Mostly cloudy with a few scattered showers lingering overnight John Bradley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated assault Wednesday - The man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her mother in their North Catasauqua home pleaded guilty Wednesday A charge of theft by unlawful taking was withdrawn stabbed 16-year-old Rianna and 39-year-old Rosalyn Glass back in September 2023 The police report described a gruesome scene inside the house on the 1100 block of Railroad St 39-year-old Rosalyn Glass was found dead from stab wounds at the top of the stairs was found dead from knife wounds on the floor in a bedroom District Attorney Terry Houck said back in 2023 Bradley had been in a previous relationship with Rianna Houck said Rianna had called Bradley to let him know she had moved on Houck said the two didn't cut off communication Rianna texted and had a Facetime call with a family friend saying Bradley was coming over to her house That friend later went to Rianna's house on Railroad Street to check on her and found the grisly scene Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Catasauqua hosts its 100th rivalry meeting against Northampton on Nov 2023.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com The lopsided nature of recent contests has caused administrators to mull an end to the annual clash the school board tabled the vote to next month it’s about the heart and how hard you play I would hate to see this game go away for these football teams.” especially with the coaching staff changes and stuff like that in what it can do for them in the future when it comes to this sport,” said Paryss Marshall a former standout receiver for Catasauqua who graduated in 2014 “A lot of these kids have a lot of potential You are just not preparing them to go out there and do the best that they can These kids need to be able to trust the people that are in front of them trust that the adults who are in charge of them are going to push them every single day to be great.” The Rough Riders have had four head coaches and endured five seasons of two wins or fewer since former head coach Tom Falzone stepped down to take over at Nazareth prior to the 2014 campaign You’re doubting them by telling them they can’t go up against kids bigger and stronger And they’re not necessarily bigger and stronger We’re just not preparing them the way that we should be,” added Marshall who set Colonial League records his senior season with 76 catches and 1,566 yards You guys are making the decisions on who comes in and helps these kids We just need to do better as a community as an advocate for these kids.” Marshall played in the last three Catasauqua victories in the rivalry series a 52-21 victory in 2012 and a 43-28 win in 2013 the Rough Riders’ only three victories in the last 21 meetings have dominated the 2A Rough Riders in the last decade Northampton has outscored Catasauqua 257-46 combined in the last five matchups Northampton leads the all-time series 64-33-4 The school board held a special meeting April 2 to discuss the rivalry series There was a presentation looking at reasons for the uncompetitive nature of recent games including the vast size discrepancy between the neighboring schools Catasauqua football head coach Joe Henrich who finished his first season with the program in the fall and athletic director Tom Moll reviewed some aspects of last week’s presentation once again on Tuesday night Henrich stressed school and roster size differential being a major factor for the lopsided results in the rivalry’s recent history and also pointed at player safety being a big concern due to the large depth advantage for Northampton The Konkrete Kids have 125 players on their roster from ninth to 12th grade and the Rough Riders have a total of 40 in the same classes excitement and community bonding for both Catasauqua and Northampton school districts,” Henrich said it should never outweigh our responsibility to ensure student safety by putting them in athletic situations that are more in line with the current PIAA trends and expectations We believe it’s time to take the proactive approach but to adapt to today’s realities that align with PIAA classifications will actively explore alternative traditions and continue to engage community and celebrate student achievement and community pride,” Moll said “We want to continue to work collaboratively with Northampton to create something new and exciting for the kids and community rooted in mutual respect and shared history.” Rough Riders junior football player Chris Wellington presented the school board with a petition to continue the Thanksgiving Day game Wellington said the petition had about 1,300 signatures with about 300 in-person and the rest online I love the community and I love my school,” Wellington said The game is one of the biggest things our small community has.” Catasauqua’s next school board meeting is May 6 Northampton is scheduled to vote on the future of the game in April Catasauqua school board member Shawn McGinley commended the student speakers on collecting signatures and “a very professional and eloquent job” presenting in front of the board while administrators from the two districts have met the school boards of Catasauqua and Northampton have not convened ‘How does Northampton feel?’ Unfortunately Board member Lauren Cieslak would like more feedback from both sides of the rivalry before proceeding “I feel we need more time and more input from the community,” Cieslak said We’ve heard you loud and clear to this game being a tradition I also feel like in making an informed decision We need some board input from another board I just feel like we need more time and more ideas and more collaboration.” Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription Josh Folck may be reached at jfolck@lehighvalleylive.com Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Catasauqua Area School Board on Tuesday tabled a resolution to end the Rough Riders’ annual Thanksgiving Day football game against the Northampton Area Konkrete Kids The board said it will vote on whether to end the 101-year-old tradition at its next board meeting The topic first was discussed publicly at a special board meeting last week The district's administration and football coaching staff recommended ending the tradition over safety concerns citing Northampton Area’s stronger players and football program Catasauqua Area Superintendent Christina Lutz-Doemling said there’s “disparities in school sizes players and resources” that favor Northampton Area And while the administration respects the century-old tradition school leaders must “recognize when change is necessary to protect the health and safety of our young people,” she said Those concerns were largely dismissed by students