phillies-Nationals game at Citizens Bank Park, Duran set himself on fire and jogged to the pitcher’s mound, where he sacrificed a goat to what he later called “the mighty spider god who gives me strength.” He then gave up two runs for his first blown save.

After manager Rob Thomson benched him, outfielder Nick Castellanos complained that Thomson didn’t communicate well. When asked to respond to Castellanos’ comments, Thomson shrugged and said, “Welp.”

October

A not-so-great month. The Phillies lost in the National League Division Series when a Dodgers batter hit a ground ball back to the mound and reliever Orion Kerkering passed out. The Eagles lost back-to-back games to the Broncos and Giants. To adjust to their team’s limitations, Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo decided that Hurts would be forbidden from throwing a pass after halftime for the rest of the season. Penn State fired James Franklin after losses to Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern, Archbishop Ryan, and the Lenape Valley 10U Pop Warner team.

The silver lining? Brandon Graham — surprise! — came out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles.

November

The media who cover the Eagles grappled with a simple question: Does the offense stink because of A) Jalen Hurts, B) Kevin Patullo, or C) Yes? The Eagles then squandered a 21-point lead in losing to the Cowboys and got pushed around in losing to the Bears, leading NFL experts to wonder whether a team coached by Sirianni and quarterbacked by Hurts could ever win anything of consequence.

Tocchet faced withering criticism from Flyers fans for limiting the ice time of Matvei Michkov, who showed up for training camp weighing 350 pounds and having forgotten how to skate. The Sixers got off to an excellent start as Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey showed they could form the franchise’s best backcourt since Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith.

December

The Phillies re-signed Schwarber for too many years and too much money for a 32-year-old designated hitter, handing him a contract that will prevent them from breaking down the roster and beginning the 15-year rebuild that any true fan would really want. In response to Dombrowski’s assertion that he was “not elite,” Harper began a new offseason training program similar to Robert De Niro’s in Cape Fear.

The Flyers finished the month in third place in the Metropolitan Division and on pace to make the playoffs, disappointing those fans who hated the idea of tanking right up until the Flyers stopped tanking. Maxey and Edgecombe kept up their fine play for the Sixers, and Villanova won 10 of its first 12 games, even though no one, not even new coach Kevin Willard, could identify a single player on the Wildcats’ roster.

In a possible Super Bowl preview, the Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills despite scoring one point and racking up negative-19 yards of total offense. Sirianni then chose to have most of the Eagles’ starters sit out the team’s regular-season finale, because if 2026 turns out to be anything like 2025, everyone is going to need some rest.

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THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

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WEDNESDAY’S SCORES

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Coaches and scorekeepers can help ensure their student-athletes are recognized by promptly reporting scores, stats and summaries by using a form that can be found at themorningcall.com/submitascore.

And why not?

On Dec. 20, Grzenda hit a shot that went viral and made ESPN’s “Plays of the Day.”

It was a game-winning 3-pointer from well beyond halfcourt that gave Nazareth a stunning 52-49 win over Easton at Ray Nunamaker Gym.

“That was great,” Grzenda said. “Blake Nagurney passed the ball back to me, and I don’t remember a thing after that. I just blacked out. I never had a game-winner before that. I’ve heard about it a lot. People are still talking about it.”

Grzenda didn’t have a shot that would get him back on ESPN Tuesday night, but he made five 3-pointers in a 21-point effort in the championship game of the Zephyr Holiday Classic at Whitehall.

One of the 3s came in overtime, and he had five points overall in the extra session as the Blue Eagles outscored the Zephyrs 6-2 and pulled out a 63-59 win for the tournament title.

Nazareth won its fifth straight game and reached the halfway mark of the season at 10-1, while Whitehall fell to 4-8.

“It was a great win because even though Whitehall doesn’t have a great record, they have played very good competition close, so this was a big one for us,” Grzenda said.

While Grzenda has arguably the shot of the year in local basketball, it looked like the shot of the night was going to be Jack Lloyd’s trey at the regulation buzzer that allowed the Zephyrs to tie the game at 57 and prompt four extra minutes.

