September 2018 (and earlier)
October 2018

JAN. 7
TEDBIT
  Rick Prete, a product of Norristown High and most recently the offensive coordinator at Imhotep Charter, today was named Roman Catholic's new football coach. He becomes the sixth black/African American to head a Catholic League football program and the first in that group who's a grad of a school outside the Catholic/Public/Inter-Ac leagues.

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Judge's new coach, Frank McArdle V (front), with his grandmother, Anne (a k a "Mick"), in 1987 after Judge QB Chris Fagan won the McArdle MVP Trophy for leading the Crusaders past Lincoln on Thanksgiving; he passed for 368 yards.

JAN. 28 TEDBIT   Throughout the Delaware Valley right now, it's doubtful anyone is feeling better than Frank McArdle. Just weeks after being dismissed as the football coach at his alma mater, Archbishop Ryan, Frank has been hired to head the program at archrival Father Judge. This is the perfect landing spot because his huge family has many ties to Judge. His dad, also Frank (they're IV and V, officially), was a long-time assistant at Judge and his late grandpop (III), was such a popular/respected man in the "Near Northeast" that a playground was named after him. Now known as the Frank McArdle Memorial Recreation Center, at 2801 Welsh Road, Judge played its baseball games there for roughly 3 1/2 decades. "Five" knew he'd been hired Friday, but the school opted to make the announcement today. Via text he noted last night, "Crazy that I grew up around FJ football and I am coming back as the HC. Really neat for my family. My Dad is so excited he has called me about 30 times in the last three days." He added that his uncles -- Ed McArdle '79, Jack Langton '80 and Jerry Langton '86 -- "are also fired up." Frank's dad was the head coach at Neumann in '94 and Dougherty from '95 through '97. The list below shows all Catholic League coaches who guided multiple CL schools within the span from 1969 through 2018. Just two guys, Gamp Pellegrini and Bob Vincent, coached somewhere else after starting as the boss at their alma mater. "Five" will officially join that club late next summer. Best of luck!

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JAN. 8
TEDBIT
  Next season, due to firings/resignations, at least five Catholic League schools -- Judge, Lansdale, Roman, Ryan, SJ Prep -- will have a different football coach. If every coach is "new" at his school, meaning he's not returning for a second stint, this will be the seventh time in CL history that at least five schools will be under different leadership. Such a shuffle has not taken place since 2004. Just twice have there have been six newbies -- 1965 and 1994. 1963 isn't counted because there were three new schools (Egan, Kenrick, McDevitt). Just one guy can be found twice on the list below.  George Stratts was new at McDevitt in 1970 and O'Hara in '94. In between he guided Dougherty.

DEC. 30
TEDBIT
  The first NFL season of Imhotep product Denniston "D.J." Moore is in the books  . . . and can induction to the Hall of Fame be far behind (smile)? D.J. made 55 catches for 778 yards and two TDs for the Carolina Panthers and his catch/yardage totals are No. 2 all-time for "Our Guys" rookies. Only HOFer Marvin Harrison (Roman) is ahead of D.J. and the latter's YPR number is one yard better. Angelo Coia 9old Northeast, at 8th & Lehigh) remains the far-and-away YPR leader at 19.1.

DEC. 29
TEDBIT
  The year was 2003 and sr. Tim Roken was in his one and only season as Archbishop Ryan's starting quarterback. Overall, he passed 85-for-208 yards and 10 TDs and racked up as many as 200 yards two times. Once on the nose vs. Roman and 43 more vs. Washington, the Raiders' forever Thanksgiving opponent. In that 243-yard effort, he passed 21-for-38 and bagged two TDs. Since then, Tim has made MANY visits to 200Ville. He hit that number 10 times in two seasons as the starter at East Stroudsburg (2007-08) and helped to orchestrate 23 more outbursts at St. Joseph's Prep. Tim joined the Prep staff in 2010 under first-year coach Gabe Infante. He coached the QBs/receivers in that season and then was the offensive coordinator from 2011 through the just-completed 2018 campaign. Infante has moved on to Temple and Roken has been named to succeed him. Since Kyle McCord, who dominates the list below to the left, is only a soph, let's strongly believe that many more visits will be made to 200Ville (and even 300Ville) in the coming seasons. At ES, Tim's best games occurred back-to-back -- 420 vs. Clarion and 414 vs. Shippensburg. Like NFL games, college games last 60 minutes. McCord's top effort in '18 was 369. Over 60 minutes, that total would be 461. Best of luck to Tim as he guides the Hawks!

