Saucon Source (https://sauconsource.com/category/uncategorized/)
The second coronavirus case in as many days has been confirmed at Saucon Valley High School, district superintendent Dr. Craig Butler announced in an email to parents late Sunday afternoon.
It was another down-to-the-wire finish for the Saucon Valley Panthers in their 2019 Homecoming battle against the Bangor Slaters. The score was deadlocked at 21-21 and there was short time on the game clock. Saucon Valley needed a score to avoid an overtime scare. With the score being tied, it was time for Ty!
On Tuesday, it wasn’t just a rivalry matchup between the Saucon Valley Panthers and Southern Lehigh Spartans. It was also a lacrosse battle of the unbeaten involving two of the top teams from the Lehigh Valley area. The Spartans are #4 while the Panthers are listed as #1 according to the most recent rankings provided by lehighvalleylive.com. The Spartans made the quick trip into Hellertown with a 6-0 record, while the Panthers aimed to defend their home turf at 5-0. Competition between these two girls lacrosse programs is usually tight and this game was no different.
Last Friday, the Saucon Valley School District Athletic Department announced that Matt Brown had stepped down as the Panthers high school varsity basketball coach. Brown, who is a 1991 graduate of Saucon Valley, was hired back in 2001 and took over for thirteen year veteran coach, Rich Matus. After eighteen years of calling the basketball shots, Brown made the decision that it was time for him to go.
The Reynolds Raiders are good, really good. They are the two-time returning state champions for good reason. They are tough, talented and very well-coached. But, one can’t help to think that Saucon Valley ran out of gas prior to the 2019 PIAA semifinal matchup with the Raiders.
Hershey Park’s Super-Dooper-Looper, across the parking lot from the Hershey Giant Center Arena, currently lies dormant. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing, or just maybe there is enough roller-coaster ride action taking place inside the Giant Center. Starting at the 220 pound weight class, Saucon Valley went up with a 9-0 lead to start their quarterfinal match against District VII champs, Burrell Buccaneers. Then, the Panthers found themselves down 19-9 and then again at 22-12. Showing a ton of courage and resiliency, Saucon Valley continued to push forward and win five of the last six bouts to earn a hard-fought 31-25 victory. This instant-classic win catapaulted the Panthers into the 2019 PIAA state wrestling championship semifinals.
The Saucon Valley Panthers and Burrell Buccaneers will square off in a high-noon showdown today for a killer, quarterfinal matchup in the 2019 PIAA state wrestling championships. Saucon Valley (18-0) is the District XI champs while Burrell (10-2) lead the way out of District VII. Burrell’s losses have come at the hands of Kiski Area and Waynesburg Central. Kiski #2 and Waynesburg #13 are ranked “big” schools in the AAA classification.
What do you do after you defeat the #4 ranked team (Muncy) in the 2019 PIAA state wrestling championships? Well, you enjoy it briefly and then refocus because now you have to reload and get ready for today’s high noon showdown with the #5 ranked team (Burrell) in Pennsylvania. That is the odyssey that Coach Chad Shirk and his Saucon Valley wrestlers will have to endure as they continue toward a 2019 state wrestling title.
The Panthers are the #3 ranked team in Pennsylvania, but Thursday’s opening round (4 p.m.) has Saucon Valley squaring off against the Muncy Indians who are the #4 ranked team in the state. From the outset, this journey is not going to be easy for Saucon Valley. The Panthers fell to Muncy last year in the PIAA state quartefinals.
Saucon Valley wrestling has done it again. Five days after winning their seventh straight Colonial League championship, the Panthers willed their way to a fourth consecutive District XI Team title. The homegrown Saucon Valley Panthers hung together and denied borderless Notre Dame’s assembled group of all-stars the 2019 District XI championship trophy.
As the Saucon Valley wrestling program continues down the homestretch of the 2018-2019 Colonial League regular season, the Panthers are on pace for more greatness. In a cliffhanger victory this past week, Saucon defeated the Wilson Warriors and keeps their Colonial League win streak alive. In addition, the Panthers have locked up another appearance in the Colonial League wrestling championships. Saucon Valley has now won seventy-two straight Colonial League matches and are in pursuit of a seventh consecutive league title.
