OCT. 31
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Chestnut Hill 14, Episcopal 6
   Have you ever seen a 1-on-1 football game? This one came close. Under unusual circumstances, too. CHA jr. TB Ibraheim “Ibs” Campbell and EA sr. FB Steve Faulkner ran and ran and ran and ran some more. It wasn’t raining and the field wasn’t muddy. In fact, the weather was wonderful and the game was played on the artificial surface that’s part of EA’s beyond-beautiful new campus in Newtown Square (not too far from Malvern, actually). Campbell got the call again and again because that has always been coach Rick Knox’s approach this season. “He has to give me one more week. Then he can take the winter off,” Knox said with a laugh. That last game will be against Malvern. EA coach Bill Gallagher went with Faulkner so much because QB Ryan Klein was out with a broken thumb and the replacement was inexperienced soph Taylor Wright, the son of ‘Nova hoops boss Jay Wright (he was in attendance and kept a low profile; watched the game from a spot along the fence with assistant Pat Chambers, an EA grad). Anyway, Campbell ran 30 times for 196 yards and TDs of 1 and 27 yards. Faulkner responded with 32 totes for 172. Despite the low score, the game was entertaining. With Faulkner, a lefty who explodes out of his stance with passion, the Churchmen roared right downfield and Faulkner’s 6-yard run created first-and-goal an inch inside the 10. Sr. TB John Gormley was dropped for a 5-yard loss by frosh LB Lewis Lake, but on third down Wright hit sr. Sean Toner for an 11-yard gain to the 2. Fourth down: Faulkner powered up the middle, but could advance only within inches of the goal line. CH’s best chance came right before halftime and the drive, aside from Campbell’s rushing, featured quality passing by soph QB Danny “Pride of Norristown” Gallagher. A Gallagher-to-sr.-WR-Alex Logue connection had TD potential, but sr. DB Richie Rosati delivered a strong hit and the ball rolled into the end zone, where it was recovered by EA soph DB Brian Ruditys. Each of CH’s scoring drives featured nothing but Campbell-ness. Six plays for 61 yards the first time (out of the third-quarter gate) and eight plays for 71 yards the second time (with just over 2 minutes left in the game). Episcopal scored on the previous series, with the highlight of that thrust a 38-yard run by Faulkner. But on the PAT, a 7-7 tie was prevented when everybody’s hero, jr. DB Brian Dones (5-6, 130), broke through from the defensive right and smothered the ball. Gallagher finished 6-for-6 for 138 yards, by the way, so it wasn’t as if he struggled and Campbell was the only possible option. Weird circumstances, right? A rusher gets 30 carries on a day when the QB goes 6-for-6. I can’t imagine that has happened too often in football history. Campbell also had an interception while Toner (on an errant pitchout) and jr. DL Jake Butts (hit by soph Adam DiSalvo) recovered fumbles; in addition to Ruditys. Jr. LB Tom Devlin racked up many impressive hits for CH, and was also a dedicated blocker for Campbell. This was my first look at the new Episcopal. It’s better than MANY small colleges, folks, and the athletic facilities are amazing. Coach Bill Gallagher and assistant Tom Kossuth took me on a tour and of course the camera came flying out of my pocket to snap away (smile). There's even a room that enables the rowers to simulate being on the water! By the way, Episcopal chooses to occupy the side of the field away from the stands. After hearing some of the parents offer their, ahem, wisdom, now I know why. There was a vintage shouting match between adult fans who were standing maybe 20 yards apart along the fence. The wife of a fan of another Inter-Ac school suggested to the EA guy that his complaints about the ref were misguided and that he ought to zip it. The EA guy, wearing a Phillies jacket, roared back at high volume and his language included some Utley-bombs. Wonderful. (Thanks to the person who sent me an email to clarify what happened in this exchange.) D. Gallagher said he was struggling during warmups and that Knox cracked to him, “What, are you too far from Norristown?” Gallagher also said sr. LB Phil Thomas should be listed as RoboCop on the website because of the huge amount of padding he wears on one arm to cover a cast.