DEC. 28
TEDBIT
  SJ Prep sophomore QB Kyle McCord rules the passing portion of the list right below. Twice. Yes, in this year's 6A semis, he passed for 301 yards, then came close with 283 in the final . Those are efforts Nos. 1 and 2 by Catholic League players in the final three rounds of state playoffs going back to 2008. All 2018 qualifiers are highlighted in gray.

DEC. 26
TEDBIT
  Five guys this year earned first team Daily News All-City honors for a second time and their names can be found at the bottom of this updated list. SJ Prep's streak is over. At least one Hawk had been a double-dipper for four consecutive seasons. We'll see what happens with QB Kyle McCord. In 2010, he could become a triple-dipper, joining Roman WR Will Fuller and Preppers John Reid (DB) and D'Andre Swift (MP-RB). Imhotep DL Omar Speights also could have been a triple honoree this year, but he wound up moving to Oregon for family reasons.

DEC. 22
TEDBIT
  Going back to 1990, seven Catholic League coaches have posted impressive runs through five consecutive seasons. With his 13-0 mark this season, SJ Prep's Gabe Infante has now pulled into a tie, at .892, with former Wood coach Steve Devlin for the best winning percentage over five years. Or has he? . . . Let's take a closer look. Infante's expanded number is .8923. Devlin's is .8919. Gabe wins! The Prep's Gil Brooks is right behind at .890. The list below shows the best one five-year run for each coach.  

DEC. 16
TEDBIT
  Below are Top 20 YPG averages for all Catholic League receivers over the last 11 seasons that have led their teams to at least the quarterfinal round in the state playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles and all varieties of state playoffs, including subregionals. Two SJ Prep guys, Johnny Freeman and Marvin Harrison, made the list.

DEC. 15
TEDBIT
  Below are Top 20 YPG averages for all Catholic League rushers over the last 11 seasons that have led their teams to at least the quarterfinal round in the playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles and all varieties of state playoffs, including subregionals. This year's guys are Conwell-Egan's Patrick Garwo (a returnee) and teammate Dajuan Harris (a newcomer). Harris appeared in two of C-E's four outings.

DEC. 14
TEDBIT
  Below are Top 24 YPG passing averages for all Catholic League quarterbacks over the last 11 seasons that have led their teams to at least the quarterfinal round in the state playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles and all varieties of state playoffs, including subregionals. There's a new No. 1 -- SJ Prep's Kyle McCord (221.0) and he's way out in front (by almost 19 yards). TWO West Catholic guys are new to the list. The Burrs played five playoffs. Zaire Hart-Hawkins and Tre Johnson played in three apiece because ZH-H suffered an injury in Game No. 3.

DEC. 13
TEDBIT
  Below you'll see numbers in 13 categories for SJ Prep's four largest--enrollment state champs. Those in bold type are the best and this year's squad leads the way with seven. Note to this year's crew: Let the bragging begin! (smile). The 2016 squad is next with five, 2014 checks in with one and 2013 has none.

DEC. 12
TEDBIT
  The lists below show kick scoring and overall scoring career leaders for Catholic League/Inter-Ac seniors from 2013 through 2018 . . .

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DEC. 11
TEDBIT
  Six seasons have come and gone since I retired from the good, ol' Daily News. At the end of each one, career leaders for rushing (3,000 yards), passing (also 3,000) and receiving (1,600) have been added to this website page. Below you'll see career totals for also-decent Catholic League and Inter-Ac performers during these last six seasons. Rushing and passing: 2,000 to 2,999. Receiving: 800 to 1,599. Check back tomorrow for kick scoring and overall scoring.

