2017: Bethlehem Catholic's Top Academic Scholars

Though it's exciting to see a high school athlete score 40 points in a basketball game, I sometimes forget that the primary reason they are in high school is to learn. On Wednesday night, Bethlehem Catholic graduated over 200 seniors. The top 12 academic scholars are Florencia Dayan, Paige Faasuamalie, Megan Friend, Yiwei Lyu, Maria Macaluso, Blake McGill, Kevin Michels, Elizabeth Nemec, Emily Prendeville, Donovan Stuard, Rachel Tanczos and Christopher Walakovits.

Congratulations!    

Becahi Principal Is Leaving

For the past seven years, John Petruzzelli has been the Principal at Bethlehem Catholic High School. But all good things must come to an end. At the end of this month, he'll be taking over at St.Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

That's a Jesuit school, considered one of the finest in the country. He's a graduate himself, and worked there between 1998 and 2004.

"It's bittersweet," said Petruzzelli. What he'll miss most are the students, whom he called "the best kids around."    

How "Keeping The Book" Nearly Got Me Killed at a Becahi Basketball Game

I was nearly lynched last night and hung from the rim of Bethlehem Catholic High School's gymnasium.  The people angry at me were not unruly fans or players from the Pottstown Trojans. It was my own team. You see, I was the scorekeeper for Bethlehem Catholic last night, and I screwed up. Not only did my mistake result in a technical foul with free throws and a loss of possession, but it also resulted in an innocent player getting ejected from the game. On his birthday. The only reason I am still alive is because the JVs won the game despite my blunder.

A few years ago, Coaches Craig Golden and Dom Italiani taught me how to "keep the book" That's how basketball fanatics refer to what a scorekeeper does, It's pretty easy. You basically keep a running score, individual scores, fouls and time-outs.

Some people are really good. Liberty's scorekeeper, for example,  can do the book, announce and keep track of assists, steals and rebounds, too. I think he even plays the bagpipe.

Bethlehem Catholic already has an excellent scorekeeper. He wears a striped shirt and everything. It would not fit me. I'm this guy's back-up. The "B" team. Most of the time, I just do the Junior Varsity games.

Though he denies it, I'm pretty sure Coach Corsi started asking me to keep the book so he doesn't have to hear me shouting from the stands. Scorekeepers have to keep their mouths shut during games. It;s a rule, like the striped shirt.

Last night, when Coach Corsi handed me the book, I refused to let him fill in the names. I like to fill in the team names on the page facing that team's bench, and told him to let a professional do it.. I filled in all the player names from a program I bought several weeks ago. Then I had a ref check it and signed his name.

I missed one frickin' name.

The scorekeepers on the other side were three cute senior girls from Pottstown with names like "Princess" I thought they'd have little to no interest, and would spend most of their time there texting their boyfriends. Turns out that all three are basketball fanatics who knew what was going on.

When the player I missed was substituted into the game, they nailed me.

"Mr.Official, Mr. Official, this player's name is not in the book and he is being substituted illegally."

At the end of a lengthy conference that involved waterboarding, appeals to the Supreme Court and Pope, the player was ejected and i was excommunicated.

No exception for his birthday.

Now Beca fans are usually very positive. They all bless themselves and pray before every game. They cheer kids who attempt 750' 3-pointers. "He just missed!" they'll tell the boys' mother.

But when I made a mistake that cost us possession, free throws and got an innocent kid ejected on his birthday, they expected me to commit seppuko. This is despite the Church's pro-life teachings. I'm pretty sure that Linc Treadwell, whose son Colby was having a hot game, was trying to get a death warrant from Judge Giordano. My grandson was assuring everyone that there's no biological relation and he hardly knows me.

Because the JVs won, and rather convincingly, I will live to keep the book another day. I do feel pretty bad about the young man who was ejected because of me. I'll make it up to him by giving him a framed and autographed picture of me.

Allen Nearly Scores 100 Points Against Becahi Boys' Basketball

In the waning moments of a basketball game, the team that is head usually tries to pass the basketball back and forth to keep the other side from getting the ball and scoring. But last night, the roles were reversed. Bethlehem Catholic's Golden Hawks, down by a ton, frantically passed the ball back and forth to keep the William Allen Canaries from scoring their 100th point. They succeeded in holding Allen to 98 in a lopsided loss to one of the Lehigh Valley's better teams.

I may be mistaken, but think no Lehigh Valley team has scored 100 points in a game this season.

Beca is having a tough season. But they should be around .500 next year. In two years, they will be scary.