OCT. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Freire 24, Esperanza 6
   At the least, this was Freire’s final game of 2008. But in the coming weeks, don’t be surprised to learn that the program has been scrapped after just four seasons. Numbers have been a problem throughout for the Center City charter school and good-guy coach Nelson Walker, a former player at Pitt, at one point had only 14 players to call upon. That shortage resulted in a forfeit and the Dragons then had two more weeks of inactivity. At least Walker and his assistants were able to pump up the number of players to 25. As the coach admitted, though, many had no experience and during today’s game, some who made it onto the field were being called by their number instead of their name. Oh, well. DN ink went to sr. QB Aaron Leedie, who had a major scare two years ago – he briefly feared he’d be paralyzed – and was advised to then sit out his entire junior campaign. He made it back for Game 2 this season and, as he admitted during our interview, set himself up to be sacked right away just so he’d know whether he’d be OK. In this one the 6-1, 210-pounder passed 4-for-7 for 58 yards and it was nice to see experience some fun in his school finale. For the second time this season when I’ve seen Esperanza, coach John Grone held out jr. QB Brandon Abner until halftime because of some FB-related transgressions. “We’re going for discipline,” Grone said. “That’s more important than W’s.” Abner’s absence meant sr. WR Elias “Eli” Martinez had to open the game at QB. Though the Toros did threaten, Martinez was knocked out of bounds at the 4 on a right-side keeper as the second quarter started (Jeffery Robinson and Marcus “Bonner” Rothmiller; the kids call him that because he went to Bonner as a freshman) and Freire then uncorked a great drive that covered 96 yards in 15 plays. The best play was a leaping, 24-yard catch by Donte Blow, placing the ball on the 10. Bilal McCoy ran the ball to the 5, then an offside penalty placed the ball near the 2. Rothmiller, a big kid, powered over from there. McCoy (20-97) and Marcquon Mitchell scored the other TDs. The grunts were C Dysean Thompson, Gs Mark Brown and Ryant Heath, Ts Bryant Heath (yes, they’re twins) and Stephon Fulton. The top defender was MLB Desmond Strickland, who turned three sacks into 31 yards. Leedie’s soph brother, Adam, had a sack and another TFL while Rothmiller delivered some solid blows along the DL. Abner passed 5-for-11 for 104 yards and his presence allowed the Toros to create some breathing room. It was a shame he was not available all game long. The TD came on a 63-yard pass to sr. scatback Zakee Moody. Moody juggled the ball as he tried to make the catch at about the Freire 20, but he held on and scored easily after Blow went down in a heap right as the catch was made. Abner hit Martinez with a right-side swing pass on the conversion, but Robinson made a sensational swarming tackle to keep Martinez out of the end zone. Esperanza did not come close to scoring thereafter. This was my first game visit to the Frankford Chargers’ site. The field is artificial turf and very nice! It sits behind, and slightly down the street from, Harding Middle School.

OCT. 26
CATHOLIC AA SEMIFINAL
Carroll 17, McDevitt 7
   Carroll lost the teams’ regular season matchup, 28-6, but erased that negative memory, and then some, in beautiful weather at Plymouth-Whitemarsh to collect its 31st all-time CL playoff win (that’s a record, folks). While I know teams are supposed to generate their own energy, it’s hard not to imagine that the Lancer players were scratching their heads when they looked toward the stands and saw that no more than 10 students had come out to support them. McDevitt long ago ditched its band and no cheerleaders were in the house; no wonder things were so quiet on the home side of the field. McDevitt’s top overall player, jr. Drew Siegfried, was limited to ballboy duties as he suffered a broken vertebrae in his back (ouch!) three weeks ago vs. Dougherty. He’s hopeful of returning to action next season. The Lancers bagged no first downs in the first half. Yes, as in none. At one point, when Carroll had the ball, an assistant looked across the way and roared to nearby players, “See the chains moving?! That’s called a first down!” Thanks to excellent ballhandling by sr. QB Luke Wischnowski, who ran things in precise fashion, Carroll generated 200-plus yards on the ground. The Patriots’ intricate offense requires footwork and quick/soft hands from the QB and Wischnowski kept things moving. The Patriots have no stud rushers, but jr. FB Bryant Moritz, jr. RB Zach Parke and soph RB Ryan Shea are competent with proper blocking, and that was provided largely (choice of word made on purpose) by sr. TE Chris Kennedy (6-3, 295) and sr. T Jack Lowney (6-3, 255). The Patriots did all of their scoring in the second quarter as Moritz ran 1 yard, sr. WR Pat Seeds made a sensational one-handed catch on a 22-yarder (I botched the pic; sorry, Pat) and soph Andrew Brouwers hammered a 41-yard field goal at 0:00. Two plays earlier, on fourth-and-4, Kennedy set up to punt. But Wischnowski was the up man and when the snap went to him, he hit Shea with a 10-yard pass to the 29. Wischnowski added four yards on a keeper toward the middle of the field and timeout was called at 1.7. Impressive sequence. DN ink went to Kennedy, whose fumble recovery set up the second TD. He was an absolute beast in the second half, witness that he made seven stops behind the line (four TFLs, three sacks). His best play came on a screen pass to sr. RB Justin Schley. Coming from the opposite side, Kennedy (interest from Temple, Pitt, Delaware; offer from Bryant) sniffed out the play and dropped Schley for a 2-yard loss close to the sideline. Phew! He also averaged 41.8 yards on four punts. Yes, he’s a 295-pound punter! McDevitt woke up right after halftime as sr. QB Luke Sawick hit soph RB Gary Postell for a 30-yard gain and, ultimately, sr. WR Steve Harris made a wonderful snag of a 4-yard fade from Sawick in the exact back left corner. As Harris was running his pattern, he could be heard yelling, “Luke! Luke!” As in, “This is gonna work. Just throw it to me.” Harris kept his promise and showed great concentration in getting one foot down. McDevitt’s hopes of giving the Patriots some late-game consternation were dashed when Wischnowski ripped off a 52-yard gain midway through the fourth quarter. McDevitt did hold, though. Big problem: its subsequent series went backward more than forward as Kennedy notched sacks worth three and four yards. Facing fourth-and-17, coach Pat Manzi opted for a punt. Just 2:52 remained and the ball was on McDevitt’s 14. Luckily, Sawick powered a 61-yard punt (he had a 62-yarder earlier in the quarter) and the Lancers still had hopes of a late miracle. But as Carroll faced fourth-and-six, a referee spotted 12 men on McDevitt’s defense (ugh) and had no choice but to throw the flag. That happened at 58.9. McDevitt began its last possession at Carroll’s 46. Sawick threw incomplete, then was engulfed for sacks by jr. NT Chris King (looks like a potential stud) and Lowney, then by King and Kennedy. Ballgame. Carroll’s next opponent, in the AA title game, will be West Catholic. Expecting another reversed verdict might be a little much, considering the Burrs have been looking beyond invincible, but stranger things have happened . . . Um, maybe not. Anyway, we’re guessing the Patriots will still show up (smile).

