SEPT. 27
CATHOLIC AAAA
Conwell-Egan 42, Neumann-Goretti 6
  In terms of competitiveness, my games this weekend were like Puck vs. the English language. All four reached the running-clock stage and that's not fun for anyone -- well, except for the subs and those anticipating a hot date. C-E and N-G are mirror images offensively, in that they operate from a spread and are guided by smallish juniors with decent arms and feet -- C-E's Matt Della-Croce and N-G's Anthony Mastrando. D-C benefits from a better set of skill position players and slightly superior blocking. D-C went 8-for-17 for 162 yards and one TD apiece to sr. receiver Dustin Golin (brother of sr. headlining WR Ryan Golin) and sr. handyman Ryan Bond. D. Golin's score covered 57 yards and qualified as a gem -- he straight-armed one guy and pick-up-your-jocked a couple others, all while staying inbound along the right sideline. D-C also collected 47 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Sr. RB Joe Tretter also had a strong performance. His eight carries netted 66 yards and a TD and he posted another score midway through the fourth quarter by picking up a squib kickoff and rolling straight upfield, pretty much, for 78 yards. Bond uncorked a great fake-left, go-right move en route to his TD with a 33-yard catch. On defense, jr. Anthony Singlar had "doublar" the fun with a pair of interceptions. He returned the second to the 5 and then, since he's a backup QB, he was installed at that spot and immediately tallied on a keeper. Sr. T Keith Socoloski (6-2, 300) had some dominant moments along the defensive line while sr. LBs Tretter and Brian Palmer broke through for big-loss sacks. The offensive line: sr. C Robert Trasatti, sr. Gs Ben Allen and Socoloski and sr. Ts James Taylor and Bobby Albritain. N-G's one true player is sr. two-way Kadeem Custis, a big, strong kid who's being eyed by assorted D-I programs. He opened eyes immediately, running 22 yards downfield to tackle Bond, and he showed strength, savvy and lateral movement along the line throughout. C-E assistant Matt Brazil, who knows a little about line play (first team All-City in '02; dream-game performance of five stats -- sack, TFL, fumble forced, fumble recovered, interception), sees Custis earning an invite to the Big 33 Game. Matt's fellow All-City legend, LB Rob Biernat, is also on Kevin Kelly's staff. Mastrando struggled in the first half, going 1-for-8 for 32 yards. He got it rolling in the latter stages, admittedly against backup defenders, to finish 10-for-24 for 98 yards. He also ran 47 yards for a TD. WR Frank Coleman (N-G's roster doesn't list grades) made six catches for 65 yards. Paul Lind and Anthony Janelli combined for a sack. Directly south of the South Philly Super Site, across the expressway, is Citizens Bank Park. A few minutes before the game began, the Phillies clinched the division title and fireworks went off. It's very difficult to process the absence of Mike "Tugger" Tos from C-E's program. Mike, who also contributed to this website, was the Eagles' statman and No. 1 fan -- missed just two games in school history; it happened when he was in grade school -- and did everything possible to make football an enjoyable experience for all the kids. There's now a "TOS" decal on the back of the helmets and Ryan Golin, for one, has a tribute on his taped wrists. RIP, Tugger. We all think of you OFTEN.

SEPT. 27
NON-LEAGUE
Chestnut Hill 36, Hill School 0
  Soph QB Danny Gallagher wants it known that he lives in Norristown, which he says is the best town in the Philadelphia area. Now that we've started with an untruth, let's move on (smile). One thing was proven today: a chestnut hill is better than a regular hill. The visitors from Pottstown were no match for the Blue Devils, and a good time was had by pretty much everyone wearing dark blue jerseys. No doubt CHA lost a lot from a talented '07 squad that pushed Malvern for Inter-Ac honors. Guess what? There's still a decent amount of talent on hand and it would not surprise to see coach Rick Knox's squad again finish second. (Malvern appears to be just TOO strong to be seriously challenged. No offense to the loop's other five schools.) The bread is buttered through jr. RB-DB Ibraheim Campbell, brother of ex-franchise Rashad Campbell (Cornell frosh). Rumor has it "Ib" is faster. Hmmm. I'd like to see that footrace. He's definitely bigger and stronger and he plays with a certain businesslike approach. He carried 22 times for 201 yards and three TDs and seven times ripped off double-figure gains, with highs of 37 and 44. There's also much to like about jr. TE-PR Jon McAllister, who's also a high-profile baseball star. McAllister's receiving exploits included three snags for 98 yards and a 59-yard TD, but for my money his punt-returning was just as impressive thanks to his penchant for often making first-wave guys miss tackles. Nice. Right before halftime, Gallagher (5-for-10, 114) hit McAllister for a 36-yard completion to the 5 and then jr. Pat "Guitar Man" Connaghan nailed a 22-yard field goal as time expired. It was a big moment for the underclass pass combo, no doubt, and could prove to be "buildonable." The day's most inspiring play was made by jr. Brian Dones, who's listed at 5-6, 130. On kickoff coverage, not only did he bust a wedge, but he continued through to force a fumble. SpecTACular job! Sr. DB Alex Logue recovered the ball. Another notable defensive play: soph DL Colin Kelly burst through the line and batted a pass upward, enabling jr. LB Tom Devlin (also a yeoman blocker at FB) to intercept. On a fourth-quarter punt, with the line of scrimmage Hill's 45, Connaghan hammered one 9 yards deep into the end zone, on the fly. Frosh LB Lewis Lake made a good pop to force a late fumble, with the recovery to McAllister. Especially early, when it mattered most for tone-setting purposes, CHA's top defender was sr. OLB Matt Flannery. Also, sr. DB Julian Brown kept flying to the ball in ill humor. The grunts: sr. C Andrew McCauley, sr. Gs Eric Herrera and Kyle Keller, jr. Ts Brendan Spearing and William Emory. In the third quarter, while drinking water from one of those squeeze bottles along the sideline, Emory wound up behind defensive coordinator John McArdle. Finally, McArdle turned around and playfully growled, "Can you drink that somewhere else?! I'm gettin' soaked up here!" He then paused slightly and added, "You know, when I got up this morning, I DID take a shower!"

