Duck Tales

Jon "Duck" Gray is one of our most ardent web site supporters. His main sport is basketball, but he's becoming a legend on the football trail, too. How cool is it that his nickname is a good fit with Tom "Puck" McKenna and Ed "Huck" Palmer?
You may contact Duck at jdtrilogy@aol.com

NOV. 27
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Germantown 25, King 14
This one was being talked about for months. Many King supporters pointed to this year, as being the year they reverse a scary trend in this now 28 year-old rivalry. It has not been since 1991 when yours truly was in middle school that the King varsity has returned to Stenton and Haines with a triumph over Germantown. Both teams would be without major players, G-Town had three key players dismissed from the program in the last week. King would be without two prominent offensive weapons who had to sit this one out with injuries. Early on King took control with highly promising junior quarterback Jeff Campbell (6'2 175) hitting steady senior receiver Danny Smith (5'10 170) with a strike from 8 yards out in the first quarter. Second stanza all G-Town. And I mean all G-Town. First senior runningback Marcus Walton (5'8 140) gets the home crowd into it with a crowd pleasing 29 yard touchdown run. Then G-Town's promising junior quarterback Brandon Cuff (5'11 180) hits senior receiver Christen Johnson (5'11 195) for a 26 yard touchdown. Then junior fullback Robert Fisher (6'0 210) plows in for a one-yard touchdown. Then the dagger after the Fisher touchdown is marching downfield for an apparent score then a King runningback gets his clock cleaned by G-Town junior DB Korey Carter (5'10 180). Speedy DB Dustin Hardy-Moore (5'9 160) picks up the loose ball and scampers 71 yards untouched for the touchdown at the death of the first half. Carter had 7 tackles and senior Dennis Hill (6'1 345), an underrated performer, anchored both lines. The Cougars can never really recover from the Bears second quarter onslaught. Second half lots of hard running from Walton, who like MANY previous G-Town halfbacks turns the Thanksgiving Day Game into a personal showcase to the tune of 27 carries for 159 yards. King would die fighting as usual, early fourth quarter, Campbell airs it out 57 yards on a tight spiral to Smith who burns the G-Town defensive back like toast. The throngs of King spporterts let out a loud roar as if to incite the Cougars. No such luck. King would show signs of life but after G-Town junior DE Don "Florida" Williford (6'2 235) knocks Campbell out of the game with a wicked hit on a fourth down pass play. Coach Hawkins then takes his seniors out one at at time to the ovation from the crowd. King's seniors, namely Smith and lineman Kyle Patillo (6'2 275), fought for the entire game. Junior LB Jeff Davis (6'0 190) had six tackles for King. As the clock ticked down, the Bears moved towards 12 straight wins in this highly entertaining series.
Sidenotes- Great halftime shows..... King's Drill team sprinkled purple and gold confetti with glitter on the Germantown sideline. When they approached the sideline they were met by the Germantown Drill team and it appears that we might be exchanging punches, but King just threw the confetti and left the sideline. G-Town Drill team responded nicely especially when they performed to a remix of a D-Block song and the entire crowd joined in. The chorus went like this: We are G-Town, mighty mighty G-Town.... King supporters were very disappointed one was on the phone telling his mother that they lost. Her response loud as hell from the cellphone -AGAIN!!!!!!. Plenty of pretty ladies, e-mail me I'll make time for all of you. .. Great bands from both schools as well.. Even a fool could realize that King was truly devasted after the game, players cried, coaches came close as did supporters and administrators