OCT. 18
CATHOLIC AAA
Wood 31, Lansdale Catholic 0
   Heck with the game. Let's discuss the important stuff -- our own website writer, Wood senior Tom Zulewski, was the Homecoming king!! (smile). For photo purposes, I spent the game on LC's sideline and was wondering during the first half, while looking across the way, why Tom was wearing a black shirt and a tie. Then halftime came and I walked across the field and Tom was fully decked out, ready to roll, and wearing a Burger King-type crown! Legendary! Now, maybe more guys will be encouraged to write for the site, seeing as how Tom now, no doubt, can lasso any babe he wants (ha ha ha). Congrats, Tom! OK, back to the game. Not very competitive, honestly. Wood had bigger and better personnel. Simple as that. LC did well to force Wood into a punt after limiting its first series to one first down. The Vikings tallied on their next three possessions, though, as sr. James McFadden hammered a 26-yard field goal and sr. QB Sean McCartney accounted for one TD apiece via run (1-yard) and pass (14-yarder to sr. FB Nick Devine; he slid out of the backward toward the right corner and was wide open). Wood also scored on its first two possessions of the second half -- runs of 13 and 11 yards by sr. TB Sean Cunningham (25-156). The Vikings don't often strike for long plays, but they will grind you down if you let 'em. McCartney went 5-for-10 for 115 and four different guys notched snags. There were three drops, as well, so McCartney was pinpointin' it, baby. LC had major difficulties sustaining mini-drives, let alone long ones. They applied severe pressure to soph QB Alex Hetzel, who was victimized for two picks - by Shane Miller and Scott Adkins -- and three sacks (sr. E Anthony Narisi was in on two of them). Later, star RB John Howell, just back from an injury, moved to QB, which he played at the start of the season, and managed to pass 5-for-7 for 69 yards, thanks mostly to jr. WR Kevin McGinn. He was also picked, however; Jerry Rahill did those honors. Rahill also had a fumble recovery. It was interesting to watch LC coach Jim Algeo after hearing so much about him all these years (his son, Danny, is O’Hara’s coach). Jim’s a feisty guy! (smile). He reamed out guys every so often for errors. But like any great coach, he followed the yelling with encouragement and/or instructions on how to do things better the next time. Sr. LB Alec Bonacci was a defensive playmaker for the Crusders. Sr. LB Sean Kelly (6-3, 210) also showed well at times. En route to the game, I wound up behind a car with this license plate “1 AHEDAU.” Pretty clever. I felt like passing the guy, then yelling out the window, “Now I’m 1 ahead of you!” Two-lane road, though. Grrrrrrrr. While waiting to take the picture of LC’s cheerleaders, one of the gals asked me, “Are you from a newspaper?” When I told her yes, she asked, “Which one?” Of course I said, “Daily News.” Her response? “Where’s that?” Oh, baby!! LC is more in the hinterlands than I thought. Ha, ha, ha. Also had a quick exchange with LC’s principal, Tim Quinn. It was good to see him! Not too long ago – during the TS.com era, even -- he was North Catholic’s coach.

