PCN and the Montoursville-Shamokin Game

When the schedule came out for the PCNTV game-of-the-week. The Montoursville - Shamokin game was listed as an encore presentation for on September 8th. Shortly before the game, I was told by the crew broadcasting the game for television that the game would not be aired on PCN.

A call was placed to PCNTV to inquire about the change. PCNTV representative named "Debbie" said the deal fell through at the last minute. It also left PCN scrambling to find a replacement game. Most of the time, games are produced by a local cable company and given to PCN for distribution. Looking at the rest of the PCN schedule it does show Comcast of Pittsburgh will be airing games. The game was aired on Sunday in the Williamsport area. It is a shame for both squads the game didn't go statewide.

Shamokin Changes

There has been alot of online chatter about the Shamokin starting line up this week against Jersey Shore. In my weekly interview with Coach Dave Zielinskie about the x's and o's of the game, we briefly discussed the issue.

Every athlete at Shamokin Area is issued an "Athletic Code of Conduct". Everyone has to sign the code at the beginning of their respective sport season. Three players were in violation of the "Code" in the game against Montoursville. The penalty issued to the players was to sit out the first quarter of the game with Jersey Shore. One player chose the penalty, while two others chose not to be part of the team.

Zielinskie added, "I was hired to coach football at Shamokin and enforce the "Code of Conduct". "Everything is in black and white".

Sorting it all out

Well, I know what everyone is going to say. What about Coach Zielinskie and his ejection at the Southern JV game on Labor Day? Zielinskie was issued his penalty by the athletic director consistent with policy set forth by the school board and PIAA.

Coaching changes or rough on any program. There are a few growing pains. Some may be easy, some hard. In 1983, I went through the same thing ironically with Coach Zielinskie on the staff as an assistant. The quickest thing to do is forget about last year. It was easy to forget about a 1-10 year in 1982 and 10-game losing streak at Lourdes Regional. When we won our first two games by three touchdowns each and a big win at Schuylkill Haven, 1982 was a distant memory and we knew the new system was working.

"Coaching changes are rough" said Montoursville head coach Jim Bergen. "They really put a strain on any program."

I find it hard to believe student-athletes would give up all the hard work in the summer and the preseason just after two games. Remember the heat and humidity? In any college or high school program, reinstatement wasn't as easy as sitting out a quarter. It required a trip to the "doghouse" which could have included almost anything. The character of Mayo in the movie Officer and a Gentleman comes to mind.

George Curry, the long time coach of the Berwick Bulldogs, faced a similar situation in Week 10. It was just one of many issues the long time leader of the Berwick program decided to move on.

I'm not sure if the "Code" includes any provision for reinstatement after the penalty period has passed. Either way, all three players had the opportunity to make a choice.