Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Bob Ide
Talking Syracuse men's b-ball with Gerry McNamara, Crestwood-Dallas football preview and more
Gerry's at the helm: FOX56's Bob Ide and WVIA's Roger DuPuis are in the podcast studio this week previewing the Syracuse men's basketball season. We'll hear from new coach Gerry McNamara ahead of the team's home opener, as well as thoughts on his Scranton fanbase. Friday Night Rivals: Bob reviews his top 10 teams and previews the FNR high school football game of the week, Crestwood at Dallas.
Friday Night Rivals game of the week: Abington Heights at Scranton Prep, plus college ball, WBS Penguins opener
Roger DuPuis is in the WVIA podcast studio with FOX56's Bob Ide, looking ahead to the Oct. 2 Friday Night Rivals high school football game of the week: Abington Heights at Scranton Prep. Bob also runs down his FNR Top 10, and in local college football previews Saturday's matchup between Bloomsburg and Lackawanna College.
Friday Night Rivals week four: Lake-Lehman at Hanover Area, plus PSU vs. Wisconsin and more
WVIA's Roger DuPuis and FOX56 Sports Director Bob Ide are in the WVIA podcast studio looking ahead to this week's Friday Night Rivals game: Lake-Lehman at Hanover Area. It's a Wyoming Valley Conference crossover game, with Hanover Area in District 2 and Lake-Lehman in District 3. Lake-Lehman has a new coach, Mike Mully Jr. They beat Mid Valley in the first game of the year — their only win so far, Bob notes. "They run a Wing-T offense ...
Williamsport's Fagnano shines in Ravens-Eagles preseason win, plus Friday Night Rivals Top 5
Williamsport native Joe Fagnano made his NFL debut Saturday night, throwing for 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 24-7 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles. We'll hear from Fagnano this week as Roger and Bob talk football in the WVIA podcast studio. "Being an undrafted guy opportunities may come, they may not come. I'm just looking to be ready when they do," Fagnano, 25, said.
RailRiders to change name, high school football Friday Night Rivals preseason poll debuts
What’s in a name? Roger and Bob are in the WVIA podcast studio this week, talking about the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ decision to rebrand the team starting in 2027. Also this week: High school football season is upon us, and Bob kicks off his Friday Night Rivals high school football top 10 preseason poll with a quick look at teams 6 to 10.
Scranton summer basketball, Jenkins Township Little League, Notre Dame football preview
Summer basketball has ended in Scranton. Bob is with Roger in the WVIA podcast studio, and we'll hear what Jaylen Alers and Michael Chalk about their victories and the regular season to come. Also this week, Bob talks with Jenkins Township Little League VP Jeremy Collins about the volunteer effort that has gone into hosting the Pennsylvania Little League Baseball State Championship Tournament, which kicked off this week.
Pens win streak at six
Wilkes Barre- Scranton forward Aiden McDonough has found his footing with the Penguins. After a broken leg with charlotte last season kept him out for a majority the last season, the 26 year signed an ahl contract and now leads the team with 39 points. He has scored a goal in 5 of the last 6 games. Aidan McDonough/ WBS Penguins Forward says, “I think it's been a bit of a growth process from the start of the year.
De Los Santos wins Figured Law Scholarship
bob Ide says, Scranton Prep ,Anthony de Los Santos, you are the winner of the Figured law firm, High school hoops on WQMY-TV. $3,000 scholarship. Congratulations. Anthony De Los Santos, Figured Law Firm-HSH, scholar winner(Scranton Prep), says, “ Means a lot to me I put a lot of work into what I do, especially with academics and sports. I have always been a hard worker. Always to keep hard, working hard. But, especially now in the future. So to get this scholarship to me, it's like everything.
Mazzante named Lady Lions Assistant
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball head coach Tanisha Wright has announced the addition of Lady Lion legend Kelly Mazzante as an assistant coach on her staff. Mazzante and Wright played together for three seasons (2001-04) for the Lady Lions. She returns to Penn State with 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, including her most recent three-year stint at Georgetown. “I am thrilled to welcome Kelly back home to Happy Valley with me,” said Wright.
Railriders start with talented team
The batting cage at Thursday's Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders workout is popping. With Left handed major league hitters like Jason Dominquez and Spencer Jones hitting long ball after long ball. Add Max Schuemann from the A’s and Yankee Oswaldo Cabrera off injury and this opening day lineup is stacked. Shelley Duncan, SWB RailRiders Manager says, “ We have a really, really good team this year on paper to start.
