september/octobei 2000 - lehigh valley style * 70
Valley Turf Skirmish
Top 10 rivals brace for
annual grid grudge
mind, the Leopards and Engineers
(now the Mountain Hawks) took the
field amid wind chill factors of 20-
below zero. In what is believed to be
the coldest game in the rivalry's histo-
ry, Lehigh came away with the 17-10
win when quarterback Mark
McGowan dove in from the one-yard
line with 5:08 left on the clock.
McGowan had struggled mightily
earlier in the 1987 season. Unfortu-
nately, as is often the case, the quar-
terback was blamed for the struggles
of the entire offense. Coming into the
Lafayette game, the Brown and White
had failed to score in the second half
in four straight games and McGowan,
a walk-on player from tiny Kemberly
Academy in New Jersey, was taking
the heat.
According to Tony Semler, a grad-
uate assistant coach for Lehigh,
"McGowan sort of came out of
nowhere. He was third-string on the
junior varsity and just kept working
and working. All of sudden he was the
starter. What I remember about Mark
is his dedication. He was the kind of
Muhlenberg's John Sules advances against Moravian (1974). kid you rooted for."
When McGowan was named
UY SHAWN DIUJKY ,imiivrl:;,ny ul 1.11(1 ln:;l. liioil.liiii /uiuuulc Piuyoi
Lafayette-Lehigh game and enjoyed a
nnitMvit.v and tradition are two between Moravian—the school on
emerged in the 1960s.
Lehigh was still Muhlenberg's
biggest game of the year in 1946. That
year the Mules went 9-1 and made
their first and only appearance in a
bowl game. They beat St. Bonaven-
ture 26-25 in the Tobacco Bowl at
Lexington, Kentucky. The win gave
Muhlenberg the mythical small-col-
lege national championship.
Many local players starred on that
team, which defeated Moravian 47-0
on November 16th. George Bibighaus
of Palmerton was Muhlenberg's Ail-
American end. Coached by the leg-
endary Ben Schwartzwalder,
Muhlenberg had only 32 players on
the roster. Most players played both
offense and defense. "I don't know if I
could play football the way they play it
today," Bibighaus says, laughing. "In
my mind, you either played both ways
or didn't play at all."
Bibighaus actually began his
Muhlenberg career in 1940. With the
advent of WWII, he enlisted in the
Navy and served in the Pacific from
1942-1946. One of his commanding
officers was legendary Chicago Bears
football coach George Halas. When
the 6'2", 235-pound Bibighaus (big for
viir. timo\ tn onrnll at Wiqnonsin so he
retiring, he taught at Lehighton High
School for 17 years and was the prin-
cipal for 25 years.
"I was really lucky," he says.
"Every decision I made turned out
right."
Easton ReeBoversv.
Phillipsburfftateliners
FIRST GAMJk94
SERIES RECORD. I .ision leads 51-37-5
THIS YEAR: Thanksgiving Day $ Lafayette's Fisher Field
The Easton-Phillipsburg game is
the longest-running of all high school
football rivalries in the Lehigh Valley,
but not by much. Easton played Allen-
town High School (which later
became Allen High) 93 times between
1896-1997.
Easton and P'Burg began playing
on Thanksgiving Day 1916 and they
continue that practice today. Two of
the most legendary games in the
series occurred in consecutive years.
In 1954, Phillipsburg came into the
game unbeaten and untied. Easton
was a .500 team. The Red Rovers'
record was deceiving, according to
the quarterback of the team, Jim But-
icr. vvu piuyOQ i
ule that year," he recalls. "We thought
that if we could get a lead or keep it