SEPT. 20
CATHOLIC AA
Kennedy-Kenrick 7, McDevitt 6
  All you need to know about the first quarters was expressed at their conclusion by Father Bill Chiriaco, McDevitt's ever-entertaining PA announcer: "Credit to the pitchers as they continue their duel." Yes, the score was absence of scoring, but a whole lot happened in the fourth. Not from the points perspective, but definitely from the stuff-is-goin'-on perspective. The entertainment began on the second play on fourth-and-short when McDevitt had hopes of drawing K-K offside. Sr. QB Luke Sawick yelled "Go!" 10 times, 15 times, 20 times, maybe even MORE, but the Wolverines never budged and when the ball was finally snapped, Sawick was stopped short. The rest of the quarter included five turnovers as sr. DB Ray Hall and soph DB Drew Siegfried recovered fumbles for McDevitt and K-K received interceptions from sr. DB Cullen Rota, jr. LB Tim Young and sr. DB Ronell Fairel. That last one occurred at the 5 in the waning moments, on a ball tipped by Rota, and was followed only by a kneeldown. K-K's winning drive covered 87 yards (after Rota's pick) and the W's were helped greatly by 25 yards in penalties. The TD was a 47-yard keeper by sr. QB Ryan Sejda, who went up the middle and then eased toward the right. He shook off a group- tackle effort at about the 25 and those trying him down were two of McDevitt's best defenders, Siegfried and sr. LB Ed McGowan, so it wasn't as if the TD was a cheapie. Jr. Alex Atkins hit the PAT at 5:09. Following Young's pick at 4:16, it appeared McD would be in deep doo-doo. But just two plays later, the smallest Lancer, jr. DB Bill Wolk (5-8, 155; a teammate says he's more like 5-5), put his helmet on the ball and Siegfried recovered at the K-K 43. This drive went smoothly: 13-yard pass to sr. WR Steve Harris (also an earlier pick); 5-yard run for soph Matt Conroy; 11-yard pass to Siegfried, 12-yard run for Conroy; 2-yarder for Conroy into the end zone. But on the PAT, Fairel raced in from the defensive right and made the snuff. Just 1:30 remained, but at least McD had all three of its timeouts. On second down, jr. DE Wallace "Wawa" Weaver and jr. DT Ryan Speller (6-3, 280) combined for a 3-yard TFL. Sr. DL Anthony Gaddy limited Sejda to a 5-yard gain and K-K had to punt. McD took over on its 37. A 17-yard snag by Harris moved the ball across midfield to the 46 and then, under pressure, Sawick had to throw it away along the right sideline. The next pass was intended for sr. WR Rodney Ellis, who was multi-covered. Fairel's pick ended the suspense. Conroy showed well with 108 yards on 22 carries. This coming week, it is expected (well, hoped) that sr. RB Justin Schley will be back in action. Harris and Fairel had a terrific personal duel on a second-quarter fade pass. Both soared high and Harris managed a pilfer. Each one is a college prospect. Harris reminds me of former Mastbaum star Sherrod "Sheet Rock" Evers, now the top receiver at Robert Morris. Fairel has attitude to go along with his talent. Hopefully, highlight tapes are being sent out on these guys. Oh, almost forgot. McDevitt nearly scored right before the half. Sawick completed four consecutive passes, getting the ball to the 6. Sawick spiked it at 13.6. But on the next play, sr. DL Lou bysysysyysysski (actually, it's Zbyszinski -- smile) broke through for a sack and Sawick was unable to respike before time ran out. At halftime, I mentioned to Father Bill that there must be someone in McDevitt named Roy, and that he should convince the kid to come out and play football for have-fun-with-Siegfried-and-Roy purposes. Well, wouldn't you know it. As the third quarter began, the deep men for McDevitt's return team were, as Father Bill noted, "Siegfried and CONroy." Close enough. Good stuff, Father Bill!

SEPT. 20
CATHOLIC AAAA
La Salle 31, SJ Prep 17
  Let's see here. The last time SJ Prep lost a CL regular season game, Jamal Abdur-Rahman was learning his ABC's and that two plus two equals four and that teachers like coloring to be done between the lines. It was the fall of 1999 and Jamal, now a soph at La Salle, was making his way through the first grade. Now he plays with the big boys, and very much holds his own. As do many of his Explorer teammates, though most of prominence are juniors and seniors. The streak is over, folks, and La Salle had the pleasure of ending it this afternoon before an overflow crowd in beautiful weather at Plymouth-Whitemarsh. "Fifty-five and one" was the theme all week at La Salle, kids kept repeating on the sideline, and the Prep fell short in its bid to extend the wonderful accomplishment to not only 56 games, but also into a 10th season; this was the league opener. Abdur-Rahman was a hero, thanks to one TD on the ground (64 yards) and another via the air (25 yards). But he was harrrrrrrrdly alone. Pretty much everyone who stepped on the field did something of a positive nature and coach Drew Gordon commented afterward that he was impressed game-long with his squad's camaraderie. "It just seemed like everyone was having a good time," he said. Not in the very beginning, admittedly. On La Salle's second play, A-R dropped a pitchout and sr. DB Mike Yeager recovered on the Prep 40. Yeager (23-143) then pulled on his RB hat and zoomed for gains of 12, 15 and 14 yards in a four-play sequence. Uh, oh. The Explorers stiffened and sr. Kurt Skalamera wound up wide-lefting a 26-yard field goal. One crisis survived. Next series: On play No. 8, jr. QB Drew Loughery tossed an interception to sr. LB Mike Pereira, who returned the ball 46 yards to the La Salle 9. UH, OH in capital letters. This time, the Prep did get onto the scoreboard, but only in the form of a 21-yard field goal. Thereafter? Little by little, the Explorers got moving on offense and their defense bought a subscription to Bend But Don't Break Magazine and by about 3:30, the celebration was on. The students stormed onto the track as the final moments evaporated, and then joined the players as La Salle's band played the school song. A short time before that, the students had yelled over toward Prep's, "The Hawk is dead! The Hawk is dead!" There was no response. None. By then, most members of the student section were headed for the parking lot. Or already there. So, how did this happen? The 6-1, 195-pound Loughery, who's mobile and rugged in addition to strong-armed, was borderline sensational. Yes, he was victimized for two picks and the occasional throw was otherwise offline. But overall, man, what a performance. He went 17-for-31 