NOV. 6
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Dobbins 31, Gratz 6
This game was over early, even though the Simon Gratz Bulldogs have talent and heart they struggle with the fundamentals, whereas the Murrell Dobbins Tech Mustangs thrive on fundamentals, toughness and speed. The took control early and never really were consistently threatened. The top Mustang rusher was speedy, junior running back Rashad "Red" Williams (5’5 145) who sped for 95 yards on only 11 carries. Also shining both ways was hard nosed senior Greg Myers (11-60 two touchdowns on the ground) and a couple of extremely hard pops. Lots of Div. II and a couple I-AA’s would do good for themselves with giving this kid a look. Also shining was Steven Sydnor who has some extremely nice possibilities as a defensive back. He returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown. Gratz was Gratz lots of highlights and hard hits, struggling passing game and the well-rounded performance of senior WR/KR/DB Eugene Wright (6’2 190). Wright had some breathtaking plays, including a 100 yard kickoff return. Also, he made a one handed catch while being surrounded by three Mustangs. Unfortunately the ball never went his way again, as the Bulldogs had 3 interceptions. I feel strongly that he needs some good junior college, prep or a program to take a chance on him because he really could be special down the line. Gratz does sport two impressive linemen in junior Lamont Lee-Edgefield (6’1 260) and Brian "Gooch" Simpkins (6’2 270). Simpkins had 7 tackles. Lee-Edgefield had a couple monster blocks and fumble recovery. Making an impression for Dobbins was Phinizee Stokes a small player who packs much heart with his 5 hard hits (1 interception). The hit of the day belonged to Gratz’s Kamal Dutton who embarrassed a Dobbins player with a punishing hit. Emotional tailback Ryan "Norristown" Harris had some nice runs in route to 18 carries for 56 yards.
Sidenotes- Many Germantown players were watching this game before practice and offered support to Gratz, chief among them was Omar McDonnaugh who seemed like he wanted to put on the pads and go to work…… Gotta love the muddy fields, it makes number watching interesting.

OCT. 30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Northeast 47, Olney 8
This game was ugly…….. Northeast burst out on top early behind the play of
seniors quarterback Marcellus Sammons (6’1 190) and two way end, Solomon Isom
(6’0 180) Sammons hooks up with Isom for a 23 yard touchdown. Then Isom
recovers a fumble and rumbles in for another touchdown. Also playing well was
Northeast junior Chris Banks (5’10 160) a former TS.com writer. Banks is very quick
and elusive; he plunged in from the one yard line for a score. The Trojans
did have moments their franchise player Platini Michel was very impressive
running 15 times for 114 yards. Most of his yardage was gained against Northeast’s
starters. Michel’s running led to a Shawn Sawyer to Stanley Lyons touchdown
pass play before the end of first half. The score at halftime 27-8. Then
Northeast airs it out 62 yard to sophomore standout Rockeed McCarter (6’4 190) and
all the Trojans in the Western hemisphere won’t be able to catch him as he
takes it to the house. Adding another touchdown was Christien Gerrick on a hard
run up the middle for 65 yards. Very entertaining……… Olney High School Football
is frustratingly unproductive, and one way you can tell is that all the other poorhouses
at least there has been a decent amount of player turnout. At Olney of course not. At
all the other poorhouses the coaches coach the entire game, at Olney from the
second quarter on an assistant was FAR from the sideline talking to the
Athletic Director and a female fan. ONLY in the PUB can mean OLNEY in the Pub.
Anyway, I’ve taken enough cheap shots. I just get riled up when I have to ask kids
their names. And although their teammates offered ample help (although they
didn’t know last names) it's not their job. Worst thing about Olney there are
always slivers of talent.
Sidenotes: Shame, Shame, Shame I don’t wanna go to Olney games no more, more,
more.

OCT. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE
West Phila. 14, University City 12
This one gets an A+ for atmosphere. As I was walking into this game, it was very entertaining to see a procession of University City and West Philadelphia students and cheerleaders marching down the street exchanging chants of JAG -UARS and SPEED BOYS!!!!!!!!! Lots of cheering too, so I was glad to have my Advil extra strength pills in my right pocket. The game was entertaining as well, the Jaguars played the best football, I’ve seen them play in a long time. They got on board early when defensive back Amir Muhammad (5’8 138) intercepted a Gerald Dove (6'0 185) pass and proceeded to take the ball 36 yards for the touchdown. The crowd went wild and it seemed like the entire West Philadelphia scholastic sports community took a second and inched closer to the football scene at 48th and Spruce. The next move went the way of the Speedboys, on 4th and 10, Dove leans back and throws a 28 yard strike to Sheldon Ford (5'11 190) . After an empty possession for the Jaguars, Dove returns a Brandon Shorts (5'10 180) punt 71 yards and the crowd gets very animated with some more of that intense yelling. At the half, the score is 14-6 Speedboys. Second half and University City decides to ditch the pass entirely. The entire second half they don’t throw the ball, instead behind their underrated offensive line they totally control the ball on the ground for the majority of the second half. On an intense 19-play drive the Jaguars showed composure and resolve in converting two key third downs; finally sophomore tailback Sterling Johnson (5'8 160) plunged in for a touchdown. On the ever important conversion run, he is stopped two feet short of the end zone. The Jaguars were able to force a punt from the Speedboys late, but were not able to advance the ball late, so despite controlling the ball for the majority of the game, the Jaguars pick up a loss. The Speedboys top performer on defense was hard hitting senior linebacker George Davis (6’0 195) who was a htting machine to the tune of 9 tackles including 5 solo. Dove showed amazing speed and shiftiness on his punt return touchdown. The most impressive running back, Omar McLaurin (5'11 222) showed good leg strength running through tackles. I wanna sneak another look at him, as he has some potential. The Jaguars were led by the line play of Donald Brown (6’3 315) and William "Central" Gray (6’4 320). On defense, although used sparingly, 6’5 defensive end Kayon Walton had some serious highlights. He recorded two sacks and they both were hard hits. Walton also is the Jaguars quarterback and a good all around athlete. Also, Washchonne "DADA" Savoy (6'0 175) and Anthony Williams played well both ways. Savoy who played tailback led the Jags defense with 8 tackles. Williams showed great desire on a fourth down run through the middle from his fullback position.
Sidenotes- It was homecoming for both schools and they seemed to have fun. I loved the way U-City and West Philadelphia supporters continued to root on their teams late in the game. Lou Williams, the University City coach had MANY colorful moments. Once a player hollered on the field towards the Speedboys and Williams delivered a stern correction: "The next time you wanna holla, I’m gonna put you on the sideline and give you a skirt so you can be a cheerleader." Another time he just nodded his head, "That boy, he don’t got it all. He got some screws loose. He ain’t right, something wrong with that boy."