L ongevity and tradition are two
very different things. Age does
not guarantee historical rele-
vance. Fenway Park is a classic base-
ball park not simply because it is old.
Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played
there. Tradition means something.
So it is with football in the Lehigh
Valley.
Lehigh University quarterback
Albert W.Chenoweth (1917).
Few regions of the country can
match the Lehigh Valley's combina-
tion of tradition and quality in high
school football. The area can also
boast of the longest-running rivalry in
college football—the Lehigh-
Lafayette game has been played
annually since 1884.
Sometimes lost in the shadow of
the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry is the
football history of another Bethlehem
school. This year marks the 100th
between Moravian—the school on
Main Street in Bethlehem—and Muh-
lenberg—the school on Chew Street
in Allentown.
The oldest Lehigh Valley high
school rivalry began in the 1890s; oth-
ers started in the early part of the next
century. Despite some interruptions
and alterations, the rivalries have con-
tinued to the present day. Pro Football
Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, future
Hall of Famer Andre Reed and numer-
ous other athletes who reached the
sport's highest level played scholastic
football here.
Here is a look back (and ahead) at
the best high school and college foot-
ball rivalries our area has to offer.
Lehigh MKBain Hawks
v. Lafayette Leopards
FIRST Gf 11884
SERIES RECORD: La| |teleads 71-59-5
THIS YEAR: Novi MS @ Lafayette
To understand how long
Lafayette and Lehigh have been play-
ing one another in football, consider
some of the following facts: For the
first 26 games of the series, a touch-
down was only worth five points
(according to the rules of college foot-
ball); the forward pass didn't exist
until the schools had played 22 annu-
al contests (the first pass was thrown
by Lafayette's Edward Flad); Chester
A. Arthur was president of the United
States when the first game was
played.
Over the course of 135 games,
there have been numerous memo-
rable battles. On November 21,1987,
both teams came into the game with
losing records: Lehigh was 4-5-1 and
Lafayette was 4-6. The rivalry was not
dirninished by this fact, because it
was to be the last game ever at
Lehigh's Taylor Stadium. With that in
Wlirn Mr( liiw;iii wan numi'il
Lafayette-Lehigh game and enjoyed a
blazing start to the 1988 season, it
appeared that fate had evened the
score for him. However, his football
career came to a sudden, unexpected
end on October 15, 1988. In a game
against Holy Cross, he was tackled
from behind and fell to the ground
with his left leg bent behind him, tear-
ing the anterior cruciate ligament in
his knee.
McGowan's story is but one of
surely dozens. Dozens more await.
Moravian uR bunds v.
Muhlenbe Mules
FIRST GAME: 1900
SERIES RECORD: Moravian leads 29-17-2
THIS YEAR: No&mberttiffi Moravian
It may be hard to believe, but for
the better part of the last hundred
years, the Moravian-Muhlenberg
game wasn't much of a rivalry.
Allentown's Muhlenberg consid-
ered Lehigh its main rival until
Moravian's football program
Moravian College 1970 team.
l(xitl) HI coach < leoroo i i.ii.r: Whim
the 6'2", 235-pound Bibighaus (big for
his time) to enroll at Wisconsin so he
could be drafted by and play for the
Bears after graduation. The only catch
was that Bibighaus would have to
begin his academic career all over
again—whereas if he returned to
Muhlenberg, he would be a junior and
could complete his education in one
year. Bibighaus was discharged on his
23rd birthday Friday, February 26,
1946. On Monday, March 1, he re-
enrolled at Muhlenberg.
Says Bibighaus, "If Halas had let
me come to Wisconsin as a junior I
definitely would have went. But, I was
so close to graduating that it was real-
ly an easy decision."
Muhlenberg was glad he made it.
After a tough opening game with
Lafayette, the school from the west
end of Allentown cruised through the
regular season, its only loss coming to
a powerful Delaware team. The New
York Giants drafted Bibighaus after
his career at Muhlenberg, but he
became an educator instead. Before
september/october 2000 - lehigh valley style . 71
the quarterback »i iiif i < M m . . i i i n Itui
ule that year," he recalls. "We thought
that if we could get a lead or keep it
close, our defense would hold them
[Phillipsburg] off."
Getting a lead would be no easy
task: The Stateliners had permitted a
mere 13 points for the entire season
and were the top-ranked team in all of
New Jersey.
Butler remembers the day vividly.
"Before the game, we went to get
taped up and we watched some of the
Nazareth-Wilson game before we
went to the locker room. I couldn't
wait to get on the field." Then-gover-
nor of New Jersey Robert Meyner
made the trip across the Delaware
River to be part of the overflow crowd
of 17,000 at Lafayette's Fisher Field.
Easton got the break they needed
early. A snap from center sailed over
the head of the P'Burg punter and
Easton's Dick Dalrymple pounced on
the loose ball at the Stateliners' 12-
yard line. On third down, Butler
scrambled into the endzone, the extra
point was good and Easton led 7-0. In

