NOV. 27
THANKSGIVING RIVALRY
Neumann-Goretti 7, Southern 6
  What do you do when both teams and a respectable crowd at 10th and Bigler stand for about 8 minutes in anticipation of the playing of the National Anthem? Well, if you’re referee Tom Young and you haven’t heard a single note, you lift your hands to the sky and say, “Come on, everybody sing." That’s exactly what happened when the PA system failed and the entire place erupted into a fairly good rendition of the patriotic tune. Yes, they would have made Mo Cheeks proud. In spite of Saint QB Anthony Mastrando’s 3 interceptions, Neumann-Goretti hung on to win the game. Southern’s Kenyatta Simmons, Andrew Auer and Lamar Williams made the picks for the Rams. The Saints had 2 interceptions of their own with Daniel McGarrigle and Shane Thomas being the hijackers. McGarrigle’s interception set up the game's first TD when his brother Tom picked up a fumble at the one yard line and scored after Mastrando lost control of the ball trying to break the plane. Will Huff’s PAT kick proved to be the difference maker after SP failed on their 2-point run. The Rams did take advantage of a NG turnover, when Chris Pennington picked up a fumble on his own 42 and scooted 25 yards to the Saints' 33. Three plays later, QB Shaquille Gaskins connected with Sean Allen on a 28-yard TD pass for the final points of the day. Frank Coleman’s ankle tackle on Pennington’s attempt for the PAT points denied the Rams the opportunity to take the lead. Anthony Jannelli’s sack of Gaskins with just less than 3 minutes to play sealed the deal for the Saints. Jannelli ended up to be the headliner on both sides of the ball for the Saints. He rushed 9 times for 60 yards, however 57 came on 7 second half carries. Along with his sack he notched 6 other tackles, 5 solo and another for a loss. Stanley “Buddy” Visack, 7-4, Paul Lind, 5-3, Kadeem Curtis, 4-3-hurry, James Dougherty and John Snyder both TFL’S paced the defense. Louis Coles had 2 returns for 39 yards. South Philly’s Nasaan Fluellen terrorized the Saints offense, especially Mastrando with 11 tackles, 7 solo, 2 sacks, another for a loss and 3 hurries.  Under sized Nose Guard  Richard White impressed again with, 9-6-2 and a forced fumble. Simmons, Allen and Tyree Parks each had 8 tackles, Parks also recovered a fumble. Izeem Sims, 7-4-3 and Anthony Mitchell, sack also helped.

NOV. 26
THANKSGIVING RIVALRY
Furness 14, Comm. Tech 8
  “We’re Number One! We’re Number One!” That’s right: Number one as in being the first game to kick off the Thanksgiving football tradition, at least in the Philadelphia area and perhaps in the entire country. A 2:30 Wednesday afternoon start time for the Furness Falcons and the Comm. Tech Phoenix at the South Philadelphia Super Site. Victor Pastore [ 6-30- TD] put the Falcons ahead for good when he pranced into the end zone midway through the first quarter. John Johnson [ 12-64 TD ]  ran for the conversion to give Furness an 8-0 advantage. A big fumble recovery and a return of 32 yards by Aaron Cooper to the Comm. Tech 3 yard line set up the Falcons' final score. QB Johnson sneaked in from the one at the 5:58 mark of the second quarter. The conversion failed making the score 14-0 and it remained that way until the 6:55 mark of the third quarter. Tech’s Kyle Tubbs [ 21-103-TD ] scored the lone Phoenix TD with a 17 yard burst up the middle while Rolando Ransom [ 17-56 ] ran for the PAT closing out the afternoon’s scoring. The TD came after Armon Jones returned the second half kickoff 38 yards. Jones was spectacular on defense registering 12 tackles, 8 solo and 1 for a loss. Jones did most of his work in the second half, making 10 tackles after intermission. Tech, which played the game without star RB Stacey Hill [out with sprained MCL in his left knee] put together a late drive but turned the ball over on downs when QB Adefumi Garrett’s 31-yard intended pass for Tubbs was broken up by the Falcons' Devin Walker in the end zone. Pastore led the Furness defense with 10 tackles with 6 being of the solo variety. Charles Pullett , [ 9-5-1] Andrew Bailey [ 7-4 ] , Henry Greene [ 6-4- hurry ] Walker [ 6-3-1 ] , Sam Byrd [ 6-3-1], Gerald Martin [ 5-3-1], Keith Hunter [ 4-2 ] and Yaseem Nelson 2 TFL’s aided the defense. Good job also to the Falcon offensive line featuring Center, Greene, Guards; Byrd and Martin, Tackles Nadim Harris and Robert Jenkins and Ends, Bailey and Hunter. All year they were major contributors to the Falcons' feature back, Sharif Smith, [ 21-68]. The Phoenix defensive leaders included; Tubbs [ 9-5], Garrett [ 8-5 ], Terrick “Teddy” Carson [ 7-5 ], Shariff Spencer [ 7-4] , Kyle Quinn [ 5-3-1 ] and William Bates [ 5-3 ] . Akeem Robinson had an interception. Comm. Tech coach Rob DiMedio along with Hill, say that Boston College, Rutgers and James Madison have been up to the Southwest Philly School to inquire about Hill.

NOV. 13
NON-LEAGUE
Lincoln 13, Southern  0
  The top of the third was the start of Southern’s demise. Well, keeping in the baseball spirit the first five possessions were 3 and outs. At the end of the fifth series, after another 3 and out Ram punter Michel Saint-Louis avoided a strong Lincoln rush and managed to get off the punt. Appropriately it was a low line drive and went just 11 yards where it was speared nicely by Lincoln’s Rasaan Hanner. Hanner caught the ball at his own 49 and then took it straight up the field to the Ram 25. On first down Amin Shabazz, [20-71 TD] went off tackle for 5 yards. The next play, Shabazz took the same route for a 20 yard TD giving the Railsplitters  a 6-0 advantage at the 10:06 mark of the second quarter. Each team would get the ball two more times but stingy defenses by both parties saw the half end at 6-0. The Rams had an ideal chance to tie or take the lead early in the third quarter. Facing a second and ten from his own 41 Lincoln QB Joe McCausland [2-8-65], out of a shotgun position, watched as the snap from center flew over his head and rolled all the way to the Railsplitter 16. The Rams' Andrew Auer fell on the ball, providing his squad with excellent field position. Chris Pennington, out of action the last few weeks, rushed for 6 and 2 yards after QB Shaquille Gaskins gained one. Discipline hurt the Rams on the next play as they went offsides on fourth and one. Now facing a fourth and six from the 12, Gaskins avoided a Lincoln rush and  rolled to his left. He thought he saw an opening when he spotted Sean Allen in the left corner of the end zone. However Lincoln’s DB  Ben Speller batted down the pass before it reached Allen to close out the drive. The score remained the same going into the fourth quarter. With just over four minutes showing on the clock Lincoln’s Mike Collins recovered his second fumble of the game at his own 45 yard line. The next play McCausland found Omar Black open at the Ram 25 where Black then went untouched for a 55-yard TD  with 3:53 to go in the contest. John Wilson kicked the point after to close out the scoring. Black ended any South Philly comeback hopes when he picked of a Gaskin pass. In addition to his earlier heroics Black made 8 tackles, 5 solo and 3 for losses. He also had 3 returns for 49 yards. Hanner 7-4-1, Tarin Moore, 6-3-hurry, Mitchell Guerin, 5-2-1 and Collins, 5-3 helped on defense. William Palmer forced a fumble. Auer led the Ram defense with, 8-6-3. Izeem Sims matched the 8 with 5-1. Richard White, 7-5-3, Tyree Parks, 7-5-1, Kenyatta Simmons, 7-3, and Chris Smith, 5-4-2 topped the Ram defensive chart.

