(Photo by Eli Doyle)

Wednesday was a tough day for a pair of Schuylkill League boys’ basketball coaches.

Pine Grove officially announced that its head coaching position is open for next season, meaning Jordan Lehman will not be returning after three seasons with the Cards.

There’s a coaching change also coming at North Schuylkill, as sources have told T102 Sports Now that Will Bracey will not be returning next season. Bracey coached the Spartans the past five seasons, guiding them to the Schuylkill League championship game in 2023.

North Schuylkill confirmed the position will be opened Thursday morning.

Both teams struggled this season.

The Cardinals were 7-15 overall and 4-10 in Schuylkill League Division I play, winning just two of their final 11 games after posting a 5-6 mark heading into the final of the Cardinal Classic in December.

In Pine Grove’s announcement of the job vacancy, applications will be accepted until Friday, March 7. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest and resume to Brittany Harner, assistant to the superintendent, Pine Grove Area School District, 103 School Street, Pine Grove, PA 17963. Candidates will need to provide a PA Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse Clearance and FBI clearance prior to being hired.

North Schuylkill, meanwhile, faced a rebuilding year after losing 10 seniors and 15 players overall from its 2023-24 squad that went 17-8 and qualified for the Schuylkill League playoffs. This season the Spartans finished last in Division I with an 0-14 league mark and went 4-18 overall with non-league wins over Shenandoah Valley, Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg, Hanover Area and Millville.

Unlike the NFL, college football or several other professional sports, head coaching changes in high school basketball this close to the end of the regular season are very rare, unless the coach is retiring or leaving on his own.

I don’t believe that’s the case with these two coaches.

Schuylkill coaches select all-stars

Bracey and Shenandoah Valley head coach Josh Dombrosky were the leaders of the push to get Schuylkill League boys’ and girls’ basketball players more recognition this season. They created a website (schuylkillleaguehoops.com) and Schuylkill League Hoops social media page on Facebook and coordinated the first Schuylkill League Basketball Media Day back in November.

The pair also coordinated the selection of All-Area Coaches’ teams for both boys’ and girls’ basketball, which were unveiled this week. The teams included a Division I and Division II MVP for both boys and girls and a Sixth Man and Sixth Woman award for both divisions. Each all-area squad then featured three five-player teams that did not include the other four award-winners.

Here’s a look at the coaches’ squads. Congratulations to all that were selected:

BOYS

Division I Most Valuable Player — Shazier Bethea, Minersville

Division II Most Valuable Player — Trey Keating, Nativity

Division I Sixth-Man Award — Jordan Bowers, Minersville

Division II Sixth-Man Award — Jonnuel Reyes, Shenandoah Valley

First Team — Tanner Zawada, sr., Mahanoy Area; Jace Yedsena, sr., Mahanoy Area; Tyeirre Meade, jr., Blue Mountain; Christian Alvarez, jr., Pottsville; Dante Carr, jr., Minersville

Second Team — Noah Mateyak, sr., Tamaqua; Letrel Montone, sr., Pottsville; Cooper Ansbach, sr., Tamaqua; Ian McKeegan, jr., Weatherly; Trey Porter, soph., Tri-Valley

Third Team — Aidan Grace, sr., Blue Mountain; Alan Evans, soph., Schuylkill Haven; Hayden Felty, jr., Pine Grove; Logan Fisher, sr., Panther Valley; Derek Watkins, sr., Pottsville

GIRLS

Division I Most Valuable Player — Mya Conti, jr., North Schuylkill

Division II Most Valuable Player — Sage Smeltz, sr., Williams Valley

Division I Sixth-Woman Award — Millie Black, fr., Tamaqua

Division II Sixth-Woman Award — Ireland Kasper, Williams Valley

First Team — Mckenna Runkle, soph., Schuylkill Haven; Lauren Ligenza, soph., Tamaqua; Hannah Kane, sr., North Schuylkill; Morgan Orsulak, jr., Panther Valley; Addison Fritz, jr., Marian

Second Team — Deanna Pugh, soph., Marian; Makayla Keck, sr., Blue Mountain; Felicia Bro, jr., Mahanoy Area; Addy Marek, fr., Marian; Jo Barnhart, soph., Pottsville

Third Team — Audrey Hutchinson, jr., Schuylkill Haven; Kolbe Robb, sr., Tamaqua; Olivia Serfass, jr., Marian; Ayla Schneck-Haines, sr., Pine Grove; Anna Schaeffer, sr., Schuylkill Haven

District 11 tickets only available online

All tickets for District 11 basketball playoff games must be purchased online. There will be no cash sales at the door.

To purchase tickets, go to districtxi.hometownticketing.com and follow the prompts. Make sure you select the correct game.

All tickets are $7 plus applicable fees. Fans ages 5-64 must purchase a ticket. Spectators ages 65 and older are admitted free with proof of age.

Red Raiders rockin’ in District 4

While most of the Schuylkill League boys’ and girls’ teams are now focused on the District 11 playoffs, the Lourdes boys and girls have begun play in the District 4 playoffs.

The Lourdes girls are the No. 1 seed in the Class A Tournament and opened play with a 48-17 win over Northumberland Christian in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Red Raiders (18-6) face No. 4 Meadowbrook Christian in Saturday’s semifinals. No. 2 Millville and No. 3 Benton square off in the other semifinal.

On the boys’ side, Lourdes pulled off the upset of the quarterfinal round when the No. 6 Red Raiders (7-16) upended No. 3 Meadowbrook Christian 58-46 on Tuesday night.

The victory advances Lourdes to Saturday’s semifinals, where the Red Raiders will face No. 2 Sullivan County (13-10), a 57-47 winner over Galeton. No. 1 North-Penn Liberty (16-7) takes on No. 4 Bucktail (11-11) in the other semifinal, slated for 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Loyalsock High School.

The top three teams from District 4 Class A qualify for the state tournament.

Both Lourdes squads will next compete Saturday as part of a day-long slate of games at Danville High School. The Lourdes boys will play at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Lourdes girls at 6 p.m.

Schuylkill League Kudos

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent job the Schuylkill League did with this year’s basketball playoffs.

The call to move the quarterfinals up to earlier in the day Saturday was an excellent move and every round was run to perfection. Nearly 3,000 paid fans were in Martz Hall for Friday’s championship games, creating an atmosphere that makes the Schuylkill League playoffs so special.

Kudos also go to the staff and crew from Pottsville that organized everything at Martz Hall. From announcer Bob Umbenhauer to clock operator Mike Kiehner to scorekeeper Brian Spotts to athletic director Eric Rismiller to several others behind the scenes, all the games ran like clockwork.

Special hat tip to Rismiller, who plans to retire at the end of the school year, for another job well done.