Philadelphia High School Football
History of West Catholic High in Philadelphia, PA

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 This page details much of the football history of West Catholic
High in Philadelphia, PA. The Burrs played patchwork schedules
for two seasons (1918-19), then joined the Philadelphia Catholic
League for the initial season in 1920. They have remained
there since (there was no formal CL competition in 1929).
  West is now at 45th and Chestnut streets, site of the former
West Catholic High School for Girls. The boys school formerly
was located at 49th and Chestnut. The boys/girls merged for the
1989-90 school year.
  If corrections are needed, please contact Ted Silary at tedtee307@yahoo.com
and provide verification of new information, if possible. Thanks!
  Thanks to Ed "Huck" Palmer, West's long-time statistician, for
his help!
  Some research is still being conducted/cross-checked.
  (Information prior to 1976 was provided mostly by Dr. Roger B. Saylor,
a famed Pennsylvania football historian. He passed away in 2013.) 

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SCHOOL RECORDS

Most Wins Season
          14 in 2008 (14-2)
Longest Winning Streak
          19, all 10 games in 1943, first nine games in 1944
Most Losses Season
          10 in 1983, 1996 and 1997 (0-10 in all three seasons)
Longest Losing Streak
          22, last two games in 1995, all 20 games from 1996 through 1997
Most Points Scored
          Season: 775 in 2008 (14-2 record)
          Game: 68 vs. Phillipsburg Catholic, NJ, in 1925 (68-0)
Most Points Allowed
          Season: 326 in 1997 (0-10 record)
          Game: 74 vs. Carroll in 2000 (74-7) 
Fewest Points Scored Season
          19 in 1936 (2-4-3 record)
Fewest Points Allowed Season
          2 in 1932 (9-0 record)
Most Shutouts Season
          8 in 1932
Most Times Shut Out Season
          6 in 1936
Biggest Winning Margin
          68 vs. Phillipsburg Catholic, NJ, in 1925 (68-0)
Biggest Losing Deficit
          67 vs. Carroll in 2000 (74-7)
Longest Shutout Streak
          11, last eight games in 1932, first three games in 1933
Longest Streak Times Shut Out
          5, last five games in 1934
Longest Streak Without Being Shut Out
          85, all 84 games from 2005 through 2010, first game in 2011
Longest Streak Without a Shutout
          85, last five games in 1990, all 77 games from 1991 through 1998, first three games in 1999
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CATHOLIC LEAGUE TITLES

1925, Overall: 4-0, 8-1
1932, Overall: 4-0, 9-0
1940, Overall: 6-1, 7-3 
1941, Overall: 6-0-1, 8-0-2 . . . tied West Philadelphia in overall City Title
1943, Overall: 8-0, 10-0 . . . also won overall City Title
1944, Overall: 8-0, 9-1
1945, Overall: 7-1, 9-2
1946, Overall: 7-1, 9-2
1951, Overall: 7-0, 10-0 . . . also won overall City Title
1962, Overall: 7-1, 10-1-1 . . . tied Southern in overall City Title
1965, Overall: 7-0, 10-1 . . . also won overall City Title
2006, Blue: 6-1, 9-4
2007, Blue: 7-0, 11-1
2008, AA: 4-0, 14-2 . . . also won AA City Title
2009, AA: 4-0, 12-3 . . . also won AA City Title
2010, AA: 4-0, 13-2 . . . also won AA City Title and state championship
2011, AA: 4-0, 12-2 . . . also won AA City Title
2012, AA: 4-0, 7-4
2013, AA: 4-0, 9-3
2015, AA: 4-0, 10-5 . . . also won AA City Title
2016, did not win CL Blue . . . won AA City Title