and residents at Tuesday’s meeting They supported continuing the tradition despite any potential safety risks — which they mostly said were not a concern The tension led to school directors delaying a decision on ending the tradition we need more community input,” school Director Lauren Cieslak said School Director Shawn McGinley said he wants to hear more input from the student body about possible alternatives if the game is canceled it’s not my game — this is your game,” he told students gathered at Tuesday’s meeting McGinley said Catasauqua Area’s and Northampton Area’s administrations already met to discuss the Turkey Day game He suggested school directors from each board’s athletic committees have a discussion Ahead of Catasauqua Area’s Tuesday school board meeting Northampton Area School Board President Kristin Soldridge told LehighValleyNews.com the call was up to the Rough Riders “We are all waiting to hear what Catty decides and will follow them in a decision,” Soldridge said in her message Catasauqua Area’s Head Football Coach Joe Henrich stated the case for ending the Turkey Day matchup Henrich echoed the superintendent’s concerns about the disparities between Catasauqua Area and Northampton Area Catasauqua Area High School has 471 students enrolled and 232 boys in ninth through 11th grades The school’s football team has a 2A classification from the PIAA Northampton Area High School has 1,926 students enrolled and 990 boys in ninth through 11th grades The school’s football team has a 6A classification — the highest level — from the PIAA “This four-classification gap and large male enrollment difference creates significant challenges not only in terms of fair competition depth and program development,” Henrich said the Catty-Northampton football game is the only football game in the state of Pennsylvania that matches a 2A team against a 6A team.” Northampton Area has 125 players on its high school football roster compared with Catasauqua Area’s 40 players Henrich said many of the Rough Riders have to play offense and defense in most games which increases fatigue and their chance of injuries Northampton Area’s players are bigger and stronger Northampton Area’s top nine strongest players outweigh Catasauqua Area’s players by 43 pounds per person Northampton Area’s athletes also outpace Catasauqua Area’s on strength benchmarks by a combined average of 263 pounds per player Henrich said the disparity may be attributed to Northampton Area having more athletes who only play football and can train year 'round Larger programs also tend to have more resources as well as specialized training and coaching some of Henrich’s own players disagreed with his take a junior Catasauqua Area halfback and linebacker and only a small number of Rough Riders have been injured on Turkey Day “Players on both sides have a mutual understanding that the game does not count,” Wellington said “Neither team is going to play with the intent of hurting another player because all you win is bragging rights.” When it comes to size and strength differences Wellington said he believes in the power of the underdog “There’s so many stories about how size does not matter and they inspire people,” he said Wellington also said he spent last weekend collecting signatures from people in the community who support keeping the Turkey Day football game alive He and others got more than 1,300 petition signatures from people either in person or online who support the tradition “Taking away something with so much history just wouldn't sit right with this town,” Wellington said That was the sentiment expressed over and over again by nearly two dozen residents during Tuesday’s public comment said the Thanksgiving Day game is an important tradition for Catasauqua pride “I feel like we’re losing a lot of what makes us a community and this is just one more chipping away at what it means to be from Catasauqua,” he said “This is akin to cancelling Thanksgiving itself.” Crews were called to 3rd and Liberty Streets in Catasauqua around 10:30 Friday night - A Lehigh County road is closed after a large sinkhole opened up and nearly swallowed a van and another smaller sinkhole opened up behind the larger one Borough Manager Glenn Eckhart says 7 to 8 homes in the area are now without water service as UGI will need to move gas lines before repairs are made to the roadway Eckhart says the cause of the sinkhole is still being investigated "We haven't determined yet if (it) was a sinkhole or break that created the big crater We're going to try to determine that over the next couple days with the engineers." Lehigh County is under a boil water advisory after a sinkhole opened up over the weekend Cloudy with more rounds of showers and possibly some downpours or a t-storm The Turkey Bowl will be on the next school board agenda on May 6 - Dozens spoke out Tuesday night at a school board meeting in Catasauqua The topic of debate — whether to end the century-old Thanksgiving Day high school football game between Catty and Northampton Administrators explained their reasoning on why the 100-year rivalry should end citing disparities in class size and athletic classification Northampton has dominated the game for many years now it should never outweigh our responsibility to ensure student safety We believe it's time to take a proactive approach," said head football coach Joe Henrich Catty players themselves presented board members with a petition calling for the game to stay I love the community and I love my school," said Catty football player Chris Wellington students and parents took the floor during a 90-minute public comment The community's plea struck a chord with board members who voted 8-1 to table a decision on the game's future until they receive more information and potential alternatives The question remains on how Northampton feels about the ordeal and Catasauqua board members said Tuesday they're not sure Many in the community don't want to see the rivalry end including the high school's football players who collected more than 1,000 signatures The Catasauqua High School football team might have struck first on Thursday, but Northampton struck much more often on its way to the 10th consecutive victory for the Konkrete Kids in the Thanksgiving rivalry matchup The Konkrete Kids outscored the Rough Riders 32-0 after halftime to run away with a 58-14 home victory in the 101st meeting between the programs Turning points: Catasauqua cut Northampton’s lead to 26-14 with 1:16 left in the second quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run by junior Manny Bolmer it was all Konkrete Kids in the second half Senior running back Billy Stuhldreher ran for a 49-yard touchdown with 9:55 remaining in the third quarter to push Northampton’s advantage to 33-14 The Konkrete