for 318 yards (five short of the school record shared by offensive coordinator Brett Gordon and '08 grad John Harrison, already the starter at Franklin & Marshall) and, like La Salle QBs always do, spread the ball around. His first two TD tosses went to jr. WR Sam Feleccia (6-3, 210). The first was a jump-ball in the right corner that covered 23 yards. The next was a simple right-to-middle slant that covered 55 yards. Midway through the third quarter, La Salle slapped together a four-play drive for a score. All four plays were runs! I kiddingly said to Gordon, someone I've known for four decades, "All runs in a series? Is that allowed at La Salle?" He shot back with a laugh, "Don't tell Brett." Brett, you see, is in Hawaii on his honeymoon, and was not involved in preparation for this one. Drew said the suggestions for the series came from line coach Dom D'Addona. The sequence went: two runs worth 12 total yards for A-R, then a 17-yarder for sr. FB Mike Donohoe, then a 64-yard burst for A-R. Along the sideline shortly thereafter, I heard a La Salle lineman bellow, "'Let 'em defend the pass. We'll run it down their throats!!!" Actually, not that it mattered, the 'Splorers did very little on the ground thereafter. But A-R had his TD catch and later added a 53-yard snag to set up an 18-yard field goal by jr. Mike Bennett. All day, the protection was excellent. Few of Loughery's throws, delivered off sprintouts, had to be made under duress. The line guys: sr. C Sean Abbott, jr Gs Matt DiGiacomo and Steve Szostak, soph G Ryan Geiger, sr. Ts Bob Siess and Jake Hostrander, sr. T Dylan Gavin (Siess' playing time was limited by sickness) and jr. TEs Steve Jones and Steve Sinnott. When Abbott had to sit down briefly with a shoulder ding, jr. C Floyd Shaffer took his place. (Notice all of the underclassmen? How dangerous will this group be NEXT year?) Prep was not exactly unproductive. Giubilato (Temple) passed 8-for-23 for 109 yards and had one of his own catches for minus-10. (The ball was batted back to him by jr. DL Steve Szostak, who then dumped him.) D-backs such as sr. Kevin Farrington, jr. Shane Brady and soph Kevin Forster (yes, another headliner in THAT family) were frisky all game long and Farrington, in particular, came up hard on the corners to make play-for-keeps hits. Farrington also recovered a fumble on the La Salle 7, giving birth to the all-runs series mentioned above. Strategywise, there was one adjustment I expected to see from Prep, but it never happened. La Salle's defensive coordinator, John Steinmetz, often switched two-three defenders per play and I thought Prep would ultimately go no-huddle in an attempt to catch La Salle with the wrong personnel on the field for specific plays. Didn't happen. It will be interesting, of course, to see what happens from here. Will La Salle storm forward? Will Prep regroup and be even better down the road? Does the fact that La Salle is so good and so young mean we're about to experience a changing of the private-CL-schools football guard? Hmmmmmmmmmm. Meanwhile, one thing about Prep must be remembered. The Hawks returned almost no one who touched the ball last season. Thus, we can probably be a little surprised that the streak came to an end, but not shocked beyond belief. Sound fair?

SEPT. 18
PUBLIC AAAA BLUE
Southern 29, Edison 8
  You know we're always looking for the oddball occurrence and this one produced a true all-timer -- a guy actually finished with over 100 yards in losses! The unfortunate chap was Edison sr. QB Bryant Keal, whose 12 "carries" produced minus-103. He gained 5 yards on keeper and 13 on another, but thanks to what was often NO protection, he was dropped for losses 12 times for minus-121. Phew! In addition, he was part of six consecutive scrimmage plays that lost a total of 84 yards! My goodness. He lost 18 to conclude one series and also fumbled, with jr. DT Mohammed Amin recovering. He lost 9 and 29 on the Owls' only two plays of the next two series. He whipped the ball backward on the second play, which was why the loss was so huge, and jr. DT Nasan Fluellen recovered. On the next series, he lost 10, 5 and 13 yards on the first three plays and then Edison punted. I feel for ya, Bryant. 'Cause you were runnin' for your life pretty much from the instant the ball was snapped. His two main tormentors were jr. E Sean Allen (five sacks worth 75 yards) and jr. NG Richard White (three for 31). DN ink went to sr. RB Chris Pennington, who, believe it or not, is white! Yes, a white RB in the Pub. What is this, 1975? (smile) Pennington began the year as a backup, but had an impressive run in that loss to Bok and won the job the next week in practice. Today he finished with 22 carries for 86 yards and two TDs (along with two conversions) and also manned two other spots where you almost never see, um, Caucasians these days -- free safety and return man. At the former he had an interception on a trick play and at the latter he uncorked an 88-yard punt return for a TD. An Edison player neglected to fully down the ball and it was just sitting there on the turf. Under orders from assistant Scott Pitzner, Pennington mosied over, picked up the ball and frolicked all the way downfield for the score. Jr. Shaquille Gaskins, absent when the season began, is back in the fold as a WB-DB. He had a pick and a couple of catches. The Rams suffered a late-game blow when sr. QB Mike Henry went down in a heap on a sack. The early indication: a torn ACL in his right knee, though the hope is that maybe it wasn't THAT bad. Best of luck, Mike! Edison's only good moments came at the very end against backups, when sub jr. QB Terrell Lee whipped a 35-yard scoring pass to sr. WR Craig Gay. Lee then lofted one to the right corner and sr. WR Vincent Boseman made a juggling catch for two points. Check out this weird fact: Southern's roster includes guys from SIX schools. The Rams are in cooperative sponsorship with GAMP and CAPA while they also have at least one player from three charter schools: PET, Mastery and a place that concentrates on architectural design. Students attending charter schools where FB is not offered are allowed to play for their neighborhood school. As the game ended, back judge Ernie Gallagher ran over to Southern coach Stosh Tunney and asked for a picture, with designs on proving he'd finally found someone he could, well, tower over. Both guys have never been mistaken for someone on stilts (smile) and we'll let you be the judge of which one is taller/smaller. (Might be a tie, right?)

