Pen Argyl, Saucon Valley continue to be Colonial League's best

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Covered Northwestern beating Southern Lehigh today in New Tripoli. Northwestern won the game 5-3, and afterward Northwestern coach Jen Horner was reluctant to assert that her team was a legitimate contender in the league, saying: "This is a very unpredictable league." But what seems fairly predictable as the season reaches the midway point is that Pen Argyl and Saucon Valley are headed for the league playoffs and appear to be the Colonial League's best two teams. They meet on Friday at Pen Argyl and we'll see who emerges as the frontrunner out of those two. On Monday, Pen Argyl routed Salisbury 9-0 and Saucon Valley put a sweet 16 on the board in a 16-6 pounding of Northern Lehigh. One thing that is also becoming clear is that the North is the superior division. So far, in 12 North-South matchups, the North has gone 8-4 with only Saucon and Notre Dame winning cross-division games. Notre Dame's 11-5 win over Palmerton today may have been the day's biggest surprise. So, with Wednesday marking the exact midway point of the Colonial League regular season, here's how the standings look: North -- 1. Pen Argyl 7-0; 2. Northwestern 5-2; 3. Palmerton 4-3; 4. Bangor 3-4; 5. Tie between Catasauqua and Northerm Lehgih 2-5. South -- 1. Saucon Valley 6-1; 2. Notre Dame 5-2; 3. Southern lehigh 3-4; 4. Tie Salisbury and Wilson 2-5; 6. Palisades 1-6. It looks to me like Pen Argyl, Saucon Valley and Notre Dame are going to make the CL playoffs, and the fight for the fourth spot will be between Northwestern and Palmerton. When the Colonial League "Play Day" rolls around at Pates Park the weekend of April 27-28, there are two games shaping up as attractions. That would be Notre Dame vs. Saucon Valley at 6 on Friday night and Northwestern vs. Pen Argyl at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the 28th.