Philadelphia High School Baseball
Recaps of Public League Title Games

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1926
West Phila.
Decided in Regular Season
  The visiting Speedboys clinched the crown with a 6-3 win over Germantown. Strauss earned the win and slammed an RBI double in a 3-run fifth, erasing a 2-1 deficit.

1927
West Phila.
Decided in Regular Season
  The Speedboys used a three-run home sixth to edge visiting Central, 4-3, and wrap up the championship. Cy Kushner delivered a two-run double and then scored on Gable's single. Jim Thorpe, a fireballing submariner, had coasted through the first five innings.

1928
At Northeast's Field, 29th and Clearfield
West Phila. 4, Frankford 1
  Lefty Norman Wilson hurled the Speedboys to their third consecutive title with an eight-strikeout one-hitter. That hit, a bunt single by losing pitcher Bill Dietrich, did not come until the eighth inning of the nine-inning game. Dietrich fanned 10 in a three-hitter.

1929
Frankford
Decided in Regular Season
  The Pioneers claimed the title on the season's final day, but it did take a while. Thirteen innings, in fact. Frankford edged visiting Overbrook, 8-7, as Bill Dietrich fanned 20 while allowing 11 hits and scored the winning run after slamming a triple.

1930
Gratz
Decided in Regular Season
  The Bulldogs, first-year Pub members, clinched the championship with one game to go by edging visiting Northeast, 3-2, on a solo homer to dead left by winning pitcher Tommy Matthews in the home ninth. Matthews also stroked two singles. 

1931
Gratz
Decided in Regular Season
  The Bulldogs buried visiting Germantown, 14-2, in the season finale, to again win the championship. Tommy Matthews spun a two-hitter and John Lindinger powered a two-run homer.

1932
Olney
Decided in Regular Season
   With a 3-2 win over visiting Southern, the Trojans ended 8-0 (12-0 overall) and became the second PL team in three years to win the crown in its first year of membership. Ken Berry fanned 18 in the nine-inning game, though he did allow seven hits.

1933
Southern
Decided in Regular Season
  On the last day, the Rams won their first title in 27 seasons of existence, thanks to a 4-3 win over visiting Olney. Ed Silber won all eight games and finished with 101 strikeouts. Paul Bartolomeo provided quality fielding at shortstop. Olney scored three runs in the last inning and Harry Hagelgans drove in two with a triple.

1934
Gratz
Decided in Regular Season
   The visiting Bulldogs won the crown by besting Germantown, 7-0. Danny Cressman pitched a four-hitter and collected two of Gratz' six safeties.

1935
At 29th and Clearfield
Olney 10, Overbrook 1
  The league this season was split into two sections, A and B. Howard Shapiro, Eggie Brown and Jim MacIntyre slammed homers and Dick Carter pitched a three-hitter with three strikeouts. Olney finished 16-0 overall. Overbrook's Bob Johnson notched a homer on a misjudged flyball.

1936
Southern
Decided in Regular Season
  The Rams muffled visiting West Philly, 5-1, and Overbrook missed a chance to create a tie by falling to Roxborough. Al Brancato laced a three-run triple in a four-run first inning while Ernie Gallo pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts.

1937
Southern
Decided in Regular Season
  The Rams repeated by downing the same opponent, West, in the clincher. The score this time was 6-4, though Southern managed just three hits. Ernie Gallo did the pitching.

1938
Frankford
Decided in Regular Season
  The idle Pioneers (8-2) managed to earn league laurels when West Philly downed Overbrook (7-3), 6-5, on the season's final day. Max Patkin, who later gained worldwide fame as the "Clown Prince of Baseball," pitched a nine-inning four-hitter with 14 strikeouts in his first chance at starting.

1939
West Phila.
Decided in Regular Season
  West went to 9-0, clinching the title, with a 15-6 trouncing of visiting Germantown. Bill Whitehouse (all singles) collected five of West's 17 hits and the squad lived up to its Speedboys nickname by thieving 15 bases. Jim Cain (six innings) and Al Miller did the hurling.

1940
At 44th and Parkside
Northeast 6, Southern 4
  John "Speedy" Heenan limited the Rams to six hits and half of the Archives' eight went for extra bases (doubles by Art Kessel, Tom Ward and Dick Hayward; triple by Baldwin Wojack). Southern's Fred Scherer had three hits, including an inside-the-park home run in the first inning. Northeast finished the school year with titles in football, soccer, cross country, swimming, gymnastics and track in addition to baseball. It failed only in basketball.

1941
Decided in Regular Season
Bartram
  The host Clippers won the title and finished the season 15-0 overall by besting Central, 13-3. Bob Coughlin whiffed nine over the first six innings and Ed Miller added two more Ks in the seventh.  

