Congratulations to John Reese

Last week, senior C John Reese was the graduating male award winner at the Lehigh Athletics Convocation. The awards go to the most outstanding athletes in Lehigh athletics and Reese, a three-time all-Patriot League first team member and all-American, certainly deserved it. In addition to the "graduating male athlete" award, he also won a Distinguished Achievement award for displaying a high level of "scholarship, athletic achievement, and beyond and demonstrated service to the institution."

A DVD of the athletics convocation is available for purchase from the Lehigh Website, too.

Reese will be adding this award to the award he recently got from the South Side Boosters, too. He grabbed one of their annual senior awards, as did senior FS Ernest Moore (defense) and senior FB John Piascik (special teams). Congratulations to three deserving award winners! The South Side Boosters' web site has some pictures of the event for your viewing pleasure.

Makes me wonder if I should rent out a hall for my LFN awards for "Hawks Of The Year". Of course, junior LB Tim Diamond, junior P/K Jason Leo, senior DB Brannan Thomas, junior RB Matt McGowan and freshman RB Jaren Walker probably are still waiting for their awards to be sent to them...

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There was one strange news item that emerged last week with the hiring of former Lehigh assistant Rob Melosky as head football coach for Nazareth High School... and then a few days later charges were filed in a bizarre incident where Melosky allegedly smacked a 17 year old student in the head in the middle of an altercation with a 72 year old fan.

Known as a "fiery coach", Melosky, who was an assistant at Lehigh in 2005 when he was dismissed as Parkland head coach, spent a season with coach Pete Lembo and his time at Lehigh appeared to be one that was without incident. While at Parkland he coached LB Austin Scott, who is best known for the rape charges filed against him while at Penn State which were dropped on April 18th. (Mr. Scott recently signed a free-agent contract with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.)

Rob Melosky's name has been in the news, but it certainly doesn't mean there's any truth to the charges that be beat up some kid who was mixing it up with a 72 year-old fan - nor can there be any link at all to Mr. Scott's legal problems and Mr. Melosky. So how come his name has been brought up so often with Mr. Scott's documented problems, his time at Parkland, this lawsuit that may or may not have merit.... and Lehigh University? To me, admittedly an uneducated observer, something seems unfair about this whole stink.

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