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Payin' the Bills |
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Payin' the Bills |
THANKSGIVING
PUBLIC-CATHOLIC RIVALRY
Roman 40, Roxborough 6
In what’s
becoming a good remedy for the disappointment of Catholic League playoff losses of late,
the Cahillites of Roman Catholic punctuated their season with another dismantling of the
Roxborough Indians in the 32nd annual Thanksgiving Day game. From the stands to the nearby roof tops, a
strong holiday crowd witnessed a record-setting performance from Roman sr. QB Andre Sloan-El, along with strong efforts from jr.
RB Evin Jones (7-111, 2 Td’s) and sr.
WR/DB/K/P/PR(?) Charlie “Slash”
Squitiere (7 “touches”-113 yards, two
Td’s and four conversion kicks). Other
than a handful of consistent bursts from sr. RB Dante
Bryant (27-116), Roxborough generated little else from the beginning.
On the first play
from scrimmage, Roman’s stunning counter execution created a massive hole on the left
side and Jones bolted 45 yards before being pulled out-of-bounds. He followed an 11-yard reception from Sloan-El
with an easy 14-yard touchdown run two plays later. Head
coach Jim Murphy used the ensuing kickoff to
deliver his defensive objective as a Roman special teams player (please email name) put
Roxborough’s primary offensive weapon in his sights and completed a textbook shoulder
block. Bryant shook off the impact to
gain 13-yards on his first two carries, but the Cahillite defense, led by jr. DB Tim Hoban, sr. MLB Ed Devlin and sr. OLB Charron Fisher, limited Bryant and the Indians to
a single yard of total offense in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, the Roman offense was just getting started. After a Squitiere 24-yard punt return off the
Indians first punt, Jones carried five times for 33-yards and ended a seven play 40-yard
scoring drive with his second touchdown of the game from six yards out. A fortuitous bounce on Roxborough’s second
punt left the Roman offense four yards shy of the previous drive and Sloan-El promptly
completed a 15-yard pass to sr. WR Khalil Ferguson
and found Squitiere streaking down the seam for a 29-yard touchdown strike on the next
play. With just over a minute to go in the
first quarter, a good third punt from sr. P Phil
Pacana backed Squitiere to the Roman 40, but the Indian arm tackles failed to prevent
his second touchdown and a commanding 26-0 lead with the conversion kick. The passing of sr. QB Karon Hill, who showed great poise the entire
game, and 22-yards on five carries from Bryant moved the Indians into Roman territory for
the first time on the ensuing possession.
A pass attempt from punt formation fell incomplete however, and
the Cahillites capitalized. Sloan-El
completed his sixth straight pass on a shallow cross to Fisher, who “avoided”
three defenders on his way to a 25-yard touchdown for the only second quarter score. Although he missed his next pass late in the
second, Sloan-El dumped off his eighth completion at the line to Fisher who ran four yards
to give Sloan-El the all-time Roman single-season passing record held by Brendan Knauss since the 1996 season. Roxborough sr. LB Kyle Earls and jr. DB
Chris Mitchell produced Roman’s only turnover though when they jarred the ball
loose from Fisher following the record-setting gain and Indian sr. DE Jason Lare recovered. The Indians quickly gave up their slim turnover
advantage when so. DB Ryan McAdams recovered
a fumble on the second half kickoff and Sloan-El added 38-yards to his record setting
performance on the first play on a touchdown pass to Ferguson to close the scoring for
Roman. Despite the lop-sided score, a
determined Bryant ran off left tackle early in the fourth quarter for 15-yards and joined
Washington’s Jerry Butler as the only two
PL players to rush for over a 1,000 yards this season.
With a school single-season record possible, Indian head coach Larry Burnetski gave his prized running back most
of the remaining plays, but runs of 6, 19, 14, 12 and 7 yards left Bryant 26-yards short
of the mark. Burnetski rewarded his defensive
workhorse and primary lead back the entire season, Earls, with the final Indian carry and
he bulled in from six-yards late in the fourth quarter to avert the shutout. Roman sr. RB Joe Dougherty saved his best run of the day for
last as he raced 42-yards to run out the remaining seconds of the 2003 season.
Footnotes:
While the
disparity in talent was clearly evident between these two teams, Roman head coach Jim
Murphy stayed true to his words and replaced many of the regulars early in the third
quarter. Fundamentals and discipline
were part of the reason the Indians failed to mount much of a challenge and the Roxborough
underclassmen should’ve taken note of the principal differences. Had the Indians played at least one of the two
cancelled games they encountered this season, there’s little doubt Bryant’s
well-deserved place in Roxborough history would’ve been assured. Players and, more importantly, individuals like
Dante Bryant don’t come around that often. Although
he couldn’t capture the school record, hopefully those of us who saw him will
remember what he managed to accomplish in such a short period of time and how he conducted
himself in the process.
The Tackle Leaders
Roman
Tom Bowen—9 (4 solo, 1ng)
Tim Hoban—7 (4 solo, 1tfl,
2ng)
Charron Fisher—6 (2 solo,
1ng, 1 pass defended)
Sean Matthews—6 (2 solo)
Ed Devlin—6 (2 solo, 1tfl)
Jerry Reed—4 (1 solo)
Ryan McAdams—3 (2 solo, 1
fumble rec.)
Jim Moore—3
Roxborough
Kyle Earls—10 (4
solo)
Chris Mitchell—8 (2 ng)
Clinton Taylor—7 (1 solo)
Keenan Hite—5 (1 solo)
Jamal Womack—4 (1 solo)
Brandon Dennis—4
Kevin Gaskins—3
NOV.
20
Bill's report on the King-Southern game can be found BELOW the semifinal
preview.
NOV.
20
PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINALS PREVIEW
The
most talented teams the Pub had to offer this season have advanced to the “final
four” and while neither of the remaining teams can totally match the speed,
aggressiveness, and passing game of Frankford, they do bring elements to the table to
counter the deficiencies. If Central,
Washington or Murrell Dobbins utilize their talent and execute, any of them can dethrone
the Pioneers in the semis or the championship game.