It came after the Blue Eagles turned it over in the final seconds. Tanner Dogmanits broke up a long pass, and Cole Richards corralled the loose ball and immediately got it to Lloyd, who had a career-high 31 points. His seventh 3-pointer of the night extended the game, but didn’t give the Zephyrs the win.

“That was a big shot by Whitehall there, but our kids bounced back,” Wickmann, a first-year coach, said. “We were disappointed at the end of regulation. I wanted to call a timeout there, and we didn’t get it. But our kids did respond and it comes down to ur senior leadership. Our three captains lead the way, and they led tonight.”

A drive by Tanner Dogmanits gave the Zephyrs a 59-57 lead to start overtime, but they wouldn’t score again. Grzenda hit a 3-pointer — his team’s 11th —  to give Nazareth the lead and added two free throws with 17.6 seconds left to make it 62-59. After a miss for Whitehall, Gavin Kershner rebounded and made one of two at the line to put it away with 7.3 ticks left.

Whitehall, which played most of the night without senior starter Talon Dogmanits, who injured his ankle in the first quarter,  was 0-for-3 from the field and had three turnovers in overtime.

“We’ve had so many close games, and we’ve found a way to win a couple of them,” Zephyrs coach Jeff Jones said. “But we’ve got to find a way to win a couple more. To their credit, they shot the ball very well, especially from the second quarter on. We gave up too many 3s and gave them too many open looks.”

With Talon Dogmanits out the entire second half, Jones was pleased with how well CJ Lowe and Richards played off the bench. But it was Lloyd’s shooting that was largely responsible for Whitehall leading the entire first half and by as much as 24-11 early in the second period.

“Jack just had a really good night,” Jones said of Lloyd, the son of Whitehall basketball royalty Jerry Lloyd. “He hasn’t played the last two years and it has taken him a little bit of time for him to be able to do what he’s doing right now. He has been a great addition.”

Lloyd was an all-tournament selection, but it was Nazareth’s Logan Hahn who got the MVP award for his all-around play. He had five assists and scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter when Nazareth tried to hold off Whitehall. It was his 3-pointe with 1:07 left that gave the Blue Eagles a 57-54 lead.

“It’s a very big win,” Hahn said. “We’re an experienced group and we bring a different mentality this year. This was a big tournament championship for us because over the holidays you’re not playing a lot of games and both Whitehall and Northwestern beat us last year, so this is a good one for us as we get back into the league.”

Nazareth will visit Northampton on Tuesday night when the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference schedule resumes. On the same night, Whitehall travels to Pocono Mountain. The Zephyrs will get a rematch with Nazareth on Jan. 12 at Nunamaer Gym.

Nazareth 63, Whitehall 59

Nazareth 9 – 17 – 15 – 16 – 6 — 63

Whitehall 18 – 9 – 14 – 16 – 2 — 59

NAZARETH (63)

Rodriguez 0-0 1-2 1, Nagurney 1-4 1-3 3, Hahn 5-10 0-0 13, Kershner 5-8 5-9 17, Leluga 0-1 0-0 0, Marinelli 3-7 1-2 8, Grzenda 7-15 2-2 21. Totals 21-45 10-18 63.

WHITEHALL (59)

Lowe 2-2 1-4 5, Lloyd 11-19 2-5 31, Tanner Dogmanits 2-5 1-3 5, Hoderewski 4-6 4-4 12, Talon Dogmanits 0-1 0-0 0, Richards 0-0 0-0 0, Rozycki 3-7 0-0 6. Totals 22-40 8-16 59.

3-pointers: Nazareth (11-32) Grzenda 5, Hahn 3, Kershner 2, Marinelli. Whitehall (7-16) Lloyd 7.

Rebounds: Nazareth 22 (Marinelli 9). Whitehall 24 (Lloyd 6).

Assists: Nazareth 11 (Hahn 4). Whitehall 11 (Tanner Dogmanits 5).

