MAY 3
TEDBIT
  Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong will be trying to create a Great Eight come next fall. As in, he'll be trying to become the eighth West Catholic product to play in the NFL. The So-Far Seven are below. A note: John Michels played guard for the Eagles in 1953 . . . at 5-11, 200 pounds! And the other linemen were not exactly giants, assuming their listed pro hts/wts are correct -- Dave DiFilippo (5-10, 210), Jim Magee (6-1, 202) and Mike Mandarino (5-11, 240).  

MAY 2
TEDBIT
  Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong, a product of West Catholic known as Strong-Rankin during his days as a Burr, last night was selected in the third round (No. 70 overall) of the NFL draft. He's tied for 12th place on the list below, which shows all Top 100 picks of Pub/Cath/Int guys over the last 41 years. Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. had Jaelen tabbed as his 19th best prospect, so Jaelen was undoubtedly experiencing over-the-top frustration as he had to wait and wait and wait to hear his name called. He'll enter training camp with incredible motivation and, over time, many GMs will be sorry they didn't take him. No. 70 worked out great for Bartram product Erik Williams, who became a first-magnitude tackle for the Dallas Cowboys. Best of luck, Jaelen!

JAN. 26
TEDBIT
  Brent Grimes got robbed last night! Grimes, a 2001 Northeast grad and cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, slapped together a terrific performance as Team Irvin beat Team Carter, 32-28, in the NFL's Pro Bowl. He posted one interception (in the end zone; snatched ball away from the receiver!), broke up five other passes and made three unassisted tackles. Alas, the defensive MVP award went to the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, who played for the LOSING team. Ugh! In the four major sports, "Our Guys" guys have earned MVP honors in all-star games five times. Here's a breakdown . . .   

DEC. 17
TEDBIT
  A statistical look at Archbishop Wood's three state champs, all at the AAA level (yardage totals ch-chinged by Ed "Huck" Palmer) . . . There are 13 categories. This year, we're listing the yardage totals by average since the Hawks played just 14 games. There are 13 categories. The 2014 squad placed first in 6 1/2, followed by 2011 at 4 1/2 and 2013 at 2.

DEC. 16
TEDBIT
  A statistical look at the state AAAA champs produced by archrival schools -- La Salle in 2009; SJ Prep in 2013 and 2014 (yardage totals ch-chinged by Ed "Huck" Palmer) . . . This year, we're listing the yardage totals by average since the Hawks played just 14 games. There are 13 categories. La Salle's 2009 squad fares the best with six first places. The Prep's '14 squad is next with five followed by the '13 squad with two.

DEC. 14
TEDBIT
  Final totals for highly productive seniors whose careers have ended . . .

DEC. 13
CLASS AAAA FINAL
SJ Prep 49, Pine-Richland 41
(At Hersheypark Stadium)
  Talk about new-school! This all-timer featured every possible element, and showed why modern-day games can make you excited and exhausted to equal degrees. If some guy does an investigation, here's what he'll find: Both teams were coached by Chip Kelly (smile). The teams combined for 1,138 scrimmage yards and the all-purpose total was 1,329. The Hawks lost those battles, 591-547 and 731-598, but here's guessing they don't mind even a little since the end result was their second consecutive state crown. When was it secured? Not until, literally, the scoreboard clock showed 0:00. The final play began at 2.9 and the ball was stationed at the Prep's 25. The Hawks' defensive alignment featured four guys across the goal line and three more across the 10 -- a 4-3-4 covering 25 yards. Sr. QB Ben DiNicci, who will have all kinds of fun while directing Penn's offense, could only launch a jump-ball throw toward the end zone, and hope. Up the pigskin went. Down it came in the arms of sr. DB Olamide Zaccheaus. After the players and coaches rushed out to the end zone to celebrate, assistant Keita Crespina, the former Lincoln/Temple star, could be heard saying again and again to Zaccheaus, "All you do is make plays!! . . . All you do is make plays!!" Quite often in this one, there were defining moments. After scoring on its first four possessions of the second half, coach Gabe Infante's Hawks appeared -- repeat, appeared -- to be in command at 42-21 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Rams had the wind and DiNicci's arm in their favor and, well, here they came! Surrounding two three-and-outs by the Hawks, P-R scored at 8:05, 4:34 and 2:15 (13 total plays, 157 yards) to storm within 42-41. Though it still had two timeouts remaining, P-R went the show-brass route and opted to try for two points. Located on the right side of the Prep's defense was sr. OLB Shaun Harris. He dashed in untouched to DiNicci's blind side and almost brought him down right then and there. DiNicci spun away, but was still under pressure and the pass was whipped off target. P-R's onsides kick was mishandled by sr. RB James Bell, but Zaccheaus (surprise, surprise) had his teammate's back and made the recovery at the Prep's 49. Zaccheaus then lost a yard and P-R used timeout No. 2 at 2:05. Soph RB D'Andre Swift then picked up three yards and P-R used timeout No. 3 at 1:58. Next, Swift lined up in the wildhawk, took up the snap and zipped right up the middle for a 47-yard TD at 1:49. Sr. K Nick Bill added his seventh PAT and the Hawks were up by eight. After a 15-yard return placed the ball at the 26, the Rams needed to cover 74 yards. They ran off 10 plays -- four completions for 43 yards, four incompletions, one sack for a yard, one flushout for seven yards -- to advance the ball to the 25. You already know what happened next. If you saw that last play, and are a Prep loyalist, it's likely you'll never forget it. OK, it's now time to backtrack. The Prep's first-half scores went to Zaccheaus on a 56-yard screen pass from sr. QB Jack Clements (as the play began, a backup along the Prep's sideline correctly yelped, "We out!") and a 28-yard, over-the-middle flip to Bell (as that play ended, two P-R defenders were looking at each other with expressions that seemed to say, "I thought YOU had him.") Just four plays into the third quarter, D'Andre was his usual swifty self with a 58-yard run for a score. Somehow, Bill mishit the kickoff and it wound up having the look of an onsides. Not so. However . . . Bill scrambled straight ahead and saved himself major embarrassment by making the recovery. Then came the play of the night. The Prep opted for a screen left and set up a tremendous wall of blockers, the kind you'd see on a kickoff return. Swift was the receiver and had no trouble getting past everyone, despite a tight fit along the sideline, for a 49-yard TD. Six-plus minutes later, the Hawks added the next score on a 3-yard wildhawk run by Zaccheaus, thus seizing a 35-14 lead. P-R responded at 2:01 before the Hawks again expanded their edge to 21 points on Swift's 1-yard leap into the end zone shortly into the fourth quarter. The amazing stretch run has already been detailed. Shortly after beginning the drive back home, I called Huck, who'd watched the game on PCN. Knowing that Swift had finished with 22 carries for 220 yards (and three TDs), Huck had already done some research (smile). He found that Swift was the first Prep rusher to post at least 200 yards in 68 games. That performance (279 vs. Judge) was posted by soph Desmon Peoples in 2009. Later, he transferred to Wood and led that school to the 2011 Class AAA state title. Also, Swift's 22 carries marked the first time in 33 games that a Hawk had carried the ball at least 20 times. Swift also notched 56 receiving yards, so his scrimmage output was 278. Zaccheaus had three snags for 123 yards. For P-R, DiNicci went 33-for-47 for 385 yards and four TDs while adding 81 yards on the ground. He has great feet/presence and throws rockets out of a slinging delivery. Lots of fun to watch this guy! Sr. WR Michael Merhaut had 14 catches for 112 yards while jr. WR Anthony Battaglia added eight for 119. At safety, Merhaut was also quite the whirlwind on defense. Huck had him for 18 tackles (12 solos). In a 22-play sequence spanning the third and fourth quarters, he made 14 stops with 10 solos. For the Prep's defense: jr. LB Nick Vandevere had an interception along with 14 tackles (11 solos); sr. DL Jake Strain had nine and eight; Harris (sack), Zaccheaus (INT) and sr. CB Justin Montague all had seven and six; sr. DL Alec Dirks and sr. S Dillon DeIuliis made five stops apiece; and jr. DB Benny Walls recovered a fumble (as forced by sr. DB Thomas Johnson).
  TITLE TIDBITS: Though Johnson, an inspirational leader, was able to make it back from injury to play in this one, star sr. WR-CB John Reid (knee) was not. He did suit up, however, and Infante acknowledged him very early in the post-game, goal-line session  . . . P-R's band featured 259 members, according to one of its leaders, and I counted nine tubas . . . Athletic director Jim Murray said the Prep supplied two buses for fans. One left from the school, the other from the Plymouth Meeting Mall. There was a great turnout. Most kids got to Hershey on their own . . . P-R won the toss and opted to receive. Nice! These days, so many teams defer even when wind is not a factor . . . To perform website duties, I use two laptops. The one I use for uploading photos was acting up and causing major frustration. I then tried the other one and somehow deleted most of the game pics and ALL of the postgame pics. That happened at about 2 a.m. A million apologies. Lots of lensmen were there, however, including some with Prep ties, so hopefully I'll be able to link to someone else's photos and/or receive a few for posting on the Tribute Page. This wraps up season No. 44. Thanks for paying attention.