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DEC. 10
TEDBIT
  Their high school careers have ended and their stats have been finalized . . . This list includes stats first posted on Nov. 14.

DEC. 9
TEDBIT
  Well, they've done ti again . . . with an asterisk. With last night's 40-20 win over Harrisburg in the Class 6A state final, the St. Joseph's Prep Hawks completed their second perfect season in three years. And the school's fourth over the last 18 years. Twenty-three Catholic League champs have achieved perfection. The Prep leads the way with six. La Salle, North Catholic and West Catholic are tied for second at three, Now for the asterisk. In this year's opener, the Prep played another national power, St. Frances (MD). Lightning suspended the contest midway through the third quarter. Because the score was close (SF led, 13-7), SF opted not to claim a victory.   

DEC. 8
TEDBIT
  Here's a list of the most prolific teams in Catholic/Inter-Ac history on a points-per-game basis. SJ Prep's 2018 squad currently ranks fifth at 43.4 entering tonight's Class 6A state final vs. Harrisburg. The suspended game with St. Frances (MD) is not included; the Hawks had seven in that one. Conwell-Egan's '18 squad checks in at No. 11.
  UPDATED: SJ Prep's details have been updated through the 6A final.

DEC. 7
TEDBIT
  Not too long ago, lefthanded quarterbacks were rather rare. Going back even further, it was not uncommon for a high school coach to say he'd NEVER use lefty QBs because they were too erratic. Thank goodness things have changed. A pair of college lefties via the Inter-Ac League, Muhlenberg soph Mike "Neeko" Hnatkowsky (Penn Charter) and Wisconsin redshirt junior Alex Hornibrook (Malvern), have now combined for more than 20,000 passing yards in their high school/college careers. And the stats are not complete through 2018 because Wisconsin will play Miami on Dec. 27 in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The breakdown for both guys is below. This is also very cool: They need just five attempts for 2,500 and just three TDs for 200. And if Alex, the nephew of former MLB catcher Ben Davis (also a Malvern grad) feels like racking up 43 completions in the bowl game, that total will soar to 1,500.

DEC. 5
TEDBIT
  When it comes to best winning percentage, SJ Prep leads the Catholic League . . . and it's highly doubtful that will not change any time soon, folks. This is season No. 91 of CL membership for the Hawks and they've posted winning overall records 61 times for .670. Judge is No. 2 at .635. This is season No. 98. There was no formal competition in 1929.

DEC. 4
TEDBIT
  Eight Inter-Ac guys have racked up at least 3,000 career rushing yards and the list below ranks them by yards per carry. Penn Charter sr. Edward Saydee comes in fifth. Chestnut Hill Academy's Ibraheim (NFL) and Rashad Campbell are brothers and the latter reached his total in just two seasons. CHA was not in the Inter-Ac in 2005. Check out the total number of carries for Germantown Academy's Alex Holcombe. Outrageous, right?

DEC. 3
TEDBIT
  Especially in recent times, SJ Prep has enjoyed major football success. This year, however, the Hawks have racked up an all-time first: two playoff shutouts in the same season. They blanked Roman in a CL 6A semifinal by 38-0 and two days ago completely muffled Pine-Richland, 37-0, in a state 6A semi. The defensive starters vs. P-R, courtesy of stats wiz Ed "Huck" Palmer, who watched the tape, are listed below to the right. In that Roman game, Liam Johnson recorded 14 tackles with eight solos and six assists. Jeremiah Trotter, Anthony Leneghan and Myles Talley had five apiece while Zach Bouggess made an interception.  Vs. P-R, Johnson (11 tackles), Trotter and Cooper Kim (10 apiece) were all over the field, combining for 24 solos and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage (sacks included). Shawn Stratz is the defensive coordinator for coach Gabe Infante. Position coaches are Barney Flores (line), Rich Burger (linebackers) and Keita Crespina (backs).

