The 2017 Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Banquet will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 at the Northampton Community Center.

Among the high school and college football players from the Lehigh Valley being honored are six Times News area student-athletes.They include:Derek Scott, Jim ThorpeA 5-11, 240-pound offensive guard, he ranks 14th out of 139 students. He is an honor roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and earned second team all-conference honors. He is a student government member, and participates in varsity basketball and track. He is a Student Rotarian, member of the SADD, Spanish, and powerlifting clubs. He volunteers as a student reader for elementary students, the Strawberry Social, Jim Thorpe National Night Out, the Carbon County Senior Fair and is a church acolyte.Grant Alexander Wetzel, LehightonA 5-8, 150-pound cornerback, wide receiver, and punter, he ranks 11th out of 147 students. He is an honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society. He participates in varsity wrestling and the jazz band. He is active in his church, participating as a worship leader.Garrett Perschy,PalmertonA 6-1, 205-pound quarterback, he ranks eighth out of 89 students. He is an honor roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and earned all-conference first team honors. He is a member of the Environmental Club, student council, FBLA, the Gridiron Club, is an academic tutor and participates in varsity basketball. He volunteers with Special Olympics, the Football Food Drive, the Palmerton Veterans Day Parade, the Veterans Moving Wall, a youth football camp, his church youth group, and is an altar server.Jeremy Schmick,Northern LehighA 5-9, 200-pound center, he ranks 23rd out of 131 students. He is an honor roll student who has attained a 4.05 GPA. He is a member of the Northern Lehigh Patriot Club. He is active in his community.Benjamin BardPleasant ValleyA 5-10, 205-pound linebacker and tight end, he ranks 58th out of 430 students. He is an honor roll student, National Honor Society member and National Math Honor Society member. He participates in varsity track, is a Math Academic Tutor, an EPC Scholar Athlete Representative, and FBLA member who placed first in regionals and 11th in states. He volunteers at Valor Center Homeless Vet Home, is a youth football and track and field coach and is a teacher/helper with his church's youth ministry.Andrew Seyler,NorthwesternA 5-11, 215-pound defensive end, he ranks eighth out of 181 students. He is an honor roll student, member of the National Honor Society, and member of the Science Curricular Honor Society. He is the class treasurer, HOSA treasurer, member of the Emerging Health Professionals Program and participates in varsity lacrosse. He volunteers with the Allentown Rescue Mission, the Twice Blessed Store, his church youth group and serves as a student mentor.Other high schoolscholar-athletesMarcus Vereen (Allen), Ean Sheats (Bangor), Liam D. Nixon (Bethlehem Catholic), John Stires (Catasauqua), Thomas Murphy (Allentown Central Catholic), Anthony J. Mendoza (Dieruff), Thomas Melchiorre (East Stroudsburg North), Joelle Duroseau (East Stroudsburg South), Michael Pugliese (Easton), Brian Mantone (Emmaus), Steven Rold (Freedom), Christian Gallagher (Liberty), Travis Stefanik (Nazareth), Colin Schucker (Northampton), Austin Kaulius (Notre Dame), Andrew Nickles (Palisades), Ethan Imler (Parkland), Logan Ruppert (Pen Argyl), Zachary Troxell (Phillipsburg), Robert Fox (Pocono Mountain East), Steven Bowen (Pocono Mountain West), Eric Frankenfield (Salisbury), Konstandinos E. Zaharakis (Saucon Valley), Gary Popowitz Jr. (Southern Lehigh), Hunter Holmes (Stroudsburg), Jackson Buskirk (Whitehall), Zachary Febbo (Wilson).Collegescholar-athletesSean Roth (East Stroudsburg University), Zachary Delp (Kutztown University), Blake S. Searfoss (Lafayette College), Micah Tennant (Lehigh University), Jalen Snyder-Scipio (Moravian College), William Britt (Muhlenberg College).