Railriders back North
Thu, March 26, 2026 at 7:23 AM WOLF - 017b07a8-3afe-4810-ad81-50eee374e126.png The Scranton/Wilkes Barre Railriders are back in Pennsylvania after an extended spring training. While the entire team is not at PNC field yet. 4th year Manager Shelly Duncan ran through some drills today with those who made the trip North. Shelly Duncan, SWB Railriders manager says, “ It's extremely exciting being back. I was driving in the last night.
Gerry McNamara new Syracuse coach
One of Syracuse University's most celebrated alumni is coming home. The University today announced that Gerry McNamara '06, a member of the 2003 National Championship-winning team, has been named head coach of the men's basketball program. A Scranton, Pennsylvania, native, McNamara returns to lead the storied program where his legendary career began, following two seasons as head coach at Siena University where he engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Division I basketball.
Old Forge comes up short in state finals
The last time Old Forge won a state championship, Herbert Hoover was the President of the United Stares, back in 1932. Today in Hershey the Blue Devils tried to add to that history by capturing the Class AA championship when they took on District 7’s Sewickley Academy. Senior Ryan Demarco who went down with a late season injury gets greeted by ever Old Forge starter. The Blue Devils led early off an opening three from Cam Parker .
Penn State hosts women's Frozen Four
THE PENN STATE WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM SECURED ITS FIRST EVER SPOT IN THE FROZEN FOUR AFTER SHUTTING OUT UCONN 3 TO 0 IN THE REGIONAL FINAL AT PEGULA ICE ARENA ON SATURDAY. THE NITTANY LIONS ENTER THE WEEKEND WITH A 33 AND 5 RECORD AND HAVE BEEN NEARLY UNBEATABLE AT HOME THIS SEASON, GOING 18 AND 1 IN PEGULA. WITH THE FROZEN FOUR TAKING PLACE IN STATE COLLEGE, PLAYERS SAY THE CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR A NATIONAL TITLE ON HOME ICE HAS BEEN A GOAL YEARS IN THE MAKING.
Old Forge reaches state final
The Old Forge boys basketball has won 9 games in a row and after last night’s 16-point win over United the Blue devils will play for the double A state championship. It’s the first time Old Forge has made the finals since 1932 as they seek to win the title against Sewickley Academy from district 7. Cam Parker, Old Forge Senior says, “ You know, finally just getting to this goal. It's just feels amazing because we've just worked so hard for this.
Lady Royals set for Final Four
It’s the last practice of the season at the John Long center before Scranton heads South to the NCAA division 3 final four. The Lady Royals are 31-0 for the first time ever when they have reached this point and the magnitude of the moment is not lost. Kace Kranson, Scranton Senior(Holy Cross) says, “ I think it's starting to set in, you know, starting today. Like we said before, this is Kaeli, Jenna and I was last time, you know, practicing in the John Long center so it's a little bittersweet.
Rose helps Clemson back to tournament
Last night we told you about three local players who will play in the NCAA division one tournament. Tonight we add another, Rachel Rose, a standout at Scranton Prep, has helped the Clemson women’s basketball team hear their name called for the first time in seven years. The tigers will play close to home in Columbia, South Carolina against the southern California . Rose, a fifth-year senior, will make her first appearance in the tournament and knew this was the place to come to achieve her goals.
Holy Redeemer going to state finals
There were several high school playoff games canceled tonight but one them that went ahead was a battle of two local girls teasms in the Class Triple A semi final. Holy Redeemer and Hughesville have never made it to the championship game before in program history. In a low scoring first half the two teams were tied at 13. In the second half the Lady Royals started to pull away behind their three seniors. Their defense held the Spartans to just 5 4th quarter points on their way to a 39-27 win.
Siena to take on Duke in first round of NCAA
Sun, March 15, 2026 at 9:03 PM Updated Mon, March 16, 2026 at 8:09 AM The goods new is, Scranton’s Gerry McNamara and Wilkes Barre's Justice Shoats will play in the NCAA division one tournament Thursday . The bad news is the Saints will take on the top seed ,number one Duke. Tonight in Loudenville New York the team gathered to find out who they would meet in the programs first appearance in the tournament since 2016. The fact that it's the Blue Devils doesn't mean a thing for the MAAC champs.
