October Reports/Tedbits
November-December Reports/Tedbits

SEPT. 30
TEDBIT
  Here's a list that shows all Pub/Cath/Int teams in this century that have stormed to 5-0 starts. The average number to go 5-0 has been 4.1, so 2014 has been slightly better with five squads. The high-water mark came in 2005 (seven). Out of the 58 teams to start 5-0 through 2013, 25 wound up winning championships (43.1 percent).

SEPT. 29
TEDBIT
  For now, here are the leading active career performers for rushing/passing/receiving yardage (through Week Five).

SEPT. 28 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Note to schedule makers: It might be a good idea to keep Washington and Judge from playing each other. This is Washington's 51st season as a Public League member and its three worst points-allowed outings have come against Judge. The latest occurred Saturday as the Crusaders frolicked, 48-7. Listed below are all games in which Washington has surrendered at least 40 points. (The Eagles also gave up 40 or more two times in '63 while playing an independent schedule.) 

SEPT. 28
TEDBIT
  Kevin Caldwell stands alone! Franklin's senior quarterback is the first guy to throw 20 touchdowns within the first five games of a season. In '97 and '02, respectively, it took La Salle's Brett Gordon and Germantown Academy's Sean Grieve six games apiece to notch their 20th TD toss. Below are all guys who've thrown at least 20 TD passes in a season, along with numbers to show when they hit No. 20.

SEPT. 27
CATHOLIC AA
Neumann-Goretti 38, Conwell-Egan 7
  With 2:48 remaining, moments after N-G jr. LB Miles Brewer picked off a sideline floater and raced 24 yards for a TD, a distressed C-E fan yelled at the top of her lungs, "You're better than this, Egan!! You're better than this!!" Interesting she should mention that. Maybe five minutes earlier, I'd said to someone along C-E's sideline, "No way there should be 31 points between these teams." But the way some games unfold is inexplicable and this one was part of that club. Wait, maybe it's partially explicable. Just one week earlier, also on the road, C-E had been dismantled by Pius X of Bangor, Pa. So, once things started going wrong tonight, flashbacks undoubtedly were prevalent. Here's hoping the Eagles can regroup . . . and here's giving out major props to the way the Saints showed dominance! Also one week ago, N-G posted a shutout against O'Hara to inspire a Tedbit. Tonight the Saints came within 108 seconds of notching a second consecutive blanking for the first time since 2003, back when the their names were Neumann and Pirates. On Oct. 11 and 18, respectively, they dumped Dougherty and Kennedy-Kenrick, 64-0 and 13-0. This donut disappeared, with the clock running in mercy rule mode, when sr. RB Joe Ruggiero motored for a 52-yard TD through backup defenders. N-G scored three TDs apiece in the second, third and fourth quarters. Doing the honors were soph RB Aamir Brown, jr. RB Khalil Roane, soph WR Emil Moody, sr. WR Amir Gordon, sub jr. RB Fabian Matthews and Brewer. Brown's score came on a perfectly thrown fly-pattern, 41-yard toss from sr. QB Ray Lenhart. Brown had quite the special evening. In addition to the TD, he sped 34 yards with a direct snap, returned an interception 50 yards to the 3 (setting up Roane's score), lost a scintillating 73-yard scrimmage TD due to a penalty and saved the Saints lots of yardage with multiple fair catches. That 73-yarder occurred with about five minutes left in the third quarter. On the very next play, Moody posted an 80-yard score on a catch-and-run from Lenhart. One problem: at C-E's 13, while trying to fend off a defender, he grabbed the guy's facemask. So, on consecutive plays, the Saints lost out on TDs that covered a total of 153 yards! Roane led N-G's rushers (16-87) while Lenhart finished 6-for-14 for 214 yards (35.7 yards per completion). The grunts were sr. C Mario Del Vecchio, sr. G Francisco Martinez, jr. G Naquise Childs, sr. T Joe D'Emilio (6-5, 300) and jr. T Pat Banning. Prior to Ruggiero's TD the Eagles slapped together just 92 yards, so N-G's defense turned in quite the nifty effort. Sr. DE Matt McKeown had an early TFL worth nine yards. Sacks went to jr. DL Amire Tyler/Banning, McKeown, McKeown/Moody, Tyler and sr. DT Joe Herrin. Meanwhile, not once was Lenhart dropped for a loss . . . Along N-G's sideline, sometimes you'd think vacations to unappealing places are being planned. Guys can be heard yelling, "Should we go with Minnesota or Kentucky?" They're the names of defensive alignments. Volunteering to hold the down marker was former Lincoln star Ralph "Bones" Barnes. His son (soph RB Quadir Moon-Barnes) and nephew (sr. WR Takeem Ford) play for the Saints. Quadir, who appears to be quite popular with the cheerleaders (smile), drew large cheers when he ran for gains of nine and 15 yards in the waning moments. And Takeem had a truly special moment, tightroping along the sideline for a 31-yard gain off a reception. Ralph was part of a true Only in the Pub moment in 1995. The very first game played under a new rule that allowed OT sessions for all games (not just playoffs) was played on a Thursday night at Northeast. Lincoln and Dobbins battled through three OTs before Lincoln AD Bill Wright ordered the refs to stop the game because it was roughly 10 o'clock on a school night. As a play was ready to start in the third quarter, C-E sr. DT Sam Cooper noticed that his group included just 10 players. He yelled over to the coaches, "We need a tackle! We need a tackle!" Help never came. No sweat. Cooper exploded through the line for a 2-yard TFL.

SEPT. 27
NON-LEAGUE
SCH Academy 35, Hill School 19
  Rick Knox was not the happiest winning coach in football history. Reason: His defense yielded 349 yards and particularly had trouble, especially in the first half, with entering lock-down mode on third down. Ah, but his offense basically frolicked and, over time, the Homecoming game, played before an impressive crowd in absolutely incredible weather (though semi-stifling), was captured in reasonably comfortable fashion. The Blue Devils rolled to 548 yards! Soph RB Syaire Madden, who trucked dudes on numerous occasions, turned 22 carries into 258 yards and TDs of 60 and 19 yards. Sr. QB Paul "Paulie Dools" Dooley generated 282 yards while passing 9-for-21 for 197 for two scores and rushing 15-85 for one. Not a bad day at the sweltering office for those two guys. Oh, and sr. WR Dylan Parsons was not exactly an afterthought. Despite persistent cramps and other issues, he snagged five passes for 124 yards and TDs of 32 and 14 yards. He also provided a memorable moment. Late in the game, Parsons was face down along SCH's sideline, having his legs worked on by the trainer. He was facing south. The BDs were headed north and Madden uncorked an impressive run. Parsons turned that way, partially, to watch and belted out several times from turf level, "He's a beast! He's a beast!" Indeed. Parsons also had the misfortune of losing a 60-yard interception TD to an interference call. He flashed to the ball along the sideline in perfect fashion and made a reach-up-and-out snag. The play occurred on Hill's sideline, so I have no idea whether the interference call was legit. SCH's grunts were sr. C Chase Haegley, sr. Gs Robbie Phillips and Desmond "Wrestler Dude" Johnson, sr. T Payden Howard and jr. T Darian Bryant (6-6, 335). More than once, the monstrous Bryant was 15-20 yards downfield to accompany his rushers. On defense, the most impressive BD was a DB, sr. Samier "Brother of Syaire and Ex-Star Cedric" Madden. He notched two TFLs and was active overall. The SCH family also dedicated Maguire Field today. Some interesting announcements were made during the game. Are you a CHA/SCH grad with $500 to spare? If so, a seat in the stands could have your name on it! About 100 are still available. Don't delay. Also, in the Class of 2014, 82 percent of the grads were accepted by the first college to which they applied. Is the grammar OK in that sentence? I'm a Penn Charter grad, so maybe not (smile). Then again, I did attend two years of preschool at CHA. Mom wanted me out of the house early and often. Among the sideline visitors: Nick Boyle, best buddy of Best Teammate 2011 Nick Barile; and Jeffrey Mikalonis-Lieberman, one of the funniest basketball spectators you could ever hope to sit near. Jeff said he's playing football and baseball at Dickinson. Nick Boyle, meanwhile, is majoring in finance at La Salle and he said Nick Barile, is hoping to become a Philly fireman. Those guys are a special breed and I'm not surprised to learn that the Barile version of Nick is trying to head down such a challenging path. All the best, impressive young man!

SEPT. 27
TEDBIT
  Back in the day, Frankford almost never, ever, lost a game on its home field. Yesterday, however, the Pioneers fell to Gratz, 20-14, in Public AAAA Liberty and that home-field setback was their sixth in league play in this century. And what an occasion it was for coach Erik Zipay's Bulldogs! Gratz had dropped 16 consecutive meetings with Frankford while being outscored, 516-135. The teams first met in 1929. All time, Frankford leads the series 24-4-2. Gratz' last win before yesterday? 1959. In 1981, the Pub season was almost scrapped because of a teachers' strike. When the strike finally ended, Frankford opened its season by hosting Central. The Lancers won, 12-6, and that loss was only the second for Frankford in 62 games at home since 1968 (also one to Bartram to start the '77 season). The first home winning streak covered 45 games! In Gratz' win, Luke White (one TD) and Ahmir Lewis ran for 111 yards apiece while White added a TD reception and a two-point run.       