Kids extended the lead to 25 points on a 43-yard touchdown pass from junior Gavin Taff to junior Cameron Hersch with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter It was then a 99-yard touchdown pass from senior Aiden Hess to Hersch who came down with an acrobatic catch and then sprinted for the score to increase the Northampton lead to 45-14 with 2:36 left in the third who won Northampton’s MVP award for the game rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries Konkrete Kids junior Zeke Spencer rushed for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries including a 69-yard score in the second quarter Hersch had two catches for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns The senior also went 1-for-3 passing for 99 yards and a score Rough Riders sophomore quarterback Aiden Reilly who was named the Catasauqua MVP in the game Senior Jordan Bradshaw rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown on seven carries Bradshaw’s 12-yard touchdown run gave the Rough Riders a 7-0 lead with 9:17 left in the first quarter What it means: The Konkrete Kids won their 10th straight on Thanksgiving and took an all-time series lead of 64-33-4 Northampton finished the season with a 6-6 record Catasauqua ended the year with its eighth consecutive loss and finished with a 3-8 record Josh Folck may be reached at jfolck@lehighvalleylive.com Police say they caught someone on camera kicking out multiple spindles from the borough park's pavilion railing - Police in North Catasauqua Borough say they're cracking down after a string of reports of kids riding bikes recklessly and vandalizing park property "If you are unaware," the public notice reads "the borough has nearly 100 camera angles monitoring every inch of the park We will identify offenders and we will make arrests." Police Chief Christopher Wolfer says they identified the suspect and banned that person from the park until they get a chance to speak with the person's parents Wolfer says they have not had the opportunity to do so yet Police also say the bottom part of a gutter spout was broken but the chief says that has since been fixed Nobody that 69 News spoke with seemed overly aware of the vandalism issues But many were very aware of dangerous bike stunts and violations including reports of kids riding into traffic on the basketball courts and on the volleyball courts," Eva Martinez a North Catasauqua mom at the playground with her 7-year-old Police say they're treating reckless riding on bikes the same as cars "It says five points will be added to your driving record even if you don't have a license yet," Jacob Stanchus a 90-day suspension will be applied immediately The kids say some of the crimes police are cracking down on don't fit the punishments there's more stuff to be actually focused on," Jacob said But Police Chief Christopher Wolfer says the reckless riding is a serious problem a middle finger followed by some of the worst most obscene things I've ever heard a child say just absolutely appalling things," he said "And a lot of the people are doing this to our elderly The chief says the crackdown is for everyone's safety "I'm a big advocate of these kids being free and having fun and being away from a screen," Wolfer said the group of kids speaking with 69 News say a couple bad apples are ruining it for everyone "I got stopped by the cops a couple of times," Braylon Bartlett there's other people that they stopped earlier in the day added what’s been a rare trophy to their collection on Friday night The victory gives the program its second Colonial League crown overall and first since 2001 “Just being able to make history for the first time in 24 years, it’s a huge thing for me,” senior guard Gavin Nelson said It’s just a really emotional time for all of us We’re just happy that we got the job done.” “It feels amazing,” senior center Shane Marth added we were working our hardest on the court and off the court Northwestern Lehigh (23-2) never allowed underdog Catasauqua to gain momentum and built a double-digit lead while scoring 27 points in the opening quarter capped by a 3-pointer from junior guard Cannon Fitch and basket by Nelson to take a 24-11 advantage with 1:31 left in the first period “The goal was just to be aggressive and push the ball in tempo,” Nelson said It was all thanks to just pushing the ball down the court .. Northwestern’s lead soared to 20 with an eight-point run in the second quarter during which senior guard Eli Zimmerman beat the Rough Riders defense down the court twice for layups we ran and then we made good choices,” Tigers coach Patrick Wanamaker said I think that might have been the most important piece Catty’s not the kind of team you want to trade buckets with .. We were able to build a little momentum in the first quarter that we kind of leaned on when Catty made their runs throughout the rest of the game.” A pair of foul shots by junior forward Mason Bollinger stretched the Tigers’ advantage to 37-17 with 5:32 left before halftime “We can really beat any team down the court especially Gavin and Eli – all the fast guys on our team,” Marth said Catasauqua junior guard Reece Lopez scored all eight of his points in the final four minutes of the second quarter to trim Northwestern’s lead to 43-32 at the break The Tigers were 17 of 26 (63.4%) from the field in the first half “They shot a lot better than we did from the foul line and overall .. They were more aggressive,” Rough Riders coach Eric Snyder said Catasauqua junior guard Frankie Pujols knocked down a 3-pointer to shrink the gap to eight at 48-40 with about 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter the Rough Riders had the ball with a chance to make it a two-score contest The infraction gave the Tigers two foul shots Nelson quickly drove to the basket and scored and suddenly Northwestern had a 12-point lead again “That was like the nail in the coffin there,” Snyder said Northwestern maintained at least a nine-point advantage for the rest of the game The pre-tournament expectation was that Northwestern and Notre Dame were on a collision course changed all of that with a quarterfinal upset of the Crusaders earned the right to be here tonight,” Wanamaker said and they have a heck of a lot of guys back (next year) on that team I wouldn’t be shocked if we see them here against next year.” which was seeking its first league title since 2006 was paced by 13 points apiece from Pujols and junior guard Hamaad Jenkins The Roughies shot 22-for-51 (43.1%) from the field and 8-for-17 (47.1%) from the charity stripe which rallied from 0-4 and 2-6 records this winter will now prepare for the District 11 Class 3A tournament “We went on a really good run,” Snyder said “We knew we were better than what we showed before Christmas I think a lot