New players helping Pens
It’s been a long 11 month for Tanner Howe. After injuring his ACL in a World hockey League playoff game last April, the 22 year-old made his Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton debut in February. In 12 games with the Pens he has 5 goals and 8 points and has been a key figure on the 2nd line. Tanner Howe, WBS Penguins says, “It's was a long process, I was fortunate not to do a lot of it in Pittsburgh , which is nice.
Susquehanna names new football coach
Mon, March 9, 2026 at 11:00 PM Updated Tue, March 10, 2026 at 11:04 AM Susquehanna University announced its new football coach today at a press conference in Selinsgrove. Chris Pincince will now lead one of the most successful division three programs in the nation. The 53 year last was the head coach at Division 2 New Haven for ten years where he won 76 games over that time period.
Tunkhannock swimming success
There hasn't been a more dominating team in the pool the last two years than the Tunkhannock Area Boys swim team. The Tigers recently wrapped up their second straight district 2 AA championship with an overpowering 100 point win. They haven’t lost a Wyoming Valley conference dual meet since 2023. It’s a team that grew up swimming. Tim Mislevy, Tunkhannock Coach says, “ A core group of these guys have been together since I believe they were eight and under in their age group program.
Prep teams ready for states
Wed, March 4, 2026 at 11:00 PM The state high school basketball playoffs start Friday night and two teams that will have home games come from Scranton Prep. The girls beat Valley View last Thursday to capture the district 2-- 4 A title while the boys won the 4 A championship on Saturday by beating Dallas. The Classics now will play Saturday afternoon against Lancaster Catholic while the Cavaliers host Schuylkill Valley from district 3 , Friday night.
Lackawanna league baseball/softball
The last time Valley took the softball field they were the 2025 State champions. Mia Wascura, Valley View Coach says, “It’s going to be hard at the top, but, consistency day in and day out. Our girls are ready, they’re prepared . We have fantastic senior leadership with four seniors coming back. Looking to retake what is still theirs. “ Bob Ide asks, As you see it going into this season. What's the strength of the team?
College teams punch ticket to tournament
There's a reason why the University of Scranton women's basketball team why they one of the top teams country. And it was on full display Saturday in the Landmark conference Championship game. The Lady Royals used a suffocating defense against Elizabethtown and a strong second half to capture their 11th straight championship and punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament. Kaci Kranson, Scranton Senior(Holy Cross), “ It's just exciting to be a part of this team with such tremendous girls.
Bill Howerton Media day
Sun, March 1, 2026 at 8:49 PM Tomorrow starts the new season for Spring sports including baseball and softball. Today the annual Lackawanna League media day was held at PNC Field with almost 80 teams. There were interviews, pictures and a home run hitting contest held inside the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Railriders clubhouse. The day also honors the late Bill Howerton who passed away from cancer and was a former player and coach in the league.
Dunmore and Prep win titles
It’s the last day of the district 2 high school basketball championship at the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Up first the girls AAA matchup between Holy Redeemer from the Wyoming Valley conference and Dunmore from the Lackawanna League. Then, it's the same two conferences go head to head in the boys AAAA game as Dallas takes on Scranton Prep. Late 2nd quarter action, Holy redeemer goes on a 9-2 run to take the one point lead at the half when Kearney Quinn hits this 3 pointer at the horn.
Penguins head to Cleveland
Fri, February 27, 2026 at 12:30 AM The Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins head to Cleveland this weekend for two games Friday and Saturday against the Monsters. The Penguins started slowly after the all-star break but have won 8 out of their last ten games. They are 13 points ahead of the 3rd place team in the Atlantic division with 19 games left int he regular season. Despite call ups to Pittsburgh, the Baby Pens have been consistently strong no matter who is on the ice.
Classics and Vikings win District 2 titles
t’s a busy weekend at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza as district 2 holds their basketball championships. Tonight there were two games on the floor that included all Lackawanna League teams. Up first the Four A girls championship between Valley View and Scranton Prep. These two team met twice during the regular season. The Classics built an 8 point lead in the 3rd quarter.
