“The noise coming from the other locker room was unmistakable. It was the sounds of a football team that really enjoyed the first half.
“Wyoming Area is next door and they’re just laughing and giggling,” Lake-Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky said. “You could tell it’s like a scrimmage to them or a seventh and eighth grade football game.
“The kids just got fired up.”
So fired up that the Black Knights were able to erase a 26-point first-quarter deficit – which they were able to cut to 26-7 by halftime – for an improbable 42-39 victory Friday night.
Whether the comeback was the greatest in Lehman history – or the worst collapse in Wyoming Area’s – would take great research. Both schools have been playing football for four decades.
But when Nick Shelley scored on a 2-yard run on a fourth-and-goal with six seconds left, Lehman completed what was certainly one of the greatest comebacks in recent Wyoming Valley Conference history….”

In response, I have submitted the following letter to the Times Leader:

John Erzar’s September 23rd “High School Football Notebook” article entitled “Attitude Rallies Lehman” left the reader with the impression that Wyoming Area’s football team was acting in a cavalier and disrespectful manner during the halftime of its game against Lake Lehman.    I fault John Erzar for not distinguishing between Coach Gilsky’s halftime pep talk-- where he is free to use hyperbole about the other team to motivate his players--and the actual conduct of the Wyoming Area football team.    Having a son on this team, I know the coaches and players understood that  they were in a tough game at halftime.    Coach Gilsky and his players should be commended for an outstanding comeback to win the game.   However, in telling the story, there was no reason for John Erzar to use a quote that demeans the character of the players on the Wyoming Area football team. 

 Sincerely, Nick Perugini, President Wyoming Area Football Parents Association

There's a couple things I would like to elaborate on in regards to my response to John Erzar's article. First, I have nothing against the pep talk that was used by Coach Gilsky to try to motivate his team. If he said those words to his kids in the privacy of a halftime locker room--I think that's a reasonable motivational speech that any coach would make. However, for John Erzar to use those words as a quote in a newspaper article is beyond comprehension and really leads one to question his motivation. No coach in his right mind would ever want to say anything demeaning about another program in a public forum. If I were Coach Gilsky and read that quote in the paper, I would want to crawl in a hole.

The truth is, this article could have been written with the same effectiveness without the demeaning reference to the Warriors "laughing and giggling" at halftime. But for whatever reason, John Erzar felt a need to include this quote in the article. Perhaps this was his way of getting his shot in when the program was down.

It's fair game for jourmalists covering high school sports to talk about wins and losses, coaching strategies, great players and great games. It's even OK to write articles about the coaches. But when you use a quote in a newspaper article that demeans the character and integrity of a group of high school kids --I'm sorry. That crosses the line. What is particularly hurtful about this article is that we know our kids have worked hard, they compete hard, and are respectful to their opponents--so they don't deserve to be characterized in the Times Leader (Circulation of 36,000) as goons.

With all that adversity facing the team last week--How 'bout them Warriors! They made us all proud with their effort against Hanover.