Payin' the Bills, FB 2007

DEC. 1
PIAA AAAA QUARTERFINAL PLAYOFF
Parkland 44, Washington 12
Sometimes what we don’t know can hurt us. Sure, the Trojans may look simple to exploit in film study but, once the whistle blew, they were just too big, too quick and more technically sound than the Eagle players imagined. Much like the inaugural 2004 PIAA playoff game however, Washington never gave up on themselves and what that produced by game’s end was a glimpse into a very exciting future. As a heavy underdog, the Eagles had to come up with a big play to shift momentum and, while they had chances in the first quarter, the Parkland defense shut down everything they threw at them. Perhaps the first telling moment was after Parkland drove 55-yards in eight plays for the game’s first touchdown and the Eagles called one of their staple quick traps on the second play of their first series. This play has given Pub teams fits through the years but impressive 6’3” 240 jr. DE Clint Miller, shook the block and stopped the play for the only two yards of the series. A tackle for no gain by sr. DB Devon Wallace and a penalty then forced the Trojans to punt. Careless ball handling gave Parkland possession on the Eagle five and they needed just two plays to take a 14-0 lead with less than 3:00 to go in the first quarter. After losing three yards on a second down screen pass, Washington managed their only first down of the quarter on a 19-yard pass from sr. QB Clinton “Juice” Granger to wide open sr. TE Damien Wilmer. From the 41 though, three plays resulted in a net of minus four yards, which forced a punt that changed the complexion of the game. Trojan sr. HB Sam Tajiri grabbed a short punt aided by a stiff wind, turned the corner, deflected three would-be tackles and bolted 63 yards for his second touchdown in as many touches to give Parkland a 21-0 lead. Washington responded with a 28-yard pass from Granger to sr. WR Andrew Goodman, who made a great adjustment to snag an under thrown pass only to have the drive end in another punt due to a delay of game penalty and sack three plays later. Behind an offensive scheme similar to that of Archbishop Carroll’s, Parkland embarked on a convincing scoring drive that featured the pinpoint passing of sr. QB John Laub and power of sr. FB Kevin Herod, whose four-yard touchdown run capped his four carries for 33-yard effort during the drive. Bad went to worse for the Eagles on the ensuing series as a swing pass was thrown low and out of the end zone for a safety to give the Trojans a commanding 30-0 lead at halftime. Another sack by Miller on third down ended Washington’s opening second half series and the Trojans put the mercy clock into motion four minutes later with a touchdown pass from Laub to sr. SE Daniel Kish. After the Eagles fifth punt of the game, Parkland added their final touchdown, a four-yard run by jr. HB Mark Cecchini, as the third quarter expired. As second teamers trickled in from both sides, few would’ve anticipated what transpired in the final six minutes of the 2007 season. Jr. DB Jamal Williams recovered a Trojan fumble and sophomore QB Aaron Wilmer then came in and exposed the weakest point of the Parkland defense. All game long, they employed a weak cover-three pass coverage and Wilmer knew exactly where the openings would be located. He started with a second down pass over the middle to brother Damien for 15 yards. Following a nine-yard scamper on second-and-13, he connected with jr. RB James “J.J” Johnson on a swing pass for 18-yards to midfield. On the next play, he found sr. Marquis Murrey for 20 yards and two plays later, under heavy pressure, he rolled to his left, spun out of an arm tackle and fired a 23-yard completion to Murrey down to the Parkland five-yard line. From there, Wilmer hustled the team to the line, dropped back and threw a stunning quick out that his brother snatched with ease just inside the pylon to avert the shutout. Ah, we’re not finished yet.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: With 0:44 left in the game, jr. LB James Ross recovered the ensuing Eagle onside kick and Wilmer went right back to work. Although his first pass sailed incomplete, the second was a laser to Murrey for 29 yards. As the clock began to show single digits and no timeouts, Wilmer calmly dropped back and hit Goodman on the numbers for an eight yard touchdown to end the game—season’s over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes: A special “Payin the Bills” thanks to John McBurnie Sr., trainer Ron Marano and principal Kathy Murphy for the “warm” hospitality during the game and continued support throughout the season. We were a long way from home, but it never felt that way—thanks to everyone.

NOV. 22
THANKSGIVING DAY RIVALRY
Roman 49, Roxborough 20
What a difference a year makes. Fresh off a big playoff win, a rarity in recent years, and with a week to prepare for a championship showdown against Prep, the Cahillites brought some added precision to the 36th annual version of the Thanksgiving Day classic. For the third straight year, they used the same game plan to favorable results and, of the career milestones set, the passing yardage of Roman sr. QB Chris Johnson was nothing short of impressive. In three Thanksgiving Day contests, he completed 52% (62% combined 2006 & 2007) of his passes for 529 yards and 10 touchdowns. Two of those 10 came within the first two minutes of this one. On the game’s first play, he lofted a 45-yard pass in step with sr. WR Albert Desiderio’s fly route and came right back with a 20-yard fade to sr. WR Nick Moody for a 7-0 lead with the first of seven conversion kicks by sr. K Chris Fioravanti. Sr. OLB Andrew Regan intercepted Roxborough’s first play where a Indian pass interference penalty, 14-yard run from Moody and Johnson touch pass into the left flat finished their quick scoring blitz with a Desiderio 12-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Following a failed Roman onside kick, a personal foul gave the Indians possession at the Cahillite 31 but, on the next play, an attempted handoff popped in the hands of sr. LB Sean Clift, who returned to midfield where the Indian defense responded. Solid tackles by soph. DT Justin Coffey and soph LB Shaimsadin Reed limited the Cahillite offense to a net of one-yard and sr. CB Adrese Hicks ended the series with the first of two interceptions in the game. The Roxborough offense however, managed a net of two yards on their next series and a short punt left Roman 35 yards from another score. They then called on the steady blocking sr. LT Ed Krimmel and sr. LG John Mazzola to open a slant hole for sr. RB Balial Lewis Sloan-El, who ran the entire distance needed in one play to put Roman up by 21 points midway through the first quarter. A stingy Cahillite defense of Krimmel, Clift and sr. OLB Reggie Irby stepped up to hold the Indians to a zero net three-and-out series that was closed with a sr. DT Jewhan Edwards partially blocked punt. Lewis Sloan-El presented the legendary milestone during a six-yard run on the next play and became the only Roman player to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a career. Deep in Indian territory, a 14-yard run by sr. FB Amir Little was followed moments later by the Indians pass rush of the future, Coffey and jr. DE Joell Hilton, that resulted in a sack, 12-yard loss and missed Roman field goal. Roxborough then gained an initial first down on the power running of sr. RB Amir Boler, but incompletions and another short punt gave the Cahillites possession inside midfield. From there, Johnson and Moody hooked up for 12-yards on the first play, 26 on a fourth-and-four and the tidy eight play drive was capped with well-executed Johnson to Regan drag route for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Regardless of the year, there comes a point where the Roxborough players counter and with 6:27 remaining in the first half, they proceeded to make this a game. Despite losing five yards on the first two plays and sustaining a backfield holding penalty, sr. QB Stephen Tucker stood in a pocket created by sr. RG Sheldon Walker and lofted a well-thrown pass in stride to soph. TE Braheem Ford for an 85-yard touchdown. The all-day focus of Indian sr. LB Darryl McCray held Roman to their first punt of the game, but when they came to the line for a final series before halftime, the Indians playmaker stepped up again. With less than a minute to go, the Cahillites looked to put the game out of reach with a pass play to Desiderio for 21-yards and 16-yard run by jr. RB Kassiem Everett down to the Roxborough 10-yard line. On first-and-goal, a potential touchdown was thrown inside where the alert Hicks snagged the ball, dashed past a stunned offense and completed a 98-yard interception return to cut the Roman lead to 28-12. The rest was all Roman. Their defense of Irby, Mazzola and jr. DT John Marcinek totaled 12-yards in losses on the opening second half series and the offensive then put the game away.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: After a 12-yard Indian punt, Lewis Sloan-El ran left for seven yards, right for six and then Johnson spun a delivered a laser to sr. WR Marty Bernard, who turned a simple spot route into a 26-yard gain. The momentum gave Johnson an easy wedge play for touchdown and Fioravanti his 100th career point for a 35-12 lead—game over, bills paid.
Footnotes: Johnson completed his four-touchdown performance with a 10-yard pass to Moody, who has become the “hidden” x-factor in the upcoming championship game, late in the third quarter. Cahillite sr. TE Dan Lennon scored his first career touchdown early in the fourth quarter and Boler’s split second adjustment on an 80-yard touchdown to close all scoring gave Tucker a career high in passing yardage for one game with 172 yards. As we close another season, I’d like to extend special thanks to those players, coaches, officials and friends who’ve made this season one of the best in recent memory. Thanks, Ted—couldn’t have done it without you.

Special teams leader—Chris Fioravanti (Seven straight PAT conversion kicks and four touchbacks.)

Special teams leader—Dwayne Ferguson (Recovered a difficult Roman onside kick early in first quarter.)