DEC. 12
CLASS AAA STATE FINAL
Wood 33, Central Valley 14
(At Hersheypark Stadium)
  "It's the state championship game. Gotta be aggressive, right?" Those words were spoken by coach Steve Devlin a shade after 10 o'clock, well after his Vikings had claimed a second consecutive state championship as well as their third in four years. He was talking about a play call 6.9 seconds prior to halftime that, unfortunately, led to a shocking outcome that could have brought a lesser team to its knees -- for good. Jr. QB Anthony Russo tried a hook to the right, to jr. WR James Gillespie, and the hope was that star sr. RB Jarrett McClenton (Villanova) would then receive a lateral and race to the end zone. Instead, sr. DB Brandon Wilson jumped the route and, snap, HE was in the end zone celebrating a 48-yard return TD at 0:00 that drew the Warriors within 12-7. Oh, baby. After student fan Tommy Rosenbaum easily won a halftime contest (more on that later), neither team made noise two thirds of the way through the third quarter. Then, Wood faced fourth-and-one from its own 47. What to do? Be aggressive, baby! And the guy Devlin tabbed was Russo. On a sneak, with lots of help from the grunts, Russo surged ahead for two yards and the juice being displayed along Wood's sideline was high-level. Hey, why not maintain the momentum? Seeeee yaaaaa!! On the very next play, McClenton took a dive right up the middle for a 51-yard TD. And it was easy. Once he got to the second level, there was no one within a zip code and no Warriors remotely tried to run him down; not that such an attempt would have come even close to working. There'd be other important goings-on, of course, but for my money the fact that Devlin retained his brass and was rewarded by the guy who'd caused big consternation was pretty darn special. Quick note: As the Vikings returned to the field after halftime from their below-ground-level locker room, Russo was greeted by assistant Vernard Abrams at pretty much the instant he reached the top step. Vernard put his arm around Anthony and offered non-stop encouragement all the way to the sideline. By the way, that carry was Russo's only one of the evening. Like always through six postseason games, the Vikings' offense was the Jarrett & Alex Show. McClenton finished with 233 yards and four TDs on 26 carries while sr. FB Alex Arcangeli added 131 yards and the last score (with 1:33 remaining) on 16 rushes. That last carry enabled Arcangeli to eclipse 1,000 yards for the season. In six postseason games, McClenton racked up four TDs in all but one. And he still had three in that one, so it wasn't as if he slacked (smile). Tonight, he also notched a conversion run, so his point output in those six games was 140 (23.3 average). Jarrett had quite the interesting outing. Once in the first quarter and again in the second, he was picked up and body slammed by CV's franchise back, Pitt commit Jordan Whitehead. Also, on McClenton's first TD, a 12-yarder just 88 seconds into the game, Whitehead was grabbing his jersey and complaining to the refs that he'd been held at pretty much the instant McClenton entered the end zone. Before the game began, CV's fans broke out the "I Believe" chant. Hey, at least the Wood kids waited until play No. 2 (smile). On that one, McClenton zipped for 48 yards to place the ball at CV's 18. Arcangeli then bulled for six to set up the TD play. Wood scored another TD in the first quarter (also with 1:33 left; weird) on McClenton's 12-yard sweep to the right corner. Gillespie made a helpful block on that one. With 4:09 left in the second quarter, CV had a great chance to reduce the 12-0 deficit. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, sr. QB John George lined up in a shotgun formation and tossed a left-side swing pass. The wide-open receiver, Whitehead, could not hang on. OK, now for the halftime festivities. In 2013, against Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Wood finished the first half scoreless and things weren't looking good. Sr. basketball player Matt Funk then whipped a McDevitt kid in a punt-and-pass contest; punt the ball from the end zone to wherever it lands, then throw it from there to a target at midfield. Closest throw wins. This year's Viking was Rosenbaum, a sr. baseball player, and he was chosen at a pep rally by Matt's brother, Tommy, now a junior hoopster. The CV kid went first and his punt was quite poor. He then fired his pass way over the banner. Rosenbaum had a decent punt and then -- bingo! -- hit the banner with his throw. Vikings rule! On the second play of the fourth quarter, CV moved within 20-14 as George made a perfect pass to jr. WR Kurt Reinstadtler for a 55-yard score on a right-sideline streak pattern. The Warriors followed with an onside kick, but star sr. L-DL Ryan Bates (Penn State) recovered and Wood went, mostly, the little-by-little route, using nine plays to cover 58 yards. McClenton scored that one on a 15-yard, right-side toss. He was slightly stopped at roughly the 10, but then broke free and breezed from there. CV's next possession was destarched when Bates posted a 6-yard sack and jr. LB Mack Schwartz registered a 15-yarder. Plus, the Warriors were hit with a personal foul and the half-the-distance markoff placed the ball at the 14, bringing about a fourth-and-45 situation. Whew! No wonder the Warrior settled for a punt despite the 26-14 deficit.
  TITLE TIDBITS: Wood's grunts were sr. C Ryan Neher, sr. Gs Shawn Scroger and Tom Cardozo, Bates and sr. T Kurt Stengel . . . McClenton ended his career with 434 carries for 4,539 yards and 73 TDs. He added 11 other TDs and ch-chinged his way to 506 points, counting tonight's conversion . . . Jarrett's final score enabled him to claim the city record for rushing TDs in a season with 37 (West Catholic's Rob Hollomon had 36 in '08) and his 42 total TDs tied Hollomon's city mark from that same season . . . Because of the early deadline, Ace had to watch the game from the press box. He then scurried downstairs and did some quick interviews before polishing off his story . . . Huck watched PCN's telecast and compiled defensive stats. Bates had two sacks and a TFL among six tackles. Schwartz' eight-tackle effort included two sacks. Sr. DL Devon Cobb was in on seven stops. Included were 1.5 sacks and two TFLs. He also recovered a fumble. Sr. LB Justin Rubin was in on seven tackles while sr. LB Nafeez Brown-Carter and jr. LB Sebastian Silva had five apiece . . . Athletic director Joe Sette said Wood used 13 buses to get its students to the game . . . Bates and sr. LB Jake Cooper, who made it back from injury to play in this game, exchanged quite the emotional postgame hug. They'll be teammates at Penn State . . . Wood finished 14-1 with the only blemish being a 35-31 loss to La Salle. Devlin is 98-17 (.852) through eight seasons . . . During the postgame celebration, sr. holder Cody Fitzpatrick was sporting a mini-recording device on his head. CodyCam, of course . . . Assistant Mike Carey received a cold-water dousing right after arriving down on the field from the press box. Long after the game ended, the other coaches kept waiting and waiting with the hope that someone could find him for the group shot. Finally, the stadium's lights were dimmed and the photo shoot had to proceed without him. Here's hoping he was warm, somewhere . . . Assistant Kevin "Boooooch" Bucher, a website stalwart in a previous life, did yeoman scouting work via tapes . . . What are the chances? The first and third quarters ended with the ball at the 50? . . . In two years as Wood's kicker, Dan McDonald racked up 158 points on 149 PAT and three field goals . . . Rumor has it soph Mark Webb will not be playing basketball this season. He's a lefty, as is sr. Christian Lohin, the punter and a two-way lineman. "My mom really wants me to play," Lohin said. Ditto. I want many more lefties to join the squad, so Wood can really crush the acknowledged city record (six by Southern in 1981-82). Wood now has six, but two are on the JV.