Liberty-Becahi Game a Display of Good Sportsmanship

Liberty and Bethlehem Catholic High Schools have always been bitter rivals. I know plenty of great people who have graduated from Liberty. I can even tolerate the mixed marriages that often occur between these two proud high schools, But as a Beca' grad, I officially hate Liberty High School. I have to or else I'll be excommunicated. Today, however, I must risk my immortal soul. I want to compliment both schools for the great sportsmanship displayed by fans and especially the athletes when the Golden Hawks hosted the Hurricanes on Friday night.

It was a night for anyone who lives in Bethlehem to be proud.

Liberty High School's Boys' Basketball is one of the better Lehigh Valley teams this season. Bethlehem Catholic's is not. While Liberty has been winning with ease, Beca has been hampered by the loss of some Juniors who also play football and decided they needed to concentrate on their school work and the weight room instead of playing a winter sport. The team has lost 18' Andrew Hudak, a junior who transferred to Liberty.

On Friday night, the team was also missing its only Senior and team leader, Freddie Simmons. He was on an official visit to a college in central Florida, although his grandfather came to the game to cheer for the Golden Hawks. No one at Beca would suggest that Freddie skip out on such an important trip. But they would miss him. It is not just his 1,000-point scoring, but his encouragement to younger athletes.

So the pieces were in place for an easy Liberty victory. But nobody told Becahi. They were there to play basketball.

Something strange was happening. Beca's Freshman team had beaten Liberty just the day before. Earlier that afternoon, the JV team went to Liberty and won in their finest performance all season. The Girls' team had also won, although that strong team performed as expected.

The first sign of good sportsmanship occurred when Andrew Hudak was introduced as a starter, I expected Becahi fans to boo. Instead, they applauded. Nobody slammed Hudak for leaving Beca.

During the game itself, Beca's vicious zone defense and aggressiveness made up for their smaller size. The Hurricanes were rattled, and at one point, were down by 12. Chance Neilly and DeAndre Tillett set the tone for Beca, and were everywhere. But it was not to be. With just seconds left, Liberty jumped ahead by two and would go on to win in an exciting game in which everyone was playing their best.

My grandson was one of these players. When he came up to the lobby from the locker room after the gamer, he started to well up after the game. He was bitterly disappointed at the loss. So were Neilly and Tillett. Though they had all excelled, they blamed themselves for their team's loss.

That's usually when I head for the hills.

But someone cheered him up. It wasn't me or his mom. It was Cameron Hoffman, a 27' member of Liberty's varsity squad. He came right up to my grandson and hugged him, That cheered him up. Well, that and a girl who wanted to go to McDonald's with him.

It was not the score that mattered, but the thrill of the game. In the hallway, I saw several Liberty athletes seeking out and speaking to Beca's young men

They were very gracious winners.

This is a time when we read of fights during games and coaches who run up scores. It is a time when players taunt each other. So it was refreshing to see such class from both Liberty and Becahi on Friday night. I was proud of both teams.

Now I have to go to Father Alex for confession.

Simmons Sparks Becahi to 76-56 Victory Over York Catholic

Freddie Simmons scored just ten points in Bethlehem Catholic's convincing 76-56 victory over York Catholic during the Robert H. Griffith Holiday Classic on December 30. But the aggressive defense provided by the team's only senior was just the spark needed to galvanize the rest of the team to start putting points on the board. A team that just one night before seemed hopelessly adrift, has suddenly seemed to find itself. What was just a group of individual players players is now suddenly a team.

During a team meeting after a disappointing loss to Danville, Becahi's sole Senior challenged the younger players to come together, and they did.

Every time that York Catholic Point Guard Tanner Yannick came down the court, he was greeted by the Simmons stone wall, while DeAndre Tillett and Chance Neilly guarded all around the perimeter. This prevented penetration and resulted in turnover after turnover, upon which the Hawks quickly capitalized. Junior Chance Neilly, who finished the game with a team-high 17 points, scored 13 of them in just the first quarter.

In the second quarter, it was another junior, Nick Maff, who connected on four 3-point field goals in a row. He managed to do this while guarding the Fighting Irish's most dangerous scorer, Chris Martello. Maff finished the game with 14 points.

Andrew Posch, Becahi's most solid player, added another 12 points.

Two younger players, Freshman Dat Lambert and Sophomore Nick Petros, were able to keep the pressure going when the starters were given breathers. Lambert scored nine points, including a three pointer. Petros sunk 5 out of 6 free throws, finishing with seven points.