of our weaknesses came out tonight.” Nelson, who is second on Northwestern’s all-time scoring list (1,307), finished with a game-high 24 points. Zimmerman and Bollinger who starred on the Tigers’ PIAA 3A football championship team Wanamaker had a unique perspective of Northwestern’s championship triumph after defeating the Tigers for a league title as a player for Northern Lehigh in 2007 “It’s really a surreal experience to have those memories as a player of what it felt like,” Wanamaker said but it’s really different and I’m really enjoying it right now.” Northwestern will be the top seed in the D-11 Class 4A tournament which includes Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Lehigh Division winner Allentown Central Catholic The Tigers will pursue another elusive trophy: their first D-11 championship since 1998 “We’ve just got to keep our momentum,” Marth said We’re going to do our best to contain them and give them all we can.” but I feel like we’ll prevail,” Nelson said “We’re as good as any other team as long as we play together and continue that teamwork.” Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com - A 100-year-old tradition could come to an end Tuesday night Northampton and Catasauqua have faced off in their annual Turkey Bowl football game The Catty school board raised the flag over the contest becoming non-competitive over the years and possible injuries throughout the game the Catasauqua school board will hold a meeting to discuss the game's future "They're trying to say it's a disadvantage for us but it doesn't make sense because any part of the season we can get hurt," said Catasauqua high school football player Manny Bolmer their attempt at a buzzer-beating three-pointer that would’ve given them a one-point win in the second round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament was blocked District 3 runners-up Lancaster Mennonite scored the game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds left when junior Cody Fisher inbounded a pass from underneath the basket to fellow junior Bill Rothwein Rothwein quickly passed back to Fisher who hit a jump shot from close range Fisher then blocked Catasauqua freshman Alani Nix’s attempted 3 from the wing as the buzzer sounded to seal the Blazers’ 51-49 win at Governor Mifflin Wednesday night Lancaster Mennonite (22-3) will face District 2 runners-up Holy Cross in the PIAA 3A quarterfinals Saturday at a site and time to be determined The Rough Riders finished the season 19-11 The Blazers’ game-winner came after they took a timeout when senior Jordan Lilly grabbed an offensive rebound With Lancaster Mennonite set to inbound the ball with nine seconds left and the game tied at 49-49 “When they (Lancaster Mennonite) went for that last timeout with nine seconds to go we knew it’s the most dangerous guy that got taken out We called a timeout,” Catasauqua coach Eric Snyder said “… They got (the inbound) in right in front of (Catasauqua senior Matt) Fotta 6’4” and he (Fisher) did a nice fadeaway jump shot dribbled once and backed into Fotta before he leaned away and knocked down the shot After the Rough Riders took another timeout Nix dribbled the length of the floor before he pulled up from beyond the arc which Snyder acknowledged was not the plan that the Rough Riders discussed in the huddle who just finished his 33rd season in charge of Catasauqua also was left second-guessing clock management decisions after the game Two free throws by Lilly and a basket by Fisher gave the Blazers a 49-45 lead with just under four minutes left to play before they started to let the clock run on their next couple of possessions Senior Jeremiah Cofie scored on a put back and then Fotta hit a pair of free throws after Lancaster Mennonite went into the bonus to tie the game at 49-49 The Rough Riders got the ball back shortly after and waited about 45 seconds before they attacked the rim but that drive led to a missed layup that Lancaster Mennonite junior Chase Hurst rebounded The Blazers pulled off their inbound routine to perfection about 35 seconds later ‘Do I go for the last shot now?’ We probably should have “We didn’t plan on holding it for 1:37 down to 45 we had a drive and didn’t make a shot and they did.” Junior Frankie Pujols paced Catty with 14 points and Nix added nine inspired the community with their underdog run good luck tonight.’ My 91-year-old neighbor asked will lose Cofie and Fotta to graduation but will welcome back a trio of talented guards in Pujols “The only thing we’re going to miss from those two is their bulk Fotta and Jeremiah Cofie are big kids,” Snyder said we have four starters back but we gotta get some size in there It’s a good group of kids that works hard.” Desmond Boyle may be reached at dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com But Glenn Eckhart is still on the job as Catasauqua’s borough manager Eckhart previously announced his intention to step down from his post But his plans changed when two other borough employees – Treasurer Catherine VanDyne and a part-time worker - announced their own retirements “I felt a little guilty and figured I better stay a little longer,” said Eckhart who has served as borough manager since his appointment in October of 2022 It’s a pivotal time for the small Lehigh County borough that about 6,500 people call home Catasauqua has been pulled back from the brink of a scary financial cliff but there’s unfinished business that continues to nag Eckhart; namely and the long dormant Iron Works redevelopment project The latter finally is inching toward real progress which is working with the Lehigh County Redevelopment Authority on the project recently received a draft agreement of sale from developer VM Development Group They hope to have a signed agreement by the end of this month “Getting that site up and moving and producing revenue will be a huge generation toward the school district the borough and Lehigh County,” Eckhart said but anticipated uses include apartments and townhomes and pedestrian/bike connectivity to the adjacent D&L rail trail The 12.5-acre property on North Front Street There’s been no manufacturing on the site for more than 20 years Plans for a mixed-use development there- a project billed as a game-changer for the borough- suddenly fell apart in 2022 as the borough’s financial outlook looked more and more bleak residents found out they were being hit with a more than 100% property tax increase “People don’t understand how bad things really were,” Eckhart said “We had to borrow two million dollars just to make payroll in October of 2022.” also known as the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act in which the state steps in to help struggling towns and cities find their financial footing Catasauqua ended 2023 and 2024 with general