SEPT. 13
NON-LEAGUE
Frankford 33, Lincoln 0
  There is now a new job for Frankford's football players: Protector of the Memorial. In a halftime ceremony, a beautiful memorial to deceased coaching legend Al Angelo was unveiled at the north end of the stadium. And when sr. Eddie Ferrell went to attempt a PAT, jr. DT Tauheed Smith (6-5, 357) was ordered to trot down that way to stand in front and make sure the ball didn't hit it. No sweat. The kick soared out onto the street. The game itself was not that appealing, honestly, but there was no way I was missing the ceremony for Al. It was great seeing so many former players, coaches, etc., along with his family, of course. Al NEVER put his accomplishments in any great context, so as he looked down on the ceremony, I'm sure he was embarrassed. Frankford just had too many horses for Lincoln. The Pioneers are faster, stronger and deeper and blessed many more veterans. So, even though sr. QB Kalif Walker was sidelined due to a minor school infraction, there was little doubt about what would happen. Kalif, by the way, showed a great attitude. After watching soph QB Mike McGroarty throw a great pass in warmups, Kalif ran over and began yelling, "Kalif Who?" As in, this dude might take my job (smile). Not yet. But McGroarty does appear capable of enjoying a strong, two-year run once Walker graduates. Frankford scored on its first four possessions and on the first two, four of the eight plays went for 10-plus yards. The dominant O-line featured jr. C Elvis Diaz, sr. G Joe Buck, soph G Brandon Russell, sr. Ts Ron "Big White Dude" Corr and Melvin Grant and jr. TE Tyrell Allen. In time, 13 Pioneers ran the ball. Phew! The only guy to post decent numbers was sr. Nate Johnson (8-71, TD). But most had enjoyable moments. McGroarty passed 2-for-3 for 51 yards, including a 21-yard TD to an open-by-a-zip-code Ferrell. Lincoln ran 25 running plays. Thirteen lost yardage and only one play, a 11-yarder by jr. Omar Black, produced at least 10 yards. Jr. QB Joe McCausland, a righthanded thrower but leftfooted punter, has some potential. I like his footwork and poise. With some protection, he'll be productive. Lincoln's most intriguing player is sr. safety John Wilson, who's also the kicker. He has only half of a right arm, but that didn't stop him from approaching ballcarriers/returnees/etc. with reckless abandon and delivering power-packed hits. Jr. Ben Speller, a recent addition to the roster, had a late interception. Jr. Hakeem Cooper recorded a TFL and a fumble recovery. Frankford's non-Smith brothers, Tauheed and sr. Akeem (6-4, 285), engulfed their foes. Especially early, jr. DE Tyrell Allen delivered a few hard hits. Frankford's picks went to Johnson and jr. LB Curtis King, a sub. Lincoln sr. Rasaan Hanner is known as "Slippers." Explanation, please. "Last year, before I joined the team, I always used to go watch them practice wearing slippers." Make sense.

SEPT. 11
BEHIND THE SCENES . . .
  In our Public League preview today, you might have noticed that no information concerning University City was published. The coach, Lou Williams, ignored repeated attempts to gather such info over a six-day period. The fun began last Friday when Jon "Duck" Gray covered UC's game with Gratz. Duck said when he asked Williams for the Great Eight, etc., Williams' response was, "Is this for Ted?" Duck of course said "yes" and Williams shot back, "I ain't givin' Ted nothin'." There was no explanation. After a busy weekend, my own attempts to contact Williams and find out what was going on began Sunday. From then through Wednesday, I left multiple messages on his house/cell/work phones and even left messages with co-workers. Sent at least one email, also. Nothing. Wednesday, via text message, I connected with assistant Lorrel McCook. He said it wasn't his place to provide info; it would have to come through Williams. I next called assistant Frank Steed, who last season was the basketball coach at West Philly. Same response: Has to come through Williams. Next call: to UC's principal. His secretary said he was in a meeting and she'd have him call back. It's now Thursday morning. Still waiting. Next call: to Williams' house again. This time his wife, who happens to be a School District higher-up, answered. I explained the situation. Pleasantly, she said she didn't know anything about it and would speak with him when he arrived home, and that maybe I'd hear from him later. Still waiting. I did mention to her that at some point I'd be calling Marty Bednarek, of the school reform commission, who has implored me in the past to let him know about "situations" that need to be addressed. Williams' wife responded, "I'm not sure we have to do that." Yes, we do. Williams has a position of authority at UC. More than anyone else, he's supposed to be looking out for the best interests of his players. Denying them the chance to have their names in the paper is inexcusable. Whether he wants to talk to me is meaningless. All he had to do was tell one of his assistants to provide the names and let that guy make the official comment. That has happened a few times in the past when a head coach was mad, unavailable, whatever, and we went in a different direction. As an ex-boss once noted, "If someone's not mad at you every so often, you're not doing your job. You're a journalist." I take that to heart. Also Wednesday, I spoke with someone who related that Williams is mad about a story I wrote last football season that supposedly accused him of recruiting. (Who knows? It could be something else. Can't be sure if he won't EXPLAIN himself.) By the way, he's also UC's basketball coach. I have spoken with him several times since football season. He never indicated he was mad. Over the summer, it did puzzle me when he did not respond to an email I sent to multiple coaches asking for nominations of good players/great kids, who are currently being honored by the Eagles' Brian Dawkins (tickets to a game). Another disservice to his players. Anyway, I went back and checked the notes column I wrote last fall after a freshman QB, Ehramis Chism, played for UC after starting the season at Overbrook (by the way, he is now BACK at 'Brook). You be the judge. Anywhere in this item did I accuse Williams of recruiting Chism? Makes me wonder if he even read it. I'll let you be the judge. And I'll provide updates on this situation, as warranted. 
