December 28-31

Up and at it early on Saturday at McCaskey for day #2 of the annual holiday tournament. The day started at 12:30 with a JV game, JPM improved to 3-6 with a win over York. On Friday evening in my absence the varsity had lost to Harrisburg in overtime, on this day the boys fell to Upper Darby (from the western Philadelphia suburbs) in the consolation game 77-69. Deandre Jones had a monster game with 36 points, coupled with his 32-point effort against Harrisburg that earned him JPM's MVP award for the tournament (each team's coaching staff selects an MVP from their squad, the winning team receives the championship plaque). Jaloney Porter was the only other man in double figures with 16 as the club drops to 2-8, they have lost three straight since the win over Cedar Crest. In the title game it was the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association against the Mid-Penn Conference, York won over Harrisburg 53-42 (fun fact: prior to the formation of the Lancaster-Lebanon League in 1972 McCaskey, York and Harrisburg were all members of the old Central Penn League, the Mid-Penn's predecessor). The day finally ended around 5:45 or so, with the hockey game on Friday factored in it all added up to a solid night's sleep into Sunday. The final few days of the calendar year were relatively quiet, on Tuesday we had our midweek lunch visit with Jenny and her mother. There was a New Years Eve celebration at the ballpark on Tuesday evening and of course it RAINED, no matter to me since I was warm and dry at home. Thanks for joining me for another year here in Internet Blogland, everybody. Take care and we'll see you on the other side In The Year 2025 ("if Man is still alive, if Woman can survive").

December 23-27

It's well-documented that I'm not a fan of this time of year, for the most part I find it horribly depressing and if not for Jenny it would be no more than a big steaming pile of nothing. The big day itself (lower-case intended) was on Wednesday, Helen made a meal of ham, mashed potatoes and corn. Since her surgery in November Jenny has been eating smaller portions and getting full sooner, I told her that is to be expected. There are still some things she needs to stay away from at least for now but she can eat her fill without any issues. On Friday it was a hockey night in downtown Reading, the Royals hosted the Worcester Railers in the last home game of the calendar year. During the week a water pipe broke inside the Arena causing damage to the suite level on the Penn Street side, it also affected the Royals' corporate offices but not the ability to actually play hockey. On this night the clubs skated through a scoreless first period, early in the second Shane Seller lit the lamp for a 1-0 Royals lead. Midway through the period Seller struck again to make it 2-0 but in the third the visitors from central Massachusetts got on the board at 2-1. Down the stretch Worcester pulled the goalie for the extra attacker but Vinnie Purpura and the defense corps put up the brick wall and earned the one-goal victory. It's the first win at home for the Royals since November 9 (!!!) and puts an end to an unsightly seven-game (0-5-2) losing streak at the Arena. The club reaches the one-third pole of its home slate at 3-6-3, with one game left to reach the midpoint of the road schedule the overall mark stands at 10-15-4. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 20-22

The winter season officially began on December 21 but the weatherman apparently didn't get the memo, Friday brought frigid temperatures and swirling flurries. It never amounted to anything big except for laying on grassy areas, the afternoon drive and evening return home from Reading was no problem. After four straight nights on the hardwood it was a hockey night at the Arena, the Adirondack Thunder visited for the second time in December. The result on this night was depressingly familiar, the Royals fell behind early and never recovered in a 4-1 loss, the third consecutive home game lost by that particular score. Todd Skirving scored the lone goal for the Royals with five minutes left in the third period which did little more than erase the zero. The highlight of the night was a scrum along the boards as the first period ended, several penalties were accessed including fighting majors to the respective goaltenders. It was the first goalie fight at the Arena since Brandon Anderson dropped the gloves in a game against the Evansville Icemen back in 2014. Keith Petruzzelli started in net for the Royals and played the first period before leaving, Vinnie Purpura mopped up in relief. The team drops to 2-6-3 at home with the Worcester Railers coming to town on the 27th. The rest of the weekend was quiet (and very cold), on Saturday the Royals traveled to Glens Falls for the back end of the home-and-home and won 6-3. That improves the road record to 7-9-1 and overall to 9-15-4. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 18-19

Wednesday night: back at Stevens College with Jerry Johnson and another La Academia home game, the last of three straight with one more scheduled in January. The club had won on Tuesday in my absence, on this night Devon Preparatory School visited from the suburban Philadelphia area. It was LA's Senior Night (in December?), before the game Aiden Mattern was recognized as the team's lone senior. Jerry Johnson Jr. (the coach's son, more affectionately known as "J.J.") entered the game needing six points for 1000, he reached the magic number on a three-point goal midway through the second quarter. The program has only been in existence since 2019, J.J. is the first player in school history to reach 1000 career points. Devon Prep is one of the top "small school" programs in the entire state, they ruined the party with a 50-41 win. On Thursday we were back at McCaskey, after two straight on the road the Red Tornado hosted Manheim Township. Both JV and varsity entered the evening at 2-5 and exited 2-6, the JV lost by eleven and the varsity went down 95-87. The game was played at a blistering pace and was somewhat inequitable in terms of fouls (nothing unusual for us, we've been dealing with since 1972), it just makes you wonder how one team can make more fouls shots than their opponent even gets to attempt. Jaloney Porter continued his torrid pace with forty points (that's 4-0), Deandre Jones also hit doubles with 21. Eddie Bencosme had nine, Avery Stauffer (back from a four-game injury absence) added eight, Amir Thompson-Hanson had six and Anthony Jimenez rounded out the book with three. The club has off until after the holiday break, the next game is on Friday the 27th in the annual holiday tournament. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 16-17