RECAP OF ASSORTED GAMES
NOV. 6-7
Furness 40  Prep Charter 0
  Prior to the start of the game Furness head coach Anthony Pastore said to me; “Tonight I’m going to try and let the kid get some yards.” The kid he was referring to was Sharif Smith. Smith didn’t disappoint, picking up 240 yards on 24 rushes and scoring 3 TDs. In a classy move by Pastore, Smith was removed from the game in the third quarter allowing some backups to get some playing time. The Falcon defense limited the Huskies to just 76 yards of total offense. Aaron Cooper was the tackle leader with 6. John Johnson had an interception. For PC, Khalil Raines paced the defense with 10 tackles, 6 solo and 1 for a loss. Charles Barber, 9-5, Robert Anderson, 8-5, Tommy Tann, 7-4, Josh Bridges, 6-3,  Alphonso Westbrook and Jahmarley Samuel both 5-3, all pitched in.

Germantown 22  Southern 0
   More ridiculous figures in this contest. Southern accumulated just 13 total offensive yards, 14 rushing and [ -1] passing. The Bears scored on a 17-yard fumble return by Rahmel Hamilton. Hamilton also had a pick for G’Town. Demetrius Saunders, [ 9-54] and Shahid Bundy [ 3-27] both ran for scores. Southern nose guard Richard White was spectacular on the defensive side of the ball, registering 13 tackles,8 solo, 1 for a loss and 2 hurries. Sean Allen and Andrew Auer both had 8 tackles while Kenneth Johnson and Nolan Davis numbered 7 apiece. Shaquille Gaskins had an INT and Tyree Parks recovered a fumble for the Rams.

Class A State Playoff 
Comm. Tech. 18  Bristol 14
  The Stacey Hill show all evening, [ 24-142-TD]. Also 2 TD passes out of a quick snap formation to Kyle Tubbs. Hill also had an interception as did Lawrence Jackson. Ackeeno Jolly led the defense, [ 11-7-3-sack]. Helping out were: Adefumi Garrett, [9-6], Hill, [ 8-4-1], Tubbs [ 8-5-1], Terrick Carson [ 7-4-1] and Rolando Ransom, [ 6-3 ]
  Notes:  Great line by line judge Virnest Beale during the Southern and Germantown game. After Germantown lost significant yardage on a two plays and a penalty, a Southern assistant asked about down and distance. Beale responded; “Don’t worry, coach, it’s a long bus ride."
Final Score. Ben Franklin 22  Lower Moreland 6.  GOTCHA !!!

NOV. 1
PUBLIC A FINAL
Bok 32, Ben Franklin 12
  Figuring out why this contest wasn’t as close as it should have been is relatively easy. Bok; 4 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and a blocked punt compared to just 1 fumble recovery by Franklin. Game, Set, Match! Adding to the nightmare was the absence of Franklin star running back Marquis White, who is out of action as a result of a broken foot. The Electrons gave the Wildcats short fields all evening with the mishandling of the football. And I do mean mishandling. In fact there was only one forced fumble hit -- Bok’s Manny Gregory on Robert Ingram’s second quarter kick return. The visitors seemed to have a very difficult time just handing off the ball and when it was handed off properly, the carriers had a hard time holding it. Franklin QB’s Anthony Stones and Khaleem Brown along with RB’s Ingram and Shuron Briggs must have dipped their fingers in butter.  It’s not the first time I’ve noticed that teams have had difficulty with the exchange of the pigskin in a playoff or title game. I’m not sure if the balls in the playoffs are distributed by the league or each team brings their own, but I do know that they are new footballs and need to be roughed up  prior to their use. Especially when a game is played on artificial turf. The initial turnover transpired midway in the first quarter when Stones dropped the snap and the ball was recovered by Bok’s Chris Sherrod at the Franklin 21. Three plays later QB Andre Frazier sneaked in from the 2. After Kevin Bryan recovered a fumble on the Franklin 26 near the end of the quarter, Bok Coach Tom DeFelice decided to put the ball in the air. On the frame's final play, Frazier [3-4-37] tossed 26 yards to Troy Martin for the TD and Ray Tucker [ 15-138- 2 TD ] ran for the conversion putting the Wildcats ahead 14-0. Frazier would run for another score from 3 yards out while the Electrons answered with a 3 yarder of their own by Briggs, [22-109]. The Franklin TD came with just 1:47 left in the half. The North Philly boys certainly would have been glad to go into the locker down by 20-6, considering the circumstances. However, Tucker came through with a back breaker when he went off tackle with a 60 TD burst with 27:9 seconds to go before halftime giving his squad a 26-6 lead. The score remained the same entering the fourth quarter. Bok’s Jassan Thomas blocked an early fourth quarter punt giving the Wildcats the ball at the BF 12. Tucker would run in from that distance concluding the Cats point total. Brown would sneak in from the 1 late in the game closing out the nights scoring. Bok’s Brahkaim Poole had both Wildcat Int’s along with a fumble recovery. Gary Jackson also recovered a fumble for the Cats. Bryan and Khalil Neal each registered 11 tackles for Bok and Gregory had 10. Contributing also were; Kevin Thompson,[ 7-4-2] Sherrod, [7-4-1] and Jacqual Dobbs [7-4-1- sack-2 hurry’s and 5 scares. ] . Bryan, Neal and Gregory each made 6 solo tackles. Bryan also had 3 for losses. Naeem Nunelly notched a sack. The Electrons were charged by Corey Maxey, [ 8-5]  Briggs [7-4], Lydell Boanes [6-3-1], Jamel Higgins[ 5-4] and Ingram TFL.
  NOTES: Next up for the Wildcats are the Mighty Burrs of West Catholic. The Burrs are expected to advance far into the State Playoffs. Some of the experts predict that they will indeed prevail as the city’s first state football champion. When long time Bok supporter Roger Durbano was asked about the game he said that the line was 13. Someone then responded, why the number is so low. Roger then answered back with: "No, not 13 points, but 13 players." Bok will need 13 to go up against WC’s 11. Ahh, South Philly, don’t you just love it. DeFelice, along with his assistant Frank “Roscoe” Natale, are both West Catholic graduates and former football players. This obviously becomes a dilemma to some of the alumni who are friends of the two gentleman. Who do they root for? My answer to them is: Go BuuuuuRRRoooooooKKKKKK!!! No, I do not stand behind this announcement. Remember your civic duty. Vote on Tuesday.