Penguins players happy for USA hockey
Thu, February 26, 2026 at 12:30 AM The Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins are back on the ice after going 8-1- and 1 in their last ten games to remain in second place in the Atlantic Division. This past weekend though the attention of the team while in Bridgeport was on the USA men's hockey victory over Canada on Sunday in overtime. With a team that has players from all over the world those that have played for USA Hockey or came though the system couldn’t be more proud of the team.
Blue Mountain upsets top seed
Is it playing in one of the toughest girls basketball leagues in the state or is it Blue Mountain has just found something that’s missing this season. Whatever the case the district 11 playoff has agreed with the 8th seeded Lady Eagles after they have won two straight games. Rose Carper, Blue Mountain Coach says, "Well, honestly, I think, having that pigtail game really helped us, kind of got the nerves of playing a district game out.
District 2 wrestling recap
It was a full house at Wilkes-Barre Area High School Saturday for the district two wrestling championships. We'll start girls 100 pound finals. Lackawanna Trail Freshman Cidney Schaffer pins Nanticoke’s Matilda Serrano at the 1:10 mark of the 1st period Cidney Shaffer/District Champion(Lackawanna Trail) syas, “She was very strong and I was I was so confident.
Pittston Area and Crestwood meet in district semi final
Crestwood Senior Ayden Agapito has developed into one of the best players in the Wyoming Valley conference this season. The senior has led the comets in scoring and rebounding in a offense that averages 51 points a game. Mark Atherton, Crestwood Coach says, “ You know, a lot of hard work on his own. You know, we don't want to take all the credit, a lot of the credit his is and did some AAU as well. So, I think through all of it, he's he has a great pull up game.
McNamara and Shoats leading Siena
Walking onto the floor in front of family and Friends Gerry McNamara knew his Siena team needed to beat Marist to keep pace in the MAAC on Sunday. With two straight losses the Saints got a big second half surge to beat the Red Foxes and improve to a 5 year best 18 and 9. Gerry McNamara , Siena Coach(Scranton) says, “I think the thing that I love about our group is just how consistent in terms of their approach they've been.
Busch takes pole at Daytona
Kyle Busch, Daytona 500 Pole sitter says, “ It was awesome to be able to sit on the pole with our Auto Zone Chevrolet for Sunday's Daytona 500. Really looking forward to the race. But, you know, coming into practice just yesterday, we had a couple runs, a couple shakedowns that we got out there, and we ran some good times and some good pace. So we felt like, hey, there's a shot here. We know what kind of lap time we need to shoot for, and we were running right on target with that.
Penguins breakdown of first half of season with Nik Hart
We're inside the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins locker room. They’re on the all star break, So the guys are all over the world enjoying their time off. One guy is still working a little bit is the voice of the Penguins Nick Hart . And yet you've seen this team all year long they are in second place in the Atlantic Division, 30 wins overall. How good are they playing? Nick Hart/Voice of the WBS Penguins says “They're playing out of their mind right now, Bob. And it's not just me saying that.
Bucks making history
Dunmore are in the midst of an historical season. The Bucks have won 19 games with a team has been playing together since middle school. Mark Finan, Dunmore Coach says, “I got to admit, I think I mean, we thought we would be. We had a lot of confidence in ourselves, this has been a long process. Our first season together, these guys were sophomores we only won eight games. Last year we made the next step we won 12 and a playoff game on the road last year. And now this year, we took the next step.
Clutch keep winning
It’s was another big win for the Wyoming Valley Clutch Saturday in the American Basketball Association. But that’s the norm for 6 seasons of the team. Jerry Rickrode, Wyoming Valley Clutch Coach says, “ These guys know each other. They've known each other for ten, fifteen years. They play together all summer, they got a good chemistry. So we have a lot of retention in our program, It's a good mix there's really no egos and they get along.
Penguins win 30th game of season
The Wilkes Barre scranton penguins continue to pile up the wins. Last night the Pens took care of Rival Hershey to get their 30th victory of the season and remain in 2nd place of the Atlantic division of the AHL. The Pens and Bears went scoreless for 2 periods before Wilkes Barre Scranton put 4 goals in the net in the 3rd. Avery Hayes, Tanner Howe, Aaron Huglen and Aidan McDonough all scored for the Penguins while Sergei Murashov stopped 30 Hershey shots.
