“I’m glad the process ended the way it did.  I’m very excited to start the next chapter of my life.,” said Reber.

By signing his letter of intent, Satchell will become the third brother in his family to play collegiate football.  Satchell also seemed very excited for the academic opportunities attending Georgetown will offer.

“It shows football does have an avenue for a good education,” said Satchell.

The day culminated a long process of recruitment for the three athletes.  Regan seemed eager to work hard heading into his college career in both football and academics.

“I think Bucknell will give me many great opportunities.  But in the end, I’ll go as far as my hard work takes me,” said Regan.

From left to right: Satchell, Regan and Reber pose before signing their letters.

This is all a Cougars fan needs see to remember one of the all-time great games when East took down top-ranked Eastern at Eastern in overtime, 60-58. This was one of those games that could be labeled an instant classic.

The first quarter was evenly matched for both teams. Gary Hettinger (’13) started the scoring with two free throws. Eastern scored down five straight points, but their run was halted by a Schlessel three which tied the game. The Cougars were down 11-8 towards the end of the quarter, but Hank Davis (’13) hit a three to tie the game at 11 to end the scoring in the quarter.

The second quarter started with a Gurkin bucket on which he was fouled and made the free throw to give the Cougars a three-point lead. Schlessel heated up in the second, as he hit two threes, the second of which put the Cougars a 22-15 lead. The Cougars led 24-19 as they went into their last possession in the half. Jake Silpe (’15) handled the ball as the Cougars readied to take the shot when he encountered some tough defense and momentarily lost control of the ball on the ground. However, with about two seconds remaining he regained control of the ball on the floor and passed it to Davis who drained a three to give the Cougars the 27-19 lead heading into the locker room.

The Cougars picked right up where they left off to start the third, scoring the first five points of the quarter on two Schlessel free throws and a Schlessel three. However, Eastern refused to go away despite the Cougars’ strongest efforts. After a Davis layup gave the Cougars a 38-27 lead, the Vikings scored four straight points. Then, Gurkin scored on a nice feed from Silpe to give the Cougars a nine-point lead. The Vikings answered mightily as they pressured the Cougar offense which caused troubles. Eastern scored six straight points to end the quarter as the Cougars held a slim three-point lead heading into the fourth.

Gurkin started the fourth quarter with a bang as he rejected an Eastern player which led to a Schlessel layup on the other end to give the Cougars a 42-37 lead. With 5:50 left and the Cougars leading 42-39, Gurkin hit a beautiful hook which elicited an electric reaction from the crowd. After another Eastern bucket, Schlessel hit a floater to keep the lead at five. After yet another Eastern basket, Schlessel hit another floater to give East the four-point lead at 48-44. Eastern then went on a 5-0 run to take a 49-48 lead. With 1:06 left, Eastern hit a free throw to extend the lead to two. The Cougars answered back, as Silpe took it to the hole himself, hitting a leaner to tie the game at 50. However, Eastern scored on their next possession, making the Cougars’ hopes look dim. With only about 10 seconds left, Silpe had the ball in his hands to determine the outcome of the game. As he drove into the lane and put the ball up to the basket, his shot missed. However, Gurkin made a spectacular play to tie the game up at 52 by tipping the ball into the basket on the rebound with only two seconds left. It appeared as though the clock had run out during regulation and the game would be going to overtime. However, Eastern was granted one last chance by the officials as two seconds were added onto the clock. Eastern missed the last-second desperation heave, so the game went into overtime.

If it seemed as though the game could not get any more exciting, it did in overtime. The extra session started off slow, but an Eastern travel with 3:18 left allowed Schlessel to hit a three for the Cougars on the ensuing possession to give the Cougars the 55-52 advantage. Eastern responded by knocking down two free throws on the next possession to cut the lead to one. Eastern hit another layup to take the late lead at 56-55. Then, Gurkin responded right away by hitting a huge three from the top of the key to give the Cougars a 58-56 lead. Eastern responded once again by hitting a shot from a very close distance after a mad scramble for the basketball to tie the game at 58. The Cougars failed to take the lead on the ensuing possession, so Eastern had the opportunity to win the game as they inbounded the ball with 20.3 seconds left. The Vikings missed a wide open three which would have given them the late lead with about seven seconds left. It looks as though the game will head into double overtime. Well, Jake Gurkin, Jesse Gold and Marc Schlessel had something different to say about that. Gurkin gathered in the rebound off the miss with four seconds remaining. He passed the ball quickly to Gold who displayed the vision of a true quarterback in gunning the ball downcourt into the arms of a streaking Schlessel who was open heading towards the basket. Schlessel caught the ball gracefully as he laid it in the net to give the Cougars the win. A sea of red flooded onto the court to celebrate. Game. Set. Match. 60-58. Cougars win one of the greatest high school basketball games anyone in attendance has ever seen.