OCT. 24
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Franklin 14, Overbrook 0
Hello ladies and gentlemen introducing Darrell Fincher, Benjamin Franklin High School, 5’8 180 pounds of pure football player. Fincher turned this less than marquee match-up into a personal highlight show in which he made a plethora of extra impressive football plays. He put Franklin on the board with a 5 yard touchdown reception in the late stages of the second quarter. Then he took the second half kickoff 82 yards to thrill a decent sized crowd with a beautiful burst of speed filled with elusive moves. He wasn’t alone as he received help by promising sophomore linebacker Demetrius Atwell (5’8 175) who dealt 10 tackles and Michael Hooper (5’11 200), who recovered two of the Panthers’ six fumbles. Quarterback/ Cornerback, David Calloway (5’7 185) also played well. The Panthers struggled for the most part. At times quarterback, Sultan Sanders looked very elusive and crafty. He hooked up with big promising junior tight end James Morgan four times for 47 yards. That really was the best of times for Overbrook, who struggled all game with ball handling. Six fumbles and really they could have lost four or five more. Yet, they didn’t get totally embarrassed. Play of the day: Fincher absolutely leveled a Panther player trying to make a reception. It was a BIG-TIME hit, the entire crowd erupted when it happened. The ‘Brook player was okay though and he even acknowledged the hit.
Sidenotes- Good cheerleading battle but I think ‘Brook won this one; although that Laura Winslow cheer from the erstwhile sitcom Family Matters made my stomach cringe.