Turnovers: Nazareth 11, Whitehall 19.

Fouls: Nazareth 13, Whitehall 12.

Officials: Andy Donatelli, Kyle Hutnik, Jack Keiter.

Other Tuesday games

Woodson, Va., 64 Allen 48: After eight wins, the Canaries suffered their first loss of the season in the finals of their own holiday tournament. Tiheed Wise, Jr., led Allen with 29 points. Woodson, coached by Freedom graduate Doug Craig, outscored the Canaries 18-4 in the fourth quarter after Allen was within 46-44 after three periods. Woodson, from Fairfax, Va., got 26 points from Brady Conklin, and he earned an all-tournament spot along with Allen’s Wise and Xayvon Wimberly. Ryan Corallo, who had 17, was chosen the tourney MVP.

Pope John Paul II 39, ACCHS 38: The Vikings had a six-game win streak snapped and fell to 8-3 by losing the final in their own holiday tournament. ACCHS was outscored 9-4 in the fourth quarter. Jared Ford led ACCHS with 13 points and Yariel Gonzalez added 11. Jason Green led PJP with 15 — all coming on 3-pointers.

Delaware County Christian 67, Northwestern Lehigh 62: The Tigers went 0-2 in the Whitehall tournament, falling short in the consolation game despite 20 points by Mason Bollinger and 19 by Brady Zimmerman. Zimmerman was named to the all-tourney team along with DCC’s Bradford Berwick, who scored 19. Northwestern (7-3) returns to league play on Friday when the Tigers host Notre Dame-Green Pond.

Dieruff 67, Stroudsburg 66: Alphy Deris scored 22 points and Elsir Gibson added 21 as the Huskies (5-6) got a nonleague win. Dieruff has already surpassed its win total. of last season. Tae El-Bassiouni made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for Stroudsburg (6-5).

Pennridge 49, Easton 33: Ryan Kuntz scored 15 points to lead the Rams in the consolation game of the Easton Rotary tournament. Akhir Brown led Easton (2-8) with 10 points.

Executive 60, Phillipsburg 46: The Raptors had four players reach double figures, led by Jaxon Loper’s 16 points, and won the Easton Rotary tournament. Eshaan Tung and Ziyon Wilkins had 13 apiece, and Camren Michel added 10 for Executive, which improved to 8-1.

Bethlehem Christian 69, Catasauqua 63: Bethlehem Christian won the Slatington Rotary tournament title for the first time, getting a second consecutive 34-point performance from Gabe Transue, who was named the tournament’s MVP. Myles Harris scored 24 as the Panthers improved to 9-1. Catasauqua fell to 5-3. Rough Riders coach Eric Snyder will try again for his 400th career win when his team hosts Pen Argyl on Saturday.

Pleasant Valley 58, Northern Lehigh 42: Sebastian Sacci scored 20 points, and Jake Loch added 17 as the Bears (2-9) won the consolation game in the Slatington Rotary tournament at Northern Lehigh. Kellen Bauer led the Bulldogs (4-8) with 15.

Freedom 58, Absegami 17: The Patriots got their first win of the season after 10 losses, winning the consolation game in the Boardwalk Basketball Classic at the Wildwoods Convention Center. Freedom made seven 3-pointers, including five by Brody Stellato, who scored 16 points. Pallo Odotte added 11.

The recent Nazareth High graduate — he completed all of the required coursework in early December — was in the news often in 2025, and each time created a stir.

The highly coveted quarterback began the year having just decommitted from Virginia Tech after committing to the Hokies in the summer of 2024. After earning interest from seemingly every Division I program in the country, he committed to Penn State in April, but then flipped to Auburn in June. He was committed to Auburn until late November, when he changed back to Penn State and made his choice official Dec. 3.

While all that was going on, Falzone was primed for a big senior season playing one last time for his father, Tom Falzone.

He was on a tear through the first three games — all Blue Eagles wins.

