Schuylkill Plus Magazine

Southern tops
The Valley Plus
Football Poll

The famed Beach Boys once had a No.1 hit titled “Help Me Ronda,” the Beatles were also belting a tune called “Help!”
Now the pollsters at Schuylkill Plus are looking for HELP, especially after four games in the books, with nary a clue as to which football team is at the top of the hit list!
Berwick has stumbled from the ranks of the undefeated getting bumped off twice – Wyoming and Selinsgrove – thus falling from the top rung.
Up and about is none other than the roaring Tigers, Southern Columbia the top team from last season. However, Southern will feel the heat in another unbeaten Schuylkill Haven. The ‘Canes are the real deal for sure at 4-0.

So here’s our second poll of the season!

Valleyl Plus Top 10 October 2016 Football Poll
1. Southern Columbia (4-0) – This small school powerhouse keeps rolling right along. And to think this scary thought, Jim Roth’s best team is two seasons away according to reports!
2. Schuylkill Haven (4-0) – The preseason book on the 2016 Hurricanes is right on, and then some with impressive wins over Lehighton. Marian and North Schuylkill. A state contender in Class AA.
3. Pottsville (3-1) – Blondie once had a top hit, and it is apropos to say the 2016 Tide is riding high. Best start in years and just maybe the team to win the first-ever Schuylkill Football League Division I title.
4. Blue Mountain (3-1) – Lost a few key people to off-field suspensions, but the Blue Eagles are still soaring with a huge Friday night date with our No. 7 team in our poll.
5. Berwick (2-2) – The Dawgs are gimpy right now after latest loss to top-notch Selinsgrove and meet always formidable Coughlin this week and should roll by Pittston in two weeks setting up a showdown with a superb Valley West on the road Oct. 14.
6. Lehighton (4-1) – Indians are starting to grow with young talent as it gains experience on how to win with a skin-of-their teeth one-point victory over Marian, now face and up-and-down North Schuylkill at home!
7. Jim Thorpe (3-1) – Indians have come a long way since the opener and continue to impress with a three-game win streak on the line hosting No. 4 Blue Mountain Friday in this SFL big school contest.
8. North Schuylkill (2-2) – Spartans offense sometimes sputters, but bounced an old nemesis Mt. Carmel and will open SFL play with No. 6 Leighton Friday as Major Jordan leads a defense that can matchup with most teams.
9. Tamaqua (1-0) – The Blue Raiders are very good and will hold their own the remainder of the season as they meet a resurgent Pottsville team at home Friday.
10. Marian (2-2) – Defense is a huge staple for the Colts, and once an offense emerges this team can contend for postseason honors. Meets dangerous rival Panther Valley this Friday on the road in this Division II, SFL clash.
On the Rise - Williams-Valley (3-1) –Tri-Valley (3-1) - The Valley boys are on equal footing with identical records and are headed for a super-showdown come Oct. 21 in Hegins! Vikings and Dawgs are right on the cusp of cracking the top 10 poll.

