A step back for Dieruff

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER I could have been at several places tonight, but I chose to go to the Dieruff-Lehighton game because I thought there was a good chance the Huskies would end their 33-game losing streak and The Morning Call should be there to document what could be a turning point for a program we have paid great attention to over the years. Remember that big, week-long, award-winning series we ran three years ago? That told the Dieruff story in depth and I thought there was a chance for a new chapter tonight. Well, I miscalculated. Boy, did I ever. So did a lot of people who were optimistic and upbeat and feeling this could be the night. "Glad you're here because this is going to be a historic night," Fred Schuler, the ever-upbeat head of the Dieruff alumni association said as I approached the southwest gate. Instead of history, it was a step back for the program. I'd like to sugarcoat this, but I can't. For those who care about Dieruff athletics, it was a little disheartening. I saw a lot of promise when I saw Dieruff open its season four weeks ago at Pocono Mountain East. I thought the Huskies competed that night. I didn't see that tonight. Tonight, they started slow and never really recovered. They began the game with a complete missed assignment that allowed Lehighton to throw a wide-open, 52-yard halfback option pass and the mistakes continued from there. The kids seemed out of place, out of sync most of the night. Take nothing away from Lehighton, which has Jacen Nalesnik, who may be as good as any kid I will see play football this year. The Indians also have a lot of good young kids and they will be back as a respectable football program sooner rather than later. But Lehighton shouldn't be 42 points better than Dieruff. I like Dieruff coach Kyle Beller and admire his relentless enthusiasm. I like the positive vibe he projected after the game. He's determined to move forward, and really, that's all you can do. Make no mistake, however, he's got his hands full and the first order of business is to not lose these kids. I didn't like the demeanor of the Dieruff players as they walked off the field in various bunches. I didn't like what I saw or what I heard. All of the enthusiasm this group had when they began the season, and I saw it first-hand at an alumni function the weekend before the season began, seems to have vanished. Nothing can build enthusiasm like some success, and this Dieruff team sorely needed some tonight. But it didn't happen. And now I am sure everyone will rev up the attacks and question this move to the MVC, especially on a night that Allen also lost 41-0. The problems with both programs run much deeper than a simple change of leagues will fix. Beller and Allen coach George Clay both knew that when they took over. While neither the Canaries nor the Huskies have won, or frankly come close, do you think for a minute it would have been better had they stayed in the LVC and competed against the Parklands, Whitehalls, Eastons and Nazareths every Friday? It took until five minutes were left in the third quarter for the "Mercy Rule" to go in effect tonight for Dieruff. Had either Allen or Dieruff played Liberty, the one remaining winless team in the LVC, chances are the "Mercy Rule" would have been implemented with five minutes left in the second quarter, if not sooner. Yes, that's how far back these two Allentown programs remain from the rest of the Lehigh Valley's big-school programs. At least for one night, Dieruff thought they had a chance -- a chance that never would have existed had they stayed in the LVC. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to come.