Nazareth was leading Freedom 42-21 late in the second quarter Sept. 12 when Falzone short-armed an incomplete pass to his left side. He had suffered an injury on a run earlier in the game, and the pain intensified as the half went on. Falzone told his father at halftime that he couldn’t continue. After the game, he went to the hospital for X-rays, which revealed a fractured clavicle in his left shoulder.

In a flash, his senior season was done. His Nazareth career was also done.

But while rehabbing, Falzone remained involved with the team, and did what he could to assist and encourage his teammates, especially sophomore Cooper Madson, who replaced him at quarterback.

For his continued support as well as the poise he displayed while going through an equally exhilarating and exasperating recruiting process, Falzone is The Morning Call’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Football Ambassador of the Year.

Before his season ended, Falzone had thrown for 1,176 yards and passed for 12 TDs. He also had 216 rushing yards and six rushing TDs. He was on his way to better numbers than his first two seasons at Nazareth.

As a junior in 2024, he was named the EPC’s Offensive Player of the Year after he completed 146 of his 278 passes for 2,135 yards and 23 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also ran 78 times for 697 yards and eight scores

As a sophomore in 2023, he led Nazareth to a District 11 6A championship by throwing for a league-best 2,528 yards and 19 touchdowns. He had just four passes intercepted in 280 attempts. He also ran for 440 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, and scored 11 touchdowns.

“It was tough because I was averaging like six touchdowns and 300 passing yards per game in my first three games,” Falzone said. “It was a lot of fun while I was out there. I’m grateful for the team I had around me. The receivers did a great job and were making plays and making life easier for me. Up front, I called protections and tried to put them in situations to be successful. We were definitely rolling as a program, and without a doubt, it was really frustrating to have to go out. But I was glad I was able to come back and help the team in any way I could.”

Falzone was especially helpful with Madson, who finished his season with 1,523 yards passing and 14 touchdowns. He threw just three interceptions in 176 attempts and helped Nazareth reach the District 11 6A semifinals.

“Like Cooper, I played my sophomore year as well,” Falzone said. “I was lucky to have a great team around me, and we won some games. It was kind of baptism by fire for Cooper. His first start was against Parkland in Week 5 when they were unbeaten, and I tried to help him out as much as I could, and he definitely got better as the season went on. I’m looking forward to seeing him compete next year because his ceiling is really high. He does a great job of listening and trying to understand as much as he can. To have a full offseason to go through and knowing he’s likely going to be the starter will make a big difference for him. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll produce.”

Falzone said it was a mental challenge for him to have things taken away so abruptly when they were going so well.

“I couldn’t even sit up on my own with people helping me because of the pain in my collarbone,” he said. “So, it was a great mental test because everyone is going to have to go through some tough times. I was fortunate to have great support around me. My mom [Stephanie] was with me every single day. My dad still had a team to coach, and he had to deal with not having his starting quarterback and his son. My mom was home with me through everything, and obviously, I put everyone, including my sisters, through the wringer. I’m just glad I was able to heal, and I can’t wait to get out on the field.”

In addition to the injury, Falzone is happy the recruiting process is behind him because even after he committed to various schools, the calls kept coming in.

“That’s the way college football is. … It doesn’t end until you put pen to paper, which I am thankful I have now done,” he said. “Throughout the entire process, schools will continue to reach out, and we saw this year that coaches are going everywhere, players are going everywhere, and that’s why it’s important to build relationships with people.”

Falzone’s roller coaster ride in recruiting played out on a national scale and he took his share of criticism as he committed and decommitted. But only he and his family knew how everything was unfolding behind the scenes.

“I am so proud of the individual he is because he has fought through a lot of stuff,” Tom Falzone said. “There has been a lot of adversity. He has grown so much through it, and it hasn’t been easy. College football is a business, and it’s a dirty business at times. There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that even the public doesn’t know about. Peyton has always tried to stay positive and do things the right way.”

And, he plans to continue to do things the right way at Penn State.

