Despite being one of the largest schools in the state and the second largest in the Lehigh Valley behind only Allen, Parkland has to share athletes.
The football team and basketball teams have many of the same key players.
This year, one of those star athletes has had his football season affect his availability for the basketball season.
In Parkland’s 42-17 loss to Easton in the District 11 6A football final on Nov. 14, star running back and linebacker TJ Lawrence went out with a slight fracture of his fibula. He is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks, which puts him on schedule to return in mid-January.
Lawrence averaged 7.4 points per game last season, second on the team behind another football player, Blake Nassry, who averaged 14.2 points per game.
But Lawrence’s passing, rebounding, defense, and leadership were immeasurable last season for a Trojans squad that lost in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournament but regrouped to win five in a row, including a third straight District 11 championship and two state playoff games.
However, despite missing Lawrence for at least half of the regular season, third-year coach Eddie Ohlson is not panicking. That’s because he has arguably the deepest roster in the EPC.
“Obviously, it’s tough to lose someone of his caliber, his competitiveness,” Ohlson said. “But we look at it as a great opportunity for some of these kids who have put in a lot of work. We have one guy in particular, Javian Porter, who has done a really good job of stepping up and has had a great summer and fall. He’s going to fill those shoes, and we’re expecting big things from him. Once we start healing up from some lingering injuries with the other football guys, we’re going to be pretty good. But it might take us a few weeks.”
Porter is excited about the opportunity to help the team.
“TJ is definitely going to be missed a lot, but we expect to get him back,” Porter said. “I think things are coming along. We’re building it back. We’re communicating and playing as a team. We’ve got to get back on defense and make sure we’re talking to each other, and make sure we all know what’s going on in each game. I have to play a bigger role on defense and just want to be solid and not make too many gamble plays.”
Ohlson and Porter said it didn’t take long for the football players to get back in the mix.
“They got right back into it,” Porter said. “They know how to play basketball. It’s just a little transition for them. We have a lot of seniors on this team who just want to win as much as possible.”
Finn Coen, the junior quarterback from the football team, is expected to make a contribution on the basketball team. Marcus Temchattin, a 6-foot-3 freshman, is also a player who could earn significant time.
“We had a good summer, and it’s amazing in today’s world, but we basically played a full schedule in the summer, some 30-plus games,” Ohlson said. “Basketball has become a year-round sport. But this group has been together for a long time. They had success last year, and we always set high goals for them. They see what it takes. They’ve played in some big games, so they’re excited to build off some of the success we had last year and see where it can take them.”
To help prep the team for the postseason, Ohlson has lined up the most demanding nonleague schedule possible with opponents such as Berks Catholic, Penncrest, Central York, Archbishop Carroll, St. Joe’s Prep, and Imhotep set to provide great challenges.
Parkland at a glance
Coach: Eddie Ohlson (third season, 45-16)
Last year: 19-10, 12-4 EPC (tied for second in Lehigh County Division)
Postseason: Lost to Whitehall 41-34 in EPC quarterfinals. In District 11 6A, beat Liberty 64-47, beat Allen 55-49, and beat Northampton 66-33 for the title. In the PIAA tournament, beat Downingtown West 60-43, beat Scranton 52-50, lost to Imhotep 48-30
Players to watch: Alex Barrera (6-2, Jr. G); Javian Porter (6-3, Sr. G); Yuri Barrera (5-10, So. G); Tyler Brunnabend (5-10, Jr. G); Zeke Gordner (6-4, So. F); Bear Jacobs (6-5, Jr. F); Ryan Kearney (6-6, Sr. G); Tyler Beck (6-0, Sr. G); Zion Barrera (5-10, Jr. G); Nassim Adams (5-8, Sr. G); Blake Nassry (6-4, Jr. G); TJ Lawrence (5-11, Jr. G); Jude Ruisch (6-5, Sr. F); Marcus Temchattin (6-3, Fr. G); Finn Coen (6-0, Jr. G).
Season/league opener: Monday, at Allen
Nonleague games: Dec. 6, vs. Berks Catholic at Exeter; Dec. 21, at St. Joe’s Prep; Dec. 27, vs. Penncrest at Widener; Dec. 28, vs. Archbishop Carroll at Widener; Jan. 10, at Central York; Feb. 1, vs. Imhotep in Hoop Group Showcase.
League cross-division games: Dec. 4, at Freedom; Dec. 12, host Pocono Mountain West; Dec. 16, host Northampton; Jan. 6, at East Stroudsburg South; Jan. 9, host Pleasant Valley; Jan. 12, at Easton.
Of note: The Trojans averaged 57.2 ppg last season, allowed 44.7. … They made 155 3-pointers, allowed 118. … Parkland won the Lehigh Valley summer league title in July. … Parkland began last season 4-5. … The Trojans have not had a losing season since going 10-12 in 2010-11. … In 77 previous seasons, Parkland has gone 1205-722 for a 62.5% winning percentage. … The program has won nine league and 13 district championships, with 12 of the D11 golds coming since 2000. … Nick Coval is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,123 career points. In his first season as a player at Davidson after redshirting as a freshman, Coval has played in all six games for a 5-1 team and has registered a team-best 24.8 minutes per game. He is averaging 9.2 points per game with 16 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. He is 3-for-8 from 3-point range, and, not surprisingly, he is 20 of 20 from the foul line.