NOV. 1
PUBLIC A FINAL
Comm. Tech. 26   Del. Val. 0
   “Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.” Although popular many many years ago, the song {GET BACK} made famous by the musical icons, the Beatles, those words were certainly ringing in the ears of the Comm. Tech. defense. Get back Warriors, get back! Del Val had a difficult time all afternoon against the stingy Phoenix defense. In fact, the Warriors didn’t notch a gain of positive yards until early in the second quarter and only totaled four plays on the plus side the entire half. The Southwest Philly squad jumped ahead for good, when Aasin Nickson recovered a bad snapped ball from punt formation in the end zone with 8:17 to go in the first quarter. The conversion kick failed giving Comm. Tech a 6-0 lead and the only score it would need in pitching the shutout. Nickson again would impact the score when he recovered another fumble in the second quarter, which led to Comm. Tech’s second score, a three yard TD pass from Adefumi Garrett to Terrick "Teddy" Carson. Rolando Ransom [4-23] ran for the PAT and the 14-0 advantage. After a quick three and out by Del. Val., the Phoenix  needed just three plays capped by a two yard TD run by Stacey Hill [25-173] and the half ended shortly after with the arithmetic reading 20-0. Hill would add the final six, when he danced 33 yards at the 5:12 mark of the final quarter. Comm. Tech held the Warriors to 35 yards rushing on 25 attempts and just 17 passing yards, while Kyle Tubbs picked off two Jibri Monk passes. The Phoenix pounded the ball into the ground to the tune of 244 yards on 48 rushes, they threw just 3 passes. Carson; 7 tackles, 6 solo, and 4 for losses along with Nickson [7-4-1] and Garrett [6-4-1] and number 83, sorry didn’t get the name. In fact for the last two years it’s been virtually impossible to obtain a “CORRECT” Comm. Tech. roster. Well, whoever 83 is, he registered these defensive digits, [7-5-5]. Nice job kid. Junior LB, Ameer Selden sensationalized on the Warrior defense with 15 tackles, including 9 solo and 2 for losses. Fred Ruff bagged 7 while Derrick Holts, Eric Sims-Watson and Tavon Holloway each had 6.

OCT. 30
NON-LEAGUE
U. City 14, Furness 0
  With star running back and defensive back Sharif Smith out of action do to a concussion, the Falcons started out facing a huge disadvantage. Things worsened when QB Anthony Ings was injured early in the second quarter of a scoreless contest. Ings never returned and was replaced by John Johnson. Johnson orchestrated a drive that took Furness to the U. City 18 with just under 3 minutes to go before halftime. On second down Johnson bootlegged to his left and was headed towards the goal line before he was hit at the 2 by Marcus Holland. The ball squirted loose and was picked up by the Jags' Derek Brooks at the 4. Facing a fourth and eight from their own 6 and just 1.7 seconds remaining before the ending of the half, UC quarterback Michael Gilliam dropped back and threw a Hail Mary pass to the Falcon 45 where Holland somehow managed to snag the ball between three defenders and then went the rest of the way for an amazing 94-yard TD on the last play of the half. Lamont Wilson [23-94] ran for the conversion giving UC an 8-0 lead. The game's only other score came at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter. Gilliam, normally a wideout, was switched to QB because starter Michael Adens (and leading rusher Tyriuq “Pop Tart” Gordon) was not in uniform do to violation of team policy. In the second half Gilliam went to his normal position when JV QB Justin Fields went behind center. The two connected on a 35-yard TD strike down the right sideline just before the midway point of the third quarter. Furness head man Anthony Pastore switched big offensive tackle Robert Jenkins [2-11] to fullback with hopes of manufacturing some yards in the absence of Smith. Victor Pastore, [12-31] was moved to tail back. Johnson led the offensive charge for the Falcons mounting [9-57]. Gilliam [3-7-0-114] and Fields [1-2-0-35] totaled 139 yards passing. While the Falcons did not throw a pass all day. Parrish Shoatz, 11 tackles, 7 solo and 2 for losses led the Jaguar defense. Brooks [8-5], Shanandore Scott [8-5], Sam Bracy [8-6-1] and Kevin Houston [5-3-1] helped out. Gilliam and Christian Maynard recovered fumbles. For the Falcons, Henry Greene[ 8-5-1], Gerald Martin [7-4], Ryan Johnson [7-4-1], Yaseem Nelson [6-4-2], David Metz [6-4-1], Pastore [6-3] and John Johnson [ 5-4-2-2 pass def ] paced the defense.

OCT. 24
NON-LEAGUE
West Phila. 49, Esperanza 0
  With quarterback Brandon Abner out of action due to injury, the Toros really didn’t have much of a chance against the new and improved Speedboys. Under the direction of new head man Pat O’Hara, the boys from West no longer have to listen to the constant yelling and screaming of former boss John Lay. The team seems to be more focused and that is a reflection of O’Hara and his staff.  Pat is assisted by: Gerardo Muhammad, Larry Bledsoe, Ed Williams and Kenny Goings. The show belonged to running back John Davis. Davis ran for four TDs on just seven carries. For the afternoon Davis notched 113 yards. Laquell Fitzhugh contributed eight for 71 yards and a TD run of 35 yards. Gregory "Grasshopper" Richie (10) and Michael White (23) also ran for scores. Jamar Cox made three returns for 57 yards. Impressive sophomore defensive end Marcus Speight made eight tackles, seven solo and four for losses. Jr. DB Jaleel Smith numbered, 6-3-1. Justin Carrington and Ayub Ferror had interceptions for the Speedboys. Bryant Howard -- hey, I just realized it sounds like Ryan Howard -- Marteen Giddings and Darius Knight had TFL’s.  Esperanza’s Zakee Moody had five returns for 80 yards. Moody, David Martinez and Zedekiah Montanez all made seven tackles. Gilberto Zavala and Jovanny Zavala pitched TFL’s. Miguel Torres recovered a fumble.
  NOTES:  I would like to thank West Catholic’s Director of Development and fellow mummer Nick Voight for giving me the now popular Cardinal Fluck High School sweatshirt. Yes, even Burr stat man Ed “Huck” Palmer thought it was funny. In all seriousness I did attend the West Catholic and Kennedy-Kenrick semifinal AA game. Kudos to head Coach Brian Fluck for having his QB take four kneeldowns in the THIRD QUARTER. Other kneeldowns followed. In fact there was more kneeling than a parish full of nuns at an Easter Sunday mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph McFadden. The bishop, by the way, is a former teacher and basketball coach at West. See, I keep everything sports related. GO BURRS !!!!

OCT. 17
PUBLIC AA
Bok 40, Imhotep 20
  The Panthers generated 216 return yards with the two primary ones being of the kick return variety. Kendrick Lewis’s 85 in the second quarter and Anwir Raines’ 98 yarder in the third quarter. Both were returned for TDs. Imhotep’s other score was also long range -- a 70 TD pass from Christopher Lewis to WR, Anthony Bolden late in the contest. Unfortunately the Imho offense had little success against the always tough Bok defense. The Wildcats limited the Pancake House gang, [Referee Ernie Gallagher termed the Panthers with that name, in reference to the Breakfast Franchise IHOP or International House of Pancakes.] to just 21 yards rushing on 28 attempts. Other than the long TD pass Imhotep would add on just 24 more yards on 3 other receptions. Star TE Saledeem Major was held to 2 for 19 yards. Bok QB Andre Frazier threw for two scores, 31 and 19, both to Troy Martin. Frazier also sneaked in for a score from the 4 yard line. Ray Tucker, [20-92] ran for two short yardage scores of 3 and 6 yards. Little man Gary Jackson,[12-59] didn’t disappoint when he raced around the left side for a 32 yard TD. The stingy Wildcat defense was led by NG, Kevin Bryan, 9 tackles,6 solo. Joe Reeves, 8-6-2 with a sack, Kevin Thompson, 8-5-2-sack and Jasaan Thomas, 7-5-3 loses totaling 15 yds with a sack helped tremendously. Martin and Emanuel “Manny” Gregory had interceptions for the Cats. Tucker recovered a fumble that was forced by Khalil Neal, 5-3-1-1 hurry. Kevin Alleyne, 2, and Vincent Jones had TFL’s. The Panther defense was led by their two defensive ends. Donald Green, 13-8 and Richard Kirven, 13-7. Dasir White, 7-4-1, Ryan Barren, 7-4, Jerimiah Kendrick and Raines, 5-2 pitched in. Tom Gooden had an Int.