the second quarter Phillipsburg
scored a touchdown to make it 7-6,
but the extra point attempt never got
off the ground as the Easton defense
smothered the kick. Then Easton held
on—stopping one Phillipsburg drive
after another. The upset wasn't secure
until a late interception by Easton's
Larry Gaines in his own endzone.
The tables were turned in 1955 as
Easton came into the game unbeaten.
An even larger crowd of 20,000
packed the stands. Easton took a 6-0
lead in the third charter, but the extra
point was blocked. Much like Easton
Muhlenberg versus Moravian game action.
l,hu yuui boforo, I'lilllipubimj took
advantage of a turnover to get on the
Bob Stem (who became coach in
1983), dominated in the 1980s—beat-
ing Central Catholic nine out of 10
times. Stem was a hugely successful
coach at Phillipsburg before coming
to the Dewberry Avenue school. As a
youngster, he attended Syracuse, win-
ning a national championship in 1959
and playing with Ernie Davis, the
Heisman Trophy-winning running
back who was struck down by
leukemia in 1963.
Central gained some measure of
revenge for its '80s futility by starting
the '90s with a 14-12 upset. That was
HID only hUiinUili on Docahl'H i r u m l
en route to a Class AAA State Cham-
score of their own for a final margin of
42-28. "It was like the old days," Mor-
gans recalls. "An hour and fifteen min-
utes before the game, the stands were
already full."
When Central and Becahi hook
up this year, you can almost guaran-
tee that the stakes will be high yet
again
Catasauqu pah Riders
v.Northa n Konkrete
FIRSTGAI«|23
SERIES RECORD: 45-28-4 Northampton
THIS YEAR: Thanksgiving Day @ Catasauqua
The Catasauqua-Northampton
rivalry is one of only three such games
still played on Thanksgiving Day in
the Lehigh Valley. (Easton-Phillips-
burg and Quakertown-Pennridge are
the others.) The first 14 games of the
series saw Northampton score only 51
points while winning just four games.
Things changed, drastically, in 1937.
The "Wonder Team" (as it became
known) from Northampton routed the
Rough Riders 85-0. Remarkably, that
wasn't even the Konkrete Kids' largest
margin of victory that year. They beat
Slatington 86-0. For the year, they
allowed only 25 points while posting a
staggering 518 points. The team sent
three players to the pros: Walt Zirin-
sky, Steve Pritko and Pete Schneider.
In 1939, Al Erdosy took the reigns
of the Northampton football program
and the Kids kept on winning. His
team won 58 straight Lehigh Valley
League games from 19544962. When
Erdosy retired in 1967, his record was
a sterling 194-55-10. Legend has it
that the community so adored the
coach, they once chipped in to buy
him a new car. The stadium at
Northampton High School i;: nnmod in
hUJ liuiiui.
—
In Erdosy's next-to-last year,
september/october 2000 - lehigh valley style . 72
NORTHAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL
1937 WONDER TEAM
Northampton's 1937 "Wonder Team" posted 85-0 and 86-0 wins.
appeared to be the tying score. How-
ever, since the kick returner never had
possession of the ball, the play could
not be advanced (according to high
school rules). The ball was returned to
the 40 and the Catasauqua defense
stuffed Northampton. That was the
closest the Rough Riders carne to
allowing a score in ending over two
decades of frustration with a 6-0 win.
Pennriiplarns v.
Quakertown Panthers
FIRST;GAME:,W30
SERIES RECORD: 42-23-5 Pennridge/Sell-Perk
THIS YEAR: Thanksgiving Day @ Quakertown
Note: In I960, SelleisvOle High
School and Perkasie High School
merged to form Sell-Perk. Three years
later, the school district changed the
name to Pennridge.
For a series that has had 70
games, one game surprisingly stands
above all the rest. The 1952 Quaker-
town-Sell-Perk tussle is talked about
to this day in Upper Bucks county. At
least 11 players from the game went
on to play in college and eight have
benn inducted into the Pennridge-
()ii,iK<:itA)wn opuil.;; II.ill ul Kimi:.
Among them is current Syracuse Uni-
uQTcitir Athlotin nirentnr John
just made those guys madder when
they heard about that."
Quakertown got on the board first
to go ahead 7-0. The Panthers had an
outstanding quarterback named
John Moyer; his cousin, Tom Moyer,
was one of the backs. On a play early
in the game, John lined up behind the
tackle and went out for a pass. Run-
ning towards the sidelines, John
pulled the pass in and was shoved
out of bounds. Unbeknownst to him,
there was a sand pit used by long-
jumpers for track and field competi-
tions very near the benches. As he
was trying to stop his momentum, he
landed in the pit and broke his leg.
When John Moyer left the game, so
did the Quakertown offense. "Once
John left the game, I knew we were
in trouble," says Blotter.
Pennridge couldn't take advan-
tage of the injury until late in the
fourth quarter when they scored to
close to 7-6. But fans stormed the field
and pulled down both goal posts,
making it impossible for Pennridge to
kick the game-tying extra point.
Which team's fans were responsi-
ble? Some say Quakertown's—
ln:i.,tn.u;u Lln'y ai<Jn I. vvuiil Lin; U.MIII j
season ruined by a tie with their arch-
rival. Others sav Pennridge's—
 i in n n m i n i in Minimi »i Mm PIIIII bleY