DEC. 12
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Last week District 12 lifted its record in state semifinals to 12-7 (.632) with victories by SJ Prep in AAAA and Wood in AAA. Thus far in championship games, D-12's  record is 5-5 and its scoring advantage is 238-196.

DEC. 11
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Below are YPG averages for all top receivers for teams over the last seven seasons that have reached the quarterfinal round in the AAAA/AAA/AA state playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles, subregional semis and finals (only in AA), and a round of 16 game (also in AA). In 2008, incredibly, HALF of West Catholic's 16 games were playoffs. La Salle's Sean Coleman is listed three times. The Youngs, Eric and Eerin, are brothers. Wood's top receivers in '12 and '13 were rushers, Josh Messina ('12) and Jarrett McClenton ('13). When we did this list last year, before the state finals, SJ Prep's top receiver was Jawan McAllister. He finished with 249 yards for a 41.5 average. John Reid eclipsed him by one yard (250, 41.7). This year, Wood's leader, Christian Lohin, racked up all 95 of his yards in one game. The Vikings have thrown just 28 passes in the postseason. 

DEC. 10 (Evening)
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
   Below are YPG averages for all top rushers for teams over the last seven seasons that have reached the quarterfinal round in the AAAA/AAA/AA state playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles, subregional semis and finals (only in AA), and a round of 16 game (also in AA). In 2008, incredibly, HALF of West Catholic's 16 games were playoffs. One guy on the list, Wood's Jerry Rahill in '09, was a quarterback. David Williams, who transferred from West Catholic to Imhotep for his senior year, owns the second and fourth spots. WC's Brandon and Rob Hollomon are brothers. Wood's Desmon and Brandon Peoples are cousins. For the moment, two 2014 guys are near the top of the list. Check out the postseason rushing totals for SJ Prep's guys this year: James Bell has 339, Olamide Zaccheaus has 338 and D'Andre Swift has 332.

DEC. 10
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Below are YPG passing averages for all quarterbacks over the last seven seasons that have led their teams to at least the quarterfinal round in the AAAA/AAA/AA state playoffs. Due to injuries, not every guy played in every game. Included are league playoffs, City Titles, subregional semis and finals (only in AA), and a round of 16 game (also in AA). In 2008, incredibly, HALF of West Catholic's 16 games were playoffs.

DEC. 9
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Here are District 12's top rushing/passing/receiving performances in state quarterfinals/semifinals/finals. The guys from SJ Prep and Wood will have one final 2014 chance to pop onto the list in state finals this weekend.

