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On the Trail With Ted
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On the Trail With Ted
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OCT. 31
PUBLIC LEAGUE
West Phila. 20, Southern 6
In a way, this was a battle between West's current QB, sr. Gerald
Dove, and its former QB, jr. Jalil Harris. Jalil transferred to Southern, where
his father, Greg, is an assistant coach under Bill Edger. Gerald should be
playing WR or even RB, where his 4.4 speed could best be put to use, but he's needed at QB
and he milks everything out of his skills. Dove finished with 13 carries for 56 yards and
a TD and passed 3-for-8 for 44 yards and a score to jr. handyman Charles Henryhand.
He also had two interceptions. One came late in the first quarter and his 16-yard return
immediately preceded the 20-yard strike to Henryhand; that ball was perfectly lofted over
double coverage into the right corner. His second pick, of a halfback option pass by soph
RB Lamone Fox, came with 1:55 left and the outcome still in doubt. He returned that
one 24 yards. Dove also broke up two other passes along the way and ran far across the
field for a TD-saving tackle. Back on offense, he posted gains of 17 and 19 yards on the
drive, capped by sr. RB Elwood Braswell's 2-yard run, that provided a 20-8 lead
early in the fourth quarter. Dove will take the SAT for the first time tomorrow; here's
hoping he does well because he can definitely go places! Sr. NG Aaron Mayers (5-6,
180) caused fits for Southern's not-too-mobile offensive linemen while sr. George Davis
was a force at LB. Henryhand, at OLB, also was impressive. Southern got on the board
right away as the opening kickoff was fumbled and Fox sped 19 yards into the end zone.
He's had some great rushing moments, but never got untracked in this one (11-11). Harris
went 4-for-10 for 129 and his best play was a 71-yard pass to sr. WR Steven Rudd.
Harris is a smoother QB than Dove, but he was under non-stop pressure. Overall, the Rams'
defense played pretty darn well. Sr. LB Shamir Kase made nine tackles. Sr. DEs Ryan
Willams and Shawn Sabb also came up with a few big stops. Rudd,
Williams, Sabb and jr. DB Amir Ryan are basketball players. It would be nice if
more b-ball players throughout The Pub would give football a whirl. (One b-baller, Antoine
"Doo-Dirty" Brown, was convinced by Edger to work on the chain crew in the
second half). After Southern was called for a holding penalty, assistant Fran Mackin yelled
to the refs, "We don't block enough to hold!" Mark McDonnell, the field
guy at the Southern-Bok complex, is doing an excellent job. The grass is still present and
you have to love the fact that he puts down individual yard lines, both in the middle and
along the sideline. It gives the field a suburban look. If nothing else, West soph kicker Abdoulaye
Bah, is consistent. The left-footer kicked off four times. Three went to the 18. The
other went to the 19.
OCT. 30
PUBLIC LEAGUE
King 33, Franklin 0
There is no city record for this one, but Sammy Tranks
might hold it. Twice this year, his first three touches of a game have produced TDs along
with outrageous yardage totals. Against Olney, it was one run and two catches for 160
yards. In this one, again it was one run and two catches for 144 yards. Unbelievable, huh?
The hot streak began with a 5-yard TD catch from jr. QB Jeff Campbell
(6-for-8, 119 yards). He then turned a slant into a 72-yarder and ran 67 yards on
a reverse, making at least two nice cutback moves along the way. Sammy "wrecked"
his day when he got a fourth touch and took the ball just 7 yards. Can't have everything!
In my DN story, the focus in part was on Sammy's piano-playing skills and George
Reynolds went to his house to take a nice photo. The 6-2, 175-pound Campbell (he
looks a shade taller) has a chance to be a D-I prospect. He has added loads of polish just
in the month or so since I first saw him and he shows many of the necessary attributes. He
has no trouble rolling to his opposite side (left) and maintaining touch/accuracy. He said
he's going to try to hit the camp trail in the offseason and I hope he follows through.
Sr. WR Danny Smith made an early 29-yard catch and had a few impressive
punt returns along with an interception. King's coaches decided to throw no passes in the
second half in the interest of trying to establish a running game. It didn't work. A late
flash did come from Raheem Isaac, a 5-2, 125-pound junior. He ran five
times for 19 yards, but he left as the Cougars sprinkled in more subs and he didn't get a
chance to hit paydirt. Jr. P Larry Allen had one punt blocked, but
otherwise surpassed 30 yards each time and added hang time. King's defense was in control
throughout. The Electrons lost yardage 11 times and had no plays that gained at least 10
yards. Coach Allen Rushing has no main back and distributes the ball
among five-six guys. The most successful back, yardagewise, was sr. Clarence
Hendley (9-37). King's defensive line: jr. E Deshan Lupton, sr.
E Quinn Peterson, sr. DT Joel Morris,
sr. DT Kyle Patillo and jr. MG Caison Austin. Jr. OLB Jeff
Davis made 11 tackles. Franklin's top player, not surprisingly, was sr. DB Darrell
Fincher. He stuck people, big-time, and showed concentration on fair catches with
people bearing down on him. In the Mischief Night spirit, someone threw a hard-boiled egg
onto the field as the first half ended. Not at anyone. Just in general. King AD Joe
Stanley, father of King's coach, Mike, warned the fans that a
repeat performance could result in a forfeit. In the second half, someone on Franklin's
sideline yelled, "Don't give 'em an inch!" A King sub responded, "We don't
want them anyway. We'll take yards!" King's Hughes Pierre, a
little-used sr., made a late-game appearance at NG and the Cougars went wild trying to
support him. He came close to a sack.
OCT. 25
CATHOLIC RED
La Salle 21, Bonner 7
As a few La Salle players reminded me in kinda-friendly e-mails
(smile), I hadn't seen the Explorers in a while and it was time to reappear. So I did . .
. just in time to see the Let's Reward Matt Malloy for All of His Hard
Work Show. Malloy, a 5-8, 170-pound senior back, went through games earlier this season
where all he did, literally, was block. With passion. Never touched the ball. But in this
one, he touched it 18 times (14-51 rushing, 4-30 receiving) and even tied a world
record!!!! For the shortest TD reception, a 1-yarder. Of course, he also blocked like a
madman. Sr. RB Max Mullineaux also rushed for 51 yards (12 carries), so
the 'Splorers had balance. And then there was jr. QB Mike "He's a Beast!/He's
a Wild Man!" Lynch. He passed 16-for-27 for 187 yards while, like always,
spreading the ball around to sr. Brian Hogan (6-84), Mullineaux (3-42),
Malloy and sr. John Trainer (3-31). The TD pass to Trainer was a
tremendous play. Lynch got chased back all the way to the 35-yard line and hit Trainer in
the right corner. The play was officially 19 yards. The line: jr. C Andrew Rocks,
jr. G Stew Ryan, sr. G Gerald Dunn, sr. T D.J.