the year before, Phillipsburg took the only blemish on itecahl'b In:; liuiiui.
advantage of a turnover to get on the en route to a Class AAA State Cham- In Erdosy's next-to-last year, Among them is current Syracuse Uni- season ruined by a tie with their arch-
board. They recovered a fumble on pionship. It was the second state title 1966, the Northampton team was versity Athletic Director John rival. Others say Pennridge's—
Eastern's 32-yard line. From there, in three years for the Bethlehem looking to win for the 22nd straight Crouthamel. because premature frustration led
quarterback Gus Rogers ran it to the school, having won the AA state title time against their Thanksgiving Day Quakertown came into the game them to take the field in anger, pull
1-yard line and running back Billy in 1988. rivals to the south. But, the Rough 7-1-1. The only loss came to a strong down the goalposts and deny the rival
Updyke dove into the endzone for the 1990 was also the first year of the Riders had had enough. Played before Ambler team and, in a game played in school that particular victory tradition.
score. Frank Balas, the Phillipsbuig Jim Morgans era at Central. Only four what many observers believed to be a a torrential downpour, the Panthers The debate is still on.
kicker whose extra point attempt in years removed from a winless season, record crowd of 11,000 at Muhlenberg tied Souderton, 0-0. The Pennridge coaches insisted
1954 was thwarted, split the uprights Morgans turned Central into a power- College, Catasauqua got on the board Pennridge, meanwhile, was suf- that a new goal post be made so they
this time to give P'Burg a 7-6 lead. house. In nine years as head coach, he early with a Keith Geiger touchdown fering through a 1-8 season. Quaker- could have the opportunity to tie the
Easton came right back and drove 85 led the Vikings to six district titles, five in the first quarter. Northampton had town was so confident of victory that game. After a 30-minute delay, a new
yards to the Phillipsburg 12-yard line conference titles and two state titles an opening in the third stanza when a the players were driven through town goal post was erected. An undaunted
with 29 seconds remaining. A pass (in 1993 and 1998). He also went 9-1 Catasauqua player muffed his attempt in Cadillac convertibles before the freshman kicker named Jim Non-
play put the ball on the 2. With the against Becahi. to catch a punt at his 40-yard line. game. "That really backfired on us," nemaker booted the ball through the
clock running, Bob Konders tried a Indeed, sometimes it seemed as Northampton's Glenn Meyer recov- remembers Bob Blotter, a center-line- uprights and Pennridge had a remark-
quarterback sneak. The crowd waited though the success of one school ered the ball and ran it in for what backer on the Quakertown team. "It able—and controversial—tie.
and the players waited, but the offi- came at the expense of the other.
cials never signaled the play a touch- Both programs may have been at
down. The ball was placed four inches their peak when they met at Bethle-
from the endzone and time ran out. hem School District Stadium on
Phillipsburg had gotten its revenge. November 5, 1994, before a crowd
Butler played in the 1955 game exceeding 15,000. Both teams came
too and, despite the tough loss, he in with a record of 9-0. At stake was
remembers those days fondly. "It was the East Perm Conference title and
a tremendous learning experience," the top seed in District 11 playoffs.
he says. "When you're young, you Becahi had one of the most prolific
think that if you work hard and play as players ever to come out of this area,
well as you normally do, you'll be suc- Dan Kendra Jr., at quarterback. The
cessful. That's not always true. I think game lived up to its hype.
on that day [in 1955] Phillipsburg just Led by Kendra, who would throw
wanted it a little more than we did. for nearly 300 yards in the game, the
That's a great lesson for life." Golden Hawks took a 20-14 lead at
halftime. But Central came out of the
Allentown Central locker room with fire in their eyes.
Catholic jfjkmqsv. They scored on their first three pos-
Bethlehem Catholic sessions of the second half to move
Golden lawks ahead 35-20. Then Kendra pulled off a
F 5 play that Central coach Jim Morgans
SERIE 17-17 calls "an absolutely unbelievable run."
THIS YEAR: November 4 $ irney Crum Stadium Kendra took off from his own 24-
yard line and twisted, turned, juked
The Central-Becahi rivalry has and faked his way all the way down
been called a "Holy War." It's a football the field for a touchdown. "It was
rivalry that may be among the most incredible," Morgans says. "It seemed
bitter in the entire country. like every one of our players had a
Much of the intensity is due to chance to tackle him—twice"
the success of both schools. Bethle- The run would not be enough. Muhlenberg captain John Sweatlock and coach Floyd ( Ben) Schwartzwalder at the 1946 Tobacco Bowl.
hem Catholic, led by outspoken coach Central held off Becahi and added a

