Lehigh Football Nation

In a twist to the famous proverb "revenge is a dish best served cold," an icy, cold, possibly snowy weekend looks poised to have Lehigh's winter sports teams offer sweet revenge against American, the school that has bedeviled the Mountain Hawks and is rapidly becoming a winter sports rival. Before I get to the men's and women's basketball teams, however - who got the better of Lehigh the first Patriot League weekend of the year - it's worth noting that American has something else, too: a squad that head coach Mark Cody took from being on the brink of collapse into one that has produced an NCAA champion ( Josh Glenn , in 2007) and has become a Top 25 powerhouse in EIWA as well.  The Eagle wrestling program sits at No. 18, while Lehigh sits at No. 11. That means the path of all three Winter Sports titles this weekend goes through American. And, by definition, through the small, friendly, raucous confines of tiny Grace Hall at 1PM on Sunday. (more)

It's time again for one of my most popular blog postings of the year: the 2011 Patriot League Commit tracker, where I announce the incoming Patriot League classes, compiled from press reports from all over the nation, on what has unofficially become known as "Signing Day".  (This year, Signing Day is on February 2nd, and I'm releasing the first draft of my list six days early.) Below the flip, you'll have all the information I have on firm Patriot League commits that I have. It will have every name, every link, and every reference that I can track down for all seven schools (notably, this includes Fordham, still a member of the Patriot League but ineligible for the league crown due to the fact that they offer scholarships in football). And it will be updated often over the next few months, as soon as I get a link to their announcement from some (reputable) source. So click the link, and enjoy. (more)

(Photo Credit: Express-Times File Photo) It's always great to see great collegiate football talent stay home, and yesterday we learned that a fantastic athlete from nearby Palisades High School will be attending college just up the road. And, too, Lehigh announced another commit from an area that has been delivering the Mountain Hawks some solid talent over the past few years - Maryland. Let's get to know two new Lehigh football commits: WR Josh Parris and OL Ned Daryoush (more)

For the first time since 2005, Lehigh had a player in college football's longest-running all-star game. OL Will Rackley 's trip to Orlando, Florida to compete in the Florida Citrus Bowl was the first since  TE Adam Bergen 's, who is currently playing football professionally with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL. While it's an honor to simply be invited to the 85th meeting between the East and West collegiate all-stars, Rackley by all published accounts made a very positive impression in the game. Whispers continue that his name will be called in April in the 2010 NFL draft. I caught up with Will and asked him about his experience. See what he had to say below the flip. (more)

(Photo Credit: Ron Schwane/The Medina (OH) Gazette) Two new commits have been signed by Lehigh in the past few days, according to Internet reports. One is a "Battling Bee" - as you can see to my left - and the other is nicknamed "T.O."  (The Tuscarora (MD) High School  product might want to consider ditching that nickname: the last T.O. that made his way to the Lehigh Valley didn't work out so well.   'Next question!' ) Read all about these two new commits as the class of 2015 starts to take shape. (more)

So you're sitting there reveling in the fact that Lehigh wrestling just knocked off the No. 1 program in the country last night .  You see that Lehigh women's basketball got back on it's winning ways this Wednesday with a dominant win over Colgate , while Lehigh's men's team slipped to 1-3 in the Patriot League with their big slip at Colgate . It's a big weekend in the Lehigh Valley, with both hoops squads facing off against "that school in Easton".  It's always a big deal to beat the Leopards in all sports, and a sweep this weekend would be particularly gratifying - especially on the men's side. In a weekend filled with "Rivalry"-themed exploits, though, there's another national showcase for Lehigh Athletics that should not be on the TV - or DVR.  It's the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Florida, and - for Lehigh fans - OL Will Rackley will be the focal point of the NFL Network broadcast at 4:00 PM. (more)

He's not just Brett Gaul's little brother anymore. QB Derek Gaul , the Schuykill Valley High School senior, and the brother of Brett, who was a three-sport athlete for the Pathers, is coming to Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks' second confirmed commit of the class of 2015. He's another big name to come out of the Anthracite region to come to play for Lehigh: rising junior RB Zach Barket played against Gaul in high school, and will now be welcoming him as a member of Lehigh's incoming class. (more)