DEC. 8
TEDBIT
  For the second time in three seasons, a Wood player has racked up at least 100 points over a five-game span. In fact, the point totals for the two guys -- Andrew Guckin in 2012, Jarrett McClenton this time around -- are identical at 114. The top spot belongs to SJ Prep's Pat Kaiser, who was also that team's very productive kicker. The list below includes players from this century. Not sure whether anyone did so beforehand. A few guys listed below had other five-game stretches with at least 100 points in the same season (including some games from these efforts). Only the top totals are listed.

DEC. 7
TEDBIT
  This is a second version of last night's offering . . . It details the AAA "East" finals. Wood has posted four of the top five blowouts, and it was victimized for Nos. 5 (in a tie) and 9.

DEC. 6
LITTLE QUAKERS' SEASON FINALE
LQ 38, San Jose Police Athletic League All-Stars 0
***Report by Kevin Burke***
LITTLE QUAKERS ROLL TO 249th WIN
  Dec. 6, San Jose, CA -- The Philadelphia Little Quakers All-Star youth football team scored 5 unanswered touchdowns and amassed 260 rushing yards to dominate their California hosts, the San Jose Police Athletic League All-Stars, 38-0.
  With the East Foothills of Santa Clara county as its backdrop, Shoeplace.com Stadium, permanent home of the Greater San Jose P.A.L., served as an idyllic venue for the Little Quakers 249th all-time victory to conclude its 62nd season (3-1-0; 249-36-7 all-time).
  Michael Dickey churned out 46 hard-earned second effort yards, 3 first downs and a touchdown to lead the Quakers’ punishing cadre of running backs who together netted 260 rushing yards and 30 rushing points. Jimmy Burke connected on 4 of 5 (one block) kicked extra points to add another 8 points(kicked PATS at the youth level = 2pts.). Will Samuel led the aerial game (5 attempts, 46 yds.) and helped fuel the Quakers' 8 first downs of its 8 series. Both the Offensive and Defensive lines created push and penetration that frustrated the San Jose fronts all afternoon. Overall, the Quakers' execution in all three phases of the game was well-orchestrated and merciless.
Shamar Edwards, Zahmir Murray, Marquis Johnson and Tyler Berghaier each notched one TD apiece. The Quakers' stingy defense allowed runs of no more than 5 yards and zero first downs while consistently swarming to the ball with multiple tacklers. The San Jose All-Stars could not gain traction even with the Quakers’ 11 penalties, and even lost yardage on half of their 8 series. Forced to punt repeatedly, the San Jose team also lost time of possession by a wide margin to the clock-eating attack of the Quakers.
  Gathering players, parents, cheerleaders, coaches and fans at mid-field afterwards, Head Coach Ed Foley and President Bob Rosania lauded the San Jose community for their sportsmanship and gracious hospitality. Gifts were exchanged and embroidered police patches were traded. The players (35 Little Quakers, 38 San Jose) enjoyed lunch and camaraderie following the game. Temperature at kickoff was 66 degrees under sunny and pristine blue skies, rewarding the boys with temperate climate after three chilly and rainy days of touring conditions that greeted the entourage upon arrival. Visits and activities included in this five day trip were: Alcatraz, Stanford University, Golden State Warriors basketball game, Cable Car rides, bus rides, In And Out Burgers, Wind Tunnel Sky-Diving and a banquet with two current Stanford football players.
The Greater San Jose P.A.L. All-Stars were formed with the best players from 9 P.A.L. local leagues within the East Bay area that lies between the Santa Cruz and East Foothills south of San Francisco.
  The Philadelphia Little Quakers are a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) founded in 1958 by Mr. Bob Levy, entrepreneur and sports enthusiast. Although retired, his legacy lives on through the alumni and friends he inspired with his love of the game and the lifetime memories he endowed to each boy. Each fall, the best players in the Delaware Valley are selected from among hundreds of talented youth who try out at the William Penn Charter School in East Falls. Home games are played at historic Franklin Field and one travel trip always highlights each season. Besides San Jose, some other destinations through the years have been New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, Long Island, several locations in Florida and even Hawaii and Kuwait. www.PhilaLittleQuakers.com

DEC. 6 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Though the geography of the schools assigned to each side doesn't always make sense, the PIAA officially has East and West champions in all four playoff brackets. State football playoffs go back to 1988 and -- hey, check it out -- Catholic League schools own the most convincing wins in Class AAAA East finals. Before today, La Salle's 28-point win over Ridley in '09 was tops. But the No. 1 spot now belongs to SJ Prep, a 37-7 winner over Pennsbury. Here are the Top 10 most lopsided games in AAAA East finals.