NOV. 10
PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINAL
Edward Bok Tech 8, Northeast 0
Oh, yes they can. A group of dedicated relentless Wildcats put their faith in the simple, yet precise, game plan of head coach Tom DeFelice that was rewarded with a chance to claim to the Public League title for the first time since the 1954 season. (Note: Since Ted was scoring games back then, Monday’s edition of the DN should enlighten us on Bok’s interesting title history during that period.) The game plan consisted of two basic premises—don’t fumble and punt the football. To that end, the Wildcats were perfect even when their means to that end looked less than obvious. Despite giving up two interceptions on offense, the impressive Bok defense outscored arguably the league’s best year in and year out with an effort that was inspiring. For Northeast, the game plan appeared designed just as much for Bok as Washington. They moved the ball well and had more talented athletes, but every time they came close, a feisty Wildcat was there to end the drive. DeFelice’s ingenious scheme was set in motion on the game’s first series. Rather than try to advance beyond the eight yards in two carries from sr. RB Luke Lassiter to bring up a fourth-and-short, he elected to punt much to the approval of the Viking offense. With possession inside Bok territory, they opened with productive counter runs, by sr. RB Nafis Muhammad for a pair of first downs and drove to the Wildcat 15, where a defensive heave pushed a Viking lineman into the ball carrier resulting in a fumble recovered by sr. DE Terry Lee. An eight-yard run by Lassiter on Bok’s next series was three yards short until a face mask foul gave them a first down. After sr. QB Darnell Goddard completed four of the six yards needed for first to sr. WB Calvin Moultrie, his third down pass was launched into the hands of Viking soph. DB Tyleel Robinson, prompting DN cohort, Mark “Frog” Carfagno to say, “it’s as good as a punt.” Considering the way things unfolded, the 35-yard “punt” worked in the Wildcats favor as two penalties, a tackle for no gain by sr. NG Ackeem Clarke and a sack from jr. DT Jasaan Thomas prevented Northeast from advancing far beyond midfield. Bok’s most productive drive began from their 17 where Moultrie snagged a tipped pass for 15 yards, pass interference was called two plays later and screen pass from to Lassiter put the Wildcats into Viking territory for the first time late in the second quarter. After the flurry, a first down tackle for no gain by sr. DT Christopher Peterson and soph. LB Albert Burgos eased Bok into a punt. Each defensive unit then produced three-and-outs for the other. Lee chased down a slow developing play for a five-yard loss on third down of the Viking series and sr. LB Kevin Robinson answered in kind to close the half. The Wildcats came out ready to challenge for momentum and they cashed in on the first play of the third with Lee’s second fumble recovery, this one on a mishandled Northeast snap from center. In business at the 38 (by most standards), Bok ran three plays for three yards and the first of the special teams game breakers that DN cohort’s Jon “Duck” Gray and Joe “the Spirit” McFadden also predicted, began to take form. The ensuing punt appeared bound for the end zone until a Viking fielded the ball and wound up being tackled by Moultrie at the three-yard-line. Out of no where, sr. LB Daquon Jones blitzed the first Viking play back to the two and, after a batted pass (Moultrie), he gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead when he shot the same gap and met the runner as he was receiving the handoff in the end zone. Lassiter returned the free kick to midfield and re-established the Bok field position strategy in one play. He then ran to first down inside the 40, but Muhammad intercepted a deep pass moments later and made up the field position with a 30-yard return. The hustle of Wildcat sr. LB Corey Curtis to stop another runner in the backfield and Thomas’ quick reaction to a slant run held the Vikings to a one-yard net and their second punt of the game midway through the third quarter. Northeast responded to Bok’s next series with tackles for losses from sr. LB Tyrik Clary, jr. LB Marcus Leslie and sr. LB Naeer Witherspoon to force a punt where Clarke dodged a defender, reset and sent a line drive that skipped to the four to be downed. To begin the final quarter, Northeast went aerial and on the third play soph. QB Malik Stokes found brother, and barely used jr. WR, Je’ron Stokes on a easy fly route down the sideline for 68 yards. A touchdown saving tackle on the Stokes pass play by jr. DB Brahkim Poole and sack by sr. DE Kendall Johnson three plays into the Vikings next set of downs proved to be crucial as a 32-yard field goal attempt for the lead hooked wide right. From the 20, Bok seemed content with playing strategy and punting when necessary, but received a boost from Lassiter, who sped towards 35 of his 88 for the game to lead all players into Viking territory. The drive stalled three plays later and Clarke landed another beauty inside 20 where the Bok defense was pushed down the field with a heavy dose of quick outs to sr. WR Keith Scruggs for 47 yards. Faced with a Viking first down at their 24 though, the momentum quickly change hands.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: Each of the first two plays of Northeast’s final chance at a one score victory were passes over the middle that drifted off target. On third down, they chose a slant again that was tipped a few feet into the air and into the hands of well-positioned sr. DB Kyle Williams and, for a moment, time stood still. When the time warp ended, Williams bolted to his right, turned the corner and outran stunned players on both sides for an 86-yard return for touchdown—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
How do you get three teams to win in one game? Answer: Invite Bok to the Public League Semifinal. By virtue of their outstanding performance, they gave Ben Franklin a chance at a District AAA playoff game, ensured Washington the District XII AAAA playoff spot while preserving the opportunity at the Public League trophy. Only in the Pub, baby.

Special Teams Leader—Ackeem Clarke (Five punts for a 32.6 yard average and the presence of mind to dodge
defenders to punt the ball.)

Special Teams Leader—K Tim Freiling (Only NE kickoff of the game that flew into the end zone for a touchback.)

NOV. 9
NON-LEAGUE
Frankford 40, Gratz 2
“You’re the future.” Those were the words from Pioneer head coach Mike Capriotti to his underclassmen as 21 proud seniors walked onto the field to take the coin toss to begin the final week game of the 2007 PL season. As a way of thanking those who’ve supported the team through a difficult time, he has revitalized the pride and tradition of Frankford football and they have become a better “team” as a result. Tradition endures well beyond a single player, coach or team and, in fact, will always transcend winning and losing because the spirit that grows from the tradition should be one of the reasons this game was established in the first place. Ask any Pioneer why they decided to continue this season and their answer will be they just want to play football. That’s what they did in this game by converting six of 10 total turnovers into touchdowns and the defensive unit scored half of them. To their credit, the Bulldogs demonstrated some nice defense of the their own as frosh. DT Laquan Everett ripped the game’s first drive away from Frankford on a third-and-goal play. Gratz’ first offensive play went to sr. DB Mar’Kel Jefferson, who cradled an under thrown pass to regain possession for the Pioneers. Despite a stunning speed rush by sr. DT Earl Watford for a loss of five, jr. FB Akeem Whipple slid around the left side, broke three arm tackles and scored from 25 yards out on the next play. Sr. RB Josh Burnett pressured the Bulldogs into a zero net gain and the offense embarked on a 15-play 45 yard drive, featuring clutch runs from sr. QB Kalif Walker and sr. RB Kareem Steplight, but Gratz soph. LB Saboor Dennis stuffed a fourth and goal for a loss. Another three-and-out though gave the Pioneers a second series without benefit of a turnover and the drive fell to a holding penalty. The Bulldogs gave the ball right back on a fumbled exchange that soph. LB Tyrell Allen recovered, which started the turnover scoring blitz. Steplight ran three times for 24 yards and Walker finished the drive with a well-lofted touchdown pass to jr. TE Eddie Ferrell from eight yards. Perhaps just as impressive was the direct snap conversion pass from Goodson to sr. E Malik Ballard that gave Frankford a 14-0 lead with 7:27 left before halftime. They pounced again when Walker intercepted a third down Bulldog pass and astute play caller, Juan Namnum, unveiled one of the finest misdirection plays you’ll ever see to spring sr. RB Ervin Goodson for a 51-yard score two plays later. Snaps from center plagued Gratz far too often and sr. DT Tyree Latham snagged the first one of their next series. Watford stepped up again for Gratz and chased down a fourth down scramble 13 yards short of a first deep in their own territory, only to watch Pioneer jr. DT Arthur Johnson pounce on a fumble in the end zone. On the first play after a roughing the punter foul extended the Bulldog drive, Tyrell Allen picked up another mishandled snap and bolted 41-yards to put Frankford up 33-0 with the Goodson kick and 0:25 remaining in the half. Yeah, probably game over, but we have a little better one today.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: Gratz gained some momentum with a first down to begin the third quarter. Sr. LB Chris Spence then capped a spirit driven performance with a pair of gems. First, he met the first play with a seven-yard loss and followed up with an outstanding read-and-react play where, instead of taking the “required” read steps, he read the pop-pass release, stepped back, snagged the pass and showed impressive speed in a 51-yard touchdown run—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes: The Bulldogs best play of the game revealed the lightning speed of sr. RB Alphonso Walcott, who used solid blocks sr. RT Antonio Cook and frosh. RG Laquan Everett to tear 80 yards down the sideline. Gratz closed all scoring when soph. Tim Johnson tackled the Pioneer punter in the end zone midway through the final quarter.
Frankford Defensive Statistics:

Special Teams Leader—Eddie Ferrell (Onside recovery of a well executed Goodson kick after the Allen touchdown.)

NOV. 2
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Washington 34, Lincoln 6
The Eagles played down somewhat to the feisty Railsplitters and still won by 28 points. You just know they won’t do that against Overbrook next week, right? Make no mistake, though, Lincoln deserved to be here and, in fact, probably had more fun with this game than any quarterfinal team in recent memory. Had they capitalized on the momentum generated by sr. S Rubens Codio’s three interceptions, a little more fun could’ve been on the way. The roadblock was the breakout performance of sr. LB Brett Sommerer, whose 10 tackles, along with a forced fumble, set the Washington defensive tone of almost every drive. Although he chipped in four on the Railsplitters first drive, which began after Codio’s first pick, a pair of Eagle offside penalties helped extend the drive into a lead as sr. QB Charles Boyd lofted a nice fade to sr. WB Calvin Philemond for the game’s first touchdown. Just 0:14 later, Washington had yanked the momentum away with a jr. RB Lorenzo Adams kickoff return that covered 85 yards and gave them a 7-6 lead with the trusty jr. Will McFillin conversion kick. Soph. OLB James Fowler’s tackle for no gain forced a three-and-out, but Codio’s second interception put them right back on the field after three offensive plays. A five-yard penalty, sack from jr. DE Bryant Davis and McFillin’s tackle for loss on a screen pass set the Eagle offense at midfield after a punt. After a 12-yard pop pass completion from sr. QB Clinton “Juice” Granger to sr. TE Damien Wilmer, jr. RB James Johnson blew through a gaping hole created by sr. LG Anderson Rayme and sr. LT Robert Coleman-Smith and Washington increased their lead to 14-6 with the McFillin kick. Another penalty, this time a 15-yarder for tripping, and a tackle for loss from soph. DT Shareef Floyd ended Lincoln’s next drive, which gave Washington great field position. On third-and-five, soph. RB Kesson Christopher grabbed a toss, read a great block from sr. RB Devon Wallace and scampered 19-yards inside Lincoln’s 20, but an illegal block on the next play proved to be too much to overcome as the Railsplitters regained possession on downs. Key on defense was impressive soph. DT Marcus Jackson, who worked through a ton of traffic to stuff the fourth down play two yards short of a potential Eagle first-and-goal. As they’ve done all season, the Washington defense held again for perhaps their most efficient offensive drive of the game. From their 48, Granger connected with reliable sr. WR Andrew Goodman twice on a pop pass for 12-yards and sweet circle route for 30 more and Johnson slid through the crease produced by sr. RG Danren Jones and Floyd to waltz in from 10-yards out. With 2:43 before halftime, Lincoln’s consistent workhorse, sr. RB Kevin Chilton, ran for 12 of his 115 yards for the game only to have another pair of penalties end any hope of score before the break. Turnovers dictated most of the third quarter as an interception by sr. S Lamont Paramore turned back Lincoln’s opening series while Codio’s third pick, a stunning off balance snag, kept hope of a comeback alive—albeit temporarily. The combination of Wilmer and Sommerer added more disappointment to the Railsplitter offense with a tackle for no gain and when the ensuing punt snap sailed wide, sr. Sharif Assad decided to sprint for the first down that came up three yards short. Granted, Washington may not of had their best offensive effort in this game, but when they’re given short fields like the one’s handed to them in the third quarter they know how to convert. Wallace’s five-yard run on a series that began at the 12 extended the Eagle lead to 28-6 midway through the third quarter and Sommerer’s forced fumble on the fourth play of the Lincoln’s next drive put this one in the books.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: From the Railsplitter 31, Granger turned two bootlegs and wedge into a first down. This was followed by a textbook dive where sr. C Lawrence Williams hooked the tackle, Rayme picked up the linebacker and James Johnson skated through the secondary for a 19-yard touchdown to end all scoring—quarterfinals over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader—Rubens Codio (Longest return of the game for Lincoln—16 yards.)