SEPT. 26
CATHOLIC AAA
Bonner-Prendie 25, Carroll 7
  The 1980s called. They wanted their brand of football back. I would not go so far as to say this game was boring, but neither did it crackle. Spectacular plays were largely absent. Did the Friars mind? Doubtful. Especially since they raised their record to 5-0. A shade past the midway point of the fourth quarter, B-P sr. QB Collin DiGalbo maneuvered for a 10-yard gain. Then, as the Friars approached the ball for the next play, a Carroll assistant yelled out to the defense, "You know what's coming! It's a one-man show!" Sr. handyman Aaron McCastle might beg to differ. Two plays later, he turned a right-side jet sweep into his second TD of the quarter -- the distances brought to mind the ol' 7-come-11 line -- and later he ended Carroll's final possession with an interception on B-P's 8. Overall, I did understand the Carroll assistant's reasoning, however. DiGalbo ran or passed on 36 of the Friars' 51 plays. Out of the pistol, he turned 22 carries into 125 yards and two TDs while adding 100 yards on 9-for-14 passing marksmanship. DiGalbo had many of his top moments off speed-sweep fakes that turned into keepers, showing a keen eye for finding holes. Granted, he won't win the 100-meter dash in the Olympics any time soon, but he does have quick feet and a decisive first burst. It's interesting to watch him turn apparent nothings into pretty good somethings. Often lost in the DiGalbo shuffle is his twin, sr. C-DT Christian. Not tonight. Aside from anchoring the O-line, he kept standing out along the D-line thanks to two TFLs and other mess-up-their-rhythms at the line of scrimmage, or close to it. B-P's total rushing output was 204 yards. The linemen on the right side were jr. G Louie Lombardo and jr. T Dan Egan. Sr. TE Tyler Higgins also cleared major paths. B-P scored on its first possessions of the first and third quarters (sustained drives) while Carroll dented the scoreboard with 28.5 seconds remaining in the third. That drive -- a short one -- was set up when sr. QB Sean McMorran, helping on special teams, recovered a muffed punt at the 13. The TD came on the third play as McMorran targeted sr. WR Mike "Zippity" Dudas near the back of the end zone, at roughly the left hash. Dudas made an impressive catch, reeling the ball into his body with his right hand. B-P kept drama at arm's length by marching 74 yards in nine plays. Collin DiGalbo's 26-yard keeper placed the ball on the 7, then McCastle did his speed-sweep duties. Following a three-and-out, the Friars added the tack-on TD off a kinda-short-field drive (46 yards). Higgins and Lombardo combined for a sack while Higgins added a fumble recovery. For Carroll, sr. DB Joey Rodden had a TFL, soph DL Joe Gajewski and jr. LB Harry Rohlfing combined for a sack, and soph DE Christian Smith joined with sr. LB Brandon Pearson for a TFL. On hand to watch was B-P baseball coach Joe DeBarberie, who happens to be a Carroll grad. Hmmmmm. Interesting dynamic. Assistants Steve DeBarberie (Joe's son) and John "Lefty/Blade/Cauls' Dad" McCauley were with him. B-P had a great student turnout and major noise was made. Then again, when isn't it?

SEPT. 26
TEDBIT
  In the ol' North-South days of CL divisional alignment, Ryan and Wood met every season. Now they're part of the AAA grouping and tonight's bash (7 o'clock at Tennent) will count in the standings. Over the previous 30 seasons, the schools faced each other 25 times, counting a playoff tussle in '85. They did not meet in '99, 2003, '04, '10, '11 and '12. Steve Devlin, Wood's coach, is a Ryan grad, so you know this game means the world to him. Listed below are the series' top rushing, passing and receiving performances from 1984-2013. The rushing Mark Ostaszewski is the father of the passing Mark Ostaszewski. Joe DeLeo (two passing appearances for Ryan) is now an assistant at his alma mater.

SEPT. 25 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Not sure if you realize this, but Edison is NOT playing Public League football this season. According to Ken Geiser, the Pub football chairman, the Owls (nee Inventors) planned to drop the sport. However, school leaders made a late decision TO have a team in 2014, but by that time the master schedule/divisional setups had already been finalized. As a result, the Owls are playing an independent schedule. Meanwhile, after Edison was blanked by Bartram this morning, a thought hit me: How many shutouts, all time, has Edison suffered? Answer: A bundle!!!! Not counting this season (because, again, the team is not a Pub member), Edison has suffered 191 shutouts since starting its varsity program in 1957. Five of those were forfeit losses, but the other 186 were not. From '57 through '69, the Inventors were somewhat respectable and went through six seasons without being blanked; they totaled 16 in those 13 seasons. They suffered 175 from 1970-2013. Breakdown of the worst seasons: eight apiece in '79, '85 and '01; seven apiece in '80 and '83; six apiece in '86 and '90; five apiece in '74, '76-'78, '87, '92, '02 and '09-'13. In just one season since '69 have they NOT suffered a shutout (in '05). One last note: From 1978-82, Edison went 27 CONSECUTIVE games without scoring. When the Inventors finally did reach the end zone, on a punt return by Nick Stinson, they forged ahead and won the game, 20-18, over University City.

SEPT. 25
TEDBIT
  In Pub history, 20 quarterbacks have thrown for at least 17 TDs in one season. Amazingly, Franklin's Kevin Caldwell has earned a second appearance on the list (he had 22 in 2013) after just four games of the 2014 season!! Only four of the efforts listed below occurred before 2008.

SEPT. 24
TEDBIT
  Tuesday's Tedbit presented the top rushing performances in city history along with receiving totals, where available. Today we offer the top passing performances along with rushing totals, at least for the guys in this century. The Top 5 totals are highlighted in gray and SCH Academy sr. Paul Dooley owns two of them, with 559 last year (No. 1) and 419 this year (No. 4). For 14 guys, the total yardage is lower than the passing yardage because, as in college ball, sacks are recorded as rushes in high school ball. 

SEPT. 23
TEDBIT
  Back in the day, and not too long ago, even, many quarterbacks wore uniform numbers in the teens while halfbacks, fullbacks and wideouts sported numbers in the 20s/30s, 40s and 80s, respectively. These days, it seems, you're only considered to be cool if you wear a single digit, and you don't have to be a skill guy. Here is one man's opinion on this season's top Catholic/Inter-Ac players, through Week Four, from 1 to 9 (most prominent position included).       

SEPT. 22
TEDBIT
  In city history, 33 players have rushed for at least 300 yards. Those efforts, combined, have produced 11,093 yards for an average of 336.2. As for dual-threatness . . . not too much. Only eight ran-rampant guys have added receiving yards and the yardage total in that department is only 100. (Receiving totals for two mid-'70s performances, by Dougherty's Lawrence "Buffalo" Reid and Bonner's Mike Sherlock, are unavailable. They played at Michigan and Navy, respectively.) Saturday night at Northeast, Judge's Yeedee Thaenrat dashed/powered for 377 yards in a 36-35 loss to SCH Academy. He also snagged two passes for 43 yards, by far the best receiving performance on the list below. Often, very few passes have been thrown. Sometimes none. **Also, Thaenrat's outburst was the first to be posted for a losing team.** Meanwhile on Saturday night, SCH's Paul Dooley passed for 362 yards and four TDs (and ran for a fifth). Thus, he and Thaenrat combined for 739 yards (counting just the passing for one, rushing for the other). Last season, Dooley passed for an outrageous 498 yards in a loss to Malvern. The Friars' Troy Gallen rushed for 333, so that total was 831.

SEPT. 21
TEDBIT
  Though last night's Neumann-Goretti/O'Hara game was officially non-league (N-G is AA, O'Hara is AAA), both of course are Catholic League members. N-G's shutout win was its first against CL opposition since 2011 (14-0 over McDevitt), its sixth over the last 11 seasons and its 15th in this century. Interestingly, 11 have been posted against schools that no longer exist (Kennedy-Kenrick, Dougherty and North Catholic). Also in this century, N-G has blanked its Thanksgiving rival, Southern, three times while also dropping a 60-0 bomb on Bracetti in '10. That school no longer offers football. In this shutout, Matt McKeown had an interception and Emil Moody forced/recovered a fumble. O'Hara got to the 1 to end the first half and to the 3 with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter. TFLs were recorded by ILB Michael DiFrancesco, McKeown, McKeown/Khalil Roane, Jack Taylor, McKeown, Amire Tyler and Miles Brewer. Sacks went to Moody and Taylor/McKeown.