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HOW CATHOLIC LEAGUECHAMPIONSHIPS WERE WON

1925
Overall
  The Burrs posted a 4-0 record.
1932
Overall
  The Burrs posted a 4-0 record.
1940
Overall
Decided in Regular Season
West (6-1-0)
    The Burrs won the title on the final day before 15,000, the
largest crowd ever to see an athletic event at St. Joseph's College. The
victim was neighborhood rival ST More, 25-0, and Jack Kelly ran for
three TDs.
1941
Overall
Decided in Regular Season
West (6-0-1)
    The Burrs nipped SJ Prep, 13-12, at St. Joseph's College to go
to 6-0-1 as Paul Lhulier twice broke through to block PAT. John Bradley
and Leo Dillon scored TDs and John Willis connected on a PAT. Roman went
5-2-0 for second.
1943
Overall
Decided in Regular Season
West (8-0-0)
    The Burrs fashioned the first 8-0-0 season in league history and
the capper was a record-setting, 59-7 stomping of St. John's at St.
Joseph's College. John Tulskie (four) and Dan Brown (two) led the TD
parade. Bill Thomas, Len Hope and Jim Dougherty also had TDs.
1944
Overall
Decided in Regular Season
West (8-0-0)
    There were nervous moments, but the Burrs went to 8-0-0 before
7,500 at St. Joseph's College by edging SJ Prep, 7-0, on a 5-yard,
fourth-quarter TD pass from Bob Connor to Joe Dougherty. Jim Burke's
interception set up the score. West won its 18th consecutive game
overall and stretched its unbeaten league streak to 35 games.
1945
Overall
At Shibe Park
West Catholic 12, Roman 0
  Francis "Reds" Bagnell ran 7 yards for one TD and passed 2 yards to Bill Henricks for
another. Roman made a pair of serious threats late in the first half, but Joe Sucher twice
batted down passes in the end zone.
1946
Overall
At Shibe Park
West Catholic 8, North Catholic 0
  With 40,000 fans jammed into the stadium, Emory McCourt scored the only TD on a
9-yard, first-quarter pass from Charley Albertus. The score was set up when Joe Sucher
blocked a punt and John Bogan recovered on North's 22. The title was West's fourth in
a row and sixth in seven years. The safety came in the fourth quarter, when Joe O'Brien,
under heavy pressure, stepped out of the end zone while trying to pass. North gained 2
fewer yards than did West, 144-142.
1962
Overall
At Franklin Field
West Catholic 38, Judge 16
  Bob Mahan ran for three TDs, scored another on a 30-yard pass from Tom DeFelice
and threw for a score to Bill McGrath. DeFelice (thigh injury) was seeing his first action
in a month. Tom Stretch ran for both Judge TDs.
1965
Overall
At Kennedy Stadium
West Catholic 28, Egan 13
  John Barth passed 9-for-15 for 94 yards and a TD to Mike DiDonato, who also rushed
for a score, to give first-year coach John McAneney the win. John Small returned a kickoff
79 yards for a TD and Jim Phillips (20-96) ran in from the 2 after Barth fired a 41-yard
completion to Pat Egan. Bill Travers and George Croyden made fumble recoveries to set up
scores. QB Sylvester "Pancho" Micir scored both Egan TDs.
2006
Blue Division
At Northeast
West Catholic 20, Wood 12
   The Burrs snapped a string of six title-game defeats (1966-67 overall, 2002-05 in Blue)
to earn a grid plaque for the first time since '65 and their first in a major sport since '79
(baseball). Raymond Maples and quarterback Curtis Drake ran for TDs of 55 and 44 yards
and Drake whipped a 17-yard scoring pass to Rodney Blango to expand a 14-12 lead after
Wood missed a try for a go-ahead field goal. Isiah Edmond had a sack and two other TFLs
among seven stops while interceptions went to Marquese Sanders, Dennis Shaw (20-86
rushing; 3,444 career yards) and Haleem "P-Nut" Hayward. For Wood, soph Sean McCartney
broke the CL's postseason record for passing yardage with 285, with 19 completions in 36
attempts. His star receivers were Chris Lorditch (6-99, two TDs, a city-best 27 for his career)
and Pat Devlin (9-133). Pat McAfee made 10 tackles.
2007
Blue Division
At Northeast
West Catholic 28, Wood 7