DEC. 6
CLASS AAAA SEMIFINAL
SJ Prep 37, Pennsbury 7
(At Northeast)
  Because the forecast called for non-stop rain (with downpours mixed in), I decided to watch this tilt from the press box. One unmanned open window (good for pics) happened to be in a spot next to some of SJ Prep's assistants and it was quite fascinating to watch them operate and listen to assorted comments. Among the sights: the use of modern technology! (smile) While the entire game was being filmed elsewhere, the guys also broke out a tablet and recorded pretty much every play. Often, they'd quickly look at the replay and perhaps make adjustments in defensive alignment or blocking schemes for the very next play . . . or, OK, for maybe the play two down the line. Pretty cool, right? Among the guys in the press box were offensive coordinator Tim Roken, defensive coordinator Shawn Stratz, O-line coach John Connors, tight ends coach Patt Evans and handyman assistant E.J. Moyer. Overall, their job wound up being a lot easier than it could have been. Thank the Falcons for that. The Prep entered this game with 436 points in 12 games for an average of 36.3. So, the last thing Pennsbury wanted to do was give the Hawks multiple short fields. But that was exactly what happened. The Prep did "score" once in the first quarter on a 38-yard screen from sr. QB Jack Clements to sr. RB James Bell. Alas, a hold erased the six-pointer and that possession, the first of the game, wound up in the fruitless category. Then, on the final play of the quarter, Pennsbury lost a fumble and sr. DB Justin Montague recovered on the 32. Play No. 5: 22-yard scoring dash to the left corner for soph RB D'Andre Swift. Two plays later, Pennsbury again was in early-Christmas-present mode and jr. LB Nick Vandevere recovered at the 28. Play No. 4: 4-yard scoring burst right up the middle by Swift. Three plays later . . . you can guess what's coming, right? Jr. S Zachary Goss recovered at the 45. Play No. 4: 26-yard TD run for sr. RB James Bell. Those scores came in roughly 4 1/2 minutes and the drives averaged just 35.3 yards. Almost like freebies! (smile) . . . And the first-half scoring wasn't over. Pennsbury's next possession featured a three-and-out and sr. DE Jake Strain had a big, 4-yard TFL on second down. This time the Hawks took over on their 34 with 4:06 left. They then showed, "Hey, if necessary, we can also slap together an impressive drive." Sr. QB Jack Clements contributed a pair of completions and, soon, Roken was reaching into his tricks bag. On first-and-goal from the 6, Montague lined up as the right-side slot and got a running call -- his first of the season -- on a jet sweep. Touchdown! Pennsbury earned three first downs to start the third quarter and appeared poised to get on the scoreboard. Nope. Vandevere, sr. DL Armen Ware and sr. DL Alec Dirks/soph DL Taron Hampton made tackles for minus one, plus one and minus one on consecutive plays and the Prep took command at its 21. Play No. 3: outta here! Jr. Benny Walls maneuvered his way to a 73-yard TD, getting help at two locales from blocks by Montague. The Hawks' final score was a 29-yard field goal by sr. K Nick Bill two snaps into the fourth quarter. The Falcons fumbled AGAIN (recovery to sr. DB Dillon DeIuliis), but this possession, with backups in action, was unproductive. That gave Pennsbury a chance to break the shutout on a 56-yard scamper by star sr. RB Charles Snorweah (Rutgers), who finished with 171 yards on 19 carries (70 yards in the last quarter). He entered with more than 2,600 rushing yards for the season. And he'd racked up 1,100-plus in four playoffs! . . . For the Prep, backup soph RB Christian Waller had a strange outing. His five carries went like this: lost one, gained 18, lost one, gained 18, lost one. To my left in the press box, handling stats for a webcast done by the Prep, was freshman Daniel Avington. His good-dude dad, Bill, is the Prep's director of alumni and public relations. Pennsbury's band put on a great halftime performance, then vanished. Can't fault that decision. In today's semis, the Prep and Wood (63-20 over Somerset) combined to average 50 points. Whoa! Also had nice pre-game talks with two guys who've helped us with football stats through the years -- Bill Kenny and Rick Woelfel. Keep it rollin', guys!

DEC. 6
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Look below for an updated list of the highest scoring teams in city history. West Catholic's Rob and Brandon Hollomon are brothers. SJ Prep's Pat Kaiser reached his outrageously lofty total (306, then a state record) thanks to 37 TDs, one two-pointer, 52 kicks and 10 field goals. All leading scorers were primarily rushers except for Franklin receiver Rapheal "Macho" Rodriguez, La Salle receiver Jimmy Herron and Imhotep receiver/kicker Denniston "DJ" Moore. Nineteen of these top 25 efforts have occurred from 2007 forward. Later this afternoon, during its AAAA semi with Pennsbury, SJ Prep will earn a spot on the list. The 2014 Hawks own 436 points.
UPDATED through state finals.

DEC. 4
TEDBIT
  Below are the Great Eight performances for rushing/passing/receiving in holiday clashes. Imhotep managed to claim No. 1 in passing and Nos. 1-2-5 in receiving. Still amazed that Malvern/Bonner-Prendie and Del-Val/Bartram never bothered to play their games. I mean, the kids/coaches were out there putting in hours of practice time in preparation, right? Not good.

DEC. 3 (Evening)
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Time for a look at the Inter-Ac . . . The accompanying lists shows, in order, how each current school has fared through the years at posting a winning record. Malvern leads the pack. Episcopal now trails it (has dislodged Chestnut Hill/SCH Academy).

DEC. 3
TEDBIT
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Time for a look at the Pub . . . The accompanying lists shows, in order, how each current school has fared through the years at posting a winning record. The top spot goes to Frankford. The triple newcomers, not surprisingly, can be found at the bottom. There were 26 teams this season. Just nine posted winning records (with four more going .500).

DEC. 2
TEDBITS
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  Though some games remain, we already know which CL teams will finish this season with a winning record. Thus, it's OK to post this list . . . It shows, in order, how each current school has fared through the years at posting a winning record. Judge leads the pack, though SJ Prep is closing quickly. Lansdale trails it. Since last year, Wood has jumped ahead of Conwell-Egan and Neumann-Goretti has likewised Roman.

DEC. 1 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Lots of quarterbacks throw for impressive amounts of yardage. But which ones are the most efficient at doing so? When trying to answer that question, most folks check out the yards-per-attempt average. With that in mind, here are the QBs (since 1981) who've averaged at LEAST a first down per attempt. Repeat: a first down per attempt. Pretty impressive, right? Imhotep senior Andre Dreuitt-Parks is the only guy whose name appears twice on the list. He went from 10.6 in '13 to 15.9 in '14. Take note: No one accomplished the feat from '81 through '96.

DEC. 1
TEDBIT
  Last Tuesday night, Mastery North junior DeJason Ellis accomplished a feat that is perhaps (likely? definitely?) unmatched in city history. He kicked two field goals (21 and 30 yards) in the Pumas' 8-6 loss to Gratz and it's possible he was the first black player to do that. Also, he finished the season with four FGs and I strongly suspect that feat is a first for a black kid. I saw MN once this season, vs. SCH Academy. Ellis went 1-for-2 on PAT and tried no FGs. He kicked off four times, sending balls to the 12, the half-yard line, the end zone and the EZ again. In 2002, Mastbaum's David Pough kicked three FGs. He notched just one in '03, but that was a 45-yarder and is likely the longest. McDevitt's Brian Evans, one of the very few black kickers in Catholic League history, also totaled four FGs in his career. He had one vs. Tennent as a junior, then three more as a senior. He was also a quality punter. The list below goes back to 1979. The first one was an all-timer! Tony Singleton, a lineman wearing No. 74 (his celebration pic was in the Daily News), hammered a 31-yarder at 0:00 to give King a 27-25 Thanksgiving win over Germantown before a monstrous crowd. He had not tried a PAT in that game and had only gone 4-for-14 on the season, with eight misses in his most recent nine attempts. But despite that track record, and all the pressure, he nailed that three-pointer and it was quite the special moment. If you know of a black kicker whose name should be on this field-goal list, please speak up. Thanks. tedtee307@yahoo.com.