When teams advance to this bracket, the obvious applies; limit turnovers, control
the line of scrimmage and no matter where you are on the depth chart, be ready to play at
all times.
Frankford vs. Central
Can
option sensation Marcel Quarterman contribute
at 100%? If so, can the Lancers show last
season’s uninspired semifinal loss to Frankford was a mirage and score enough points
to stay close in this game? Up until last week, few would question Central’s
decisiveness to post numbers, particularly following opposition turnovers. The trench work has to be top priority. What was clear in last season’s matchup was
the ability of the Frankford’s defensive line to consistently fire out of the box and
Central’s inability to get their hands inside the rushing linemen at the point of
attack. This weekend, Central will face
perhaps two of the city’s most aggressive defensive tackles in Frankford’s Henry Smith and Raymond Williams, who has continued to improve
throughout the season, making his D1 prospect status better every time he steps on the
field. Failure to keep them out of the
offensive backfield will defeat the purpose of counter plays and may disrupt option
sequences. As Ted Silary questioned whether
Central’s offensive linemen are “physical enough”, quickness might be added
to the equation. To counter, Central’s T
Jordan Champion and G Juliene Adams are capable of tough physical play,
but may have to step up a notch to assist others and allow plays to develop. If the Frankford defensive charge can be limited,
either Quarterman or jr. Joe Marshall will
need to manage a ball control scheme that initiates four-down territory beyond midfield. As discussed in a previous column, one way to
limit the option would be with a trio of ultra-fast linebackers. Well, Pioneer end Isaiah Thompson
and linebackers Ervin Hook and Joe Farina have demonstrated that speed does
indeed translate into aggressiveness. In
addition to breaking tackles when they carry the ball, Quindel Ladson, and Jordan Anderson may need to showcase their
blocking ability at times and neutralize this talented group if only to open running lanes
for others. Both should handle the ball any
way possible, particularly in Quaterman’s absence.
Anderson could be a serious threat if he continues his prowess in shedding
defensive backs and comes back for the ball when needed.
Once the Lancers accomplish this task however, the explosive Pioneer
offense poses unique challenges as well. One
aspect of Frankford’s offensive line play that has protected the impressive Lamont Brown and opened lanes for FB Jeremy Benson and ever-improving Arnold Mullins (best PL athlete I’ve seen
this season) has been the ability of Thompson, Smith, Zaire Small, Michael Lewis and William Latham to execute double-team blocks. Central’s defensive linemen Promarty Martinez and Marc Diana will have to find a way to adjust to
the double teams they’ll likely face and make things difficult for Brown, who can be
rattled with pressure, and the rest of the Pioneer backfield. If Quarterman isn’t available to the
Lancer defense, tackling responsibilities will fall on the capable shoulders of Ladson and
LB Cornelius Bunch and DE
Okezie Onyeanusi. They must improve on
their season-long susceptibility to outside running, and limit Michael Washington’s exceptional gift to
squirt free after a catch. Letting a simple
six-yard quick-out turn into a 70-yard touchdown could be devastating. One constant should be clear to this point though;
if you don’t bring the game to Frankford, they’ll gladly bring it to you.
X-factor
(“hidden” playmaker that could come up big when least expected)
Central—Devon Johnson
Frankford—Arnold Mullins
Washington vs. Dobbins
These
two teams haven’t met in a while and until the players actually face each other on
the field, the outcome could turn out differently than expected. Nevertheless, the Mustangs and Eagles appear
to match up well statistically and both have chips on their shoulders from previous losses
to Central and Frankford respectively. Much
like the morning contest, the work in the “trenches” by these young but
aggressive linemen should be interesting to watch. Dobbins’
DT/OG Derrick Watson and DT/OT Mike
Roberts have been dominant most of the season and have a
nose for the football. When they look across
and see a somewhat undersized Washington line, their confidence may begin to soar. What the Eagles may lack in size however, LT
Stephan Ruff and LG Andres Velasquez make up for in toughness, discipline and determination (watch
them on trap blocks). Despite their size,
they seem to take great pride in frustrating opposing linemen and linebackers and will be
tenacious all day regardless of the outcome. The
old saying “you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him” applies
to incomparable LB Greg Myers, who will go
sideline to sideline until his feet fall off and still be in on a couple of tackles
without them. As for the quarterbacks, Washington’s
Rich McFillin has all the tools. He can execute from the pocket, but when forced to
scramble there’s no hesitation. All he
seems to need for a higher level of success are receivers that concentrate more on first
downs rather then solely on big plays. On the
Dobbins side of the ball, the play calling duties appear a little unsettled. Maurice
Whitaker’s release, velocity on short passes and velvet touch on long passes has
been impressive. Unfortunately, due to
some inexperience in the Mustang offensive line, Whitaker has rarely had clear lanes to
complete short and intermediate passes, forcing him to peek through linemen, which has
resulted in high and incomplete throws. To
counter this, backup QB Steven Syndor may be a
nice compliment as he brings height to the position, but he’s also somewhat unproven. The one thing that jumps out when looking at the
receiving core, and consequently defensive backs in some cases, is speed. Perhaps the fastest trio of receivers in the
Mustangs Ariel Simmons, Nate Gravely and Aaron Gary, pose the biggest threat to a potential Eagles victory
if passes can be delivered. What
they’ll face on the defensive side though will be equally as formidable in CB’s Ricardo Rivera, Marcus Banks and Mikal Sabree. All
are well versed in the art of the hard-hitting secondary play and Banks comes as close as
anyone I’ve seen this season to a prototypical cornerback. He keeps his head on a swivel, flows extremely
well in zone and stays with receivers in man-to-man coverage. An intriguing sidebar matchup may be Syndor and
Eagle TE Dominique Curry. They appear so close in stature and ability, an
intense battle could develop as the game progresses.