  As they'd been all season, alternating junior tailbacks Rob Hollomon (17-107) and Raymond
Maples (16-81, two TDs) were a two-headed rushing monster as the Burrs won a second
consecutive title for the first time since claiming four straight starting in 1943. Those
performances allowed each to surpass 1,000 yards for the season -- Hollomon (1,048), Maples
(1,040). QB Curtis Drake, like those two a junior, ran for two scores while raising his season's
rushing/passing yardage total to 1,922. Maples, Haleem "P-Nut" Hayward, Rodney Blango
and Jordan Culbreath had interceptions. Wood suffered an early blow when RB-LB Bob
DeLucas, the coaches' division MVP, departed with an ankle injury. Sean Cunningham ran
for the Vikings' score.
2008
AA Division
At Plymouth-Whitemarsh
West Catholic 56, Carroll 7
  Rob Hollomon roared to four scores and 156 yards on just five carries and scored a fifth TD,
his first of the night, on a 65-yard punt return. That gave him 11 TDs in the Burrs' two playoff
appearances. Curtis Drake added 240 yards, passing 3-for-4 for 98 yards and a TD to Haleem
"P-Nut" Hayward and rushing four times for 142 yards and one score. Carroll scored last on
Luke Wischnowski's 61-yard pass to Chris Kennedy.
2009
AA Division
At Northeast
West Catholic 35, McDevitt 7
  Jarred Evans passed 7-for-10 for 203 yards and one TD apiece to Quran Kent (2-97),
Brandon Hollomon and Jaelen Strong-Rankin (3-38). Joshua Mathis (22-125, two scores)
and Hollomon (12-82) led the rushing attack while picks went to Raymond "Cholly" Manuel
and Kevin Malone. Drew Siegfried ran for McDevitt's TD and passed 6-for-15 for 130 yards.
Matt Conroy's two catches produced 81 yards.
2010
AA Division
At Plymouth-Whitemarsh
West Catholic 47, McDevitt 7
  Anthony Reid passed 8-for-9 for 227 yards and three TDs and his backup, Jaleel Reed,
fired for one. Jaelen Strong-Rankin (3-113, two), Quran Kent (3-105) and Jim Lynch caught
the scoring passes while Brandon Hollomon added 88 yards and two TDs on eight carries.
Kent had an interception. This was the Burrs' fifth consecutive division title and their 33rd
straight win in CL regular season/playoff contests. Gary Postell ran for McDevitt's score.
2011
AA Division
At Northeast
West Catholic 47, McDevitt 8
  Jaleel Reed ran for three scores and hit Bruce Mapp for a fourth as the Burrs captured
a sixth consecutive CL title (two Blue, four AA) in a rare Sunday contest. David Williams
(17-134) added two rushing TDs and Kevin Malone had the same number of
interceptions. The Lancers avoided a shutout on Gerald Fuller’s 3-yard run with 6.2 seconds
remaining, then QB Christian Connor added the conversion.
2012
AA Division
At O'Hara
West Catholic 30, Carroll 7
  The Burrs claimed their seventh consecutive title (five in AA; two previously in Blue) as Greg
White produced 183 yards and three TDs on 29 carries. Antwain McCollum (10-for-13, 142) ran
for the other six-pointer. Ryan Boornazian's 7-yard run prevented a shutout.
2013
AA Division
At Southern
West Catholic 34, Neumann-Goretti 9
  The Burrs captured their eighth consecutive title (two in Blue, six in AA) despite committing 17
penalties for 145 yards and six in a nine-play span. Ahkil Crumpton returned the opening kickoff 95
yards for a score, then Greg White carried 21 times for 170 yards and four TDs. Jalil Branch made
five tackles in the backfield for 17 total yards. For N-G, Sihmare Morgan bagged 75 yards on three
catches.
2015
AA Division
At O'Hara
West Catholic 7, Lansdale 6
  After a one-year hiccup, the Burrs again won the championship thanks to strong performances
by Joshua Evans (7-for-13, 137 yards, 40-yard TD to Craig Jones) and Jameer Bryson
(17-78 rushing). Jones also kicked the decisive PAT. Lansdale received two field goals from
Ryan Carbone while Ryan Quigley rushed 17 times for 65 yards. There was no late-game drama.
West possessed the ball for the last 5:12 and opted for sportsmanship with multiple kneeldowns
after reaching the Crusaders' 8 in the waning moments.  