OCT. 17
PUBLIC A
Comm. Tech 34, Prep Charter 14
  In spite of their 19 penalties which totaled 162 yards, the Comm. Tech Phoenix would prevail rather easily. The man of the evening was Stacey Hill. Hill ran just 16 times to the tune of an astounding 272 yards. Rolando Ransom wasn’t bad either, [ 25-173 ] Overall, CT ran 50 for 479 yards. Hill averaged 17 yards per carry while his team averaged 9.6. Hill had TD runs of 41 and 31 yards and caught a 20 yard TD pass from Adefumi Garrett. Ransom ran 13 for a score. Garrett also pranced in from the 3.Prep Charter’s  Ralph Bertrand grabbed a 26 yard TD pass from Shelton Jones. Charles Barber, [5- 65 ]  ran for a 60 yard TD late in the game. Jones passed 3 for 12, 42 yards. He also threw an interception. Charles Williams made the Interception for the Phoenix. Terrick "Teddy" Carson recovered a fumble for Tech as did Bryan Tate for the Huskies.

OCT. 11
PUBLIC AA
Furness 14, FitzSimons 0
  Sharif Smith’s 67 yard Int. return set up the Falcons early first quarter score. Having to negotiate just 13 yards after the pick, QB, Anthony Ings ran it in from the 5. Smith was the man for Furness, running, 27-141. Victor Pastore, 10-63, would add the only other TD of the game when he went off tackle early in the third quarter with a 27-yard burst. Montez Brown would catch the PAT from Ings to complete the day's scoring. The win clinched the first ever playoff berth for the Falcons in the new Pub AA division. After the game, head coach Anthony Pastore received the ceremonial liquid bath from his players. Along with Smith, Pastore and John Johnson added interceptions. Keith Hunter recovered a fumble. David Mertz led the tackle category with 10, 7 solo and 2 for loses and a sack. Shawn Robinson paced FitzSimons, with numbers of 10-7-3. Joseph Gaines and James Robinson recovered fumbles and Angelo Chaney forced a fumble. J.Robinson also caught 3 balls for 38 yards, while Sean Carter grabbed 2 for 30. The Rams split their QB chores with Keith Page tossing, 4-7-41 and Richard Williams 4-8-58.

OCT. 11
PUBLIC A
Del-Val Charter 6, Prep Charter 0
  After a scoreless first half, PC’s Bryan Tate took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and went 60 yards before he was brought down by Del-Val kicker Rashaan Walker at the Warrior 23 yard line. Tate appeared to be headed towards the end zone, but had to make a quick cut to his right at the DV 40 to avoid the kicking tee. If Tate could have stayed in his lane or cut back to his left, Walker would have been unable to make the tackle. So instead of trailing, there was no sense of urgency for DV to score. Markeese Walker’s ,[14-87 ] TD run with just 1:16 to go in the contest ended up being the game's only score. Ronald McBeth’s interception at the 32.1 second mark ended any hope for the Huskies. R. Walker also had a pick along with a fumble recovery. On offense he caught 2 balls for 86 yards.  Ralph Bertrand made a spectacular 50 yard catch at the DV 11 yard line for PC. However, three plays later, QB Shelton Jones fumbled the ball at the 5 giving the ball back to the Warriors. JR/LB Aneer Sheldon dominated on the defensive side of the ball for DV, registering 13 tackles, 8 solo and 4 for loses. Charles Barber led PC’s defense with 10-7-1-2 pass def. Jahmarley Samuels and Khalil Raines recovered fumbles for the Huskies.

OCT. 10
PUBLIC AA
Bok 54, Esperanza 8
  Holy Chickie Chuimento!  Chuimento, the former Bok head basketball and soccer coach, certainly would have been impressed. When the late Charlie Guida guided the Wildcat football team, every fall he would ask Chickie if there was a soccer player who might be able to contribute to the pigskin squad. Usually he would come up empty. Meet Daniel Walravens. Walravens, who JV head man Greg Frangipani claims kicked last year for him, returned to the football field. I asked Greg where was he earlier this year. It seems he was with his parents and being the good boy that he is, he couldn’t leave them. You see, they were in Haiti. I guess they had Visa problems like the baseball players. Anyway, Walravens kicked off  eight times. Two landed at the 2 yard line and one went to the 1. The rest were all inside the 20. Esperanza scored their only points of the year, when Zakee Moody rushed in from 1 yard, Brandon Abner tossed the conversion to Tony Hayward. Kudos to Esperanza coach (and former Mastbaum High football star) John Grone and his staff . They never let the kids lose focus on what they are trying to accomplish. Taking a beating week after week would be a total disaster for some teams. I could picture helmets flying, players and staff swearing and everything in complete disarray. This is not the case with this contingent. Once again, great job, by Grone and assistants, Chris Hanley, Ronaldo Santiago and Ben Brous.  I thought that Abner did a nice job at QB despite being chased all evening by the Bok defense. He threw, 6-14-2-73. He primary receiver was Elias Martinez. Martinez caught five balls for 63 yards. David Martinez forced a fumble that was recovered by Gilberto Zavala. Bok had 10 different ball carriers  with Ray Tucker leading with 80 yards on 3 rushes. QB, Andre Frazier passed 2 of 2 for 60 yards and 2 TD’s. Troy Martin 26 and Gary Jackson 34 were the recipients. There were many other players who put up  numbers for the Wildcats both offensively and defensively but it would take forever to name them all. One name I can’t omit though is Maurice T-Toe. His last name on the back of his jersey does spell T-Toe. I cannot make this stuff up. What I can make up though is a nickname. How about; Maurice “Tic Tac” T-Toe. T-Toe made a TFL.

OCT. 10
PUBLIC AAAA BLUE
Southern 14, King 0
   There really isn’t much you can say when one team’s total yards penalized almost exceeds the total yards combined of both teams. That’s right: King was flagged 15 times for 104 yards while both squads rang up just 138 combined yards. South Philly netted 102, 59 rushing and 43 passing and MLK posted 36 total, 20 and 16. The Rams' Nolan Davis set up the game's first score when he returned a third quarter punt 30 yards to the King 2. QB Shaquille Gaskins then ran for the TD on first down giving the South Philadelphia squad the lead for good.  Sean Allen would later sack King QB Larry Adams in the end zone with 1:05 to go in the contest. Trailing, 8-0 King attempted an on side kick from their 20 yard line. When the clock read 1:01 it was 14-0. That’s right it took Andrew Auer just 4 seconds to return the quick-hop kick 30 yards for the TD. Rich White paced the Ram defense with 9 tackles, 6 solo and 4 for losses totaling 28 yards. Nasan Fluellen wasn’t bad either registering 8-6-1 and 2 sacks. Chris Smith notched a sack and forced a fumble along with Tyree Parks. Muhammad Amin, numbered 8-4- with 2 fumble recoveries. Allen also recovered a fumble while Davis grabbed an interception.  Kadeem Brown, 10-7-2, Sanjay Davis, 8-6, James Colburne, 6-4, Khalil Sams, 5-3-1, Deshon Hart, 5-4-2, Joe King, 5-2-1, fumble recovery and Tyron Harris, interception led the King defense.