1942
Decided in Regular Season
Northeast
  Frank Stanczak, a converted outfielder making his mound debut, pitched a two-hitter and allowed baserunners in only one inning, the fourth, in a 13-0 destruction of visiting Franklin. Stanczak also posted two homers and a single for five RBI. Northeast finished at 11-0 by winning its finale over Central, 9-7.  

1943
Decided in Regular Season
Bartram
  The Clippers claimed the crown on the final day of the season by downing visiting Southern, 5-3. In the fifth, Honey Couchard and Joe Melsheimer drew walks and Jimmy Wilkes cracked a triple to break a 3-3 tie. Couchard save the win for Norm Tener.

1944
Round-Robin Playoffs
All at Olney
Frankford
  Three teams tied for first and league officials decided on a round-robin series played over several days. In Game One, Frankford beat Northeast, 4-1, as Ed Lyons pitched a six-hitter and rapped three hits of his own. Northeast floored Southern, 13-5, in Game Two, as John Miller smacked two homers and Walt Bahr and Jack Werner halved six hits. Frankford won the finale, 11-2, over Southern as Funston collected four hits while scoring four times.     

1945
Decided in Regular Season
Southern
    Southern, also the football and basketball champ, added the baseball crown in a 10-1 win over Gratz. Jack Schuster, George DeMarco and Bob DePiano had two hits apiece.

1946
Decided in Regular Season
Northeast
    The clincher for Northeast came in a 2-1, eight-inning win over West. Charlie Watson's third hit of the game drove in Harold Schneider and made Irv Goldblatt a winner.

1947
Decided in Regular Season
Southern
    The title was clinched in spectacular fashion as Southern nipped Bartram, 1-0, in 10 innings. Winner Harry DiNardo singled home Dave Tanzola with the game-winner in the bottom half. Sebastian "Ben" Barretta had two hits. Fred Stevenson was the tough luck loser.

1948
Decided in Regular Season
Southern
    Southern clinched the title in a 6-3 win over Central as Greg Tornatore pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts.

1949
At Frankford
Southern 10, Northeast 2
    Pat Del Vecchio had a three-run triple in a six-run third and Tito Fioravanti scattered seven hits. Al Stango and Charley Ferrante had two hits apiece. Jim Kelly had Frankford's RBI on a single and triple.

1950
Decided in Regular Season
Overbrook
    Overbrook went to 12-1 as Roland "Lefty" Summers pitched a one-hitter to best Bartram, 1-0. Then, the Hilltoppers backed into the title. They lost their finale to Roxborough, 2-1. That meant Central had to finish a game against Olney that had been protested in the fifth inning with Olney up, 2-0. Central lost, 2-1, to drop to 11-3.

1951
Decided in Regular Season
Olney
    Burt Gold stroked three hits and Fred Hoffman pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts as the Trojans topped Roxborough, 5-2, to finish at 13-1 and take the crown.

1952
Decided in Regular Season
Frankford
    Frankford (13-1 with one game left) won the title on a day off when closest pursuer Lincoln fell to Olney, 6-3.

1953
Decided in Regular Season
Central
    The Mirrors dumped Dobbins, 12-8, to clinch the title with one game left. It was their first crown since 1917. Roy Rangnow had a three-run homer while Charley Morrow and Meade Palmer had three hits apiece. Reliever Hank Mandro, who had pitched two shutouts in the previous three days, struck out four of the seven batters he faced. He extended a scoreless streak to 20 innings.

1954
Two Games to Break Triple Tie
At 29th and Somerset
Southern 7, Roxborough 1
    Brian McFadden pitched a five-hitter and doubled while Jim Muldoon had three hits and John Branton smacked two doubles. Bob Gubicza had two hits for Roxborough.
Southern 5, Bok 4
    Right after an intentional walk to Jim Muldoon, Brian McFadden poled a grand slam to erase a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning and make John McFadden, his brother, the winner. Brian pitched in the sixth and seventh, but John had to return to the mound to get the final out after singles by Tom Pasquini, Joe Keegan and Joe DiDio keyed a two-run rally.

1955
Decided in Regular Season
Olney
    The Trojans went to 14-0 with one game left by pounding Germantown, 11-3. Sigmund Levin pitched a three-hitter and Lee Elia hammered a grand slam.

1956
Decided in Regular Season
Central
    Homers by Dick Kessel and Bruce Rubin supported the five-hit, 14-strikeout pitching of Bob McNutt as the Mirrors waffled Roxborough, 14-4, to clinch the title with one game remaining.

1957
Decided in Regular Season
Lincoln
    Lincoln clinched the title in style, thrashing Franklin, 19-0, behind a combined no-hitter from Bob Ferguson, Jerry Kleger and Dave Wilson. Eric Faddis had a double and two homers for four RBI.

1958
Decided in Regular Season
Lincoln
    The Railsplitters clinched with a game to go by tripping Bartram, 5-3. Jib Anderson (three) and Tom Carey combined for all five RBI. Bill Humenuk allowed five hits.