OCT. 26
CATHOLIC RED
Roman 20, La Salle 3
Based on the weather alone, Roman knew they had a distinct advantage. One of the overlooked details of the Explorers' championship run last season was they rarely, if ever, faced conditions similar to the steady downpours encountered in this game. When a team practices to pass, running plays become difficult to execute with any consistency. Roman on the other hand doesn’t have that problem. Once again, they trotted out reliable sr. RB Balial Lewis Sloan-El and he demonstrated the elusive quickness that kept the Ryan offense on the sidelines last week. Rather than run straight lines through the middle of the tough La Salle defense though, he found all the daylight he needed behind the steady blocking of sr. LT John Mazzola and jr. RT Tahir Bahir. Turnovers dictated each team's opening series as Cahillite sr. OLB Andrew Regan recovered the game’s first fumble and Explorer sr. SS Kevin McLaughlin countered for the second, but a quick three-and-out put the Roman offense back on the field. Their 10-play drive featured an outstanding 10-yard scramble by sr. QB Chris Johnson for an initial first down, 22 yards from Lewis Sloan-El that abruptly ended at the La Salle 28 courtesy of the wedge-breaking tackles of sr. LB Andrew Wood and jr. DE Ryan Eidenshink. Eidenshink then picked up the Explorer offense, following another three-and-out, with a fumble recovery 15 yards from the Cahillite goal line. Incompletions prevented La Salle from gaining even a single yard and they settled for a 38-yard field goal from soph. K Mike Bennett for the early lead. In La Salle-type fashion, Roman responded with an electrifying fly route by sr. WR Nick Moody, who laid out to snag a slippery 44-yard Johnson pass. In business at the La Salle 27, Johnson scrambled for 21 yards setting up a first-and-goal. Two plays later, Eidenshink flew in from the end and sacked Johnson for an 11-yard loss resulting in a field goal attempt that missed to the right. Sr. OLB Reggie Irby answered with a sack of his own that led to La Salle’s second punt. What appeared to be a well covered punt became a 7-3 Roman lead when Moody juked almost every member of the coverage unit for a 80-yard return for touchdown. This was all the momentum Roman needed as Irby logged his second sack to halt LaSalle’s ensuing series and despite giving up a fumble to Explorer sr. DB Matt Day at the 24, along with a pass interference penalty, they held for a 32-yard field goal attempt that missed. Key during the defensive stand was jr. John Marcinek’s tackle for loss and Regan’s pass defended on third down. With just 1:01 remaining before halftime, though, the Cahillites tried to dent the scoreboard once again with 19 yards from Lewis Sloan-El and a short pass turned 41-yard gain by sr. WR Al Desiderio before time expired. The second half was all Roman all the time. Lewis Sloan-El opened with nine carries for 57 yards and he capped a near flawless 11-play drive with a slant run, behind Bahir, from five yards out for a 13-3 lead. LaSalle failed to make up for a holding penalty and false start on their only productive drive of the third quarter and the Cahillites proceeded to put the game out of reach.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: When you have an ace thoroughbred like Balial Lewis Sloan-El, you ride him and that’s what Roman did. He tirelessly carried eight straight times for 67 of his 211 yards for the game and waltzed in from six yards out, which along with sr. Chris Fioravanti’s second conversion kick closed all scoring—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader—Chris Fioravanti (Two PAT kicks and one solo special teams tackle)

OCT. 26
PUBLIC RED
Frankford 22, Central 0
The rain-drenched day just overstated the somber pre-game atmosphere within the Pioneer camp. Perhaps fitting in some ways. This proud football institution has fallen into the mud and must now use that pride to pick them up from the sobering reminder of what can happen when our rationale towards winning a game becomes more important than our reasons for participating. To Frankford’s credit, they pulled together as best they could and played football. Before the offense could take the field though, a final piece of sad news. During the opening kickoff, a Central player (# 43) suffered a broken arm and needed to be taken from the field. Best wishes from all of us at ts.com go out for a speedy recovery. Once the game resumed, the proudest Pioneer, sr. RB Ervin Goodson, hoisted the torch and produced the finest effort of his career. On the game’s first play, he ran off tackle, cut back at least four times in the slop and skated to a 76-yard touchdown that energized a Pioneer bench in desperate need of something positive. The Lancers responded with the hard running of sr. RB Carl King and his 17-yard run put them inside the Frankford 40 when the weather made all the footballs too slick to handle. Just two plays later, jr. DT Ronald Corr punched out a fumble that sr. Tauheed Smith recovered. A 14-yard scamper by sr. RB Kareem Steplight and a determined 35 yarder from sr. RB Josh Burnett probably would’ve led to another score on a sunny day but, Central sr. DE Kyle Nolan played the weather, and recovered the first of two fumbles near the Frankford goal line. King then moved the Lancers out from their five, but the game’s first pass attempted slipped out of the hand of dependable sr. QB Kyle Yeiter to Pioneer sr. DT Akeem Smith, who rumbled back to the five only to have an illegal block begin the series at midfield. This one lasted one play as Central recovered a second fumble to end the first quarter. Jr. DB Montez Rodney blitzed on the Lancers third down play and created a fourth-and-10 that came short by the loss on his previous tackle. After an 18-yard run by Goodson, Frankford launched their first pass that was intercepted by impressive soph. DB Devonne Boler, brother of Roxborough’s best athlete, Amir Boler. Frankford answered with sr. LB Chris Spence whose forced fumble two plays into Central’s next series was recovered sr. DB Eric McGhee. From the Lancer 41, Burnett carried to a first down while Goodson somehow kept his balance against the mud for 30 of his 187 yards for the game. A stunning seal block by sr. LT Andrew Jones gave Steplight all the room he needed for 10-yard touchdown and 14-0 Frankford lead with the Goodson conversion. The Pioneer defense used the momentum to clamp down on Central’s next series and tallied losses each of the three offensive plays to force the game’s first punt. Despite losing 13 yards on the first play, Steplight allowed sr. LG James Quiles, perhaps the best pulling guard in the league, to set up a sweet 32-yard run on the next play inside the Lancer 20-yard line. With less than a minute before halftime, Spence grabbed a pitchout and volleyed a soaked football into the waiting hands of sr. WB Malik Ballard to give Frankford a 22-0 lead with the Steplight conversion run. The second half consisted of clock eating drives from the Pioneers and modest gains from Lancers until the 8:15 mark of the fourth quarter.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: In what would turn out to their final drive of the game, Central gained possession on downs near midfield and sr. WB Matt McHugh grabbed a patented counter for 38 yards. From the Pioneer 13, an offside penalty put them on the eight and a pair of runs by King left them two yards short of a first down. A third down stop for no gain by jr. DE Terrell Lewis brought up fourth down. As the next play developed, all signs pointed towards a first down until soph. Tyrell Martin sliced through to preserve the shutout and Frankford’s first win of the 2007 season—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader—Chris Spence (Line drive kickoff late in the second quarter to prevent any return.)

OCT. 20
CATHOLIC RED
Roman 30, Ryan 7
What’s the shortest distance between two points? In this case, Roman sr. LG Mike Angelo, jr. C John Matthews and sr. RG Ed Krimmel, who created one gaping hole after the next so that sr. RB Balial Lewis Sloan-El could trace straight lines to the tune of 216 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns. The Raiders looked poised to counter early on the strong arm of jr. QB Rus Slawter and they stayed close until the waning seconds of the first half where a momentum shift seemed to zap their stamina for the rest of the afternoon. On the game’s opening series, Slawter found his favorite target, sr. WR Nick Ferdinand, for a quick 15 yards and came right back with a nine-yard slant to sr. WR Bill Keebler two plays later. Krimmel turned defensive tackle and stopped an apparent first down by Ryan wonder kid soph. RB Mark Golic on the next play. Spotted inches short, the Raiders called a high percentage pass on fourth down that was dropped. Roman opened with Lewis Sloan-El for five straight plays, but the Raider secondary had blanket coverage during their first third down conversion to force the game’s second punt. Ryan’s three-and-out inside their own 20, gave the Cahillites a short field and the ripcord they needed. From the Ryan 45, Lewis Sloan-El tore up the middle twice for 17, gave way to bruising jr. FB Amir Little to soften things up, and went back to the same path for another 17 that gave Roman a 7-0 lead with the sr. Mike Fioravanti conversion kick. His ensuing kickoff left the Raiders inside the 20 again and, although they reached the 34, the six-play drive ended like the others, this time to the hustle of sr. OLB Reggie Irby. Following a third down 18-yard screen from sr. QB Charles Johnson, Lewis Sloan-El dashed 43 yards down to the one and put the Cahillites up 13-0 two plays later. A 13-yard sack from Roman jr. DT Tahir Basil closed the Raiders next series, but sr. DT’s Anthony Corso and Kevin MacDonald returned the favor by stopping Roman’s first two plays for losses. Ryan caught another break on a sr. DB Chris Calhoun fumble recovery during the next Cahillite possession and they cashed in the hard way. Despite lining up in a second-and-20 from the Roman 25, Slawter, as he often does, hung in the pocket and delivered a laser to jr. WR Matt Vizza, whose textbook skinny post and catch cut the lead in half with 1:33 to go before halftime. Sr. Bill George’s conversion kick made the score 13-7—good momentum builder, right?
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: Seconds after the Ryan surge, Roman went aerial. A 15-yard catch-and-run by Lewis Sloan-El was followed by a Johnson scramble from a broken play just into Raider territory. Johnson then picked up the slant pattern of sr. WR Albert Desiderio, who added 20 yards to a 10-yard catch inside the Raider 20 and, with 0:27 left, snagged a soft lob while hugging the end line for a 13-yard touchdown. Adding insult to injury, Johnson glided in for the conversion run for a 14-point advantage that the Cahillites would never lose—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
An interception by Vizza to open the second half gave Ryan another break, but Tahir Basil answered with a fumble recovery for the Cahillites. Seven touches by Lewis Sloan-El for 61 yards moved the Cahillites down to the six before a Ferdinand strip and recovery held them off for one more series. Punt blocker extraordinare, sr. DT Jewhan Edwards, “bodied” Ryan’s third down punt out of the end zone for a safety, Desiderio ran back the free kick 40-yards and Lewis Sloan-El closed all scoring with eight of his 32 yards in a four play drive to end the third quarter.

