Wednesday night predictions: Somebody is already unhappy

FROM KEITH GROLLER

You can bet that two of the most savvy veterans in area coaching, Jim Hutnik and Brad Pensyl, are already upset that they have had their games moved back one night. Their Easton-Pocono Mountain West 4A semifinal is now on Thursday which gives each guy one day less to prepare for Saturday's championship/consolation round and one day less to recover from what could be a physically and emotionally draining semifinal game.

What are you going to do?

This winter has been remarkably postponement-free. We were bound to get something sooner or later and this is just a small blip on the radar screen.

Still, it does wreak havoc with everyone's schedule, including the media. I am sure everybody who was supposed to play tonight, wanted to play. No one likes to have to wait, especially at this time of year.

There are still three games set to be played on Wednesday night and I am still headed to Freedom to catch the Salisbury and Round 3 between Emmaus and Parkland.

In terms of the 2A games, I guess I am going to be a homer and stay with the Lehigh Valley teams -- Salisbury and Notre Dame.

The Falcons, when they are running the floor and sharing the ball, are simply a pleasure to watch.

I know Shenandoah is a tough, rugged, scrappy team like everyone from that region. But I just believe that Salisbury, if it can avoid the rust that seemed to impact CCHS early on Tuesday night, will offer too much offensive firepower and balance. Salisbury 58-50.

Notre Dame has been inconsistent all season. Just when it looked like the Crusaders had it together at the end of the season, they lost to Wilson in the regular season finale and were routed by Salisbury in the league semis. Pine Grove is tough as always. The Cardinals reached the Schuylkill League finals again and playing at Martz Hall is a definite advantage for Pine Grove who are much more familiar with the place.

But I still believe that the Crusaders have some greatness left within them. It's time to let it all out. Notre Dame 54-50.

Finally in 4A boys, it's the battle of Cedar Crest Boulevard one more time. Emmaus, put simply, does not match up well with Parkland. That's obvious since the Green Hornets have lost just three times all season and two of the losses have come against the Trojans.

I am tempted to go with Parkland one more time because I truly believe Emmaus has no answer for the physical play of Rob Dvoracek and Daulton Charles inside. The Trojans are more confident than ever.

And yet, I think that the Green Hornets will make some adjustments, get big nights from Greg Bobal and Matt Wiseley and finally get tired of getting pushed around by Parkland. It won't be easy and who's in foul trouble and who's not will be a huge factor, but I see Emmaus finally breaking through in another intense, physical contest. Green Hornets 52-49.


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