Five things I'll remember from my night in Nazareth

FROM KEITH GROLLER

1. Chuck Dibilio walking back on the field, all by himself, a half-hour after the game ended.

With interviews finally done and computer packed up, I finally walked down from the and headed for the exit about 30 minutes after the game ended, and who did I see walking on the field, slowly, thoughtfully, but Chuck Dibilio (No. 32 below in a Kevin Mingora photo).

My heart went out to him. The kid had a tough night. Whitehall was determined not to let him beat them and he was bottled up in the running game -- although he still went over 100 yards -- and he also threw an interception on a halfback option pass. It killed Nazareth's momentum after they had gotten back to within 14-6 and were driving.


It's always tough when a kid has played his last high school game. All kinds of memories flow through their heads and it's an emotional time. I could tell Dibilio was trying to deal with those emotions as he walked back on the field with most of his teammates still back in the locker room. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to deal with the disappointment in his own way. He deserved that space.

He's a great kid who had a great season; one of the best in recent Lehigh Valley history. Wherever he goes, that place will become better with him around.

2. Whitehall's defense continues to impress.

After seeing the Zephyrs three previous times this season, I can say I was totally surprised by their effort tonight. I knew they were good, but after the previous loss to Nazareth, I figured it would be a good night for them to hold the Blue Eagles to four touchdowns.

Of course, they delivered a gem, shutting them out in the first half and allowing only one touchdown drive all night. Klein, Madouse, Fiore, Harris ... they were all impressive, again.

The Whitehall linebackers are terrific and they really hustle and swarm to the ball (see photo on right). I know they'll keep their team in the game against Easton next week as well even though it looked like the Red Rovers got their offense going against East Stroudsburg South.

Easton is going to try to pull off the virtually impossible again -- play Thursday morning and then come back two days later and compete for a district gold. I think Whitehall poses an even greater challenge than Parkland did in the same spot last year.

3. Whitehall "Stall ball" just isn't for basketball.

Whitehall's boys basketball program once made "Stall ball" famous. It was about shortening the game, playing keep away and getting points out of each possession.



The Zephyrs football team had their own version of "Stall ball" tonight, led by quarterback Chris Polony on the left, and it was just as effective.

Whitehall chewed up the clock and yardage at the same time with drives that merely moved the chains and featured lots of third-down conversions.

Whitehall grabbed an early 7-0 lead and when it made it 14-0 at halftime, it kind of sent Nazareth into "rush" mode and the Blue Eagles never seemed to find the right tempo.

4. Rob Melosky handled the defeat with class.

The Nazareth coach was gracious in defeat, complimenting Whitehall's players and staff. He also complimented his team's effort.

Melosky seems to have find a home at Nazareth and has built a nice coaching staff and winning tradition. They are going to miss Dibilio and a bunch of quality seniors, but I don't think the Blue Eagles are going to vanish from the land of the LVC elite.

Nazareth has become an outstanding athletic program across the board. Coming up this winter, I expect a good run by Dibilio and the boys basketball team as they defend their LVC title.

When they first joined the LVC, I wondered if the Blue Eagles could compete with some of the larger schools on a consistent basis. Those doubts have definitely been removed.

5. Getting to see Andy Weaver in action.

Got to see my good friend working his gate. You could tell he loves being around people and they love him.

Because I was running late -- what else is new -- I didn't get to spend too much time with him. But someone snapped our picture together and I hope it will be sent to me and we'll put it on this blog.

I know "The Weave" was probably disappointed with the outcome tonight, but Andy's life is filled with so many positives and an upbeat spirit that he'll bounce back and move on to the next sports season at Nazareth. I hope he has a long career working for Nazareth athletics because he's one of the best people in that entire town, or any town, for that matter.

PS -- Don't go to the McDonald's on Route 248 if you're looking for a calm Friday night.

I stopped in there, looking for a bathroom, a snack and a place to work, and it was crazy in there. The staff didn't seem prepared for the postgame rush either. Kids from Easton and Nazareth took over the place. It was quite the hangout, which I guess is fine, just not for a sportswriter looking to write a story.

I love that entire shopping/dining complex off that Route 33 exit with an Arby's, Burger King, McDonald's, Applebee's, Chick-Fil-A, Sonic and several other food places all within 200 yards or so of each other. If you go hungry in that neck of the woods, you're probably just broke.

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/