Cunningham and sr. T Tom Craig (6-4, 300). Among the
more impressive defensive performers: jr. LB Eddie DiDonato (two big
hits), sr. CB Hogan (two interceptions), soph LB Joe "Tubes" Tubolino
(good range and wallop-packing) and sr. DT Kevin Donohoe
(sturdy, as always). On a return, Donohoe had one of the loudest hits I've ever heard. It
didn't even sound like bodies. It sounded like one car hitting another. The Bonner player,
soph Matt Boland, immediately went to the sideline in a daze. Bonner had
a few "almosts" in the long-TD-pass department. The Friars dropped at least
three long ones that could/should have been scores. They also, apparently, had a passing
of the torch at the QB position. Jr. Andrew Case was replaced early by
soph Marc Verica. Verica went 8-for-20 for 68 yards and was victimized by
two of the drops. He's a rangy kid and has that QB bounce. I'm sure Case will regroup but
that might not be until next season. Sr. WR Jordan McCauley made a
spectacular leaping catch of a 10-yard pass, netting a score in the process. Sr. RB Drew
Schiller had to settle for 41 yards on 13 carries. Sr. LB Anthony
DiEmedio had the loudest hits on defense. Late in the game, one injured Explorer
(sr. back Chris Garzone) was teaching a newly injured Explorer (sr. LB Miles
Miller) the secrets of successful crutch use. They then decided to use the
crutches as noisemakers. As they were tapping the crutches together, Lynch flipped to
Trainer for a TD. Also late, coach Joe Colistra was telling someone about
a player who makes the same mistake over and over, even in practice. "It doesn't do
any good to yell at him," Colistra said. "It has no effect. It's like when I go
to the horse races. I can yell all I want. It's not going to make the horses go any
faster."
OCT. 24
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 24, Episcopal 7
In retrospect, this one was over after Episcopal's own poor play
helped Malvern score 17 points in a 3-minute, 3-second span in the first quarter. But then
again, the Churchmen did show heart and did hang around and did make things at least a
little interesting. Let's start at the midway point, roughly, of the fourth quarter.
Malvern sr. RB-WR Sean Dougherty, on fourth-and-goal from the 12, throws a pass to
the end zone where sr. DB Fran Grunde makes his second interception. Knocking down
the ball on fourth down is usually the way to go, but this pick was smart because the
touchback gave the Churchmen eight extra yards. I happened to mention that to an Episcopal
parent and he said with a laugh, "That's our best offensive play now, a
touchback." Zoom! Sr. RB Peter Wichmann immediately ran for 43 yards. He then
chalked up 19 more. Amazing! But there was a fumble two plays later when sr. OLB Greg
Brown absolutely crunched Wichmann, and soph DT Ed Augustin recovered at the
Malvern 7. So, Episcopal blew its chance of moving within 17-14 and Brown, who got WAY up,
made a leaping interception one series later at the EA 30 and returned the ball for the
clinching score. The early difference-maker was the Little Guy With the Big Heart, sr.
RB-K Andrew Mackrides (5-7, 160). He opened the scoring with a 22-yard field goal.
Thinking the ball was going to roll out of bounds, Episcopal then failed to field
Mackrides' kickoff and sr. Mike Ryan recovered on the 7. Mackrides immediately ran
in for a score; he was held up in a bunch of people at the 4, but eased away and scored
easily. After Brown knocked sr. QB Brian FitzPatrick out of the game on a sack
(more on that later), Episcopal punted. On second-and-nine, sr. QB Dan Onorato hit
Mackrides with a 47-yard TD pass. That play upped Onorato's season yardage total to 1,292,
moving him into the No. 1 spot in school history ahead of another Mike Ryan (1,270
in 1998). Onorato finished the day at 1,305. My DN story focused on Brown, first cousin of
Malvern's celebrated Downs brothers, Derrick (Delaware RB), William
"Tony" (Fordham DB) and Chris (Maryland RB). Chris, the leading
career (4,045) and season rusher (2,198) in Inter-Ac League history, even drew some
attention for his play in the Eagles' most recent training camp. Greg is up here from
Danville, Va., and lives with the brothers' mom, Joan. He was formerly the No. 1
running back, also, but when he sprained an ankle, jr. RB Brian Egan filled in
nicely and appears to have claimed the job. I like Egan. He shows good energy; he finished
21-135. Episcopal's franchise, once again, was jr. LB Joe Rosati (6-2, 190). He is so
intense the coaches sometimes have to dial him down. Also, it's like they're amazed every
time Joe does NOT make a tackle. I heard them call out several times, "Joseph, where
were you??" He tried to bite his tongue (smile). He made 13 stops and most came at or
near the line. He definitely does not pad his numbers with almost meaningless,
late-arrival assists 10-15 yards downfield. When the outcome was still in doubt, Rosati
also made a tough catch on a fourth-down play and motored 25 yards to the Malvern 34.
Alas, there was a hold behind the line and the penalty placed the ball at EA's 22. A
difference of 44 yards! Back to Fitz. I'm fearing he was a victim of the Very
Unintentional Ted Silary Jinx on EA QBs in Home Games. In an Episcopal home game
last season, QB Garrett Wilson was ALSO hurt very early. Fitz might have a torn
knee ligament. I hope not. He's a very important player. Best of everything, Fitz. His
replacement, sr. Brian Shanahan, made a nice play late in the first half. Chased to
his right, almost to the sideline, Shanahan whipped the ball to the end zone. Cutting
across, sr. WR Joel Patterson made a nice-concentration catch among three defenders
for a 36-yard score. For years, the visiting team occupied the south sideline at
Episcopal. As the game was in its early moments, Malvern assistant Nick Cirone arrived
and came walking up to the team on that sideline. He then did a double-take -- whoa, this
isn't our team -- and walked around to the north sideline. It was priceless. Nick was West
Catholic's coach back in the day, and he's always in a good mood. Of course, I had to bust
'em. "Don't tell me you saw that," he said. "I DID go to the wrong
side."
OCT. 23
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Northeast 10, Lincoln 0
PL night games are often memory-makers. Not this one. I almost
forget everything that happened already. The play was largely sloppy and they were almost
no crowd-stirrers. Oh, well . . . Our old friend Chris Banks, a jr. RB
and transfer from Judge (and, more important, ex-TedSilary.com student reporter -- smile),
ran 19 times for 83 yards and a TD in just his second Viking appearance. On some runs, he
showed good savvy and heart. On a few, he danced a little too much and heard about it from
the coaches. Overall, his performance was more than satisfactory, especially since the
Vikings are still without the original key halfback, sr. Benjamin
"Slimherc" Franklin. (More on him later). Sr. QB Marcellus
Sammons passed 6-for-17 for only 47 yards. Standout soph WR Rockeed
McCarter failed to handle a few balls and appeared to be having trouble with the
lights. My DN story focused on sr. C-DT Sam Chhat, who's of Cambodian
descent. He had five tackles, including one for a loss, and recovered a fumble on the NE
20. It was Lincoln's best chance to score. Sr. LBs Warren Bartlett and Chris
Zukowski had six tackles apiece. So did sr. NG Paul Franklin.
OK, back to the Franklins. Benjamin and Paul are first cousins. Benjamin's brothers, sr.