If there’s one running back/return specialist capable of breaking this
game wide open early, the electrifying Jerry Butler
fits the bill. In addition to being
articulate and poised well beyond his years his cutback ability, explosiveness and speed
as a football player are truly sites to behold. While
Mustang RB Rashad "Reds" Williams
won’t match Butler stride-for-stride, he has taken the pressure off Myers to carry
the team and has responded with a component of outside running the Mustangs failed to
generate with consistency earlier this season. All
things being equal, this game may very well come down to special teams and, while
I’ve already proclaimed Dobbins as being the city’s best, from my limited
observations, Washington isn’t far behind. There’s
nothing more devastating than a late touchdown return that changes momentum. Who wants it more?
X-factor
Washington—Marcus Banks
Dobbins—Aaron Gary
NOV. 13
NON-LEAGUE
King 32, Southern 8
The hard-fought playoff loss to Central certainly took
its toll on the Cougars of Martin Luther King in more ways than one. In addition to getting out of the gate slowly
against the South Philly Rams, two of their fearless warriors, jr’s. Sammy
Tranks (torn meniscus) and Jared Williams (broken fibula), are finished for the season due to injuries
suffered last week. Emotional letdowns from a playoff loss at any level, particularly one
of this magnitude, have to be expected, but how a team responds moving forward will
determine whether the challenges faced are worth repeating in order to get back. If they stick together, plug a hole or two in the
trenches, have a suitable replacement for speedy sr. WR Danny Smith step forward and keep their proven balanced offense in tact,
the Cougars could be in position for even greater challenges next season. For the Rams, another feisty performance by
the boys from the hardwood but unlike the Germantown effort, this one unraveled before
halftime. A
13-yard kickoff return and 18-yard reception by Ram sr. RB Shamir Kase on the opening drive moved the Rams near an early lead only to
have Cougar sr. DT Kyle Patillo register a third
down sack that stalled the drive. King
quickly punted back to South Philly though, but sr. DE Quinn Peterson and LB Jamair Hines
matched Patillo’s effort by stuffing a third down screen pass for a loss. The Rams defense returned the favors as sr. DE Ryan
Williams batted down a second down pass, while jr. DB Amir
Ryan blitzed a third down pass into an incompletion.
Following a return to the King 43, a pair of nine-yard runs by RB Reggie White led to a third nine-yard gain due to a forced fumble that was
recovered at the 10-yard line. Left with a
fourth-and-1, the Rams were met with a four-yard loss by jr. Jeff Davis and jr. LB/FB Cyril Woodland. With less than
4:00 to go before halftime, the Cougars offense
finally came to life. Launching the type of
drive that takes opposing team right out of a ball game, jr. RB Tirrell Dekeyser (12-72) reeled off 29-yards in three carries and jr. QB Jeff
Cambell hit Danny Smith crossing over the middle and he ran to a 51-yard score. Cambell followed a Ram fumble on the ensuing drive
by launching a 33-yard strike to Smith right on the left pylon that, with a Cambell/Smith
conversion pass, gave King a lead they would never relinquish. Although King spent the second half adding to
their lead, a pair of first-timers stepped up from each squad. First, King jr. Ateif Ahmad accepted the second half kickoff, broke through at least four
tugs on his jersey, cut back to the right sideline and finished off an 80-yard return for
his first career touchdown. In the waning
moments of the game, Ram RB Gerald Terry followed
a 24-yard pass play from jr. QB Jalil Harris to
Kase with a determined 2-yard run off right tackle for his first career
touchdown—TS.com staff congratulates you both!
The Tackle Leaders
King
Jeff Davis—10 (4 solos, 1 ng)
Ateif Ahmad—6
Cyril Woodland—5 (1 ng)
Jamair Hines—5 (1 ng)
Danny Smith—4
Kyle Patillo—4 (1 solo, 1 sack, 1 forced
fumble, 1 fumble rec.)
Larry Allen—2 (1 sack, 1 forced fumble)
Southern
Amir Ryan—7 (1 solo, 1 sack)
Shamir Kase—6 (3 solo, 1ng)
Gerald Terry—5 (2 solo, 1 ng)
Reggie White—5 (1 solo, 1 fumble rec.)
Ricky Nguyen—4 (2 solo)
Ryan Williams—3 (2 solo)
Maurice Joiner—3 (2 solo, 1 sack)
NOV.
13
NON-LEAGUE
Germantown 6, Southern 0
Granted,
the tropical-storm force winds probably had an affect on the outcome, but the uninspired
effort by the Germantown Bears following their playoff elimination only added to the close
score and allowed the Rams of South Philly to stay within a lucky-bounce of a potential
upset victory. Had the workhorse performance
of sr. RB Marcus Walton (32-144) failed to
materialize, this game might have ended in a scoreless tie.
To their credit, the Rams have replaced a number of players since the early
part of the season and fielded half of a JV team who were feisty and ready for
“smash-mouth” football.
What turned
out to be an all-day barrage of physical gang tackling finally gave the Rams possession
when sr. LB Gerald Terry and jr. DL Harry Walker halted the Bears seven-play opening
drive on fourth down. G-town seemed
ready to resume the drive courtesy of a poor exchange from center on the first play and a
fumble recovery by sr. RB/LB Omar McDonnaugh. The Bears quickly returned the favor though, when
Terry forced a fumble and jr. DB Michael McClain
recovered deep in South Philly territory. Despite
driving to midfield, another Rams fumble on fourth-and-1 gave G-town a short field and
they moved inside the 20 only to be denied by Ram so. LB/RB Lamone Fox, who batted down a fourth-and-6 pass
attempt. Although the ensuing drive failed to
produce points, a 17-yard pass by Ram jr. QB Jalil
Harris put him over the 1000-yard plateau for his career—a remarkable achievement
for a quarterback who’s experienced more than his share of losing seasons (the staff
at TS.com congratulate you!). Reality
quickly set in for Harris and South Philly as G-town then mounted their only scoring drive
of the afternoon. In an impressive
display of what this team can achieve, McDonnaugh, behind blocks by srs. OT Dennis Hill and OG Dominic Davis followed a subtle two-yard run by
Walton with a nice cut just beyond the line of scrimmage and a 62-yard blast down the left
sideline. From there, Walton disappeared
through a scrum of lineman two plays later and ended a quick first half with a four-yard
touchdown run. After a short kickoff to
midfield, G-town jr. DB Korey Carter
recovered the first of two fumbles on the Rams first play of the second half. Behind a McDonnaugh run to the Ram 34, another
potential scoring drive suddenly turned chaotic. On
the play, McDonnaugh was run out-of-bounds with an extra hit or two for good measure. An objectionable verbal response to the late hit
resulted in McDonnaugh’s ejection and 15-yard penalty against the Bears. Unfortunately, most, if not all, the
officials on hand were a little uneasy with the “tempo” of city high school
football, which prompted one official to say; “this is my last game in the Public
League.” Neither team mounted a drive of
more than five plays until the G-town regained possession with 7:58 remaining in the game
and they ran the game clock to zeros with a 14-play drive that featured a final
eight-carry, 41-yard effort from Walton.