SEPT. 20
NON-LEAGUE
Neumann-Goretti 20, O'Hara 0
  In the first half, for pic purposes, I stood on N-G's sideline because the sun was stationed behind us. At one point sr. LB Michael DiFrancesco came walking over and asked, "When was the last time Neumann beat O'Hara?" I told him, "If you do it, I'll find the answer." Back in the day, these schools were stationed in the ol' Southern Division. But they've been apart since 1999, when the CL switched to a Red-Blue setup based on enrollment. Anyway, here's the answer: 1995. Neumann captured that one by a score of 18-13 and then was outscored, 212-47, in the five meetings that followed (South in 1996-98, non-leaguers in 2010-11). As you likely noticed with the line score, this game produced a shutout and nuggets about this visit to Zeroville, along with names of the defenders, will be included in Sunday's Tedbit. Thanks for your patience. Can't give you everything all at once, right? Smile. Due to injuries and reduced participation, in general, each school had only 32 players in uniform. Hard to believe. After a scoreless first quarter, N-G covered 81 yards in 15 plays to get on the scoreboard. On a play from the 32, jr. RB Khalil Roane turned a screen pass from sr. QB Ray Lenhart into a 30-yard gain. Quite crucial to the play was a seal-off block by soph WR Emil Moody. Following a procedure penalty and two losses, Lenhart lofted a pass to the right corner and sr. WR Takeem Ford made the TD catch because no defenders were remotely close. Forty-two seconds later, the Saints again lit up the scoreboard as Moody ran a right-to-middle slant and caught a 10-yard pass after juggling the ball not once, but twice. Niiiiiice. Oh, and he'd created that opportunity by executing a strip/recover sequence from his spot at DE. The game's other TD came 2:10 before the end of the third quarter. Soph RB Aamir Brown lined up as the wildsaint QB, took a direct snap and dashed 62 yards for a score. O'Hara came thisclose to a score in the first portion of the fourth quarter. After a 15-yard burst by sr. RB Max Ferguson placed the ball at the 10, things were lookin' rosy. Alas, a "certain" TD pass was dropped in the right corner and DiFrancesco logged a tackle on third down to leave the ball at the 3. Another right-corner toss was off target. O'Hara had come even closer to a score as the first half wound down. On fourth-and-goal from the 3, sr. QB Brendan Laughlin faked a speed sweet to Ferguson and then tried to power his way into the end zone. He only reached the 1, where his progress was stopped by a gang tackle . . . DiFrancesco hammered his first PAT to a spot close to the fence at the Bigler Street end. O'Hara had a band and a nice halftime show was offered. O'Hara sr. OL-DL Andrew Gallagher expended every last bit of energy from beginning to end. For long stretches in the first half, he was seemingly involved in every tackle. The Saints tried to avoid him over the final 24 minutes and at one point Gallagher could be heard asking the coaches to move him to LB. Steve Smith, one of N-G's former coaches, was part of the chain crew. "An easy way to get back into the game," he noted with a smile. "Plus, now that's off my bucket list." One of N-G's impressive defenders was sr. Matt McKeown, a senior transfer (and baseball player) who has decided to play football. More than a few times, he created disruption from his DE spot. N-G hoops coach Carl Arrigale was among the spectators. His daughter is a cheerleader.

SEPT. 20
NON-LEAGUE
Roman 24, Ryan 16
  Generally, schools try to schedule Homecoming for games when they're pretty confident they can post a win. And late in the first half, with the score at 16-0, Ryan's decision was lookin' good. Notice we said good, not great. A lot can happen in roughly 27 minutes and, unfortunately for Ryan, much of it wasn't the stuff of positive memories. As for Roman . . . Quite the stirring victory! And it probably felt even better because the Cahillites had to withstand a last-minute drive by Ryan that advanced the ball all the way to the 10. We'll stay here (last part of game) for the moment. With 1:03  left, Roman reaped a 35-yard interception return TD by jr. LB Tom Stevens, making the score 24-16 after the kick by jr. K-P Ethan Mahler. On the play, sr. DL Gavin Wiggins and batted a pass by soph QB Matt Romano high into the air. Stevens noticed what happened, kept his eyes on the ball while plugging forward and finally reeled in the pick. An end zone never looked better and Stevens made it without a problem. Ryan ran nine plays in those final 63 seconds. Romano's completions went to sr. WR Seneca Williams for 8 and 10 yards, to sr. WR Kyle Hackett-Johnson for 17 yards and to sr. TE Jon Liguori -- a k a The Homecoming King -- for 20 yards to the 10. The play was a right-to-middle slant and everything worked perfectly. Immediately beforehand, an interference call had placed the ball at the 30. The first play after Liguori's snag was a right-corner fade to soph WR Jeremy Smith. Too long. No chance. On the final snap, which started at 0:04, Romano was nudged by a Ryan lineman as he tried to pass. Wiggins made that play, too. Indirectly, anyway. Seeing that he wouldn't quite be able to get there, Wiggins pushed a Ryan grunt back into Romano. Ballgame. Two other defensive plays were huge for the Cahillites. Late in the second quarter, sr. DB Tre Smith made an interception and short return, placing the ball at Ryan's 42. Sr. RBs Dimetri Kelly got the call on six of the seven plays and scored on a 6-yard run with 2:46 remaining. On the Cahillites' first possession of the third quarter, following a defensive stop, sr. RB John Chaney took an up-the-middle carry to the left corner for a 15-yard TD. The conversion pass failed, but Roman was doorsteppin' at 16-14. Early in the fourth quarter, Chaney's 27-yard punt return placed the ball at Ryan's 41. Soon, a keeper by jr. QB Phil DiWilliams moved the ball to the 2. An easy score coming right up, correct? Nope! Thanks in large part to jr. DE A.J. McAleer, with help from The King (not Howard Eskin; Liguori!) and jr. DE Dylan Dopkin mixed in, Ryan slapped together a great stand and Roman had to settle for Mahler's 18-yard field goal. The key moments from there have already been detailed. Going back to the latter stages of the third quarter, though it didn't produce points, there was one other biggie. On second-and-12 from Ryan's 23, Wiggins overpowered his competition and wound up stealing the ball. Even reeled off a 17-yard return. How, you ask, did Ryan achieve its 16-0 lead? Mixing effective passing and rushing, the Raiders drove 50 yards in 10 plays and got a 1-yard sneak from Romano with 5:39 left in the first quarter. Two points were posted just 66 seconds into the second quarter as a snap sailed high over Mahler's head for a safety. Then, Williams accepted the free-kick kickoff in the middle of the field and dashed down the left sideline for a 65-yard score. Overall, not helping Ryan's chances was a late-second-quarter injury to jr. LB Charles "Cha Cha" Gary. Beforehand, he was dominant. To what degree? Well, a Ryan fan bellowed, "They ain't got no answer for you, Cha Cha!! You're makin' every play!!" Pretty much (smile). Roman’s defensive heroics were sorely needed, as the offense managed just 147 yards on 53 plays. Kelly toughed out 83 yards on 23 carries. For Ryan, sr. RB Samir Bullock toted 19 times for 120 yards (he got 38 “free” yards when he advanced a backfield fumble) and Romano passed 10-for-26 for 104. Ryan had a nice turnout and the fans were mostly energized. Roman’s crowd was semi-sparse, but the supporters definitely felt they’d made the right decision to attend by game’s end. I’m writing this in a McDonald’s on the Boulevard. Everybody nearby is chowing down. Once this is posted, I’m gonna join them. My stomach is making noises that are just as loud as the music being pumped through the sound system.

SEPT. 20
TEDBIT
  With 48 points against Palumbo, Del-Val joined a rather exclusive club. The Warriors became the eighth team in this century to average at least 50 points over a four-game stretch. Wood had identical 212-point outbursts in '11. That's the reason we're listing two for them. Otherwise, only the most productive four-packs within a season are listed. This nugget was slapped together in a hurry (Saturday mornings are always crazy). If I missed any other teams . . . tedtee307@yahoo.com. Thanks! 

SEPT. 19
NON-LEAGUE
Wood 42, West Catholic 12
  The prevailing thought going in was that visiting Wood, based on its large and talented lines, would likely win in semi- to very comfortable fashion. And that was pretty much what happened, though the end result was reached in kinda strange fashion. Several key calls went against the Burrs, infuriating coach Brian Fluck, and overall his squad gave a respectable performance under the lights at Widener University. Wood scored twice in the first 6:22 and the second TD occurred two plays after a questionable interference call -- the receiver and defender got their feet tangled; it was ruled a trip -- on third-and-19 from the 29 placed the ball on the 14. Sr. RB Jarrett McClenton ran 4 yards for a score two plays later. Though we could have been bound for Routville, an interception by sr. DB David Swen (also four kickoff returns for 129 yards) terminated Wood's next possession at West's 22 and the Burrs embarked on a nice drive that yielded six points. One play was tremendous. After being flushed out of the pocket and chased all the way to the right sideline, sr. QB Antwain McCollum whipped one far downfield and . . . sr. TE Neil Satterwhite made the catch at the left hash for a 48-yard gain. Four plays later, jr. RB Sharif Fennell turned just his second carry of the season into an 11-yard TD. Wood fashioned an answer in the form of a 10-play, 71-yard drive that produced a 15-yard score by McClenton right up the middle. He might have been nicked, but was likely untouched. Two plays before the TD, West had been hit with a dead ball personal foul. Ouch. Third quarter: McCollum made another dandy in the early going, scrambling to his right and finding jr. WR Craig Jones for a 45-yard pickup. A combo TFL by sr. DT Devon Cobb (some serious pops all night) and sr. DE Christian Lohin jolted the Burrs and the drive fizzled. Zooooooooom! McClenton immediately ran 65 yards for a TD. The highlight was a tackle-break at roughly midfield. Soon, sr. LB Jake Cooper was blocking a punt and, on the fourth play, jr. RB Ryan Barrett was charging for a 9-yard rushing TD. An interference call also helped this drive. A legit one, this time. Each team scored in the fourth quarter. West's TD went to jr. WR Josh Holsopple, who had to switch to QB after McCollum -- he finished the night with 3,349 career yards, enabling him to break Curtis Drake's school record of 3,287; thanks to Huck for the heads-up -- suffered a ding above his right ankle. Holsopple dropped back and faced major in-his-face traffic. He escaped, motored straight ahead, pulled off a nifty spin move at about the 4 and needed to power hard over the last 50-odd inches to get into the end zone. For now, the play probably stands as the best of his life. Wood notched the last six-pointer as jr. QB Anthony Russo hit jr. WR James Gillespie for a 27-yarder on a right-side fade. Sr. K Dan McDonald added his sixth PAT; all but one of his kickoffs sailed at least to the 2. With McClenton (13-143, three) leading the way, Wood's ground game racked up 249 yards. Russo went 10-for-20 for 104 and two scores; the other was an 11-yarder to Cooper. The grunts were sr. C Ryan "In Your Hair" Neher, sr. Gs Tom Cardozo and Shawn Scroger, sr. manchild T Ryan Bates and jr. T Kurt Stengel. For West, McCollum passed 4-for-8 for 98 yards. Here are Huck's defensive stats for Wood: Sr. LB Justin Rubin had seven solos among 10 stops; sr. DE Nafeez Brown-Carter made seven tackles; Cobb had three TFLs; sacks went to Lohin, sr. LB Jeff "Bread" Panara, Barrett and jr. LB Bobby Heck; jr. DB Gianni Cruel made the recovery of a fumble forced by McClenton. For West, the tackling leaders were sr. DB Kharee Ruley (nine), sr. DE Tymir Oliver (six), soph DB Ahmad Kent (also six), Swen (five) and soph LB Marque McDuffy (also five). Satterwhite had a sack and sr. LB Demond Brunache recovered a muffed punt. Just before Swen's interception, Fluck could be heard muttering, "Pick one off . . . Pick one off, please." West had a pep band. Now assisting the Burrs is former star LB T-J Waters, who said he now goes by "Tank." Tanks for the info, T-J (smile). On one of his TFLs, Cobb crushed the ballcarrier at pretty much the same instant he took the handoff. Wow! Now I know why Ryan Bates is such a cool kid/great player. His uncle is Doug Macauley, Dobbins' former coach and D-I player. Great to see you, Doug!

