Pride of the Poconos Podcast

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally here! The boys make their last picks of the season to determine once and for all who is worthy of the crown. Personally I think these thoroughbreds are all deserving of the crown...but that would be a triple crown, and that's clearly the wrong sport and the wrong metaphor.  

This week on Pocono Record's Wild Kingdom, Mike talks about the stalking patterns of the rare Twitter hyena, Shawn delivers some unimpeachable logic and Zach explores the odd behavior of a threatened Gase.  

In a very special episode of the Pride of the Poconos Podcast we discuss, physics, math, boxing, meteorology, trivia, thinly veiled threats, whisky, decimals and catcher's mitts... and we also discuss football picks. 

We are barreling towards the end of the season and the boys are in rare form as they start picking prop bets to fill out the cards. I won't say who, but two of them have no faith in 'Saint Nick.' You'll have to listen to find out who they are though. 

East Stroudsburg North boys basketball coach Adam Holtzer joins Zach to talk about his upcoming game with his life-long rival and brother Kris Holtzer, head coach of Delaware Valley's boys basketball team, to be played at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY. 

Zach, Mike and Shawn spar over their picks as Zach remains in the lead after a particularly troublesome week. 

Mike, Zach, and Shawn convene to make their predictions for the coming week in football. This time we find Zach squarely in the lead... [wait, is this right? Are you sure? I really don't want to have to print a correction... Oooookayyy...] With Zach inexplicably in the lead it really goes to show that it is truly anybody's game, and this week, that game is baseball as Mike makes one of his epic cross-sports analogies. Also, in an effort to retake his dynasty, Shawn has been flipping through his Rolodex... [Seriously guys?  No one knows what a Rolodex is anymore!] of athletic trainers and team doctors to find some inside info and give him a much needed edge.  

Stroudsburg's new head boys basketball coach Matt Gallagher sits down with Zach and special guest Jon DeJesus, former head boys basketball coach at East Strousburg North and current assistant coach at Blair Academy for a talk about the nuts and bolts of high school basketball and the history that the coaches share in Monroe county. 

The boys are glad that that insipid lens slinger isn't actually part of the contest after he bested them all last week, but they continue unbowed and undeterred. This week Mike continues his tradition of mixing sporting metaphors by comparing Alabama to Tiger Woods, Shawn licks his wounds and starts picking his line to regain the lead, and Zach sticks to his guns in spite of overwhelming evidence that (at least) one of his picks is ill-advised. 

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Shawn takes a sharp drop in the rankings as Mike takes the Lead and Zach sneaks into second place. Will this be a temporary setback or is Shawn's dynasty in peril? 

Holy Cow! Mike has caught up to Shawn "The King" Suchy and now they are tied for the lead! But this week, Mike's own better judgement has caught up to him and he has to pick against his own team to maintain his momentum. Zach has no such judgement, and predictably makes a homer pick, but could this strategy make this a true three-way battle for the lead?  (shakes Magic 8 Ball) ..."signs point to no." 

Mike takes a bye week and leaves Shawn and Zach alone on the mics. If Mike was here though he would likely compare them to a pair of playful mice. But don't worry, he did phone his picks in. And since he has whittled down Shawn's lead substantially we're all paying close attention to make sure those picks don't somehow disappear. Also, with one of our local high school teams moving forward in the playoffs the boys (Keith included) can honestly say that they are all rooting for the "Purple and White."   

This week as has become customary, Mike compares special teams to billiards, Shawn makes a strategic pick to try and extend his lead over Mike, and Zach holds out hope that his picks will pan out... but knows in his heart that they won't. 

This week Shawn tries to finagle Zach and Mike into committing to a very embarrassing wager when Washington faces the Giants. Then, continuing with his previous transportation theme, Mike compares a defense to a double-decker bus.  And Zach begins his weekly struggle to come up with unique euphemisms to describe his position in the rankings.    

It's time once again for Zach, Shawn and Mike to cast their eyes to the future and see if they can forecast the coming week in football. This week Mike compares a quarterback with a new car, Shawn gets to partake in a modicum of cheerful gloating and Zach calls shenanigans on some suspicious luck from the uninformed photographer. 

Pleasant Valley girls soccer coach Derek Strohl and boys soccer coach Alex Wunder join Zach to recap their seasons and preview their team’s chances in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference playoffs, which begin Tuesday, Oct. 16.

Mike, Zach, and Shawn learn a valuable lesson about friendship, team pride, and that Washington vs. Oregon State is the game of the week, at least according to Shawn. 