DEC. 2
BURKEBIT
LIttle Quakers Conclude 66th Season in New Orleans with Perfect 4-0 record.
  Tulane University - The Little Quakers prevailed in a seesaw battle against their New Orleans host with a 26 - 20 win at Yulman Stadium over the Pontchartrain Patriots of the New Orleans Recreational Development organization.
  Chandler Turner provided the knockout punch with a 37-yard sprint to the end zone with just under two minutes remaining.
  That deciding score was set up with a flying tackle by LB Liam Rowan whose fumble-punch was recovered by alert DE Dean Shacklett. On the very next play, Turner struck pay dirt before the stalwart LQ defense went back to work again, stopping a surging Patriot attack which progressed all the way to the LQ 15 yd line with just :20 secs remaining. A pair of bookend 1st down and 4th down hurries , both by DL Julian Grandelli, pressured the final Patriot passes to sail wide. One Victory Formation later, and a jubilant LQ squad ran onto the field to celebrate the heart-stopping capstone of their undefeated 4-0 season.
  Turner was stellar with 16 totes for 133 yards (including his 37 yard TD sprint)and added another with a 34 yard screen pass TD in which he weaved his way through no less than 6 defenders and traversed almost the full width of the field before scoring. He also added a critical 14 yard punt return, diving for the last 5 yds. to get LQ past midfield for their next-to-last drive.
  QB Harrison Susi commanded the O downfield with 34 key rushing yards on 10 carries and threw for 2 TDS on 8 attempts for 57 total yards and ran for 2 extra pts. He also provided a reliable foot for kickoffs all season.
  Favorite target WR Will Costin added his 6th TD of the season with a clutch 23 yard TD leap in the end zone, sandwiched between two defenders.
  On D, DE Matt Dumond came up big with 2 bat-down deflections and an extra point stop. LB David Comitale was seemingly all over the field with numerous assists, trip-ups and a couple of sack assists. DB Sam Gerber had three open field tackles and assists and defended receivers tightly on long bombs. DL Sal Palmisano was involved in 2 TFL including a sack with Comitale and Shacklett, and Comitale assisted in another sack with Rowan, who also made a big stop for no gain on the Patriots last drive.
  Though both teams helped each other with numerous infractions, both teams struck back with increased intensity, not allowing set-backs to deter their advances.
  On their first drive, LQ was about to enter the red zone when a fumble handed the Patriots a 79-yard TD rumble. But then the LQ D stiffened, and just before intermission, forced an errant negative 2-yard punt by the Patriots from their 5 yard line that was recovered by hustling LB Jerry Rullo on the 1 yard-line. This set up a Susi step-in TD and LQ has the momentum and a 14-6 halftime lead.
  Later, in the 4th Quarter, Rullo, this time as the punter, helped flip the field with a high 32-yd punt, pinning the Patriots on their own 22-yd line after a block-in-the-back was added.
Both teams went 4 and out before the spectacular forced fumble by Rowan and the pivotal Turner TD that decided the tumultuous tilt.
  LQ President Bob Rosania addressed both teams which gathered at mid-field after the traditional sportsmanship hand-shake line-up. He complemented the Patriots for their excellent play and thanked them for being outstanding opponents. He also exhorted the boys to “always treasure this game and the overall experience in such a great Division 1 stadium because it will be a lifetime memory even as many of you will surely continue to play at higher and higher levels. Just don’t forget that you are talented football players and you will have many opportunities ahead because of it. Make them count and cherish the memories!”

DEC. 1
TEDBIT
  West Catholic last night fell to Southern Columbia, 42-6, in a Class 2A state semifinal and that big of a yield is not too common. Just 12 times in this century have the Burrs surrendered as many as 40 points. Carroll's 2000 powerhouse also scorched Wood - to the tune of 77 points. West and Wood rebounded rather nicely, right?. That 2002 Neumann-West game was an all-timer. West WON, 55-48. Click here for a page about that one.