SEPT. 19
TEDBIT
  In the last 20 seasons, nine La Salle receivers have racked up at least 1,000 career receiving yards. The still-active guy, Jimmy Herron, has a great chance to best Sean Coleman's school marks for catches (143) and yards (2,201) and he already owns the TD mark with 26. That's not all. The city record for yards -- 2,380 by Roman's William Fuller, who's now playing at Notre Dame -- is 601 yards away and the mark for TDs -- 28 by Del-Val Charter's Brad Wilson -- is right on the doorstep, seeing as how Herron has already bagged 26. Like Coleman, now a lacrosse star at Harvard, Herron will not play football in college. His sport at Duke will be baseball. The 1995 season was Brett Gordon's first as La Salle's QB. His dad, Drew, was the offensive coordinator. These days, Brett is the OC and Drew is his boss. Both were QBs at Villanova.
UPDATED: Through Week Five game vs. McDonogh (Md.).

SEPT. 18
TEDBIT
  After just three games in 2014, Kevin Caldwell owns the No. 5 passing yardage output in one season for a Ben Franklin quarterback since 1981 (and probably ever). For decades, even generations, the Electrons (nee Poor Richards) were known for defense and sticking almost exclusively with a ground attack. QBs impressive enough to slightly alter the philosophy made appearances, but not often. Now, under third-year coach David Carter, the school's QB in '95, Franklin likes to fill it up. Caldwell last year passed for 1,744 yards and 22 TDs and in '12, Carter's first season, Mike Edwards passed for 1,259 and 12. As a senior, Carter passed for 540 yards and five TDs (only 62 attempts) and was possibly (likely) the first Franklin guy to pass for at least 100 yards (146 vs. Germantown, 111 vs. Germantown) in back-to-back games. Meanwhile . . . check out some of these outrageously low passing yardage totals: 46 in '92, 112 in '94, 232 in '02, 266 in '05 and 347 in '03. Carter played his college football at West Virginia. As a linebacker.
UPDATED: Through Week Four game with Olney.

SEPT. 17
TEDBIT
  In King's Week Three win over Lincoln, the quarterbacks combined to complete five passes. OK, nothing spectacular. Well, each one produced a touchdown. OK, pretty cool. And each one was snagged by a different receiver. Legendary!! The starting QB was Nasir Boykin, who finished 4-for-8 for 173 yards and four TDs. His TD grabbers were Mark McCray (65 yards), Jayni Harris (35), Dominque McNeil (39) and Nasir Monroe (34). The backup QB was Terrell Pegues. His only pass yielded a 2-yard score to Nate Sutton. I seriously suspect those exact circumstances are a first in city history, but if not . . . tedtee307@yahoo.com.

SEPT. 16
TEDBIT
  Bonner-Prendergast, under coach Greg "Bubba" Bernhardt, is 3-0 for the first time since 2001 and just the second time in 25 seasons. Overall, the Friars have been Catholic League competitors for 58 seasons (1956-61, '63-now; they served a suspension in '62 for rules violations) and their 3-0 starts have numbered nine. The last three coaches to fashion 3-0 starts have had cool nicknames in common -- "Bubba" and "Stump" and "Sparky" -- and you gotta love that, right?

SEPT. 15
TEDBIT
  Let's call them the Nifty Nine. Through just three weeks of the 2014 season, nine receivers have already bagged at least 150 yards in a game. Roman's AJ Frazier (220) owns the top spot while Franklin occupies two spots thanks to Rasheem Jones (169) and Rafael Rodriguez (155) . . . As noted by Huck: In 2013, there were 11 150-plus efforts for the entire season and only two in the first three weeks.

SEPT. 14
TEDBIT
  Like many teams in this high-scoring era of high school football, Carroll has had trouble keeping opponents off the board. In last night's 28-3 win over McDevitt, the Patriots did not allow a touchdown for only the second time in 69 games (since besting now-closed Kennedy-Kenrick, 35-0, in Week 7 of 2007). The only other occasion: a 41-0 win over Conwell-Egan in Week Five of 2012. Last night's defenders included ends Matt Della Donna and Kevin Bier, tackles David Weldon and Ethan Ritchie, linebackers Sean McMorran, Brandon Pearson and Harry Rohlfing, cornerbacks Kyle Callahan and Khadir Roberts, and safeties Jack Daywalt and Joey Rodden. Thanks to coach Joe Powel for providing the name of the one guy who was missing from the first version of this posting.

SEPT. 13
NON-LEAGUE
Carroll 28, McDevitt 3
  Maybe 15 seconds after the opening kickoff, the sun popped through the thinning clouds (it had rained all afternoon, sometimes semi-hard) and decided to shine on Carroll. Though most folks figured this game would be close, the Patriots got off to a great start and McDevitt never came up with a strong enough response. The schools' first two possessions went like this: a pair of three-and-outs for McDevitt, a pair of TDs for Carroll. Jr. TE Harry Rohlfing caught an 8-yard toss from sr. QB Sean "Bandana" McMorran (after some tough runs from sr. RB Tommy Scott, who later had to leave with a suspected concussion) and McMorran scampered 22 yards, pretty much untouched. That drive featured an 18-yard pass to sr. FB Brandon Pearson and 10-yard runs by Pearson and McMorran, respectively. The second quarter offered the opposite scenario, except that McDevitt's drives were not fully productive. On fourth-and-goal from the 5, sr. K-P Brendan Hanagan thumped a 22-yard field goal just 4 seconds prior to intermission. The Patriots posted their final two scores in the fourth quarter. McMorran's 2-yarder capped an 11-play, 50-yard drive (a roughing-the-kicker penalty kept it going) and Pearson's 6-yarder topped off a much shorter drive. Then came an impressive moment. At this juncture the Lancers were down by 27-3, and dejected. But on the PAT, frosh LB Jayvonne Campfield uncorked a full-layout in an attempt to block it. He couldn't quite get it, but the effort was outstanding. Sr. Max Frederick blasted all four PAT and averaged 37 yards on three punts. Carroll's defense, after yielding 81 points over the first two games, dropped the Lancers for losses eight times. McMorran, at OLB, was also impressive on that side of the ball, mixing burst-through with fly-to moments. Sr. DE Kevin Bier "Beware" and jr. DL Ethan Ritchie also were consistent playmakers. In the waning moments, soph QB Max Bryson hit sr. WR Stephen Leach for a play down the left sideline with much potential. Soph LB Rich Melito offered hot pursuit and wound up punching the ball out of Leach's grasp. Sr. DB Joey Rodden recovered. The gain went for 36 yards to Carroll's 20, so a score could have followed. If that had happened . . . well, just check back later for a Tedbit (smile). The best development of the night was an appearance by McDevitt's forever coach, Pat Manzi. In late July, he suffered a major health scare -- wait, let's make that MAJOR -- and the recovery process has been slow. Pat looked and sounded pretty well, however, and spent almost the entire first half lending assistance from atop the press box. Understandably, he still doesn't have much stamina and he wound up calling it a night. Best of luck, Pat! Everyone was thrilled to see you! Thanks to PA announcer Dave Luby, a basketball assistant to Jack Rutter, for the website shoutout. And kudos to McDevitt's rock-band kids, who performed from a spot right inside the fence in front of the stands. Strange moment: A roughing-the-passer penalty was called on a play where Bryson, um, never threw the ball! Turns out there has been a rule change. A QB doesn't have to throw the ball to be considered a passer. First time I've seen that one. It was also great to see Chris Vito, who was covering the game as a stringer. Chris, formerly a staff sports writer for the Delco Times, now works in media relations for his alma mater, Temple. In the fall of 2005, he served as a sports intern at the good, ol' Daily News, working in tandem with some nut job who's now retired (smile), and brought his A game each and every time. EVERY time. Best of luck in your new career, Chris. And I'm happy to see you're still mixing in some sports writing.