OCT. 4
PUBLIC A
Prep Charter 22, Freire 18
  Well, now back to the Pub. How about a 2 o’clock scheduled kickoff and 22 minutes before game time Freire arrives with no jerseys. What’s this, shirts and skins?  Nah, it was SAT day and Freire was running a little late and someone forgot to grab the jerseys. They appeared at about 1:55 and kickoff was pushed back to 2:20. Also, there were no rosters but student manger Michelle Cook -- along with her dad, Assistant coach Daniel Cook -- put together a makeshift list to make things a little easier. Thanks again. Hey, did I tell you that both teams wore dark shirts? That’s right; Freire was outfitted with Black pants and black tops while PC garbed Blue tops and gold bottoms. Maybe shirts and skins would have been better. PC jumped to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, but Freire’s Titus Oluwole sprinted 84 yards on a kickoff return to close the gap with 6:56 left in the half. Freire’s other scores came on a 7 yard run by Bilal McCoy and a 5 yard run by Marcus Rothmiller. They were unable to convert on any of their conversions. Rothmiller’s TD was at the 7:52 mark of the last quarter. Prep Charter gained possession after the TD and never relinquished the ball before the clock expired denying Freire one last chance to score. The Huskies TD’s featured a 24 yard toss from Shelton Jones to Robert Volio. Khalil Raines, 22-87, 3 yard run and Charles Barber’s, 14-84, 1 yard plunge. Bryan Tate and Alphonso Westbrook each ran for conversion points. Donald Strickland paced Freire on defense with 10 tackles, 6 solo and 2 for losses. Jeff Robinson, 8-5, Marquone Mitchell, 7-4-2- Hurry, Bryant Heath, 6-4-1- sack, Olewole, 5-3 and a Rothmiller sack chipped in. Erik Jordan; 9-6, Marquon Middleton; 6-3-1, Anthony Sacrodote; 6-4- INT, Mouhannad Albaroki; TFL and Charles Barber; INT aided the Huskies on defense.

OCT. 3
CATHOLIC AAAA
O'Hara 21, Roman 14
  OK, ladies and gentleman, let’s pick up the play-by play action down at South Philadelphia’s Super Site with the Lions leading the Cahillites 14-7 with just under eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter….. “Savage back to pass, fires a quick hitch to Morgan. Morgan stumbles, he loses his balance, pushes himself up with one hand.  He’s back on his feet. He’s at the 35, the 40, the 45, the 50 he’s into Roman territory. He could go all the ….  Tweet, tweet! Tweet, tweet!” What the heck’s going on you ask? Not only you, but everyone on the O’Hara sideline. Yes, O’Hara QB Anthony Savage did throw the above described pass to wideout Billy Morgan. Morgan lost his footing right after catching the ball, but managed to bounce up with his right hand without his knee touching the ground. After running down the left sideline the official in the middle of the field -- I believe he’s the umpire -- came running over blowing his whistle and waving his arms to stop play. He claims he saw Morgan’s knee hit the ground and was going to spot the ball at about the Lion 33 for a three-yard gain.  Oh, but what about the ref on the O’Hara sideline who had the best view of the play? He, like everyone else, knew that Mr. Morgan could qualify for the 2012 Olympics with the maneuver he just pulled. The refs gathered together for a conference and what did they decide? Can you say “Do Over”? Just like it was done while playing in the school yard as a kid. That’s right; the entire play was negated, like it never happened. Let’s do it all over again, they said. Thankfully for the Lions the play had no impact on the outcome of the contest. A few minutes later, Evan Higgins scooped up a botched Roman snap from punt formation and ran 17 yards for O’Hara’s final TD. Roman’s Kasseim Everett ran for a late TD with 30:3 seconds showing on the clock. Roman’s onside kick was recovered by O’Hara’s Dan Curry to seal the deal for the boys from Springfield. It was a treat for yours truly and my sidekick Joe McFadden to watch two very good squads from the Catholic League. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the skills of the highly touted Lion Running Back Corey Brown. The injured Brown was on the O’Hara sideline cheering on his teammates. In spite of Brown’s inactivity there were plenty of stars. Starting right off with Everett, who scored the first TD of the game picking off a Savage pass at the Lion 7 yard line and easily going the 21 feet for the score. Everett also rushed 25 times for 129 yards and caught three passes for 17 yards. The Rutgers bound Savage was impressive by passing 12-22-1- 199- 2 TD. The Cahillites 7-0 halftime lead quickly disappeared on the third quarter’s first play from scrimmage. Lining up from his own 29, Savage tossed a quick out to Morgan, 5- 116 TD, who then took off from the far sideline and raced 71 yards for the TD. Upon his return to the O’Hara bench Morgan was greeted with chants of YAC, YAC, YAC!! Yes even the High School Boys know about the YAC yards or Yards After Catch. Savage would later connect with Bob Royal, 3-60 –TD, on an 18 yard scoring pass early in the final stanza, putting the Lions ahead for good. Higgins playing the role of Brown gained 86 yards on 14 carries. He also notched 9 tackles, 6 solo. Teammate Anthony McCloskey dittoed Higgins numbers. Dennis Mushrush penciled 7-2 and Brendan O’Callaghan, 5-1 for the Lions.  The best performer of the evening for my money was Roman’s Sr. OT/DE, Tahir Basil. The two way star, was a pleasure to watch. He continuously paved the way for Everett with his tremendous blocking and terrorized the Lion offense with 11 tackles, 8 solo, 4 for losses with 2 sacks and a couple of hurry’s. This guy can flat out play. Everything he did appeared to come naturally and effortlessly. His focus on his assignments was second to none. I am not around the Catholic League that much, but does this kid play like this every week? If he does, let me know. I hope I get the opportunity to catch his act later in the season. Helping out Basil on defense was; Martin Bernard, 8-6, Kevin Regan, 6-2 –TFL and Dennis Regan 6-3.
  NOTE: Discovered at the game that O’Hara’s kicker, Alex Penza, 3 PAT’s is a second cousin of mine. Hey, way to go Cuz.