Player of the Game: The whole game was unreal, a case could be made for everyone. Schlessel with his 27 points and the heads-up play on the winning basket by speeding downcourt and having the discipline to still hit the shot, Gurkin for his 17 points and 10 rebounds, Gold for his unbelievable pass on the winning play and Davis for his huge eight points off the bench and the buzzer-beater to end the first half.

Bottom Line: Everyone wins.

Key Stats

Schlessel-27 points

Gurkin-17 points, 10 rebounds

Davis-8 points

Who to Start:

QB Philip Rivers (SD) vs. OAK: The Chargers are mad. They’re gonna want to play hard for Norv Turner, who will likely be fired after the game. The Raiders have a very bad defense, and the Chargers badly want to play spoiler. This is a good combination for Rivers and the Chargers.

RB C.J Spiller (BUF) vs. NE: He’s finally showing why the Bills drafted him so high last year, with good performances against Miami and Denver. He should have another one against the bad Patriots defense, no matter what the situation.

WR Hakeem Nicks (NYG) vs. DAL: Both of the teams in the NFC East title game have horrible defenses, but I’d feel more confident in Nicks because his QB situation is more stable. He should have a big game Sunday night.

TE Brent Celek (PHI) vs. WSH: He’s enjoyed a nice resurgence this season, and that should continue against a terrible Redskins defense that lost to Joe Webb and Toby Gerhart last weekend.

DEF Atlanta vs. TB: Tampa Bay has lost nine in a row, and they haven’t looked very good in any of those games. Atlanta may or may not have anything to play for, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a good matchup.

Who to Sit:

QB Joe Flacco (BAL) vs. CIN: He’s struggled at points this season, including last week against Cleveland.  The Bengals have plenty of motivation for this Sunday, and their defense has been very stout for most of the year

RB Shonn Greene (NYJ) vs. MIA:  The Dolphins surprisingly rank third in the NFL against the run, and they should do a good job stopping the inconsistent Jets running attack, led by Greene.

WR Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. CLE: Despite being the Steelers team MVP this season, he won’t have the best of luck against a stout Cleveland secondary, even if Big Ben plays.

TE Kellen Winslow (TB) vs. ATL: He just hasn’t played very well all season, and he hasn’t been a featured option in the Bucs arsenal. Even in PPR leagues, he’s still not a very viable start this week.

DEF Cincinnati vs. BAL: Fantasy-wise, this defense hasn’t been the best unit out there, as they aren’t a very high scoring fantasy defense. The Ravens have the potential to spoil the Bengals postseason party, so watch out for this unit.

Super Sleeper:

QB Dan Orlovsky (IND) vs. JAX: If you’re VERY desperate, Orlovsky may be the start for you. He’s had a very good last two weeks, and the Jaguars defense is so banged up, that many players don’t even know the guys behind them. Orlovsky has a chance to light up the injured Jags defense.

Buyer Beware:

TE Vernon Davis (SF) vs. STL: Can you believe that as bad as the Rams are, they are very good defending the tight end? Neither can I, but if you have Vernon Davis starting, you may want to.

Good Luck in Week 17, and I hope you have enjoyed these columns all season long. Through the playoffs, I’ll be writing previews for each of the 11 games through the postseason, so you don’t want to miss those.

NOTE: Unless indicated, all games on Saturday.

Who to Start:

QB Rex Grossman (WSH) vs. MIN: He may not be the greatest option available, but he sure has plenty of people singing his fantasy praises, mainly because he’s facing the absolutely dreadful Vikings secondary. He had a good game against a bad Giants secondary last week, and he may have an even better game this Sunday.