NOV. 30 (Evening)
TEDBITS
  This is year No. 7 for the Catholic League's involvement in PIAA football and yesterday offered a quarterfinal loss for the first time as Neumann-Goretti fell to Dunmore, 30-18. In fact, D-12 teams are 19-2 in the three largest classifications and the only other loser was a Pub member, Washington. All 21 opponents have been "regular" public schools. All of D-12's winners have been CL schools (17-0) or a charter school (Imhotep, 2-0). Our Guys own a 702-315 (33-15) scoring advantage.

NOV. 30
TEDBIT
  Steve Devlin is in his eighth season as Wood's coach and he's experiencing quite the run, folks. He's just four wins away from 100 and owns the best all-time winning percentage (comfortably, even) among all Catholic League coaches within their first eight seasons. Twelve CL guys have won at least seven of every 10 games during that span. That list is below. Oddly, only two schools (SJ Prep, Carroll) were in the old Southern Division.

NOV. 29
CLASS AA STATE QUARTERFINAL
Dunmore 30, Neumann-Goretti 18
(At Northern Lehigh HS, in Slatington)
  For the rest of their lives, these N-G guys will be able to feel pride over winning the school's first championships -- yes, plural -- in 60 years. After terminating West Catholic's stranglehold on Catholic AA, the Saints surged forward and bumped off Prep Charter for the City Title before besting Springfield Montco in a District 12-1 subregional final. Today? Didn't quite work out. But what a stretch run for the ages we almost experienced. With 11:37 left, the Saints trailed by 23-6, and that 17-point spread made it a three-score game. N-G stirred its maybe 60-65 fans (on a frigid day) with a 77-yard TD at 9:02 on a hookup between sr. QB Ray Lenhart and soph WR Aamir Brown. Two of Dunmore's subsequent three plays lost yardage, thanks to TFLs by frosh LB Keith Jenkins (solo) and sr. LB Michael DiFrancesco/sr. DB Joe Richardson (combo). Following the punt, N-G set sail from its 22 and three big plays -- 17-yard pass to DiFrancesco, 44-yard run by Brown on a reverse, 13-yard pass to Brown -- helped to advance the ball to the Bucks' 3. Jr. RB Khalil Roane toughed it for one yard, then two, and the deficit was down to five, at 23-18, with 4:34 left. Buckle up, folks! The Bucks earned one first down, but N-G then got stingy and two more TFLs (by Jenkins and sr. DL Joe Herrin) forced another punt. The Saints took over at their 21. Yes, they would have to cover 79 yards without the benefit of timeouts, but 2:20 did remain, so hopes were high. Alas, on first down, Dunmore registered an interception and a clinching TD was scored with 46 seconds remaining. Afterward, understandably, hearts were beyond heavy. And here's guessing the ride back to Philly seemed to take 24 hours rather than 90-odd minutes. But again, Chalie Szydlik's guys accomplished so much and here's hoping no one forgets that. Backtracking . . . On its first two possessions, N-G gained just 10 yards on eight plays. The Bucks also stayed off the board and sr. DB Takeem Ford recovered a fumble for N-G to provide chance No. 3. Yardage again in bits and pieces? Hardly! Just two plays were needed to garner 71 yards as Lenhart hit sr. WR Amir Gordon for 45 and Roane broke through two different groups of defenders for a 26-yard score. Two plays later, N-G seemed to be in great shape when star rusher Sal Marchese suffered a leg injury upon being smothered by jr. LB Miles Brewer on a no-gain play. Just the Saints' luck . . . The guy who assumed top-ballcarrier duties, soph Colin Holmes, wound up finishing with 130 yards and two TDs on 27 totes. (In all, Dunmore posted 379 total yards, with 367 on the ground.) Meanwhile, Roane had to settle for 43 yards (and two TDs) on 15 carries. Just twice did he run for more than four yards. Over the previous five games, he'd averaged 171.6 yards and at least one N-G fan (he expressed his thought at high volume) was upset that Roane didn't get more carries. I suspect the coaches felt they stood a better chance of winning by using speed on the edge. Dunmore's d-linemen were mostly thick, farm boy-looking guys with low centers of gravity and they were proving to be tough to dislodge. Sr. DT Dan Drewes, in particular, caused lots of problems. A gigantic play occurred 5:58 before halftime as Lenhart was called for intentional grounding. No doubt: Part of the call was correct. He whipped the ball at about a 45-degree angle from deep in N-G territory and no receiver was remotely close to where it sailed out of bounds. One problem: The line of scrimmage was the 9 and the refs ruled Lenhart had cut loose from inside the end zone. Thus, the play went into the books as a safety. (Not sure on that part, but I'm guessing he WAS in the end zone because that's not the kind of call a ref would make without being completely sure.) After the free-kick kickoff, Dunmore needed to cover just 45 yards and the TD was notched on play No. 6, making the score 16-6. A scoreless third quarter was quickly followed by a Dunmore pick and the first play produced a 22-yard TD on a run by Holmes. What happened from there has already been detailed. Dunmore's rooters were stationed on the home side of the field and covered about 85 percent of the stands. The band alone had 50 members, an amazing number for a Class AA school. Roane finished the season with 1,513 yards and 15 TDs on 315 carries. As for Lenhart . . . He leaves with school records for passing yards in a season and career. Final numbers: 237-for-593 for 4,076 yards and 39 TDs. This year he was 102-for-243 for 1,737 with 14 scores. Congrats, Ray. It was great to see Mike Ferris, who maintained a football website for North Catholic in its final years while also offering assorted thoughts on Philly high school football. Szydlik and some of his assistants (son C.J. included) coached at North in the school's final season ('09) and Mike came out to support them.

NOV. 29
TEDBIT
  It happens every year. Literally. Since the Catholic League began competing in PIAA football in 2008, Wood has posted wins in all seven of its appearances in Class AAA quarterfinals. The latest win was collected last night at Northeast as the Vikings thumped Great Valley, 44-7. Last night on the western side of the state, at the Class A level, Clairton also bagged its seventh consecutive win in a quarterfinal (by 46-14 over Avonworth). Also at that level, Southern Columbia captured 13 consecutive quarterfinals (1994-2006) and went on to win six state championships. A quick search indicates (hopefully I got this right) SC is the only school that has bettered Wood and Clairton at the quarterfinal level since the PIAA began staging football tournaments in 1988. In AAA, Berwick (1992-97) and Strath Haven (1998-2003) won six consecutive quarterfinals. Two more CL teams -- La Salle (2008-11) in AAAA and West Catholic (also 2008-11) -- grabbed four consecutive wins in quarters. As the Vikings won in 2009, Jerry Rahill ran or passed on 36 of the 42 plays while bagging 349 of their 366 yards. Quite the feat. 

