The history of Colonial League Football in the Lehigh Valley

FROM KEITH GROLLER

That's the name of the book that Southern Lehigh assistant football coach and Lehighton Times-News writer Mike Feifel has produced. Actually, the complete title is "RISE TO PROMINENCE: History of Colonial League Football in the Lehigh Valley."

We wrote about this last year, but the project is totally finished and available for purchase.

This is a terrific book -- a must for any Lehigh Valley football fan -- chock full of stats, facts and figures.

This 210-page book features every score of every game ever played in this league which began in the 1975-76 school year.

As you thumb through the pages you realize that the Colonial League is a better league than most people give it credit for.

For example, Catty's Jonathan Linton, seen at the right as a member of the Buffalo, ran for 4,149 yards and 64 touchdowns in his spectacular career that spanned 1989-92.JLinton

As Feifel said as a guest on our Saturday morning "Calling All Sports" radio show, it shouldn't be compared to the East Penn Conference or the Lehigh Valley Conference because the schools are smaller.

Yet, the league has produced four state finalists since 2001 and has had teams play in seven Eastern finals.

This book answers so many questions.

For example:

1. Who's the winningest coach in league history?

2. Which two teams combined for the highest-scoring game in league history?

3. What was the lowest scoring game in league history?

4. What was the longest unbeaten streak against another league member?

5. Which was the most successful member of the original nine?

6. Who's been the best since the 1994 merger?

7. Which are the only three programs not to have won a league title?

8. Which was the most successful program of the 2000s?

The answers:

1. Paul Farnan (at right).Farnan

2. Northern Lehigh 68, Salisbury 27 in 2010

3. Pen Argyl 3, Bangor 2 in 1976

4. Bangor over Palisades, 25-0-0

5. Nazareth 117-34-1.

6. Northern Lehigh 126-44

7. Notre Dame, Salisbury and Southern Lehigh

8. Northern Lehigh 79-21.

I don't want to give anything else away, but this is just a sampling of the information that's in this book.

Again, just tremendous if you care about the league and Lehigh Valley-area football.

Mike, who is actually a Central Catholic graduate, can be very proud of his work.

I hope he is rewarded with a lot of sales.

To purchase this record book, go to clfootballhistory.weebly.com

We hope to have Mike on a future edition of The Morning Call's "Calling All Sports" TV show.

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