Earlier this fall, Catasauqua High School had a proud moment when former football star Jonathan Linton was inducted into the District 11 Hall of Fame.
But the Rough Riders’ success in athletics extends beyond gridiron, and the program had another special moment recently when former softball standout Hannah Edwards had her No. 8 retired by the school.
Edwards, a 2016 graduate, set six state records — three for career marks for hits (207), runs scored (158) and stolen bases (192), and also single-season marks for hits (57), runs scored (45) and stolen bases (57).
She finished her career with a batting average of .651 and an on-base percentage of .696 was named first-team all-state, all-area and all-Colonial League.
She was named The Morning Call Rookie of the Year as a freshman and the Morning Call Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior and also the Pennsylvania Class 2A Player of the Year as both a junior and senior.
Edwards was also named to 15 All-American teams, including USA Today, MaxPreps, Premier Girls Fastpitch and FloSoftball.
She was selected as a member of the 2016 Louisville Slugger Hit Club as one of the top 10 hitters in the nation.
She helped her team win the Colonial League title in 2013 and led the Roughies to runners-up finishes in the league in 2016 and in the district tournament in both 2013 and ’14.
Edwards also shined in the classroom and was selected as a Colonial League Academic All-Star and was the school’s class valedictorian for the Class of 2016 and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2023.
After high school, Edwards continued her softball career at both the University of Pittsburgh and Lehigh University, before an injury ended her career in 2019. She graduated from Lehigh with degrees in psychology and journalism. She earned a masters degree from the University of Florida. She is still residing in Gainesville and is working as an academic adviser and assistant tutor coordinator at the University of Florida, working with the football and gymnastic teams.
Bill Reese Memorial Scholarship
Parkland girls volleyball senior Sarah Paugh, center, receives the Bill Reese Memorial Scholarship from the Lehigh Valley Volleyball Officials. (Contributed photo/Jill Payne)
Parkland senior Sarah Paugh was recently honored as Bill Reese Memorial Scholarship winner in girls volleyball.
Paugh was unable to compete this season due to injury, but found other ways to contribute to the team through her leadership. Paugh impressed the Reese committee with an essay describing how hard it was for her to not be able to compete on the court, but expressed how she found ways to contribute to her team that had become family.
“Sarah was working real hard all spring and summer and playing at a high level,” said Trojans coach Mike Krause. “We were looking forward to her being a very impactful hitter coming into the season. In the preseason, she fractured her ankle and was unable to play one point in her senior season. So, she took on the role as student coach and helped the young players during practice. She worked with them during matches to provide feedback on their skills and some of their court responsibilities She was helpful during competitions as well. She would also provide feedback on what the opponents were doing early in the match and what adjustments they would make later in the match. She was very helpful to all of the players.”
Krause said Paugh was progressing so well that she would have been one of the best players in the league.
“I feel so bad because she lost her whole senior season, but I am happy that she received this scholarship,” Krause said.
Jill Payne, who helps to coordinate the scholarship program, said, “I believe that as officials it is one of the best things we get to do each year in recognizing a player that portrays all the qualities that a student-athlete should have.”
The Reese Memorial Scholarship was established through donations. Reese was considered an extraordinary person who gave of his time, talents, and treasure to our community.
Reese, a 1964 East Stroudsburg High graduate, was an educator, coach, mentor, public servant, and friend to all in our community. He valued education, community, and being physically and socially active.
Reese spent 35 years as a physical education teacher in the Stroudsburg Area School District. He was known to be an outstanding coach and served as a mentor and trusted adviser to many. He coached basketball and baseball at Stroudsburg High School, serving as the head baseball coach from 1975 through 1996 and led the Mountaineers to the Centennial League baseball title in 1976 and led the program to more than 100 victories for the program.
Volleyball all-district team
The season ended for the area’s remaining girls volleyball teams on Saturday. In Class 3A, District 11 champ Bethlehem Catholic was ousted by three-time defending state champ Pope John Paul II 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-19) and Spring-Ford ended the season for Eastern Pennsylvania Conference champ Emmaus 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-23).
But the accolades continue to roll in for the area’s best players.
The all-District 11 in Class 4A was released and senior Kasia Burda of Parkland was voted MVP.
The first-team selections included seniors Alyssa Heffner and Amanda Rivera of Emmaus; senior Landry Guman of Freedom; senior Rylee Ruggiero of Pleasant Valley and juniors Riley Schilling of Parkland and Rosalia Landino of Emmaus.
The second-team included senior Sara Kokolus of Freedom, sophomore Chloe Coonradt of Parkland, freshman Alex Serina of Parkland, senior Mallory Gardland of Nazareth and junior Maeve Mazza of Pocono Mountain East, and LaSereon James, a Whitehall junior.
The honorable mention list: Sofia Condoulis (sophomore, Liberty); Mia Mitch (sophomore, Liberty); Sophia Freemont (senior, Emmaus), Haley Seidel (senior, Emmaus), Saige Carter (junior, Freedom); Keeley Kershner (junior, Nazareth); Juliette Perich (freshman, Stroudsburg); Isabelle Kulczyckl (sophomore, Easton); Leah Everhart (senior, Northampton); and Alexa Lannon (sophomore, Easton).
In memoriam
It has been a year in which the local sports community has suffered more than its share of losses, and in recent weeks two more who made a significant impact on the local scene died.
Joe Mayer, who was a member of the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter committee and the president of the Lehigh Valley-Pocono Sports Hall of Fame, died on Oct. 18 at the age of 75.
Mayer, who was also a track official, was involved for years with Liberty High football. He worked at Bethlehem Steel for years and had a passion for Bethlehem’s steelmaking heritage. He served as president of the Steelworkers Archives, where he led tours, shared stories, and worked to preserve the history of the mills and the people who worked them. He enjoyed educating others about the legacy of Bethlehem Steel.
In addition, longtime area baseball coach Charles “Chic” Kennedy died on Oct. 20 bat the age of 85.
Kennedy spent decades coaching baseball teams in Easton, Forks Township, Roseto, and Hellertown as part of Northampton County (Norco) American Legion Baseball League. He managed the Easton American Legion program for four years and later served as Norco League president for 38 years before retiring in 2014.
At the high school level, Kennedy led Palisades to its first league championship in 48 years in 2005, and earned Express-Times coach of the year honors. He was inducted into the Hazleton Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Norco Legion Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania American Legion Hall of Fame.