OCT. 17
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 43, Haverford School 0
  There was a hope, but there also a fear. Would the resurgent Fords be able to give mighty Malvern a game? After all, they were 5-1 and many saw them as the Inter-Ac’s second best team. Well, folks, it appears to have come to this: Malvern is truly in a league of its own. There were a couple of uneasy early moments, but before long it was Frolic Time and the mercy rule kicked in for the final 9:33. DN ink went to sr. RB Neil Willis, whose most impressive play was a 61-yard TD catch from sr. QB Billy Conners. He got bumped twice pretty hard soon after he made the snag. As he noted in our interview, the second one helped put him back on balance after the first one had knocked him OFF balance. His rushing totals showed 11 carries for 73 yards and scores of 26 and 7 yards; a 48-yarder was erased by penalty. That came on the first play of the third quarter right after HS went for broke and, down by 23-0, tried an onside kick. It dribbled out of bounds 2 yards short of even-recover-it territory. Oh, well. Sr. FB James Connelly also rushed well (9-89, TD) and Conners passed 6-for-9 for 137 and one more TD, an 18-yarder to sr. WR Joe Price. The grunts: sr. C Matt Devlin, sr. G Mike McCorkle, jr. G Joe DiTrolio, and sr. Ts Bobby Panchisin and Dave Umile. The TE was sr. CJ Mooney. As for the uneasy moments . . . After Connelly’s 4-yard TD run, sr. Terance FitzSimmons caught the kickoff at the goal line (or even behind it) and zoomed up the middle and then to the left sideline for what had the certain look of a monumental 100-yard return. But he was run down by sr. Tom Keefer at the 11 and the Fords failed to get into the end zone from there. On fourth-and-1 from the 2, sr. QB Dan Judge had no chance to do anything. Sr. LB Rob McCabe exploded across the line of scrimmage and dropped him for a 5-yard loss. Quickly thereafter, HS was semi-knocking on the door (at the 26) when Judge eased to his left on an option and pitched the ball to . . . oops, no one. Not sure who was at fault, but FitzSimmons went the other way and this freebie fumble recovery went to Devlin. Subsequent sacks/TFLs went to popular house-sized sr. DT Sean “Fergie” Ferguson (6-4, 340), DiTrolio, Mooney, Devlin and Mooney again. The most excitement was created late-game by sr. DB Andrew Layne, brother of ex-headliners Steve and Chris. His fun began with an interception and a 36-yard return to the 8, setting up an immediate scoring run by jr. RB Wallace “Wally/Boomer/Next Neil Willis” Spencer. Then, Layne made a TD-preventing tackle and next uncorked the game’s best hit. He was engulfed by delirious teammates as he came to the sideline. It was great, as always, seeing all of Malvern’s coaches and support personnel. When it comes to competence and the ability to handle young men, this group is unmatched. And, being an older guy myself now (ha ha), it is so cool to see how hands-on Gamp Pellegrini still is in his 42nd season as a head high school coach.

OCT. 16
PUBLIC AA
Franklin 20, Furness 8
  The star of this game was the trainer. Back and forth. Back and forth. Out onto the field. Over to the injured player’s sideline. Out onto the field to tend to another injury. Over to the opposite sideline. He probably lost 10 pounds with all of the walking around (smile). Thankfully, it did not appear that any of the injuries was serious. As for the game itself . . . not the stuff of legends. And that did not surprise. Under coach Anthony Pastore, Furness is still feeling its way as a second-year varsity program. Franklin has better line play and a few more weapons and even though the Electrons had trouble mustering game-long juice (the playoffs begin next week), there was no doubt about how this one would end. DN ink went to sr. T Lydell “Loddy/Cornbread” Boanes, who’s listed at 6-3, 330 and is being eyed by Temple, Cheyney and Lincoln. The story concerns, in part, the relationship between Loddy and his dad, Jeffrey, who’s battling a health issue and has overcome some serious personal issues in his life. I’ve corresponded a few times with Dad via email and wish him nothing but the best! Franklin scored on its first three possessions as jr. RB Marquis White (one TD, 12-73) and sr. RB Robert Ingram (two, 6-37) did the honors. Sr. TE Jamel “Redz” Haggins contributed one big catch apiece to two of the drives and jr. QB Anthony Stones uncorked a 23-yard gain on a keeper. Haggins, Ingram and jr. NT Haafiz Mainor, a recent JV callup, had big moments on defense. Furness’ big moment occurred late in the third quarter when a pass to Haggins was too high and he could only barely touch it. The ball settled into the hands of frosh CB Sharif Smith, who merely raced 87 yards for a TD. Oops. A block in the back was called at the Furness 20. So much for the score. Against second-liners, the Falcons finally scored with 32.8 left. The drive covered 58 yards in nine plays. Smith (16-68) carried on the first six, then jr. QB Anthony Ings went 15, 3 and 1 for the TD. Jr. Charles Pullett added two points on a reverse. TFLs and/or sacks were made by sr. L Gerald Martin (three), jr. LB Victor Pastore (Anthony’s son), soph Aaron Cooper, sr. Sam Byrd/jr. Robert Jenkins, those two again, and jr. Aamir McCleary. For Franklin, sr. DB Donnell “Boo-Boo” Jones had an interception, but the best vertical of the day was posted by Furness sr. John Johnson. While heading for my car, I had a quick “hey, how-ya-doin’ great-to-see-you!!” exchange with Chuck Cohen, a star lineman for Roman back in the day. It was great to see him! I notice there’s a Cohen on Franklin’s roster, so let’s assume he’s Chuck’s son or nephew. While announcing a call against a Franklin lineman, ref Tom McClain said, “He didn’t mean to hold, but he did.” Just two plays into the second half, as everyone waited out an injury, a Franklin player yelled toward the sideline, “Can we get some water?” An assistant responded, “Y’all don’t need water! You just came off halftime!” Hearing that, coach Ken Geiser said with a laugh, “We run a tight ship around here.” Among the spectators was Dwayne Lilley, who holds Franklin’s school record for passing yards in a season (1,017 in ’98). I told him that mark will stand for generations and generations (smile). Dwayne helped out on the chain crew. Meanwhile, Smith briefly lined up at shotgun quarterback and almost doubled Furness’ passing yards for the season with one throw! Ings is now 4-for-15 for 15 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith fired a right-sideline pass to Pullett. The ball was just a little high. If Pullett had made the catch, the gain would have been almost exactly 15 yards.