RB-DB-KR Bernard and soph Joe (still waiting his turn to
contribute), suited up for Lincoln. Bernard had a mixed night. He hit like crazy on
defense (nine tackles), but lost two fumbles. Benjamin made just a brief appearance on
defense, but had to depart due to a nagging ankle sprain. The parents of
Benjamin/Bernard/Joe sat on Lincoln's side. A year ago, as Benjamin explained, they'd sat
on Northeast's side. Sr. DT Otis Young had nine tacles for Lincoln, with
a sack and TFL among them. Sr. DL Phil Endicott made three TFLs for nine
yards total. Early in the game, with everyone feeling the effects of the cold, Northeast
sub Christien Gerrick said to me with a smile, "It's hot out
here." Later, hey, check this out: Gerrick made two fumble recoveries on special
teams! Lincoln lost five fumbles. The other two recoveries not previously mentioned were
by sr. DE Isom Solomon. Kelly Barton, Northeast's
principal, must be very popular. When he came down to the sideline, a few subs immediately
eased over and interacted with him. Barton kidded, "When are you gonna spank these
guys?" The students were behind him cheering, "Let's go, Barton! Let's go,
Barton!" It's nice to see kids have respect for an authority figure.
OCT. 19
CATHOLIC BLUE
Wood 27, Conwell-Egan 0
This one figured to be a goodie. It turned out to be much less. C-E
did almost nothing on offense and Wood was strong on both sides, especially in the second
half. Remember the Wishbone? Wood ran it, often to perfection, during its glory period in
the 1970s and '80s. And the Vikings broke it out in the second half of this one, rolling
to three more TDs and 164 yards. It was textbook Wishbone stuff: 4 yards, 6, 4, 6, 6, 7,
8, 5 . . . The faking of sr. QB Dane Mangin and the backs was so good,
C-E was tackling and/or following guys who didn't even have the ball. Soph RB Bryan
McCartney ran 26 times for 85 yards and a TD. Sr. RB Michael Kruzits,
operating only in the second half, had nine rushes for 48 yards and two TDs. Sr. Brian
Devlin, the FB in the 'bone, had 27 yards on eight rushes. Sr. Dave Dee,
who shared time, added 24 yards on nine carries. Wood went double-tight in the second half
and owned the line of scrimmage. The members: jr. C Christian Szablowski,
jr. G Greg Thomas, sr. G Jason Devine, sr. Ts Tom
Smith and John Haviland, sr. E Mike Barainyak
and soph E Ryan Dolan. The Vikings were even more impressive on defense
because that dominance was game-long. Jr. RB Steve Slaton was held to 39
yards on 18 carries. The rest of the Eagles managed 14 yards. Wood dropped C-E guys 13
times for losses totaling 51 yards!! The defensive unit: sr. Es Jack Ayling
and Barainyak, sr. Ts Pat Kane and Mark Helmuth,
linebackers Kruzits, Devlin, Shane Rose and Bill Gross
(jr.; the others are srs.), sr. CBs Pat Carty and Tim Kilkenny,
and jr. S John McFadden. My DN story focused on Kane, who goes 6-5, 255,
and has generated interest from Temple. He has pretty good running ability for a
still-blooming guy and on one play he tackled Slaton along the sideline! (He was also in
the Homecoming court -- smile.) Kruzits made six tackles and had a late-game interception.
Gross made seven tackles. I was on C-E's sideline in the second half and heard sub Mark
Derkits say to a teammate, "Look at this offense. The backs are in a
triangle." I told him, "That's the Wishbone." He said, "Oh, THAT'S the
Wishbone. Don't see that too much anymore." C-E sr. lineman Steve Slemmer had
to leave when a cut on his forehead gushed blood. And I do mean gushed. At least one-third
of the front of his jersey was covered. I took a picture of him, then realized that the
picture card (or whatever it's called) wasn't in my camera. What a knucklehead. Late in
the first half, a penalty was called on C-E and the clock read 0:26 when the ballcarrier
went out of bounds. For some reason, the clock was starting to run again before the next
play and the C-E coaches finally yelled. The refs were debating how much time to put back
on the clock. Coaches and fans were yelling. "Thirty-three . . . forty-seven . . . a
minute and 20 . . . " Finally, assistant Bob Lamina topped everyone
with, "Half an hour's left!!"
OCT. 18
CATHOLIC RED
SJ Prep 28, O'Hara 10
There was a VERY large crowd on hand at Plymouth-Whitemarsh and the
action was quite entertaining. Most experts (ha ha) envisoned a close one and O'Hara had
some good moments. Overall, though, Prep was Prep and the reasons to be nervous were few
and infrequent. O'Hara ran 51 plays and only five netted more than 10 yards. Just two
netted more than 15. Those were runs of 52 and 64 yards by sr. RB Anthony Heygood (18-172,
one TD) and they came on speed sweeps. The 52-yarder set up a field goal. The 64-yarder
came early in the third quarter and was followed two plays later by Heygood's 3-yard
score, which drew the Lions within 14-10. Most suspense was removed from the game a short
time later. On fourth-and-6 at the O'Hara 40, Prep went for it. Sr. QB Mark Noonan threw
short to sr. TE Matt Parkhurst and he went for 28 yards, breaking an early
tackle and then two more downfield. It was a huge play and sr. FB Brian Tracz (8-37)
scored from the 5 two plays later. Parkhurst said later, "You get such a rush when
you have the ball in your hands. It's hard to explain." O'Hara's next series went
nowhere and jr. Steve Quinn ripped off a 23-yard punt return to the Lions' 43. Sr.
RB Dan Jones (11-113) then went for six yards and a 37-yard, way-too-easy score
and, blink, it was 28-10. The Prep had also posted a back-breaking score just 1:07 before
halftime on a 43-yard pass from Noonan to a way-too-open Quinn. Two plays earlier, sr. WR Matt
Welsh had also been wide open on a 50-yard bomb, but had been unable to make the
catch. Soph TB John Shaw, who shares time with Jones, managed 79 yards on 14
carries. Tracz, at LB, was an absolute terror. Brian's late father, also Brian,
starred for O'Hara's 1973 CL champs, and Brian lives in prime O'Hara territory,
Springfield, so he undoubtedly knows many Lions and he was undoubtedly juiced. Tracz had 9
tackles. Also performing in whirlwind fashion was sr. DT Brandon Friday. He had a
sack and two other TFLs and three more stops at the line. Sr. DB Greg Ambrogi had
his eighth interception of the season. The city record is 15. For the second time in two
weeks, head ref Phil Harding, who wears thick glasses and always seems to be in a
hurry to keep the clock moving, awarded a first down without measuring when the ball was
roughly a half-yard short. Later, O'Hara got close on a third down and Harding, after
taking a quick look, barked near O'Hara's sideline, "That's a yard short!" Not
quite. O'Hara's coaches demanded a measurement and Harding finally gave in. The ball was
short, but only by three inches. I strongly suspect Prep coach Gil Brooks will snap
out in the film session when he watches a sequence with four penalties on four consecutive
plays: procedure, holding, holding again, and procedure again. On fourth and 46, jr. Andrew
Cabry delivered a 20-yard punt. I love the energy/support shown by O'Hara sr. lineman Gabe
DiBernadino, who is out with a knee injury. He hops around non-stop on his crutches
and keeps up a steady stream of encouraging words. Next spring, when we open nominations
for Best Teammate '04, perhaps his fellow Lions will remember. RB-K Pat Kaiser,
franchise player for Prep's '02 title squad, was along the sidelines. He's taking classes
at Phila. Community and will transfer to Bloomsburg in January. He said he was highly
impressed with B-burg roommates Matt Brazil and Rob Biernat, formerly of
Conwell-Egan.
