Final Groller's Corner 2011 high school football rankings

FROM KEITH GROLLER

The all-area team, coach, player etc. have been announced.

The all-state teams will be announced over the next few days.

Coaching changes are being announced and we've already had a few forecasts on what to expect in 2012.

But here's one last look back at 2011 with the Groller's Corner final Great 8 and Fab 5 polls of the season with one person's final rankings:

GREAT 8

1. Nazareth (12-2) ... lost to La Salle in 4A quarterfinals. ... scored at least 21 points in every game.

2. Easton (11-3) .... lost to Nazareth in the District 11 4A finals ... Amazing program that never seems to have a down year. Persevered despite not having top running back when it mattered most.

3. Parkland (9-3) ... lost to Nazareth in the District 11 4A semis ... Had it going offensively during six-game win streak, but ran into a buzzsaw at Nazareth.

4. Freedom (8-3) ... lost to Easton in the District 11 4A quarterfinals ...Lost to just two teams, Nazareth and Easton.

5. Liberty (8-4) ... beat Whitehall in the Eastern Conference finals ... Dave Brown did a good job of keeping things together through some adversity

6. Whitehall (8-4) ... lost to Liberty in the Eastern Conference finals ... Injuries brought Zephs down in the end. When healthy, they might have been as good as anybody.

7. Central Catholic (9-6) ... lost to Archbishop Wood in the 3A state semis ... Nosovitch, Gulyas, McDermott and others were amazing on offense; but defense never got its act together.

8. Stroudsburg (9-3) ,.. lost to Parkland in the District 11 4A quarterfinals ... The MVC is nowhere near as strong as the LVC, but Joe Bernard did a nice job in his first season.

FAB 5

1. Pen Argyl (13-1) ... lost to West Catholic in the 2A quarterfinals ... Created a lot of excitment in the Slate Belt.

2. Northern Lehigh (10-2) ... lost to Northern Lehigh in the District 11 2A title game ... It has been a great couple of years for the Bulldogs.

3. Pius X (12-2) ... lost to Southern Column in the 1A state quarterfinals ... We hear a lot of quality kids will likely be leaving the program, but under Phil Stambaugh the Royals will always be creative and competitive.

4. Catasauqua (8-4) ... lost to Tamaqua in Eastern Conference playoffs, but beat Northampton on Thanksgiving ... Tom Falzone is doing a great job with the Rough Riders.

5. Northwestern (5-5) ... Struggled against good competition, but did post a marquee win over Bangor late in the season.

OVERALL TOP 10

1. Nazareth

2. Easton

3. Parkland

4. Freedom

5. Liberty

6. Whitehall

7. CCHS

8. Pen Argyl

9. Northern Lehigh

10. Stroudsburg

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