SEPT. 13
NON-LEAGUE
SCH Academy 34, Mastery North 21
  To the Blue Devils went the win. To Taqee Ross went Best in Show honors. Bear with me, SCH folks, because this kid's exploits deserve to be detailed first. The 5-10, 160-pound Ross is a senior wideout/d-back for Mastery North and here's hoping he finds a way to put three plays from today's game online somewhere/anywhere because he'd be looking at an instant scholarship offer. Midway through the first quarter, with MN ahead, 8-7, Ross accepted a kickoff on the Pumas' 6 and bobbed/weaved/sped his way to a wonderful 94-yard touchdown. One problem: a block in the back, which had no effect on the play, erased it. The nearest ref did not make the call, perhaps deciding, "Whoa, that play was too special to focus on, in effect, a meaningless penalty." Alas, another ref must have figured, "Hey, it happened and it's my job to make sure it's called." Three plays later, Ross snagged a semi-short, over-the-middle pass and again made sure to impress, breaking several "sure" tackles and racing to the end zone for a 61-yard score. His other magic moment was posted on the second touch of the fourth quarter, right after SCH scored on a 16-yard, roll-right, flip-to-the-corner connection from sr. QB Paul Dooley to jr. WR Jordan Johnson. Ross cradled this kickoff on the 12. Maybe 15 yards upfield, he had nowhere to go and the play was moments away from ending. Then, somehow, he stopped dead, uncorked a jump step to evade a tackler toward the right sideline, regained his momentum and zipped through/around people all way to the left corner of the end zone. Three magic moments and, all the way to December, when the state playoffs will take place, these could stand up as Top 10 plays for the season. Wonderful efforts, young man! . . . OK, now for the BDs. As coach Rick Knox mentioned in his postgame gather-'round with his assistants and players, this was not a normal afternoon. SCH's headliner is Dooley and now it's almost expected that he'll put on a passing clinic each and every time he takes the field. Today, in part because of the weather (it was often was raining semi-hard) and MN's defensive approach, Knox favored the run and the results were niiiiiiiice. Thanks to soph RB Syaire Madden (24-172, TD), Dooley (18-132, one) and Johnson (4-72, thanks to jet sweeps), the running game produced 376 yards and three TDs. And though he did throw three picks, Dooley managed to go 5-for-11 for 93 yards with scores to soph WR Matt Rahill and the aforementioned one to Johnson. The grunts were sr. C Chase Haegley, sr. G Robbie Phillips, sr. G Desmond "Wrestler Dude" Johnson, sr. T Payden Howard and jr. T Darian Bryant (6-6, 335). Just once all game was a Blue Devil tossed for a loss. Meanwhile, MN's other TD went to sr. WR Antonio Reid on an impressive alley-oop toss to the right corner from sr. QB Donovan Crabbe. The most obvious TFLs/sacks for SCH went to J. Johnson, jr. LB Jacob Purcell, Bryant and Haegley. MN jr.Tyrelle Simmons was a physical force along the d-line. Late in the game, I asked one of the subs, "Is No. 64 always one of your better players?" He shot back, "All of our players are good." Ohhhhhh k. SCH frosh WR-DB Timmy Weal likely became the first Philly ballboy (maybe anywhere?) to serve while wearing his full uniform, including the helmet. Ha, ha. MN is using an altered version of my favorite pregame chant ever. It belonged to now-closed Germantown and went like this: "Take it down, Germantown!! All the way to the ground!!" The Bears would belt that out during warmups as they readied to switch from jumping jacks to pushups. MN has substituted Pumas for Germantown. Doesn't have the same ring, of course, but it was nice to hear it again. (MN is located in the former Pickett Middle School, in Germantown).
  Here's an email I received from Ezekiel Evans, a star lineman for MN's first varsity squad in 2011. The Pumas played an independent schedule in that season before joining the Pub in '12. Ezekiel previously played for Germantown:
Hello Ted
  I wanted to send you an email to confirm that the "take it to the ground" part of Mastery's warmups comes from me, Ezekiel Evans. From when I decided to play for Mastery instead of Germantown for my senior year, I had to keep that part from Germantown with me. Now I will say that it is great to see that a small thing such as a warmup (chant) is still being carried on . . . It was something I did as the 1st Captain of that program.

SEPT. 13
TEDBIT
  Talk about one-sided. So far this weekend, eight Pub games have been played. SEVEN have resulted in shutouts and in all but two the spread has been at least 49 points. Total scoring: 321 for the winners, 6 for the losers. Phew! Tonight at 6, at Gratz, Franklin will meet Northeast. I doubt that one will produce a shutout, but who knows?

SEPT. 12
NON-LEAGUE
Brothers Forever Classic
La Salle 41, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 39
  If you watched this game in person or on TV, you're ineligible to answer this opening question: Which player uncorked La Salle's longest run from scrimmage while adding a wide-open TD catch? Don't say Jimmy Herron. And don't say Jordan Meachum. The answer is . . . ding, ding, ding . . . Kyle Shurmur and we'll wait as you recover from the shock. Aside from showing his usual mastery in the throwing department (23-for-30, 233 yards), the Vanderbilt commit did Cool Thing No. 1 and Cool Thing No. 2 as the Explorers captured this memorable tilt. The run, a 51-yarder to the 2, occurred about 4 minutes prior to halftime and caused coach Drew Gordon to exclaim, "I didn't even know he had it!" As in, the ball. The play, as explained by Brett Gordon, Drew's son and the offensive coordinator, was a read option and Shurmer decided to keep, rather than hand off to Meachum, based on what he saw from the defensive end. With not much opposition, he took off up the middle and motored all the way to the 2 before being tackled. Three plays later, with the ball still on the 2, Shurmur hit Herron, who fought off an interfering defender, for a score at the back of the end zone. Shurmur's TD snag came on the final play of the half, lifting the Explorers' lead to 27-20. The drive, which covered 65 yards in 11 plays, not counting a spike at 0:04 after a 17-yard snag by Herron put the 'Splorers on the doorstep, was quite impressive. Lots of clutch plays and intricate schemes. Then Meachum took a handoff going right and . . . good, ol' Shurmur snuck out of the backfield, leaked out over to the left and the only "defenders" were nearby photographers and ballboys. Touchdown! When La Salle added TDs on its first two possessions of the third quarter, making the score 41-20, it was difficult not to think Comfort Zone was being visited. Uh, uh. The Stags, gigantic with multiple weapons, kept trying hard, and succeeding, and a TD with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter enabled them to creep within 41-32. Thanks to a tackle by jr. DL Matt McDermott on a rushing play, the nine-point lead was still in effect after the conversion. DeMatha then succeeded on an onside kick and the drive for the next score required just four plays and 35 yards. Uh, oh? Kinda, sorta. The onside kick was hammered over the sideline and La Salle garnered a first down to keep the Stags at bay. Another first down was not to be had, however, and DeMatha entered last-gasp mode on its 11 with 1:17 left. The visitors advanced to their own 45 before things went like this: spike at 56.5, incompletion thanks to pressure from sr. DE Sean Collins, incompletion thanks to coverage by jr. DB Jared Walls, and a pass, off a rollout, that was overthrown to the left sideline. The sighs of relief could be heard in Norristown (smile). Overall, this was a nice win for the locals, but there were also some negatives. Specifically, DeMatha twice posted long TDs on plays where there were coulda-been tackles close to the line of scrimmage. The stops weren't givens, mind you, but the defenders were assuredly guilty of not finishing off the play. Shurmer, chosen as La Salle's MVP (soph RB Anthony McFarland captured the Joe Parisi-presented painted football for DeMatha), only had one completion for more than 17 yards (a 33-yard, catch-and-run job with Meachum right out of the chute), but his passes were almost completely right THERE all night. Of his seven non-completions, at least four were touched but not reeled in. He did throw one early pick, but his confidence wasn't shaken in the least. Herron turned eight catches into 88 yards and two TDs while sr. TE Charlie Hemcher had six snags for 65 yards and two more scores. Meachum went 19-52-1 on the ground and exhibited perfect touch on his TD toss. Sr. RB Ryan Brady (he of the good lacrosse feet) added important rushes/catches while making numerous biggies on defense at OLB/SS. The grunts were jr. C James Morrissey, McDermott at one guard, jr. Conor McCracken/sr. Robert Skowronski at the other, and jrs. Ryan Schutta and Tom Garvin at the Ts. Sr. Keith Wagner and soph Anthony Piscopo (early recovery to set up a score) were sturdy at the DT spots while sr. Aidan Kerrigan was a game-long stalwart at MLB. Meachum also impressed while covering much taller wideouts. This game honored Travis Manion (La Salle) and Brendan Looney (DeMatha), who were roommates/best friends at Navy before losing their lives in Iraq (2007) and Afghanistan (2010), respectively. The La Salle side was packed. All kinds of people were standing on the hillside close to the entrance, and along the fence surrounding the field. Great job, La Salle folks! Among those on the field for the halftime ceremony was Collin Giongo, the president of La Salle's student council and a highly entertaining fan at basketball games. His specialty: busting guys' chops in a fun way that doesn't get him in trouble. Said Collin, who's looking forward to hoops: "At football you're too far away. I can't target anybody." Ha, ha, ha. Kyle Shurmur can, though. And he can BE the target, as well.