Becahi Boys Basketball Ekes Out Its First Win

Though I have many stories to tell,I spent most of last night watching Bethlehem Catholic basketball. Though the team started out 0-4, it never gave up on itself and scored its first victory last night against Freedom, 63-61. Bonita Crowe, who some of you know, has to be very proud of her grandson. He's Chance Neilley, and had a game-high 21 points. He has also been a consistent scorer in Beca's losing efforts.

Though Freedom got off to an early lead, it just could not put Becahi away. Then, in the 4th quarter, the Golden Hawks took the lead briefly, and then things went back and forth in a very exciting game. 

Fabulous Freddie Simmons seems to have made the transition from football into basketball. It was nice to see some of his senior team mates there to cheer him on. 

Antwon Keenan, who had been injured, should return to the roster soon,and that will help, too.

I've seen them lose and now I've seen them win. Their smiles should have stopped the rain. 

  

Becahi Basketball Program Has Online Store Until November 11

After emerging victorious from its Holy War with Central Catholic, Fabulous Freddy, Michael "M1" McDaniel and the rest of the Golden Hawks (9-1) are going into District playoffs. They face Lehighton' Indians (8-2-1) on November 8, The game starts 7 pm at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem.

For the Freshmen (6-1-1), the season ended on a rainy and cold Saturday morning, where they eked out a win against Central's squad.

For my grandson, this means BASKETBALL and a return to open gyms and getting ready for tryouts.

To help fund the basketball program, there's an online store to purchase some nice clothing. It's only open until November 11. I'll do some Christmas shopping there, and I also have a link on my left sidebar.

Let's say you're a Liberty or Easton fan and hate Beca. All the more reason to buy. You can throw this stuff in bonfires, But it won't burn. It's all been pre-treated with holy water.

Beca Freshman Visit Allen

Yesterday, Becahi's Freshman Football faced Allen High School at J. Birney Crum, and basically repeated the performance put in by the varsity on Saturday. I was able to catch a few good video clips of Dat (#7) tearing it up.

This Saturday, the Freshman will play Central Catholic in what the T-shirts proclaim is a "Holy War." The Varsity squads play on Halloween.

High School Football: How to Stop Losing ... and Hazing

Becahi destroyed Allen on Saturday afternoon, 56-12. It was actually 56-6 at the end of the first half. The Golden Hawks benched their varsity and sent in the JV squad to play the second half. Many Beca fans -  and I was one of them - were hoping that Allen would score once again before the end of the game. They did, in the closing moments.

I feel for the kids on any losing team. But in Allen's case, you can see why the program is in such disarray. Look at their stands. Aside from their marching band, practically no one is there. No father to encourage his son. No mom to worry. No alumni to act as boosters for a once great school. If parents and family fail to get involved in their kids' lives, this is what happens.

During half-time, I noticed something a bit out of the ordinary - a high school football player (Charlie Falteich, a 5'4" Junior) playing in the band. I'm told this is also the case at Dieruff. I have no idea how someone goes through both football and band camp, but things like this have to be very positive for both football players and bandies. It also creates an atmosphere in which hazing is far less likely.

A New Rivalry is Brewing In High School Football

Stroudsburg High School's Marching Band took to the field before Saturday night's Battle of the Unbeatens between Bethlehem Catholic and the Mounties, played in Bethlehem. In what has to be the best band performance I've seen this year, they played a few tunes from Despicable Me! When the Mounties finally left Bethlehem on Saturday night, most Beca fans would agree. A touchdown late in the 4th quarter put them ahead, 23-19. Becahi moved the ball valiantly, but faltered, with Fabulous Freddie Simmons tripped by a Mounties as he went for a ball that fell harmlessly ten yards ahead of him. It was not to be.

I could give you all kinds of reasons for the loss. I could say that Beca was too cocky and overconfident, and they were. I could blame the officiating. I could point to at least three turnovers. I could point to three personal fouls against Beca and a block below the waist that seemed designed to take Michael "M1" McDaniel put of the game. But the simple reality is that, on Saturday night, the Mounties were the better team.

One thing is clear. These teams really dislike each other. Last night, the Golden Hawks and Mounties Freshmen and JV squads met in Stroudsburg, and it was a war, from beginning to end. Beca eked out the freshmen victory by a razor thin score of 8-6. It was another game punctuated by face masks, personal fouls and late hits.

I sense a new football rivalry is brewing between two closely matched teams that really detest, yet respect, each other.

Their stadium is beautiful, but as I made my way to the visitor stands, I was walking on the track reserved to coaches, players and officials. I honestly didn't know.

"Are you a coach?" a security guard suspiciously asked me.

"Nah, I'm a player," I answered. "I was redshirted a few decades."

Fortunately, he laughed.