SEPT. 19
PUBLIC A
Comm. Tech 50, School of the Future 6
  OK, class, today’s letter is the letter “F”. Sounds like fffff. You may even use my nickname. Frog or more like FFFFFFrrrrrrroooogggg. How about some more F’ words. No, not that one. These. Frankford, Friere, Fels, Franklin, FitzSimons, the Furness Falcons and the Future Firebirds. Holy Fanatic. One more thing, FitzSimons, Furness and Franklin are all members in the Pub AA division. What’s this nitwit talking about? Well as you can see from the above score, I figured that I would give you a little English lesson. What’s with all these schools beginning with the letter “F”. Do you want some more education? It seems like the McAneney coaching trail never ends. Did you know that Comm. Tech’s head man, Rob DiMedio, played for Vince McAneney’s son Tim at Bishop Eustace High School in Pennsauken, N. J. Rob played defensive end and offensive tackle and was a 2002 graduate. Tim since has moved on and become the head coach at Holy Cross in South Jersey. Well, I guess I must write about the game sometime. In this case, however, I’ll just pass on a few numbers. Comm. Tech’s Stacey Hill rushed 15 times for 159 yards (all but 6 in the first half) while earning 3 TDs. Rolando Ransom burst 8 for 67 with 2 TD’s . Kyle Tubbs went 7-58. William Dennis 8-36-TD. QB Adefumi Garrett 3-18-TD and a 2 point PAT run. Hill passed 1-2-14 yds. Ransom had the catch. Tubbs totaled 7 tackles, 5 solo, Teddy Carson, 7-4 –TFL and a  blocked punt into the end zone which resulted into a Safety. Lawrence Jackson, 6-3-sack, Shariff Spencer, 4-2 sacks, Hill, 3-2 TFL’s –sack. Dennis tabbed a TFL. Kicker Akeeno Jolly kicked 4 PATs in 5 attempts. He also recovered his game-opening onside kick, along with a fumble.   Jackson and Akeem Robinson had interceptions for the Phoenix. The game's most exciting play was an 87-yard TD kickoff return by Future’s Khalil Hobson. Hobson ran 3 returns for 131 yards. Jaleel McCray made a nice catch for 20 yards. He leaped between two defenders near the sideline and then held on to the ball while falling and being hit at the same time. Terrell Young and David Rogers recovered fumbles for the Falcons. The tackling leaders were: Lorenzo Bridges,8-7, Robert McDonald 6-4, McCray, 6-3 and Xavia Witherspoon, 5-3.
  NOTES: With a roster limited to 23 players, obviously some of the starters had to remain in the game for the Phoenix. But what shouldn’t be accepted is a fake punt by Tech with the score 50-6 and gimmick play on the PAT after the last TD. Lining up for the PAT, holder Kyle Tubbs pitched the ball to his kicker, Ackeeno Jolly then went untouched into the end zone. One problem. When Tubbs pitched the ball he had one knee on the ground. That my friends is an infraction. These two plays really annoyed Falcon assistant Harry Palumbo. He did plenty of mumbling under his breath. He said that he didn’t want to make an issue out of it at the time, but would appreciate it if I mentioned it . Well, Harry, there you go.  Speaking of issues that shouldn’t be tolerated. I just read where CARDINAL FLUCK HIGH SCHOOL, oops, I mean West Catholic, just buried Archbishop Carroll to the tune of 63-12. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

SEPT. 18
PUBLIC AA
Bok 12, Furness 0
  The starting QB departs for another school. Allegedly because he’s in control of an offense that doesn’t pass the ball that often. So what happens? Andre Frazier, Bok's backup and now a starter for the first time since weight league ball, completes 8 passes in 11 attempts for 126 yards and a TD.  Go figure. It  took a while for the contest to generate any type of excitement. Unless, that is, you were a Furness supporter, which meant you had to be tickled pink to go into the locker at halftime 0-0. Other than a 55-yard Frazier completion to Troy Martin late in the second quarter, and the Wildcats getting to the Falcon 14 and 15 on different series, the first half was uneventful. The big fourth down stops by the Falcon defense on the two occasions were by Montez and Tyreece Brown (no relation) and by Victor Pastore and Gerald Martin. Bok’s always tough defense came up big again, never permitting their foes to cross midfield the entire game. After receiving the second half  kickoff, Wildcat head coach Tom DeFelice decided to do what the Cats do best and that is to pound the pigskin on the ground. Starting from their own 30, Bok went 70 yards on 15 plays with Faison Perry going the final eight yards for the game's first score with 3:41 showing on the third quarter clock. Frazier threw one pass on the drive, a 15- yard completion to Brahkim Poole. The period ended with Bok ahead 6-0. After holding Furness on their next series the Wildcats' Ray Tucker rushed 5 straight times for 43 yards, getting the ball to the Falcon 3. The Cats had four chances at the end zone but came up short each time. After Tucker picked up one yard on first down, Frazier was denied three times attempting to sneak his way to paydirt. Sophomore tackle Nadim Harris was in the middle of all the stops. Yeah baby! The Furness Falcons were fired up. Now was their chance; the momentum had swung in their direction. The problem, once again, was the Bok defense. Forced to punt from his 4, Ryan Johnson got off a respectable boot, putting the Wildcats at the Falcon 39. On first down DeFelice had Frazier bootlegging to his left and then throwing to a wide-open Martin for the game's final TD at the 6:44 mark of the fourth quarter. Martin caught 5 balls for 105 yards. Poole snatched 2 for 18 and Tucker 1 for 4. Tucker rushed 23 for 110 yards. Perry pushed 7-32 and Gary Jackson raced 8-32. Khalil Neal paced the Wildcat defense with 13 tackles, 8 solo and 3 for losses. Jacqual Dobbs, 9-6-3-sack, Joe Reeves, 7-3-1, Manny Gregory, 7-4-3 and Jasaan Thomas 6-3-1 aided. Tucker and Chris Sherrod both had TFL’s. The Bok defense limited the Falcon offense to just 34 total yards. Yaseem Nelson was a force for the Falcon defense compiling 14 tackles, 9 solo and 2 TFL’S. Martin 9-6, Montez Brown, 8-6, Pastore, 7-4, Sam Byrd, 6-2 and Charles Pullet 5-2 helped and Robert Jenkins tackled a runner behind the line of scrimmage.

SEPT. 13
NON-LEAGUE
Pius X (Roseto) 20, Furness 16
  Furness Head Coach Anthony Pastore, who was on the staff of Saint Joe Prep for a few years, certainly is familiar with complex offenses. However, knowing his talent very well, Pastore resorted to what I was taught years ago as a member of Most Blessed Sacrament’s CYO 5th and 6th grade team. No, I didn’t play that much. A little safety here and there but plenty of time on the Kamikaze Squad. Do these kids today know what that is? Well I hope they know their history and the story behind the infamous Japanese pilots.  Today it is called being part the kickoff or receiving team or a member of one of the special teams. I guess it’s supposed to make you feel special. The kamikaze team surely was nothing special to me. Here were my instructions. “Mark” -- yes I do have a real name but do prefer the nickname -- “just run down there as fast as you can and try to disrupt something and make sure nobody knocks your head off." Gee, thanks coach. The coach was a gentleman by the name of Charlie Fralick. He said, “Football is all about blocking and tackling, everything develops between the tackles.” Using this concept Pastore’s Falcons almost stole one on this extremely hot day on 10th and Bigler’s artificial surface. Keeping the ball on the ground to the tune of 49 rushes for 232 yards and attempting just 5 passes, Furness fell short after taking a 16-13 lead on QB’s Anthony Ing’s only completion, a 10-yarder to a wide- open Montez Brown with 7:32 left in the game. Sharif Smith a freshman RB/DB, ran for both PATs and also the Falcons first TD, a 37-yard gallop in the third quarter. Smith finished the afternoon with 134 yards rushing on 26 carries. Behind the running of Michael Thomas (17-161) and the passing of Anthony Casciano (16-21-1-165), the Royals rallied from behind. Facing a third and goal from the Furness 21 Casciano threw towards the end zone, where Matt Camiletti made a nice catch as he was falling down to his left just short of being out of bounds on the right sideline. The score came with 4:02 on the fourth quarter clock. The Falcons got the ball one final time, but didn’t generate any movement after starting from their own 22. Their final play was a desperation pass from the 11. It was intended for Ryan Johnson at the 42, but Johnson was surrounded by too many white shirts to make the catch. The Falcons trailed at the half 13-0 as Casciano completed 10 of his first 11 passes and finished the half 13-16-0-118. Pastore told his squad at the half to keep their composure because this team gets tired in the second half. He was right. The Royals weren’t as effective in the second half as many were seen bending over between plays. Brown led the Falcon defense with 11 tackles, 7 solo and also snatched an interception. Smith contributed, 8-5, Johnson 7-4, David Metz 6-4 with a sack while Sam Byrd pitched in with a TFL. Victor Pastore ran 13-62, Ing 7-30 and Ryan Johnson returned two kickoff’s for 35 yards.
  NOTES: Pastore had to use two of his timeouts as a result of equipment problems. The kids were looking for some help but unfortunately with the coaches being involved with the game there was no support staff there to help. I could picture something like this in the Catholic League. Yeah, right! Just another adversity that Pub coaches must face.