SEPT. 12
TEDBIT
  Imhotep's dominance against Public League opposition is not going to fade away any time soon, it would strongly appear. Last night, in their 2014 Public AAA opener, the Panthers bombed Boys' Latin, 49-0. (It was 43-0 at halftime.) This is coach Albie Crosby's third year in charge. Against PL squads, counting league, non-league and playoff contests, 'Tep is 16-1 with an 819-87 scoring advantage (48-5 average score). The only loss, 32-30 to King, occurred last year on Thanksgiving, two days before a state playoff.    

SEPT. 10
TEDBIT
  Unfortunately, Frankford's school record for points allowed in back-to-back games has been broken for the third consecutive year. Wait, maybe we should change that first word to fortunately. In 2012 and '13, the Pioneers rebounded to capture the Class AAAA title. And even when the first big number was posted, back in 1954, a Pub crown had already been secured. The North Catholic game was played on Thanksgiving and the City Title loss to South Catholic (now Neumann-Goretti) occurred nine-10 days later. In 2005, when the record was challenged with 52 points allowed in non-league games against Strath Haven (24) and Pennsbury (28), the Pioneers stormed forward to win the Pub title. Frankford played its varsity season in  1913 and joined the Pub in '16.

SEPT. 9
TEDBIT
  The rule allowing overtime sessions for all games (instead of just playoffs) took effect in the 1995 season for Public/Catholic teams and in '96 for Inter-Ac squads. Saturday's non-league game between visiting Prep Charter (Pub) and Germantown Academy (Int) marked the first time a tie went into the books after the teams failed to make it through regulation. Here's a breakdown of the ties that have occurred during all-in-for-OT era.

SEPT. 8
TEDBIT
  In his second outing after claiming the starting QB job from classmate Tom Garlick, who has since transferred to St. Joseph's Prep, Wood junior Anthony Russo sniffed some rare air. In a 46-7 win over King, Russo became just the fourth Wood guy in 31 seasons to throw for four TDs. It was the sixth total performance as lefty Joey Monaghan did so thrice. The Tim Karamis story is an all-timer. His four-TD outing came in the opener vs. Germantown Academy, a 35-6 win, and . . . he never notched another TD pass. The Vikings dropped their last eight games and suffered six shutouts while managing to post just 34 combined points in those other two setbacks. The completions-attempts numbers for Russo and Karamis are an exact match. Meanwhile, in the other four outings, Monaghan/Joe Kosich combined to pass 30-for-35 (85.7 percent).

SEPT. 7
TEDBIT (Evening)
  This wasn't a good week for city football (Public/Catholic/Inter-Ac). In fact, it was pretty crappy. Nineteen city teams played outside competition and the outcome was . . . four wins, 15 losses. A breakdown is below. (Franklin's 46-0 win over Kensington is not included. Kensington is a Pub member in all other sports and hopes to be part of Pub football next season.)

SEPT. 7
TEDBIT
  Yesterday, two of the Top 10 passing yardage totals by city quarterbacks were posted. In a lightning-delayed, overtime game (40-38 loss) with Downingtown East that lasted until 10:58 p.m., Roman's Phil DiWilliams passed for 415 yards for the No. 2 effort in city history. Up in North Jersey, La Salle's Kyle Shurmur racked up the No. 10 effort (353 yards) in a 42-34 loss to Bergen Catholic.
UPDATED: Through Week Three with Kevin Caldwell's effort (382).   

SEPT. 6
TEDBIT
  Haverford School's Jack Soslow likely set the record for longest field goal by an Inter-Ac kicker in yesterday's 31-14, non-league win over Ryan. He hammered a 52-yarder (in addition to putting five of his six kickoffs into the end zone) and the longest we could find by an Inter-Ac guy -- a quick search, admittedly -- was a 48-yarder by Germantown Academy's Greg Davis in 1997. The city record, 54 yards, was set by Wood's Tom Laurich in 2003. The Pub record belongs to Washington's Roger Price, who nailed a 52-yarder in 2000. Prior to Laurich's kick, the city record belonged to Judge's Chuck Bushbeck (49 in '77) and Bonner's Jim Chupein (49 in '80). Chupein hit the crossbar on a 55-yard attempt. Davis, meanwhile, once tried a 62-yarder and came within roughly seven yards of succeeding. Way, way, waaay back, when the football was rounder, Northeast's Howard Berry hit a 51-yarder with a drop kick. Google it, young bucks (smile). The year? 1911. Yes, 1911! About a week ago, I received an email from Tony Coulter, a long-time high school football fan. He said he attended a scrimmage between Haverford School and La Salle and ran into an old buddy named Tony Soslow, a Cheltenham High product. One Tony told the other Tony that his son, Jack, had just decided to kick after playing soccer for three years. In that scrimmage, he tried a 58-yard field goal. Tony C noted, "It was up and it was on center but it was about 3 yards short. I think he bears watching." Indeed! . . . If I missed some other lengthy field goals that deserve to be mentioned, please let me know at tedtee307@yahoo.com. Thanks.
UPDATED: In Week Seven, Soslow hit a 49-yarder vs. Malvern.
UPDATED: In Week Three, Malvern's Dan Giannascoli, also a former soccer player in his first year of kicking, booted a last-play field goal to give the Friars a 16-13 win over St. Mary's (Md.).

SEPT. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Judge 38, Northeast 18
  The hope of every prince, we'll assume, is to become the king. Well, tonight, No. 7 for Father Judge was wearing his crown by halftime. Many guys don't post these kinds of accomplishments in a month, let alone 24 minutes, but jr. WR-DB Prince Smith was simply outstanding as the Crusaders removed most of this meeting's starch. The fact that Smith turned four catches into 116 yards and one TD, a 79-yarder, was impressive enough. He also made two interceptions -- one on a dive and another off an impressive leap. At halftime, I told Brother Jim Williams, Judge's goodwill ambassador, "If No. 7 is not on the track team, I'll be calling coach Tony Darden on Monday to let him know what an athlete he could have in his fold." Too late. As makes perfect sense, Smith IS on the track team (as are some other 'Saders) and he'd better be in some of the jumping events and not just a runner (smile). Serious hops! Northeast had been blitzed by Judge in last year's meeting, so when the Vikings turned the game's first possession into a score on a 34-yard hookup between sr. QB Asa Manley and sr. WR Travon Williams, the thought was, "OK, maybe we're in for an entertaining evening." Judge responded with a scoring drive of its own, capped by jr. RB Yeedee Thaenrat on an 18-yard run. And what a magic scamper it was! At maybe the 10, Thaenrat got plastered and was headed for the turf. Somehow, during a spin, he placed his fingertips on the turf to help maintain balance and continued into the end zone. Somebody's gotta Youtube that baby! Northeast then unraveled. Manley is a very good athlete and I admire his brass, but sometimes you have to realize it's better to eat the ball or toss it away. Instead, he tried to salvage something from already-nothing and the football gods weren't feelin' it. With frosh Quadir Gibson in the process of dragging him down, Manley lofted a pick to jr. DB Tom Penko. Result: 32-yard TD. Thanks to pressure from sr. DL Kevin McCue, Smith made his diving pick three plays later and, bingo, sr. QB Zack Carroll immediately hit soph WR Raheem Blackshear for a 36-yard TD. Four plays later, Smith posted pilfer No. 2 and this time the yield was "only" a 22-yard field goal by jr. K Joe Gallagher. Just two plays after a three-and-out, Smith zoomed downfield for his 79-yard score off a slant. The ball was perfectly delivered (and Carroll finished the first half at 5-for-7, 152 yards; he had two short completions on the first series of the third quarter). Judge's pickoff party wasn't over. Thaenrat got one on the final play of the half. Second half? Rather vanilla. Starting out, the Vikings opted to keep the clock moving by running the ball almost exclusively. Just trying to regain some confidence, no doubt. Alas, with 4:56 left in the third quarter, Manley suffered a dinged ankle and could only watch the rest of the game. Carroll, meanwhile, after one series, was watching soph backup Robert King run the show. Northeast experienced some fun as soph QB Brando Pridgen, a lefty, hit sr. handyman Jaquan Amos for scores of 23 and 38 yards, bringing the Vikings within 31-18. Thaenrat zoomed 52 yards for a TD with 2:14 left and King made an interception on the final play of the game. Robert King, that is. Not the Prince who's now a King. In the late going, because of their superior work on headsets, Mike Murphy (booth) and Tom Ryan (field) were seeking partial credit for the win. Ha, ha. Ballboy Evani Bell kept bugging me for stat updates every 1.4 seconds. Scheeez. Ha, ha, again. Gibson made lots of good plays on defense. Thaenrat uncorked a few thump-a-bumps. Because of its defensive dominance, Judge ran only 15 plays in the first half. Services for Bob Kaupp, formerly a long-time Judge assistant, will be next Saturday at St. Timothy. Viewing from 9 to 10:30 with the funeral Mass to follow. He was a special man and always fun to be around. RIP, Bob.