OCT. 14
PUBLIC AAAA BLUE
King 12, Edison 6
   Three cheers for Tuesday afternoon football! Wish we could do it more often, but I hope we NEVER have to do it for again for this reason – the death of a player. This game was scrapped shortly after the MRSA death of King sr. CB Saalen Jones (RIP, young man) and rescheduling became necessary because Edison was still in the hunt for the lone playoff spot out of this division. This loss renders  Friday’s game vs. University City meaningless, seeing as how UC has already clinched. DN ink went to sr. RB-CB Kyeem Coleman, one of Saalen’s best friends. They grew up three blocks apart and went through school completely together, all the way back to kindergarten. Kyeem’s brother, Kendell, was a first-magnitude star for King in the 2006-07 school year and even got the main ink after the Pub won the Daily News-Eagles City All-Star Game. He’s already a factor at Kutztown, too, and is considered a gem of a kid. Kyeem has found the shadow thing to be difficult, but he did step forward in major ways in this one (and served as a great team spokesman for the DN story on how the Cougars are coping with the loss of Saalen). Coleman turned 18 carries into 91 yards and a TD and contributed a 45-yard gain, on a left-screen pass, to King’s other scoring drive, capped with an 11-yard keeper by sr. QB Larry Adams; it was Adams’ only positive carry. Coleman also posted a fumble recovery and an interception in addition to losing a fumble on a would-be punt return and getting beat immediately thereafter by sr. WR Craig Gay, who made a leaping catch for a 30-yard score (pass by jr. QB Terrell Lee) with 7:24 left in the game. Coleman's pick, on a tipped pass, came at 4:24. At 0:39, he dove on a fumble by Adams when swarming Edison defenders were hoping to scoop up the ball and run 86 yards for a miracle game-tying touchdown. The defensive leaders were sr. LBs Sanjay Davis and Kadeem Brown. Davis notched a fumble recovery along with an interception. Each made two tackles behind the line. Sr. DB Khalil Sams added a 30-yard return to a fumble recovery, but my pic shows his knee was on the ground as he made that play (smile). Jr. DL James Colburne and sr. Deshon White had sacks early in the fourth quarter and White ended the game with another. Back in the rushing rotation was jr. Joe Montouth, who was such a force as a soph. He has been out with an injury and was only mildly effective (14-37), but at least he was out there. For Edison, Lee was held out until halftime due to a discipline issue, then wound throwing as many picks as completions. His best play was the 30-yard TD to Gay, who out-battled Coleman. The rushing game was basically non-existent. The defense was mostly paced by soph DE Dominick Boseman, brother of sr. WR Vincent (fumble recovery). He made multiple penetrations and was authoritative while tackling, also. Another soph, DE Chariel “Cheerio” Rivera, also shows promise as do the Perez brothers, jr. DL Joe and soph LB Carlos. Down by 12-6, Edison took over at its 10 with 5:16 left. Lee hit sr. WR Leroy Harris for 20 yards, but the next was flat-out dropped and Coleman picked off the one after that, off a tipped ball. A 24-yard, third-down gain off a reverse by sr. WR Dereck White helped King preserve the lead. The clock wasn’t working. Supposedly, workers removed a part from Edison’s clock in an attempt to fix Lincoln’s. Now BOTH don’t work. Only in the Pub. Meanwhile, I’ve given head ref Ernie Gallagher a new nickname – “Hochuli”. It has nothing to do with great biceps. If you’re nice to him, maybe he’ll explain what’s going on (smile). After leaving Edison, I made the short drive to Olney with the hope of getting some practice pics and the captains. Practice was almost over, though, so the camera made only a brief appearance.