NOV. 28
PIAA CLASS AAA STATE QUARTERFINAL
Wood 44, Great Valley 7
(At Northeast)
  Now I've seen/heard everything. Roughly a half-hour before gametime, a song was playing over the sound system and I kept thinking, "Are those really curse words I'm hearing?" Finally, I mentioned something to DN reporter Aaron "Ace" Carter and he said, "Yup." Then I followed with, "How the heck can someone allow this to happen? What crazy song is that?" Ace pulled out his cell phone and said, "Hold on." He then pointed his phone toward the press box and, bingo, the screeched lyrics from the song were appearing on his phone!! Line by line. As they were being pumped through the sound system! Unbelievable. There's an app for that?! And, yes, there were some curse words, including the two most common four-letter varieties. Even on Ace's phone, however, those words weren't being spelled out. The first letters were followed by ***. The song, recorded in 1999, is called "Down With the Sickness" by Disturbed (heavy metal). Let's hope we never hear it again and, in case you're wondering, the app Ace used is called Shazam . . . Meanwhile, shortly before the game began, the PA announcer noted that a wallet had been found and that the owner could claim it in the press box. He then noted the guy's name and I could have sworn he said Michael Neher. Mike played basketball at Dougherty, later became a prominent ref and his son, Ryan, is Wood's starting (football) center. In the second half, well after the starters had been removed, I was standing near Ryan on the sideline and told him the found-wallet story and that the name MIGHT have been his dad's. Ryan cracked, "That sounds like him." Ha, ha, ha. Oh, the game, you ask? Not much of one. At all. Wood stormed to a 37-0 lead and we would have experienced a full-mercy-rule second half if GV had not scored 44.6 seconds before halftime on 56-yard gallop with a stolen ball by soph CB Ryan Hubley. On its first possession, Wood achieved first downs on four consecutive plays. The last one placed the ball at the 2, then sr. RB Jarrett McClenton (Villanova) breezed in for the TD. Following a three-and-out, McClenton gathered in a bouncing punt and -- see ya! -- dashed for a 51-yard score. Soon, GV's punter tumbled over the end line for a safety after dropping a snap and the free-kick kickoff enabled the Vikings to take over at GV's 45. Only three plays were needed for scoreboard denting to resume: 15 run for McClenton, 11 for sr. FB Alex Arcangeli and 19 for Mr. Touchdown, a k a McClenton. TD No. 4 of the quarter was posted at 39.3 on a 15-yard reverse by jr. RB Ryan Barrett. Wood's other scores were a 65-yard run by McClenton (13-173) in the second quarter -- he has posted four TDs in three consecutive games -- and a 5-yard run by Arcangeli (9-79) midway through the third. Wood's other star tonight was jr. DE Mack Schwartz. Aside from making an interception and recovering a fumble, he recorded two sacks worth 10 yards. Quite the nice, well-rounded performance. Also, in the first half, sr. DE Nafeez "Feeeeez!!" Brown-Carter mixed a sack with a TFL while sr. DT Ryan Bates added a sack. Jr. LB Sebastian Silva hustled for a sack in the second half and that was cool because in the first he'd pounced upon a loose pigskin. On the last play of the third quarter, soph RB Shawn Thompson reeled off a 37-yard gain. Frosh RB Adrian Lambert had a 21-yarder in the fourth.

NOV. 28 (Evening)
TEDBIT
  Here's a career breakdown for Imhotep sr. star Denniston "DJ" Moore, who has made an oral commitment to Maryland. He finished with Pub records for career receiving yards/TDs (2,056/32) and career kicking points (101, all on PAT). He only had two kicks this year because a change in philosophy saw the Panthers start going for two-pointers.

NOV. 28
TEDBIT
  There are many Thanksgiving traditions -- turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, rushes by Roman linemen . . . Say what? Indeed for that last one. In six of the last seven seasons, with coach Joe McCourt in charge, senior grunts have gotten to experience the fun of having the ball in their hands during blowout wins over Roxborough. Yesterday's chance was given to Gavin Wiggins, who's bound for Youngstown State. He ran five times for 36 yards and a 10-yard TD. Pat McMullen got things started with two TDs in '08. In '12, Collin Shields was scheduled to get a shot along with JJ Logan and Steve Henry. But he stormed into the end zone on a 1-yard fumble return, so his offensive fun was scrapped. Kerry, his brother, had scored on a 1-yard run in '10. Here's the breakdown . . .

NOV. 27 (Evening)
TEDBITS
  Final totals for highly productive seniors whose careers ended with Thanksgiving morning games . . .