funds in the black the first balanced budgets in the borough since 2015 the borough also has a $1 million stabilization fund which is akin to a rainy-day fund for unexpected needs or expenses Catasauqua currently has a BB+ rating from S&P Global Ratings which Eckhart called a “junk bond rating.” Ratings of BB and below are considered beneath investment grade meaning the borough has to pay more to borrow money for capital projects S&P upgraded the borough’s outlook from negative to positive noting that the revision reflected the borough’s “improved financial trajectory,” largely attributable to the fiscal 2023 tax increase one major component of the borough repairing its bond rating is settling its inter-governmental debts The borough manages its own water supply system and sewage system the water plant owes the sewer plant $400,000 and the water plant owes the borough about $100,000 “We’ve propped up the water operations and we’ve got to get that corrected yet which unfortunately we had to raise water rates to do," Eckhart said referencing the 57% hike in water rates that took effect this year; sewer rates also jumped 15% S&P won't re-evaluate Catasauqua until 2026 It's Eckhart's hope that the borough will be in even better shape by then “I just don’t want to let the ball drop," he said "So we’re just going to keep plugging away.” Glenn Eckhart has decided to pursue other interests in the new year The Rough Riders rewarded those in attendance by rolling to a 70-43 victory over Philadelphia Academy Charter in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament which captured its first District 11 title since 2006 with a 61-50 victory against Minersville on March 1 earned its first state tourney win since the same season The Rough Riders advance to meet District 3 runner-up Lancaster Mennonite in the second round on Wednesday at a time and site to be determined Players and fans lingered on the court long after the final buzzer on Saturday as the celebration continued “Being here, having the whole community out here, it was great for us,” junior guard Frankie Pujols said We just want to make our community proud.” “It was great,” said Reece Lopez “I’ve never played in an atmosphere like this Our student section was never that big in my life Senior forward Matt Fotta scored off an assist from Pujols to give the Rough Riders a 13-10 lead after the first quarter Catasauqua extended its advantage with a nine-point run during a chaotic second quarter Pujols capped the spurt with a layup after a steal by classmate Hamaad Jenkins putting the hosts up 22-14 with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter Catasauqua led 32-22 at halftime after forcing 14 turnovers in the first half “I could tell they didn’t know how to control the press so we just pressed them like we do every game to everybody,” Lopez said That’s how we run our offense — off the defense." Lopez splashed a 3-pointer and junior guard Manny Bolmer followed with a bucket to extend the Rough Riders' edge to 49-31 late in the third quarter Catasauqua led by as many as 28 points in the second half “Our coach loves when we run,” Pujols said “He also wants us to have a half-court offense we make up for it with our fastbreak offense I don’t think anybody in the Lehigh Valley is as fast as us run until a team ends up stopping it; I don’t think they will though.” Lopez drained four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points that’s great,” Roughies coach Eric Snyder said of Lopez’s perimeter shooting Jenkins only had three points but was tremendous distributing the ball and providing hustle plays Catty is in good hands with Jenkins and Pujols dictating the pace of the game “You can’t ask for two better guards who are going to give you everything they have,” Snyder said “They’re going to play as smart as they can play; they’re going to make the plays they can make You’re never going to doubt their hustle or intensity or will to win It’s amazing to watch them play — and they’re only juniors.” but Catty opened the campaign 0-4 and closed the regular season 13-9 narrowly making the Colonial League tournament The team’s run to the league final set the table for three double-digit victories in the D-11 3A bracket The Roughies have won eight of their last nine games “I’d say it’s being unselfish,” Lopez said about the key to the team’s winning approach Catty hopes to keep its special season rolling “I was so happy and joyous,” Snyder said about seeing Saturday’s big crowd That’s a tribute to the people of Catasauqua A lot of my former players were here from years gone by — that’s a great tribute the second half arrived and the Thanksgiving rivalry returned to its normalcy over the past decade The Konkrete Kids outscored the visiting Rough Riders 32-0 after halftime to come away with a 58-14 victory in meeting No It was Northampton’s 10th consecutive victory in the series The last six games have all been decided by at least 30 points The smallest margin of victory in the Konkrete Kids' winning streak was 14 points in 2015 “We’ve always been a confident team,” Northampton junior running back Zeke Spencer said I think I knew what we were facing and our capabilities as a team There was a slight hiccup in the beginning “We felt like we weren’t playing our best,” Konkrete Kids junior Cameron Hersch said about halftime The Konkrete Kids went up 64-33-4 over the Rough Riders in the all-time rivalry history Catasauqua junior Manny Bolmer ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter to trim Northampton’s advantage to 26-14 Senior Billy Stuhldreher got the Konkrete Kids rolling in the third quarter with a 49-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 19 points with 9:55 on the clock I’m proud of their fight all year,” Northampton coach John Toman said he broke that big one to set the tone for the second half.” “Hess just put all his trust in me,” Hersch said “We ran the formation where we have linemen in the backfield and we run,” Hess said of the 99-yard touchdown pass that we had a play where I take a step like I’m running and then I drop back and throw it I told him let’s run it and he decided to run it on the 1-yard line It was honestly more props to him than me because I just threw it up there.” Following an interception by senior Aiden Brearman Hess bounced off defenders and scored on a 36-yard touchdown run to make it a 51-14 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter Rough Riders senior Jordan Bradshaw ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 9:17 left in the first quarter to give the visitors a 7-0 lead They drove down our throat and they scored we’ve been staying in it no matter what happens and we keep fighting we didn’t have any emotion coming out,” Toman said The Konkrete Kids answered Catasauqua’s