Catholic Blue Final X-Ray, 2007 . . .

  Here's a look at the CL Blue final, which will be played Friday,
Nov. 30, 7 p.m., at Northeast's Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium.
Wood is coached by Steve Devlin. West is coached by Brian Fluck.
  Go to bottom of page for Ted's website report on the teams'
first meeting.

PROJECTED ROTATION MEMBERS . . .

STATISTICAL LEADERS . . .

THE FIRST TIME . . .

NOV. 4
CATHOLIC BLUE
W. Catholic 21, Wood 12
  Perhaps the first five weeks of division play were TOO easy for the Burrs. But really, should a lesson not have been learned in last week’s game vs. Carroll, which required an overtime session before a 29-21 win could be claimed? Were the Burrs again big-headed going into this one, which produced a 6-0 deficit going into halftime? No excuse for that, if so. Anyway, the definitive answers about teams are never provided in late October and early November. They come in late November and early December, when the money games are played. Plus, doesn’t it make sense that West has come back to the pack mostly because it wasn’t THAT far in front in the first place, and because it appeared it WAS mostly because the bottom part of this division truly is light years behind the top? Well, the playoffs will tell all. As this one began, Wood’s intent was obvious. Coach Steve Devlin wanted to punch the Burrs in the gut again and again. Sr. RB Bob DeLucas was given the ball again and again on between-the-tackles carries and the Vikings went rumbling downfield toward what had the look of a certain six points. But on second-and-7 from the 6, sr. LBs Pre’Andre Watson and Marquese Sanders broke through to toss DeLucas for a 2-yard loss and after jr. DB Rob Holloman held DeLucas to 3 yards on third down, the Vikings had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by jr. James McFadden. Though I understood the attempt at making a statement, I felt Wood should have tried a pass or two on this drive. For variety, yes, but also to give those guys some good feelings for later, in case they’d be needed. The other score of the half came on the final play as McFadden hammered a 35-yarder. A 12-yard punt, just the Burrs’ sixth in division play, put Wood in business at the West 40 with 28.5 showing. Jr. QB Mike Cattolico passed incomplete to jr. WR Mike Maxwell. On a trick play, jr. Sean McCartney could not hit sr. WR Eric Loughnane. But on a slant, Cattolico found sr. WR Greg Colbridge for 22 yards and Cattolico, though the clock was racing toward 0:00, calmly organized the Vikings and executed a spike, thus giving McFadden a shot. West awakened in the third quarter. A 10-play, 70-yard drive, fueled almost exclusively by the running of Holloman and Raymond Maples, produced a 10-yard score for Maples. Now, the Burrs were getting bodies on defenders and creating a we’re-movin’-this-thing mindset. Wood responded to a respectable degree, but the drive lost its steam when Cattolico dropped the snap and had to flop on the ball for an 8-yard loss. West took over on its 8. The momentum intensified. Holloman for 15. Maples for 2. Jr. QB Curtis Drake to Watson for 18. Holloman for 9. Maples for 13. Drake to jr. WR Haleem “P-Nut” Hayward for 17. Holloman for 9, then 7. Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga. The train was rollin’. First-and-goal at the 2. Maples scored from the 1 on second down, then Drake passed for two points to sr. WR Chris Palmer. Wood responded in fine fashion. Sr. Matt Rankin zipped 25 yards with the kickoff, getting the ball out to the 45. On the seventh play, DeLucas posted a 21-yard score, and even showed some fancy footwork at the 5 and when he unfurled a pick-up-your-jock move on a stunned West defender. The Vikings, of course, had to go for two. Cattolico threw a fade to the right corner. The ball was thrown to Sr. TE Anthony Narisi’s outside shoulder. He appeared to try to guide the ball to himself. It was a noble attempt, but didn’t quite work. The time left was 3:50. Wood opted for an onsides kick. McFadden sent it to the left. The ball took a high bounce and West jr. Devir Moody made a leaping snag. On second-and-5, West sent Watson from TE to WR and called for a toss to Holloman. Rob ran, Pre’Andre punished and a 42-yard score resulted. Down by 21-12, Wood did a decent job in a hurry-up offense until advancing the ball to West’s 24. Four straight incompletions followed. West wound up generating 257 yards as Holloman (15-136) was the unquestioned main man. DeLucas (23-143) was also stellar. West’s line deserves some props especially since it had to be reconfigured in the absence of sr. C Aaron Maggio (ejected from Carroll game; automatic one-game sitdown). The crew: soph C Jake Zuzek, jr. G Paul Murtagh, sr. G Brandon Terrence, sr. T Earl Griffiths and jr. T Victor McNair. Huck said he sent some defensive tidbits, but my work email is unavailable for the moment. Please check back later.