  The item:

SEPT. 7
NON-LEAGUE
N. Catholic 33, Ryan 14
  Tropical Storm Hanna? When did that come through? About 10 days ago? Couldn't have been yesterday and into last night. Washington's field was close to bone dry and uniforms barely got dirty. Amazing. For me, so was this: how one-sided the game wound up being. Ryan has a lengthy history of playing much better in night games than it does in day games and this one will go down as a dud. One has to wonder how much starch was taken out of the Raiders by last week's very controversial, 21-20, BEYOND-last-second loss to Pennsbury. Also, top receiver (and co-captain) Matt "MasterCard" Vizza was out for this one with a minor injury and that didn't help. Matt did help ME, though. Ryan had no roster available and Matt provided names and numbers for the key guys well before the game. Thank you, sir. (And just let me know if you'd prefer "American Express" as your nickname -- smile.) North rolled to the game's first 33 points and and sr. Mike Scott enjoyed breaking an acknowledged school record. We use "acknowledged" because we've been keeping track of all this stuff since 1981 and have always welcomed documentable updates for anything previous. We have long listed North's one-game receiving record as 123 and no one has challenged it. (Yes, definitely a low number.) Jamie Makowski needed 11 catches in a 1987 game and Ryan McCullough needed seven two years ago. Scott squashed it on just two catches -- an 80-yarder on a quick slant and a 60-yarder with a ball that was deflected by a Ryan defender. Ch-ch-ching. Yes, that's 140. Scott also had an interception (early in the game), so the ink decision did not exactly tax the mind. Sr. QB Dennis Logue, who's in his FOURTH year as the Falcons' starter, finished 7-for-11 for 192 yards and the two scores to Great Scott. Dennis now needs just 27 yards to reach 3,000 for his career. Totals: 235-for-506 -- 2,973 -- 27 TDs. The running game wasn't spectacular, but jr. Eugene "U" Byrd used his last carry to reach exactly 100 yards (on 19 carries; it went for a TD) and classmate Daniel Clark turned his five totes into 27 yards and two scores. Ryan did not get moving until the fourth quarter and that circumstance caused some problems. The Raiders did so with the first unit still on the field while North was using second- and even third-team defenders. NC coach Chalie Szydlik did a slow burn, then lost it after Ryan boss Glen Galeone used a trick play -- pass by holder Rus Slawter, the sr. QB -- to notch two points after sr. RB Ryan Rubeo ran 3 yards for a score. I used some quotes in the DN story. Here, let this suffice: Szydlik indicated he'll roll up the score if he gets a chance down the road. Ryan is low in experienced players and Galeone said he allowed the starters to go the distance because "they need the work." Ryan got its second TD on 75 yards in three plays! Jr. TB Mark Golic ran for 25, then Slawter hit jr. Pat Kwiatkowski for pickups of 27 and 23 yards. Down the stretch, there was a serious cheap shot by a Ryan player as an onside kick was curling out of bounds five yards short of we-can-recover-it territory. Somehow, the refs didn't see it or chose to ignore it. Two-thirds of Ryan's 235 yards came on the last two series. One of North's TDs followed a fumble recovery by jr. DB David Williams at the Ryan 13. It appeared that sr. DL Chris Kerns had the hit. With the game still scoreless late in the first quarter, Ryan had fourth-and-1 at North's 21. A sneak or power play was nixed and Golic ran to the left. Clark, a LB, broke through and dropped him for a 2-yard loss. Ryan got some momentum when sr. LB Mike Gramiak made a tackle for a 3-yard loss. As the Falcons approached the ball for the next play, assistant Joe Waclawski could be heard saying, "Look at this. Look at this. Look at this." In other words, he felt the play choice was perfect based on Ryan's defensive alignment. Flick, catch, zoom. Scott took the quick slant 80 yards for a score. Check with Joe for your next group of lottery numbers (smile).

SEPT. 6
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 7, St. Anthony's (NY) 6
  Clipboard. Check. Plastic bag to cover clipboard. Check. Pencils. Check. Snorkle. Almost needed one. Tropical Storm Hanna was the most prominent "person" in attendance tonight at Plymouth-Whitemarsh and to say the place was windswept and rainswept is to set some kind of new world record for understatement. It doesn't get much worse than this, troops. The rain was coming down at, literally, a 45-degree angle and there was just so MUCH of it. This was the only city-league game played today and let's face it, turf fields are said to feature "all-weather surfaces" for a reason, right? Plus, St. Anthony's, located in South Huntington, on Long Island, or Lawn Guyland as people who live there pronounce it (is that the worst accent ever, or what??!!), had made this a weekend thing by having its players stay overnight Friday in a nearby hotel. En route to P-W, I listened briefly to KYW and heard a woman say the rain would end at about 9 p.m. Damned if it didn't. At almost EXACTLY 9 p.m. The last 4 1/2 minutes were played in regular conditions and St. Anthony's, down one, had the ball on its own 48 right then after jr. TB Garrett Compton, who alternates with sr. Mike Yeager, had the ball stripped away on what was otherwise an impressive run. Oh, baby. Were the visitors going to steal this one? Not on Mike Pereira's life. The classic sr. inside LB was a stalwart all night, but he was especially dominant in the fourth quarter. When he wasn't making pack-a-punch tackles, he was dropping back in coverage and breaking up passes (and berating himself for not holding on for picks). After the Friars earned a first down at the Prep's 40, Pereira made the stops on second and third down to limit those plays to 3 and 2 yards, respectively, thus bringing up fourth-and-4 at the 34. This time, as the QB took the snap and began moving slightly to his left for what likely would have been one of St. Anthony's patented option plays, sr. DLs Joe Ventresca and Andy Marshalick barreled across the line with haste AND force and registered a 7-yard loss. A few plays later, the Hawks had their victory. Prep won the yardage battle, 213-174. SA scored in the first quarter after using good defense to pin the Prep in its own end. The PAT was unsuccessful, though, so the door was open. Compton's strong return provided a spark, as did some hard running by Yeager (19-75), and, with the wind kinda behind him (it was blowing diagonally), sr. Kurt Skalamera was short and left with a 40-yard field goal attempt on the second play of the second quarter. Not much happened from there to halftime. The Prep's first play of the third quarter yielded a 31-yard completion from sr. Mark Giubilato (Temple) to sr. TE Dan McGeever and when Compton (12-79) followed with pickups of 9 and 8 yards, there was much excitement along the sideline. Didn't last. SA stiffened and Skalamera missed a 22-yard field goal. The Hawks' winning drive spanned late-third, early-fourth. Yeager's 41-yard punt return put the ball on SA's 42. Giubilato, rolling right, immediately hit sr. WR Anthony Johnson with a 23-yarder, then Compton went 7, 11 and 1 yard for the TD. Skalamera was clutch with the PAT. Thereafter, the Prep twice lost fumbles. The first miscue occurred when Yeager, trying to return a punt, mistimed his run forward and allowed a bouncing ball to glance off him. Joining Pereira for a big play on that defensive series was jr. DE Sean McGinn (third-down sack for 6 yards). In the defensive backfield, Prep has a much different look than it did in the scrimmage loss to West Catholic. Yeager (unavailable that day due to a minor injury) and Giubilato are starters now and the centerfielder, so to speak, is frosh Skylar Mornhinweg (6-2, 175), son of the Eagles' offensive coordinator. Things were very dicey on the photo trail. The camera was acting goofy by late in the game (wouldn't zoom) and after I arrived at home and tried to look at the pics, they kept flying by in the viewfinder window even though I was pushing no buttons to make that happen. Uh, oh. Let's hope I didn't mess it up permanently. If so, The Wife will be heading to Target tomorrow morning (while I field hundreds of phone calls from Puck) to purchase a new one. So much for allowance the next couple months. I HATE when that happens (smile).