initial score with 26 unanswered points Spencer ran for a 5-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter Following a sack by junior linebacker Keegan Hackett leading to a fumble recovery by senior Alex Morales Stuhldreher rushed for a 3-yard score to give the Konkrete Kids a 12-7 advantage with 2:03 left in the first quarter Hess rushed for a 1-yard touchdown with 10:04 remaining in the second quarter to make it a 12-point lead for Northampton Spencer then broke free for a 69-yard touchdown run less than three minutes later to extend the lead to 26-7 who was named the Konkrete Kids' MVP in the game The senior running back credited the Northampton offensive line senior Trent Cermak and junior Riley Montgomery “They have blocked for me the whole season Stuhldreher finished the season without a fumble Carrying the load,” Toman said of the senior running back he didn’t fumble the ball once this entire year “We do ball security every single Monday or Tuesday And that’s just a big part of it,” Stuhldreher said Spencer ran for 81 yards and a pair of scores for Northampton which finished the season with a 6-6 record Hersch hauled in two catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns who suited up for Catasauqua in previous seasons ran for 61 yards and a pair of scores for the Konkrete Kids The senior finished 1-for-3 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown who was named the Rough Riders' MVP for the game Bradshaw rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown and Bolmer caught five passes for 64 yards for Catasauqua which lost its eighth consecutive game to finish the season with a 3-8 record “I’m super proud of our guys,” Rough Riders first-year coach Joe Henrich said of his team’s effort on Thursday I thought we gave great effort and we continued to battle “You got to call it what it is,” the Catasauqua coach continued What I care about is teaching kids how to go out there and play to care about what it is that they’re doing and our kids did that Following the 101st meeting between the rivals there was mixed feelings about the future of the Thanksgiving tradition “Everything about the tradition is fantastic But the truth of the matter is when you look at what’s best for kids I’m not sure that people can really look at it and say that’s a great we have to look at what is best for the health and welfare of our kids I think everybody will take a look at that I respect what happened today and the way everybody played That was certainly a good thing for our communities.” “I have no idea,” Toman said about the rivalry game “Someone above my pay grade is responsible for that “It’s not even about the win or the teams,” Stuhldreher said of the Thanksgiving game “It’s about the community coming all together and supporting us.” emergency crews had streets blocked off in the area of borough hall -- The bomb squad and police descended on North Catasauqua Sunday afternoon emergency crews had streets blocked off in the area of the borough hall the crews moved to a nearby area and were seen taping off a wooded area near Front and Second streets The tape was taken down a short time later Officials with the bomb squad tell 69 News a consumer grade firework was found by someone near Second and Front streets The person then dropped it off outside the police department at borough hall Officials said there is no danger to the public The bomb squad said it will bring the firework to one of its locations in order to dispose of it There is no word at this time what caused the fire - Authorities have released the identity of the woman found dead following a house fire in Catasauqua 81-year-old Kathryn Kubinsky was pronounced dead Thursday at her home located in the 600 block of Walnut Street An autopsy conducted Friday confirmed Kubinsky died from natural causes experiencing a natural death event prior to the fire that damaged her home An 81-year-old woman is dead after a house fire in Catasauqua and Northwestern's Gavin Nelson.lehighvalleylive.com photos .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Kyle Craig | For lehighvalleylive.comColonial League boys basketball finalCatasauqua (15-9) vs Online tickets: Available here Northwestern Lehigh’s path to final: 66-62 W vs Regular-season meeting: Northwestern won 67-54 on Dec The NCAA men’s basketball tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 1985 The Colonial League tournament expanded to eight teams this winter Catasauqua provided the biggest upset in league history immediately when it upended Notre Dame in the quarterfinals The Rough Riders are playing the role of Cinderella as they enter this clash with Northwestern Lehigh which has dominated the Colonial League in practically every sport during the 2024-25 scholastic season has more historical success in the Colonial League boys basketball tournament The Rough Riders have won three league titles with their last coming in 2006 Nelson registered a career-high 33 points in the Tigers' regular-season win against Catasauqua along with the tough-as-nails Zimmerman (the 2024 lehighvalleylive.com Football Player of the Year) will play a critical role as Catasauqua tries to create chaos with its quickness Rough Riders coach Eric Snyder has been pleased with the ability of his forwards to extend their defense within the matchup zone That’s an important factor in containing Marth who is Northwestern’s second-leading 3-point shooter this season Pujols has scored double figures in 23 of 24 games this season Northwestern has won 14 straight games and is outscoring opponents 1,680-1,166 this winter The Tigers have beaten the Rough Riders in eight straight meetings Northampton’s victory in Thursday’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference final suggests that it’s the season of the underdog 2025 FREDDY Awards participating high school | Watch the Freddy Awards Thursday May 22nd LIVE from the State Theatre in Easton 2025 FREDDY Awards participating high school | Watch the Freddy Awards Thursday, May 22nd LIVE from the State Theatre in Easton, PA on 69 WFMZ-TV, WFMZ.com and WFMZ+ Cloudy with a few scattered showers; a cooler and breezy day There could be a t-storm as well but overall it's mainly just some downpours to watch for then some breaks of sun in the afternoon but still scattered showers or a t-storm 1/33Wilson football hosts Catasauqua on Aug. 31, 2024.