SEPT. 5
TEDBIT
  Most times when a team scores 32 points, it racks up five touchdowns and one conversion or two PATs. But once last week and again yesterday, teams scored 32 points via the four-eights route. And both times the opponent was a new Pub squad, KIPP DuBois. In Week One, Olney's 32 points were scored this way: two TDs for Erik Andrews and one apiece for Kadir Chisholm and Sultan Johns; three conversions for Chisholm and one for Andrews. Yesterday, Boys' Latin's 32 points were scored this way: two TDs for Damere Gilbert and one apiece for Michael Hammock and Clarence Rowland; two conversions for Troy Hester and one apiece for Gilbert and Hammock. In Week 10 of 2010, Furness went the four-eights route vs. Germantown. In between, 27 teams scored 32 points with the help of five TDs. In Week 6 of 2012, Southern came close to four eights in a 32-8 win over Olney. However, there were only three conversions. A safety was mixed in.

SEPT. 4
NON-LEAGUE
Washington 15, O'Hara 6
  This one began with an oh-crap that quickly became an oh-wow! Back to receive the opening kickoff was Washington sr. Tavious Morgan and he gathered in the ball at the 9. Um, not really. He bobbled, fumbled, mishandled, whatever you want to call it. Ah, but seven yards forward, Morgan regained possession and . . . he . . . was . . . off . . . to . . . the . . . races! Motoring down the left sideline on the far side at Northeast, going west to east, Morgan zoomed 84 yards to make the score 6-0. Chris Schlegel, who later uncorked a 57-yard punt, hammered the ball through the uprights and the Eagles were flyin' at 7-0. On a night where tremendous plays were not too common, Morgan's junket was the obvious highlight. For those who like the little things, Morgan also posted, by far, the best block of the game from his WR spot. Late In the second quarter, his crackback cruncher helped jr. QB Damir Mitchell scurry to the 6 on a 17-yard keeper. To its credit, O'Hara stiffened (sr. DB Max Ferguson made a fourth-down breakup) to keep Washington from expanding its 9-0 lead. Yes, there'd been a safety. On third-and-10 from the 13 midway through the second quarter, sr. QB Brandon Laughlin was back in the shotgun when, whoa, the ball zipped right past him and into the end zone. The center thought he'd heard a snap-it noise. Uh, uh. Laughlin hustled back and covered the rock to limit the damage to two points. On its first series of the third quarter, after forcing a three-and-out, Washington stuck to the ground and kept pounding the left side behind sr. TE Shareef Miller, the Frankford transfer who's drawing national attention. The best play was 30-yard run by Nigel Sealey (18-81), which advanced the ball to the 1. On third down -- yes, to the left side -- Sealey managed to score. O'Hara then mounted its first respectable drive, thanks largely to RB Ferguson (17-51), but six points would not result. On third-and-4 from the 26, Laughlin tried a left-side fade and sr. DB Terry Hall made a leaping pick in front of the intended receiver. One last issue to worry about: Would O'Hara suffer a shutout? That answer became "no" kinda late. Jr. LB Anthony Amoroso, who'd missed some time with a scary-at-first injury, broke through the middle to partially block a punt. From the 25, the Lions needed four plays and the score was an 11-yard connection between Laughlin and soph WR Tommy "Cardinal" O'Hara. Tommy O made the snag at the 2, at the left hash, and dragged a defender into the end zone. The onside kick from sr. L Jack Horan had the necessary good bounce, but the ball was cradled, with no problem, by sr. Donnell Smith. Ballgame. (It was sorta ballgame already because the two-point conversion had been unsuccessful.) At his DE spot, Miller made eight total tackles with four behind the line. Sr. LB Shawn Henderson, who doubles as the fullback, packed multiple wallops. Sr. DL Tim Bradley made a fourth-quarter stop on third-and-2 from the 12. It was good to see assorted Washington people, from coach Ron Cohen to assistants Frank McFillin and son Rich (QB in '03), Rasheed Muhammad, Skip Singletary and Kyle Benzio, along with AD/baseball coach Ken Geiser. Also had a nice pregame chat with former Washington star Courtney Williams, who's now an assistant at O'Hara. Courtney's brother, O'Hara-Ohio State product Corey "Philly" Brown, is slated to make his NFL debut this weekend for the Carolina Panthers as a receiver/returner. Another brother, frosh Justin Santilla, will also be a star at O'Hara. At halftime, meanwhile, it was great to see former O'Hara captain/assistant Gabe DiBernardino, who's now on the staff at Springfield Delco with statkeeper/website legend Willie "B-Dub" McGonigle. Thanks for going out of your way to come say hello, Gabe! Check this out: DN reporter Aaron "Ace" Carter is, as many know by now, the son of former NBA player/coach Fred Carter. Now interning for the DN is Cheltenham-Temple product Brent Baum. His dad? Former Temple star and NBAer John Baum! Dad attended West Philly High, but never played varsity there. You know I'll be posting a pic of Ace/Brent  (smile).

SEPT. 4
TEDBIT
  This is a big week for Public League football. In recent, and even some not-so-recent, decades, the Pub has been greatly overshadowed by the Catholic League. However, fueled by Week One wins by Gratz over Lansdale Catholic and by Prep Charter over O'Hara, and by Imhotep's 3-0 mark in 2013, the Pub is now 9-11 against Cath foes over the last two seasons. Three Pub-Cath matchups will take place this week -- Washington vs. O'Hara, tonight, 6 o'clock, at Northeast; Northeast vs. Judge, tomorrow night, 6:30, at Northeast; and King vs. Wood, Saturday, 7 p.m., at Tennent. Will the Pub scramble above .500? Or perhaps move to 11-12? Should be interesting . . .
UPDATED SEPT. 7 IN GRAY

SEPT. 3
TEDBIT
  It might be time to change a popular phrase from "busy as a bee" to "busy as a QB." In Week One, 10 quarterbacks passed or ran (or got sacked) on at least 33 plays. The breakdown follows . . .

SEPT. 2
TEDBIT
  At roughly 30 city-leagues schools, including those that are no longer with us, the one-game, passing-yards record is something in the 200s or even the 100s. Meanwhile . . . At La Salle, 300-yard efforts have been posted seven times. In last Friday night's '14 opener, Kyle Shurmur threw for 345 vs. North Penn. Brett Gordon (Class of '98) was the first Explorer to reach 300, and he did so twice in the '97 season. He has guided the other guys as the offensive coordinator under his dad, Drew.
UPDATED SEPT. 7 IN GRAY 

SEPT. 1
TEDBIT
  In yesterday's nugget, you may have noticed that one prominent Pub program had not been able to collect a Week One win against "outside" competition over the last 10 seasons. That program: Northeast. The Vikings did not play an outsider in '05, but have since gone 0-9 and the latest setback provided serious disappointment. Friday morning, the Vikings fell to Abington, 35-34, due to a five-yard fade (followed by the PAT) on the final play of the game. Not to be lost in the shuffle: sr. QB Asa Manley threw for two scores and ran for two more.

AUG. 31
TEDBIT
  All kinds of Pub people are walking around town with their chests sticking out. With good reason! In games against non-league foes, Pub teams captured SIX Week One victories and that's quite a feat when taking into consideration the mostly-mighty struggles of the previous nine seasons. In 2009, for instance, the Pub went 0-11 in Week One "outsider" games and the scoring disadvantage was 327-96. This year's winners were Franklin over Pottsgrove, West Philly over Harriton, Prep Charter over O'Hara, Imhotep over Cardinal Mooney (Ohio), Gratz over Lansdale Catholic and Mastery North over William Tennent. Hey, did you notice? Two of those wins were claimed against Catholic League teams. Both games were played in Ocean City, N.J.

