LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Lower Saucon Township Council on Wednesday honored the accomplishments of two notable groups of local school students: the Saucon Valley High School Panthers baseball team and Middle School Future Problem-Solving Team.
- Students of Saucon Valley Middle and High schools were honored by Lower Saucon Council
- The Saucon Valley High School Panthers baseball team accrued a 24-4 season, with wins at the state level
- The Future Problem-Solving Team from Saucon Valley Middle School came in third at an international event
The baseball team finished the 2022-23 with a 24-4 record — a record-setting four more wins than the previous best 20 wins by the 1999 and 2022 clubs.
Council recognized the group, consisting of Rocky Viscito, Ray Matey, Ron Werkheiser, Karter Beller, Liam Buck, Cole Hubert, Jake Albert, Andrew Gilbert, Zack Male, Tyler Pfizenmayer, Jake Klotz, Chris Hill, Joseph Griffith, Chase Luckenbach, Adam Clark, Landon Beckowski, Carter Bidwell and Jack Schmehl.
Saucon’s seven-year skipper Gary Laub also was recognized, alongside assistant coaches Chris Moughan, Michael Kiak, Justin Reiss and Michael Petruny. Team statistician Rocky Viscito also took part in the honor.
“Your accomplishments have been tremendous for this community. Special thanks to Coach Laub, who did a fantastic job with these young men and have prepared them to move on to greater things with Saucon Valley Baseball, as well as the rest of their lives.”Jason Banonis, Lower Saucon Township Council president
Council President Jason Banonis said this is just the beginning for the team.
“Your accomplishments have been tremendous for this community,” Banonis said. “Special thanks to Coach Laub, who did a fantastic job with these young men and have prepared them to move on to greater things with Saucon Valley Baseball, as well as the rest of their lives.”
A historic season
The boys took home back-to-back District XI titles — the 2022 District XI 4A and 2023 District XI 3A Championships.
The group knocked off the Allentown Central Catholic Vikings at the District XI Championship with a 10-3 win, qualifying for state competition.
The Panthers pummeled their competition in the first two rounds of the PIAA State Playoff, taking down the Trinity High Shamrocks of Camp Hill, Cumberland County, 13-1 and the Hughesville High School Spartans of Lycoming County 6-0.
Their run came to an end during the state semifinals matchup with the Camp Hill Lions, where they lost 5-4.
After council took a picture with the ball club, Banonis had another announcement.
He stated that bids for renovations to take place at the Easton Road Ball Field should be rolling in during the next few weeks, and the work should see a vote come August if everything runs as scheduled.
The township is looking to turn that field 180-degrees, add lights, lay new turf and construct a parking lot, among other things, Banonis said.
SVMS academic accomplishments
Saucon Valley Middle School's Future Problem-Solving Team members Vaughn Kaye, Saydee Skiba, Rocco Vangelo and Maggie Gorman were honored for their efforts during the 2022-23 school year.
SVMS teachers Carolyn LoVerdi and Lara McCarthy headed the group, helping them to prepare for the Global Issues Problem-Solving competition.
“Future Problem Solving Program International is a non-profit educational program of thousands of students that annually utilize a six-step problem solving process of critical and creative thinking that can be applied to issues that impact the real-world communities, as well as future society,” council’s resolution states.
The group worked to address topics including the following:
- Will multinational currencies lead to global currencies?
- How might the end of government-backed currencies shape global politics and economic exchanges?
- What role will cryptocurrency play?
It was runner-up in a competition "relating to a robotic workforce in the State of Pennsylvania,” grabbing a wild card with its high score, according to council’s resolution.
The group went on to compete at the international level at Amhurst, Massachusetts, against schools from across the nation as well as seven other countries. It took third place out of 57 teams.
“This is an example of great things that are happening at Saucon Valley, not just athletically, but also academically,” Banonis said.