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Corky Blake | For lehighvalleylive.comAiden Reilly’s sophomore season with the Catasauqua football team hasn’t unfolded like he envisioned a few months ago who improved to 2-0 with Reilly at quarterback after a 34-14 Colonial/Schuylkill White Division victory over host Wilson on Saturday afternoon at Smith Field Reilly completed 11 of 17 passes for 182 yards and touchdown tosses of 47 and 16 yards to Josiah Lafond and Manny Bolmer Reilly also added 65 yards on 12 carries and a 3-yard score but I’m surprised because I came into the season thinking I would be the backup to quarterback Aiden Hess and he obviously transferred to Northampton,” Reilly said “But we have a lot of momentum going into Palisades (this Friday) In the Rough Riders’ 47-34 season-opening win over Mahanoy Area Reilly went 12-for-15 for 313 yards and four TDs – all to Bolmer He gained 89 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground “Aiden’s doing a great job and for a young kids he’s a really smart football player,” said first-year Catasauqua head coach Joe Henrich Sometimes in the heat of the moment as a young guy he might not always make the right decision but overall his command of the offense and understanding of what we’re doing and trying to get the ball where it needs to be … he’s really doing a nice job.” Reilly spread credit around to his offensive line and wide receivers while emphasizing he wants to be a complete quarterback “I like running the ball and throwing the ball That’s the kind of quarterback I want to be because throwing the ball just sitting there is kind of boring,” Reilly said so we’ll just keep building on it from here.” Catasauqua’s O-line of tackles Matt Fotta and Braeden Smith guards Evan DeLong and Taven Ying and center Jacob Ramos also paved the way for senior running back Jordan Bradshaw to rush for 83 yards on 14 carries Bradshaw capped a pair of drives with short TD runs from the wildcat formation He wasn’t a fan of Saturday afternoon’s temperatures in the 80s and high humidity but you’d never know it by his active performance “I have to do what I have to do for the team,” Ramos said This was our first Saturday (afternoon) game The second half we came out as a team and do what we do best.” which was trying to end a 22-game losing streak that started with the final game of the 2021 season bounced back with a spirited effort after falling 47-0 to league power Northwestern The Warriors matched Catasauqua’s opening scoring drive with an 11-play 73-yard march that ended in Markhi Fields’ 14-yard run late in the first quarter “We had a long week of practice so they were hungry to play again and they took that one (against Northwestern) on the chin,” said Wilson first-year coach Jim Brady “I think they felt better seeing that score on Thursday (Northwestern’s 56-7 win over Northern Lehigh) that Northwestern did it to somebody else I told them it would be their toughest opponent of the year and unfortunately for some of the guys it was their first game ever so they’re learning.” Wilson started its next possession at Catasauqua’s 31 after forcing a three-and-out deep in Roughies’ territory But Chase Kratochvil recovered a Warriors’ fumble two plays later to stop the threat and that led to Reilly’s 47-yard bomb to Lafond that put Catasauqua up for good He was 1-on-1 on the outside,” Reilly said “He actually didn’t do what he was supposed to do Fields’ 66-yard touchdown run around left end was negated by a holding penalty a high snap in punt formation by Wilson late in the second quarter set up the visitors at the Warriors’ 13 A penalty pushed Catasauqua from the 7 back to the 16 Reilly threw a quick out pass to Bolmer on the left side Bolmer was immediately drilled by a defender but he spun out of the tackle and raced to the end zone with 50 seconds left for the 20-7 lead The Roughies’ third-quarter scoring possession was the Bradshaw redemption tour Bradshaw lost a fumble on the previous possession but ran angry on three straight plays to gain 39 yards from his 49 to Wilson’s 10 Bradshaw six more and the QB did the honors from the 3 with 3:46 showing Bradshaw was appreciative of the coaching staff’s confidence to go back to him “He (offensive coordinator Dale Fink) put me on the headset and told me ‘hey man if we keep seeing that (defensive look) we’re going to give you the ball.’ I had to keep my head up and just run I didn’t put my head down this time and knew I was going to get back out there and make up for what happened.” “You learn by doing and I always felt like there’s nobody harder on themselves than the kid when they do something like that so there’s no need to beat them up after it,” Henrich said carry with two hands and get back out there and do it again Keeping him off the field only festers in their head Henrich said Saturday’s game might not have been as clean as the Week 1 victory “This kind of game sometimes is the best learning experience because you win with a bunch of mistakes things that you can correct,” Henrich said imagine what we can do if we find a way to eliminate those mistakes.” The Warriors rushed 46 times for 124 yards which included the 25-yard loss on the botched punt snap and quarterback Jeramy Cressman added 51 yards with a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter “We made a couple of mistakes here and there but I know they are giving us their best effort and that’s all that we can ask for as coaches “I just want to see them win; I want to see a victory Wilson and Salisbury didn’t meet last year when both teams were winless in the league The Falcons defeated Panther Valley in their opener but lost to Notre Dame 56-0 on Friday Corky Blake can be reached at sports@lehighvalleylive.com it was the Lehighton girls basketball team that made things happen in the fourth quarter to come away with a victory over Catasauqua Monday as the Indians topped the Rough Riders 49-46 in Colonial League action Lehighton has now stacked back-to-back wins for the second time this season something that was a focal point for the squad “We put two wins in a row on the board as a goal,” Lehighton coach Nadia Gauronsky said When Sarina Sankari tied up the game early in the quarter for the Rough Riders it set the scene for an intense final minutes The Indians had more offensive attempts than Catasauqua in the quarter although they only outscored the Rough Riders 15-14 A defining moment in the win occurred with 4:04 remaining Emma Repsher was able to score a basket and get fouled to kick off a comeback for her team She brought the score within just one point of the Rough Riders at 42-41 Repsher put up a three-pointer to tie the game 44-44 with 2:19 left Ryleigh Trotman added another three-pointer just over a minute later with 1:14 left to give the Indians a 47-44 lead This was only Repsher’s second game of her senior season “It’s more than just her shooting and ability she just provides so much leadership on the court,” added Gauronsky While the ending of the game was thrilling the first half saw both teams work to settle into a rhythm The Indians held the lead the entire first quarter Trotman had six points in the period as the Indians led 9-8 The