  **UPDATE** It's now Sunday morning. Guess the camera has dried out. Working fine. Straaaange. 

SEPT. 5
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 35, Penn Charter 0
  My plan for today was to stick with the original commitment – Roxborough at Lincoln – and let Huck handle this one moved up from Saturday due to the wicked weather forecast. But at Lincoln, word spread that Roxborough had neglected to order a bus (grrrrrrrrrrr). The Indians now were scrambling to GET one and the hope was that the contest would start an hour late at 4. Slow-burn time. Only in the Pub! Next thing I knew, relief was walking up to the field's entrance in the form of Joe Turkos. Joe writes for the Roxborough Review and occasionally serves as one of our statmen. He said he’d cover this one for us, too, and zoooooooooom, I was headed down Roosevelt Boulevard to PC. Speaking of zoooooooooom, West did that early and often while rolling to an easy victory and dampening the debut of PC’s new coach, Jeff Humble. As you likely have heard, West sr. QB Curtis Drake is bound for Penn State and is being eyed as a wideout. Yo, what about tailback? Yes, he’s thin at 165 (6-foot), but he definitely has the speed, instincts and moves. Man oh man, what a performance! Steve Slaton the Second, maybe? All in the first half, Drake unfurled an amaaaaaaazing 67-yard, all-over-the-place TD scramble (alas, it was erased by penalty) and a 76-yard score on a right-side keeper. In all, he carried six times for 146 yards and passed 5-for-11 for 78. So, in 17 opportunities, he produced 224 yards. Huck reminds me that Drake, in his career, is now over 1,000 yards for rushing (1,080) and 2,000 (2,053) for passing. Scoring two TDs apiece were sr. RBs Rob Hollomon and Raymond “Syrup” Maples (that nickname is gonna catch on if it kills me – ha ha.) Hollomon (4-87) had scores of 10 and then 16 on an option. Maples (11-55) tallied from 13 and 3. That latter one was impressive and came off a play we could see many times down the road, with devastating results – a double option. Drake went slightly to his left and called upon Hollomon. Rob then kept going and flipped to Maples, who could have kept running all the way out to School House Lane. The whole drive was impressive. It began with 1:41 left and covered 75 yards, with the Burrs showing good clock management, etc. The TD play was preceded by a Drake spike at 8.2. Interceptions set up two of West’s scores – one apiece by jr. DB Ray “Cholly” Manuel and soph DB Brandon Hollomon, Rob’s brother. On the first, sr. QB John Ryan (brother of NFLer Matt) made a late late, under-pressure flip as he neared the sideline and the synchronization just wasn’t there. On the second, the ball was tossed into a bevy of bodies and a tip wound up in Hollomon’s hands at the WC 9. West’s starting grunts were jr. C Jake Zuzek (6-2, 290), sr. Gs Covisia Wilson and Paul Murtagh, and sr. Ts Austin Peters and Victor McNair. The second half was played with a running clock. Enjoyable viewing was experienced by none. As weird as this will sound, I’m wondering if the game would have been more competitive had PC’s first play succeeded. (This was PC’s most one-sided defeat since at least the ’99 season.) After West roared downfield to make it 7-0, the Quakers immediately went deep. Can’t say for sure whether the ball should have been caught, but it definitely hit hands. Oh, well. Ryan went 11-for-20 for 124 yards and jr. RB Michael Brown settled for 51 yards on 10 carries. PC sr. LB Joey Volgraf made several impressive plays. On his best, he stayed with it and WITH it and, with the help of at least a hint of an angle, finally knocked Hollomon out of bounds on a long run. Most guys would have white-flagged it long beforehand. DN ink went to sr. FB Juan Rozier, a passionate blocker and occasional rusher. Well, “occasional” is used loosely (smile). Juan was awarded the not-so-grand total of NO carries, but he kept working and working and, as he mentioned during the interview, he gets his thanks when he sees teammates steaming downfield. Oh, he did have one touch. He was thrown a pass on the game’s first play and produced a 32-yard gain. It was the second-longest completion of the day; PC jr. Mick Foley had a 60-yarder. (Sorry I was unable to get a pic. Someone called my cell phone at that exact moment. Might have been Huck from across the field, even – smile).

