Julie Hess Worley  

            After graduating from Indiana University Pennsylvania, as one of the

Julie Hess Worley

school's best field hockey players, Julie Hess Worley figured she would need another degree to find her niche working in the medical field. However, Worley quickly came to realize a master's degree would not be enough.

            After earning four degrees, the East Greenville native works at the University of Pennsylvania. In her role as the director of Philly AIMS (Autism Instruction Medical Support) at the Perelman School of Medicine, the clinical psychologist trains a team of clinicians who help teachers in Philadelphia better deal with students who have autism.

            "I always wanted to do something in the medical field," said Worley, a 1999 graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School. "As I went through college, I liked the idea of supporting the mental health of patients."

            After excelling on the field hockey and lacrosse fields for the Indians, she accepted a scholarship to IUP. In four years, Worley put together a Hall of Fame field hockey career for the Red Hawks.

            "Sports had always been such a big part of my life, so I wanted to continue doing it," she said. "I had such a team mentality. I liked working with others and developing relationships. It helped me learn to deal with a flexible schedule, work as a team and develop confidence."

            As a freshman, Worley averaged more than two points a game and set the school mark for most goals (19) and points (45) in a season and was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. She led the team in points all four years. Her 141 career points remains a school record.

            Worley, who accumulated 54 goals and 33 assists in 73 career games, was named to the PSAC's all-conference team all four seasons. She was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2014.

            "After college, it was weird to know that my athletic career was over," she said. "I always had another plan."

            After earning her Master's Degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Worley moved to Maryland and worked at an autism and developmental center for two years. She "fell in love" with the work, which involved helping kids and their parents navigate a complicated treatment infrastructure.

            "Mostly, I was treating patients," said Worley, who lives in Souderton. "I wanted to diagnose them."

            Worley, who earned her Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the Florida Institute of Technology and completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Louisiana State University, did autism research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She also worked as an assisting clinical director at SPIN Inc., a non-profit organization in Philadelphia and as a licensed clinical psychologist at the Penn Foundation's Family Autism Center in Sellersville before joining Penn's medical school last summer.

Bob Endy

            Looking around Upper Perkiomen's offensive huddle Bob Endy understood the

Bob Endy

need to succeed. As the only sophomore, he said he didn't want to disappoint the upperclassmen.

            "I was feeling the pressure a little bit," Endy said. "That was an older team, and I was concerned that if I didn't do the job, the seniors would lobby to replace me with one of their friends. Once I started making plays, they were very receptive."

            After earning three letters on the Indians football team, including helping them capture the Bux-Mont title in 1966, Endy earned a scholarship to Northwest Missouri State University. A long and distinguished career as a high school football coach in Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky followed.

            "I love the game," said Endy, a 1969 graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School. "I wanted to be around it. Coaching is the next best thing if you can't play."

            He made an immediate contribution to the Tribe as a tenth grader. The split end caught 10 touchdown passes and earned all-league honors. The following year, Endy scored eight touchdown passes before seeing double coverage on a regular basis as a senior.

            "If the ball was near me, I usually caught it," said the Upper Hanover native, who received the ...

PIAA bans spectators for all school sports in fall

Upper Perkiomen football players perform in avoluntary practice.   If  they play games this fill, the will do so in empty stadiums.

            Hunter Flack described the possibility of playing football in an empty stadium as less than ideal. Still, the Upper Perkiomen senior quarterback says that is a better alternative than not playing at all.

            "I'm just hoping to have a fall season," Flack said.

            Last week, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association released a 26-page document providing guidance on how its member schools may consider a return to competition for the upcoming fall season. Spectators for all events are not allowed, according to the information released on July 29.

            Tom Hontz, the Indians head football coach, has no problem with his team playing its games in empty stadiums. "If my players are competitors, like I think they are, they will have no problem playing without fans," Hontz wrote in a text message.

"In some ways it may be like backyard football, where you play for the competition and the fun."

            According to Flack, competing without fans in the stands will feel "really weird." He said the players will likely have to get used to the environment.  "It will certainly be a different atmosphere," Flack said.

            A preliminary School Sports Guidance document which was released by Gov. Wolf's office states that ...