NOV. 27
THANKSGIVING RIVALRY (KINDA; TEAMS' FIRST HOLIDAY MEETING -- SMILE)
Boys' Latin 40, Olney 28
  What were the chances? After watching an emotional postgame ceremony, during which Mike Rufo, BL's stepping-away coach, received the trophy from Olney AD Cindy Dougherty, I headed to my car and a Jersey oldies station was on. Instead of music, a Thanksgiving game involving Vineland and Millville was being aired. At that very instant, the play-by-play guy said, "And that makes the score 40 to 28, favor of Vineland!" One big difference: That game was only in the third quarter, and Millville stormed back to win, 44-40. This tilt also could have experienced a late turnaround. With about 8 minutes left, Olney sr. TE Dominic Austin slid off the line of scrimmage pretty much unnoticed and gathered in a 26-yard pass from sr. QB Kadir Chisholm, thus drawing the Trojans within 32-28. Then, for the first time all game, Olney recorded TFLs on back-to-back plays thanks to jr. DT Carlos Rivera and soph DB Josh Singleton. The Warriors were then hit with a delay, bringing up third and 22. Jr. QB Troy Hester made a clutch throw, hitting sr. WR Michael Hammock on a slant for 18 yards. Still, BL needed four yards for the first down. Coming right up . . . five free ones. A Trojan fell into the ol' encroachment trap and soon backup soph QB Keith Brown was finding sr. handyman Clarence Rowland for a 51-yard TD to shut the door with 2:13 left. Brown was out there because Hester had suffered a knee injury on a short keeper right after the encroachment flag. Except for frustrating officiating and a clock operator who over and over and over failed to push the button when the refs first waved their hands, this was quite a satisfying morning. The teams played hard and offered some nifty scoring plays and Olney, with Cindy at the controls, put on a nice halftime celebration to honor the seniors. Also, kudos to CJ Vargas, who on Tuesday marked off each yard line from end to end four times apiece -- twice along the sidelines and twice at the hash marks. Outstanding effort, sir. In BL's get-together, Rufo kinda broke down as he accepted the trophy. This is the school's fifth year in the Pub, but Mike was around at the very beginning and he told the kids, "Thank you for the last seven years . . . Run with it!" Earlier, he'd said to them, "Nobody wanted this game more than I did, and I thank you for the effort!" The best play, by far, was a 73-yard punt return by Olney sr. Justin Williams a shade before halftime. He broke at least three sets of tackles, maybe four, in get-hit, spin-away fashion. The Trojans and their fans went berserk as Williams sped into the end zone. But . . . there was laundry on the lawn. Ugh. The score was wiped out because Olney had 12 guys on the field for that play. Hester passed 6-for-8 for 86 yards and a short-slant TD to Hammock (3-47, also a pick) while adding a 6-yard score on a keeper. Jr. RB Rasheed Wilson (12-51, TD) led the rushers. Sr. RB Damere Gilbert also had a ground TD and hit Hammock for a 21-yard gain on a trick play. The blockers were jr. C Ode Odey, soph G Chris Melton, jr. G Antonio Morales, jr. T Marquise Johnson and sr. T Derrick Jones. Out of Olney's patented double-wing, double-tight offense, sr. RB Sultan Johns (small as heck but with a heart as big as all outdoors) ran 15 times for 176 yards and TDs of 35 and 55. Chisholm went 4-for-7 for 66 yards and two scores; the other went to Williams for 32 yards. Olney's grunts were Rivera at C, sr. G Giovanni Matos, soph G Donald Hogue, jr. T Kevin Cato and sr. T Jorge Hernandez. While passing through the line of cheerleaders at halftime, Matos gave his rose (and a big hug) to one of the gals. In the second quarter, after a BL player was tagged with a personal foul, Williams bellowed, "He is going to get his! I promise you!" With help from Austin's block, Johns ran 35 yards for a TD on the very next play. Not sure if the Personal Foul Guy was among the burned defenders (smile). It was nice to meet Mike Andolina, Olney's second-year coach, and to see numerous others. Among them: BL AD Joe Dunn, BL helper Pat DiPilla, former Olney coach Hugh MacDonough, Olney assistant Dennis Ginenthal, BL headmaster David Hardy and ex-Olney QB Mike Reyes, who in '06 led the school to its first-ever playoff visit. (Apologies to anyone I'm forgetting to mention). Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

NOV. 26 (Evening)
TEDBITS
  Final totals for highly productive seniors whose careers have ended . . .

NOV. 26
TEDBITS
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  If you like football games with lots of points, Roman-Roxborough is your cup of turkey tea. Over the last 21 years, 874 points have been fired onto the scoreboard. One big problem: Roman has scored 770 of 'em. While winning ALL 21 games. Ouch and ouch some more. Thi$ $erie$, which $tarted in 1972, $till exi$t$ for one $ole rea$on. What has happened is sad because Roman's overall lead is 31-9-2, which means the first 21 meetings produced only a 10-9-2 advantage for the Cahillites. Even those days showed stretches of dominance, however, as Roman went 9-2 from '72 through '82 and Roxborough went 7-1-1 from '83 through '91. Below are the top performances in rushing/passing/receiving from '82 through '13. Joe McCourt is Roman's current coach and last year Joe's brother, Patrick, came close (202, on 38 carries) to outdoing him for the top rushing performance. Future NFLer Curtis Brinkley was a soph at Roxborough in 2000, then transferred to West Catholic and received permission to play an extra season there, enabling him to corral the city's career rushing record. Marcus Kelly is the brother of Roman's current top rusher, Dimetri, now a senior. The No. 1 passer and receiver, Kevin and Dennis Regan, are brothers. Roxborough's Eduardo Sanchez, who can be found on the passing list, is now a senior. One NFL all-timer not on the list is Roman's Marvin Harrison. He was a multi-purpose guy in high school and his best rushing effort vs. Roxborough was 151 in '90, so he missed by three yards.

NOV. 25 (Evening)
TEDBITS
(This is a repeat posting from last year; with updates to make things current)
  The Ryan-Washington Thanksgiving series is one of those weird ones. Though Ryan holds a big lead, 27-9-1, the one game remembered most by long-time observers ended with a stunning win by Washington. Its first in the series, no less. The year was 1991. Ryan, which owned a 16-0-1 edge, stormed to a 21-0 halftime lead and even began to sprinkle some second-teamers into the lineup; both teams would play league championship games in nine days. But Washington received two l-o-n-g return TDs from a guy named Jamar Griffin -- 82 yards with a punt, 94 with a kickoff to erase a 24-22 deficit -- while seizing the emotional win, 28-24. Ryan had allowed just 29 points in its previous nine games. By the way, the tie was played in 1989 -- on snow -- and was scoreless. Here's part of my story from that game . . .
  To set the record straight, the field was not completely covered. Early yesterday morning, a plow made 6-foot-wide paths every 5 yards from goal line to goal line. The plan was to clear the field completely, but the plow became unusable after the hydraulic system sprung a leak. The patchwork plowing caused ridges 8 to 12 inches high, but as the game wore on, most were packed down by the players' cleats. Cones, both small and large, were used to mark the sidelines. The sun was shining about 75 percent of the time. Wind was no problem. Attendance? The stands were filled to about 85 percent of capacity, with exciting plays eliciting loud responses.
  Below are the top 10 performances by rushers, passers and receivers from 1982 through 2013. The top rusher, Ryan's Samir Bullock, crushed the record last year (raising it from 169 to 280!) and will hope to go out with another bang in Thursday's game. The top receiver, Ryan's Frank Wycheck, played for a long time in the NFL. In that '88 game, he also rushed for 110 yards. The top passer, Ryan's Tim Roken, is now the offensive coordinator for SJ Prep. The No. 4 rusher, Bob Romano, is the father of Bobby, Ryan's top receiver last season. Another son, Matt, a sophomore, is the starting QB. Meanwhile, Kendall Singleton, a star WR-DB for Wood last season, is the son of Keith Singleton; Keith can be found on the QB list. Because of state playoffs, the games were canceled in '08 and '09. Ryan has won six of the last seven meetings. Washington claimed four of five from 2000-04.