Footnotes:
If
there’s any doubt how physical the South Philly basketball team will be this season,
many of them are currently on the football roster and, based on their hard-hitting style
against G-town, think twice about standing in the lane to take a charge. In a brief chat
with G-town head coach Mike Hawkins, I was
surprised to hear that he’s been getting a lot of grief about the teams disappointing
2003 performance. The fact of the matter is
that the 2003 Bears lack enough experience to compete at the playoff level and despite
that, Hawkins will probably deliver another winning season. What appears to be conservative play-calling are
the same plays he started the season with, but most have yet to be executed with the
consistency that wins championships, much less playoffs.
As for Omar McDonnaugh, I must
say that although he performed well below his standard in the Southern game, he still
rattled off an impressive 104-yards on just four carries, was in on five tackles and
almost intercepted a pass. Dude, you sold
me—where’s the bus stop to the “next level”. A special thanks to website cohorts Ed “Huck” Palmer and Tom “Hockey Puck”
McKenna (who I thought I met for the first time last weekend--still not sure) for
exercising their right of first refusal and allowing games to become available—much
appreciated guys!
The Tackle Leaders
Germantown
Korey Carter—8 (2
fumble rec.)
Brandon Arrington—6 (1 tfl,
1 sack, 1 forced fumble)
Omar McDonnaugh—5 (1 tfl, 1
pass defensed)
Christopher Siaplay—4
Christian Johnson—3
Gabriel Johnson—2 (1 fumble
rec.)
Robert Fisher—(1 sack)
Southern (many tackles
assisted, but great team effort)
Amir Ryan—13 (1
tfl)
Gerald Terry—12 (1 forced
fumble, 1 fumble rec.)
Shamir Case—11 (1-fumble
rec.)
Ryan Williams—7
Lamone Fox—6 (1 tfl, 1 pass
defensed)
Reggie White —6
Michael McClain—5 (1 fumble
rec.)
Jarrell Thomas—5
OCT.
30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
King 20, Overbrook 0
Along with
claiming the second playoff spot in Division C, the Cougars of Martin Luther King may have gained a serviceable ground
attack to compliment the capable right arm of jr. QB Jeff Cambell.
With field conditions worsening by the minute, throwing or catching a
mud-covered football wasn’t going to occur with any frequency and jr. RB’s Tirrell Dekeyser (14-104) and Jared Williams (12-45) seemed to take full
advantage of the situation.
Although
the Panthers mounted a spirited effort in the first quarter, an indication of things to
come was clear on their first drive as two of nine total fumbles (mostly on center
exchanges) left them to punt without gaining a yard.
Cougar Head Coach Mike Stanley
used what was left of a damp football and opened with an out route in the left zone. Cambell lofted a tight low-angle spiral, but the
easy touchdown catch slipped through the hands of the receiver and the drive stalled two
plays later due to a TFL by Overbrook jr. DE Christopher
Howard. A fumble recovery by King jr. DE Jeff Davis was countered with an interception by
so. Eikeem Barron and the Overbrook offense ran
out the first quarter clock maintaining a scoreless tie.
After forcing a short punt, Dekeyser used his second carry to skate
40-yards, but sr. Albert Jones put the
Overbrook bench into a frenzy when he intercepted an ill-advised King pass two plays
later. With momentum on their side, so. RB Martinique Anderson followed a determined 23-yard
run with an apparent touchdown run off a screen pass only to see a penalty negate the lead
and the momentum. Cambell responded with a
screen pass of his own that resulted in a 51-yard reception to sr. WR Danny Smith. On
the next play, Dekeyser took advantage of a Panther lapse in defensive gap
responsibilities and went in from nine-yards untouched.
Smith
followed his big first half reception with a 40-yard kickoff return to open the second
half, Dekeyser later converted a fourth-and-two and Cambell squeezed in on the next play
to double the lead. Another big play by
Albert Jones gave the Panthers a chance to trim the lead when he picked up a punt, that
King jr. Sammy Tranks had blocked, and raced
into King territory.
From there though, Overbrook gained only a yard and the barrage of
fumbles that followed left them without a scoring threat the remainder of the game.
Honors go
out this week to King jr. FB Cyril Woodland,
who scored his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game on (muddy)
ice—congratulations! Clearing the
way on that particular run was jr. LG Caison Austin
and jr. LT Andre Jones, who along with sr. C Joel Morris, jr. RG Larry
Allen and sr. RT Kyle Patillo performed
well overall for a line not known for run blocking. Are
you ready to grind it out in the playoffs?
Despite the poor record,
Overbrook Head Coach Ken Sturm has done all one
person could possibly do with a football team.
The Tackle Leaders
ML King
Kyle Patillo—8 (4
tfl/ng, 1 punt tipped)
Jeff Davis—8 (3 tfl/ng, 1
fumble rec.)