“I move in on Jan. 10, and I am excited,” he said. “I am excited about Coach [Matt] Campbell taking over. I loved watching his Iowa State stuff and I think he can bring even more to Penn State, which is exciting for both a player standpoint and a fan standpoint. They’re going to see an exciting offense and a physical defense. The team is also fortunate to have Terry Smith stay on board. He also had to go through baptism by fire and did a great job. Penn State is still Penn State. Everyone has a rough year now and then. You have to roll with the punches.”

His final thoughts on his high school career?

“I am blessed and grateful,” Falzone said. “Not everyone has had the support system I have had. I know it will remain the same in college with me staying close to home. I’ve built a lot of memories with my father and with my mom. I’ll cherish them all of my life. It was a dream come true for me to play for my father, and now it’s time to start dreaming bigger.”

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TUESDAY’S SCORES

Girls Basketball

Pen Argyl 50, Stroudsburg 34

Nazareth 48, Palmerton 19

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That’s because the final between Catasauqua and Bethlehem Christian on Tuesday night at Northern Lehigh High School figures to be high scoring.

In Monday night’s tournament semifinals, Rough Riders senior Frankie Pujols got the seven points he needed for his 1,000-point milestone early against Pleasant Valley. He finished with 20 points despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter, and Reece Lopez scored 29 as Catty rolled to a 73-50 win over Pleasant Valley.

In the second game, Bethlehem Christian bolted to a 21-10 lead in the first quarter and never trailed in an 88-68 victory over host Northern Lehigh. The Panthers, who improved to 8-1, won their fourth straight game and have scored at least 72 points in all four. Gabe Transue scored 34 points, and Myles Harris added 32 for Bethlehem Christian, while Kellen Bauer netted 31 for the improved Bulldogs.

Tuesday night’s schedule begins at 6 p.m., with Northern Lehigh and Pleasant Valley competing in the consolation game, followed by the title contest.

Catty (5-2) can not only win the tournament championship for the first time but also get veteran coach Eric Snyder, who is in his 34th season, his 400th career win.

Frankie’s feat

Pujols became the 13th boys player in Rough Riders history to reach 1,000, with a 3-pointer off a Caiden Weaver pass with 2:10 left in the first quarter. It made the score 21-7, and Catty would go on to lead 25-10 after the first quarter, 49-29 at halftime, and eventually the mercy rule was put into effect to keep the clock running.

“It felt great to get to 1,000 knowing my community was behind me and my teammates were waiting for this moment,” Pujols said. “It was good to get it early because then we could just focus on the game and go for the championship [Tuesday].”

Pujols was able to attain the milestone before the halfway mark of his senior season despite playing in only four games as a freshman due to injury.

“Ever since my freshman year, this was a goal of mine,” Pujols said. “I just knew I had to work hard to achieve that goal. It was a surreal feeling in the moment. But it was important to get the win. This team can be great. We just need to work had and keep the team chemistry up.”

When Catty came into he gym, the scoreboard read 49-48, which was the score from Northern Lehigh’s last game — a one-point loss to Northwestern Lehigh on Dec. 22.

But Catty thought it was a reminder of last year’s 48-47 loss to Pleasant Valley in the tournament final and used it as motivation.

“We just wanted to beat them really badly, and Frankie getting his 1,000th point gave us a lot of early momentum,” Lopez said. “We feel we can go pretty far this year. We have to pass the ball and stay together as a team. Sometimes when things go bad in a game, we try to do too much 1-on-1, but if we play together as a team and move the ball, we can be pretty good.”

Snyder, who led the team to an unexpected appearance in the Colonial League finals and the District 11 3A title last season, feels good about his team and was happy for Pujols.

“Frankie deserves everything he can get because he works hard and he’s not just a scorer,” Snyder said. “He does a little bit of everything for us.”

Snyder expects a tough game against Bethlehem Christian. The Roughies beat the Panthers 79-72 in last year’s Slatington semifinals.

BC needs some D

Bethlehem Christian reached 80 points in a game for the third straight time, led by Transue and Harris.