HOW CITY TITLES WERE WON/TIED

1941
Overall
At Franklin Field
West Phila. 0, West Catholic 0
  With a Thanksgiving crowd of 40,000 -- largest to watch a
scholastic game in Philadelphia -- looking on, West Philly played its
fourth scoreless tie of the season. Twice within the last 6 minutes,
5-6, 145-pound Francis "Bud" Williams frustrated West Catholic by
sending out coffin-corner punts at the 2 and 10. Defense by Albert
"Buck" Gornish and Charles "Sonny" Leonard limited the Burrs to three
trips into Speedboy territory. In the final minute, WC's Cornelius White
completed passes of 11 yards to John Kenney and 27 to Frank Kane, moving
the ball to WP's 30. But the clock ran out. The following week, WC
defeated Harrisburg Catholic, 31-0, for the state's mythical Catholic
championship. Leo Dillon scored three TDs.
1943
Overall
At Franklin Field
West Catholic 21, Northeast 0
  West scored its first TD as star rusher John Tulskie fumbled at
the 1 and Tom Graham managed to pick up the ball and lug it into the end
zone. The other scores came on passes -- 23 yards from Graham to Dan
Brown and 5 yards from Bob Connor to Joe Dougherty. West had four more
good scoring opportunities. Northeast was held to 95 yards total offense
and four first downs.
1951
Overall
At Franklin Field
West Catholic 42, Bok 0
  Jack McEachern rushed for 118 yards and a TD and passed 6-for-12
for 75 yards and another TD for West, which never punted en route to
completing its first perfect season (10-0) since 1943. Art Dettra ran
for two TDs and John Bauer kicked six PAT. The Burrs won the total
offense battle, 341-71. Bok advanced to the West 13 late in the first
half, but was immediately pushed back to the 37.
1962
At Franklin Field
West Catholic 20, Southern 20 (tie)
  Bob Mahan rushed 20 times for 70 yards and two TDs, including a
game-tying, 2-yard run with 42 seconds remaining. On a conversion run,
Mahan was tackled by George Gambone. Tom DeFelice passed 13-for-26 for
160 yards and a TD to John Paczosa. For Southern, Joe Briddell carried
16 times for 67 yards and a TD, but saw only spot action in the second
half due to a leg injury.
1965
At Franklin Field
West Catholic 34, Southern 18
  West scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter to
pull away from a 12-12 halftime tie and make a winner of first-year
coach John McAneney. Mike DiDonato ran 2 yards for the decisive TD
moments after reeling off a 39-yard punt return. Tom Jordan's
interception set up the next TD, John Small's 5-yard run. For Southern,
Frank Gorman passed for two scores and ran for a third.
2008
AA Divison
At Southern
West Catholic 55, Bok 0
  Curtis Drake accounted for the first four TDs, rushing for the first and
fourth and passing to Eric Young for those in between. Drake finished
with eight carries for 72 yards and passed 8-for-9 for 121. Ray Manuel
epresented the defense by taking an interception 64 yards for a score.
Bok coach Tom DeFelice, like Drake, had twice earned coaches'
All-Catholic honors while playing QB for West (in '62 and '63).
2009
AA Division
At Southern
West Catholic 21, Bok 7
  The Burrs entered with a 36.6 scoring average, but found themselves
trailing at halftime, 7-0, thanks to a TD pass from Andre Frazier to
Gary Jackson. John Ruppert, a starter on the defensive line since his
freshman year, then added guard duties and West again looked somewhat like
its usual self. Brandon Hollomon finished with 177 yards (149 beyond
intermission) and two TDs on 29 carries. Jarred Evans ran for a 2-yard score
and passed 13-for-17 for 119 yards while eclipsing the school season record
(1,586, David Long collected 1,488 in 1982). For Bok, ends Chris Sherrod
