Parkland Press

Coming into the season, Parkland girls basketball head coach Ed Ohlson had already been dealt a handful of key injuries and with very young players having to take on bigger roles, he was cautious about what to expect from this year’s team.

Through the first three games, both Ohlson and his players have turned caution into confidence as the Lady Trojans have opened up with a 3-0 record. The Trojans won the Tip-Off Classic in Bristol and then opened league play with a convincing 52-30 win over Emmaus Tuesday night.

The Parkland ice hockey team started fast, stuttered towards the end, but came back to finish strong as it took down rival Emmaus 5-2 last Friday night in Lehigh Valley Scholastic Ice Hockey League action at the Bethlehem Steel Ice Center.

The Trojans kept their unbeaten record intact, moving to 8-0-1 overall on the season while seeing contributions from multiple players against the rival Hornets.

One could tell it was the season-opener for the Parkland boys basketball team. Whether it was early season jitters or rust, the Trojans came out of the gate flat, needing time to get their feet underneath them.

They were afforded enough time to regroup and gather themselves, coming from behind and using a strong fourth quarter to defeat rival Emmaus 61-49 Tuesday night in the regular season opener for the host Trojans (1-0, 1-0 East Penn Conference).

The 2019-20 version of the Parkland boys basketball team will be hungry. The Trojans have plenty of talent and experience returning from last season, but those players will also be back wanting to win more than ever before.

Last year the Trojans earned a spot in the District 11 Class 6A championship game, but the result left a bad taste in their mouths, losing to Allen 76-50 in a game that was never really close.

Five weeks into the season, Parkland had a 2-2 record and the thought of a return to the District 11 Class 6A championship game seemingly was a distant one.

Injuries to Nick Dawkins and Dante Medlar, among others, played a major role in the Trojans’ mediocre start.

Eight weeks later, Parkland was one play away from collecting its seventh district title in the last eight years. Instead, the Trojans fell to Nazareth, 22-21, in overtime on one of the most memorable plays in Lehigh Valley football history.

The Parkland girls volleyball 2019 season came to an end just two wins shy of a state championship for the second straight year. But this season also saw the Trojans experience a ton of success and it will go down as one of the best seasons in program history.

After completing the regular season near the middle of the pack in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, Parkland stormed through the postseason, winning both the East Penn Conference and District 11 4A championships. It was the sixth consecutive district title for the Trojans.

In the eighth week of the 2019 regular season, the Parkland football team made quick work of Stroudsburg. Three weeks later in a postseason game, the Trojans did the same thing to advance their season.

Third-seed Parkland went into halftime ahead 35-0 in bringing in to play the mercy rule, and beat the sixth seed Mounties 35-7 last Friday night in the District 11 Class 6A quarterfinal round at Parkland School District Stadium.

In the rubber match of this season’s series between the Emmaus and Parkland girls volleyball teams, neither team gave in, and several sets were decided by just a few points. One set even went well past the 25-point mark that usually ends a game.

The Parkland girls volleyball team has taken on an unfamiliar role, but they have flourished. Being labeled as more of an underdog this postseason, the Trojans have risen to the top, just like they’ve done for most of this decade.

Parkland was the sixth seed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Tournament and took down three teams seeded higher to win the championship. Now in the District 11 Class 4A Tournament, the Trojans are the fifth seed and have beaten two teams positioned better than them with a shot at a third for the title.

The Parkland football team is playing its best football of the 2019 season to date. Following a 24-3 victory over rival Emmaus last weekend in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference regular season finale, the Trojans (8-2 overall, 6-2 EPC South Division) are riding a six-game win streak heading into postseason play.

Parkland opens the District 11 Class 6A tournament as the three seed and will host Stroudsburg, the sixth seed, this Friday night at Parkland School District Stadium.