OCT. 18
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 22, Penn Charter 14
It's not often a football game comes down to the very last play,
with more than a desperation play needed to affect the outcome. This one did, though.
After moving from its own 35 to Malvern's 19 on the strength of 6-for-9 passing from jr.
QB James Hannah, PC had a legitimate chance on a play that started with
0:06 showing. But as Hannah rolled right, almost to the sideline, good pressure was
applied by soph DT Ed Augustin and Hannah's pass sailed over the back
line in the end zone. Earlier in the quarter, out a shotgun, the slightly limping Hannah
(13-for-31, 189) had hit jr. RB-WB Zack Zeglinski (183 yards of
rushing/receiving) in stride for a 67-yard TD. On the series in between, he'd thrown an
interception to sr. DB Sean Dougherty, who did an excellent job all day
on speedy soph WR Kamal Marell. Jr. WR Ryan Nanni took
up the slack with six catches for 71 yards; he had to dive/stretch for several.
Offensively, Malvern received strong showings from sr. QB Dan Onorato
(also a tough-guy LB) and jr. RB Brian Egan. Onorato passed 10-for-17 for
174 yards and showed an ability to connect with receivers short and long. Egan has mostly
been a backup, but with sr. Greg Brown nursing an injury (he did make a
brief appearance), Egan got a full-game shot and made the most of it. He carried 20 times
for 95 yards and two TDs and often squeezed 6 yards, say, out of a carry that should have
been 4 yards. Malvern's line: sr. C John Kelly, sr. Gs Brian
Umile and Gerard McKee, rotating Ts Ross DiBono,
Matt Intoccia (srs.) and Joe Rawlings (soph), and jr. TE
Matt Borgerson. PC jr. Colin Hitschler had an
interesting day at DT. He had two sacks and three more tackles for losses (26 yards in
all), but three times was guilty of exploding across the line of scrimmage too early for
5-yard penalties. In the fourth quarter, PC soph LB Joe Rauchut was sent
to the sidelines because he was bleeding. There was an offsides call on Hitschler on the
next snap and Rauchut came back onto the field. As Malvern began to line up, an assistant
yelled out, correctly, that Rauchut should still have been on the sideline because there
had not been an official play. The referee was listening because he blew his whistle and,
after a brief discussion, Rauchut was waved off. After a second quarter TD run (1 yard) by
Onorato, there were procedure and offsides calls before sr. Andrew Mackrides
finally got a chance to kick. Jr. DE R.J. Hollinshead blocked it. The
start of the game was held up briefly when the refs demanded that blue paint forming a
giant MP at midfield be covered with sand. It was very wet.
OCT. 17
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Frankford 26, Washington 14
The Pioneers had frolicked through their first three games, posting
an advantage of 125-0. This one promised to be a toughie, and indeed it was. In fact,
Frankford actually trailed, 14-12, deep into the third quarter. Then, zoom, sr. RB Arnold
Mullins went 77 yards for a TD 59 seconds later and the Pioneers were back in control.
On the run, sr. TE Joe Farina nudged one guy out of the way and turned around to
fully block another. Mullins, formerly a backup QB and wingback, finished with 178 yards
and three TDs on 14 carries. He showed good hip action on his cuts and proved to be tough
to knock off-balance. He also played CB. Sr. FB Jeremy Benson added 53 yards on 20
carries. He got some tough yards, but far too often, and he knows this, he was brought
down 1-on-1 by a kid, jr. DB Mikal Sabree, he outweighs by 90 pounds (at least).
Sabree goes 135 (maybe), but what heart he showed by again and again throwing himself at
Benson's thighs and even shins! Frankford's clinching TD came on a 23-yard pass from jr.
QB Lamont Brown to sr. WR Ahmad Shakoor. Sabree got a good piece of this one
downfield, but when the ball popped up, Shakoor gathered it in and had no trouble scoring.
Frankford's line: sr. C Zaire Small, sr. Gs Isaiah "Zeke" Thompson and
William Latham, sr. Ts Michael Lewis and Henry Smith and Farina and
Shakoor at Es. Farina was a rock at LB, and even made tackles along the sideline. The
Pioneers dropped sr. QB Rich McFillin for losses four times and forced him
to pass 1-for-12. He had nothing close to a comfort zone all day. The sacks:
Thompson-Shakoor for 11 yards, sr. OLB Ervin Hook for eight yards, Farina for four
yards, Thompson for eight yards. (There was one other sack, but I did not catch the
number. Sorry, troops. It happened very far away and Frankford's jerseys, with mustard
yellow numbers on white, are extremely hard to read even somewhat close.) Washington's
most impressive player, and this was no surprise, was jr. RB Jerry Butler (17-114,
TD). EVERY time he gets the ball, ALL spectators feel at least a hint of excitement
because they know they could see something very special. He's one of the rare ones: speed,
quickness, vision, gonads. I love how he runs back to the huddle, itching to get the next
play rolling, and also how he does the little things. Watch how he bends over and really
pretends to have the ball -- for more than a few steps, too -- after it's faked to him. John
McAneney, GW's long-time offensive coordinator, has thrived with a share-the-rock
philosophy. This kid's gonna bring about change. He's too good. The Eagles are even
running out of the I formation, on occasion. Especially early, Washington received strong
production from jr. DT David Gonser. He was in on four tackles for losses overall.
Jr. DT Stefan Ruff set up a score with a fumble. Jr. DB Charles Hughes had a
pick to set up a score. Frankford's fans can be rough: After sr. Chris Rooney was
wide left with the PAT after the first score, someone yelled, "Yo, kicker! Extra
points win games!" The game will be shown Saturday, 4:30 p.m., on CN8. Washington's
band did not arrive in time to play the National Anthem.
OCT. 16
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Edison 12, Overbrook 6
Before the game began, an Overbrook player cheerfully asked me,
"Whatcha call this game, the Battle of the Bums?" Admittedly, these teams won't
be winning the Pub championship, but they played hard and showed good sportsmanship
(clapping for injured players, etc.) and the afternoon was rather enjoyable. My DN story
focused on sr. RB-LB Barry Wyche, who has done a nice turnaround in his
life. He ran 11 yards for the game's first TD. Wyche resembles Jerome Bettis
buildwise and the Owls call him "Little Bus." After Wyche posted a 14-yard gain
in the fourth quarter on an impressive run, sr. DB Derrick Ellis, who
contributed an interception to the victory, called out, "Go ahead Little Bus! Choo,
choo!" That caused Anibal Pizarro, another teammate, to comment,
"How's a bus going to make a choo-choo sound?" Yet another teammate, Edward
Torrance, later claimed Pizarro had stolen that funny line from him. Earlier,
Ellis had moaned, "When I go home, my mom's gonna be all mad. I'm all dirty and
dingy." Also starring for Edison was sr. RB-LB Troy Scott-Foster. He
carried seven times for 27 yards and a TD and made nine tackles. Performing well on the
D-line were sr. DT Juan Torres, jr DE Mathew Padro and
jr. T Anthony Coltrane (fumble recovery). Late, soph DE Johnathan
Baez ran in hard and forced sr. QB Sultan Sanders into an
intentional grounding call 27 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Jr. LB Carlos
Maldonado also was a force. Sanders, whose brother, Omar, was an impressive
all-purpose player for 'Brook, is also quick and crafty. He has to do EVERYTHING under
pressure, though, as 'Brook's line always lets one or more guys through. Because of the
sacks, he finished with 1 yard on 17 carries. He passed 5-for-8 for 71 yards. Forty-nine
yards and three completions came on the final drive; the game ended at Edison's 30 as jr.