1959
At Temple's Erny Field
Southern 10, Bartram 5
    The Rams built a 9-2 lead in the first three innings, then coasted. Carmen Ferullo went 2-for-4 with three RBI and scored four runs and Frank Rutolo had a two-run single in a five-run second. Frank Schiavo allowed six hits, fanned 11. Bartram's Al Wagner went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

1960
At Temple's Erny Field
Bartram 5, Southern 3
    Lefty Al Goldis surrendered nine hits, but walked only one and registered nine strikeouts as the Braves triumphed. Bartram drew 10 walks and stole eight bases. Willie Mobley went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Southern took a 3-2 lead in the home sixth as Nick Mistichelli doubled in two runs and scored on John Speack's single. Mobley and Vern Stamm had RBI singles in Bartram's two-run seventh.

1961
At Temple's Erny Field
Bartram 7, Germantown 4
    Ron Deitch went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to make Tommy Edwards a winner. Sam Zarett provided Edwards late help. Bill Spencer went 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored two runs. Germantown's leaders were Joe Beal (two RBI) and Bill Alexander (three hits).

1962
At Temple's Erny Field
Lincoln 7, Central 5
    Ed Grove had a three-run triple and continued right on home on an error to highlight a seven-run fourth. The Railsplitters had just two hits in the inning. Joe Hindelang got the win and Bob Brand went 4-for-4. Ron Lewis had a two-run homer for Central.

1963
At Temple's Erny Field
Bartram 8, Frankford 5
    Fueled by Ray McGarvey's two-run single and Bob Leonard's two-run triple, Bartram scored five in the visiting seventh to snap a 2-2 tie and make reliever Rich Ward a winner. All of Bartram's runs were unearned. Frankford's Ernie Wright went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

1964
At Temple's Erny Field
Frankford 3, Franklin 2
    All scoring was done in the first three innings. Jim Mucerino pitched a six-hitter with 11 strikeouts and Bob Barrett had the decisive RBI. Franklin pitcher Fred Ruben had a two-run triple.

1965
At Temple's Erny Field
Lincoln 7, Southern 5
    Bill Langdon got the win with 4 2/3 innings of one-run, two-hit relief, Rich Kelly and Dave Scheinfeld halved four RBI and Fred DeMuro went 3-for-4. Al Moccia slammed a solo homer for Southern.

1966
At Temple's Erny Field
Southern 4, Northeast 3 (9 inn.)
    The Rams scored an unearned run in the visiting ninth to win it after Bruce Donaldson created a 3-3 tie in the seventh with a squeeze bunt. Mike Berry and Joe Scarpa divided the pitching. For Northeast, Cliff Brown had a two-run double, Denny Weiner went 3-for-4 and Steve Edelman pitched a three-hitter with 10 whiffs.

1967
At Temple's Erny Field
Roxborough 8, Southern 7
    The Indians blew a 7-0 lead, but won it on the home seventh on an RBI single by winning reliever Tom Hartman, who fouled off seven pitches on a 1-2 count. Bob Strahlendorf had a two-run single. For Southern, John Angelo had two triples and three RBI.

1968
At Northeast
Southern 5, Lincoln 2
    Willie Jones fanned 11 in a five-hitter and Eddie Burke slammed a two-run homer to dead center in a three-run fifth. Ron Funaro went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

1969
At Northeast
Olney 9, Roxborough 0
    Bob Careless fanned 11 in a four-hitter, Charles Sumter stroked a solo homer to dead centerfield, Rich Gallo had a two-run single and John Dobbs mixed two hits, two runs scored.

1970
At Northeast
Lincoln 6, Mastbaum 2
    Bruce Noll pitched a four-hitter -- two apiece by Tom Steska and Tom Shultz -- and Harry Johnson swatted a two-run homer in the first inning. The Railsplitters went ahead for good, at 3-2, on Dan Roderig's RBI single.

1971
At Northeast
Roxborough 5, Southern 4
   Southern pitcher Frank Jarosiewicz gave himself a 4-3 lead in the visiting ninth with a run-scoring single, but the Indians scored twice in the bottom half on two infield hits, some controversial coaching strategy and an error. Tom McComb (RBI) and Jim Morrison (double) stroked two hits apiece.

1972
At Veterans Stadium
Frankford 4, Southern 3
    Mark Brenfleck pitched a three-hitter and became a winner when the Pioneers scored two in the home seventh. Mike Wistner and John Fitch both went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Ron Malandro had a two-run triple for Southern.

1973
At Veterans Stadium
At Northeast
Frankford 9, Mastbaum 5 (8 inn.)
    The teams played to a 5-5 tie through seven innings at the Vet, then had to halt in deference to a Phillies-Dodgers game. The game continued the next day at Northeast and Frankford immediately posted a four-spot as Frank Karnes had the big hit -- a two-run double on a blooper. Jimmy Brown homered in the Vet portion of the game. For Mastbaum, Wayne Wilson had two RBI and Dave Bradford had two hits.