OCT. 10
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Haverford School 32, Penn Charter 22
  Well, lookie here. We’re edging toward mid-October and a football season is actually being enjoyed at HS. The Fords have posted winning records in just four times in the last 33 seasons, but this will be No. 5 unless they somehow drop their last four games. This was their first win over PC since 1991. The star that season was stud rusher Dave Stilley, who went on to play pro lacrosse. In that win he had 48 carries (one short of the city record) for 231 yards. What a horse that kid was! Speaking of franchise players, this squad has several. DN ink went to sr. QB Dan Judge (6-3, 210), who recently committed to I-AA power Richmond. He’s sturdy and confident (OK, even cocky, but in a good way – smile) and can hurt defenses with his arm and feet. Judge passed 8-for-12 for 79 yards and a pair of scores to sr. WR AJ Jones, another headliner. Both scores came on posts and those patterns take brass, of course, because the receiver is more susceptible to unguarded pops. Part of PC’s strategy was to punish Judge again and again with sr. DE Justin Renfrow (Virginia), both on passes and keepers/pitchouts. Renfrow buried Judge on his second TD pass so he didn’t even see Jones’ catch. By the way, the focus of the DN story concerned how Judge transferred to HS after his freshman year from SJ Prep. At the time, people would have called that the most unwise FB move in history. Not lookin’ too bad now, though, eh? Also for HS, though he didn’t get into the end zone, sr. RB Terance FitzSimmons ran 24 times for 125 yards. And then, and then, and then . . . we have Wyatt Benson! As the half wound down, PC sr. Billy O’Boyle tried a short FG. The ball slipped off the block as O’Boyle approached and the kick was low right into the line. The ball bounced a shade toward the visiting sideline and there was momentary confusion among at least some of the players because not all of them moved toward the ball. Benson did, though. He made the scoop, took off and went 84 yards for a TD. The effort enabled him to sniff the city record for longest TD return of a blocked punt – it belongs to McDevitt’s Scott Yancey, who dashed 87 in ’75. I covered that game as well (for Montgomery Newspapers) . It was played on Germantown’s field and Yancey scored in the north end zone. Pretty sure the opponent was Kenrick. PC’s highlight was a pair of terrific kickoff returns by sr. Michael Brown, who apparently goes by “Breezy.” Well, dude was breezin’ on these returns, folks (smile). The distances were 85 and 86 yards and he made them look kinda easy. The first one was textbook. Brown eased slowly upfield at first, looking for his opening. Once he saw it, zoom, see ya! Not even sure he was touched. The second one took more savvy, as he was jostled a couple times before breaking free. PC’s new QB is soph John Loughery, first cousin of the original starter, sr. John Ryan (injured). John is the brother of Atlanta Falcons rookie Matt Ryan and Loughery’s dad, also named John, was a star QB at PC before playing at Boston College and preceding Doug Flutie as the starter. This “Lock” is still feeling his way. He’s still growing into his body (6-4, 185) and just does not yet have the kind of presence he surely will as time marches on. He finished 10-for-27 for 83 yards, but at least many of the misses were “almosts,” meaning those will soon become completions with fine-tuning. Lock picked up his first career TD pass with 3:44 left on a 6-yard, right-corner toss to jr. WR Mick Foley. Haverford’s grunts included sr. C Shomari "Mega" Watts, jr. G Nick "401K" Pension, jr. G Kieran “Hertz” Avis, jr. T Stephen "My Legs Are" Aitken (also the punter) and jr. T Max "And a Hearty Hi Yo" Silver. Sr. DB Chris Ambrogi broke up several passes while Jones had a late interception. For PC, Brown also rushed 14 times for 93 yards. Judge’s 10-yard keeper gave HS a 32-6 lead, but at least PC rallied to create a respectable final score.             