But it was the defense that coach Matt DeJesus wanted to talk about after his team beat Northern Lehigh.

“Gabe [Transue] always responds when we need him, and Myles helped out a lot as well, but we need some of the guys to step up on defense and not allow so many second-chance points,” DeJesus said. “We need to play better collectively on defense.”

DeJesus said his team was in the Slatington tournament for the third straight year and had never been in the title game before.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” DeJesus said. “We lost to Catty in this tournament last year, and we know they have a really solid squad. They have some talented players like Frankie Pujols, and Coach Snyder does a great job with his team. We want to play teams like Northern Lehigh and Catty because it helps us get ready for districts and states. We just have to come together and play better defense collectively if we’re going to win.”

Bethlehem Christian opened up a lead in the first half, but Northern Lehigh got back to within four just before halftime.

Transue, who added 17 rebounds to go with his 34 points, said, “Fortunately, we came out hot in the second half and put things together. But that was poor defense by us tonight. Catty is a district champion, so we know we have to play better defense.”

The championship would be significant for a program that is still in its infancy.

“This is our first time in the championship game, so winning it would mean a lot,” Transue said. “As a senior, it would be great to win our first Christmas tournament championship. We get excited to play Colonial League and EPC teams because people doubt us because we’re 1A, and they don’t think we’re that good. They think we only score a lot because of the teams we play, but we score a lot against Colonial League and EPC teams, too.”

Harris, who had five of his team’s 11 3-pointers, agreed, saying, “A good, hard win always helps the team in the long run. I look forward to playing Catsauqua. We’ve played Dieruff, and Nazareth, and we have Allentown Central Catholic coming up, and these games are great challenges for us.”

Northern Lehigh is 4-7 at the halfway mark of the season, but has already matched its win total of all of last year and is much improved from the 2-20 squad of two years ago.

Bauer, a junior, is one of the area’s leading scorers. He came into the game with a 19.4 ppg average and boosted it to 20.5.

“We didn’t rebound or execute defensively well enough tonight,” Bauer said. “We wanted to stop Transue and Harris, but they got theirs, and once they got rolling, they were tough to stop.”

Bauer said his team kept battling after falling into a big hole early.

“We lost two games by one point and I’m still very confident about our team,” Bauer said. “It’s going to come down to what we can do defensively and stopping the other team’s best players. We’ve just got to come out and play well against Pleasant Valley, a 6A school, and get out the bad taste in our mouths.”

Catasauqua 73, Pleasant Valley 50

Catasauqua 25 – 24 – 21 – 3 — 73

Pleas. Valley 10 – 19 – 9 – 11 — 50

CATASAUQUA (73)

Pujols 9 0-1 20, Lopez 6 10-11 29, Bolmer 1 0-0 3, Weaver 3 1-1 7, Lorah 2 0-0 5, Nix 4 0-0 9. Totals 27 11-13 73.

PLEASANT VALLEY (50)

Loch 2 4-5 8, Haines 3 0-2 9, Perry 1 0-0 2, Dorshimer 1 1-2 4, Solt 1 2-2 4, Wheeler 3 0-0 6, Sacci 8 0-2 17. Totals 19 7-13 50.

3-pointers: Catty (8) Lopez 3, Pujols 2, Bolmer, Lorah, Nix. Pleasant Valley (5) Haines 3, Dorshimer, Sacci.

Bethlehem Christian 88, Northern Lehigh 68

Bethlehem Christian 21 – 17 – 23 – 27 — 88

Northern Lehigh 10 – 21 – 14 – 23 — 68

BETHLEHEM CHRISTIAN (88)

Kasper 2 0-0 4, Harris 10 7-10 32, Transue 14 2-2 34, Brown 1 1-2 3, Swift 5 3-4 15. Totals 32 13-18 88.

NORTHERN LEHIGH (68)

LoPinto 5 3-5 14, Kellen Bauer 14 2-6 31, Karetsky 1 0-0 3, Salih 1 0-0 3, Schaffer 2 0-0 6, Michael Bauer 2 7-12 11. Totals 25 12-23 68.