OCT. 17
PUBLIC LEAGUE
(Division C Championship Game???)
Mastbaum 15, King 12
   Frankly, it doesn’t get ANY better than this. If every football game could be this entertaining then why would you need to watch any other sport. Now on to the details…………
   Early on Mastbaum took control on its first possession behind the passing of steady handed quarterback Markies Tavares (5’10 180), the receiving duo of Jovan Pratt (5’11 160)and Steven Gilbert, and the hard running of junior FB/LB Perrell Jones. Jones would put Maustbaum on top with an impressive 16-yard touchdown run. Plus kicker David Pough added the ever-important extra point. King would respond in the second quarter when long, strong armed Quarterback Jeffrey Campbell (6’2 175) sneaking in for a two yard touchdown run. But King would trail until the early stages of the fourth quarter because they failed to convert a two point conversion pass. All game long, Campbell and Tavares would take turns wowing a decent sized crowd in the PUBLIC LEAGUE AERIAL SHOWCASE. Campbell’s top target, 5’10, 170 pound senior wideout Daniel Smith, was the real deal in this one; he caught 5 passes for 158 yards. King would storm ahead after three consecutive completions from Campbell to Smith punctuated by a crowd pleasing 48-yard touchdown. Campbell, flushed from the pocket, hit Smith in the chest in the middle of the end zone. With 8:17 remaining in regulation the score is 12-7 Cougars. Here comes Tavares with his mom cheering from the sideline, "Take’em right back down the field, Mark." Momma’s boy obliges and connects with Pratt for 20 yards, then to Gilbert for 18 yards then 9 yards to two-way standout TE-DE Mark "Mastbaum Shockey" Brighter (6’1, 225). This loosens the King defense in time for hard running Kenneth King to put the Panthers on top, 13-12. Tavares makes an outstanding play on the conversion avoiding the rush and finding his fourth option Ifen Onwodi for the important two points. After a costly fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Mastbaum is primed to finish the Cougars off but the purple and gold defense led by the impressive tackle tandem of seniors Deshaun Lupton (6’0 195) & Eric Peirce (6’0 180) (9 and 7 tackles respectively) hold the Panthers and take over on downs with a chance to play deep in their own territory. Then Campbell connects again with Smith for a long 52 yard pass play that has the place jumping up and down in excitement. Campbell then looking for the kill is picked off on the one-yard line by Gilbert and that would be the decisive play. Mastbaum would run out the clock and that’s all folks, this one was a CLASSIC.
   Sidenotes- Gotta love the two way play of King’s Kyle Patillo who opened holes for King’s promising junior running back Jared Williams, (18 carries for 98 yards) and also made a tough tackle on a key fourth down play……King and Mastbaum fans exchanged many different putdowns while I was leaving the field, they were really entertaining. King was generally put down for losing, while they retorted that all Mastbaum kids study cosmetology… At the end of the game Mastbaum chanted D-C-C!!!!!! Division C Champs!!!!!!….. On their sideline, Chafie Fields, a legendary two-way back at ‘Baum in the mid-90’s who later starred at Penn State. Chafie DID major in cosmetology, by the way …. Coach John Murphy of Mastbaum was colorful all day long. "Rashawn!!! What was your responsibility? What did you do? And he went around you again!!!!!!" Another time he just said "That was the dumbest play you could make."……. It's odd because Panther defensive back Sherrod Evers had a rough day but he sure has long term possibilities. He is freakishly long armed and makes tackles, some of his coverage skills need refinement but he is one too watch…. I loved this game I could write forever -, that's what happens when you throw the flipping ball!!!!!!!! ......Can I have a video copy of this game.......I like that Mastbaum ALL-Crazy chant.

OCT. 10
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 41, Gratz 20
This was a very entertaining game. After a scoreless first quarter, Gratz actually came out in front. After driving to the Central 22, Gratz quarterback Kyle Whiting was intercepted at the Central 3 by standout QB-DB Marcel Quarterman,(6’0180) then Central would lose possession on a very uncharacteristic fumble. Gratz would plunge in with from the one when Whiting would sneak in to provide a 8-0 lead when followed by a Stanley Sims conversion reception from Whiting. The Lancers would respond quickly as senior RB-LB Quindel "Milky" Ladson (5’10 200) exploded for an impressive 31 yard touchdown run. Ladson was a monster on defense in the first half, he had tackles all solo, including a streak of 8 consecutive, many of them of the "bone crushing" variety. Central would begin to get really rolling midway through the second quarter when junior WR-DB, Rodney Sykes (5’11 175) intercepted a tipped ball and raced home for 35 yard touchdown and the Lancers really looked to warm up. Then here comes the highlight reel play of the day, Quarterman airs it out to fellow star Jordan Anderson (6’2 195) 55 yards for a score. Quarterman easily threw the ball 50 yards in the air, on the money, and Anderson outsprinted his defender down the sideline. Quarterman had another touchdown pass to Sykes, and had two interceptions on defense. Quarterman, Ladson and Anderson are a deadly triumvirate most of the positive plays for Central involve one of those three. I know that the "The Three Amigos" was a nicknamed used during the early John Elway days in Denver for his three wide receivers, but what could be a better moniker for these three? Ladson proceeded to add another score a 47 yard run in which he showed more moves than just bulling through. The Bulldogs make no mistake of it had there chances, but were victimized by turnovers, 3 interceptions and a fumble. Senior Halfback Vondell Parson (5’11 175) ran hard 11 times for 85 yards. Junior two-way tackle Lamont Lee-Edgefield (6’1 260) led the defense with 7 tackles and forced two fumbles. Senior WR-DB Eugene Wright (6'0 180)is a prospect, he plays a mean cornerback and has good hands, he scored a late touchdown from backup Quarterback Kamaal Dutton
Sidenotes- Pretty good crowd turnout. Among the spectators, Blair Thomas Frankford All-Timer and Temple University Assistant. Halftime shows are always great at Central but the cheerleaders got clearly upstaged by the Pep squad. The Pep squad killed you!!!!!!!! But the highlight had to be a Gratz fan and former player who will go nameless taking a shameless "L or fall in the middle of the field trying to catch a football. That was one for the ages. Best hit, Quarterman intercepted the ball and then was drilled by the much improved Sims, the Gratz faithful had fun with that one.