DB Anton Bennett dragged down Nyeem Grogen
after a 42-reception. In the second half, Sanders ran or threw on 17 of Overbrook's 19
plays. His TD, on a 1-yard run, followed by two plays a fumble recovery by soph DT Curtis
Long. The Panthers' best moment on defense came late in the first half as sr. LB Chris
White registered three sacks in a four-play span. The losses totaled 19 yards.
Jr. TE James Morgan has good size (maybe 6-3, 240??) and had a first-half
catch for 18 yards. The game was played at Roxborough and no one bothered to place yard
markers (10, 20, 30, etc.) on the side of the field. Late in the game, Edison sub Quincy
Jones was making bird-like noises. A teammate said to him, "That's not an
owl, stupid. That's a pigeon." Jones said, "They sound the same."
OCT. 12
CATHOLIC RED
O'Hara 62, Ryan 6
It was hard to believe a Ryan team could get shredded to this degree
and actually appear to white-flag it. It should be a very interesting practice week for
the Raiders. O'Hara piled up 461 yards total offense on 38 plays (12.1 average) and the
eight offensive TDs totaled 286 yards alone. Phew! Sr. RB Anthony Heygood
ran 10 times for 158 yards and TDs of 44, 15 and 37 yards. His backup, frosh John
Dempsey, produced 48 yards and 2 scores on 5 carries. Sr. Matt Campbell passed
4-for-5 for 103 yards and a 75-yard TD to jr. WR Tom Creighton.
Campbell's only incompletion created bad blood. With 0:53 left in the half, and O'Hara up,
35-0, offensive coordinator Danny Algeo called for a flea-flicker. Jr. WR
Sean Barksdale was alone by 15 yards, but dropped what would have been a
51-yard TD. Ryan coach Glen Galeone was not happy about Algeo's choice of
plays (it's explained further in my DN story). With just over 2 minutes left, the timer
turned off the scoreboard and began packing up his gear. Jr. RB Pat Macaulay,
a sub, then ran 55 yards for a touchdown and the officials sent everyone home. There was
no conversion attempt. Very weird. The whole second half was played with a running clock
due to the mercy rule. The Lions actually had to drive for their first score, capped by
jr. RB Steve Cook from the 10. They covered 68 yards in 12 plays. Their
longest drive thereafter was four plays. Ouch! Cook scored a defensive TD on a 34-yard
interception return. Believe it or not, this game could have turned out much differently
if Ryan's first drive had not ended in such demoralizing fashion. A 36-yard run by soph RB
Joe Zeglinski (106 total) gave the Raiders first-and-goal at the 3. They
still had 1 yard to go on fourth down and the call was for a pass. Sr. Tim Roken
rolled to his left and had at least three guys open. The ball was overthrown. The
Campbell-to-Creighton hookup came four plays later and Heygood showed spectacular hustle,
making a key block roughly 45 yards downfield! Later, Heygood claimed he's faster than
Dempsey, but teammate Mike Gowen disagreed (smile). How about a match
race in practice, fellas???? Ryan's receivers dropped numerous passes. The defenders often
appeared to have no interest in making a tackle. On Heygood's third TD, he sputtered a few
times inside and when no one bothered to bring him down, he gradually eased to the outside
and went down the sideline. Again, the effort to bring him down was half-hearted.
Depending on what you feel about Prep and Roman, O'Hara may be the third best team in the
division. Ryan might be fourth best. Is the division THIS top-heavy?
OCT. 11
CATHOLIC BLUE
Conwell-Egan 29, Kennedy-Kenrick 6
It's not too often a guy can run for TDs of 72 and 71 yards (and 218
yards total, on 19 carries) and be outdone by a teammate. Those numbers belonged to jr. RB
Steve Slaton, but sr. WR-DB Marty O'Hara had to be the star of the game.
O'Hara got the Eagles on the board early with a 5-yard TD reception from sr. QB Chris
Schaefer. (Jr. FB Matt Porreca made a fantastic, last-second, blind-side block
to enable Schaefer to get off the pass.) O'Hara, meanwhile, went on to make three
interceptions. One came on the goal line. The others came on the 21 and 17, respectively.
Jr. LB Ryan Biernat and sr. DE Anthony Caranci also had picks. At the
very start, jr. Jeff McClenton recovered a borderline onside kick and Biernat
recovered a fumble a short time later. That one set up O'Hara's TD. Biernat, sr. Brian
"H" Hrynczyszyn and Porreca form a pretty good linebacking corps. C-E
posted 15 points in a span of 1 minute, 6 seconds late in the first half. Sr. K-P Matt
Fischer converted a 25-yard FG, Slaton followed an O'Hara pick with a 72-yard TD run
and Biernat went for an interception TD of 35 yards. If you're counting at home, yes, K-K
had 7 turnovers. There was a loose ball on the final play of the game and C-E might have
recovered, but the officials never made a signal , so we'll leave the turnover total at 7.
K-K's kids know how poorly they played, so I won't dwell on it. Early, the Wolverines were
absolutely pounding Slaton, but as the turnovers mounted, their resolve understandably
weakened. The most impressive moment came when sr. Mike Orman, who goes 285
pounds, broke through to block a PAT after Slaton's 72-yard TD. Even if he just trotted
downfield, he had to be tired after that TD. Great hustle! Josh "Mullet Man"
Carmen, former C-E baseball sub/character/website legend, was among the spectators. He
attends Gettysburg and the mullet is gone. We forgive him. Matt Brazil, a stud
lineman for last year's squad, was also on hand. He's at Bloomsburg.