3-pointers: Bethlehem Christian (11) Harris 5, Transue 4, Swift 2. Northern Lehigh (6) Schaffer 2, LoPinto, K. Bauer, Karetsky, Salih.

Monday’s results

Allen 63, Thomas Edison 40: The Canaries remained the area’s only unbeaten team with a win in its own holiday tournament. Xayvon Wimberly scored 22 points and Tiheed Wise Jr. added 20 as Allen improved to 8-0 and will play Woodson from Fairfax, Virginia, in the finals after Woodson beat Wilkes-Barre Area 64-47 in the other semifinal.

ACCHS 75, Frankford 63: The Vikings won their sixth straight game and improved to 8-2 by winning their semifinal in their own Christmas tournament. Jared Ford scored 22 points, while Cameron Hines added 21. Central made eight 3-pointers, including six by Ford. Central will face Pope John Paul II in the finals.

Pope John Paul II 82, Notre Dame-Green Pond 43: The Crusaders had a six-game win streak snapped in their first game in the Central Catholic tournament. Cody Driscoll and Justin Manning led Notre Dame (7-2) with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Nazareth 64, Northwestern Lehigh 49: Logan Hahn scored 15 points and Gavin Kershner and Blake Nagurney added 10 apiece as the Blue Eagles (9-1) advanced to the finals of the Whitehall tournament. The Tigers fell to 7-2 despite 14 points by Malachi Coleman.

Whitehall 64, Delco Christian 52: Jack Lloyd scored 20 points, and Tanner Dogmanits added 15 as the Zephyrs improved to 4-7 and advanced to the finals of their tournament against Nazareth.

Executive 53, Pennridge 50: The Raptors improved to 7-1 and advanced to the finals of the Easton Rotary tournament, getting eight of a team-high 13 points from freshman Camren Michel in the fourth quarter. Eshaan Tung added 10 for Executive, which will play Phillipsburg in the tournament championship game.

Phillipsburg 49, Easton 45: Christian Martin scored 17 points and Dominic Bracco and Shamari Lewis added 13 and 12, respectively, as the Stateliners got their first win of the season and advanced to the Easton Rotary finals. Cian Sook led the Red Rovers (2-7) with 10.

Bottiliglieri coached with Dan Quinn at William & Mary, and Quinn, who is currently the head coach of the Washington Commanders, once asked Bottiglieri to join him at Hofstra.

“He was the defensive line coach at Hofstra after he had been with us at William & Mary in his first job,” Bottiglieri said. “He had played at Salisbury [Maryland] State, whose head coach at the time was one of my former assistants, so there was a connection there. And he got hired at William & Mary as a defensive line coach along with Mike London. He then went to Hofstra two years later, while I was at Lehigh at the time, and we just went 12-1 [in 1998] and beat Richmond in the first round of the playoffs and then lost to UMass, which went on to win the FCS national championship.

“Dan called me and wanted me to come to Hofstra as the defensive coordinator. He said I had to take this job, but I had just returned to the Lehigh Valley and was getting settled in at Lehigh with Kevin Higgins. He lobbied for me and said the job was mine if I wanted it because we really did have a great rapport. But I decided to stay at Lehigh.”

Who knows if going with Quinn some 27 years ago might have led Bottiglieri to a position in the NFL?

But Bottiglieri has no regrets about not going pro.

He spent 53 seasons coaching college and high school football, much of it in the Lehigh Valley, including the last two seasons as defensive coordinator at Liberty.

But after 53 years on the sidelines — 36 in college football and 17 in high school — Bottiglieri has announced his retirement.

It’s not that he doesn’t still enjoy the game or working with kids.

But the 1966 Easton High School graduate, who began his coaching career at Lafayette under Neil Putnam in 1973, just feels it’s time to do some other things and watch some of his grandkids play, like Allentown Central Catholic’s Grayson Schmell, who made his mark as a sophomore this past season.