AUG. 30
NON-LEAGUE
McDevitt 33, Pope John Paul II 14
  What a nice surprise! The Lancers not only triumphed, but did so in reasonably comfortable fashion. Enjoyable moments were scarce in the previous two seasons, witness a 3-15 overall record and a drop in participation numbers. Also, coach Pat Manzi, in charge since 1982, recently suffered a serious health setback and it's possible, even likely, he'll miss the entire season. Now running the show is veteran assistant Karl Stout and the Lancers have hope because the enrollment dip has placed them in Class A. If they can hang tough through the regular season, perhaps they'll be able to make some noise come state-playoffs time. For now? They're basking in this glow, and thanking the football gods that the game actually ended before school opened (smile). Due to numerous penalties and cramps and a pre-halftime scuffle that had to be sorted out, mixed in with the presence of a head ref whose games always take forever (because, somehow, unusual developments are constants), this baby, played at Cheltenham High, lasted two hours, 53 minutes. Incredible. Almost without exception in football, captains are seniors. But McDevitt's group features one apiece from the senior, junior and sophomore classes and each guy was prominent. Soph QB Max Bryson, a lefty, passed 14-for-20 for 203 yards and two TDs. Junior RB-DT/DE Vincent DiLeo (10-76) and sr. handyman-DB Stephen Leach (untouched on a clinching 20-yarder) ran for one TD apiece and enjoyed big moments on the defensive side, as well. Also, sr. K-P Brendan Hanagan, star pitcher and basketball manager, hammered several kickoffs into the end zone and uncorked a 44-yard punt. The Lancers received a serious lift midway through the first quarter when Bryson lofted a perfect streak-pattern bomb along the left sideline to frosh WR Jaron Macon. The result was an 83-yard TD that succeeded in Macon everyone happy. A bad snap squashed the PAT attempt and the half ended with the visitors on top at 7-6. Right before halftime? Did you have to ask? Two players got into an extended dustup a shade away from the action and things then escalated. After the sortout, two Golden Panthers and McDevitt soph LB Billy Gillette were ejected for "throwing punches." To that point, Gillette, who's only 5-10, 175 pounds, and has the face of a sixth-grader, had been doing a great job. He made stops on four of PJP's first five plays and recorded a 10-yard sack shortly before the fracas. Once Gillette departed, another LB, No. 54 (not listed on roster), had some impressive moments. He also looked quite young, so I'll be surprised if he's more than a soph. **Turns out he's a freshman named Jayvonne Campfield. Thanks to assistant Colin Leach for the help.** McDevitt scored two TDs apiece in the third and fourth quarters. On just the second play of the third, soph LB Quentin Beasley and soph LB Daniel "Make Sure You Go To" Church combined to force a fumble and soph DB Jalen Reynolds made the recovery at the 33. Bryson completed two passes for 16 total yards, then DiLeo powered up the middle for a 17-yard score. Impressive run. From beginning to end, he fought through major contact. An interception by jr. DB Dontae Mason set up the next score, Bryson's 1-yard sneak. The scores in the fourth quarter went to Leach on a 7-yard catch and Leach again on the 20-yard run. Coach Stout said coach Manzi recently made a visit to the school and is hopeful of returning by midway through the first semester, at least to teach. If not, it's likely he would miss no more than the entire first semester. Best of luck, Pat!

AUG. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Ryan 21, Judge 20
  So much for the notion that Ryan may have to settle for a medium season after losing numerous quality players, especially physical linemen. Sr. RB Samir Bullock, one of the area's most dangerous rushers, is still around and -- guess what -- his path-clearers look respectable. In this Northeast Philly Catholic Classic, played before a pretty decent crowd at Washington, Bullock, despite some cramping issues, managed to rack up 140 yards and one TD on a whopping 33 carries. Also, soph QB Matt Romano, another of those ever-popular, mixed-dominance skills guys (he throws righthanded but punts leftfooted), was able to average roughly 12 yards per attempt, going 6-for-11 and 131 yards and a TD to sr. WR Seneca Williams. In all, the Raiders posted 299 yards of offense, so you know what's coming next . . . the grunts' names! The C was junior Sean Devine, the Gs were sr. John Ferry and jr. Ryan Kidwell, and the tackles were sr. Kevin Schaeffer and soph Brendan Ruskowski. Also quite important was sr. TE Jon Liguori, and not just for hammerin' people. Liguori made three catches for 84 yards and the last, a 57-yarder, was the most important. It came three minutes into the fourth quarter with the score tied at 14-14. Liguori gathered in the underneath, in-traffic toss, broke free from would-be tacklers and made it all the way to the 1 before being dragged down by jr. DB Tom Penko. Sr. FB Tom "Cramps Ain't Crampin' My Style" McDevitt then powered into the end zone and suffered his 27th cramp (rough estimate, smile) of the game. Judge garnered one first down on its next drive, but then sr. QB Zack Carroll was just a little bit too long on deep throws to open receivers. With Bullock getting the call on 10 of the 11 plays, the Raiders ran out the clock from there and proceeded to cut loose with all kinds of emotion. I guess archrivals are disliked (hated?) even on Labor Day Weekend. They definitely are, in fact. Game-long jawing was mixed with sometimes-unobserved cheap shots as these squads really got after it. The teams had to find a different time to play because they're no longer in the same classification; an enrollment dip has pushed Ryan down to AAA while Judge remains in AAAA. A huge play occurred midway through the third quarter, with the score tied at 14-14. On third and eight from Ryan's 7, Romano was consumed by jr. LB Rob Taggart, who perfectly timed his burst through the line. Romano was brought down in the end zone and the head ref signaled a safety. Somehow, the call was overturned and the ball was placed at the 3. To the naked eye, the safety call looked legit. Romano then punted 37 yards to the 40 and Judge needed just two plays to score, a 10-yard run by soph handyman Raheem Blackshear and a 30-yard hookup between Carroll and jr. WR Prince Smith. The missed kick left Judge vulnerable with a 20-14 lead. If the safety had stood, and a quick score also had followed after the free kick, the lead would have been 22-14. Judge's first half scores went to jr. RB Yeedee Thaenrat (3-yard run) and Smith (88-yard kickoff return). Tallying for the Raiders were Bullock (5-yard run; two plays after Romano, as the holder, rushed the ball to the 1) and Williams (25-yard catch; a leap amidst two defenders). Liguori had two important moments on the first scoring drive. After flat-out dropping one pass, he came up with a perfect bounceback just two plays later, diving low to make a contested catch for first down yardage. Special moment for that young man! That first scoring drive was given birth when Mr. Cramp made a fumble recovery. The second occurred after jr. DE Dylan Dopkin powered through the line to block a punt . . . and make the recovery. Carroll finished 8-for-13 for 100 yards while Thaenrat rushed 12 for 60. As the free safety, Thaenrat was beyond impressive. If you look closely, you might find Raiders' teeth sprinkled around the field. Man, did he bring it! The top visiting dignitary was Steve Senko, the Catholic League's top senior hoopster (Markward Award winner) in 1979. He has been living in California for 31 years. While back here for his visit, Steve said he played a round of golf with same-era Judge star Mike McIntyre. Wait, is that even allowed? Ha, ha. Steve said Mike should have attended Ryan, but opted for Judge because its basketball program owned a higher profile. Hanging out with Steve was Ryan teammate Dan Quinn. Dan's dad, the late, incredibly-great John Quinn, was the Raiders' back-in-the-day football coach. I will forever miss seeing John along the sidelines or at basketball games. Continue to RIP, Sir.

AUG. 29
NON-LEAGUE
La Salle 29, North Penn 7
  The only bad thing about being Kyle Shurmur is that you're constantly trying to outdo Kyle Shurmur. And that ain't easy, folks. At most schools, a 23-for-36, 345-yard, four-TD effort would be the stuff of legend. But the yardage total left Shurmur 39 yards short of La Salle's school record and the guy who holds that mark (set in 2013) is none other than Kyle Shurmur, and that 384-yard effort is the best ever by a CL quarterback. There is much to love about the son of the Eagles' offensive coordinator, a Vanderbilt commit, and those closest to him rave about his work ethic, for one, and grasp of all things inner football workings, for two. Brett Gordon, La Salle's offensive coordinator under dad Drew, said he sometimes sends in two play possibilities and lets Kyle make the call based on what he feels/knows will work best. Very cool! In this one, Shurmur's most impressive trait was NOT locking in on his receivers. Almost never -- except for quick hitters, of course -- did he show the defense where he'd be throwing pretty much from the snap. His eyes were constantly here, then there, and then the ball was whizzing to somebody else. Tough to defend that, troops! By halftime Shurmer was 18-for-25 for 276 yards and a high-400s, 500-yard night seemed entirely possible. Alas, he added just 11 yards in the third quarter before collecting 58 more in the fourth. Shurmur targeted five receivers and -- very cool! -- four wound up with one TD snag apiece. Sr. RB Jordan Meachum needed just four snags to bag 117 yards and a 41-yard score. Other guys: sr. WR Jimmy Herron (8-108, 10-yard TD; a 58-yard score was erased by a hold), jr. RB Nick Rinella (7-70, 17-yard TD), sr. TE Charlie Hemcher (2-39, 28-yard TD) and jr. WR Charles Headen (2-11). If you're a parent/friend of a grunt, perhaps you're muttering, "Hey, how 'bout the linemen?!" How 'bout 'em, indeed!! Shurmur received great protection and was sacked just ONCE. The guys, mostly, were soph C Jim Morrissey, jr. G Matt McDermott (along with jr. Conor McCracken), sr. G Rob Skowronski, sr. T Sean Collins and jr. T Ryan Schutta. Tonight those guys formed a perfect protection posse. Early, it appeared we might be in for a serious game of ping-pong. La Salle needed just five plays to open the scoring and NP required just four to answer. Thereafter, however, ping was not matched by pong and La Salle wound up semi-coasting. Prominent on defense were sr. T Keith Wagner, jr. T Anthony Piscopo (one of the hardest hits you could ever hope to see) and sr. SS Ryan Brady. Meachum and Herron posted early-third-quarter interceptions and, in the fourth quarter, sr. DB AJ Grezeszak made a fumble recovery that was immediately followed by Hemcher's TD. The crowd was great, especially since most La Salle people (assumedly, smile) own shore houses and could have easily opted for sand/ocean/boardwalk. It was wonderful to interact again with the Explorer coaches; there is never such a thing as a sour experience with any of these guys. Also had fun during a pregame chat with former website stalwart and La Salle gridder Jack "In the Box" Crouse, who now teaches at Holy Ghost Prep. He loves coming back to watch his ol' school. Howevvvvvver, shortly before kickoff, after disappearing briefly, he came strolling across the field from North Penn's side and said, "I went to the bathroom and missed the Alma Mater. That's my favorite part!" All 'Splorer supporters understand the comment.