Saw where this blog recently surpassed 81,000 pageviews since its inception in 2010, I don't know who actually reads the drivel and minutiae I write about but I thank you for your patronage. Monday signaled the start of what should be a very busy week, in the evening I was at Stevens College on East King Street. Jerry Johnson's La Academia Charter School played the first of three straight home dates, whenever they can arrange to play a "home " game (which isn't often) Jerry asks me if I'm available to work the PA. The opponent on this night was Steelton-Highspire from suburban Harrisburg, La Academia won the game 68-61. On Tuesday I was at McCaskey for the team's bus ride north into Lebanon County, the second for the team in five days. On Friday the boys played in Lebanon and lost, on this night we ventured to Cedar Crest. The JV squad lost to fall to 2-5, the varsity game was your typical fifteen-round middle-of-the-ring slugfest to the finish. In 2023 we won at CC by two points when a last-second shot rolled around the rim and fell out at the buzzer, on this night the ending was almost exactly the same. The teams combined to utilize six timeouts in the last fifty-one seconds, when it all shook out at the end Cedar Crest had an inbounds play down by three with 0.4 seconds on the clock. They got it inbounded before the buzzer sounded, the desperation three-ball from the corner rimmed around and out as JPM held on for a huge 65-62 win. Only four players scored for JPM but it was enough, Jaloney Porter continued his emergence with a career-high 35 points, Deandre Jones scored 18, Eddie Bencosme added eight and Chris Hernandez scored four key points. Over the years Cedar Crest has been one difficult place to play, there is nothing inherently inhospitable about the gym itself, it's just an environment where you simply never feel comfortable. Coming home with a big win to improve to 2-5 was one thing but more importantly we've done our time in Lebanon County for the season, the boys continue the gauntlet against Manheim Township on Thursday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 13-15

Friday night in downtown Reading as the Wheeling Nailers visited for a two-game set marking their final appearances in the regular season. The league schedule has never been based on any kind of balance, it's more a matter of geography. In '24-25 the Royals play sixty of their seventy-two games against divisional opponents, the Nailers play only thirty within the division (there are simply more teams from other divisions that are geographically closer to West Virginia than the teams in the North Division). Through the first one-third of the season the Royals' offensive struggles have been well-documented, on this weekend the issues were magnified. The club currently has ten players out of the lineup, on Friday they played two men short due to a shortage of healthy bodies. In the Friday opener Todd Skirving scored in the game's first two minutes to give the Good Guys a 1-0 lead but the Nailers retaliated with three within six minutes late in the period, another Wheeling goal in the second period ended the scoring in a 4-1 Nailer win. On Saturday the game unfolded in a different manner but the result was exactly the same. Wheeling took a 2-0 second-period lead before Austin Master (a '23-24 Royal recently resigned) put the Home Team on the board but early in the third two more Nailer scores salted away a second consecutive 4-1 victory, Keith Petruzzelli was goaltender of record both nights for the Royals. Wheeling entered the weekend on a 12-0-1 streak not having lost in regulation time since November 1st, that run was extended with these two games. The Royals stand at 8-14-4 overall and just 2-5-3 at home, they'll have a chance for some quality practice time and hopefully get some people healthy before the next home game on December 20. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 9-12

Monday evening at McCaskey, the girls basketball squad was in action. Most of their dates coincide with when the boys play, if I'm able to see them more than once a season I consider myself lucky. Boiling Springs visited from Cumberland County (about an hour's drive give or take) and left town with a sixteen-point win, at one point in the fourth quarter a fan loudly protested an official's call and was ejected from the premises. On Tuesday night the boys returned to action at home, longtime state power Reading High was the opponent. Both the JV and varsity had won on Saturday (over Octorara and Solanco respectively) but on this night the winning streaks ended with a resounding thud. The JV lost by twenty-nine and the varsity lost 83-56. Jaloney Porter had his breakout night with 26 points, Deandre Jones returned to the lineup and scored 16 but it wasn't nearly enough to ward off a fourth loss in five games. League/divisional play starts on the 13th on the road against a vastly improved and suddenly very tough Lebanon team, the gauntlet continues on the 17th at Cedar Crest and at home on the 19th against Manheim Township and there isn't an easy touch in the bunch. Take care, thanks for reading. 