OCT. 11
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Germantown 28, Roxborough 8
It was a nice to see a well-attended Pub game with a hint of
atmosphere. It's hard to estimate these things, but I'd say maybe 500 people were in the
house. Early, the offenses were going backward almost as often as forward and that had
many folks scratching their heads. Check this out: Just before halftime, G-town owned an
8-0 lead and minus-25 yards total offense. Then with 8 seconds left, jr. QB Brandon
Cuff threw a perfect bomb to sr. WR Dustin Hardy-Moore, who hauled it in for a
50-yard TD. At first the pass had the look of something that would be long. But
Hardy-Moore stayed with it. G-town's first score had come on defense. Roxborough lined up
in a trips right formation with the receivers behind each other. Sr. QB Karon Hill threw
a backward pass to jr. RB Chris Mitchell, the back guy in the stack. Mitchell
couldn't handle the ball. Because the pass was backward, it was a run and thus a fumble,
not an incompletion. Sr. LB Omar McDonnaugh ran up, scooped up the ball and
sprinted 51 yards for a TD. The Big O had two other fumble recoveries and finished with 8
tackles. He also had some spirited discussions with family/fans of Roxborough sr. RB Dante
Bryant. Jr. DT Don "Florida" Williford, who moved to Philly last year
from Orlando and is said to be McDonnaugh's half-brother, was also a defensive force. He
also made 8 tackles and 4 went for losses. He's extremely strong and shows lateral
quickness. Jr. DE Robert Fisher, jr. DE Brandon Arrington and jr. DT Kevin
Rouse also had good moments. G-town's rushing attack was led by sr. Marcus Walton (12-56,
TD) and soph Akeem Johnson (6-72, TD). The 5-10, 185-pound Bryant, whose personal
fan club rivals Curtis Brinkley's in size and passion, ran 25 times for 86 yards.
He was in and out a few times with dings. His only run over 10 yards was a 25-yarder. Hill
went 2-for-13 for 42 yards. The lefty looked decent, but did not get results. He was
unable to adjust to wind conditions and did not recognize early in several plays that guys
were WIDE open and he should have thrown the ball then. He still has a chance to get
things right because the arm strength is there. The chief Indian was sr. DE Keenan Hite,
who goes 6-3, 240, and is well put together. Hite lived in G-town's backfield and made 4
tackles for losses. He added a sack on a conversion, though those plays don't count in the
stats. He also kept getting open downfield out of a TE spot, but the passes kept arriving
at his feet. Hite's brother, Rick, was a first team All-City DB for Washington in
'90. Sr. DT Kevin Gaskins was sturdy. Roxborough had severe problems on special
teams. The Injuns fumbled a kickoff and punt in the early going and posted punts of 4, 13
and 23 yards. As I walked along G-town's sideline, sr. T Dennis Hill called out,
"Make sure to put my pancakes in there, Mr. Ted Silary!" One time Arrington was
dragging when he came off the field and a manager asked, "Need some water?"
Arrington responded, "I don't need no water! Dude stepped on my neck!" After an
incomplete pass, Hardy-Moore was walking back upfield when sr. DB Brandon Dennis told
him, "Don't catch the ball! I'm gonna turn your facemask into a paper clip!"
Apologies to Brandon Cuff. I listed him as a senior in an earlier report. He is a junior.
OCT. 10
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 26, Episcopal 6
This one disappointed from a competitive standpoint, but it was
still worth watching (even though the other I-A opener, GA-Malvern, was a track meet and
undoubtedly much more entertaining). I'd heard good things about jr. QB James Hannah,
a 6-4, 210-pound transfer from a boarding school in somewhere or another (I forgot to ask;
Rhode Island maybe?) and now I've seen good things. He throws balls with touch and zip and
is fundamentally sound. No wonder; he's being tutored by ex-PC and Wisconsin star Mike
Samuel, the very definition of great ballhandler. Also, PC's head coach, Brian
McCloskey, was no QB slouch himself. He was a first team All-City honoree and had a
sterling career at Ursinus. Hannah shows many characteristics of Matt Ryan, now a
frosh at Boston College. Hannan went 10-for-18 for 143 yards and a TD to jr. TE R.J.
Hollinshead. The day was also a showcase for jr. RB-KR-DB Zack Zeglinski, who
missed almost all of last season with a broken collarbone. He totaled 199 yards of rushing
(3 TDs), receiving and returning and had an interception. He no doubt slept well. PC's
line: jr. C Colin Hitschler, sr. Gs Greg Lewis and Biff Gottehrer,
and sr. Ts Eric Feinschil and Richard Bryan. It'll be interesting next
season when the veteran backs/ends will have to blend with a green line, except for
Hitschler. Bryan, at DE, set an early tone for the defense with tackles at or behind the
line and a fumble recovery at the Episcopal 37 to help set up a score. The Churchmen were
not crisp. There's no other way to say it. There were 2 good running plays, a 21-yarder
for jr. Peter Wichmann and a 44-yarder for sr. Clifford Booker, and Booker
caught a 35-yard TD pass from sr. QB Brian Shanahan. Sr. RB Justin Leake
returned from an injury and produced 20 yards on 2 carries. It appears the Churchmen are
still deciding which people to put in which positions long-range. On defense, jr. LB Joe
Rosati (6-2, 190) was a stud-and-a-half. He made 13 tackles and 4 went for 10 yards in
losses. He showed a perfect combination of attitude and form and it's not surprising that
he's already a captain. Before the game, McCloskey's young daughter, Carly, ran
onto the field and handed him a good-luck dandelion (I'm no flower expert; I think that's
what it was). He stuck it in the pocket of his windbreaker. When a snap glanced off an up
back's helmet and sailed past sr. P Lee Saltzman, Saltzman ran back and Garo-ed the
bouncing ball. (Older folks will know the meaning of that verb.) A penalty resulted.
"I'll know next time what NOT to do," he said, smiling. The line judge was Mike
Loftus. He's happy that next week he'll be working a game with his brother, John,
a back judge. "It doesn't happen too often. We're getting near the end of our
careers, so it'll be nice." When PC soph WR Kamal Marell got hurt trying to
make a catch, he was on the ground for a while and then slowly made his way to the
sideline with the help of 2 teammates. It was taking seemingly forever. Assistant Chuck
Hitschler walked out, picked up Marell and carried him maybe 10 yards the rest of the
way to the sideline. PC jr. Vaughn Cole made individual tackles on
consecutive second-half KOs, then assisted on a third.
OCT. 9
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Bartram 39, Southern 16
The spread is deceiving due to a few big plays at very inopportune
times (from Southern's standpoint). The Maroon Wave/Braves scored just before halftime on
a 40-yard pass from sr. QB Gary Carter (3-for-8, 91 yards ; also a
rushing TD) to jr. WR Henry Howard and with 1:25 left in
the game on a 41-yard interception return by jr. Joel Ermilus; he also
had a TD catch. Bartram entered 0-3 and needed to make a statement to commence Division D
play. Sr. RB George Morse (18-119, TD) and sr. RB Mustafa
Crumpton (13-71) had some respectable moments largely behind sr. T Kennis
Jones (6-2, 260), the subject of my DN story. Kennis has a 3.2 GPA and 1,050 SAT
score. He grew up mostly in Jamaica and did not play FB until 10th grade. He wants to be a
commercial airline pilot and some schools are starting to show interest. He's also a force
at DT. Sr. DE Stanley Thigpen, Morse and sr. LB Jeremy Welzcher
recovered fumbles. Welzcher and sr. DE Isiah Cheesboro (2) had sacks. The
most impressive player on the field was Southern soph RB Lamone Fox
(5-11, 180). He ran for 173 yards on just 9 carries and went for scores of 50 and 80
yards. Both TDs came after well-timed pitchouts by sr. QB Jalil Harris, a
transfer from West Philly. Harris would be a big-timer on a better team. He throws a nice
ball and has a true QB presence. He had very little time to work with, though. Sr. WB Daron
Tate had two catches for 49 yards. Fox had an interesting day on special teams.
