Catasauqua Press

When he was in third grade, Chris Gerhard remembered when he wanted to join the Boy Scouts.

His father, Ernie, thought otherwise.

“I came home from school and was excited about joining the Boy Scouts,” recalled Gerhard. “He told me that I wasn’t joining the Boy Scouts, but I was wrestling instead.

“That night, he dragged me and my brother Matt down to see John Stofko, who was the Midget wrestling coach. After I got started, I was really on the fence about it. I didn’t like guys grabbing and throwing me around. Once I got to high school, it was different.”

If you visited the recent Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, or traveled to Atlantic City for the gigantic Atlantic City Boat Show, and spied a boat rig you’d like to have, perhaps you may need to start shopping for a loan to finance it.

The Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group, urges boaters to be smart when it comes to financing a new or used boat. They offer three tips to help you avoid common problems when applying for a loan.

After a successful regular season, Catasauqua’s wrestling team anticipates continuing their progress in the postseason.

Sophomore Jaryn Hartranft (103), junior Austin Brett (126), and senior Adam Reinhart (190) all were among the top-four finishers in their weight brackets at districts last weekend, and they will be advancing to the Class 2A Southeastern Regionals.

Hartranft (33-4) advanced to the finals and lost a 9-4 decision to Notre Dame’s Evan Maag, who beat him in the district final last year.

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Lehigh Valley Chapter, will hold their football scholar athlete banquet on Sunday, March 1, at 4:30 p.m. at the Northampton Banquet and Event Center.

Tickets are $35 per person. For tickets and questions, contact Mark Farnan at 484-894-1225 or email markjtf63@gmail.com.

HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

NOMINEES

It’s been a topic that nobody around the Phantoms or Flyers has wanted to talk about, but perhaps now, more details will emerge.

The man at the center of the story – defenseman T.J. Brennan – was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Nathan Noel, who was assigned to the Reading Royals of the ECHL by the Flyers.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve had a mild winter so far, but trout anglers are getting the itch to fish. And if the weather holds, preseason trout stockings will get underway March 3 in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

As for the latter, Minsi Lake in Northampton County, is also on the schedule to be stocked since it was closed and drained for dam repairs in 2017. The dam work is completed and the lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout on March 24 ahead of the Regional Mentored Youth Day, according to the PF&BC.

The NHL trade deadline arrives on Monday. So, what does that have to do with the Phantoms? Possibly a lot.

When you make an addition via trade in sports, there’s a subtraction that goes with it and the subtraction could conceivably come from among the Phantoms roster. Of course, trades in the real sports world aren’t like the trades pulled off in the world of fantasy sports where “owners” just talk to a friend and work out some zillion-player blockbuster trade. In the real world, there are things like salary caps, player contracts and locker room chemistry.

Southwick Associates, the folks who do yearly surveys on hunting and fishing preferences, has released their recent Fall Hunter/Shooter Survey showing the most popular hunting, shooting equipment purchases by sportsmen and sports gals, and the species they pursued.

The panel, composed of hunters and shooters from across the country who volunteer to participate, track hunter/shooter participation and purchases.

Over the years, Catasauqua’s wrestling program has been successful due to a number of reasons.

However, one major one has been their feeder system. The Rough Riders’ junior high program recently again proved its worth.

Catty placed five wrestlers among the top four in their respective weight classes in the Colonial League Junior High tournament.

As he enters districts this week, Catasauqua senior Zach Scheirer realizes the challenges ahead as he will try to make it an eventful run.

Off the mat, however, Scheirer already has endured the rigors of working toward a gold medal.

He recently was named the school football scholar-athlete to be honored at the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter Dinner in Northampton March 1.