December 6-8

Friday late afternoon at JPM for the first round of the Tipoff Tournament, the tripleheader started at 4:30 with a JV game. JPM lost to one-time league opponent Solanco, in the first varsity semifinal at 6:00 Solanco lost to Octorara (fellow LL entry from Atglen, Chester County). The second varsity game at 7:30 featured the Red Tornado taking on Kennett (from Kennett Square, also in Chester County), the boys dropped to 0-3 with a 64-48 loss. Amir Thompson-Hanson was high man with 16 and Jaloney Porter added 15 but they were the only two in double figures. On Saturday the tournament concluded in my absence, JPM finally got off the schneid with a 59-51 win over Solanco in the consolation game (for the record Octorara defeated Kennett for the tournament title). I was not there because it was a hockey night in downtown Reading, the Royals returned home for the first time since November 23. For Jenny and her mother it was a homecoming of sorts, they had not been in attendance since November 9 (and you'd be surprised how many people noticed and asked Jenny how she was doing). This was the annual Military Appreciation/Teddy Bear Toss game, the game puck was delivered by an Army National Guardsman descending on rope from the Arena rafters. The Adirondack Thunder was in town for the first of five regular season visits, they scored first and led 1-0 after one period. Midway through the second Mason Primeau (Phantoms assignee and the nephew of longtime NHLer Keith Primeau) scored the Teddy Bear goal to tie the game, early in the third Jake Smith ('23-24 Royal recently returned) gave the Home Team a 2-1 advantage. ADK knotted the game 2-2 with seven minutes left and set the stage for the Dreaded Overtime, in the extra stanza the Thunder won it on a score with SEVEN seconds left on the clock. This is the fourth OT loss for the Royals, three of them at home with all three coming in cruelly spectacular fashion. Keith Petruzzelli took the decision as the home record drops to 2-3-3, 7-11-4 overall. The club plays twice on the road before returning home on Friday the 13th. Take care, thanks for reading.

December 2-5

Tuesday afternoon at McCaskey as we boarded the bus for the season's first road game, we made the thirty-mile trip west to Dallastown in York County. This was our third consecutive year with Dallastown as a non-league opponent, by some strange quirk in the schedule this was the second straight season we traveled to their gym. It was on this very day eleven months earlier in this very building where Jared Kumah (arguably our best player at the time) suffered a high-school-career-ending injury, we were 4-6 at that point and won only three more the rest of the season. On this night the varsity game was a little over five minutes old when a Dallastown player went down on the opposite endline, there was close to a twenty-minute delay while an ambulance was summoned. I told Freddy (only half-kiddingly) we should never play in this gym again because it is a JINX pure and simple. The games themselves were not kind to JPM, the JV lost handily and the varsity (playing without arguably our best player right now) lost 77-56. Three players hit double figures, Eddie Bencosme led with 15, Jaloney Porter added 11 and Amir Thompson-Hanson hit for ten but the club was missing Deandre Jones, out of the lineup for one of what I call The Three "I"s. The team next plays on Friday night at home in the opening round of the annual Tipoff Tournament (which in theory should be on the season's FIRST weekend but nothing seems to be making much sense these days). On Wednesday morning Jenny and her mother were at the health campus for the long-awaited follow-up on her surgical procedure. The doctors said the healing process went exceptionally well, they also gave some guidance as to what her diet may consist of  going forward. The last three-plus weeks have been no fun for Jenny but it appears now that the worst is over. Take care, thanks for reading. 

November 28-December 1

Jenny and Helen usually visit relatives for the Thanksgiving holiday but this time around they stayed home because Jenny isn't cleared for travel just yet. Helen made a modest meal and invited me to join them, Jenny had some mashed potatoes with gravy and a small piece of pumpkin pie which all stayed down so that's a good sign. Her liquid diet ends on December 2 and she sees the doctor on the 4th. Saturday afternoon at 1:00 we were at McCaskey as the bell rang on the new basketball season, the Red Tornado hosted Penn Wood from suburban Philadelphia. The JV squad (with three returnees from '23-24) lost by six points, the varsity fell 61-59. Nine players appeared with five getting into the scoring column, DeAndre Jones led with 23, Avery Stauffer had 12 and JaLoney Porter had 11, Amir Thompson-Hanson (a freshman who is built like a linebacker) added nine and Adrian Rodriguez (a familiar name from the baseball diamond) scored four points in his varsity debut. There were things both good and bad to take from this game but it was only the First Game, there is a lot of ball left to play. The boys next play on the 3rd in Dallastown aka The Scene Of The Crime (see the January 3 blog entry for the reason why). We were all done by 5:00, I went to Jenny's house for the usual Saturday lunch and grocery run for Helen albeit about six hours later than normal. The final month of the year began on Sunday, the JPM football program had its annual awards banquet at a local facility with a good meal included. Take care, thanks for reading.