SEPT. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Bok 44, Univ. City  20
  Two hours and forty one minutes. Yes, that’s how long this affair lasted. You know what, though? It was very entertaining. As one of the Bok players stated on the sidelines. “Hey, man, what did you expect? This is Thursday Night Lights.” Let me fast-forward to early in the second quarter. With Bok ahead, 16-0, as a result of Sr. RB Ray Tucker’s two rushing TDs and two Faison Perry conversion runs, I wrote these notes on the period’s third play. They are in reference to a play made by University City’s QB Michael Adens  while in shotgun position that originated from Bok’s 49 yard line. (High snap from center. Reached up while backpeddling. Tipped and then juggled ball back to himself. With pressure coming at own 37, planted and threw downfield to James Stokes. Stokes catches at 3.  Ball thrown 61 yards in air.) WOW! That word was heard numerous times from everyone that was there. I guess you could add in a few oohs and aahs, too. Adens entertained the rather decent crowd by throwing 11-25-173-3 TDs. He could have had plenty more if not for some good defensive coverage from the Wildcats Emanuel Gregory, Brahkim Poole and Troy Martin. Adens' big play set up the Jaguars' first score, a 1-yd toss to Michael Gilliam that closed out the first half scoring. Gilliam would end the night’s scoring with a 23- yard TD catch from Adens. At halftime, Bok coach Tom DeFelice told his team to watch out. “This game is far from over” he said, "because that number 21 over there is a damn good football player, which we don’t have one of.” No, he wasn’t speaking of Adens, but Tyriuq “Pop Tart” Gordon. Well, Bok never did look back as they quickly jumped ahead, 32-6, in the third quarter. But Gordon was nothing short of spectacular. Trailing by the large amount, UC coach Lou Williams opted to throw the ball in the second half. Using a no-huddle offense and spreading the field wider than Howard Eskin’s mouth, the Jags made the score look somewhat respectable. Gordon caught 6 balls for 85 yds TD, rushed 11 for 41 and returned 3 for 61 giving him 187 all-purpose yards. Bok’s Tucker was no slouch, either. He rushed for 167 yards on 23 carries. Pounding the ball on the ground all evening Bok rushed 56 times for 314 yards. Crowd favorite Gray Jackson, a backup RB, danced 5 for 40 and a TD. Jackson, a junior, will be back next year along with the majority of the varsity squad. Jr. DE Chris Sherrod totaled 9 tackles with 5 being of the solo variety. Jr. DE Jaqual Dobbs numbered 6-4-2 TFLs and a sack. Jr. LB Kevin Thompson, 6-5-3-1 and Gregory also a junior added 6-3. Fullback and blocking back Kahlil Neal (2-10-TD and a fumble recovery) is just a sophomore. Junior DE Maurice Pooler notched a sack while senior Joe Reeves bagged 2 with one bringing a Safety. Jr QB Al-Hajj Shabazz completed just one pass in three attempts a 4 yarder to Martin. Shabazz rushed 5-16-TD. Sophomore QB Andre Frazier sneaked a TD form the one for the Wildcats. The Jaguars Sr. WR/DB Brakeem Jackson returned 2 balls for 43 yards but did most of his damage on the other side of the ball. He had 11 tackles, 6 solo and 2 for losses. Others who produced defensively were; Donte Johnson,9-5-1, Derek Brooks, 8-4-1, Parrish “Shots and Beers” Shootz 8-4, Shanandore Scott 6-4-2, Kevin Houston, 6-4, Michael Gilliam 6-3 and Sam Bracy with a TFL pitched in.
   Notes: Bok’s AD and assistant coach Frank “Roscoe” Natalie showed me his "To-do list” prior to the game. It included; getting 200 pretzels, mustard, 4 cases of soda, large band aids, ice, coins and notification of the police department that the field is being used at night.  What Football? Special thanks to UC assistant Lorrel McCook for going over the Jaguar roster with me before the game.

SEPT. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Prep Charter 28, Esperanza 6
  Every time I hear Esperanza, I immediately think of former major league pitcher Nino Espinosa. I’m sorry, I just can’t help it. Appropriately, Nino pitched for both the Mets and the Phillies who are battling each other this weekend for first place in the National League Eastern Division. Nino pitched back in the '70s and '80s. That’s enough baseball information for today. Another thing I’d like to point out. These two squads were without a doubt the best outfitted teams I’ve seen in a long time. A mixture of blues, whites, golds and yellows shined under the lights at the new South Philadelphia Super Site. One thing though, man, it was really tough to see the numbers on the jerseys, especially Prep Charter's. Also, it wasn’t until the third quarter that PC’s head coach Larry Arata became aware that some of his players had switched jerseys and of course their numbers. Larry was not a happy man when he found out. Hopefully I got all of the changes, but if I didn’t I’m sorry. Wait, in a situation such as this, should I be sorry? Hey, I didn’t change my shirt. The game itself was very spirited. After getting trounced last week, the Huskies bounced back rather nicely. Esperanza is coached by former Mastbaum QB John Grone, a very upbeat guy. With most of his players having no football experience prior to high school, Grone seems to be doing a good job on all aspects of the game. The toughest is teaching technique or mechanics, but his players appear to pick things up rather smoothly. Of course all of this becomes a bit easier when you have some athletes. NE has a few in RB/DB Tony Hayward, little man RB/DB Zakee Moody, QB/DB Brandon Abner and WR/LB Johans Jimenez. Prep Charter took an 8-0 lead at the 2:57 mark of the first quarter. Before the score, PC was facing a fourth and two from the Esperanza 9 yard line. Prep’s Charles Barber, 5- 39 –TD rushed for seven putting the ball on the 2. After a loss of 3 yds. on first down, Arata called for a pass play and it paid off when Robert Volio caught a Shelton Jones toss for a 5 yd TD. Brian Siv ran for the conversion which closed out the first quarter scoring. Esperanza got within two when Jimenez recovered a bad pitch by PC’s Jones in the end zone to cut the count to 8-6 after a failed PAT run. The recovery by Jimenez ended the first half scoring. After the half, PC would score 20 unanswered points. Barber made a nice play when a pass by Jones seemed to be a bit out of his reach. However, Barber tipped the ball back towards his chest at about the 15 and then juggled it a few times before finally controlling the ball and racing to the end zone for a 25-yard TD reception. Barber caught two other balls, making his total 3-45. The conversion failed and the third quarter ended 14-6. Barber used his speed early in the final quarter by blasting his way off-tackle for a 30-yard TD jaunt. Jones ran for the deuce and the Huskies led 22-6. Bryan Tate, 8-59 – TD finished the scoring with an 11-yard run with 4:07 remaining on the fourth quarter clock.  Moody was the man for Esperanza, compiling 124 all purpose yards. He rushed 21 for 61, caught 1 for 22 and returned 3 for 41. Abner finished his day throwing 5-10-1 – 66yds. Elias Martinez grabbed two of his passes for 32 yds. Jimenez paced the Esperanza defense with 9 tackles, 7 solo, 2 TFL’s, 1 sack and a fumble recovery. Hayward, 7-3, and Enrique Garcia, 6-2-1 with a fumble recovery aided Jimenez. Martinez also recovered a fumble. Prep’s Shelton Jones passed 4-9- 50. Mihail Murati had 10 tackles, 8 solo, 5 TFL’s, 2 sacks and a batted down pass. Bertrand 8-6-2, also had an interception. Tyriq Reid registered 7-3, Kyreese Burris, 6-2 and Anthony Sacredote 5 tackles helped the Huskies on D. Joshua Brydges and Wayne Firavanti both had TFLs.