Joel Morris—5
Darnell Gindrow—5
Cyril Woodland—4
Quinn Peterson—(1 sack)
Hughes Pierre—(1 sack)
Overbrook
Devon Starks—7
Albert Jones—6 (1 tfl)
Christopher Howard—5 (1 tfl)
Khalif El-Harre-Bey—4 (1
tfl)
Sultan Sanders—4 (1 fumble
rec.)
Long, Coombs, Scott—3 each
OCT.
30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Central 49, Roxborough 24
With
standouts RB/LB Quindel “Milky” Ladson
and OL/DL Jordan Champion in street clothes
(Ladson sporting a sling), jrs. Devon Johnson, Cornelieus Bunch and the rest of the
well-disciplined Lancers team seized on the turnovers handed to them with the same
decisiveness certified by the Frankford Pioneers. Roxborough
clearly showed they’re a talented group and entered the fourth quarter of the game
only five points down. If they can reduce the
“when it rains it pours” turnover ratios of this and season’s past, a
respectable season can still be achieved.
The Indians
wasted little time showing off their talent and marched down the field on an opening
14-play drive, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by determined sr. RB Dante Bryant who, with a worsening groin injury,
accumulated half of his total rushing yardage in this drive (13 carries). They came right back on defense and sr. DT/OT Kevin Gaskins foiled a reverse for a five-yard
loss, forcing the Lancers first drive to end with a punt.
As fast as the Indians got out of the huddle though, a mishandled pitch was
scooped up by Bunch and, with impressive quickness, he cut into the end zone for the
equalizer. Somewhat stunned, the
Indians went down quickly in their next series and short punt was aided by a
“halo” interference penalty that gave the Lancers possession 35-yards from a
score. A personal foul penalty was tacked on
to a first down run by Johnson and, on the next play, sr. QB Marcel Quarterman fired a strike to sr. WR Jordan Anderson on a well-executed 10-yard
timing route. Anderson’s superb inside
fake caused his defender to peel off as he turned outside for the touchdown catch. When Roxborough was again forced to punt,
the return problems that plagued them against Dobbins, resurfaced during an apparent
66-yard sideline return by Anderson, but a roughing the kicker penalty negated the play
and placed the Indians offense inside Central territory.
Bunch and sr. DL Promarty Martinez
teamed on a sack to halt the series after a four yard net.
Back on offense, a deceiving Quarterman option keeper was followed by a well-placed
sideline fade pass to Anderson, who out-maneuvered and out-jumped his defender for a
29-yard gain. This set up sr. RB Duane Williams’ option pitch around right-end
from five-yards out to extend the lead to 22-6 with an intriguing conversion pass. (In order to get out from the small mud-pit
surrounding the usual extra point marker, Central head coach Frank Conway Jr. decided to move the ball back to
the five and, while lined up in kick formation, Quarterman (holder) lifted the snap and
threw to an open Johnson.) Feeling the game
slipping away, the Indians offense responded with a 17-yard reverse by sr. Brandon Dennis and a pair of well thrown passes
by sr. QB Karon Hill that moved the Indians
inside the Lancer five with the clock running. With
0:17 left and no time-outs head coach Larry
Burnetski went to the reliable Bryant and he came through to trim the Lancer lead to
10 before the break.
Realizing
Central’s ability to score points at will, coupled with the fact that his skilled
players were contributing to all three phases of the game, Burnetski smartly shortened the
field with a barrage of onside kicks to prevent the Lancers offense from beating on his
players with long drives. This strategy gave
the Indians possession of the second half kickoff though, as the kick ricocheted off a
Central player at midfield. Seizing the
opportunity, Burnetski used everything Bryant had left and an eight-play drive cut the
Central advantage to six points. A
three-and-out by Central seemed to give Roxborough the momentum they needed, but their
second fumble of the afternoon quickly put the Lancer lead back into double figures when
Johnson went in untouched from seven-yards on the first play. Atoning for the fumble, sr. Brandell Ruff, who showed the ability to get to
the outside against G-town, turned on the speed late in the third and, dove into the
corner of the end zone after a 35-yard run to cut the Central lead back to five points. This would be as close as the Indians would get
however as the fourth quarter belonged to the Lancers.
Another onside kick was recovered by Central near midfield and they needed just six
plays that included a 13-yard pass from Quarterman to sr. WR Rodney
Sykes to unleash Johnson again from 25-yards. Following the third Roxborough fumble,
which was forced by Central’s Bunch with an impressive display of speed around left
end to chase down the ball carrier, Johnson added his third touchdown of the afternoon to
put the game out of reach. Jr. FB Michael Wilson closed the scoring with a six-yard
run while rushing for 28-yards on four carries in the drive, and jr. DB Joe Marshall ended Roxborough’s final scoring
chance with the game’s only interception on a halfback option pass.
Footnotes:
Marcel Quarteman’s timing and release (or
non-release) point during the masterful counter option plays continue to fool opposing defenses and reporters
alike. Short of acquiring a trio of
ultra-speedy linebackers or adopting the play into an arsenal, no amount of practice time
or film study can prevent these plays from succeeding at some point in a game. In one instance sr. G Juliene Adams, who had pulled from the off-side,
finally ended a impressive lead block 10-yards downfield.
Along with his continued
improvement at CB, sr. Jamal Womack gave the
Indians struggling punt return coverage a boost when, from the outside “flyer”
position, he tracked down Anderson and stayed on his tail until he was eventually blocked
from behind on the opposite side of the field (penalty enforced). A “de-cleater” block by FB Kyle Earls gave Brandell Ruff all the room he
needed on his touchdown run. Earls also
contributed a 37-yard run, the longest on his career, in the third quarter.
The Tackle
Leaders
Central
Cornelius
Bunch—14 (6 tfl/ng, 1ff, 2 fumble rec.)
Ed Dunn -- 8
Okezie Onylanusi—8
Marcel Quarterman—6
Michael Dugas—6
James Tyree
—5
Rodney Sykes—5
Roxborough (remembering
that Central ran only 36% of the total offensive plays.)