He twice blocked PAT and then, right after his 80-yard TD, sent a kickoff 1 whole yard.
Actually, about 18 inches. His legs must have felt like jelly after a run that long. Sr.
LBs Shamir Kase and Gerald Terry paced Southern's
defense. Kase made three TFLs. Basketball star Shawn Sabb, at DE,
recorded a late-game sack. In the waning moments, a Southern player was guilty of immature
behavior and was sent to the sideline by referee Andy Hafale. He was not
ejected. "I sent him to the penalty box for two double minors," Hafele cracked.
OCT. 5
CATHOLIC BLUE
Neumann 21, West Catholic 14
When Neumann sr. wingback Darryl Gillard ran 64
yards for a TD on the game's third play, it was impossible not to say out loud, "Oh,
boy. Here we go again!" Last season, many will recall, West beat Neumann in a Blue
semi by the whopping score of 55-48!!! This one was much more normal. In fact, the Buccos
overall played very good defense. The 4-man defensive line of sr. E Steve Rinaldi,
jr. T Marques Slocum (6-5, 305), sr. T John Grimes
(formerly a LB) and jr. E Michael Evans helped to keep star sr. RB Curtis
"Boonah" Brinkley under control. Sr. LB Frank Baldino was
also a force (11 tackles). Brinkley had 80 yards on 18 rushes; only once did he gain more
than 10 yards. His best effort was a 24-yarder on which he unfurled at least 3 spin moves.
Otherwise, the Buccos hit him early and often on almost every carry. My DN story focused
on sr. RB-Rec.-KR-DB Billy Canady, who won the game with a 14-yard TD run
with 8:51 left. Canady ran hard along the sideline and dove into the end zone; our
photographer, Don Murray, got a great photo that will appear in the DN.
Sr. FB Richard McMickens ran 10 times for 55 yards. Sr. QB Jon
Brady passed 7-for-14 for 67 yards, but likely made his best play on a
conversion. On an option right, he waited until the very last instant, as he was going
down, and pitched to McMickens for an easy two. Neumann had a great defensive sequence on
the series that preceded Canady's TD. Slocum made tackles for a 1-yard loss and 3-yard
gain, then soph Daniel Chavis made sure that Brinkley would only gain 4
yards, forcing West to punt. McMickens made a fair catch at the 40 (that skill is SOOOO
valuable) and Neumann just three plays to get in. A biggie was a 21-yard pass from Brady
to sr. TE Mike Matteo. Later, jr. DB Kenny Brown
recovered a fumble. West relied a shade more on passing in this one as sr. QB Will
Burke went 5-for-7 for 89 yards and a TD to sr. WR Evan Polk.
Soph WR John Maddox was impressive with four snags for 63 yards. Jr.
lineman Matt DeMarco was showing his teammates a mangled finger along the
sideline. "It's not supposed to point that way," he said. Basketball player Mark
Anthony was the Homecoming king.
OCT. 4
CATHOLIC BLUE
Carroll 18, Conwell-Egan 6
This was like something out of the 1950s. Very little passing.
Almost everything took place in the middle of the field. All four TDs came on 1-yard runs.
Lots of serious rockin' on defense. Game was over in under 2 hours (I had it at 1:48).
There were heavy rains before the game and, though the field held up pretty well, it was a
night for FBs and LBs. That gave Carroll a distinct advantage because sr. Ryan
"Harfdaddy" Harford is a beast, animal, stud, horse, whatever you want to
call him. Harford rushed 28 times for 107 yards and delivered a few punishing hits; he
also recovered a fumble. Harford's most impressive play came in the fourth quarter. He
sniffed out a screen and had C-E's new QB, ex-FB Chris Schaefer, wrapped up about
10 yards behind the line. Schaefer somehow got rid of the ball to jr. RB Steve Slaton.
Harford hustled back upfield and was in on the tackle about 15 yards away. Late in the
game, Carroll was trying to kill the clock and I heard coach Dan Bielli say
to two assistants, "Think Ryan can do it?" Both nodded yes. Harford indeed was
tough on that drive, but the big play, a 26-yard pickup, came from sr. HB Rich Wood (14-92).
Jr. QB Greg Kobilka went over from the 1 with 1:52 left, making it 18-6. Carroll's
line: sr. C Mark Herm, jr. G Tom Rowinski, sr. G Greg Maugeri, sr. T Matt
Rock, sr. T John Lachman, jr. TE Pete Novak. Neither team threw a pass
in the first half; Schaefer was going to throw one but was sacked. There wound up being
eight total as each QB went 2-for-4. On a rollout to his left, Schaefer nicely delivered
the ball to jr. WR Jeff McClenton for a 21-yard gain. Late in the game, out of the
shotgun, Schaefer twice made terrific plays after snaps sailed over his head. Both times
he recovered the ball 12 to 15 yards behind the line. He fought his way back to the line
of scrimmage the first time and earned himself a 3-yard gain the second time. C-E had five
first downs for the game and two came via penalties. Slaton was limited to 58 yards on 14
rushes as Lachman, at DE, and Maugeri, at LB, were among the defensive leaders. Maugeri
added a fumble recovery (hit by jr. DB Dave Puliti). For C-E's defense, sr. LB Brian
"H" Hrynczyszyn was in on seemingly every stop. I had him for 16 tackles.
Slaton, at safety, also did some hard hitting. Ex-Carroll stars James "Big
Rig" Roderick and Justin Faust were in attendance and hung out on the
Patriots' sideline. C-E had a large Homecoming turnout.
OCT. 4
CATHOLIC RED
Judge 28, Bonner 22
Even a three-part series would not do justice to this extra-wild affair.
It came down to the very end when sr. DB Sean Glanzmann pulled down the Crusaders'
fifth interception of the game. Yes, these were the same Crusaders who entered the day
with no picks for the season. (Freshman DB Joe Thompson had three and sr. WR-RB-DB Tim
Wacker had the other). Just before Glanzmann's pick, Bonner scored at 0:19 on a 1-run
yard by sr. RB Drew Schiller (27-163) and sr. FB-LB Anthony DiEmedio caught
a conversion pass. The Friars lined up eight people on the right side for the onside kick
and jr. Ryan Juisti sent a grounder in that direction. Inexplicably, Judge put sr.
LB Anthony Rodriguez (though he's said to have good hands) in the front line
closest to the sideline. He bobbled the ball and soph Matt Boland recovered for
Bonner. (Judge had several injuries among backs/ends, which was why A-Rod was up front.)
Meanwhile, those who were in attendance are still talking and scratching their heads over
a play that occurred with roughly 3 minutes left. Judge was trying to run clock and gave
the ball to soph RB Erik Frazier. As others were standing Frazier up, Bonner sr. DB
Steve DeVito stole the ball and took off in the other direction. No one from Judge
gave chase and it EASILY would have been a 74-yard TD. But as DeVito was running, one of
the refs, unaware that DeVito had stolen the ball, gave a quick, low-volume tweet on his
whistle. The Bonner folks, as you might imagine, were VERY hissed off that the play was
stopped. After a long discussion with his colleagues, head ref Nick Raimo awarded
possession to Bonner and placed it at the 50; roughly where DeVito was at the time of the
inadvertant whistle. It took Bonner eight plays to get to the end zone. "The whistle
wasn't why we lost the game," coach Mike "Stump" Coyne said later.