OCT. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Bristol 34, Edison 12
   Tuesday football is highly unusual. Not completely unusual, though, because we’ll see it again next week when Edison hosts King in a makeup of a game that was scrapped after the death of King sr. DB Saalen Jones due to MRSA. This one was going to be played in Week Two, but Tropical Storm Hanna intervened. Two Philly folks – Edison AD Cindy Dougherty; PL football chairman Joe Stanley -- said Bristol’s school district declined to send out its buses. A Bristol assistant said before the game that I’d better check my facts because their version wasn’t true. Who knows? I do know Bristol didn’t have a roster and that an assistant traced it to the fact they’d just played Friday and their “other uniforms” were still unavailable. Thus, the numbers didn’t match up. Oh, so that means no one could have taken the time to write out something new during the school day? These guys didn’t like it when I muttered, “So, the Pub comes to Bristol.” I then proceeded to mention that guys from suburban schools love to bury the Pub, but whenever I see suburban teams, these guys look at you as if you have three heads when you ask for a roster. Even in state playoffs that has happened! The assistant didn’t like that, either. Didn’t think he would. Doesn’t mean I was going to bite my tongue. Eventually, the guy did provide names and numbers for the main rushers/receivers/passer/kicker&punter. Thanks. Edison did not have the line play to hang with the visitors. The rushing game was basically non-existent until jr. Juan Purrington reeled off gains of 20 and 17 yards in the third quarter. Jr. QB Terrell Lee had some decent moments, going 11-for-22 for 115 yards and one TD apiece to srs. Terrance Gary (8-yarder) and Craig Gay (leaping 1-yard snatch in the waning moments). The Owls’ most productive receiver was sr. Vincent Boseman (4-68). As often happens to Edison, there was an almost immediate special-teams disaster. The game’s first series went nowhere and then, whoops!, a bad snap resulted in a 21-yard loss back to Edison’s 10. Bristol scored on fourth down and pretty much rolled from there. With the score 14-0, Edison had a chance to move within a TD late in the second quarter. But Lee underthrew Gay on a left-corner fade and the pass was picked off. Next play: Edison sr. DeShawn Benson made his own pick on a tipped pass and the Owls did reach paydirt this time on a 29-yard drive. Lee’s 8-yard scramble moved the ball to the 8, then Lee flipped a pass to the left and Gary fought off a tackler to get into the end zone at 0:29. Bristol scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, with an interception in between. At least the Owls collected the feel-good score as the fourth quarter melted away. They drove 60 yards in nine plays as Lee passed 5-for-9. DN ink went to Gay, who turned out to be a very worthy subject. He hails from Thomasville, Ga., and is up here living with his father. He ranks in the Top 25 of the senior class and hopes to become a surgeon. He also has strong feelings on the misbehavior he sees around school, and even on the football trail. Aside from his receiving, he managed a pair of tackles for losses. Also playing well on defense was soph LB Carlos Perez. He delivered several good wallops while soph Dominic Boseman, Vincent's brother, made three stops behind the line. On hand was a true legend: Bucks County Courier Times sports writer Kevin "Sparky" Cooney. Kev is a Judge grad and wrote for this website in his earlier years. He had a split-duty day, first heading to CBP to do interviews related to the upcoming Phillies-Dodgers series. Phillies-Dodgers . . . Bristol-Edison. Not sure about Sparky, but I'd take the high school event every time! (smile)

OCT. 3
PUBLIC AA
Bok 16, Franklin 14
  About 10 cops got the unscheduled chance to watch a little football. Thankfully, they didn’t have to deal with mass mayhem. Was the scene disturbing? Of course. Was it anywhere close to many others I’ve witnessed through the years? No way. The bad thing for Franklin was, it likely helped to decide the game. OK, here we go, and let me preface this by saying I was on Franklin’s sideline and can’t offer a definitive opinion on something that happened across the way. On an incomplete pass, Bok sr. RB Gary Jackson was definitely hammered. Bok coach Tom DeFelice contended later that Jackson incurred a cheap shot far out of bounds; there was no call. The Bok folks were livid (everyone could see that) and soon thereafter, a former Franklin FB who’d been working the chains was sent packing and he was extremely agitated as he walked back toward Franklin’s sideline; he’d been arguing with the nearby Bok folks after an interference call and the refs told him to leave. Next, Bok sr. RB Ray Tucker ran for 11 yards to the Franklin 32. But away from the play, a Franklin lineman was throwing a punch at a Bok guy and, next thing you knew, Electrons were running onto the field and some of Bok’s guys were doing likewise from the other side. Also on the field were a few recent Franklin players, who’d also been on the sideline. When ref Tom McClain untangled the mess, two Electrons were ejected and a pair of penalties were called, moving the ball 15 yards to the 17 and then half the distance from there to the 8. Tucker ran 4 yards, then soph QB Andre Frazier went 3 and 1 to tie the score at 14-14. DeFelice said he went with Tucker on the conversion because he’d been doing well. Running behind sr. LG Ramar Bridges, Tucker got into the end zone and the Wildcats had the lead. On Franklin’s next series, Bok jr. LB Kevin Thompson (I called him “Anthony” in my DN story; sorry about the mistake, Kevin) raced across the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-1 for an encroachment penalty that moved the ball to Bok’s 34. But three plays later, he atoned for his messup by picking off a pass. Tucker then accumulated 41 yards on the next eight plays and Bok had its win. The teams were cordial afterward. Two Electrons, coach Ken Geiser and star lineman Lydell Boanes (with tears in his eyes), came over to Bok’s players/coaches/fans gathering to apologize profusely for what had happened and the afternoon ended with Bok’s players munching on hot dogs, as offered (free!!) by the folks operating the concession stand. In retrospect, the game’s key play was the conversion after Bok’s first TD, a 2-yard run by Tucker 3:19 before halftime. A procedure call moved back the ball to the 8. DeFelice called for a flanker reverse to sr. Brahkim Poole. The ball, mistakenly I assume, was snapped a count earlier. The Franklin kids mostly froze at the start and Poole wound up scoring easily, even diving into the left corner for emphasis (and fun). Franklin’s best play was a 66-yard TD catch by sr. TE Jamel “Redz” Haggins. Redz made a leaping snag in the area of Bok’s 25 and easily ran the rest of the way after the two defenders collided. Bok’s line included sr. C Kadeem Stewart, sr. G Ramar Bridges, jr. G Josh Garnett, sr. Ts Jasaan Thomas (also a stud on the DL) and Monteze Guions and jr. TE Naeem Nunnally. From 2004 through ’07, this game decided the AAA title. This year, things are not yet decided because Imhotep is decent and has yet to play either team. Plus, there will be a four-team playoff. As the game ended, I immediately began walking toward Bok’s side and happened to pass Franklin’s players as they came off the field. I heard Haggins say to a teammate, “Ain’t nothin’ to be cryin’ about. We’re good. We’re gonna see them again.” Could very well happen.