1974
At Temple's Erny Field
Southern 6, Northeast 4 (8 inn.)
    Phil DeMarco won in relief, combining with George Riley (10 strikeouts) on a three-hitter, and had two big hits good for four RBI -- a two-run double in the visiting sixth and a two-run single in the eighth. For Northeast, John McBurnie went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

1975
At Veterans Stadium
Southern 10, Central 3
    Winning pitcher Tom Spatola had three RBI and Bob Famiglietti's two-run single highlighted a five-run first. Spatola started on the mound, lasted just one-third of an inning and then switched back to the mound for the second through sixth innings. Andy Vanore went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Central's Frank Armstrong had two hits, one RBI.

1976
At Temple's Erny Field
Central 11, Southern 1
    Bill Zitomer pitched a three-hitter (all singles) and John Sykes, the No. 8 hitter, went 2-for-3 with three RBI as the Lancers won their first title since 1956. Bob Santore had six assists at shortstop. Sub Bob Kinch had Southern's lone RBI on a bases-loaded walk.

1977
At Veterans Stadium
Northeast 9, Washington 7 (8 inn.)
    Both schools dismissed its students early and the 200 level was filled almost to capacity. All on hand saw a wild one. There were 12 errors and 12 unearned runs. The Vikings scored four in the seventh to tie and two in the eighth to win it. Winner Steve Wyremski pitched all 26 playoff innings and received help from Dean Kimelheim and Lee Dubin (homers). Washington's Roger Price had two hits, two RBI.

1978
At Veterans Stadium
Washington 9, Northeast 4
    Both schools' student bodies again turned out in force and saw the Eagles win their first championship thanks to four runs apiece in the fourth and sixth innings. Rich Young's two-run single keyed the fourth-inning uprising. Bill Gobeler went 1 1/3 innings to save the win for Marc Ross. Northeast's Howard Drossner went 2-for-4.

1979
At Temple's Erny Field
Mastbaum 10, Bartram 9
    Trailing after five innings, 8-3, Mastbaum scored five in the sixth and two in the seventh to win the wild and wooly affair. Nine of the Panthers' runs were unearned. An error and Bill Onslager's RBI single provided the two runs in the seventh. Then, with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom half, winning reliever Dave Scott fanned losing pitcher Keith Gentry (seven hits, eight walks, nine strikeouts) to end it.

1980
At Temple's Erny Field
Washington 5, Northeast 4
    Stu Drossner's suicide squeeze RBI and John Foreman's two-run bloop single provided a 5-2 lead in the fifth, and then the Eagles held on. Coach John Hughes yanked two of his top players after miscues. Rich Rosen pitched six innings total in two stints, but Jack Obozian got the win. No. 9 hitter Mark Goodman had two RBI for Northeast.

1981
At Temple's Erny Field
Frankford 5, Mastbaum 0
    Working on two days' rest, Bruce Konick completed an amazing playoff run, scattering seven hits (all singles) and walking none. His total stats: 21 innings, 13 hits (11 singles), one run (unearned), four walks, 13 strikeouts. Ken MacDonald had a two-run single in a three-run third. The Pioneers had an amazing sports school year, winning in football and soccer and making the final in basketball. Losing pitcher Ernell Harley went 3-for-3.

1982
At Temple's Erny Field
Washington 8, Southern 6
    Little-used Dave Shepherd got the win with five innings of four-hit, one-run relief after Southern seized a 5-0 lead. He walked none and got his eighth strikeout to end the game with runners on second and third. Scott Gisler had a two-run homer, got another run in with a groundout and stole three bases. For Southern, Doug Marchunt and Bob Neill halved four RBI.

1983
At Temple's Erny Field
Franklin 4, Roxborough 2
    Deron Miller allowed five hits and one walk and struck out six as Franklin, in just 1 hour, 37 minutes, became the first all-minority team (seven African-Americans, two Hispanics) to win the PL title. Miller pitched all 21 of the Electrons' playoff innings, allowing 15 hits and seven walks while striking out 17. Ron Friedrich, who got married the previous August and quickly gained 40 pounds, had an RBI triple. Anthony McQuillar went 3-for-3. Roxborough's Dave Coyne went 2-for-3 with a double.

1984
At Temple's Erny Field
Northeast 2, Franklin 0
    Lefthander Andy Meltzer pitched a two-hitter with nine strikeouts and slammed a solo homer in a two-run first (both runs unearned) as the Vikings completed a 15-0 league campaign (17-0 overall). Only twice in PL play did they score fewer than 10 runs. Franklin's Deron Miller was nearly as tough as Meltzer, permitting two hits and striking out six.