RB Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) vs. STL: If Big Ben doesn’t play, his stock goes up even higher, but regardless, he’ll have a huge game against the simply awful St. Louis defense, which seems to get torched every other week.

WR Dwayne Bowe (KC) vs. OAK: Without a decent QB under center, he was left for dead as a decent fantasy starter. But with Orton starting and with Kansas City playing the Raiders secondary that gets torched every week, he should have a huge game this Sunday.

WR Santonio Holmes (NYJ) vs. NYG: The Jets have to win this Sunday, and it may be the most important game in Mark Sanchez’s career. He’s facing a terrible Giants secondary, so Sanchez could have a big game, and his favorite target Santonio Holmes should too.

TE Brent Celek (PHI) vs. DAL: He’s had a renaissance as a fantasy option this season, and he should continue to have huge success, especially playing the listless Dallas defense. He also had a huge game against Dallas back in Week 8 which started his turn upward.

DEF Tennessee vs. JAX: The Jaguars offense has been offensive this season, and the Titans have to win this game in order to stay in the playoff hunt. The Titans are also ticked off after losing to Indy last week, so they may play with increased fervor against a bad Jaguars team.

Who to Sit:

QB Eli Manning (NYG) vs. NYJ: I know he’s the 3rd best passer in the NFL in terms of yards this season, but he will have trouble against the Jets secondary, even though they got torched by the Eagles last week. The interceptions are probably going to be killer for Eli.

RB Peyton Hillis (CLE) vs. BAL: He’s been a mainstay in the “sit” column for weeks now, and that won’t change against the Ravens, who are mad after their bad loss in San Diego and haven’t lost at home all season.

WR Brandon Lloyd (STL) vs. PIT: It really doesn’t matter who starts under center for the Rams, it’s not going to be pretty for them on Saturday against the Steelers, who don’t give up much of anything on defense. Lloyd might as well be on the waiver wire.

WR Pierre Garcon (IND) vs. HOU: The Texans secondary has been awesome this season, and it will be tough for Dan Orlovsky to throw the ball down the field against this very good Texans secondary. The Colts will have trouble on a short week against the AFC South champs (I know, right? Houston winning anything…)

TE Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. TB: Sometimes he has big games, other times he’s totally invisible, and he probably will be invisible this Saturday. It looks like Jeremy Shockey has become the number one target for Cam Newton at the TE position, so Olsen looks like one to bench.

DEF Chicago vs. GB SUN: I know it’s hard to bench the Bears defense right now, but going up against the angry Packers team right now, it doesn’t bode well for them. The Bears are essentially sacrificial lambs this week against Green Bay.

3 Super Sleepers:

QB Matt Moore (MIA) vs. NE: It’s no secret that the Patriots secondary is terrible, and Matt Moore may be able to feast on it on Saturday. The Dolphins have won 5 of 7, and they are playing well, and with Matt Moore looking good, he could be a decent sleeper option if you don’t have a better one.

WR Demariyus Thomas (DEN) vs. BUF: The Bills secondary has been ravaged by injuries, and with Tebow Time coming into town, Thomas could have a big game against the Bills who have lost 7 in a row since their 5-2 start.

TE Jared Cook (TEN) vs. JAX: The Jags have been torched all season by Tight Ends, and that probably will continue with Jared Cook on Saturday. He should see plenty of targets this weekend, and should have a big game.

Buyer Beware:

RB Marshawn “Skittles” Lynch (SEA) vs. SF: Obviously, he has had huge games in the past couple of weeks, but remember this when playing him: San Francisco has not allowed a rushing TD all season. Lynch may go into beast mode, but not do anything against the stout SF defense.

Good Luck in Week 16 and Happy Holidays!

“We were trying to work on limiting turn-overs,” said captain Marc Schlessel (’12). “We have to get some chemistry, and that will come with playing more. We were successful with that today.”

The next scrimmage is Wednesday, December 14 against Paul VI, one of the best teams in the district, where East will have the opportunity to further set the standard for the rest of the season.

“There’s some crispness we can improve on for the rest of the season,” Schlessel said.