Jamal Womack—7 (1 pass
defensed)
Brandon Dennis—6
Vince Jones—5 (1 sack)
Kevin Gaskins—5 (1 sack)
Kevin O’Malley—5 (1
fumble rec)
OCT.
24
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Dobbins 25, Roxborough 14
With playoff
implications hanging in the balance, perhaps the best special teams unit in the city
stepped up and delivered. Mustang sr. RB Greg Myers (19-86), as he has done often
this season, put the team on his back and needed just 12 seconds to open the scoring with
an 80-yard kickoff return through the teeth (?) of the Indians return unit. Despite moving past midfield on the capable,
but hampered, legs of sr. RB Dante Bryant (25-152), an
incompletion and a pair of tackles for losses ended the Indians first drive and a short
punt gave Dobbins good field position. Mustang
offensive linemen sr. Fred
Pitts, sr. Derrick Watson and jr. Cordero Thompson wasted little time
exposing the middle of the defense early on, allowing Myers to average four yards a carry
and matching the Indians first drive. A
second-down false start penalty that resulted in a fourth-and-one proved costly for the
Mustangs as Indians sr. LB Kyle
Earls, fresh
off a two-game absence due to injury, bull-rushed through
the line and caught sr. QB Maurice Whitaker (6-11-95) for a
four-yard loss.
Following an
Indians three-and-out, a first down run by sr. RB Kenny Robinson and a pass from
Whitaker to sr. WR Aaron
Gary was
followed with a true play-action toss from Whitaker to sr. WR Nate Gravely that ended as a 50-yard
completion. Myers finished the drive by
bashing in from two-yards out, doubling the Mustangs lead.
Roxborough’s
beginning to the second half ended much like the first.
Led by the defensive effort of sr. LB Brian Walls, Watson and sr. Mike Roberts who, with a
tandem sack by Watson and Roberts supplied 11-yards in losses, forced the Indians to punt
from their end-zone. Another short punt was
picked up on one bounce by the scary-fast Gary and he dashed through arm tackles of
over-pursuing defenders on his way to a 36-yard touchdown return to increase the Dobbins
lead to 25-0 with the Sydnor kick.
The Indians
offense finally showed signs of life during the ensuing possession that featured a 13-yard
“Culpepper” scramble pass from Hill to sr. WR Jamal Womack and 49-yards on four
carries from Bryant, including a vivid demonstration of his remarkable cut-back ability on
a 19-yard touchdown run. Dim hope became a
fighting chance for Roxborough when a smooth Whitaker completion over the middle was
fumbled and sr. Bradell
Ruff
recovered close to midfield. With Bryant out
for a series, jr. RB Chris
Mitchell
(4-35) energized a listless bench by rambling 29-yards on three carries, but later fumbled
while digging for the end zone. Mustang sr. Cliff Gilliam finally picked up
the rolling ball at the four and ended the Indians last chance to stay close. Clark shook off some of the afternoon’s
frustration and made nice leaping 9-yard catch on a good “medium-zip” pass from
Hill for a late score.
The
Tackle Leaders
Dobbins (19 different
players)
Greg
Myers—10 (2 tfl)
Derrick
Watson—8 (5 tfl)
Brian
Walls—7
Mike
Roberts—7 (fumble rec.)
Phiizee
Stokes—5
Steven
Syndor—5 (1tfl, 1 pass defensed)
Cliff
Gilliam—5
Kyle
Earls—10
Chris
Mitchell—10
Kevin
O’Malley—5
Jamal
Womack—5
Tyrell
Beatty—4
Keenan
Hite—4 (1ff)
For Roxborough, three straight seasons without a division win hinges on next week’s
game against Central.
OCT.
10
NON-LEAGUE
Dobbins 33, University City 0
While
the Dobbins Tech Mustangs win over the feisty U-City Jaguars probably won’t rank as
their crowning achievement for the season, the efficiency they displayed in this game just
might. If the Mustangs can continue to
build on what they’ve established thus far, a ticket to the Pub final might be in the
offing.
The game
opened with a troubling sign of things to come for the Jags when Mustang head coach Doug Macauley chose to defer the opening kickoff
and rely on his aggressive defense to set the early tone.
This approach only reduced the distance to their first score as the Jags
first drive stalled (due to a holding penalty) and the ensuing punt left the Mustangs
42-yards from the end zone. On their first
offensive play, sr. QB Maurice Whitaker lofted
a beautiful touch pass to sr. WR Ariel Simmons
streaking down the right sideline for the game’s first touchdown.
When Bilal Karriem used a strong-side sweep to gain
52-yards to the Mustang 15, U-City seemed well on their way to tying the score, but a
fourth-down sack by sr. DL/OL Mike Roberts
ended the U-City’s brief threat four yards from where it started. After allowing the Mustangs to gain a first down, Jamar Goss intercepted a Whitaker pass and kept the Jags within striking distance. Despite good field position, the Jags were
eventually forced to punt, but Steve Coleman
recovered a Mustang fumble during the punt return. In
business again, QB Kayon Walton finally
connected with Goss for nine yards to give the Jags a first-and-goal. From there however, a botched exchange and one of
three big-time sacks by sr. DE Cory McDuffy
left the Jags empty once more. A 15-yard run
by jr. RB Rashad Williams (7-55) moved Dobbins
out of their own end zone, only to give the ball right back to U-City when a fake punt
attempt failed. Only up 7-0, the Mustangs
came up big on defense and sr. LB Kenny Anderson stepped
in front of a Walton pass and rumbled to the U-City 13, where Williams took the option
pitch from Whitaker, broke a few tackles and instantly doubled the Dobbins advantage.
Following a
three-and-out by U-City, the Mustang passing game went into gear. First they tested the secondary with a quick-hitch
for four yards, which was immediately followed by a take-off route by sr. WR Aaron Gary and he responded with a 51-yard
touchdown reception with 50 seconds to go before halftime.
With only 15 offensive plays the entire first half, the Mustangs built a
19-0 lead and Gary wasn’t finished yet.