*Blocked Punt
Special Teams Leader—Kasseim Everett & Albert Desiderio (60 yards on the only two kickoff returns.)

OCT. 19
PUBLIC RED
Washington 8, Dobbins 7
Easy win, huh? Well, the Mustangs came very close to handing the Eagles an embarrassing loss they probably deserved. If nothing else, “the best team in the Pub” may now realize that they’ll have to do a little more than walk in and simply lay their helmets on the field to proclaim victory. Perhaps the most fitting words of the day came from Eagle offensive coordinator John McAneney, who stated afterwards, “Maybe this is what we needed.” Although Dobbins will miss the playoffs for the first time in five years, their effort in this game was that of the great teams of the past and they’ll be back next year a little wiser from the experience. They made their intentions known by stuffing two of Washington’s opening plays for no gain and proceeded to take the early lead when spark plug jr. RB Anthony Walker blew threw a great kick out block by sr. LT Randolph Latimore and dashed 50 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Sr. K Toyre Fredericks converted the PAT kick to put the Mustangs up 7-0. Washington’s response was just as decisive. Impressive soph. RB Kesson Christopher started with a nine-yard run and sr. QB Clinton “Juice” Granger converted a patented wedge play for a first down. He then connected with sr. WR Andrew Goodman twice on a sharp quick out for another first down and 35-yard strike to cut the Mustang lead to a point. Before we end all scoring, a point on Goodman; on a day when key Eagle receivers fell down, Goodman again demonstrated the ability to get open and use of sound pass catching technique to haul in anything on target. For a kid who hadn’t caught anything before the simple nine-yarder in the opener against Bensalem, he has quickly developed into a consistent playmaker. What looked like the beginning of a points fest, became the game winner as sr. RB/DB Devon Wallace tossed a pass to sr. TE Damien Wilmer, who made the acrobatic catch for the crucial conversion. From there, the defenses dominated. Of the next 11 offensive plays, nine went for no gains, losses or incompletions and the two positive gains went to Dobbins. Standouts were Mustang sr. LB Charles King on the Eagles next series and the quickness from the defensive tackle rotation of sr. William Lawrence, jr. Bryant Davis and sr. Anderson Rayme. Davis and Rayme managed to chase down a screen pass and jr. LB James Johnson’s arm tackle for a six-yard loss added yet another change of possession. On their second series following the touchdown, Granger passes to Wallace, Johnson and Wilmer for 34 total yards set up a stunning Christopher 24 yard run down to a first-and-goal. From there though, sr. MLB Derek Clark stepped up for the first down stop and jr. DT Tyriq Clark helped to seal off fourth down. Washington answered with sr. LB Brett Sommerer and soph. LB Martin Haynes, whose first play tackle for loss forced the Mustangs third punt of the half. Clark then registered a third down sack and clutch tackle on an Eagle fourth down trick play during their next series. Following a Dobbin three-and-out, a nice scramble and 14-yard completion by soph. QB Aaron Wilmer to his brother Damien closed the first half. Fresh off the 50-yard scamper earlier, Walker returned the second half kickoff 46-yards, but they failed to get any closer than the Eagle 30 before a long fourth down pass was picked off by Eagle sr. S Marc Lee midway through the third quarter. That turned out to be as close as either team would advance the rest of the way. After finally stopping Washington’s nine play drive, Dobbins seemed to be moving towards a go ahead score until a pair of five yard penalties put them in an impossible third-and-20, which few, if any, teams can convert.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: With 4:51 remaining in the game, Dobbins started their final series at midfield. Sr. QB Terez Sydnor connected on a slant to sr. WR Paul McPherson, which would be their last. Three plays later, the Mustangs tried a halfback pass that looked bad from the beginning and jr. DB Lorenzo Adams, as part of a blanket cover three defense, ended any chance of an upset with an easy interception—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader—Marquis Murrey (With a club size cast on one hand, he made a touchdown saving tackle
on Walker’s second half kick return.)

OCT. 11
PUBLIC WHITE
Roxborough 6, Olney 0
If these teams were playing for pride neither scored many points. This battle for the right (?) to occupy the basement of the White Division was hard fought indeed as the mistakes of inexperienced offenses frustrated both coaching staffs and overshadowed the defensive gems that arose. One glaring case in point was Roxborough’s final drive. They gained possession inside the Olney 20 with less than two minutes to go and a penalty on the fourth play of the series put them at the five. As he has done all season, sr. RB Amir Boler sold out, this time on a dash to the pylon only to come up inches short. No problem, right? A false start moved them back beyond the five, second down needed a fumble recovery to survive and they stayed in the huddle as the clock expired. Much like that series, their first went down on a third down throw wide of the acrobatic effort of soph. WB Braheem Ford. Missed assignments opened a blitz lane for soph. LB Shaimsadan Reed, who dropped Olney’s second play for a six-yard loss and brought up the game’s second punt. Indian sr. RB Geoffrey Lancaster complimented Boler’s 10-yard outside run with a 57-yard dive through a gapping hole, which led to a touchdown pass from sr. QB Stephen Tucker to jr. WB Jeff Edwards on the next play. The combination of Boler and Reed found an open C-gap and stuffed a second Trojans series for a net of five yards. Roxborough seemed to be in good shape after a 17-yard sr. WR Adrese Hicks counter run until a sack by Trojan jr. DB Rasheed Thomas turned back the third down conversion attempt moments later. Olney’s failure to then field the ensuing punt started their next possession inside their own 15, which gave Boler and Hicks all the motivation they needed to push them back to the five with two consecutive tackles for losses. The Trojans’ 20-yard punt gave the Indian great field position, but a nine yard Lancaster run and 10-yard Boler first-and-goal run couldn’t overcome a clipping penalty that negated sr. LB/RB Darryl McCray’s scoop touchdown off a Tucker fumble. A pitch out on second down missed Hicks by three feet, but McCray stepped up again to recover the ball at the 25-yard line. Trojan jr. DB Jaron Turner batted down the third down pass and fourth down fell incomplete to end the promising drive. Hicks’ forced fumble after a sr. QB Mike Reyes pass to soph. FB Joe Williams was recovered by sr. S Kushmyrrh Green, leaving Olney with just one first down for the half. Any thought of scoring before the break ended when Thomas chased down a retreating Tucker for a 20-yard sack. Roxborough opened the second half with a jr. Grant Graham onside kick, but sr. DL Don Stevens snagged the laser shot for Olney. They managed to pick up the elusive second first down on a jr. FB Sean Clark run that was followed by a pair of incomplete passes and a jr. DE Joell Hilton sack. The Indian defense made up for a offensive three-and-out series with four straight tackles for losses by Hilton, Reed, Boler, sr. DT Maurice Issac and sr. DE Diante Stokes, who hustled down a frantic Trojan run out of punt formation as the third quarter came to a close. The impressive adjustments of Indian head coach Mike Stanley throughout the game never allowed the Trojan offense to advance beyond the 35 and his players the made the most of the turnovers, sacks and roadblock running plays that kept coming to the end. Big turnovers included a McCray pick for Roxborough and Olney strip by Thomas that jr. DE Antwoin Allen recovered.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: With 2:44 left, the Trojans embarked on their final chance to get the game even. Following a first down incompletion, Boler almost ended the series with his second forced fumble but, as baseball tells us, the ball always finds the new guy. Well, that was none other than the quietest member of the Indian squad, Kushmyrrh “Kush” Green. Despite a lack of playing time during the season, he spoke volumes in this game with a smooth third down interception and the grit to bounce up from a punishing tackle with the ball—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader—Greg Williams (As the long snapper on punts, made two special teams tackles, one solo.)

Special Teams Leader—Don Stevens (onside kick recovery to keep Olney within a tie.)

OCT. 11
PUBLIC BLUE
West Philadelphia 24, M.L. King 8
Hey Blue Division, want to look beyond the Speedboys? Okay, but don’t be surprised if you come away on the losing end. With perhaps the smallest roster in the city, these 20 or so players showed how a team can come together in a way teams with far more talent just can’t seem to master. Granted, the Cougars aren’t having one of their better seasons but rather than play down to the level of their opponents, the Speedboys went out and played like a team worthy of a division title. When an entire team hustles to the ball, fumble recoveries, like the one that trickled to jr. DT John Williams on the game’s second play, happen. On their first drive, sr. RB Jabril Brown, jr. RB John Davis and jr. FB Jamar Cox ripped through the middle of the King defense for 31 yards. Faced with a fourth and 15 though, head coach John Lay played the wind perfectly, trotted out jr. K Junior Weyeah, who booted a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. A second fumble was then recovered by jr. SS Michael White inside the Cougar 20-yard line and the offense mixed in a nice fake pitch/dive that Cox turned into a first down inside the five. From there, sr. QB Courtney Waiters scored on a sneak and, just like that, the Speedboys were up 11-0 after the Waiters to jr. Keith West conversion pass out of a mishandled PAT kick attempt. The Cougars responded with impressive soph. RB Joseph Montouth. He carried seven times for 39 of his whopping 168 yards for the game only to have the promising drive end when a pass from jr. QB Tyron Harris to sr. RB Gerrick Dorsey fell five yards short of a needed first down deep in West Philly territory. Each team traded possessions and when the Speedboys regained control, they just kept coming. On two third-and-nine situations, Davis slipped around the right side for 13 for one first down and Waiters completed a sweet 19-yard option right throw left pass to sr. WR Khalef Sapp for another. The 12-play drive was capped with the stout blocking from soph, C Charles Walton, and sr. RG Chazz Morris, who led the way to a three-yard touchdown run by Brown and Weyeah PAT kick. King and Montouth stunned West Philly with a 52-yard bolt on the second play of their next series to close the gap to 10 points late in the second quarter. Stiff defense from jr. LB Sanjay Davis kept the hot Speedboy offense in check as the teams went in at halftime. West Philly opened the third quarter with an impressive drive that included another third-and-long completion, but sr. DT Tyvaun Witherspoon forced a punt with a tackle for loss six plays later. Keith West answered with a disciplined 12-yard stop on a Cougar double reverse, which led to a short punt against a stiff northwest wind. When Brown scooped an errant pitch and rambled for 17 yards, the momentum was clearly on the Speedboys side. Two plays later soph. RB Juan Kelly juked two defenders on his way to a nine-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 24-8 late in the third quarter.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: Despite Montouth’s eight carries for 61 yards on an ensuing drive that moved King down to the West Philly five, Juan Kelly and John Davis stopped him mere inches from a first-and-goal inside the one-yard line—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leaders—Khalef Sapp (44-yard punt out of his own end zone early in the fourth and 31-yarder later
under heavy pressure)