1985
At Temple's Erny Field
Washington 14, Frankford 1
    Glen Hassett went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer, four RBI, two steals and three runs scored and Ira Prince went 2-for-4 with two RBI as Washington coasted. Wally Tittelmayer pitched a four-hitter with eight strikeouts. Matt Szychulski had an RBI triple for Frankford.

1986
At Temple's Erny Field
Washington 7, Central 1
    Kevin Higgins pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts while Frank Rubin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Third baseman Tom Devlin started two doubleplays. In the second inning, Washington used the fake bad-throw pickoff play to erase Derek Whitaker. Higgins pretended to throw to second, everyone yelled "Get the ball" and ran toward center. Whitaker had gone back into second with his back turned. Higgins tagged him near third for an easy out. Central's Rich Fernandez allowed nine hits and seven walks, but fanned 10.

1987
At Temple's Erny Field
Washington 14, Roxborough 1
    Kengo Honda went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and three runs scored as the Eagles won their third consecutive title and raised their three-year record against PL opposition to 42-1. No. 8 hitter Larry Kolongowski had five RBI on a two-run single and a three-run double. Kevin Higgins struck out 11 in six innings. Chris DiMidio pitched no-hit ball for Roxborough over the last 2 1/3 innings.

1988
At La Salle University
Washington 7, Central 3
    The Eagles made it four in a row and seven in 11 years as Larry Kolongowski went 3-for-4 with two RBI and reliever Ken Mulderrig got the win with 3 2/3 innings of two-hit, one-run ball. Tim Bolwell and Jim Wark had two hits apiece. Central's Jason Lavala had owned a 20-0 varsity record.

1989
At Frankford
Roxborough 7, Northeast 5
    Folks are still having fun talking about all the wacky occurrences in this one. The best was the triple play turned by Roxborough in the home fifth. With runners on first and third, pinch-hitter Ed Kraus flied to leftfielder Dave Brotherton. Jeff Weiss was out at the plate on a relay from third baseman George Shepherdson. Catcher Joe Turvey spotted Tom Cross, trying to advance from first, and fired to second for out No. 3. Twice there were 10-minute arguments -- first when plate ump Ron Burgis rescinded an infield-fly call and awarded Northeast's Mark Ertel a single and later when Weiss batted in the No. 5 hole even though he'd entered the game in the No. 7 hole. During the waits, Northeast's fans heckled Roxborough pitcher Eric Kay about his 255-pound frame and brief, fans-only scuffles ensued. Chris Deskiewicz, the No. 9 hitter, gave 'Boro a 6-1 lead with a three-run homer in the sixth. For Northeast, Jim Callahan went 4-for-4 with one RBI on a solo homer.

1990
At Frankford
Roxborough 4, Washington 3
    Mike Miller pitched a seven-hitter and rang up three of his 13 strikeouts in the last inning; the last came with the bases loaded. Jerry Smith sent a two-run homer out onto Large Street to highlight Roxborough's three-run home fourth. Losing pitcher Ray Barnhart had a two-run single to highlight Washington's three-run fifth. The Indians immediately took the lead on Pete Sienko's RBI double.

1991
At La Salle University
Washington 18, Lincoln 8
    The Eagles collected 19 hits and scored eight in the home fifth to expand a 10-4 lead. Vince Trunfio went 2-for-3 with four RBI and a three-run, inside-the-park homer. Ed Katz went 3-for-3 with three RBI while John Plunkett and Brandon Keller also had three RBI. Tommy Honda went 3-for-3. Ray Barnhart fanned nine while pitching his third straight complete game in the playoffs. For Lincoln, Keith Michalak homered and Pete DiDonato went 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBI.

1992
At La Salle University
Central 7, Frankford 6
    After losing twice in finals, 10 times in semis and three times in quarterfinals, Central finally won a title (its first since 1976) as Marc Priest (four innings), Chuck McCaffrey (1 1/3) and soph Joe Dugan did the pitching. Chris Whittle had a three-run triple off the leftfield fence. Priest and Dugan halved four hits.

1993
At La Salle University
Central 4, Washington 3
    Joe Dugan allowed 11 hits, but went the distance. First baseman Rob Mayer had a two-run single, but dropped a relay throw that should have resulted in a game-ending doubleplay. Ryan "Rusty" Share and Mark Roque followed with RBI singles and losing pitcher Jordan Nicgorski sent a screaming liner to third baseman Walt Campbell for the last out.

1994
At La Salle University
Northeast 11, Washington 0
    Justin Ertel twirled a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts and allowed no one past second base in the big rivals' first title-game meeting since 1980. Brett Rosen had a three-run triple in a five-run first and Terry Rooney went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Rosen's brother, Rich, was a prominent player for Washington in 1980.

