Gary Laub quoted recently retired Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald when asked to describe his feelings about leaving the Saucon Valley baseball program after leading the Panthers for eight seasons, including the 2020 COVID-ruined campaign.
“I’m full,” Laub said.
Donald also said he felt complete and satisfied and those also were the sentiments of Laub, who led Saucon Valley to a 109-52 record. His teams never missed the District 11 tournament and won three district titles and made three state tournament appearances including each of the past three seasons.
His 2024 squad finished 13-10 and won the District 11 3A title on a no-hitter by star pitcher Cole Hubert. Laub’s career ended with a 4-3, nine-inning loss to Trinity in the first round of the state tournament.
“It was a great experience,” said Laub, who spent eight years as the head coach and 13 with the program overall. “I was with Phil Sams and when he wanted to get into football, I took over the baseball program. It’s funny because I always wanted to do this when I was younger and the opportunity just wasn’t right. But about 13 years ago, Phil gave me a call and asked if I wanted to help out and I started as a volunteer and then I was assistant and then the head coach.”
Laub wasted no time in describing the high point of his tenure. It was the 2023 season when the Panthers won the district championship and two PIAA games before losing 5-4 to Camp Hill in the state semifinals. That Saucon team finished 24-4.
“Having that group of kids and working with them and seeing them get better and mature each year was something special,” he said. “A lot of them … moved on to play college baseball.”
Laub said he doesn’t know the exact number of his players who have moved on to college baseball but estimated there’s at least a dozen kids who went on to the next level.
“I’ll be honest in saying prior to that there weren’t that many,” he said. “There were a few years where baseball was a secondary thought for a lot of kids at Saucon. We had some tough times culture-wise convincing them to play. One time a bunch of kids wanted to go on a senior trip rather than play a baseball. That was the mindset of a lot of kids.
“When you get to the end of the year, a lot of them just wanted to get to graduation and move on to the next part of their lives. A postseason run wasn’t something in their plans, but we were able to change that mindset in recent years.”
Laub said that for the most part he worked with great kids.
“We had that little interruption with COVID in 2020, but we had some great kids and successful teams,” he said. “It’s great when kids you coach want to come back and be a part of the program and we had guys like Josh Hein and Nick Millets come back. That’s kind of special that they thought that much of your program to want to come back.”
Laub expects the Saucon program to remain competitive with Hubert back for one more season.
“We only lose four players from this year’s squad,” he said. “We lose our shortstop, our first baseman, our DH and right fielder. Out of those kids, Karter Beller, who was primarily our shortstop, was the only one who pitched. So a lot of the kids who pitched for us early on this season will be back and they’ll be more mature and a little stronger and be ready to have good seasons. I think the team is set up to have a nice season.”
Laub will be watching as he moves into a different phase of his life. He’s also retiring from teaching. He spent the last 21 years as a science teacher at Parkland High School and has been working in education for 31 years.
Jahrel Vigo gets honor
Allentown Central Catholic standout basketball player Jahrel Vigo has been selected to play on the Puerto Rican 17 & under national team. The rising senior is currently at training camp in San Juan.
The team travels to Spain later this week for preliminary competition and then will be in Turkey from June 25-July 8 for the 17U world championships.
Vigo, one of the most dynamic players in local basketball, was The Morning Call rookie of the year in 2021-22 and has been an all-area selection the last two years.
Last year, he averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game and went over 1,000 career points in a state playoff win over School of the Future. He finished season with 1,029 points. He was a first-team all-EPC selection and helped the Vikings go 21-7 and win the District 11 4A title.
Whitehall sign language
It was a banner year for Whitehall High School athletics. The Zephyrs won District 11 titles in baseball, boys soccer, field hockey, football and softball and had individual district champs in Thomas Lloyd in the javelin during track season, Ian Thomas in the 50 and 100 freestyle during swimming season and Ruth Rivera in a wrestling.
And then you had special moments like Jack Kocher who was a three-sport athlete, shining in football, wrestling and volleyball. Kocher ended his volleyball career by moving up to No. 2 on the school’s all-time kills list this season with more than 1,000 kills. Kids such as Kocher deserve credit for even attempting to participate in multiple sports considering the time involved with each.
The measure of any athletic program also includes the number of student-athletes who are going on to the next level and late in the school year the Zephyrs held a signing ceremony to salute those will compete in college. That list includes, in alphabetical order:
Daniel Bahnan, football, Eastern University;Alexis Barhoum, volleyball, Penn State-Lehigh Valley;Braden Bashore, football, Misericordia;Tony Bullock, football, Albright;Andrew Deutsch, football, Muhlenberg;Trey Dogmanits, football, Wilkes;Morgan Dunbar, basketball, Penn State-Berks;Emma Granger, volleyball, Moravian;Ethan Guzenski, football, Millersville;Tessa Hopkins, track and field, Moravian;Archer Hunsicker, football, Ursinus;Luke Keppel, basketball, DeSales;Samantha Kern, soccer, Cedar Crest;Jack Kocher, football, Susquehanna;Evan Kovalcik, baseball, East Stroudsburg;Romello Leibensperger, wrestling, Misericordia;Siena Meli, softball, Felician University;Kendra Musselman, swimming, Marywood;Kassidy Nester, softball, Penn State-Mont Alto;Ethan Ringenberger, basketball, Northampton Community College;Ruth Rivera, wrestling, East Stroudsburg University; Aaron Stinner, swimming, Providence; Ian Thomas, track and field, Bryant; Ryan Tran, wrestling, Kings; Kaden Weaver, football, Kutztown; Ella Weber, soccer, Hartwick; Dalton Wickel, football, Widener.
Oldtimers event
The 43rd edition of the Lehigh Valley Oldtime Athletes and Friends Reunion on June 2 at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds drew one of the biggest crowds in years. The return indoors to the fairgrounds seemed to be a popular move.
“The attendance was up by 35 people to 160 and that means we’re going to be able to give more money to our local chairities,” president Gene Legath, a longtime area football coach, said. “We give to The Miracle League of Northampton County and Make-A-Wish Foundation and Special Olympics and the Boys and Girls Clubs. After COVID, everything was down, but now we’re going in the right direction.”
Legath said that it’s a tradition for many former athletes, coaches, officials and fans to attend.
“We have people coming in here with walkers and they can barely stand, but they want to be here,” Legath said. “They talk about old war stories and it makes them feel young again. For a few hours, they’re high school kids again. Those were the best times of our lives and we relive them here. That’s why we keep this going because it keeps the young spirit in your heart alive. Just to hear these guys talk, smile and laugh, it brings me great joy.”
Legath said that while many of the legends who used to attend the event, people such as Bruce Trotter, J. Milo Sewards, John Donmoyer, and Fritz Halfacre, are gone, the organization wants to keep the tradition going by bringing in younger folks.
The next reunion will be held on the first Sunday in June in 2025.