OCT. 6
CATHOLIC RED
SJ Prep 51, Ryan 7
   If you like the sound of St. Joseph Prep head coach Gil Brooks screaming at his players, then this was the game for you. From pre-game to the end, he was about the only thing drowning out the crickets with any consistency. The combination of a Raider team that seemed to know it was overmatched and a Hawk squad looking at this game as a speed bump on the road to the championship made for one of the quietest games I’ve ever attended. The Hawks tallied points on every drive except their last. Given another minute or two, they probably would’ve scored on that one as well. On the game’s first play, sr. FB Mike McCarthy slid behind jr. LG Mike Pinciotti for nine yards and sr. QB Aaron Haas connected on sr. WR Brett Tiagwad’s slant route for 27 two plays later. Sr. HB Jamir Livingston then skated to the Ryan six for Prep’s third first down of the drive. Ryan jr. LB Rick Verrall and sr. DL Anthony Corso each made solo tackles for minimal gains that resulted in a 20-yard field goal by kicker extraordinare, sr. Tim Edger. The Raiders managed a first down on their first series, but sr. DB Jim McGoldrick snuffed out a second down screen pass for a loss to force the game’s first punt. Going for efficiency on their next series, Haas hit Edger on a 67-yard perfectly executed post pattern on the first play to extend the Hawk lead to 10-0. A Ryan three-and-out, aided by the defense of sr. DB’s Paul Fitzgerald and Dale Hogan, was followed with a short Raider punt, 16-yard completion from Haas to Tiagwad, 12 yards from Livingston and McCarthy and a 4-yard touchdown toss from Haas to Edger. Three straight Ryan incompletions along with another short punt left short work for Livingston, who made a stunning cutback for 17 while McCarthy, behind a sharp down block from sr. Marty O’Shaughnessy capped the tidy two-play drive with a 20-yard touchdown bolt right up the middle. Down 24-0, Ryan introduced speedy soph. RB Mark Golic, who at just 5’6” 145, toasted the Hawk defense for 52 yards on three carries and moved the team to the Prep 11-yard line. More incompletions plagued the Raiders during the rest of the drive and they turned the ball over on downs.
   Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: From their own seven-yard line, you’d think Prep would need at least of few plays to get near midfield right? Nope. On their first play from scrimmage Haas hit Edger for 22 yards for some breathing space and then Hawks called on a loose Jamir Livingston. In St Joe’s version of the stretch play, Livingston glided along the right side, shot through a crease and displayed the quickest feet you’ll see in this league or any other as he left three defenders dead in their tracks for a 72-yard touchdown run—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
   Fitzgerald stalled Ryan’s ensuing drive with a fumble recovery on a botched snap and jr. HB Michael Yeager executed a sweet counter run from 10-yards out to complete a three play drive to extend the lead to 38-0 midway through the second quarter. The Raiders averted a shutout when jr. QB Rus Slawter laid a perfect pass into the hands of jr. WR Matt Vizza from 17 yards out just before halftime to hold off the mercy clock. Yeager added his second touchdown of the game in the third and sr. FB Kevin Malarick closed all scoring with a one-yard run. Hawk sr. DB Pat Jordan snagged the only interception of 28 total passes thrown.

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Paul Fitzgerald	7	4	3	3 (-3)	0	0	0	1	0	0
Jim McGoldrick	6	5	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan McGinn	5	1	4	2 (-7)	0	0	0	0	0	1
Brett Taigwad	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sean Washington	4	1	3	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	1
Gary Williams	3	1	2	1 (-7)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Garrett Compton	2	2	0	1 (-1)	0	0	1	0	0	0
Dale Hogan	2	1	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Mancini	2	0	2	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Greg Castillo	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Pat Jordan	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Tim Edger	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Andy Marshalick	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Bonner	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kurt Skalamera	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Jackson	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Conor McCabe	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mike Labor	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sean McGinn	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Matt Eveland	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Special Teams Leader—Tim Edger (20-yard FG, six PAT kicks and four kickoffs for touchbacks)

Ryan Defensive Statistics:

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Erik Silenok	11	5	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Tim Ott	6	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Kelly	5	3	2	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rick Verrall	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Rubeo	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Corso	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Calhoun	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dan Barreto	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Green	3	3	0	1 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Wilk	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mark Golic	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kevin MacDonald	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Trey Cody	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Leon	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jim Weitzel	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Kline	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

Special Teams Leader—Mark Golic (One kickoff return for 58 yards)

OCT. 6
PUBLIC BLUE
Lincoln 26, Southern 0
   With everything to lose, the Railsplitters put themselves into the Blue Division playoff chase in convincing fashion. A steady dose of sr. RB Kevin Chilton, (23-115) stifling defense and outstanding special teams never allowed the Rams offense to get into any kind of rhythm throughout the game. As with any playoff-type game, the team that can shake the tension first will capture the momentum.   After an interception by Southern soph. S Shaquille Gaskins on the game’s first drive, the Lincoln defense erased a 12-yard gain by sr. RB Tyrell Cooper with a sack from sr. DB Christian Burrell and a tackle for loss by jr. DL William Palmer and soph. DB Ali Baxter.   On the ensuing punt, the Southern special teams gave sr. DB William James the entire right side of the field, which he used for a 78-yard touchdown return to give Lincoln a 6-0 lead. In their best drive of the game, Ram jr. WB Dante Winn converted a dive run into 32 yards and Cooper snatched a last second third down pitch out for a 10-yard gain. Southern then moved inside the Lincoln 10 but, when faced with a fourth and goal at the five, a botched snap ended a potential tying score.   Tension fell on the Rams again when they forced a Railsplitter three-and-out only to muff the punt return that sr. DE Joshua Truett recovered.   In business at midfield, the trusty Chilton carried six of the seven plays for 45 yards and used a stunning cutback move to score the first of his two touchdowns on the day from 14 yards out as the Rams frustration began to mount. Soph. LB Hakeem Cooper stuffed Southern’s first play of the next series for a four-yard loss to force another punt and they failed to regain possession until soph. CB Nolan Davis intercepted a pass with 0:07 left before halftime. Despite being very much in this game to start the second half, the combination of Hakeem Cooper’s backfield stop and Burrell’s 10-yard sack thwarted what would turn out to be Southern’s next to last series of the game. Ahead 12-0, Lincoln embarked on a 12-play drive that featured 30 yards from Chilton and a nice 18-yard slant completion to sr. WR Ruben Codio from jr. QB Joe McCausland, who responded well in the face of intense pressure during the entire game. While Lincoln failed to score any points off this nine-minute drive, playing the ball control field position approach proved to be a golden opportunity for victory. Desperate for points, Southern fumbled on the fifth play of their next drive and Baxter recovered for the feisty Railsplitters.   From the Ram 36, Chilton used the blocks of sr. LG Roodly Phanor and soph. LT John Reynolds (both of whom created many of his cutback lanes in this game) to add 30 more yards including an easy two-yard touchdown for 20-0 lead with sr. RB Nyheem Walker’s conversion run.
   Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: On the ensuing kickoff, jr. DL William Palmer added one more special teams gem when he stripped and recovered a fumble, which set up an eight-yard completion from McCausland to jr. WB Tim Algeo to close all scoring—game over, bill’s paid.
   Footnotes: This game was stopped with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter due a fight around the Southern bench after a player had been legally pushed out of bounds during a kick return. What looked like manageable pushing and shoving turned into disturbing acts of violence that have no room in this or any other league. You have given the school system one more reason to allow the “other” crumbling fields around the city to come crashing down.

Special Teams Leaders—The entire Lincoln special teams unit (For showing why this phase of the game should never be overlooked.)

SEPT. 22
CATHOLIC BLUE
Wood 30, Carroll 0
Why use a backhoe when a shovel will do? This perhaps best describes a Viking offensive approach that dominated the Patriots from start to finish and, in the process, served notice to the rest of the Blue Division. Their near flawless execution was symbolized by the relentless toughness of sr. RB/LB Bob DeLucas, who carried 13 times for an even 100 yards while leading all players with 14 tackles. Straight out of the gate, he went off right end for 26 on the game’s first play, then bulled through a block by sr. LG Michael White for six more and broke three tackles to complete a four-play drive with an 18-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Carroll managed an initial first down on the legs of jr. QB Luke Wischnowski, but he was intercepted by Wood jr. DB Shane Miller two plays later. Much like their first drive, Wood went right into the teeth of the Carroll defense with a dive on the first play that resulted in the second touchdown in three minutes courtesy of a pummeling tackle-breaking 20-yard run from jr. FB Nick Devine. Jr. K James McFadden added the second of four PAT conversions to give the Vikings a 14-0 advantage. For all the results the Patriots finesse scheme generates, a simple quick hitting play among the impressive motion sweeps, quarterback traps and counters may have produced a better outcome on their next drive, which turned out to be the closest they would get for the remainder of the game. The 18-play nine-minute drive featuring solid gains from Wischnowski, HB’s Nick Catagnus, Dillon McClernon and Bryant Moritz ended when hitch pass to SE Ellis Rogers came up eight yards short of completing a third-and-20 play and the ensuing 27-yard field goal attempt soared under the cross-bar. In a sign of things to come, Wood sr. QB Mike Cattolico answered the previous hitch pass with one of his own that sr. WR Andrew Finley turned into a 30-yard gain. Carroll’s defense of DE Chris Kennedy, DT Cleveland Smith and LB Charlie Thorne stepped up with two straight tackles for losses to force Wood’s sole punt of the first half. A remarkable one-handed falling catch by Rogers opened the next Patriot series with a first down near midfield, but they failed to overcome the loss of 17 yards from a backfield holding penalty. What the Viking coaching staff came up with next was just brilliant. To this point in the game, they had been drawing the defense ever closer to help with run support. Well, after a 21-yard inside dash by Devine, the combination of DeLucus, Cattolico and sr. WR Eric Loughnane uncorked a 46-yard flea-flicker much to the enjoyment of the enthusiastic Wood fans and yours truly. From the Carroll 20, DeLucus went back to work, carried four of the five plays and waltzed in alongside sr. RG Joe Makoid and jr. RT Adam Citko for his second touchdown. Time ran out on an effective tempo oriented Viking drive before halftime with three straight incompletions near the end zone. Carroll completed modest gains throwing to open the second half, but the drive was spoiled by the discipline of Makoid and jr. DE Anthony Narisi, who both registered tackles for losses. Each team then traded possessions and when Wood gained control they looked to close the book. Good pass blocking by jr. LT Matthew O’Connell gave Cattolico time to hit a 30-yard skinny post to jr. WR Mike Maxwell well into Patriot territory and then a subtle gem added to 20-0 lead.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: As the third quarter wound down, a three play flurry of tough inside carries to the Carroll 18 set up a well executed draw play that sr. C Bob Kenney and Nick Devine turned into a stunning 17-yard gain. The rest was easy. All together now, DeLucas up the middle—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
Jr. LB Sean Cunningham helped preserve the shutout with a sack following DeLucas’ third touchdown and jr. DB Ryan Hannings snagged a fumble recovery to run out the clock. McFadden added a 25-yard field goal to close all scoring.
Wood Defensive Statistics:

SEPT. 21
NON-LEAGUE
Dobbins 46, Samuel Fels 0
   They’re baaaack. Or are they? As the first half of this game wore on, the young Mustangs showed many of the same breakdowns that have hampered this team throughout the early part of the season. When they came out in the second half, however, the Dobbins dominance of seasons past would’ve made you wonder why this game against the feisty, but overmatched, Panthers was even scheduled. While they appear to have a better grasp of head coach Lou Zambino’s complex offensive scheme, this had little do to with the pass coverage that allowed Fels to open with three pass plays for 38 yards or the lack of poise throughout the game. When the Panthers drove to the Mustang 27, sr. MLB Derek Clark and his two consecutive tackles for losses gave jr. RB Ralston Thomas a chance to show his open field running skills. He grabbed a quick pitch on the second play of series for 13 yards and, after a nice fade completion from sr. QB Terez Sydnor to sr. WR Robert Collins, Thomas beat the only defender with a chance on a 45-yard end-around touchdown run.   Dobbins then caught a break when a low ensuing kickoff ricocheted off a Panther up-man right to alert frosh. LB Aaron Walker at midfield. Sydnor used a nice block by sr. LG Chris Perkins to gain 12 yards on an option keeper for an initial first down, but the drive stalled three plays later due the hustle of Fels jr. CB Kareem Jackson, jr. DE Theodore Reddy and sr. CB Shamar Hall. While the next Fels offensive series stumbled to a minus one-yard net, the special teams made matters worse by giving Mustang jr. RB Terrance Freeman a 39-yard punt return down to the Panther 18-yard line.   From there, the Mustang offense needed just four plays to take an 12-0 lead when Thomas cut back off a down block by jr. C Darryl Clark from five yards out with 6:12 remaining before halftime. A minute later, Perkins ripped the ball loose from the Fels offense, Freeman recovered and sr. RB Reggie Busch found a gapping hole behind jr. RG Tyriq Clark for a five-yard touchdown. The Panthers showed some spark with their last possession of the half as jr. RB Antonio Neal bounced off a head on collision with a defensive tackle and broke another tackle for an 18-yard gain. Jr. QB Isaiah Staton followed with an eight-yard completion to sr. TE Olandis Johnson and six yard strike to jr. E Malik Jackson that came up three yards short on fourth down.
   Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: After receiving the second half kickoff, Dobbins QB Terez Sydnor executed a real gem. On the second play of the series, he brought back fond memories of former Central option wizard Marcel Quarterman when he sold the dive fake AND the option, sliced behind left tackle and bolted 79 yards untouched to give the Mustangs a 26-0 lead—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
   The Dobbins defense kept the momentum after the Sydnor score with first down tackle for loss by jr. DT Brandon Kinsley and 40-yard interception return from soph. DB Joshua Bangura on third down that led to sr. RB Melvin Smith’s touchdown run. Sr. DB Jamaine Leslie then recovered an untouched squib kick by sr. K Toyre Fredericks, who also added two PAT kicks. Freeman gave Dobbins 40-0 lead with a 10-yard touchdown off the Leslie recovery and jr. RB Anthony Walker closed all scoring with a 76-yard score early in the fourth quarter. For everything the Mustangs did well in this game, their poise, left a lot to be desired. They committed one major facemask, two dead ball unsportsmenlike and two roughing the passer penalties. Although they managed to overcome these fouls against a team like Fels, this type of cheap yardage will play right into the hands of their tough division rivals.

Special Teams Leaders—Terrell Barringer and Joshua Bangura (Conversion pass play during a botched PAT kick)

Special Teams Leader—Akeem Small (Sent only Fels kickoff to the Mustang one-yard line)

SEPT. 20
PUBLIC AAA
Ben Franklin 29, Horace Furness 6
The Electrons know how to get everyone home in time for supper. They needed less than 90 minutes to defeat the spirited Falcons due in large part to the efficient work of sr. RB Chris Sturgis. Although he officially touched the ball just three times, each one resulted in a Franklin touchdown. Before the Sturgis showcase however, another set of playmakers captured the momentum for the Electrons. When the game’s first series came up four yards short, sr. LB Christopher Wood bolted through the Falcon line to block the punt. Without hesitation, jr. LB/TE Jamel “Redz” Haggins dodged a few bodies, scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 33 yards for a quick 8-0 lead with the Sturgis conversion run. A 20-yard kickoff return and 13 yards rushing by Furness RB Eric Blanding couldn’t hold off the pursuit of Haggins, who caught Blanding from behind, stripped the ball loose and sr. DB/QB Tajidin McGough recovered. Starting their next possession near midfield, Wood began with an 11-yard run on first down and added four more two plays later. On third down, McGough displayed some nice footwork to weave through tacklers and delivered a nice touch pass to wide-open sr. WR Tyron Carlton for 24 yards. All signs pointed to another Electron touchdown until Furness DE Andrew Bailey pulled McGough down for a 12-yard loss. Despite the benefit of another five yards for a false start penalty, a Falcons personal foul following an incomplete pass handed Franklin half of the lost yardage. Faced with a fourth-and-eight though, a 31-yard field goal attempt came up short. The speedy Electron defense kept up the pressure on the Falcons next series with a forced fumble by sr. DT Marvin Watson that Furness recovered only have sr. LB Calvin Johnson snag an interception two plays later. Behind the solid blocks of jr. LT Lydell Boanes and soph. LG Aaron Edwards, Sturgis’ first carry of game resulted in a 10-yard touchdown run to extend the Electron lead to 16-0 with his second conversion run. Furness gained a much-needed first down from the powerful legs of RB Enrico Lofton on their next series, but their emotions boiled over once again and another personal foul penalty forced a punt. From their own 42, Franklin surprised Furness with three straight pass plays. A pair of well executed screen passes for 33 yards were capped by McGough’s fade route completion to a wide open Sturgis and he waltzed in from 20 yards out with his second touch of the game for a 22-0 lead. More power running by Lofton moved the Falcons from the 17 to their 37-yard line but on fourth-and seven, they decided to go for broke and lost to the hustle of Sturgis, who stopped the play for no gain with 5:24 to go before halftime.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: On the first play of the next series, Chris Sturgis bolted towards the corner on a sweep and quickly noticed he had outrun the linemen (see photos). Using good body control, vision and patience, he went into a glide behind the fullback, waited for the tired defense to close in and then used his third touch of the game to explode untouched for a 37-yard touchdown run —game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
To the credit of both coaching staffs, second team players began to filter in throughout the second half. The Falcons best play of the game was executed QB Anthony Ings, who scrambled to his right, threw the ball as far as he could and WB John Johnson, as all good coaches preach, never stopped running until he cradled the ball for a 70-yard catch-and-run completion. Lofton closed all scoring with a three-yard touchdown two plays later. The effort jr. RB Alijah Amin (8-38) and soph. RB Marquis White (8-25) allowed Franklin to secure the win without throwing a single pass in the second half.

Special Teams Leader—Jamel “Redz” Haggins (Blocked punt for touchdown & one special teams tackle)

SEPT. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Abington 49, Northeast 21
   Yes, the Galloping Ghosts were all that.   Outstanding quarterbacking, great speed at the skill positions, technical well-executed line play and a swarming defense. For about six minutes though, the Vikings managed to hold their own against this superior team. After Abington turned a convincing iso-look into a 64-yard fly route for touchdown on the game’s first play, Northeast responded with a 23-yard crossing route hookup from soph. QB Malik Stokes to sr. WR Keith Scruggs on third down. Under intense pressure the entire series, Stokes threw a tad inside two plays later and an Abington cornerback snagged the interception and raced 71 yards for a 14-0 lead with just two minutes elapsed off the game clock. Once they gained control of a nasty ensuing kickoff, the Vikings featured the running of sr. RB Quinton Reid, jr. FB James McCrae, sr. RB Nafis Muhammad and jr. RB James “Big Country” Rosseau.   Each contributed 14 yards or better in a 63-yard nine play drive capped by a decisive down block from jr. LG Antoine Fowler and Rosseau seven yard dive run to cut the Abington lead in half with the jr. Tim Freiling conversion kick. From there though, things went south in a hurry. The spread and bunch offensive formations employed by Abington created more space than the Vikings could cover for either run or pass plays and resulted in an efficient seven play touchdown drive that was aided by two Northeast encroachment penalties. They then recovered a muffed kickoff and embarked on an 11-play drive using the same philosophy to extend the lead to 28-7.
   Payin the Bill’s Plays of the Game: All remaining Viking drives of the first half ended in a turnover and Abington converted all three into touchdowns—game over, bill’s paid.
Footnotes:
   Northeast put together a tidy six play 80-yard scoring drive to begin the second half that included 26 of Rosseau’s team leading 100 yards for the game, a well thrown ball from Stokes to sr. TE Tyrik Clary and 20-yard belly run from sr. RB Nafis Muhammad. Key on Muhammad touchdown run was the down block from soph. TE Maciej Mazur, who found the only Abington linebacker that could’ve stopped the play.   Late in the third, the Vikings received a fine punt return by jr. DB Je’ron Stokes to midfield. Against the Abington second team, Malik Stokes then connected with Clary on 22-yard screen pass and Je’ron Stokes’ 32-yard fly route to set up his 1-yard touchdown to end all scoring.
So, what does this tell us about the 2007 Vikings? Well, they revealed some glaring improvements over the defense-oriented team of last season. Much like Washington, the Vikings are young but they seemed to have shortened the learning curve faster than their rivals have to this point. Malik Stokes has improved his accuracy and courage to stand in the pocket. Along with the combination of Clary, Muhammad and Rosseau, who may just break some rushing records before he’s done, the Vikings now possess a less predictable offense for the first time in recent memory. From what they demonstrated in this game however, one thing’s certain. If an opposing team fails to bring anything less than their A-game against Northeast they WILL lose.
A “Payin the Bills” shout goes out to the fine officiating crew that includes the legendary Ernie Gallahger and Dan “The Man” Hoban.   Their patience and experience in games such as this one, helped move things along in a timely fashion with a minimum of heated discussions.
Northeast Defensive Statistics:

SEPT. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Olney 34, Prep Charter 8
An upset was brewing….for a little while. Perhaps the most well organized first-year program in recent memory gave the Trojans a run for their money before surrendering to the predictable mistakes of a fledgling program. By designing an offense that works mostly, if not always, out of a “shotgun” formation, the Huskies' coaching staff has lessened the strain of inexperience and allowed the few skilled players they have some room to operate. Contrary to many first-year programs, they opened the game without a turnover, produced a series that netted positive yardage (8) and launched a punt for 37 yards. From their 20 though, Olney put the double wing offense in gear as jr. RB Braheem Brown broke around the right side for 20 of his 108 yards for the game and sr. RB Rico Drayton went left for 10 more. Corner to corner they went until Drayton’s 19-yard sweep set up sr. QB Mike Reyes for easy wedge keeper from a yard out that gave Olney a 8-0 lead with the gliding Brown conversion run. When the Olney kickoff rolled out of bounds, the Prep Charter coaching staff elected for the re-kick and gained an extra 28 yards on a fine return by sr. RB Michael Bariana. Despite losing eight yards on a sr. DE Quentin Canada tackle in the backfield, jr. QB Charles Wilson connected with jr. Lindsey Givens, who out-jumped to defensive back to haul in a 17-yard touchdown pass. Even more stunning was the conversion where the Huskies went unbalanced with linemen at one hash and the center/quarterback on the other. With confused Trojans spread from end to end, Wilson simply handed the ball to jr. RB Shelton Jones and he found all the empty space he needed to tie the game. Olney’s continued to work around the edges of the defense then set up a well-timed counter that sr. Jamaine Anderson turned into an apparent 44-yard touchdown until an illegal block at the goal line, forced them to run one more play. Braheem Brown grabbed a quick pitch to double the lead with a touchdown and conversion catch from Reyes. Prep Charter completed a first down pass on their next series only to watch athletic jr. Antwoin Allen halt a potential sweep for a loss that stalled the promising gain. The Trojans best belly play of the game was aided by the hustle of sr. RG Felix Llanos, who dashed 20 yards down field to recover a fumble. They fumbled again two plays later and Prep Charter frosh. DB Charles Barber pounced on one of his two recoveries, but the offense then handed an easy touchdown to Allen, who picked up an overthrown pitch on the first play and jogged in for a 22-8 lead at halftime. Although a 30-yard scamper by Wilson and Brown’s 33 yard total threatened, strong defensive efforts by Husky jr. DL Mihel Murati, Trojan jr. MLB Sean Clark and sr. DL Frank Randall kept the third quarter scoreless. All scoring was completed late in the fourth when soph. RB Joe Williams, along with his impressive size and quickness, produced 67 yards on just two carries, including a 23-yard touchdown.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: The Huskies opened the fourth quarter with a fake punt that was snuffed out by the Trojan defense for no gain. A pair of runs Anderson moved Olney to the 13 where LT Randall, jr. LG Emmanuel Stotts, sr. C Gerald Laws RG Llanos and sr. RT Tyree Green pushed the entire defense into the end zone for one of the longest wedge plays ever executed—game over, bill’s paid.

SEPT. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 21, La Salle 14
With every passing minute, these two talented and well-coached teams converted an otherwise insignificant non-league contest into a single-elimination playoff thriller. La Salle wanted to maintain their high level of play and Malvern wanted to knock off the champs. In the end, sr. QB Ryan Nassib (10-20-132) and every last one of the feisty Friars made the plays they had to (and didn’t have to) to come away with a well-deserved victory. For the better part of the first half, in fact, Malvern outplayed their counterparts. They started on defense with a third down combo tackle for loss by jr. LB Charles "C.J." Mooney and sr. LB Philip Congialdi on the Explorers' third straight running play. Once on offense, they featured the quickness of sr. RB Chris Layne (13-71) along with jr. RB’s James Connelly (21-121) and Neil Willis (10-63) through a nice variety of well-executed running plays to which La Salle had few answers. Nassib capped an efficient 11-play run-oriented drive with a 1-yard wedge for touchdown and 7-0 lead with the first of three conversion kicks from soph. K Mark Tiberi. Without hesitation, Explorer offensive coordinator and resident genius, Brett Gordon presented his usual array of pass plays designed for receivers who can break tackles. Short completions from sr. QB John Harrison (20-28-214) to sr. WR’s Dennis McBride and Joe Migliarese had the desired effect as La Salle drove to a first down near midfield. The Friar defense however, kept up the inside pressure that resulted in a pair of incompletions and Mooney came up huge with a third down sack to end the Explorers second drive of the game with a punt. All the momentum Malvern had built to this point was in jeopardy when they fumbled just two plays into the series that jr. DB Kevin Farrington recovered for the Explorers. From midfield, Harrison completed passes of 24 and 27 yards to McBride and soph. RB Sam Feleccia respectively to move La Salle to a first-and-goal only to be turned back by Nassib’s tackle for loss on second down and his pass defended after a botched field goal attempt. Malvern stormed out of LaSalle territory with carries from Willis for nine yards and another six from Connelly. Nassib then completed a quick out to jr. WR Joe Price to their own 34 and, four plays later, a screen pass which Connelly turned into a 32-yard gain. On the 17, the La Salle defense thwarted a first down run for no gain and three straight passes to stall the drive. Disappointment turned into momentum for Malvern though as jr. DB Billy Conners snatched an interception on the second offensive play of the series and his return put the Friars in business inside the La Salle 10-yard line. From there, they increased their lead to 14-0 with a Layne sweep off the left side. The combination of jr. RB Tyler Houchins, Harrison and his band of capable receivers responded with a nine-play drive that ended courtesy of a sweet 18-yard skinny post route by sr. TE Ryan Warrender, cutting the Malvern lead in half. With less than a minute before the break, Farrington kept the score 14-7 at halftime with an interception. The Friars opened the second half much like the first behind the strong running of Connelly and Layne along with a 16-yard completion from Nassib to Mooney but, failed to make up for a holding penalty that eventually gave LaSalle possession on downs. While their first series resulted in a three-and-out, jr. SS Mike Donohoe recovered a Friar fumble and Harrison helped tie the game with a stunning 17-yard pass to soph. WR Connor Hoffman, who leaped to snag the ball while keeping one foot in bounds on the way down. No sooner was the game tied than a determined Malvern squad fought to regain the lead. A 24-yard counter run by Willis put the Explorers on their heels and Nassib used a slant to Price followed by an effective spot route completion by sr. WR Michael McKee to move close enough for his second wedge run and the go-ahead touchdown. La Salle then increased the drama when Harrison found Malvern’s Congialdi wide open in the flat for an easy interception but sr. LB Andrew Wood gave the high-powered offense another shot to re-tie the game with a fumble recovery.
Payin' the Bill’s’ Play of the Game: After the Wood recovery, the Explorers revved up their fans with seven play 56-yard drive that appeared to end in a disappointing interception by sr. DB Chris Crowding. With 5:12 remaining, a botched exchange was fumbled and kicked into a scrum of lineman where La Salle, at first glance, had recovered. Once the pile was peeled back though, Friar jr. C Matthew Devlin continued pull and finally came away with the ball—game over, bills paid.

Special teams leader— Mark Tiberi (Three PAT kicks, the second of which glanced off the left upright.)

SEPT. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Central 49, M.L. King 0
With just a base offensive scheme and a defense ready to beat up on some new faces, the Lancers opened their 2007 season by manhandling the ill-equipped Cougars from beginning to end. Before a minute had elapsed, Central had recovered a fumbled snap, forced a King offside penalty, handed a 13-yard dive to sr. RB Carl King and seven-yard counter to sr. RB Ray Harris for an 8-0 lead with the Carl King conversion run. Game over, yet? No, but we’re getting close. King responded with a 22-yard run by RB Alpha Omega and a well-executed screen pass from QB Tyrone Harris to RB Domonique Simmons to the Central 38, where the offense broke down. Faced with a second-and-two, King laid down a pair of consecutive false start penalties. Although another screen pass completion made up the loss, a combo sack by Morlock and # 55 ended the promising drive and forced the game’s first punt. The King defense held the next Lancer series to a third down play, but a 55-yard pitch to jr. WB Cory Barkers, pitch to Ray Harris for 16 and another to Barkers, which was fumbled right to an alert Morlock in the end zone, gave Central a 14-0 advantage. Again, the Cougars came to the line with a second-and-two, on the speed of Omega, only to have Lancer LB Carl King, jr. LB Marcus Volcy and sr. DT Ian Miller stuff the next two plays to force a second punt. The Central offense went right back to work on the strength of sr. QB Kyle Yeiter’s keeper for a first down and run by Barkers of 35 yards. Ray Harris quickly added another touchdown when he sped past the King defense, matched Barkers yardage while adding the conversion run early in the second quarter. Despite being awarded a penalty on the kickoff and some impressive field vision by Omega for 30 yards, the Cougars failed to prevent Volcy from breaking through and popping the ball out and into the hands of fellow sr. LB Justin Ivey, who rumbled 71 yards for a touchdown. Frosh. K Joseph Guarnieri made the score 29-0 with the first of three conversion kicks to further the Central lead. Following yet another score (see play of the game) memories of former speedster Kendall Coleman appeared in brother RB Tyrone Colemam and his 44-yard dash gave King their best field position of the game at the Central 20-yard line. Time and the hustle of sr. DB Avery Williams to knock down a pass however preserved the shut out at halftime. In each of their two remaining drives of the game, King managed to turn over possession with the least amount effort as they allowed jr. LB Otheni Thompson and Volcy to recover the fumbles they stripped. Central then added touchdowns by jr. RB Julius Holmes of 52 yards and sr. WB Matt McHugh of 13 to close all scoring. Soph. DB Trent Dunnlap ran about 30 yards to assure the shut out with the recovery of a live ball during the final kickoff—start the buses.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: In perhaps the earliest recorded time in the history of this segment, the Cougars chances to mount a comeback fell to a bout of confusion. With less than seven minutes to go before halftime, a sack by Central sr. DB Kyle Nolan brought up a King punt. Some chatter came from the sidelines distracted the punter and caused him hold the ball as if time had been called. Well, the only thing calling was the frustration of a bad day gone worse from Cougar bench as he was tackled by an onslaught of Lancers. An easy three-play drive ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Nafis Abdul Hamid to put Central up by 36 points —game over, bill’s paid.