1995
At La Salle University
Washington 7, Northeast 6 (9 inn.)
    With two outs and the bases loaded in the home ninth, Ric Mruk smacked a 330-foot single off the bottom of the leftfield fence to end it. All of Washington's runs were unearned. The seventh inning featured two runs by Northeast and three for Washington. Jeff Whitmore had a two-run single in the first and an RBI fielder's choice in the seventh. Frank "Jaws" Jarosiewicz, sporting a freshly shaved head, won in relief. For Northeast, the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, Bryan Latino and Rob MacMullan, both went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

1996
At La Salle University
Northeast 5, Central 4 (11 inn.)
    Freshman reliever Pete Whittle, of Central, escaped jams in the ninth and 10th in amazing fashion, but couldn't quite do it in the 11th. After having to remain at third and second, respectively, as two teammates struck out, R.J. Farina AND John Griffin scored on an infield single to end it. On a 3-2 count, Shane Best slapped a ball that was smothered by second baseman Nick McCloskey at the back of the infield dirt. McCloskey made a desperation flip to shortstop John Durso, who had no time to make a play on Griffin. Central had taken a 4-3 lead in the top half on Steve Pietrzykowski's two-out RBI single and had tied it in the seventh on Bob Dintino's sacrifice fly. Phil Goodhead tied a city record by going all 11 innings for Northeast. He allowed nine hits and five walks and struck out eight. Tim Greco had two RBI for Central.

1997
At La Salle University
Northeast 8, Olney 3
    Brett "B.J." Reynolds went 3-for-4 with a double, scored three runs and had a hand in two doubleplays for the Vikings, who jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first two innings, then coasted. Phil Goodhead had a shutout through 6 2/3 innings; Yamil Collazo ended the bid with a three-run double. Irv Carrillo, a physically challenged lefthander (short and underdeveloped left leg) who was Olney's heart and soul all season, allowed 15 hits in going the distance.

1998
At La Salle University
Northeast 10, Frankford 9
    Mark Wrzos, working on two days' rest, toughed out a not-so-tidy 15-hitter as Northeast won its third consecutive title under retiring coach John Litzke. Josh Brinkley, the No. 8 hitter, crushed a grand slam, the first in city leagues' postseason action since 1990 (by Roxborough's Mike Miller in a semifinal vs. Central), over the 330-foot sign in left-center to cap a seven-run fifth. Catcher R.J. Farina, the leadoff batter, went 2-for-3 with a double and two steals and scored three runs. For Frankford, Dennis Boyles went 2-for-4 and pounded a two-run homer one-third of the way up the building behind the leftfield fence.

1999
At La Salle University
Northeast 15, Washington 6
    The Vikings stroked 16 hits while storming to their fourth consecutive title and fifth in six years; the coach this time was Calvin Jones. Dave Kravetz went 2-for-4 with three RBI, Ron Meyer went 4-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored and Pat Franz, a lefthanded catcher, went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Pat Brady went the distance, allowing 10 hits (all singles) and one earned run. Washington's Jesse Gauer went 3-for-4.

2000
At La Salle University
Frankford 5, GAMP 3
    Ed Durfor allowed seven hits, reached base three times (two walks, hit-by-pitch) and stole three bases as Frankford won its first title since 1981. Jim Connolly had two RBI on a groundout and double while Russ Pizzo and Mike Tritz had RBI singles. For GAMP, Joe DeRosa had two doubles and an RBI.

2001
At La Salle University
Central 1, Lincoln 0
  The only run scored in the fifth as Steve Hopkins reached first on an error, moved to third on Ryan Meyer's single and came in as Meyer broke up a doubleplay at second on Adam Davis' grounder. Central's Noah White pitched a four-hitter with eight strikeouts. Lincoln's Ron Clarkson allowed two hits, fanned seven. It was the first 1-0 PL final in at least 50-plus years.

2002
At La Salle University
GAMP 8, Northeast 6
  The Pioneers, part of PL baseball since 1989, won their first championship by rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the last three innings. David Scirrotto had an RBI single in a three-run fifth and a two-run single in a three-run sixth. The run that broke a 4-4 tie scored on a passed ball. Matt Sestito also had hits in each of the three-run uprisings. The momentum swung when third baseman Jeff Colon made an outstanding play on a grounder to end the fourth and keep Northeast's lead from expanding to 5-1. Mario Malatino, on two days' rest, toughed out a 10-hitter and went the distance. Northeast had runners at second and third with one out in the home seventh when Malatino induced a popout and groundout to end it. Ken Wlodarczyk went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and one RBI. Starting pitcher Ryan Zastowney had a two-run single. Northeast committed six errors to none for GAMP. GAMP, which had just 11 players in uniform (10 percent of the school's male enrollment), won its four playoff games by six runs total.

