Lehigh Valley Conference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lehigh Valley Conference is an athletic conference consisting of 12 large high schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The Conference is part of District XI of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Lehigh Valley Conference is known nationally for having some of the highest quality high school athletic programs in the United States. Many athletes from the Lehigh Valley Conference have gone on to careers as professional and Olympic athletes.
[edit] History
The Lehigh Valley Conference was founded November 14, 2001, rejoining 11 schools that had formerly competed for over 35 years as the East Penn Conference. The East Penn Conference, however, was dissolved in 1997-98. These schools reunited, with the addition of Nazareth High School from a neighboring league, to form the Lehigh Valley Conference in 2001.
[edit] Television coverage
Lehigh Valley Conference football, boys and girls basketball games and wrestling matches are broadcast weekly during the respective seasons on Service Electric's Channel 2 in the Lehigh Valley and other broadcast markets.
Service Electric also broadcasts a weekly "Plays of the Week" segment, sponsored by Yocco's Hot Dogs, which features the best football, basketball, wrestling and other Lehigh Valley Conference sports highlights of the week. In addition to its initial airing, the popular segment is replayed several times each week.
[edit] Lehigh Valley Conference football
The Lehigh Valley Conference has been particularly successful in generating hugely successful collegiate and NFL football talent. It is one of the most highly-recruited conferences in the nation among NCAA Division I collegiate football programs. It is considered, along with the large Suburban One Conference (located in the Philadelphia suburbs), the WPIAL (Western PA), and the Wyoming Valley Conference (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area), as one of the top 'large school' conferences in the state of Pennsylvania, and in the United States.
As of the 2006-2007 NFL season, four Lehigh Valley Conference alumni--Dan Koppen of the New England Patriots, Tim Massaquoi of the Miami Dolphins, Jim Molinaro of the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Stewart of the Oakland Raiders--are on current NFL rosters.
[edit] Lehigh Valley Conference wrestling
The Lehigh Valley Conference is recognized nationally for its hugely successful wrestling programs. Easton High School, Nazareth High School, Northampton Area High School, and other Lehigh Valley Conference High Schools are often considered national powerhouses and each competes at prestigious national tournaments.
At one time in the early 2000s, the National High School Coaches Association had Easton, Nazareth and Northampton High Schools all ranked in their "National Top 25" rankings simultaneously. Individual wrestlers from these schools also are often a fixture in national rankings.
[edit] High schools
The 12 high school teams in the Lehigh Valley Conference (and their locations) are:
- Allen High School Canaries (Allentown).
- Allentown Central Catholic High School Vikings (Allentown).
- Bethlehem Catholic High School Golden Hawks (Bethlehem).
- Dieruff High School Huskies (Allentown).
- Easton High School Rovers (Easton).
- Emmaus High School Green Hornets (Emmaus).
- Freedom High School Patriots (Bethlehem).
- Liberty High School Hurricanes (Bethlehem).
- Nazareth High School Blue Eagles (Nazareth).
- Northampton Area High School Konkrete Kids (Northampton).
- Parkland High School Trojans (South Whitehall Township).
- Whitehall High School Zephyrs (Whitehall Township).
[edit] Lehigh Valley Conference professional and Olympic athletes
Current and former professional and Olympic athletes who played high school athletics in the Lehigh Valley Conference include:
[edit] Major League Baseball (MLB)
[edit] Current MLB players
- Brian Schneider, catcher, Washington Nationals (Northampton Area High School, Northampton).
[edit] Former MLB players
- Gary Lavelle, former pitcher, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays (Liberty High School, Bethlehem).
[edit] National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Aaron Gray, center, University of Pittsburgh, highly-ranked 2007 NBA Draft prospect (Emmaus High School, Emmaus).
[edit] National Football League (NFL)
[edit] Current NFL players
- Dan Koppen, center, New England Patriots {Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township).
- Tim Massaquoi, tight end, Miami Dolphins (Parkland High School, South Whitehall Township).
- Jim Molinaro, offensive tackle, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys (Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem).
- Tony Stewart, tight end, Oakland Raiders (Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown).
[edit] Former NFL players
- Chuck Bednarik, former center and linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Liberty High School, Bethlehem).
- Keith Dorney, former offensive tackle, Detroit Lions (Emmaus High School, Emmaus).
- Jim Druckenmiller, former quarterback, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers (Northampton Area High School, Northampton).
- Mike Guman, former running back, Los Angeles Rams (Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem, PA)
- Mike Hartenstine, former defensive end, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings (Liberty High School, Bethlehem).
- Ed McCaffrey, former wide receiver, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers (Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown).
- Matt Millen, former linebacker, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins (Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township).
- Andre Reed, former wide receiver, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins (Dieruff High School, Allentown).
- John Spagnola, former tight end, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks (Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem, PA).
[edit] Olympic field hockey
- Cindy Werley, former Olympic women's field hockey player (Emmaus High School, Emmaus).
[edit] Professional cycling
- Marty Nothstein, 2000 Summer Olympics gold medal winner, track cycling (Emmaus High School, Emmaus).
- Nicole Reinhart, former professional cyclist (Emmaus High School, Emmaus).
[edit] Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
- Michelle Marciniak, former point guard, WNBA's Portland Fire and Seattle Storm (Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown).
[edit] World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Afa Anoa'i, Jr., professional wrestler (Freedom High School, Bethlehem).
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, former professional wrestler (Freedom High School, Bethlehem).
- Brian Knobbs, former professional wrestler (Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township).
[edit] Lehigh Valley Conference professional and collegiate coaches
Lehigh Valley Conference athletes who have gone on to athletic coaching and team management careers include:
[edit] College football coaches
- Chuck Amato, defensive linebacker coach, Florida State University (Easton High School, Easton).
[edit] National Basketball Association (NBA) coaches
- Pete Carril, former assistant coach, Sacramento Kings (Liberty High School, Bethlehem).
[edit] National Football League (NFL) coaches and management
- Matt Millen, president and general manager, Detroit Lions (Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township).