The brief supremacy of one photographer's uninformed picks is shattered thanks to Zach's mathematical acumen. The gang also determine whether Stroudsburg or Northampton will win and roll to the EPC North division title while hashing out what teams can keep their momentum rolling as the postseason nears.

Wow! It's Episode 50! That's halfway to 100! Not that Zach would know, given his aptitude in math... Anyway, this week the boys decide that, "The Saints are pretty okay" (dibs on the t-shirt rights for that), Shawn tries to goad Zach into picking his own team to win, and Mike turns the screws on Shawn's Green Bay pride. 

Shawn, Mike and Shawn consider the cursed nature of the Washington Redskin's FedEx Field, decide whether Aaron Rogers should take a short vacation, and make some tough choices in this edition of our football picks.

East Stroudsburg North graduate Lorenzo Melchiorre joins Zach to discuss his professional football career in both Spain and Italy as well as his time with the Timberwolves and American International College.

Mike, Shawn and Zach hash out another round of football picks. This week, the boys decide who's taking home the 'Little Brown Jug' in the 74th edition of the Stroudsburg vs. East Stroudsburg South rivalry. And for the first time amateur football-picker and professional photographer Keith R. Stevenson sneaks in his picks at the end.

Shawn, Mike and Zach toss around the chances of a Cleveland Browns breakout season, cautiously consider the trajectory of the New York Giants, and mostly agree that while Mike may be leading at the moment, anything can happen in the coming weeks. 

The boys dust off the microphones and give some sneak peeks at their football previews for the new season where Zach, Shawn and Mike each give their take on the strengths and struggles for our local teams.

Mike Kuhns and Shawn Suchy rejoin Zach to discuss the best sports stories from the 2017-18 school year. From Greg Bensley’s impressive performance on the wrestling mats to Rachel Wesselius’ win over thyroid cancer, plus all the surprises inbetween. They also look ahead to next season and make their best guesses on what we might see.

Zach catches up with Kyle Petty following his Americana Tour charity ride which made its way through the Poconos and snags some insider insight into how the next race at Pocono might play out.

East Stroudsburg South track coach Barry Krammes drops by and two-time Olympian Sean Furey joins via phone to talk to Zach about JavFest at East Stroudsburg High School South which is coming up this weekend.

Pocono Raceway president Ben May joins Record Sports Writer Zach Sturniolo to preview this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at "The Tricky Triangle" on June 3. May also discusses his role within the community at the United Way of Monroe County and his journey to Pennsylvania via Alabama and North Carolina.

Stroudsburg High School graduate and East Stroudsburg University heptathlon star Aspen Gaita joins Zach to share her experiences about coming back to her roots in the Poconos.

ES South graduate and former Washington Redskins defensive back Kyshoen Jarrett discusses a new football camp he’s bringing to Monroe County as well as his foundation, DGC Inspires, and life since injuring his right arm in the last game of the Redskins’ 2015 season.

NBC Sports analyst Kyle Petty becomes our first NASCAR guest as he joins Zach to discuss the 24th anniversary of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride. This year, on May 6, the ride will stop in at Mount Airy Casino Resort on its way down the east coast from Portland, Maine. Kyle reveals his inspiration for the ride, the celebrities that will join him this year and how Victory Junction Camp benefits.

In our 37th episode in a row Zach sits down with a man whose voice requires no introduction, Chuck Seese of WSBG, ESPN 840 and the voice of the ESU Warriors. They talk road trips, radio, and giving back to the community before a surprise guest host appears to add to the candid conversation.

In this very special episode of the podcast, Zach interviews Rich Laverdure and Bill Reese about the Perryman Keglovits All-Star basketball games. We get into the story behind the annual community event and the good work that it helps support.

In this episode of the Pride of the Poconos Podcast, East Stroudsburg South boys basketball head coach Shawn Munford and Pocono Mountain West boys basketball head coach Rich Williams join Zach for some pre-game jabs, some real talk and of course give a bit of a preview of what they expect to see during their District 11 semifinal game on Wednesday. Follow us on Twitter @PoconoPodcast for news on upcoming episodes For live coverage of the game follow Zach @ZachStur

East Stroudsburg South boys basketball coach Shawn Munford joins Zach to discuss the Cavs' impressive start to the postseason and what his team has to do to score a win over Allentown Central Catholic in the EPC semifinals.

East Stroudsburg North girls basketball coach Carly Gallagher and assistant coach Cori Gallagher join Zach to talk about a very special week for the Gallagher family. Carly and her older sister, Kelsey, will be inducted to the East Stroudsburg Area School District Hall of Fame Friday, and Carly and Cori take time to reflect on their athletic careers as both players and coaches.