SEPT. 4
NON-LEAGUE
Communications Tech 14, West Phila. 12
  Lots to talk about from the very-weird standpoint . . . First, this is the second time already this season that a Class A team has beaten a AAAA team. Doing the honors a week ago was Delaware Valley, which bested King. CT (21 players in uniform) has now done likewise. I can’t imagine something like this has happened too often (if ever?) in the suburbs. Do A schools even play AAAAs out there? By the way, West Philly could have played at AAA this year, but coach John R. Lay preferred to maintain a cooperative agreement with some other schools, so the Speedboys are AAAA. Second, speaking of Lay, this might have been his last game. He retired as a teacher today (on the first day of school; feel free to scratch your head) and is unsure whether he’ll be permitted to complete the season. The situation will be resolved early next week (maybe?). Third, we don’t have reliable city records of this nature, but sr. DE Ackeeno Jolly might have set one today. The 6-3, 180-pound senior, long famous for his cheering antics at CT basketball games, made TEN tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Included were three sacks and seven other TFLs and those stops cost West 27 yards! One of his tackles resulted in a safety after sr. P Junior Weyeah had to deal with a bad snap. Jolly is SO quick off the ball and once he’s in the area, he doesn’t miss or get beat. What a performance. Fourth, CT was guilty of THREE penalties on the same play. A hold and two blocks-in-the-back. West accepted one of the BITBs, since it provided the biggest benefit, yardage-wise . . . Since I’d written about Jolly and star RB-QB Stacey Hill in past seasons, DN ink went to sr. RB-OLB Kyle Tubbs, who played at Bok through 10th grade. Among other things, Tubbs unfurled a 72-yard TD run in the second quarter and made a 28-yard catch on a 50-yard drive that enabled CT to wipe out a 12-8 deficit. Yes, a catch. We poked some fun last year at CT when the squad had just six completions all season and just TWO in the final seven games. Well, coach Rob DiMedio installed the spread offense and Hill, normally a RB, lined up as a shotgun QB for the last series. Basically, he took the snap and did whatever he wanted. The completion to Tubbs placed the ball at West’s 27. There were two 4-yard runs, then Hill (18-87) scampered 19 yards to the left corner. The drive was set up when the center snapped the ball one count too early and caught sr. QB Keith West unaware. The ball flopped onto the ground and soph DL Donte Glover recovered. The time remaining was 5:01. West had hoped to add a clinching score and/or just run out the clock. On its final possession, West experienced no jollies. On three of the six plays, Jolly made three TFLs. Glover also logged a TFL. Also dominant along the DL, at times, was 6-3, 280-pound Terrick "Teddy" Carson, also a basketball player. West’s TDs were scored by sr. E Michael White on a pass from West and by Davis (18-56) on a 1-yard run. The latter came with 10:12 left in the fourth quarter, then Carson registered a crucial stop on the PAT. The Speedboys’ stalwart was sr. DL Nikoli Norman (6-3, 275), who actually attends Sayre and plays basketball there. He made six of his official tackles at or behind the line while also adding a stop on a conversion. He shows gusto and leadership skills and he noted a couple times that he was hoping for DN ink (smile). Unfortunately, he suffered a slight injury and was on the sidelines for the pass play that produced the long gain for Tubbs. He then stood and roared, “I don’t care if I’m hurt! I’m going out there again!” And he did. CT lineman William Bates, a jr., is the son of West’s offensive coordinator, Larry Bledsoe. Two West assistants are former Pub stars. Eddie Williams played at Bok and Gerardo Muhammad played at Frankford; Muhammad was known as Jerry Santa during his playing days. West jr. DB Greg Richie (5-3, 117) is known as “Grasshopper.” “I got that from youth ball,” he said. “’Cause of the way I used to hop around after I scored TDs.” Among the famous spectators: ex-basketball star Joe Garrett. To my knowledge, he was the first guy in city history to play varsity for three different high schools – Roman, Gratz and West Philly. His final season was ’77 and he was a starting forward for the Speedboys’ squad that went 30-0 and was considered by some the best team in the country. Future NBA player Gene Banks was the headliner.

AUG. 30
NON-LEAGUE
O'Hara 35, Carroll 0
  It's not too often that the last play in a blowout becomes the most remembered, but that was the situation this morning in Ocean City. A scary situation, unfortunately. Though O'Hara was already up by five TDs and had its second offense on the field, Carroll stayed with its first D. Incredibly, sr. LBs Dillon McClernon and Sean Crossan, two of the better players, suffered what appeared to be serious injuries on that ONE PLAY, a sack of soph backup QB Ryan Laughlin. They wound up on the ground three yards apart in the midfield area, after colliding with each other, with Dillon on his stomach and Sean on his back. Neither moved much, if at all, for a lengthy period of time and the large crowd sat in stunned silence. After Sean was loaded onto a stretcher, and strapped down, he did lift his left arm a little. Dillon remained completely still and some of us overheard medical personnel saying that he'd been popped on the top of his head and had experienced tingling/numbness down his spine. Not good. Well, we're THRILLED to report that, with the help of Carroll folks, we learned a shade before 10 p.m. that both players had been released from the hospital! Yes, they'd been jolted. And had suffered some level of concussion. Maybe even a shade more. But there were NO serious injuries. Best of luck to Dillon and Sean as they bounce back and, hopefully, soon return to action!!! . . . As for the game itself, halted after the double injuries with 2:39 left, O'Hara enjoyed something akin to a man-against-boys morning/early afternoon. Its scoring plays had that easy-as-pie look as the distances covered were 38, 67, 80, 18 and 73 yards. Doing the honors were jr. RB Corey Brown and sr. FB Evan Higgins. The 6-1, 195-pound Brown has been receiving major attention on those recruiting sites. It certainly appears justified. Not only is he fast. He's also long-strides fast, and the way he carries himself very early in his runs plants negative seeds in defenders' minds -- damn, we're not going to bring him down. He'll either get us with a move or flat-out dust us with speed. Brown carried nine times for 173 yards and two TDs (38, 80) and got his third score on a 67-yard punt return. Higgins (6-132) zipped 18 and 73 yards right up the middle. Nevertheless, the best play belonged to jr. TE Dan "My Name's My School" O'Hara. After catching a right-side screen pass from sr. QB Tom Savage (Rutgers) at the line of scrimmage, he went 80 yards. Early, he used a couple of quick steps to fake out defenders and then rolled the rest of the way. Well, not even VERY quick steps. Just timely and effective steps. One BIG problem! Way behind the play, sr. T Dennis Mushrush clocked a Carroll defender