2003
At La Salle University
Frankford 3, Northeast 1
   Wearing a special batting helmet to protect his nose, broken in the semifinals when he fouled a ball off his face, Matt Colon had a double and scored a run in a two-run third (Adam Hartman followed with an RBI double) and made a running catch in left-center to start a key doubleplay in the fourth. Colon was the catcher all season; he switched positions with Hartman, normally an outfielder. Cory Shaeffer's triple added an insurance run in the sixth. Joe Farina pitched a four-hitter with six strikeouts. Bryan Adamson stroked three of those hits, including a double, and had an RBI. Frankford finished 17-0 against PL opposition (one league game canceled) and 19-0 overall.

2004
At La Salle University
Frankford 6, Northeast 4
   Joe Farina allowed seven hits, struck out 10, collected two hits and had an RBI on a bases-loaded walk as the Pioneers defended their title. The championship was Farina's seventh in three years at Frankford (three in wrestling, two apiece in baseball and football) and he finished with a 97-2 PL record, including playoffs. Cory Shaeffer and Richard Jimenez had RBI on sacrifice flies. Jimenez added a run-scoring single. Frankford had just 10 varsity players for virtually the entire season. For Northeast, Brandon O'Malley went 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks and an RBI. Chris Steinke and losing pitcher Andrew Lihotz added run-scoring singles. A month earlier, besting Farina, Lihotz had stopped Frankford's PL regular season win streak at 36.

2005
At La Salle University
Frankford 9, Central 6
   It appeared early the Pioneers might have to go only three innings to earn their third consecutive championship (due to the 15-run rule), as they posted an eight-spot in the very first inning. Juan Carlos Torres, winning pitcher Kelinton Tejada and Andrew Bracero had singles for RBI, Carlos Rosado stroked a two-run single, Richard Jimenez (sacrifice fly) and Pat Lewis (walk) also got runs home and one scored on an error. Trailing 9-3 in the seventh, Central received a two-run homer from Walt King (leftfield; across the driveway and over a hedge) and an RBI single from Joe Tierney before Jimenez, who worked the last two innings, retired reliever Jared Farbman on a popup to end it. King finished 3-for-3 with a walk and his homer. The win upped Frankford's four-year Pub record, counting playoffs, to 69-2.

2006
At Campbell's Field, Camden
Central 7, Frankford 1
   With nobody out and the bases loaded in the visiting sixth, pitcher Jared Farbman snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run single to right-center. Jim Benek (double) and Micah Winterstein (single) followed with run-scoring hits and an error led to two more runs, giving the Lancers a 6-0 lead and major reason to celebrate. Farbman scattered nine hits and did not lose his shutout until two were out in the seventh (on an infield bobble). Benek finished 3-for-4 with two RBI doubles. Winterstein also went 3-for-4. Benek, the first basemen, made a leaping catch-and-tag play in the second inning, preventing a throwing error that would have staked Frankford to a 2-0 lead. The Pioneers, the three-time defending champs, fell to 84-5 vs. Pub opposition, counting playoffs, over the last five seasons.

2007
At Campbell's Field, Camden
Frankford 7, Central 5
   Senior first baseman Kevin Roche, who made only one plate appearance during the 2006 season (he walked), completed a glorious quarters/semis/final run (12 RBI) by going 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI out of the cleanup spot as the Pioneers assured that coach Bob Peffle would head into retirement with one last title. It was his fifth in eight years, in fact, and Frankford raised its record vs. Pub opposition during the last six seasons, counting playoffs, to 100-7. In his 19 years, Peffle went 235-76 (.756) against Pub opposition with marks of 197-62 (regular season) and 38-14 (playoffs). Esteban "Shortie" Meletiche smacked an RBI double and went the distance, fanning 10. Edwin "Tito" Rohena and Frank Donato (RBI double) halved four hits and as many runs. Losing pitcher Jared Farbman went 2-for-3 and his sac fly drew Central within 7-5 in a two-run seventh. With the tying run on base, Roche caught a foul popup to end the game just before he fell part way down the steps in Central's dugout. He was unhurt.

2008
At Campbell's Field, Camden
Frankford 15, Central 5 (6 inn.)
  Under first-year coach Juan Namnun, the Pioneers became the second Pub program in recent times (also Northeast, 1994-99) to win five championships in a six-year period. They did it the hard way, too, in this night game, spotting Central to a 5-1 lead after 2 1/2 innings. Frankford changed the tide with a nine-run third. The first five runs were scored without the benefit of a hit, then Jon Bracero (three-run double) and Edwin "Tito" Rohena (RBI triple) added exclamation marks. Esteban "Shortie" Meletiche pitched a six-hitter with as many strikeouts and cracked a pair of two-run doubles for four RBI; the second ended the game with one away in the sixth. Frankford upped its seven-year record vs. Pub opposition to 117-8, counting playoffs. Central's highlights were RBI doubles by Tom Capewell and Mike Braun.