Becahi's Black Fly Bowl

As a former artilleryman in Oklahama, I've been in foxholes full of scorpions. In Louisiana, I've seen jeeps sink all the way to their steering wheels in the mud. In Virginia, in a lonely advance party, I'd listen to the music of coyotes as darkness fell. None of that is as bad as those black flies were yesterday. In addition to making it difficult to see, they crawled right up my legs, biting all the way. They even flew off with the Golden Hawk mascot at one point.

Becahi's Freshman and JV squads hosted the Dieruff Huskies yesterday in a field near the high school. I'm calling it the Black Fly Bowl. It was brutal. I don't know how the kids can play, but play they did. As 8th graders, Becahi was annihilated by Dieuruff. As Freshman, the situation was reversed.

My video is shaky for three reasons - the flies, I was working the chain gang and I suck. But I got three plays. The first is a kickoff return by Becahi's #5, Brandon Clark, for a touchdown. The second is a screen pass to Dat Lambert, #7, and the final play is a punt return by Dat in which he just scoops the ball up and goes.

Dieruff - The Team to Watch

Dieruff's loss to the now 5-0 Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks at J. Birney Crum Stadium on Friday night was no surprise. Nor was the lopsided, 65-21 score.  Simmons sizzled. McDaniel mauled. But they played a team that is getting better, week by week. In fact, two years from now, the Huskies are going to be a threat for the Districts.

I won't beat around the bush. The chief problem at both Allen and Dieruff has been poverty. This has led to a transient population in which families move frequently. That often prevents the most athletically gifted students in the Lehigh Valley from excelling. A few things have stemmed that tide for Dieruff. I can't put my finger on any one thing, but have seen a lot of interest in youth sports in East Allentown over the past ten years. Is it the East Side Youth Center? The Wall to Wall basketball program? The frequent tournaments in which fathers and mothers watched their sons and daughters grow up?

Something good is happening. Instead of seeing a deserted J. Birney Crum stadium on Friday night, there was a bit of a crowd. Lots of proud families. One young man, about 7, told me several times that his brother was playing. I sat near one woman who came because she's an alumnus and is excited at how the kids are doing, even though she knows none of them.

Freshmen football players walked up and down the concourse, proudly wearing their Jerseys. I begged them to go easy on my grandson on Monday, when the Freshman team plays Beca, and they laughed.

You won't find a better football stadium in the Lehigh Valley. You also won't find better food, including funnel cakes.

On the field, I could see #50, Badid Haddad, a linemen who made a few key stops throughout the game. He'll be back next year. He gives it everything and  happens to be pleasant young man off the field. 

Senior Shakur Lester (#6) took a kickoff all the way in for a score, and had several great long runs. So did Juniors Devante Robinson (#20) and Jayden Reyes (#1), who will be back next year.

For whatever reason, Dieruff is developing a core of athletes who grew up and have played in the Lehigh Valley. Tough and gritty, they know and have played the same kids who now play for Parkland, Beca, Central, Freedom and Liberty.

They never quit.

Another amazing phenomenon was the band. A reader observes, "They can't have more than twenty people who play instruments and I noticed two of the big bass drummers marching at halftime were actually football players who took their helmets off and never made it to the locker room! I was sincerely shocked at how loud they were, though; I never would have guessed they could generate that much noise."

I laughed when the Husky mascot pretended to pee on the Golden Hawk.

I did see a fight as I left, but it was broken up by the kids themselves. Another good sign. What I see at that football game is a much more hopeful prognosis for Allentown than the NIZ.

The big game Friday night was Whitehall's upset of Parkland. That's Dieruff in two years.

MaxPreps now rates Becahi #6 among AAA teams, and #15 statewide. Easton is rated #4 among AAAA teams, and #9 statewide.

Dunkmaster Dat

My grandson Dat is in heaven this summer. By day, he does football drills. By night, it's hoops. Last night was a rare night off, and he spent it working on his dunk. I'm looking for the trampoline he has hidden somewhere.

It's "Mad Science" at Lehigh Valley Science Fair

For more than twenty years, Lehigh University has made it possible for high school and middle school students from all over the Lehigh Valley to showcase their love of science at an annual science fair. This year, 281 students participated with some pretty amazing experiments in the annual Lehigh Valley Science and Engineering Research Fair at the Rauch Field House, conducted March 14-15.

Like what?

How about a vehicle that runs on nothing more than recirculating water? Parkland's Atharv Gupte has done it through the use of magnetic energy. Problem. His vehicle only travels 3.71 cm/sec. He's still working on the need for speed.

Think that's cool?