September/October 2000 - lehigh valley style . 73

 september/october 2000 - lehigh valley style . 74

Bangor! iy.Pen On November 11, 1977, Dieruff

Argyl Gi nights and Allen came together for the 19th
FIRST G||l£: 1922 time. Dieruff was undefeated and
SERIES RECOjJ|il-35-2 Bangor ranked third in the state. The Canaries
THIS YEAR: HMnber 4 @ Pen Argyl of Allen were 1-8. Ironically, Dieruff
was coached by Bruce Trotter, an all-
The "Slate-Belt" rivalry has been state end on the 1957 Allentown High
one of the most competitive in the School team (Allen High School is
Lehigh Valley, even though Bangor located in the building formerly
won 10 straight from 1989 to 1998. known as Allentown High).
Sadly, the game has been marked Allen moved the ball at will
by tragedy in recent years. Before the against the stunned Huskies. They
1991 game, a former Pen Argyl student penetrated deep into Dieruff territory
fell to his death while painting a large on several occasions, only to be denied
rock green and white—the school col- by a turnover or loss of downs. But in
ors of Pen Argyl. the second quarter, running back Terry
Last year, the game was over- Heffner scored the only touchdown
shadowed by news of the death of a Allen would need. Their suffocating
Bangor player. Inclement weather defense never allowed the Dieruff
delayed the game early in the first offense to get going and the Canaries
half. As both teams waited for condi- pulled off one of the greatest upsets in
tions to improve, word of the Bangor Lehigh Valley football history. As it
player's passing spread through the turned out, the 1977 game was merely
stands and ultimately to the Bangor a prelude to the 1979 clash.
locker room. Bangor coach Mark Again, Dieruff came into the
Fanzan informed his players that a game unbeaten. Again, Allen came in A Freedom field goal (left) leads to 3-0 win in 1968 while players battled rain and mud (right).
sophomore player and his mother with a losing record (4-5-1). Allen was
were killed earlier in the day in a car coached by Dick Sniscak, who had lehem school district followed suit. who normally played offensive Gerencser resigned in 1986 and,
accident. The game was postponed been a teammate of Dieruff coach The following year, the new public guard. The holder? Al Snellman. in 1993, Tony Cocca (an assistant to
and resumed the next day. Pen Argyl Trotter on the undefeated 1956 Allen- school (Freedom) took on the high Amole's kick was good and Freedom Gerencser) took over. Meanwhile, at
won the game to go unbeaten in town High School team. One of school formerly known as Bethlehem led 3-0. "I have no idea how he made Parkland, Rich Sniscak, the former
league play for the first time in Dieruff's top players was Rich Snis- High School (Liberty) for the first the kick in that weather," Snellman Dieruff player and coach, took the
school history. cak, son of the Allen head coach. time in football. relates. reigns in 1994. Almost immediately,
The 1949 game went untouched "The game was played in a It didn't take long for the rivalry The field goal proved to be the the competition between the schools
by the cruel hand of fate. Bangor came downpour," says Rich Sniscak, who to take shape. Today, during the only score of the game. The Patriots became more balanced. Whitehall
into the game undefeated but was played quarterback and defensive week preceding the game, there is a secured the victory in the fourth won in Cocca's first year with Park-
knocked off by the Green Knights, 6-0. back.. "It was really tough to move ceremonial painting of the endzones, quarter when Jeff Wright recovered a land winning in Sniscak's first year.
Late in the third period, a superb punt around." He was mobile enough to hit pep rallies at both schools and a Liberty fumble in his own endzone. In 1996, the two teams started a
by the Slaters' Robert Smith pinned Rich Gimbor with a 5-yard touch- "Bury the Hatchet" luncheon on new tradition of sorts. They played
Pen Argyl at its own 7-yard line. down pass late in the third charter to Wednesday to promote the game. Parwa H»< v. each other in the regular season and
Seemingly backed up in a hole they give Dieruff a 14-6 lead. Although, the game doesn't need White s then again in the District 11 playoffs.
couldn't possibly extricate them- Sniscak was also in the thick of much promoting. FIRST GAME: Began playing annually in 1975 Except for last season, they've played
selves from, running back Don Hard- things on the other side of the ball. At The first meeting between the SERIES RECORD Whitehall leads 16-12 twice a year every year since—split-
ing got the Green Knights out of the least two Allen touchdowns were two Bethlehem public schools took THIS YEAft October 6 & Whitehall ting the games each season.
jam—and then some. On the first play reversed by penalties, one of which place on November 15,1968. Current "It seems like we've been going
following the punt, Harding took a was committed against Sniscak. The Freedom Athletic Director Al Snell- Parkland High School and White- back and forth recently," says White-