2009
At Campbell's Field, Camden
Central 12, Northeast 2
  The final four guys in the order combined for eight RBI as the Lancers stormed to their third title of the decade. Their highlights were a solo homer down the leftfield line by Brian Burkett, a three-run triple by Graham Johnston and a two-run double by Zack King. David Kremer singled twice while drawing a walk and absorbing a plunking. Steve Schall performed the rare trick, especially for a winning pitcher, of going the distance without recording a strikeout. He allowed five hits and fell behind in the first on Julius Spann's two-run single.

2010
At La Salle University
Central 7, Frankford 3
  Julien Blancon snapped a 2-2 tie with a three-run double in the home fourth, then Central sustained the momentum in the fifth by turning a tripleplay on Augusto Ortega's comebacker to pitcher Pete Rowe. The putouts went to third baseman Ricardo Tull (forceout), second baseman Gabe Buchanan (as Ortega continued around first) and Blancon, the catcher, as Ricky Alvarez, who began the play on first base, tried to come all the way around. Rowe allowed seven hits and fanned six while giving Rich Weiss a title in his first year as coach. Mark Gervasi had two hits, two RBI. Buchanan and Adam Hoskins also bagged two hits. For Frankford, Francisco Bonilla turned two safeties into one RBI. Central had to go without starting third baseman Kevin Pfeifer, ejected from the semifinal for slamming his helmet after being called out by Jim Carpino on a close play at first. (Still pics, culled from a video by Central parent Mike Cavallaro, showed Pfeifer was safe.) Cavallaro's son, also named Mike and a soph centerfielder, was the Lancers' only returning starter and he missed roughly a month of action after pulling a hamstring in the very first game.

2011
At Richie Ashburn Field
Frankford 5, Edison 4
  After a one-day delay due to excessive heat/humidity, announced just one hour prior to gametime, Frankford received a route-going performance from Omar Cruz and a three-hit, two-RBI outing from Hector Cerda while becoming the Public League's first all-Hispanic champion. Actually, every player on both teams was Hispanic. Cruz delivered an RBI single in the fifth, giving himself a 5-1 lead, and that became the decisive hit; Edison scored one in the sixth (two hits) and two in the seventh (four hits) before a strikeout/throw-to-first combo ended it. The Owls ran themselves out of the sixth and a taylor-made doubleplay ball removed major starch in the seventh. Major winds blowing straight in from left and left-center almost certainly cost losing pitcher Nate Coronado what would have been a pair of three-run homers; there'd been not even a hint of wind the day before. There were 12 errors and only three earned runs. In its 55th season of baseball, Edison owned an 0-19 record in quarterfinals and an 0-4 mark in semis (from an era when only four teams made the playoffs). Its squad included two over-aged players, who were granted eligibility by a District 12 committee in a move that sparked major anger among the coaches of the league's other top programs.

2012
At Richie Ashburn Field
Frankford 8, GAMP 3
  The heroes were numerous as Frankford became the first three-major-sports Pub team to win seven titles in a 10-year period since Overbrook did so in basketball from 1950 to '59. Making his third consecutive title-game start, Rafael "Omar" Cruz pitched a four-hitter with eight strikeouts while racking up win No. 2. After losing pitcher Desmond Drummond provided immediate fireworks with a two-run homer over the fence in right-center, Frankford responded with three runs in the bottom half on Hector Cerda's RBI double and Kevin Montero's two-run single. Augusto "June" Ortega laced a three-run double in the fourth.

2013
At Richie Ashburn Field
Frankford 9, Franklin Towne 2
  Kidanny Cumba and Tim DiGiorgio halved six RBI and six errors helped the Pioneers score five unearned runs while claiming their third consecutive title. They'd finished the Pub regular season on a six-game losing streak and their eight league losses matched the total of the five previous champions. Eduardo "Cheese" Sanchez went the distance, allowing four hits while whiffing 11. FT's Brian Bradley went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

2014
At Richie Ashburn Field
Washington 3, Franklin Towne 2
  Roger Hanson pitched a six-hitter with nine strikeouts and Ishmael Bracy posted two RBI as the Eagles won their first championship since 1995 in their initial title-game appearance since '99. In the previous 14 seasons, they'd lost nine times in semis, four times in quarterfinals and once in the round of 16 (2000 to Saul, a huge underdog). Bracy and losing pitcher Steve Callahan traded sac flies in the first. Bracy (single) and Scott Siley (triple) stroked RBI hits in the third and FT's Zack Beltran got a run home in the bottom half by drawing the last of three consecutive walks. In the sixth, after recording two looking Ks, Hanson allowed three consecutive singles before ending the threat with another whiff; a doubleplay had ended the third. The Coyotes were retired in order in the seventh. The title was the Eagles' 10th, and their sixth as the visiting team. The next day in school, following through on a promise he'd made to Siley, coach Ken Geiser allowed the Eagles to give him a mohawk.