Well, Becahi's Austin Sanders has concentrated his prodigious intellect on the pop-ability of popcorn, noting all those unused kernels that break teeth. His conclusion?  "Movie theaters will make more money if they hydrate their popcorn."

Just how much do caffeine and alcohol affect our heart rates? Pretty much, according to Emmaus High School's Jacob Licker. Caffiene sends it up there to 112.13 beats per minute, while moonshine (ethanol) sends it down to 53.3.

Which bridge would be safest for Gupte's 3.71 cm/sec magnetomobile? According to Orefield Middle School's Alexandra Fry, it would be a truss bridge. Using popsicle sticks, she built a variety of different kinds of bridges, including suspension and beam bridges. Then she subjected them all to heavy loads of sand. The truss bridge held up best.

One student, St. Theresa's Kevin Yusella, had a science fair exhibit, but baseball is on his mind. His experiment, "Dominant Distance," determines the optimal leg position for throwing a baseball the longest distance. After countless experiments measuring distances with different stances, Yusella's scientific opinion is that the crow's hop is the best way to get a baseball from deep center into a catcher's mitt. Numerous coaches have always preached that, but now science is on their side.

With this Winter's bitter cold weather, ice storms and salt shortages, Becahi's Maria Macaluso experimented on different substances that might prevent ice from forming on your sidewalk. Her conclusion? Stick to salt. Sugar does not work.

One young man, Valmiki Kothare from Orefield Middle School, is very interested in how the brain works behaviorally and studied differences between man and women as well as three different age groups. Using 63 subjects and 315 data points, his conclusion is that children (under 21) have a better sense of hearing and touch, while young adults (ages 21-59) have the best sense perception overall.

Believe it or not, there was even a science project dedicated to blogs. Parkland's Mugdha Gupta studied whether negative comments posted by trolls tend to make people disbelieve the article in question. Her conclusion is that they do, although she cautioned that she only used 15 test subjects.

Is this mad science?

"No science is good science unless it's mad science, answered Lehigh's Jennifer Shah. She, along with Mike Keener and Arianna Caruso, wowed the students with some crazy chemistry experiments, including foam eruptions and the production of slime.

Robert Haines, the LU alumnus who both founded and helps fund this event, calls it a "labor of love". Angela Nicole Scott, Lehigh's Director of Academic Diversity and Outreach, was able to juggle students, anxious parents and over 100 judges from local colleges and the corporate sector.

Becahi's 2013 Graduates Will Get $12 Million in Scholarships

Maria R. Spirk

Although 193 seniors graduated from Bethlehem Catholic High School on June 6, Principal John Petruzzelli awarded 194 diplomas. The last one was for Kasey Roman, who passed away after a sudden illness in her Freshman year. Her twin brother, Jesse, accepted the diploma on her behalf, after which the crowded auditorium thundered in applause. Seniors also established a scholarship fund in Kasey's honor.

Before that, as each graduate's name was announced, moms and dads and other family members really tried to be quiet. But when Eva Rodic's name was called, a small tot shouted, "Hi Eva!" Everyone, even Dean Michael Grasso, started laughing.

Salutatorian Maria Spirk, on her way to Bryn Mawr College, took the time to thank her parents for setting a "fundamental example of how we lead our lives." She is the daughter of Bethlehem City Solicitor Jack Spirk, and his wife, Marian.

Bridget M. Smith

Valedictorian Bridget Smith was also named the top female athlete. In soccer, she set a school record of 71 goals. Called a "warrior" in basketball, she helped lead the Golden Hawks to a District XI championship this year. Daughter of Grace and Edward Smith, she will attend the University of Pennsylvania.

Smith joked that her uncle, who never quite made it, still proudly wears a "I survived Catholic School" T-shirt. She claimed that despite the "Go Home Freshmen" taunts she took in her first year, she was able to meet all kinds of interesting people from China, Korea, Spain, Germany "and even New Jersey."

The top male athlete honored was two-time state wrestling champ Darian Cruz, who will take his 153-8 record to Lehigh University.

Another senior wrestler, Connor Hedash, has been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Dean Michael Grasso

Principal Petruzzelli stated that over $12 million in scholarships have been awarded to the Class of 2013. "They left quite an impression," he remarked. Although agreeing that "you're each on your own journey now," Petruzzelli concluded, "Always be Beca proud. ... We love 'ya."

Bethlehem Catholic High School is a private co-educational community of the Diocese of Allentown, with approximately 760 students between grades 9 through 12. Established on the south side in 1925 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, the school is currently located at 2133 Madison Avenue. Children of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome, but students are required to participate in faith-based activities.