Athletic Director Don Harakal Retires
Longtime athletic director Don Harakal announced his retirement effective Sept. 30, 2011. In a released letter and typical of his humble style, Don thanked members of the press for “putting up with me for the past 22+ years” as athletic director. Don’s total tenure at Southern Lehigh eclipses 35 years.
As anyone who has ever attended a Southern Lehigh event can attest, Don Harakal has been a fixture at Southern Lehigh High School athletic events. From hitting "play" for the national anthem to taking control of unruly attendees, Don has ensured that athletic events at Southern Lehigh have run smoothly. He has quietly and proudly watched our athletes from the sidelines for many years, logging in thousands of hours at high school sporting events. It was evident from anyone who ever attended an athletic awards program that Don was extremely proud of each and every school and individual athletic achievement.
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Always polite, always upbeat and always present, Don Harakal will surely be missed by parents, officials and athletes. We would like to wish Don the best of luck in his retirement and hope he will remain Southern Lehigh’s Number One fan.
Harakal Replacement Announced
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Kate Miller was officially hired by the Southern Lehigh School Board as the Coordinator of Athletic Services, replacing Don Harakal. Kate assumed her role effective Sept. 27, 2011, allowing a smooth transition of duties. Welcome Kate!
Boys Football
The domination of North Division football over South Division football continued as North Division’s Pen Argyl dealt the South Division Spartans a 35-0 loss. Despite a few opportunities, the Spartans failed to cross the goal line and dropped to 2-3 in league play, still leading the South Division.
The Varsity team will take on Notre Dame Green Pond at home Friday night.
Freshman football travels to Pleasant Valley on Monday. The team's game against Central Catholic was cut short this week due to lightning and hail.
Middle School and Junior Varsity football will be taking on Pen Argyl at home this week on Monday.
Girls Tennis
This week the girls lost a close match 3-2 over Moravian Academy on Monday, losing a chance for the Spartan ladies to upset the division leaders. Moravian Academy has handed the Spartan ladies their only two league losses. This week the girls will wrap up their season with a rescheduled match against Saucon Valley on Monday. League playoffs will begin Oct. 4 at Northwood Tennis Club.
Girls Volleyball
The girls defeated Pope John Paul II High School last Tuesday, bringing the Spartan record to 6-1. The girls will face Notre Dame Green Pond on Tuesday and Catasauqua High School on Thursday.
The girls will be hosting their annual Dig Pink game on Oct. 12. This game, a tradition with rival school Saucon Valley, features pink uniform additions and usually a mostly pink audience. Revenue from the event, including sales of the bright pink T-shirts, benefits breast cancer research.
Boys Soccer
Southern Lehigh hosted Palisades at home on Monday. The Spartans sent the Pirates “out to sea” with a 3-1 win. Other games this week were canceled due to wet field conditions.
Despite the boys' excellent 6-0-1 record, the team is out of first place by virtue of the number of games played and record. First place is held by Saucon Valley with a 7-0-2 record. But with several key games still to be played, the final division standings are still up for grabs. Southern Lehigh will play Salisbury on Tuesday and will host Saucon Valley on Thursday before traveling to Northwestern on Saturday.
Girls Field Hockey
Friday’s eagerly anticipated game against North Division leader Bangor left fans with many questions unanswered as the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Kendall Weedling scored the sole Spartan goal with the assist going to Kelsey King. The next matchup between the two teams could potentially come in Colonial League championship play, which begins Oct. 18.
This week the Spartans will travel to Wilson on Monday and will host Moravian Academy on Wednesday and then Palisades on Friday. The girls overall record is an impressive 10-0-1.
Varsity Boys and Girls Golf
Qualifiers for top boys and girls District play will be held at Schuylkill Valley Country Club this Monday.
Boys and Girls Cross Country
The boys and girls Cross Country teams have posted 15-3 and 13-5 records, respectively. The teams will participate in a multi-team meet on Tuesday at Palmerton. Pen Argyl, Moravian Academy, Notre Dame Green Pond, Palmerton, Northern Lehigh and Palisades will also be participating in the meet, with girls teams running first.