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Win from the heart for Connaghan, Chestnut Hill

By TED SILARY

  LOSING WAS NOT an option. Not in the midst of such an emotionally draining stretch.

  The 76ers could have invaded Chestnut Hill Academy last night, and they, too, would have suffered a butt-spanking.

  This one - a 48-36 win over Inter-Ac League foe Germantown Academy - was for Jack Plunkett, the revered teacher and assistant football coach who died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 56.

  It was also for his son, Brendan, a senior grid co-captain and the leader of the Kingsley Krazies, a passionate student fan group so named because Kingsley is the name of the gym.

  As the Blue Devils were introduced, they scrambled across the court to slap hands and briefly bond with Brendan. And then, after falling into a 6-0 hole resulting, understandably, from way too much amped-ness, they regrouped impressively and, in time, pretty much had their way.

  A throng was on hand. CHA's gym seats about 375. There were enough standees to swell the crowd to the mid-500s, and the juice, coming primarily from current students and those home on break from college, was supplied in non-stop fashion.

  Among the playing leaders: Pat Connaghan , a 6-4, 200-pound senior point guard (yes, point guard; more on that later) as well as a top-notch kicker/punter and respectable receiver.

  Given the chance, he could have talked about Mr. Plunkett for hours.

  "He could not have been a nicer guy," Connaghan said. "Every day, he always had a smile on his face when he came to work. He was nice to everyone, and talked to everyone. He was a huge icon at this school. It's really a shame. "

  Connaghan then relayed a memory that he'll have for the rest of his life. One that all members of the football team will also have, and treasure.

  "There was always The Plunkett Water at practice," Connaghan said, smiling. "When we were having three-a-days, and out there dying, he always dumped ice cubes from the medicine kit into the water and then put it in bottles.

  "While we were running sprints, he'd run around and squirt us with the water. It was so cold. Felt so good. We'd call it the magic water. We couldn't wait for it. "

  Now, there will be tomorrow's viewing and Monday's funeral, both to be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Jenkintown.

  "The football team is going to go as a group," Connaghan said. "We'll be leaving here at 2 [tomorrow] and at 10 on Monday. We'll be wearing our jerseys. "

  And their hearts will be on the sleeves.

  "That's going to be so hard," Connaghan said. "This whole week has been. We had to win this for Mr. Plunkett and Brendan. "

  Connaghan 's assorted contributions included eight points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocks.

  At the start, he was so excited he appeared to be taking shots at a 12-foot basket. OK, maybe 11. But after missing his three attempts, he settled down and was a calm, yet spirited force.

  Overall, Connaghan likes to consider himself a point forward, and that's an apt description. But coach Bill Dooley finds himself with no true point guard, and Connaghan , who has signed with the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, is faring well.

  He knew this was coming last summer, so he worked to improve his handle and even went so far as to watch tapes of classic point-guard play, just so he'd be thrown no curveballs.

  "I've always liked to pass," he said. "I just had to tighten up my game. Before, I was a little raw. "

  Halftime arrived with the Blue Devils nursing a 20-19 lead. They roared to the first 10 points of the third quarter and never looked back.

  The night's karma was so special, so inevitable, CHA was not made to pay the price for missing its first eight free throws of the fourth quarter. GA was not coming back to wreck this evening. It was just not going to happen.

  Sixth man Luke Mulvaney shot 6-for-8 for 13 points. Malik Garner posted 12 points and was mostly responsible for hounding GA star Cameron Ayers, a Bucknell signee who's usually a rock, into a forgettable performance (15 points, 3-for-16 floor). Andrew Kraft limited the other big scorer, Austin Curry, to nine points. Todd Cramer had six points, as many rebounds and four assists while Billy Dooley, son of the coach, dished five dimes.

  Connaghan , who lives in Warrington, chose USP because he wants to become a pharmacist. The only football he'll play there is dorm room Madden.

  "I thought about trying to go to a big D-I school to walk on [for kicking/punting]," Connaghan said. "But I always just felt that [skill] was kind of a freak thing. As an eighth-grader, I went out one day at practice and kicked a 50-yard field goal. It was like, 'What's going on? ' It wasn't anything I worked on. "

  Now, the entire CHA community will work on giving Jack Plunkett the proper send-off.

  "Ask anyone. He was the nicest person," Pat Connaghan said. "Goes to show, only the good die young."