n i i i i i was a sonlor on Uu: l''i<- ale louylily

anart in their case, familiarity developed into a great rivalry because
 man was a senioi un Uiu
team. He has a flood of memories
: ; from the game. "It was muddy and
*'*l-''v": *
iSp; Ai?|fc miserable," he remembers. "There
was some question about whether
it? .A 1% ! vx we would even play. There was also
a little problem about what side of
the field the fans should sit. Even
now, Freedom is the guest team
when they play."
The initial meeting did, in fact,
go off as scheduled as 8,500 fans
braved the elements to be a part of
local high school football history.
Freedom caught an early break by
recovering a fumble at the Hurri-
canes' 39-yard line. A pass play put
the ball on the 12. After an incomple-
tion, a third-down play was knocked
back for a two-yard loss. Freedom
then lined up for a 31-yard field goal
Pen Argyl players celebrate a 1949 win over Bangor. attempt. The kicker was Jack Amole,
i.jii School aiu louy]
miles apart. In their case, familiarity
might not breed contempt—but it
certainly brings an intense football
rivalry.
The roots of the rivalry began
when the late Joe Gerencser became
head coach at Parkland in 1962.
Gerencser remained at the Orefleld
school until 1975 and led his team to
undefeated and untied seasons in
1966 and 1973. He left Parkland to
become head coach at, you guessed
it, Whitehall.
The first meeting between his
new team and his old one in 1976
resulted in a 63-6 thrashing by White-
hall. Five years later, in 1981, Whitehall
again routed Parkland 62-0. Whitehall
enjoyed another cakewalk, 51-0, in
1990. Clearly, the Zephyrs were domi-
nating the series.
developed into a great rivalry because
both schools are so strong."
Sniscak concurs: "These kids
grow up playing against each other
from the time they are in the Little
Leagues. The proximity of the two
schools is also a big reason [for the
rivalry]."
The legacy of the coach who
deserves much of the credit for stok-
ing the flames of the rivalry lives on,
though. The Most Valuable Player of
the regular-season meeting is award-
ed the Joe Gerencser Trophy.
Much like the private-school ver-
sion between Central and Becahi, a
Whitehall-Parkland game is more
than just a border war—there is usu-
ally a championship on the line. E
Shown Drury is a free-lance writer
in Emmaus.

running play 93 yards for the winning
touchdown. Let's hope this year's
game more resembles that 1949
thriller than the 1999 edition.
AljeKapries
v. Dieruff Huskies
FIRST6AMi;1959
SERIES RECORD: 23-19 Allen
THIS YEAR: November 3 91. Birney Crum Stadium
Allentown's 4th Street is more
than just a road. It is a dividing line.
If you live to the west of 4th,
you're "Allen"—to the east, you're
"Dieruff." That's what inner-city
sports is all about. It's a turf war.
Neighbors or close friends doing bat-
tle and then talking about it after-
wards. Since Dieruff High School
opened in 1959, the annual football
game between the Allentown high
schools occasionally put members of
the same family on opposite sides of
4th Street.
penalty occurred in front of the Allen
bench and Sniscak made sure his
father knew that the touchdown was
going to be nullified. "The official
threw the [penalty] flag right next to
me," Sniscak recalls. "And I picked it
up and showed it to my dad ... just to
let him know that the play was com-
ing back."
Sniscak secured the 14-6 victory
and the undefeated season with an
endzone interception late in the final
quarter. Thirteen years later, he was
the head coach of Dieruff s last con-
ference championship team.
Freedoi riots v.
II canes
8
SERIES RECOI leads 20-12
THIS YEAR: October 28 lehem Area School
Di: idium
Eight years after the Allentown
school district split in two, the Beth- Former Parkland coach Joe Gerencser runs the Whitehall sideline post-1975.

september/octobei 2000 - lehigh valley style . 75