First of all, congratulations to the area's many Red Sox fans.
Tom Moll, Ted Long, Ted Plessl, Mike Mihalik, Jimmy Terwilliger, Chuck Burton, Justin LaFleur, Matt Hemerly and the many others who I am sure will come out of the woodwork.
Certainly, the better team during the World Series won the World Series.
My only disappointment is that the St. Louis team that won 97 games during the regular season, and then outlasted the Pirates and Dodgers in the National League playoffs, never really showed up.
I think the Cardinals will be back in the World Series in the not-too-distant future, but you never know in baseball. The Phillies were in it in 2008 and 2009 and looked like they had the pitching to go on a run similar to the Yankees in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it never happened.
With the Series ending, baseball is over and so, too, are the warm weather days although it still felt like August when I went out this morning to take my daughter to her bus stop.
Amazingly, the high school football regular season is complete, too, after this weekend's games, although the season still has the potential to go on for another six weeks for a select few.
With Lehigh off this weekend, I am doing two high school games -- Easton at Nazareth tonight and then Allen-Dieruff on Saturday afternoon. Follow me on Twitter @KeithGroller for updates.
And then at 3 p.m. Sunday, I am proud to be hosting another rivalry, the "Battle of the Bands" featuring the American Legion Band of Bethlehem and the Marine Band of Allentown. It's at the Jordan Lutheran Church Family Center at 5103 Snowdrift Road in Orefield. It should be a lot of fun.
I had fun with my picks last week, going a season-best 21-1 and missing only on the Quakertown game. The seasonal record is now 156-45, a 77.6 percentage. Would rather be at 80 or 90 percent, but I'll take it.
My personal "Dandy Dozen"
- Parkland
- Whitehall
- East Stroudsburg South
- Easton
- Catasauqua
- Southern Lehigh
- Emmaus
- Stroudsburg
- Pennridge
- Nazareth
- Palisades
- Becahi
And now on to this week's picks where I am hoping for a perfect '10' as in Week 10:
LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE
Easton 35, Nazareth 14 -- The Red Rovers have a chance to get bad taste out of their mouths from loss to Whitehall and build momentum for subregional. Blue Eagles still will qualify for Eastern Conference for the second straight year. Andy Weaver hasn't lost faith in Nazareth. He is going with his guys, 33-23.
Parkland 28, Emmaus 14 -- The Green Hornets always play the Trojans tough, but eventually Parkland's plethora of playmakers will break loose for a couple of big scores. Emmaus, though, has had a nice season that will at least continue in the Eastern Conference tournament.
Whitehall 49, Northampton 7 -- The Zephyrs, I am sure, would love a district rematch with their rivals just a stone's throw away on Cedar Crest Boulevard. It could happen in three weeks with district gold and the state playoffs on the line.
Bethlehem Catholic 33, Central Catholic 14 -- This will be the earliest end to a Vikings season since they went 4-6 in 2008. I have a feeling the boys basketball team will make up for it with a long run in the state basketball tournament in March. As for the Golden Hawks, the question is do they have what it takes to fill Central's shoes and represent the LVC well in the District 11 3A tourney and beyond? Some weeks they do, some weeks they don't.
Liberty 34, Freedom 20 -- This game lacks the magic it has had in recent years, although the Hurricanes still have a shot at an Eastern Conference berth. If it's his last game, look for KJ Williams to follow Liberty alums such as Dan Persa, Jarrod West and Devin Street and advance to an outstanding college career.
MOUNTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE
Dieruff 48, Allen 20 -- It's not a great chance, but yes, the Huskies still have a chance of qualifying for the Eastern Conference playoffs. Just to be saying the "P-word" entering Week 10 is an accomplishment for Dieruff. The Huskies were oh-so-close to so much more this season, but a win here at least gets them to .500 which is a nice starting point for next season when many of the key players are back.
PM East 33, PM West 21 -- Phil Dorn and the whole gang in Swiftwater have had to deal with more stress this season than anyone can imagine. The Cards can get into the Eastern Conference playoff with a win and while I have nothing against West, which has played some feisty football lately, I can't think of a better tribute for Steven Dienno and Justin Bullock than for their teammates to deliver an inspired effort that will punch that postseason ticket.
ES South 41, ES North 14 -- I know that most people expect the Cavaliers to lose once the subregional playoffs begin, but South's Niko Petrone could play for any team in the area, including the super powers like Parkland, Whitehall and Easton.
Stroudsburg 28, Pleasant Valley 21 -- The game of the night in the MVC. These two always play close ones. I give a slight edge to the Mounties defense which has seen a lot of PV quarterback Brandon Leap in recent years. Both teams likely to make it to the subregional no matter what happens.
Lehighton 21, Jim Thorpe 20 -- This one might have the best atmosphere of the night. As I wrote earlier in the week, I am glad PCN is broadcasting this one statewide. These small-town rivaaries where everybody knows everybody and football still rules on a Friday night showcase the essence of Pennsylvania high school sports.
COLONIAL LEAGUE
Southern Lehigh 35 Salisbury 7 -- This one could be worse, but since John Toman has family in the Salisbury School District, he may call off the dogs early.
Notre Dame 33, Wilson 7 -- Nightmarish season comes to an end, mercifully, for the Warriors.
Catasauqua 42, Northwestern 21 -- It figures to get tougher from here, at least slightly, for the Roughies.
Palmerton 14, Northern Lehigh 7 -- I was tempted to go with the Bulldogs here because I feel like any team coming off a game against Catty is going to feel more confident the next week knowing they are no longer seeing all of that Roughie speed. But I'll stay with the Blue Bombers who haven't won since Sept. 13.
Palisades 21, Saucon Valley 14 -- I am visiting Palisades and Kevin Ronalds' classroom today. I don't know how many of those kids will read this before my visit, but I don't want to be dodging flying objects while I am in front of the classroom. So, by all means, Go Pirates Go!
Pen Argyl 21, Bangor 14 -- Credit to the Slaters who have hung in there through some injury strife. They could have packed it in at 0-4, but have played very competitive football in four of the last five weeks. Just believe that in games like this, the Green Knights generally find a way.
OTHERS
Tamaqua 28, Marian Catholic 20 -- Raiders' quarterback Nate Edmonds, who has thrown for more than 2,100 yards and 28 touchdowns, will be the difference.
Panther Valley 28, Minersville 7 -- If this were girls softball, I'd go with the Battlin' Miners, who have won more state titles in that sport than any other District 11 program.
Pius X 42, Columbia Montour Vo-Tech 14 -- I don't think this matchup fits precisely on rivalry weekend, but with Pius you take the games where you can get them. This one still might not be enough to get the Royals in the districts playoffs, which is their goal.
Schuylkill Haven 34, Blue Mountain 21 -- This one has playoff implications for Haven. I heard Hurricanes' all-time great Zach Barket wasn't happy by what happened to Lehigh last week at Bucknell. There were a lot of people wearing brown who left with red faces after that debacle.
Pennridge 27, Hatboro-Horsham 13 -- At six wins, these Rams have more Ws than my St. Louis Rams will have all season.
Quakertown 21, Central Bucks East 14 -- Panthers are a streaky team. They began with three wins, lost four in a row, and came back to win last two. I really don't know how they keep track of all of these directional Central Bucks schools down that way. Couldn't they have used some kind of town names instead? Makes it very confusing. All I know is that Central Bucks West was once a super power. East isn't.
That's it. Enjoy the first weekend of November and drive home safely.
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