March Madness: Where to Watch in Saucon Valley

Beer, wings and slam dunks! It's tournament time—here's where to catch all the games.

Don't have enough TV screens to keep up with your March Madness bracket? There are plenty of viewing options in and around the Saucon Valley area. On Route 378 in Lower Saucon Township is Starters Pub, which is well-known for its sports bar atmosphere. A stone's throw away (and across the shopping center parking lot) is the new entertainment venue Revolutions at Saucon Valley, which has many huge TVs, an extensive beer list and many appetizer selections. In Hellertown are the popular Braveheart Highland Pub & Restaurant and Beer Mussels Bar & Grille, both of which are known for their sports-friendly atmosphere. Did we forget a local business that's perfect for watching March Madness? Tell us in the comments section below! Too busy to stop …

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Student Hits Half-Court Shot to Win iPod Mini

Wilson Area High School student Albion Taminaj, 16, bought two chances to win an iPad Mini for a 'Coaches vs. Cancer' shooting contest at SVHS Feb. 1. Taminaj made the shot on his second try.

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Saucon Senior Eric Frans Signs Letter of Intent

One of the Panthers' star players and a team leader, Frans will play basketball for Division II West Chester University next year.

Seated between his mother, Josephine, and his sister Vanessa, Saucon Valley senior basketball player Eric Frans signed his letter of intent to play basketball for West Chester University as members of the Lehigh Valley media, coaches, teachers, administrators, classmates and friends looked on at a signing ceremony at the high school Monday. Frans helped lead the Panthers to a Colonial League championship this year, and was a member of the Colonial League All-Star team.  In response to a question posed by Saucon Valley Athletic Director Robert Frey, Frans explained that he chose West Chester because it's a Division II school and he really liked and felt comfortable with its coaches, players and campus. West Chester coaches had also attended…

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Senior Spotlight: Samantha Marri

Saucon Valley senior Samantha Marri belongs to an elite class of soccer players.

Saucon Valley senior Samantha "Sammy" Marri has played soccer since she was in elementary school. As the center mid player on the Lady Panthers team, she has defensive as well as offensive responsibilities. Although she will score when given the opening, Marri is primarily looking to gain control of the ball and set up goal scoring chances for her teammates. Saucon's Head Coach Stevie Ochsie commented that "Sammy has been a four year starter and a key reason to our success the last couple of years. She is a very coachable kid with a great work ethic."  Samantha also has five years of experience as a player for the AC Perugia Premier Soccer Club, where she plays outside defense. As one of Pennsylvania's players in this elite Olympic …

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Richard Hafner

9:59 am on Friday, June 10, 2011

Samantha will receive the Marine Corp Award at the June 14th School Board Meeting.   more ›

Whiz Kids: The Irish Stars

A Hellertown-based Irish dance school kicked off a full week of St. Patrick's Day performances with an exciting show before the 76ers game last Friday.

They strive to instill confidence, skill and a love of Irish dance in all of their dancers, who range in age from 3 to adult. They also welcome anyone who wants to learn to dance, as they believe that Irish dance is for everyone--including those who are not fortunate enough to be Irish by birth. The Irish Stars Parker School of Irish Dance was established in 2007 by sisters Dawn and Jacque Parker. Focused on performance, the Hellertown-based school also offers students the opportunity to compete in regional open platform competitions. The Irish Stars have brought home many awards in solo dancing, freestyle numbers and group performances. Dawn is a 2006 graduate of Moravian College. With a bachelor's degree in elementary education and …

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Patricia Ziegler-Boccadoro

5:40 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011

They were also on 69 News at Sunrise this morning!! http://www.wfmz.com/video/27225715/index.html   more ›

Viewfinder: Saucon Valley Boys Basketball Medal Ceremony

The hard-charging Panther boys brought gold home with their recent Colonial League championship.

Tenacity and determination are two of the defining characteristics of the 2011 Saucon Valley High School boys varsity basketball team, whose season culminated last Friday with a victory over Salisbury and the taking of the Colonial League championship. It has been eight years since Saucon Valley last won the championship, and the title marks another chapter in the district's long and storied athletic history. In honor of this momentous achievement and the hard work team members put in all season, this week's Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch Viewfinder gallery focuses on the medal ceremony that was held following last weekend's victory. Congratulations to the entire team and coaching staff, and thank you to the parents, friends, boosters and …

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Saucon Valley Rules the Colonial League

The boys basketball team concluded a fairytale regular season and brought home gold by clipping Salisbury's Falcons, 65-52, in Friday night's heavily anticipated championship game.

The Saucon Valley area is chock full of champions following Friday's Colonial League title games at Liberty High School. In the girls contest, Southern Lehigh took home gold honors. And in the boys contest, the Saucon Valley Panthers prevailed over the Salisbury Falcons. The Falcons--who earlier in the season delivered the Panthers one of their few losses--surprised everyone by outlasting and outshooting a previously undefeated Bangor team in the league semifinals Tuesday night. But Saucon was not to be denied this championship, and both Eric Frans and Jon Clark performed outstandingly, with Frans scoring a total of 21 points and Clark scoring another 17. Despite excellent perimeter shooting from Salisbury, the Falcons could not bridge the…

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Senior Spotlight: Kelly Feher

Saucon Valley senior Kelly Feher is a guard on the varsity girls basketball team.

Senior Kelly Feher first played basketball as a kindergartner. She has always played the guard position and her first team was the Bethlehem South Side Stars sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club on Fourth Street. Although the Panthers failed to achieve their season's goal of making the 2011 playoffs, Kelly recalls a highlight from last season that came in the Dec. 15, 2009 game at Notre Dame-Green Pond. Saucon Valley had not beaten NDGP since 2000, but on that night the Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Crusaders 55-45. The win was not only a team highlight, but also a career highlight for Feher, who scored 18 points. Coach Craig Mogel describes Kelly as "a hard worker and a great kid who plays with an aggressive style, both offensively and …

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Panthers Rule in Overtime

Saucon Valley triumphs over Wilson to secure a spot in Friday's Colonial League championship game.

For Wilson and Saucon fans alike, Tuesday night's game may have seemed like a repeat of previous meetings between the two varsity teams, in which both schools have won close, hard-fought contests. Evenly matched and with a score that reflected only minor errors, Tuesday's contest at Southern Lehigh High School was no exception. Fans on both sides were treated to an exciting, action-packed game that was ultimately won by the Panthers, who in the process secured a coveted ticket to Friday's Colonial League championship game versus Salisbury. Saucon Valley came out strong to lead early in the game, with tough play by big man Eric Frans, who scored 6 of his 18 points in the first period. Wilson's excellent performance in pulling down rebounds …

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Get Out! 5 Things to Do This Weekend

Basketball, breakfast, a new art exhibit, Super Bach and First Friday top the list.

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend. Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check out our picks for this weekend: Know of a local event that didn't make our Top 5 list? Tell us about it in the comments section!

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