Comets can clinch title against Cavaliers
Faced with a lack of height on the interior Scranton Prep has used their speed and press to put up 14 wins this year after losing three starters. Larry Reagan, Scranton Prep Coach says, “It's a tough group of kids. So, that's been really fun to coach. They play with a chip on their shoulder. And while we're not the biggest team, we've got a lot of fight in us. So, that's something I've enjoyed coaching and seeing from them.
Penn State goes big in transfer portal
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State football, led by head coach Matt Campbell, added four high school signees and one transfer to the 2026 roster on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions’ four high school signees include OL Pete Eglitis, LB Keian Kaiser, DL Elijah Reeder and P Lucas Tenbrock. Penn State also welcomed transfer QB Connor Barry. Nebraska leads the group with four signees from the state.
Pink Game tips off Tuesday
North Pocono is off to their best start since 2020 and have already matched their wins totals from the last two seasons. The Lady Trojans are a young group still learning under new head coach Joe Ferguson. Joe Ferguson, North Pocono Coach says, “Oh, the kids have been absolutely fantastic. And, you know, we got hired in May and run a whole new staff. They've had three coaches in three years, but they know me because they have them in class. So they've been nothing but great.
Pocono Mountain West on a winning streak
Sat, January 31, 2026 at 9:02 AM Updated Sat, January 31, 2026 at 9:03 AM One area high school basketball team who is looking forward to the post season is Pocono Mountain West. Wednesday night the Panthers beat Scranton Prep out of district 2 and then Thursday took care of Pleasant Valley and then tonight beat rival Pocono Mountain East to get their 18th win of the season.
Lewisburg takes on Danville
Lewisburg has found their grove and have won 8 games in a row and are the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference division 2 champs. The Green Dragon were 5 and 4 at the end of December. Nazie Meredith, Lewisburg Senior says, “Yeah, we're just playing better on defense, talking more and just playing more as a group together. You know, we have a lot of pieces that will all come together. It's hard to stop us.
McCarthy new Steelers Coach
Wed, January 28, 2026 at 1:06 PM The Pittsburgh Steelers made it official yesterday by introducing their new head coach, Mike McCarthy. The Pennsylvania native replace mike Tomlin who resigned after the season. This is the 62 year old third stint as a head coach. He led the Green Bay packers to a Super Bowl win and was most recently up to 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy is the 17th head coach hired by the Steelers and he says having grown up a Black and Gold fan he is excited to be back home.
Wolfpack lead district standings
Wilkes Barre hasn’t had more than a three-game winning streak all season. The Wolfpack hasn’t found any consistency for this talented team. James Lavan, Wilkes Barre Area Coach says, “ It hasn't been perfect, I would say, but it's been up and down. You know, every season has its highs and lows. We've had some tough moments. We started the year off very well in the tip-off tournament and played them well, so we got some good wins against quality opponents.
Pittston Area playing hard
Pittston Area coach Al Semenza knew he had to replace 4 starters from last year’s team. While it hasn’t been easy the Patriots have been competitive in every game. Al Semenza, Pittston Area coach says, “ I know we've been on a three-game losing streaks to win a game winning streaks. Dallas is a heck of a team and we're ahead of them both times at halftime. So you know, we're very competitive we're right there.
Wilkes upsets Scranton
The University of Scranton men's basketball team had won 11 straight games and were ranked in the Division 3 top 25 for the first time since 2018. That was until Wednesday night at Wilkes, when the Colonels pulled off the landmark upset. The Colonels jumped out to an early 1st half lead and never looked back. Beating the 21st ranked Royals 75-45. Izzi Metz, Wilkes Coach says, “ I just thought right off the bat we were ready to play.
Girls wrestling success at Hughsville
Hughesville girls wrestling coach Royce Eyer has been around the sport his whole life, so when an opportunity came to build a program from scratch, it didn’t matter what gender would be on the mat. Royce Eyer, Hughesville coach says, “ The wrestling is getting better and better. The girls are progressing very fast, so they're doing really well. ide asks, What do you like about coaching them? Eyers answers, “ They are like sponges. It's pretty impressive.
Pink Game Free Throws
Wed, January 21, 2026 at 12:30 AM Two weeks today the 18th annual pink game will be played between North Pocono and Abington Heights to raise funds for the American Cancer Society suits and Sneakers Week. Today at North Pocono middle school members of the Lady Trojan teams were shooting free throws to raise money through their local community. Joe Ferguson, North Pocono coach says, “I am so proud to be right in this.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Bob
Contact Bob, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack