07/07/2026
🧡Moments Like This Remind Us What Community Is All About 🧡
As members of the Southern Lehigh community for more than 20 years, we're incredibly humbled to see the impact that local families, teams, and organizations have on one another. A recent Little League game became much more than baseball—it was a powerful display of support, unity, and love for the Dontas family.
Watching two communities come together during such an emotional time was a reminder of why we're so proud to call this area home. Our thoughts continue to be with the Dontas family, and we're grateful to everyone who shows up for one another when it matters most.
Community is bigger than any game, and we're honored to be a small part of it.
❤️⚾️
💙 When a Community Comes Together, Youth Sports Become Something Much Bigger Than the Game.
Last night, we put basketball aside and headed to the ballfield to support our LV Steel family in 11/12 Allstars. On the field, two of our own faced each other (in picture):
💙 Michael Magazzu ( #8 LV Steel) pitching for Southern Lehigh Little League (⚾ #50)
💙 Zane Balaziuk ( #2 LV Steel) hitting for Lehigh Little League
Both boys were phenomenal.
- Michael pitched awesome & launched two home runs over the fence.
- Zane came through big htting and as relief pitcher when his team needed him most, keeping his composure through high-pressure moments in the 6th & 7th innings with the bases loaded.
We were also there cheering on Coach Thomson's Liberty Canes 🏀 players on Lehigh Little League — Zane Balaziuk, Jack Cresci, Lambros Dontas, and Colin Kelly.
What followed was one of the greatest youth baseball games we've ever witnessed. (Extra innings, ⚾ Lambros Dontas 🫶 delivering the game-winning RBI, & a dramatic throw from deep right field to home plate to end the game and seal the victory for Lehigh Little League).
But the final score wasn't what made the night unforgettable.
Earlier that day, the Lehigh Valley community gathered to celebrate the life of Mike Dontas—Lambros' father. It was an incredibly emotional day for the Dontas family, friends, teammates, and so many throughout our region.
What made the evening even more special was seeing both communities rally around the Dontas family. While Lehigh Little League is home for Lambros and his teammates, the Southern Lehigh community has also embraced the Dontas family for many years - the first Copperhead Grille opened in 2002 in Southern Lehigh, and the Dontas family has generously supported Southern Lehigh youth programs and organizations for years.
Last night, there were no rivals—just two communities standing together for a family that has given so much back to both.
As the game went on, parents quietly pointed out that there was a single bright star 🌟 shining above the field. Many of us couldn't help but believe it was Mike watching over his son, his teammates, and everyone on that field.
Seeing Lambros come through with the game-winning RBI on a day like that is something none of us will ever forget.
It was a powerful reminder that youth sports are about so much more than wins and losses.
🩵They build friendships.
🫶They strengthen communities.
💪They teach resilience.
🩵They create lifelong memories.
And in moments like these, they remind us that we're all part of something much bigger than the game itself.
Our hearts remain with the Dontas family. Thank you to Lehigh Little League, Southern Lehigh Little League, the players, coaches, umpires, volunteers, and families for reminding all of us what youth sports are truly about.
💙 Last night wasn't just a baseball game—it was a community coming together. ⚾️🏀❤️