and Jacqual Dobbs halved 14 tackles and combined for seven losses.
2010
AA Division
At Southern
West Catholic 34, Bok 6
  Bok coach Tom DeFelice, in the last game of his 18-year stint, created
nervous feelings for his alma mater in a 6-6 first half. But the Burrs then rolled,
scoring four TDs in an 8-minute, 9-second span. David Williams turned eight
carries into 52 yards and three TDs (two in the spurt) while Brandon Hollomon's
15-carry, 162-yard, one-TD performance enabled West to have a 1,000-yard rusher
for the 11th consecutive season. Jim Lynch, back in action after a one-game suspension
(he'd incorrectly been thrown out of the CL final vs. McDevitt; there was no video to
prove he'd only been acting as a peacemaker), notched eight solos and two TFLs
among 12 stops while also forcing a fumble. Jaleel Reed lost a 98-yard interception
return score to a penalty. Khalil Neal (21-79) and Shaquil Sammons (25-50, TD) led
Bok. This game was played at 11 a.m. A 6 o'clock Friday night start was nixed by
community pressure.
2011
AA Division
At Southern
West Catholic 30, Bok 23
  The Burrs needed a late TD to survive despite 412-108 dominance in scrimmage
yardage. A 50-yard pass from Jaleel Reed to Shaquille James provided major
life for the final drive and Reed scored from the 1 with 1:31 left, erasing a 23-22
deficit. Reed suffered a second-quarter injury and during his absence Kevin
Malone threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Bruce Mapp. David Williams carried 42
times for 228 yards and two TDs. For Bok, Shaquil Sammons rushed 27 times for 77
yards and one score and added another on a 92-yard kickoff return.
2015
AA Divison
At South Phila. Super Site
West Catholic 28, Del-Val 18
  Though Calil Wortham (16-70) and Sharif Fennell (6-81) rushed well, Joshua
Evans accounted for all four TDs while passing 17-for-27 for 295 yards.Amadou
Barry (4-124) caught two six-pointers while Craig Jones snagged one along with two
interceptions. He ran one back for a TD, but a penalty got in the way. Amir Postley
(13) and Tymir Oliver (eight) led the Burrs in tackles. DV's Shayne "Sugar" Smith
completed six of 24 tosses for 147 yards and one score.
2016
AA Division
At South Philly Super Site
West Catholic 65, Strawberry Mansion 8
  With only 16 players available, the Knights were doomed from the start and West
wound up easily breaking the record for most points in a City Title -- 56 by Wood
vs. Dobbins in AAA in 2008. The 57-point margin was also the record for CL/CT
contests. Da'Vion Kidd-Jackson passed 6-for-8 for 184 yards and four TDs while
backup Anthony Mirable hit four of his five attempts for 59 more. Amadou Barry
(3-73, three TDs) and Ahmad Kent (3-69, one) were the receiving headliners.
Calil Wortham (12-63, one) topped the ground game and Jason Dunn capped the
scoring with a 54-yard interception return. Mansion's Basil Wilson (79 rushing,
75 passing) accounted for all but eight of his team's 162 scrimmage yards.

HOW A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WAS WON

2010
AA Division
At Hersheypark Stadium
West Catholic 50, South Fayette 14
  The Burrs spotted the suburban Pittsburgh squad a 7-0 lead, but then entered
plunder/pillage mode and rang up 533 yards of total offense. The longest TDs were
soph David Williams' 81-yard run and Anthony Reid's 75-yard pass to Jaelen
Strong-Rankin (also caught a 25-yarder right before halftime). Williams
(two, 14-182), Brandon Hollomon (14-113), Reid and Joshua Mathis combined
for five rushing TDs. Hollomon finished his career with 3,264 rushing yards;
his brother, Rob (class of '09), had posted 3,159.