All hail the King! Once again Shawn defended his crown to extend his reign for a third season! He is so far ahead that he could have taken the week off and still won. But he's no quitter! Mike and Zach begrudgingly cede to King Suchy, but they hope to bruise his ego a tad by beating him in the final week. Will the Patriots deflate the Eagles dreams, or will Philadelphia choke out New England? Listen to find out what the boys think!

East Stroudsburg South guards Greg Eck and Jeremiah Anderson sit down with Zach to talk about the beginning of their team's exceptional season and what makes their team tick.

Lawdy! The boys are in rare form today! In a very special episode of the Pride of the Poconos Podcast, Shawn makes an impassioned plea in support of the Philadelphia Eagles but Mike and Zach aren't buying it. Zach learns the true meaning of "exhibition game" and a mild-mannered photographer drinks the Philly Kool-ade. Follow us on Twitter @PoconoPodcast The Pride of the Poconos Podcast is: Zach Sturniolo @Zachstur Mike Kuhns @Mike_Kuhns Shawn Suchy @SMSuch and is produced by Keith R. Stevenson @PoconoStevenson

It's all NFL all the time with the national college football championship decided and the boys... Wait, what is this? Zach won last week? Is that why everything is frozen over? Well anyway the boys will be picking some prop picks in addition to making some tough and not so tough decisions for this week. Mike and Shawn enter into a 'friendly' side bet which might leave Shawn streaming re-runs of Gilmore Girls instead of football games.

The boys are getting more in-depth with their picks now adding and over and under for the scores. After Shawn’s amazing run last week will Mike’s subtle end run play make a winner out of him? Shawn is dubious and Zach can’t cope. 

Stroudsburg High School girls basketball coach Matt Field, along with senior captains Angie Byra and Tamia Hines sit down in the Pocono Record studio to talk about commitment, teamwork and family. Follow the podcast @poconopodcast

It's college bowl week and the boys get down to brass tacks before Mike considers applying for a new job as head coach for the Cleveland Browns, Shawn calls for a 'titantic' upset and Zach vies for the "Toilet Bowl's" Golden Plunger trophy. The Pride of the Poconos Podcast is: Zach Sturniolo @zachstur Mike Kuhns @Mike_Kuhns Shawn Suchy @SMSuch  Keith R. Stevenson @PoconoStevenson

In this episode Shawn delights in pointing out the 'double-digit' gap between second and third place in their 'friendly' competition, Mike hopes that Army will be all that they can be, and Zach is full of holiday cookies.

Notre Dame East Stroudsburg boys basketball co-coaches Bob Mullen and Mark Allison join Zach for a look at their individual paths to NDES basketball and share insight into what makes a solid team tick.

In this week's episode we discover that Mike has lost his trust in many, many teams, Shawn "minces words" regarding the Seahawks and Zach seemingly takes the advice of a mild-mannered photographer who primarily makes his picks based on team colors.

The one where Shawn uses his 10 point lead as a bulkhead to make some head-scratching picks and we discover just how deep his distain for the Vikings truly goes, Mike uses his Editor Mind Tricks to get Zach to pick the Jaguars, and we learn a valuable lesson about how to pick between two horrible pies. www.poconorecord.com @PoconoPodcast @ZachStur @Mike_Kuhns @SMSuch @PoconoStevenson

Zach is back up on the mountain to sit down with former Pocono Mountain West boys basketball coach Brad Pensyl and incoming boys basketball coach Rich Williams. They talk about memories, influences and the future of the program at Pocono Mountain West as well as an exploration of the reviled 'Seatbelt Rule'

The one where Eli gets benched. While Zach is perplexed by Eli's new seating arrangement, Shawn is caught off guard and proceeds to go out on a very shaky limb with his picks. Will he climb back down the tree with delicious fruit or fall past Mike and Zach in his hubris? Only time will tell. (But let's be honest. We're not even sure if Zach is still on the tree.)

On a very special episode of The Pride of the Poconos: Zach is back and on the attack! But after falling so far behind it's getting harder for Mike and Shawn to notice he's back there. Mike and Zach consider vicarious (and ill-advised) gridiron action to defend the honor of their teams. And Shawn learns a valuable lesson about how not all Bretts are created equal.

Two days late and one Zach short, Mike and Shawn suss out the coming week and take the opportunity to poke fun at Zach's NY Giants while he's not there to defend them. Follow us on Twitter @PoconoPodcast for info on upcoming episodes! For more local sports and news coverage visit  PoconoRecord.com