Parkland Press

Parkland received some good news as it entered last week’s District 11 wrestling team championships, but was still left short-handed in other ways.

The Trojans welcomed the return of Zach Ortman to the mat, but were without brothers Joey and Frank Guida, who are recovering injuries. The losses were felt, as No. 11 Parkland dropped its match to No. 6 Liberty in the first round of the tournament, 41-16.

Last weekend’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Wrestling Championships were the culmination of the league’s regular season competition.

Unfortunately for Parkland, the team was dealt with a tough blow even before the start of its match against Easton for fifth place. Skin infections and injuries forced a number of the Trojans’ regulars out of the lineup on Saturday afternoon at Easton’s Shawnee Middle School, and the Red Rovers secured fifth place in the EPC with a 54-9 win over Parkland.

Some of us may cringe at the thought of winter—the cold weather, ice and snow. But for Chad Loomis, it’s a season that he’s able to work a little bit of magic.

Every year for the past six or so, Loomis, the head coach of the Parkland ice hockey team, has built an ice rink in his backyard with the help of other parents. It’s become a haven for the Trojans and a big part to their success over the past decade.

Tuesday’s second meeting between Parkland and Emmaus started just like the first, with the Hornets racing out to a first-quarter lead.

But the ending of Part 2 of this rivalry was completely different from the first, one in which Emmaus won on Parkland’s home court.

A number of area teams have already qualified for the district playoffs even though that tournament is still a month down the road. The Allen and Emmaus boys basketball teams, both who are ranked in the state Class 6A rankings, have already cemented a spot.

But when those district tournaments do tip off starting on February 21, the scene will look slightly different than in years past. The biggest change fans will notice is the increase from four PIAA classifications to six based on student enrollment numbers.

The Parkland ice hockey team has taken the ice 12 times this season. And 12 times it has come away with victory, all largely in the same fashion.

Last Monday at Lehigh Valley Ice Arena, Freedom was Parkland’s latest victim. The Trojans (12-0) stayed unbeaten with a dominant 6-1 victory over the Patriots (4-5-3). The way Parkland won on Monday—in convincing fashion—is how it has been all season long.

Wins haven’t been easy to come by for the Parkland boys basketball team.

But just a couple of days into 2017, the Trojans earned their most impressive win of the young season.

Parkland (4-5 overall, 2-4 in EPC) had doubled-up Northampton late in the second quarter with a 24-12 lead, was ahead by as much as 31 points in the third quarter before holding on to beat the Konkrete Kids (3-4 overall, 1-4 in EPC), 55-35, on Tuesday night.

The Parkland ice hockey team found itself in an unfamiliar position in last week’s game against Northampton. Throughout their perfect season thus far, the Trojans had been pretty much cruising to victories.

Last Friday night, however, Northampton trailed by just a goal with five minutes to play after three unanswered scores. Nerves started to settle in for Parkland, but the Trojans never lost their cool on the ice at Lehigh Valley Ice Arena.

Arguably the biggest test standing between Parkland and a potential perfect regular season figures to come on Friday night when the Trojans face off against Northampton (4-3-1). Parkland could have easily looked ahead when it faced Liberty early this week, but instead the Trojans kept their focus on the Hurricanes.

It’s been quite some time since Parkland boys basketball lost to a conference foe in the regular season on its home court. Trojan head coach Andy Stephens couldn’t recall the last time his Trojans walked off the court in that scenario against an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference or Lehigh Valley League opponent.

That all changed on Tuesday night when Parkland stepped on its home court for the first time this season after starting with four straight road games.