Dobbins assistant
coach Lou Zambino had predicted Gary would
run a return back for a touchdown. Well, the
speedy Gary ran back to field the deferred second half kickoff, sliced through the middle
of the Jags coverage and by the time he was at the 50, there wasn’t anyone near him
on his way to a 98-yard score to break the game open.
“Aaron,
along with Ariel Simmons and Larris Robinson,
are part of the Public League relay championship team,” Zambino said. “Even though Aaron may not be fastest
100-yard man on the football field, he’s our fastest player.”
Dobbins sr.
DB Larris Robinson’s interception late in the third quarter set up the final
touchdown of the afternoon as sr. FB Brian Walls bulled
in from a yard out. Sr. Steven Sydnor added three extra points that
split the uprights.
The Tackle Leaders
Dobbins (22 different
players total)
Greg Myers—13 (2-TFL)
Cory McDuffy—7 (3-sacks)
Dominic Bostic—7
Mike Roberts—5 (2-sacks)
# 68—4 (1 TFL)
Kenny Robinson—4 (1-TFL)
Phiizee Stokes—4
University City
Tyrone Ragan—6
Anthony Williams—5
Bilal Karriem—4
Sterling Johnson—4
Brandon Shorts—4
OCT.
3
CATHOLIC RED
O'Hara 14, La Salle 7
In a game
experienced teams are supposed to win, the Cardinal O’Hara Lions defeated the host
LaSalle Explorers behind a steady dose of sr. RB Anthony
Heygood. His 91-yard fourth quarter
touchdown run in the waning seconds broke the 7-7 tie and calmed a nervous Lion bench.
What made the
91-yard effort exciting was that while taking on half of the Explorer defense to get into
the secondary, Heygood (26-273-2) fought a leg cramp that worsened as he ran closer to the
end zone. An “A++” effort on the
play goes to jr. WR Sean Barksdale, who made
one of the initial blocks to spring Heygood near the line of scimmage and blazed downfield
to help Heygood into the end zone.
The Lions wasted
little time introducing the impressive Heygood as he capped an efficient six-play opening
drive with a 34-yard touchdown run. Most of
the O’Hara faithful thought Heygood’s touchdown was a sign of scores to come. That was until jr. QB Mike Lynch assumed the controls for LaSalle.
Offensively, the
Lions had troubles of their own during the first half.
Despite the strong running of Heygood and bruising sr. FB Matt Gough, O’Hara failed to cash in on a
21-play drive, aided by a LaSalle fumble on a punt, when a short field goal try sailed
wide-right with just over two minutes before halftime.
O’Hara was in
great position to take the lead on their next possession when a pass from sr. QB Matt Campbell to Barksdale moved the Lions to
midfield. From there, the reliable
Heygood/Gough running attack pushed the Explorers defense to the 17, but a fourth down
pass fell incomplete.
Seizing the
opportunity for a potential upset, Lynch completed three passes for 21-yards and Hudson
added a 27-yard run to put the Explorers at the doorstep again. A 35-yard field goal attempt to break the deadlock
missed wide-left and the game appeared destined for overtime. Although LaSalle had an another chance to take the
win due to a Heygood fumble, Lion jr. S Mike
Marotta intercepted a Lynch pass shortly thereafter setting up the classic finish. With the pressure on, O’Hara used the first
play from scrimmage to spring Heygood for the game-winning touchdown.
For LaSalle,
a tough loss indeed but, time and challenge will heal their inexperience. On this night, they gained some of both. Other than O’Hara head coach George Stratts (and the energetic legion of
Explorer fans!), few gave this team a chance to be close at halftime.
“It’s
never easy between us and LaSalle”, he said. “Last
year we had an opportunity to take one from them and they came back in the last few
seconds to beat us. They’re a proud
outfit and so are we.”
Footnotes:
A pair of sacks by
LaSalle sr. DE Frank Jorfi, (–7 yards)
ended an O’Hara threat before halftime and forced them to punt late in the fourth
quarter with the game tied. As reported by Ted, O’Hara sr. G Gabe DiBernadino is on “injured
reserve” this season, but he and his crutches roam the sideline faster than most
reporters do. While disappointed about his
role this season, his spirit for the game and attention to detail are undiminished.
OCT. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Roxborough 20, University City 6
Behind 208 all-purpose-yards from RB Dante Bryant, the Roxborough Indians defeated the
spirited Jaguars of University City, 20-6 to take their second straight Public League
victory. The win marked the first time
since 2000 that the school has won consecutive football games and gave the team a needed
boost of momentum heading into the difficult stretch against Division B opponents.
Roxborough
looked aggressive on its opening drive. On
his way to 165-yard, 31-carry rushing performance, Bryant used four of them to get the
Indians from the 23 to midfield. From there,
a well-placed 44-yard pass from QB Karon Hill
to WR Terrence Clark, allowed Bryant to finish
the scoring drive with a 6-yard run to take an early 6-0 lead.
The Jaguars
looked to strike right back on their opening drive when QB Kayon Walton found WR Brandon Shorts crossing the middle of the field. Shorts tipped and caught his own the pass and
raced 82-yards for an apparent score, but an illegal motion wiped out their chance to take
the lead. Ah, but the Jaguars
weren’t finished though as, while struggling to get off his first punt of the day,
Shorts decided to head down the left sideline and wasn’t stopped until he reached the
Roxborough 33-yard line. In dire need of some
defense, Indians LB/G Kenny Anderson, who was
clearing the way for Bryant on the offensive side of the ball, stepped up.
In addition to making the tackle that caused U-City to punt in the first
place, he delivered every tackle on each of the next FOUR downs to stall the Jaguar drive.