AUG. 31
NON-LEAGUE
Washington 21, Bensalem 20 OT
Can we call this matchup a rivalry yet? For the last two seasons this game has come down to the final seconds and, for the second time, the Eagles have left victorious. First impressions of the 2007 Eagles—they’re a young squad although, you’ll also notice interior lines that can average 255 pounds across both sides of the ball. Another obvious difference was the much-improved mechanics of sr. QB Clinton “Juice” Granger. Consistent footwork, efficient drop-backs and rehearsed pocket movements are now arsenals within his stout 6’3” 240 frame. Gone was the hail of rocket balls of last season and replaced with medium zip precision-oriented throws that seemed to only suffer from a tendency to “choke” the ball at times. Granger demonstrated his newfound skills on the game’s first drive where, despite getting sacked three play prior, he stepped up to gain another half-second of pocket time and found sr. RB/DB Devon Wallace wide open after a well executed corner route for a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The next difference came via the leg of jr. K/OLB Will McFillin. All three of his PAT kicks included pro-style height, indicating the distance to match and his tackle for loss during the first Bensalem drive, where he sacked the Owl quarterback and running back to force the first punt, also revealed outstanding athleticism. With a 7-0 lead, Washington held Bensalem’s only other drive of the first quarter to a three-and-out, but gained just one first down on two of their own. They started the second quarter however with a nice interception by jr. DB Omar Hunter, who returned the ball near midfield. A determined run by Wallace, behind the sr. C Curtis Graham and jr. LG Waverly Harris moved the Eagles to the Bensalem 38 only to have a penalty, fumbled snap and incompletion stall the drive. Although they held the Owls to another punt, due in part to the awareness of so. OLB James Fowler to deflect a pass, Granger was intercepted on the first play of their next series and Bensalem then marched 40-yards on 10 plays to tie the game at seven all. Sr. LB Damien Wilmer ended any hope of an Owl lead before halftime with a crushing sack around right end. The opening second half series appeared to be met with a third down solo tackle for no gain from sr. DT William Lawrence until a holding call during the punt gave the Owls a fresh set of downs. As they drove deep into Eagle territory, Wilmer stepped up again to punch out a key fumble that jr. DB Lorenzo Adams recovered. From their own 20, Washington embarked on an impressive 18-play go-ahead drive that featured strong running from Hunter, Wallace, soph. Christopher Kesson and the short passing game of Granger that ended with a Wallace touchdown run and zapped an entire quarter of possession time. Clearly, in the process of taking a 14-7 lead they had worn down the Bensalem defense. The Eagle special teams and defense responded by allowing 26-yard kickoff return along with an easy game-tying Owl touchdown with less than three minutes to go in the game. Washington countered with a determined drive that put McFillin on the field for a 40-yard field goal with 0:08 remaining. Having hit 50+ yarders in warm-ups, the Eagle sideline was confident about the distance, but no one considered at the time how to prevent the outside rush from blocking the kick. On to overtime. Following a four-play overtime touchdown, Bensalem experienced special teams’ problems of their own as Washington’s Fowler clamped down on the resulting frenzy of an errant PAT snap.
Payin' the Bill’s Play of the Game: With the Eagles down 20-14, they needed just one play to spring Hunter, who broke two tackles and tied the game. Bensalem then decided to call three straight timeouts in an attempt to “ice” the kicker. During the third timeout, an Eagle assistant coach gathered the troops and demonstrated a simple technique for delaying side on-rushers while still maintaining gap responsibility. End result, K Will McFillin launches his third PAT kick through the middle of the uprights—game over, bill’s paid.

AUG. 31
NON-LEAGUE
Roxborough 27, Edison 6
For the second straight season, the Roxborough Indians turned this once unpredictable matchup into another convincing tune-up win. This time, the power of sr. DE Diante Boney-Stokes and maturation of sr. QB Stephen Tucker exposed the Owls overall inexperience along with their lack of depth. Boney-Stokes made his presence felt in the games first series when he cut off a potential bootleg run for an eight-yard loss on third down. He then proceeded to block and recover the ensuing punt, which set up the Indian offense just 15 yards away from their first touchdown of the 2007 season. Inside carries by sr. FB Amir Boler and sr. TB Geofferey Lancaster moved Roxborough inside the Owl five where Tucker delivered a two-yard pop pass on the numbers to soph. TE Braheem Ford for a 7-0 lead with the first of three conversion kicks by jr. Grant Graham. Despite a 20-yard kickoff return by Owl sr. RB Isaac Foley, flanking Indian DE, jr. Joell Hilton, stepped up to stop the first two offensive plays for losses that included a combo sack with soph. LB Shaimsadin Reed. Following the Owls second straight punt, Tucker calmly dropped back and delivered a near-perfect lob to sr. WB Adrese Hicks, who complemented his fine route running with a break away 52-yard touchdown in one play. Edison answered however, through the noticeable skills of Foley. With quickness to cutback and strength to break arm tackles, he carried seven times in a nine-play drive and single handedly chopped the Indian lead to eight with a 1-yard dive run. With about five minutes to go in a speedy first half, Roxborough looked to counter. A 22-yard kickoff return by sr. RB Abrahim Williams gave the offense a short field and Tucker packaged a pair of bootlegs for 27 yards with a well executed screen pass to Boler to put the Indians within striking distance of a equalizer. Faced with third- and-a-foot at the Edison 14, the drive and the first half ended when a pass into heavy traffic was intercepted by Owl sr. DB Terrence Gary. Roxborough stumbled on offense to open the third quarter but sr. Indian LB Darryl McCray ended a potential Edison tying drive with a fumble recovery on a mishandled snap. Perhaps some of the best down blocking of the game from sr. C Sheldon Walker, soph. LT Kwame Bell, LG Marcus Bell, # 68 and RT Justin Coffey ended in disappointment as Roxborough coughed up a fumble of their own that Edison sr. DL Jamille Maisonet recovered. Each team then seemed to trade possessions until the subsequent Indian punt bounced off the chest of the Owl returner right in the hands jr. LB Byron Yancey. From the Edison 12, Tucker used another bootleg to glide past a tired defense for a 21-6 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Owls showed some spirit with a stunning 25-yard sideline pass from sr. QB Kendell Thomas to sr. WR Antonio-Ray Rodriguez only to have bad turn to worse when Boney-Stokes put the game’s final drive out of reach with a sack and 13-yard loss.
Payin the Bill’s Play of the Game: Following the Tucker touchdown run, Edison tried to catch a quick score but, jr. S David Melton maintained his coverage, snagged a ill-advised pass and raced 42-yards while hugging the sideline. His return led to Lancaster’s 2-yard touchdown run to end all scoring—game over, bill’s paid.

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Yasan Williams	10	6	4	1 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	1
Earl Watford	7	5	2	1 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dwayne Hyman	5	4	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1
Raheem Hall	5	3	2	1(-3)	2	0	0	0	0	0
Alphonso Walcott	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Malik Joe	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kareem Brown	3	0	3	1 (-3)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Sabor Dennis	2	2	0	1 (-7)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Laquan Everett	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Damon Stratford	2	1	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Devin Briscoe	2	0	2	1 (-2)	0	0	1	0	0	0
Jamil Morgan	1	1	0	1 (-3)	0	0	1	0	0	0
Daveer Fincher	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Muhammad Dudley	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tim Johnson	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Braheem Collins	1	0	1	1 (-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 10	1	0	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyree Frierson	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Faarug Butler	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lawrenzo Evans	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 73	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Christopher Wood	7	2	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Jamel Haggins	7	0	7	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Marvin Watson	5	3	2	1 (-13)	1	0	1	0	0	0
George Graves	5	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Calvin Johson	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nathaniel Davis	3	3	0	1 (-1)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Hakeem Vann	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Sturgis	3	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Duane Burrell	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marquis White	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Darius Harris	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Romar Green	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Philip Washington	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Khaleem Brown	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tajiden McGough	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tyron Charlton	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daymel Murray	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Garrett	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dante Morgan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Victor Pastore	7	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Charles Pullet	6	2	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Andrew Bailey	4	3	1	2 (-14)	1	1	0	0	0	0
Devin Walker	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eric Blanding	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Jenkins	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Enrico Lofton	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
John Johnson	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
David Metz	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dawud Abdul-Hakim	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Malik Jordan	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Resaish Elliot	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tyreece Brown	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Dante Wilson	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Torean Wilson	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Niam Fox	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Glenn	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Montez Brown	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Ings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
# 55	9	4	5	2 (-3)	2	1/2	0	1	0	0
# 82	8	3	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tigren Israelyan	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marcus Voley	5	1	4	2 (-5)	0	0	2	1	0	0
Kyle Nolan	4	3	1	1 (-11)	1	1	0	0	0	0
Carl King	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Matt Morlock	2	1	1	1 (-2)	0	1/2	1	2/1TD	0	0
Ray Harris	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Avery Williams	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Thomas Quatieff	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Otheni Thompson	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Trent Dunlap	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Corey Barkers	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ian Miller	1	0	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 52	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1/TD	0	0
Nafis Abdul-Hamid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Kadeem Brown	4	1	3	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Garrad Dorsey	4	1	2	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joe King	4	1	3	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joe Montooth	3	0	3	1 (-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derrick White	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Nelson	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alpha Omega	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
David Bunyan	2	1	1	1 (-1)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Domonique Simmons	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 72	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
# 17	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 43	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 35	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Isaac Dandridge	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Angelo Fields	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Lee	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Christopher Wood

Charles Pullet