from behind and was hit with a personal foul. To the naked eye, the hit looked vicious. Mushrush said later, along the sideline, that his arm wound up in the wrong place and that he wasn't trying to play dirty. Anyway, I pleasantly asked him whether he was ready to offer an apology to O'Hara for ruining the GREAT play. "Of course," he said, smiling. "I already did." (Well after the game, I happened to spot O'Hara sitting on a bench along the side of the boardwalk near the Music Pier. I walked over and asked him if he had forgiven Mushrush. The answer was yes . . . By the way, the wife and I had a nice lunch in Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant. Cheeseburger and french fries for me. And since the fries came to the table exactly the way I requested, well done -- white fries are the devil's work!!, the server got a dollar added onto the tip. Just call me Mr. Generosity (smile). Aside from Mushrush, O'Hara's starting line included jr. C Matt Williams, sr. Gs Andrew Glace and Kevin Lalor and sr. T Jesse Acri. They provided major maneuver room for everyone. The first thing I noticed about Savage was during warmups. He's also serving as the punter this year and, guess what, he kicks left-footed! Just another example of a fine athlete with mixed dominance. Savage went 6-for-11 for 85 yards, all to different targets. His best play came when he was flushed to the right and, tight to the sideline, just before getting knocked over that line, delivered a 6-yard completion to sr. WR Bob Royal, who used a good-concentration leap to make the catch. Carroll ran 36 running plays and just two, a 13-yarder by jr. RB Bryant Moritz and an 11-yarder by sr. QB Luke Wischnowski, surpassed nine yards. In the air Wischnowski went 6-for-17 for 51 yards. The line battle was won in impressive fashion by O'Hara and Carroll appeared tentative, even listless, much of the time. Plus, the Patriots suffered a MAJOR embarrassment in the second quarter when it had just SEVEN defenders on the field as O'Hara used a trick play to post a two-point conversion. Yes, not 10, not nine, not eight. SEVEN. Unbelievable. Sr. LB Nate Oropollo had an interception for O'Hara while partner Anthony McCloskey, likewise a sr., registered Richter scale hits. At one point I heard one of O'Hara's assistants roar, "Know what? (Sr. DB) Joe Cassidy is playing a GREAT game out there!!" Carroll's top defender was sr. DL Chris Kennedy, a true stud at 6-3, 285. Kennedy crumpled Savage on the final play of the first half and Tom came up limping. He iced his right knee during halftime and later suffered a ding to his right shin. No sweat, though. He was fine. Both teams had strong fan support on a very hot and humid day. Among the witnesses was widely loved ex-O'Hara manager Willie McGonigle, an '08 grad and website legend, as well. Big Willie now does reports for www.easternpafootball.com. Mike Lomas, QB of O'Hara's 2000 title squad, is coaching the QBs and the offense is being coordinated by Mike deMarteleire, head coach Danny Algeo's nephew. The defensive coordinator is Danny's brother, John. As you might have heard, Lansdale Catholic is now in the CL. The coach? Jim Algeo, Danny's dad.

AUG. 29
NON-LEAGUE
Bok 22, Southern 0
  Bok certainly has a patent on weird developments involving "firsts." Before the game I was talking with basketball coach Lloyd Jenkins, also a football assistant, about now Bok, in the 2004-05 school, was the first Pub school to make an appearance in a state basketball playoff and, amazingly, the first points were NOT the first points. Huh? Well, Bok's David Lorn, in trying for a defensive rebound, accidentally knocked the ball into the wrong bucket and Phoenixville, of course, got credit for the two points. OK, we move to this morning and the first game on the artificial turf at the new South Philly Super Site (on the same property as the old stadium, except it now runs north and south along 10th Street). Bok sr. Troy Martin was the first guy to do something as he kicked off south to north. And then? You got it. Bok immediately gained possession. The kick was unintentionally squibbed and it squirted off a Southern player along the Rams' (visiting) sideline. Jr. Faison Perry made the recovery at the Southern 32 and Bok was in business. Somewhere, David Lorn was smiling. The Wildcats needed just five plays to score on Perry's 2-yard run. Sr. RB Ray Tucker reeled off runs of 6 and 12 yards and though he had no TDs on the day, his numbers were good (16-102). Jr. LB Kevin Thompson made a fumble recovery (one of two for him) to almost immediately return possession to Bok. This drive covered 31 yards in five plays and Perry (13-46) did the honors from the 4. Uh, oh. Was this going to be a serious mess? Nope. Southern did very little on offense and killed itself with special teams disasters, but coach Stosh Tunney had to be pleased with his squad's hang-tough tendencies and the defensive pops uncorked every so often by sr. NG Anthony Buffalo and sr. LB David Nobles, among others. Also, jr. DE Sean Allen made an intelligent sniff-it-out, make-the-play interception on a screen left. Bok is very young, so perhaps that was why a bigger victory margin was not attained. DN ink went to smallish sr. NG Kevin Bryan, who was a terror in numerous ways. Kevin spent his summer demolishing houses, garages, etc., for a business owned by his stepdad. So, you KNOW I had some fun with that in the story (smile). Bryan was in on two blocked punts. He recovered both and shared swatting duties with jr. DE Jacqual Dobbs. Bryan also registered two sacks and two more tackles for losses, worth a total of 24 yards, and he forced a fumble on one of the sacks. Many guys don't do that in a month, or more. Though he's listed at 5-11, 205, he said he's really 5-9, 175. He showed explosiveness and the necessary desire. It was a strong performance. Bok's new QB is jr. Al-Hajj Shabazz. He was a shade off today, but has the look of a down-the-road goodie. Southern's only offensive highlight was back-to-back completions by sr. QB Kenyatta Simmons late in the third quarter -- 23 yards to Nobles and 29 to sr. RB Nolan Davis. Simmons again went back to pass. While being enveloped, he made a late, ill-advised, just-avoid-the-sack flip and soph LB Khalil Neal (also a TD run) intercepted. The field looks great. How could it not, right, since it's brand new? There are NO benches, however, and I'm told no provisions were made for a snack bar. Bok's cheerleaders sold pretzels and sodas at a small table right inside the gate. As the second half was about to begin, one of Southern's assistants yelled to Simmons, the kicker, "Kick it with the wind!" No lie: the wind was blowing directly ACROSS the field. I mentioned that to one of the refs, who'd also heard the comment. He said, "Guess he wants him to kick it into the press box." Bok wore new white jerseys, but that almost did NOT happen. Coach Tom DeFelice said the original jerseys, with names on the back, like always, were destroyed in one of those Conshohocken apartments. Assistant Frank "Roscoe" Natale picked up the replacements last night. "These are just holding us over. We'll get the ones with the names on the back later on."