NOV. 30
TEDBIT
  This is part of my website report on the outrageous performance by Allentown Central Catholic's Brendan Nosovitch in a 2010 Class AAA semifinal vs. Wood . . .
DEC. 10, 2010
CLASS AAA SEMIFINAL
Allentown CC 49, Wood 27
  Let’s be clear about something right away: In 40 years of covering high school sports, this ranks as the best performance I’ve seen in any sport. ACC quarterback Brendan Nosovitch accounted for 602 yards and all seven touchdowns. Yes, you that read that correctly – 602 yards. Just a junior, he already boasts two seasons with 2,000 passing AND 1,000 rushing yards and Gatorade recently named him Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year. Through the years I’ve seen a gal and guy score 100 and 86 points, respectively, in basketball games. And a ballcarrier rack up six TDs. And a slugger hit four homers. And no-hitters. All impressive, no doubt. But you know how it usually goes. Outrageous numbers are almost always rung up against inferior opponents. This was a state semifinal, folks. ACC’s opponent boasted a perfect record. I’m still stunned. Sometime around midnight, after submitting my DN story, I was talking with Huck about the game. He’d spoken with several others and had listened to part of havenfootball.net's stream. He asked me whether this game had shown signs of Enjoy the Show, a reference to West Catholic’s wildly prolific offense in '08. My answer: “More like 'Enjoy MY Show.' " Yes, Nosovitch had help in the form of blockers and talented receivers. But out of a shotgun spread offense, with sometimes FOUR receivers to one side and one to the other, which left no one near him, this kid ran or passed on 49 of ACC’s 52 plays. Think about that. Forty-nine plays with DIRECT involvement. He passed 17-for-28 for 419 yards and five scores and ran 21 times for 183 and two more tallies. Just one of those accomplishments would be impressive. By the way, the city record for passing yards in a game is 409 and that came in a 60-3 Thanksgiving blowout (Central over Northeast) back in 1986. ACC’s other three plays were runs for zero and minus-3 and an incomplete pass off a trick play. So, this kid outgained his team, 602-599! After having given this extensive thought, I’ve decided Nosovitch was a cross between Brett Gordon (La Salle ’98) for throwing and Curtis Drake (WC ’09) for running. Is he like that all the time? Who knows? But he was tonight. Almost all of his passes were right THERE, and he displayed touch and velocity. And on his draws and flush-outs, he was quick and elusive and able to shake off multiple tacklers. After one of Nosovitch’s long runs, a Wood assistant muttered, “Three guys HAD him.” Almost. The tip came very early. After Wood failed to produce on its first possession, ACC took over at its 5. Nosovitch immediately turned a draw into a 25-yard gain, even though defensive coordinator Mike Carey was predicting exactly that play at high volume, and then these Vikings (also Wood’s nickname, of course) turned a short slant into a 75-yard score. Uh, oh.

NOV. 29
TEDBIT
  This is season No. 11 for the Catholic League's PIAA participation and a team could have racked up 31 appearances in quarters/semis/finals by now. Well, Wood's number is a very impressive 26 and the Vikings' record is off the charts at 22-4. They have also won five championships. Below are all results and the yardage leader, with TDs. Rushers lead passers, 20-6. Brandon and Desmon Peoples are cousins. Brandon and Nasir are brothers.
  UPDATED: Finalized through 2018.

NOV. 28 (Evening)
BURKEBIT

NOV. 28
TEDBIT
  West Catholic has reached state quarterfinals six times in the Catholic League's 11 seasons of PIAA participation. The Burrs are 9-4 in quarters/semis/finals heading into this year's semifinal vs. Southern Columbia and the 2010 squad won the state championship. Below are all results and the yardage leader, with TDs. Rushers lead passers, 8-5. QB Curtis Drake led the Burrs in yardage, via rushes, in two of those '08 games and a cool Curt pic, posted this morning, can be seen right here.
  UPDATED: Finalized through 2018.

NOV. 27
TEDBIT
  SJ Prep has earned spots in state playoffs five times over the last six seasons and the outcomes have been quite impressive. The Hawks own three state championships and an overall record of 12-1, counting the easy win over Bethlehem Catholic in Saturday's quarterfinal. Below are all results and the yardage leader, with TDs. Passers lead rushers, 9-4. 2017 grad D'Andre Swift is already a bigwig at Georgia.
  UPDATED: Finalized through 2018.

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