Rough Riders gained their first lead of the game at 3:02 in the second quarter Kaylin Stewart added a basket and a foul shot to raise the score to 18-16 With both teams adding 14 points to the scoreboard in the second quarter Lehighton led Catasauqua 23-22 going into the half Catasauqua’s Hailey Jenkins tied it at 26-26 with her basket Neither team could hold a lead very long in the third but the Indians were able to put up a basket late in the period to go into the fourth quarter with a 34-32 lead The fourth quarter tested both the Indians and Rough Riders Lehighton’s eagerness to score and ability to keep the ball away from Catty allowed the Tribe to finish the game with a win LEADING SCORERS … Hailey Jenkins of Catasauqua was the leading scorer with 17 points Ryleigh Trotman was the leading scorer for the Indians with her 15 points Behind Jenkins and Trotman were Repsher and Reph of Lehighton LOOKING FORWARD … With the win Lehighton now stands 6-8 for the season with Lehighton currently eighth and Catasauqua ninth Lehighton will play away at Saucon Valley tonight and Catasauqua will face Northern Lehigh at home Records: Lehighton (6-8; 5-7); Catasauqua (4-7; 4-6) Lehigh County battled a building fire Tuesday night It happened at the 100 block of Pine Street just before 8:30 p.m The Rough Riders and Trojans will play again on Wednesday District 11 Class 6A boys basketball champion Parkland hosting Downingtown West in the opening round of the PIAA tournament Blake Nassry with the hot-hand as he knocks down the three-pointer as the Trojans build a 32-18 halftime lead Nassry would finish with a game-high 27 points The Whippets hanging around as Donovan Fromhartz with the steal and the flush for two of his team-high 17 Parkland up 42-31 at the end of the third quarter the Trojans' Nassim Adams with the nice outlet pass to Scott Bauer The Trojans will face District 2 champ Scranton on Wednesday the Rough Riders hosting Philadelphia Academy Charter in a Class 3A first round contest he dribbles in and gets the floater to go and Roughies up 13-10 after the opening eight minutes Catasauqua working around in the second quarter it ends up with Frankie Pujols in the corner Pujols would lead all scorers with 26 points and the District 11 champs lead 32-22 at the break he dribbles to the wing and knocks down the three he would wind up with 16 points and the Rough Riders roll They will meet District 3 runner-up Lancaster Mennonite in the second round although a stray shower can't entirely be ruled out there are no recent results for popular articles there are no recent results for popular images there are no recent results for popular videos 1/21Wilson field hockey hosts Catasauqua on Sept. 30, 2024.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Desmond Boyle | For lehighvalleylive.comOur high school sports photos Check them out by clicking anywhere in the collage to open the photo gallery Don’t forget to share the gallery with friends and family These photos are available for purchase in a variety of sizes and finishes – click the blue “GET PHOTO” link below any photo to see available options and make a purchase Lehighvalleylive.com subscribers can also get free print-quality digital downloads of any image Note: We are trying to make these galleries available as quickly as possible you are likely seeing an early version and more images will be added later Please return and refresh the page to see additions Mobile users: For the best experience downloading high-resolution images (free and available to subscribers only) or making photo purchases visit this page from a desktop or laptop computer The lehighvalleylive.com high school sports newsletter is appearing in mailboxes weekly. Sign up now Follow us on social: Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram -- A woman is dead after a house fire in Lehigh County Thursday Not much smoke and flames could be seen outside the Catasauqua home but investigators are trying to find out what caused the fire Fire officials tell us that the victim is an 81-year-old woman When firefighters arrived at the home on the corner of Walnut and American streets Firefighters entered and they say that's when they found the victim in the living room The Lehigh County Coroner's Office will do an autopsy Friday to determine the cause of death writing that the loss of a loved one is sudden and unexpected especially so close to the Christmas holiday season The coroner did not release the woman's name Family that gathered on the porch of the house Thursday afternoon did not want to talk And the fire chief did not return 69 News calls for a request for an interview No word yet from the fire department about what sparked that fire — A Bethlehem man convicted of a Father's Day 2022 shooting at a Catasauqua playground has been sentenced to up to 39 years in prison was sentenced by Lehigh County Judge James T Anthony to serve 17 ½ to 39 years in state prison on felony charges They included aggravated assault with attempt to cause serious bodily injury with extreme indifference aggravated assault with attempt to cause bodily injury with a deadly weapon He had faced a maximum sentence of 51 years in state prison according to published reports at the time Catasauqua police were called about 6:45 p.m for reports of shots fired near a playground and park at 501 American St. according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office the park was filled with adults and children including a group of people playing basketball fired several rounds at an occupied vehicle near the basketball courts In addition to the aggravated assault charges Deater was convicted by a Lehigh County jury on charges of possession of a firearm prohibited also a felony; carrying a firearm without a license; and misdemeanor charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Bethany Zampogna 1/28Northampton football hosts Catasauqua for rival Thanksgiving Day football game on Nov. 28, 2024.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Josh Folck | For lehighvalleylive.comOur high sports photos The lehighvalleylive.com high school sports newsletter is appearing in mailboxes weekly. Sign up now Follow us on social: Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram Frankie Pujols paced the Rough Riders with 19 points 2 Minersville in the District 11 Class 3A Boys Basketball Championship game on Saturday at Martz Hall the Rough Riders' Frankie Pujols with the steal and bucket part of his team-high 19 points Hamaad Jenkins drives for two of his 16 points and Catasauqua leads 28-23 at the break Reece Lopez drains a nice step back three-pointer to help push the Catty lead to 45-33 They would go on to win 61-50 for their first district title in 20 years Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.