It has been an interesting week on the local front. I seriously don’t know where to start. The County released their 2021 Budget on Monday. I wasn’t impressed. There were no major changes and a good bit is still missing. I won’t go into details as I am working on a future story. But I have been asking the same questions for the past “FORE” years. It is extremely frustrating.

Williamsport Area decided to bring back the students five days on Tuesday. Tough call and I really feel bad for our children. I was in attendance and had the opportunity to share my thoughts. Both sides made several valid arguments. Unfortunately, there are no right or wrong answers. This is a no-win situation. What works for me might not be ideal. I fully understand that, but I am glad our district will now give the option. Kids need to be in school full time. Williamsport is not a charter or online academy. My fingers are crossed as we continue to navigate the great unknown. I will continue to support and pray for our beautiful students, caring teachers, and administration.

Montoursville had a COVID scare and shut down completely. The decision was later overturned by a late-night emergency Board Meeting. The big game with Loyalsock was cancelled but it is now back on. Was it the right move? It is hard to say, and only time will tell. Unprecedented week and with all kinds of emotions. This is crazy. My thoughts go out to the coaches and players of both teams. What’s next?

Lucas Naughton and I have been friends for many years. The little big guy and I share a love of many things. Our relationship started when he hit his first homerun. We were in Renovo, PA and I rewarded him with an Original Rooster Tail. Lucas is a few months older than my son and he is a young baseball stud. They both play for Hepburn Lycoming. Baseball is his life.

Lucas is one of the best in the area. He hit 12 homers in the modified regular season. Many of them were bombs and some ended up in Lycoming Creek. Young Naughton is solid. He is built like a tank and is extremely athletic. He plays all of the positions but prefers to do the catching. Lucas travels all over as he plays on several teams. COVID postponed many tournaments, but he still got in several games.

“We had plans to play in Cooperstown and Ohio,” Lucas explained. “But many of them were canceled because of the pandemic. We still played as much as we could. I was with a local team and we did really good.”

Naughton put on a show here recently. He was on fire in the 2020 Little League Home Run Derby at WALL. Lucas’ tallies were some of the nation’s bests. He hit 45 homers in front of a large crowd. His dad did all the pitching and Lucas found his groove. I don’t have the final numbers, but his performance is in the top ten.

“I was nervous,” Lucas continued. “But once I hit a few I started feeling better. We had a few three-minute rounds to hit as many homeruns as I could. I tried to block out the crowd and I was pleased with my numbers.”

Congrats to Lucas who is pictured above. He is joined by his family. Scott, Dana and James. Proud of you kid. Remember me when you get older. Cheers.