OCT. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Frankford 42, Ben Franklin 0
This one was hard on the eyes and hard on the soul. Just last year Franklin was Division C Champ, and it always has a competitive team. This year the Electrons are on the Gerber food plan as their entire roster is full of sophomores and juniors. The Frankford Pioneers are absolutely loaded; the defending Public League Champions feature one of the deepest teams and most experienced teams in our area. Yesterday they got toiling after the Electrons’ QB stepped out of the end zone for a safety. Then a trio of running backs went to work, speedy senior Arnold Mullins (5’9 150) was the most impressive with 6 carries for 85 yards; not including his impressive punt returns and spin moves. Senior Jeremy Benson (5-11 225) was the most active with 11 carries for 62 yards. Sophomore Brandon Norris (5‘9 160) carried only 4 times but saw the end zone on a impressive 21 yard touchdown run. Also shining was senior end, Michael Washington (6’0 180) who hauled in a 14 yard touchdown in the second quarter from junior quarterback Lamont Brown (6‘2 180). Brown added the only second half score when he ran over a Franklin defensive back on a five yard keeper. The defense was led by big interior lineman Raymond Williams (6’0 310), who posted 8 tackles. Franklin looked like a train wreck, but standout defensive back Darrell Fincher (5’8 180) led the way with 9 tackles and a fumble recovery. Not much else to say positively, but they can only get better.
Sidenotes - I was keeping stats in the second half and Rasheed Muhammad, a longtime Frankford assistant came over and said "Just like I told Ted Silary, ain’t nobody beating this team." The Frankford managers did an excellent job on the sidelines, their names are Shannon Garrett and Tarryn Pieterson. Good job by the Franklin cheerleaders, especially with the "We are proud of you" cheer after the game." I hate Thursday football games.

SEPT. 26
NON-LEAGUE
Central 40, University City 0
The Good, the bad, and the ugly……..I’m so happy that football season has finally arrived. This one was all Central and, in particular, all Marcel Quarterman. This kid has some serious talent. Early on, he took off on an impressive 48 yard touchdown scamper. What was most impressive was the play action fake up the middle to fellow star Quindel "Milky" Ladson (5-10, 200). Quarterman might have tricked some of his teammates on that one. Quarterman also held on field goals, and a couple of times handled tough snaps. Central showed they can play in the air as well; Quarterman hooked up with talented senior wide receiver Jordan Anderson (6’2 190) on a 73 yard scoring play and the ample crowd at Broad and Sommerville roared with delight. Anderson had two receptions for 92 yards and was without a doubt very dangerous. Quarterman was 4-4 141 yards and 2 touchdowns in the air and rushed for 89 yards on only four carries. On defense senior DL Promarty Martinez (5’11 245) was solid with 6 tackles he was aided by junior linebackers Michael Wilson 5’10 195 and Cornelius Bunch 5’10 210 who also tallied 6 tackles apiece. There goes the good……. The bad: U-City actually has tons of potential, but they seem to be a little (a lot ?) out of whack. I mean they play extremely tough on the lines and seem to have some good athletes, but they can make you lose a year off your life. Case in point: the 10 player drive. Only down 14-0 in the second quarter the Jaguars who had twice been deep in Central territory are on defense and on the first play of the Central drive drop the running back for a loss. On the second play they drop Quarterman for a sack. But on the third play, Quarterman reads the defense and sees they don’t have a full team on the field. 10 players, so he lobs a pass to senior receiver Rodney Sykes for a 27 yard touchdown. That took the wind out of the sails of the Jaguars. How about that? The Jaguars received an excellent two-way effort from 6’3 315 senior lineman Donald Brown. Brown made lots of keys blocks and added seven hard earned tackles. At times, 6’5 senior quarterback Kayon Walton looked to have some potential as well. Walton also played some good defensive end. And finally, punter Brandon Shorts (5’10 179) added a couple boots over 30 yards. With all fairness, Central was playing their second game and the Jaguars were making their debut.
Sidenotes- Great cheerleading and dance teams. U-City even had a three man drum team. Central always has excellent cheerleaders, today they pulled off a pyramid!!!!! Just once for the "THE BOTTOM" can they have a home game. Just once!!! Plenty of U-City faithful actually showed up for this one. Central’s dance team was good as well.