Liberty head coach Shawn Daignault said Bottiglieri has forgotten more about football than most coaches will ever know and said he was a great part of the coaching staff the last two seasons when Liberty went 7-4 and 8-4 after winning just five games over the previous three seasons.

Bottiglieri enjoyed the people he worked with on the Hurricanes staff and the players as well.

“We had so much fun and it was so enjoyable to coach at Liberty the last two years and this year we had a great group of seniors,” Bottiglieri said. “Jake Pukszyn was phenomenal. He’s just a special player. He would be getting double-teamed and Antonio Fontanez, our quarterback, would still throw the ball to him and we’d say ‘Oh no.’ But Jake would still go up and get it. He’s just a fantastic receiver and he also did a good job on defense when we needed him because of some injuries.

“We just had great players, great kids and this was the first time in 15 years that Liberty beat both Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom in the same season. The city championship is a big deal.”

Bottiglieri also complimented Daignault and the rest of the coaches.

“Shawn has done a great job of getting that program turned around, and I think that’s going to continue,” he said. “They are going to be relevant every year now. Frankie Lane, being the offensive coordinator, led to some great practices that were a lot of fun because we’d get on each other and kid around. Defensively, Levi Brown, who is a Liberty legend, was with us, and so were Anthony Orlando and RJ Guffy. What was interesting was that we had five former Easton players on that staff, including me. Easton grads outnumbered the Liberty grads, and we’d kid them about that, too.”

Of course, it was Easton that beat Liberty twice, including in the District 11 6A semifinals.

“They were the best team we played,” Bottiglieri said. “In fact, I would have loved to see Easton play Harrisburg because I believe Easton was the best public school team in Pennsylvania. It’s just unfortunate that there’s such an imbalance between the public and private schools at that level.”

That’s something Bottiglieri, like many others, would like to see changed.

“I can understand parents who live in that area who have sons and daughters who are tremendous athletes wanting to send their kids to the best possible situation,” he said. “Places such as La Salle College High School, St. Joe’s Prep, Malvern Prep and so on. That’s great. But when it comes to state playoffs, let’s keep them separate.

“Those kids go to those schools because they’re going to get great exposure, and have a chance to go to the next level. Wonderful. But let’s separate them and have a public and private school champion.”

Bottiglieri said that the biggest change he has seen with high school kids is that the focus for many of them and their parents is getting to the next level.

“It’s so much on their mind, more so than years ago, and it’s almost like ‘Coach, I want to do [this and that]’ because they want to get to the next level instead of worrying about what’s going on right now with our team and at Liberty,” Bottiglieri said. “I’d tell them not to focus on the next level, focus on the next game, and what we have to do to be ready. That’s the biggest difference I’ve seen with kids today as opposed to 15 or 20 years. But the kids are still great. They’re still competitive.”

The good experiences far outweighed the bad as Bottiglieri was the head coach at both Mansfield and Shippensburg and had stops at Rhode Island, Wesley, and Moravian in addition to Lafayette, Lehigh and William & Mary. He was also the head coach at Allentown Central Catholic for one season and at Emmaus for 11 where he turned around a doormat program.

“They say you’re going to know when it’s time to retire, and that’s the way it was for me this year,” Bottiglieri said. “I will still try to stay involved and do some consulting wherever I can, but the day-to-day stuff and the offseason weight program were getting to be too much, and there are some other things I want to do with my time.

“Without sounding corny, there’s nothing better on a fall Friday night than hearing that Liberty band play and the kids running out onto the field. It sends chills up and down your spine. There’s nothing like Friday night football, especially here in the Lehigh Valley where football is so big. All of those years, 36 in college and 17 years in high school, and for me, the more enjoyable years for me were at the high school level. It’s just tremendous to see these kids go out and have a great time.

“I wasn’t big on pregame speeches,” he added. “We’d go over what we had to do and then I would just say ‘Guys, I am excited to go out and see you perform tonight.’ That’s what made it so exciting.”