Each team traded
the ball on their next series and Roxborough looked well on their way to a comfortable
halftime lead on their subsequent possession. The
potential scoring drive started harmlessly with a steady dose Bryant and FB/LB Kyle Earls that seemed to end with 25-yard pass
from Hill to WR/DB Chris Mitchell, who executed
a near-perfect slant route. An offside
penalty negated the touchdown and set off a series of Roxborough penalties that put them
back almost 20 yards before a critical fourth-and-28 pass interference penalty on U-City
allowed to the offense to close within 30 yards of a score. After working down to the 12, the 22-play drive
ended oddly enough when Hill spiked the ball on fourth down in an attempt spare time on
the clock. With momentum shifting
slightly towards the Jaguars, DE/OG Jason Lare came
up big for Roxborough on defense and, from the
left end, sacked the quarterback for an 11-yard loss, which ended any hopes of a quick
score before halftime.
A
three-and-out by the Jaguars to start the third quarter was made worse by the 12-yard punt
that was immediately followed by Bryant’s second touchdown run from 20-yards away. Down 14-0 the Jaguars, aided by RB Sterling Johnson’s 26-yard run, came right
back and on a fourth-and-goal, Walton bulled his way through eight tough yards and managed
to break the plane of the goal for U-City’s first and only score of the day.
When DE/OT Keenan Hite snuffed out an ensuing Jaguar reverse
that forced them to punt, Roxborough put together an impressive 17-play drive to seal the
victory. Without the services of an injured
Earls, Bryant carried the ball 11 times in the final scoring drive that was capped by a
well-executed “sprint left option” touchdown pass from Hill to a wide-open
Clark. A fumble recovery by Lare ended the
final U-City threat.
The Tackle Leaders
Roxborough
Kenny Anderson—10
Chris Mitchell—6 (delivered an awesome hit
late in the game)
Clinton Taylor—4
Kyle Earls—4
Keenan Hite—4
University City (impressive
overall team effort as 16 different players recorded tackles)
Tyrone Ragan—6
Anthony Williams—5
Earnest Dixon—5 (1 fumble caused)
Brandon Shorts—5
Jamar Goss—4
Arnold Malloy—4
Thomas Dobson—4
SEPT. 26
NON-LEAGUE
Frankford 43, Edison 0
Most Public League fans figured the Frankford Pioneers would have a
relatively easy time taming the less-experienced teams in the league, but few, including
myself, were ready for the speed, precision and decisiveness on display during their 43-0
dismantling of host team Edison.
“I knew [Frankford] would score points, but not like this,” a
baffled Larry Oliver (Edison head coach) said
after halftime.
It was a
rude awakening indeed for the Owls, who failed to register a single first down, were held
to minus 34 yards total offense for the game and had their share of trouble just
containing Frankford’s third and fourth string teams introduced in the third quarter. In order to limit the controlled scrimmages
he saw in the second half, Oliver will need to find some “players” or the team
could be in for a long season. Despite
the devastating loss, he can at least take comfort in the fact that his Owls won’t be
the only team to experience the fury of Frankford this season.
The
Pioneers wasted little time getting down to business when DE Jeremy Benson (5 tackles, all for losses) stripped
Edison QB Derrick Ellis of the ball on the
game’s first play and LB Joe Farina (5
tackles, 3 for losses) came up with possession. On their first play from scrimmage in 2003,
Frankford gave the ball to RB Arnold Mullins,
who cut back against the middle of the defense and cruised to a 20-yard touchdown run. In addition to adding the PAT kick, Mullins
set up the scoring drive with a kickoff Edison had to field inside against their goal
line.
Following
an Edison three-and-out, Benson used Frankford’s second play to run into some open
space but in a brief bout of rustiness, fumbled and Edison’s Barry Wyche (4 tackles) recovered near midfield. The momentum was short-lived and Edison was
forced to rely on the best part of their game—the punting of Troy Scott-Foster.
Despite the poor field position and facing a second down and long, Frankford
QB Lamont Brown (6-2, 180) connected with WR Ervin
Hook on a short crossing route that resulted in a 55-yard gain, aided by a crushing
down field block by Farina. On the next
play, Benson atoned for his fumble by bursting into the end zone from 29-yards out, giving
the Pioneers a 13-0 lead.
When Edison was again forced to punt, the Frankford special teams bulled into
the Owls backfield and reserve HB Dwayne Shuford
tackled the punter three yards from another touchdown.
From there, Pioneer FB Cristien
Richardson, went in untouched for another six points.
On the
first play of their next possession, Frankford exposed the Edison secondary when Brown
lofted a nice pass to Hook, who was wide open in the deep left zone. Hook turned his head and saw nothing but green
grass on his way to another 55-yard gain and a touchdown. (After watching the Frankford
quarterback in a past scrimmage and against Edison, he has shown good accuracy and can put
a great touch on ball that even Ted Silary
could handle. I’m not much on
predictions, but should Frankford reach the finals, I think Brown will unleash a big-time
throw in that game that will leave the opposing team stunned.)
By stepping
in front of the ensuing third down pass from Edison, LB Michael Washington’s interception gave
Frankford the ball deep in Edison territory and, as they previously demonstrated, needed
just one play to take care of business. Benson
took the handoff and cut through the defense as if they were standing still for his second
touchdown of the game.
Another good
punt by Edison’s Scott-Foster, left the Pioneers starting at their own 29, but
Richardson promptly waltzed through an open “3-gap” and erased 69 yards of the
distance before being pushed out-of-bounds at the Edison two-yard line. On his first and only official carry
of the game, HB Brandon Norris sliced in for Frankford’s sixth and final touchdown
with a minute remaining before halftime. An
extremely efficient afternoon for an offensive team that held the ball less than six
minutes the entire first half.
“We
wanted to come out strong and we did what we were supposed to do, said a pleased Joe
Farina. “Next week we’re going to
come out with the same thing.”
The Frankford effort in the trenches and on defense against Edison was outstanding and
deserves mention.
T Raymond Williams (4 tackles, 3 for losses)
T Henry Smith (3 tackles, 2 for losses or no gain)
LB Michael Washington (5 tackles, 2 for losses)
Other Edison Tackle Leaders
(mostly in the second half)
Anthony Coltrane (6 tackles)
Carlos Maldonado (5 tackles)
Joel Lewis (4 tackles)
Troy Scott-Foster (4 tackles)
Derrick Ellis (3 tackles)