SEPT. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Bok 20, Dobbins 6
  It was doubleheader day for myself and counterpart Joe McFadden. It was the first DH ever at the new South Philadelphia complex. Game one featured the Mustangs of Dobbins and the Bok Wildcats. Game two participants were Esperanza and Prep Charter. More on that game later. Bok won despite not gaining one conventional first down. They indeed had three, but they came via penalty, touchdown run of 14 yards and after a fumble. Penalties hurt Dobbins as they were flagged 8 for 55 yds. Bok on the other hand had just 2 for 10. Both teams showed tough defenses. The Mustangs rushed 47 times for just 113 yds. for a 2.4 avg. per attempt. Bok ran 26 for 60 yds. for an average of 2.3. The Wildcats capitalized on two Mustang mistakes to take a quick 14-0 advantage with 6:42 still remaining in the first quarter. On Dobbins' first possession they were faced with a third-and-seven from their own 23. A failed reverse attempt resulted in an 8-yard loss, which then put the 'Stangs in a punting situation from the 15. The combination of a strong wind and a bad roll resulted in a minus-6 punt for Derrick Bowman. The initial Cat TD didn’t come easily as they needed four downs before  QB Al-Hajj Shabazz sneaked in from the one. Shabazz’s pass to Brahkim Poole was good for the two-point conversion. Troy Martin’s line-drive kickoff rolled all the way to the 1 before it was picked up by Anthony Walker. He was quickly tackled by Bok’s Faison Perry and Naeem Nunnnally at the 5. The Cats' stingy defense, led by JR/DE Jacqual Dobbs, featured four Mifflin Street Men with double-digit tackles. Dobbs' numbers showed; 13 tackles, 10 of the solo variety, 7 for a loss totaling 44 yards and 1 hurry. So. LB/RB Khalil  Neal totaled 12 – 5 – 3TFLs with  a sack , Sr. DT Jasaan Thomas tabbed 10-6-2 and Sr. NG Kevin Bryan registered 10-8-5. Starting from their own 5, Dobbins again was ineffective, thus facing another fourth down from the 5. Back again in punt formation was Bowman. What he did next was inexcusable. Standing in his own end zone he decided to take off on his own.. He was met immediately at the 1 by both Dobbs and Bryan. Ray Tucker ran the short distance for Bok’s second TD and a 14-0 lead. The score remained the same at the half. The best scoring opportunity for the Mustangs came on the first half’s last play. Walker  picked up a fumble around midfield and raced down the right side of the field before he was tracked down at the Bok 26. With Dobbs seemingly living in the Mustang backfield all afternoon and having Dobbins QB Terrell "Mouse" Barringer making a good roommate, the Mustangs couldn’t penetrate the end zone until trailing 20-0. Their score came with 1:36 left on the fourth-quarter clock. Barringer scooted around the left side untouched for a 30 yard TD sprint. Shabazz scored earlier in the quarter when he rolled left looking for Troy Martin, Shabazz pumped faked to Martin sucking the defender back thus leaving a clear 14 yard path for a TD. Bok’s Brahkim Poole made 7 tackles and had an interception, which he returned for 34 Yards. Joe Reeves recovered a fumble and knotted a sack. Tyriq Clark had 8 tackles, 6 solo, 3 for a loss and a forced fumble. Aaron Walker 6-4-1, Derek Clark 7-5. While Anthony Walker and Matthew Nelson recovered fumbles and Chris Long forced a fumble for  Dobbins.

AUG. 29
NON- LEAGUE
Lower Merion 56, Prep Charter 6
  As you can see the score speaks for itself. So there’s not really much to elaborate on. So I was looking for some angle to write something about. The one I chose is why someone like Ted Silary and I guess all of his website men have a strong passion for both the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues along with the Inter Ac League. I can’t speak for Ted or the others but I’m sure most will agree in some way with what I have to say. Yes, if we heard it once, we heard it a million times, that infamous phrase; “Only In The Pub.” More on that later. How about the great human interest stories about the kids that perform in the Public League? The adversity surrounding not only the players but also the day-to-day chores of the coaches, teachers and administrators to handle not only disciplinary problems but numerous other issues. Yes, it is an extremely difficult task, but they do a very admirable job. As for the Catholic League it seems there’s always a problem with the athletic directors and the coaches as far as agreeing on “ANYTHING.” Controversy after controversy. PIAA or no PIAA. Red Division and Blue Division. No Red or Blue Divisions. North and South or no North and South. Yes, I could go on and on. Finally the Inter-Ac (I guess because Ted attended Penn Charter; no, just kidding.) The year-round competiveness between these great academic schools not only in football and basketball but all sports. One last thing and of course the most important are the athletes themselves. With the majority of these schools within the limits of a major city, it is a pleasure to watch some of the greatest athletes in the country. Now back to the latest "Pub Moment." Prep Charter, located in South Philly, ventured out to Montgomery County to take on the Aces of Lower Merion. No, I should say "adventured" to Montgomery County. According to Prep Charter coach Larry Arata, the bus driver was given directions to Port Richmond. Arata said he was doing some paperwork on the bus and wasn’t paying much attention to where the bus was headed. When he realized where they were, he approached the driver, who showed him directions from Mapquest that directed him towards Port Richmond. As a result of the confusion, Prep Charter arrived at 3:15. The scheduled 3 o’clock kickoff was pushed back to 3:40. The score at the half was 56-0. The first half ended at 5:10. For some reason, with the mercy rule coming into effect at the start of the second half, it was decided to put 20 minutes on the halftime clock. PC has just 26 players and the game was halted numerous times due to cramping. The only mentionable numbers for the Huskies were the 113 total return yards. Senior Ralph Bertrand led with 57 on 4 returns. Prep’s TD came on a QB keeper by Sr. Shelton Jones. Sr. LB. Tommy Tann made 8 tackles, with 6 being of the solo variety and one for a loss. Freshman DE Toriq Reid registered 5 tackles and a TFL while So. DB Charles Barber numbered 4 with a TFL. Tann and Jr. LB Julian Ortiz recovered fumbles.