OCT. 2
PUBLIC AAA
Mastbaum 14, Gratz 6
  Hey, I’m on a hot streak when it comes to stars of Thursday games who come from great, supportive families, and who have all kinds of possibilities in front of them thanks in part to football, but more so because they “get it’ and are doing what it takes in the classroom and life in general. Last week’s DN ink went to Franklin’s Jamel “Redz” Haggins. Today’s goes to sr. RB (and LB) Rasheen Tookes. The beginning part of this story wrote itself, folks, because Rasheen has a star carved into the right side of his head. You KNOW we had fun with that (ha ha). Six family members were on hand to watch Rasheen run and run and run some more and all were wearing white No. 3 jerseys (Mastbaum wore blue). In all, a dozen jerseys were purchased by Rasheen’s uncle, Joe Tookes, as a way for the group to add to its enjoyment of the senior season of Their Favorite Player Ever. The 5-8, 185-pound Tookes did not disappoint, turning 26 carries into 246 yards and two TDs (plus a conversion). His first tote produced a 50-yard scoring jaunt and later he reeled off gains of 14, 10, 21, 10 (for a TD), 13, 37, 27 and 11. He’s fast and rugged and since he carries the ball lefthanded, he’s comfortable going to that side as well. His assignment is not easy. Mastbaum’s passing game is mostly a rumor and the Bulldogs comfortably were able to crowd the line of scrimmage without much fear of being burned. Didn’t matter. Tookes got just enough blocking from his line and when holes weren’t there, he used grit and moves to at least carve out something. He’s a personable, respectful young man and loved around school, I’m told, and it’s easy to see why. The line: sr. C David Santiago, sr. G Andrew King, sr. G Antonio Powell (and jr. Jerrell Robinson), jr. T Khalif Workman and sr. T Julian Lipscomb (6-5, 275), who actually attends Bodine and plays basketball there and could be a player someday with improved footwork and body shaping. Sr. RB-P Darren Berry also goes to Bodine. King, at LB and sometimes DE, is a scary defender. He brings it big time and takes every opportunity to try to pound guys through the turf. Phew. Gratz is very young and a sophomore lefty, Montrell Stewart, is now the QB. (Some other headliners are missing for assorted reasons.) Stewart did an OK job, but lacked authority in certain situations and just kind of laid the ball up there. He does have potential, though. Just needs to improve his pocket presence and crispness. He went 12-for-24 for 164 yards and his best pass, which was a GREAT sign, came on fourth-and-22 and produced a 40-yard TD jr. WR Shawn Palmer. It was a fly right down the left sideline and was perfectly thrown. Sr. TE Lawrenzo Evans and jr. RB Aaron Rice also showed well as receivers, at times. Just four times did a rushing play yield as many as 10 yards and Stewart was dumped for losses seven times. Sr. DT Devin Briscoe and jr. LB Tim Johnson showed well on defense. Mastbaum made three interceptions. Sr. LB Jamil Thomas and soph DB Tyree Walker had the first two. Sr. DB Steven Mont recorded the last one, at the 15, and followed it with a spectacular return for an 85-yard TD. Problem: it was wiped out by a penalty. That came with 2:42 left and the Panthers proceeded to march downfield in search of a clinching TD. Tookes had runs of 37, 27 and 11 yards and that last one placed the ball at the 1 with very little time remaining. I half-expected Mastbaum to take a knee. Didn’t happen. Sr. Gregory Desire, one of three guys to play QB, burrowed forward and did get into the end zone. But the refs ruled he’d been stopped inches short of the goal line. The Panthers were scrambling to make one more attempt to add another TD, but the clock ran out. Midway through the fourth quarter, Mastbaum was flagged for penalties on FOUR consecutive plays. Two were declined, however, because the plays resulted in losses. Mental mistakes, especially the kind resulting in 12-men-on-the-field flags, were a game-long problem. Coach Al Coleman told his squad afterward, “I’m gonna give y’all some B-12. Good for focus.”