Nevertheless, if DeVito's TD had stood, the stretch would have been even more
entertaining. The game produced 752 yards of total offense, with Judge leading the way
(409). Sr. QB Dale Curry went 14-for-17 for 298 yards and one TD apiece to the guys
who did all the catching, Wacker (6-120), sr. WR Carl Peterson (5-116) and sr. WR George
Flack (3-62). Flack made two leaping snags in traffic; very impressive. Peterson was
playing with gigantic padding on his left arm to protect a broken hand/wrist. Wacker had
to leave several times with what appeared to be a shoulder problem. He added 42 yards on
10 carries. Sr. FB Mike Bergey bulled nine times for 55 yards. Judge's line: sr. C Pat
Dunlap, sr. G Jim Alberts, jr. G Fran McIntyre, sr. T Andrew Lewinski,
sr. T Mike Dolan and sr. TE Pat Foley. Foley made a nice, far-downfield
block on a 76-yard TD reception by Wacker. Bonner used two QBs, jr. Andrew Case
(6-for-20, 153, 3 picks) and soph Marc Verica (0-for-3, 2 picks). Sr. WR Alex
Oleykowski made four catches for 50 yards; his first snags of the season. Jr. WR
Mike Heppler had a 74-yard TD catch. Soph Matt Williamson blocked a PAT.
Bonner's bus arrived at the school at 11:45, an hour later than scheduled, and the Friars
got to Lincoln at about 12:30. The start was delayed for a few minutes. The all-time
TedSilary.com legend, former Bonner star and baseball-barbecue whiz Mike "Fat
Koz" Kozak, was back from Lycoming for the game. I took a picture of Koz with the
equally famous Thomas "Hockey Puck/Nutman" McKenna. Koz might be Puck's
long-lost son. We're still researching that wonderful possibility (smile).
OCT. 3
NON-LEAGUE
Bok 22, Germantown 14
After losing last week to Gratz on the game's final play, Bok needed
a Major lift in spirits. And got it. Tiny sr. twins Allen
and Kenny Major were large in this entertaining affair. Allen, the QB,
ran 8 times for 59 yards and a TD. He had a great 24-yard run on a keeper in a scoring
drive. Kenny, a halfback (and cornerback), ran 17 times for 112 yards and a TD; he also
added a conversion. With the score tied at 14-14, and with 9:15 left, Kenny went right on
a sweep and made a perfect cut upfield. He was barely touched en route to a 29-yard score.
Later, he ripped off a 36-yard gain to get Bok out of a hole. Also starring for the
Wildcats was sr. FB-LB Cedric Green. This kid gave every possible ounce
of energy all game long! He ran 18 times for 58 yards, blocked like a madman and
registered 14 tackles. Germantown ran just 31 plays where tackles were possible. Bok's
line: sr. C Bryant Collier, jr. G Gregory Thomas, jr. G Rasheed
Fleming, sr. T Aaron Hayes, sr. T Tommy Williams and
sr. TE Stephan Young. Thomas had a tremendous hit while covering a
kickoff. Sr. DE Raheim Beasley had a fumble recovery. G-town uncorked
three big-time pops in a short sequence. Jr. Brandon Arrington had one on
a kickoff. Jr. DE Don Williford and sr. LB Omar McDonnaugh
had 'em on scrimmage plays. McDonnaugh finished with 12 stops and forced a fumble
(recovery by Williford) that set up a score. Omar was packin' a wallop all day. Once in
the second half, he made a loud tackle and a guy on Bok's sideline said, "That had to
be No. 44." It was. Later, I overheard a Bok sub, jr. Rosario Messina,
telling his teammates, "Forty-four is the only guy who can tackle us." G-town
sr. QB Brandon "Cuff Daddy" Cuff threw a beautiful pass for a
36-yard TD (left corner of end zone) to sr. WR Christen Johnson. Another
beauty, which could have produced an 84-yard score, went through Johnson's hands. Cuff
made an ill-advised play late in the game, though. G-town took over on its 39 with 1:02
left and Cuff immediately hit sr. WR Dustin Hardy-Moore
for a 12-yard gain. On the next play, he was about be sacked when he flipped the ball
backyard. A 26-yard loss resulted. The rest of the game was uneventful. In the second
half, a pass by Cuff whizzed toward Bok's sideline and was caught by a non-participant,
jr. sub Chris Cotton. Bok's coaches kiddingly yelled at Cotton,
"Run! Run!" So he did, for a few yards. "I was going to put on my shake
move and take it!" Cotton said. At some point, in Special Photos, I'll post a photo
of the Major twins. You can judge for yourself how identical they are. Also among the
photos will G-town's color guard.
OCT. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Olney 16, Overbrook 0
Olney usually gets pounded in Division A play, and that will likely
be the case again this season. But in this one, the Trojans were able to have some fun. My
DN story focused on sr. RB-DB Platini Michel, who rushed eight times for 35 yards
and made a pair of fourth quarter interceptions. Both were deep in Olney territory. Sr.
FB-LB Ryheem Wilson showed some tough-guy tendencies and posted two conversion
runs. Sr. RB Marvin Scales ran 12 times for 54 yards. Olney's line: sr. C Jesus
Diaz, sr. G Tony Capobianchi, sr. G Jose Rivera, sr. T Fidel
Santiago, freshman T Purcell Little, sr. E Stanley Lyons and jr. E John
Miles. The Trojans slapped together two long drives. Their first TD came on a 14th
play. They also had a 15-play that died at the 'Brook 6. Jr. QB Michael Evans scored
both TDs on short runs. His second, a 1-yarder, came right after sr. LB Joseph Bonner recovered
a fumble. Jr. DB Anthony Herder forced it with a strip. Miles and Santiago also
made recoveries for Olney. Overbrook coach Ken Sturm used two platoons almost
exclusively. One change came in the second half as sr. DB Sultan Sanders (interception)
had to play QB after the starter, jr. Jarrett Johnson, suffered a lower-back injury
while being sacked on the last play of the first half. Scales and jr. DE Denzel Devertevil
combined to sideline Johnson. Sanders showed good feet, but was rusty and was guilty
of two picks and a lost fumble. On his pick, Sanders noticed that Lyons was signaling in
to Evans and moved up closer to the line, correctly sensing that Lyons would be the
intended target. Sr. LB Christopher White displayed a good nose for the
ball, along with toughness. As always, 'Brook has some very large kids. One is James
Scott, a jr. DT (6-4, 310). For whatever reason, each team chose to kick off against a
very strong wind. Olney aide Barry Strube finished a 2-year hitch in the Air Force
reserves earlier this week. He departed as a first lieutenant. Olney's band arrived at
halftime and played the same beat for pretty much the rest of the day. "I wish they'd
shut the bleep up!" an Overbrook sub said. "They only play when we're on
offense." "Yeah, I hate that," said another. "You can't hear the
cadence." 'Brook bused its JV players and cheerleaders to the game.