COLLEGE PREVIEW

Drum roll please…
Now let’s get the party started. College football is the best time of the year, and without a doubt the 2016 football season is about to have a lid-lifter Labor Day Weekend.
And with it the run to a potential National Championship is on the minds of all rooters… but in the end there will be four teams selected to play for a championship.
Alabama is back again and there is no reason to think otherwise for the Crimson Tide faithful, and you can book it Nick Saban’s newest edition will be a force to repeat.
There are other suitors, too. Clemson is being called the top dog from the ACC. The Tigers lost to the Tide in the title game last January. It was a four-team final, with the Tide ripping out the heart of Michigan State and the Tigers outlasting Florida State.
And the entire above are mentioned as title contenders once again. Yet there are other bonafide contenders. Let’s us not forget Ohio State, the Buckeyes are being billed as the team to capture the Big 10 title. Ah, so too is Michigan. To think within one year the Wolverines have skyrocketed to the top of the “watch list,” under a Michigan Man, Jim Harbaugh. Too bad Penn State hasn’t brought in a Penn Stater to coach its program?
In the Pac 10, the storyline is coming down to a pair of notables, one from the past and the newest kids trying to rule the block. UCLA is loaded, and thanks to a superb recruiter in former Penn State assistant coach Tom Bradley, the Bruins play it rough-and-tumble on defense.
The Brainiac’s from Stanford have been knocking at the door for the better part of a decade, and with the sensational talent of Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffery, the Cardinal will soar before the season ends.
The high-fluting offenses in the whacky Big 12 where defense is a bad word, should be fun to watch, but national contenders? Come on… defense wins 99 times out of 100. Texas A&M is going to be a solid team, Texas, too. In fact, the Longhorns open the season Sunday night hosting Notre Dame. And speaking of the Irish, they too are capable of making another huge splash, except the lack of a true-conference player, hurts the Irish now of days.
Locally, the focus and the debates always swirl with Penn State and Pitt. So who is the best team in the state collegiately? Maybe Temple. For sure, the Nittany Lions will find out early enough. Penn State goes to Pitt in Week 2, and then has to play Temple a week later.
The Owls are on the rise and guess who is coaching this squad? Yep another Penn Stater here in Matt Rhule. Wondering how many people are truly in tune to all of this or at least getting the hint? Check out the roster and you’ll find Marian grad Brendan McGowan as a returning veteran. McGowan has earned his stripes, and at 6-3,295 he is a key lineman for the Owls. It will be an interesting third week of the season for Temple when they visit Penn State, looking for a second-straight win.
However let us forget about the has-beens, and really try and break all this down for the teams that will be in the national title hunt.
From the Big 10 – Ohio State is loaded, but may have lost too many offensive weapons and without a doubt a defense that was super stout. Michigan has risen faster than the August corn, and Michigan State’s program is solid. Wisconsin has a lot to offer, but lest we forget Nebraska. The winner in the December conference title game gets a shot at another national title playoff. We like it to be Michigan dumping the Corn Huskers.
From the ACC – Everyone is blowing the horn of Clemson and Florida State in the Atlantic Division with either team being projected as the divisional champion en route to winning the overall title. But we’re not everyone. Miami is going to be much improved in the Coastal Division, and remember Duke has been a min-pain in the butt for a lot of teams. The big news is Florida. Yes the Gators were horrible on offense a season ago that’s fixed and just keep watching this club. And don’t discount North Carolina to be back in the conference playoff.
From the Big 12 – Holy Cow as Phil Rizzuto would below… this is going to be a wild time here. Sure Baylor can score points in bunches; West Virginia runs up and down the carpet like a chicken beheaded; Texas may be on the way back… but the team that we see in the final four – Oklahoma. The Sooners are back, and they are a team that could win it all! A date to remember is Saturday, September 17th lookout, Ohio State plays in Norman and this could be a prelude to the National Championship.

Alright enough with the gibberish! Here it is.
Alabama plays UCLA, Oklahoma plays Michigan
UCLA and Michigan advance to the National Championship Game Wolverines win it all!!!

It’s Hunting Time
In autumn, many seasons await Pennsylvanians.
A crisp autumn day, spent outdoors among the changing colors.
It’s what tens of thousands of Pennsylvania hunters have to look forward to in the coming weeks.
While hunting opportunities exist throughout the year in Pennsylvania, and some fall hunting seasons already are underway, the majority of seasons are entering their stretch runs toward opening day.
Statewide, hunters are reminded that hunting with a firearm is not permitted within 150 yards of any occupied structure, school, farm building or playground unless prior permission is obtained from the building’s occupants or property owners. This perimeter is known as a “safety zone,” and possessing a loaded sporting arm within a safety zone is considered hunting and a violation of the law. Trapping furbearers, and chasing or disturbing wildlife also are prohibited within a safety zone, unless permission is given.
A similar law applies to hunters using bows or crossbows, but the safety-zone perimeter is smaller in some circumstances. Archers and hunters using crossbows must remain at least 50 yards from any occupied structure or farm building unless they receive permission from the building occupants or property owners to hunt at closer distances. The safety zone around schools and playgrounds remains 150 yards for archers, however.
Hunters also are reminded that the fluorescent orange requirements vary depending on the species being hunted. Illustrations depicting the requirements that apply in different seasons can be found in the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest issued to hunters at the time they purchase hunting licenses. The digest also is available online at the Game Commission’s website.
For a more detailed look at the regulations pertaining to these and other seasons, or to view hunting season start and end dates, as well as bag limits, visit to the Game Commission’s website.
There’s a lot of hunting in store.
“Autumn is an absolutely beautiful time of year to get out and enjoy the Pennsylvania outdoors, and there’s no better way to spend a fall day than by going hunting,” said Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough. “In the coming weeks, hunters will have an increasing number of opportunities as more and more seasons see their opening days.
“Many of them will be successful in harvesting game, but all of them can consider themselves fortunate for the rewards they receive just by being out there,” Hough said. “In that regard, all hunters are lucky.”
Rifle deer season
As it has traditionally, the two-week firearms season for deer will open statewide on the Monday following Thanksgiving.
The statewide season this year runs from Dec. 1 to Dec. 13.
Hunters in different parts of the state are required to observe different rules regarding the number of points an antlered deer must have and when during the season hunters may harvest an antlerless deer.
Information is available at the Game Commission’s website.