Scholastic Scrimmage history

by Christopher Williams, Reporter

After advancing to the semifinals of the PBS39 Scholastic Scrimmage tournament for the first time under head coach, Mrs. Moyer, the Jim Thorpe Scholastic Scrimmage team wrapped up their tournament after falling short to Lehigh Valley Academy on Monday, December 4 at PBS39 Studios in Bethlehem.

Led by senior captain, Trevor Keefer, the Jim Thorpe Scholastic Scrimmage team that was represented in the PBS39 tournament this year included seniors Alex Hauck, Christian Gould, and Nick Rosahac.

We all complimented each other well, where when I would struggle in certain subjects, Christian or Alex would pick up, or when Christian might not know something, Nick would be right there,” said Trevor Keefer, speaking on how the team advanced so far in the competition. “The chemistry, leadership, and strong connection and understanding between Mrs. Moyer and I as far as what we wanted to accomplish this year were all there. Everything fell into place and we performed well when we had to. I am extremely proud of the whole team.”

Leading up to the semifinals, the Olympians were faced with matches against Marian Catholic, Wilson, and Saucon Valley. Jim Thorpe was faced with the hefty task of defeating each of these teams in order to have a shot at advancing as far in the tournament as possible.

“Scholastic Scrimmage teams are, by definition, comprised of the ‘best of the best’ from the participating schools,” stated Mrs. Moyer. Commenting on the Olympians’ competition this year, the head coach stated, “In my opinion, we played a couple of really good teams.”

The senior-filled Jim Thorpe team confidently earned victories against all three teams at hand, and now they were onto the semifinals for the first time in the PBS39 Scholastic Scrimmage tournament under Mrs. Moyer. The Olympians would now be drawn to compete against the fourth-ranked team in the nation, Lehigh Valley Academy, led by their senior captain and third-ranked competitor in the nation, Alex Schmidt.

According to Keefer, “A lot more practices were held this year than in years past and more lightning round questions were incorporated to make sure we were prepared for Lehigh Valley Academy during the actual competition.” The captain made sure to schedule various practices during school and after school in order to prepare the team for this historic match.

Unfortunately for the boys from Jim Thorpe, the Olympians were handed their first defeat of the year in the semifinals by the quick-on-the-buzzer, Schmidt, and the team from Lehigh Valley Academy.

From our loss, I learned that we are far from losers, and our team was comprised of kids that are so much more than academic competitors: They are student leaders (senior class president and vice president), athletes, team captains, part-time employees, valued friends and family members, etc. They each have so much to offer their school and community,” said Moyer, the proud head coach.

Although their hopes of reaching the finals for the first time under Mrs. Moyer were spoiled that morning, the Olympian Scholastic Scrimmage team left the PBS39 Studios with their heads held high on Monday, December 4.

Speaking on this, the captain, Keefer, stated that “The competition was a lot of fun. The new host and format was great and brought a lot more liveliness to the matches. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates, either. Everything this year was very fun.”

This loss does not mark the end of the road for Jim Thorpe’s Scholastic Scrimmage season, however. There is still a long road ahead of them for the remainder of the school year.

“In March, we hope to host our own tournament to local schools around our size,” said Keefer. “Also in March, we will participate in a tournament at the IU where we made it to the semifinals last year, and then we will head over to Weatherly to play in the Carbon County Tournament and defend our title as champions. We also begin the recruiting process for next year’s team and start eyeing up suitable candidates to fill the four vacant buzzers that the seniors will be leaving behind. We hope to see great success in all of these areas and we are excited for the future.”

Despite the challenging defeat in the semifinals, there is plenty for the Olympian Scholastic Scrimmage team to be proud about and so much to look forward to during the remainder of the season. Best of luck to Mrs. Moyer and the boys on the team in their upcoming events. Everyone at Jim Thorpe Area High School will be cheering you on.

About the Author

chriswilliams31
Chris Williams is a current senior in the class of 2018 at Jim Thorpe Area High School. Williams has been in the district since kindergarten in 2005 where he attended Penn-Kidder Campus in Albrightsville until 2014. Williams’ strength of schedule throughout high school has been extremely demanding, comprising of many weighted, honors, and AP courses. Williams is ranked ninth in his class and maintains a GPA of 103.7. His favorite subjects include Spanish, history, and English. When it comes to extracurriculars, you can find Williams in a variety of clubs and teams within the school and community. Athletically, Williams has been a four year member of the boys varsity soccer team since freshman year. This year, he is a captain for the 2017-18 season. Besides soccer, Williams plays the alto saxophone for the concert, jazz, and marching bands, is a member of the National Honor Society, scholastic scrimmage team, and ski club. Outside of school, Williams plays travel soccer for Lehigh Valley United FC and is also an Eagle Scout in Boy Scout Troop 555. Williams has an extreme passion for sports and storytelling through writing, film, and photography. After high school, Williams is will be attending Emerson College in Boston to major in Journalism. Williams will also play soccer for Emerson. Williams aspires to become a sports journalist upon completion of college. His dream job would be to write about either soccer, hockey, or college sports for a media outlet such as Bleacher Report, Copa 90, Goal.com, ESPN, Fox Sports, or CBS Sports.

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