Philadelphia High School Sports
Most Memorable Playoff Games in City History

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  Below you'll find my list of the 50 most memorable playoff games in Philadelphia scholastic
sports history through the 2007-08 school year. Because the Inter-Ac League does not hold
playoffs, this list is limited to Public and Catholic League contests (along with some City
Titles). It's also limited to football, basketball and baseball.
  What makes a game "memorable"? Sometimes it's the sheer quality of the game itself, or a truly
special performance by one or more participants, or the historical context of the game, or the
fact that the result was a gigantic upset, or even the fan involvement during or after the game.
  Mostly, it's just a feeling. Again, this is one man's opinion and please understand that it was
hard to come up with this order. (And harder still to cast aside many other strong contenders.)
  Generally, games that decided championships received the strongest consideration for the upper
portion of the list. But as you'll see, games from earlier rounds are also sprinkled in.
  I'll list these one by one, from 50 on up, pretty much on a daily basis. Later, I'll also list the best
games, by sport (not sure yet about how many for each).
  Below my list are your comments about which playoffs in city history have most stayed etched
in your memory. Send to silaryt@phillynews.com.
  Thanks for paying attention, and I hope you've enjoyed the list.
  -- Ted Silary

No. 1
BASKETBALL
1968
Catholic League Quarterfinal
At the Palestra
North 77, McDevitt 60
  In a game that generated headlines across the country, North’s junior
varsity -- filling in for the 12-man varsity squad, suspended by coach Jack
Friel (also the disciplinarian) earlier that day for cutting classes -- rolled to a
stirring victory. The youngsters, booed by North’s fans during warmups and
hit with chants of ‘‘We want the varsity!’’ had not played for eight days and
only split with McDevitt’s JVs during the regular season. The starters were
Mike Kaiser (20 points), Iggy Brodzinski (19), Jim Boylan (14), Joe Evanosich
(13) and Billy Dever (nine). Kaiser, Boylan and Brodzinski claimed 20, 17 and
15 rebounds, respectively. McDevitt was led by junior guard Bob Haas (26),
who during the regular season had scored 51 points against Ryan to break the
CL record.
  (Ted's note: Well, a few of you predicted this along the way and right you
were! smile. This deserves the No. 1 spot on so many levels. I attended this
game, as almost all of my friends away from Penn Charter were McDevitt
guys. I can't remember whether I knew North's varsity guys had been suspended
before I arrived at the Palestra, but the place certainly was abuzz. Enrollments
at CL schools were outrageously high in these days and at schools such as
North, the JV and varsity squads were almost always separate entities. Not
like today, where the varsity is often 7-8 guys and JV starters often serve as
varsity subs. Anyway . . . These JV guys hadn't played in eight days. Had only
split with McDevitt's JVs. Got this sprung on them. Got torched by their own
school's fans. Yet, not only did they win, they refused to crumble after McDevitt
stormed within six points late in the game. In my mind, there's no way this game
CAN'T be No. 1. Some links you might find interesting . . .
   Herb Stutz' story and column in the next day's The Evening Bulletin.
   Anniversary stories I did for the DN in 1978 and 1993.

No. 2
FOOTBALL
1945
City Title
At Franklin Field
Southern 18, West Catholic 13
  Thanks to three drives covering 175 yards, Southern scored three TDs
in the last 7:40 to erase a 13-0 deficit and earn the stirring victory before
54,000. The winning score came with 19 seconds left when Anthony "Reds"
Coletta, the would-be kicker, heaved an 11-yard pass to Al Tulinsky, the
would-be holder, out of a field goal formation. Coletta then halted West's
final possession with an interception. The Rams' first score in the outburst
came on Jack Del Bello's 37-yard screen pass to Joe Carlozo. After Del Bello
recovered a fumble, Coletta ran in from the 2. The highlight of the final drive
was Del Bello's 42-yard pass to Carlozo. For West, Charley Albertus gained
75 yards on 18 carries and passed for a TD to Frank McCartney. Ace runner
Frank "Reds" Bagnell was sidelined early in the second quarter with a broken
collarbone.
  (Ted's note: Here is a 50-year anniversary story I wrote in 1995 . . .

No. 3
BASEBALL
1983
Catholic League Final
At Temple's Erny Field
O'Hara 10, Egan 6
  This game featured the most shocking development in city playoff history.
Down by 5-2, O'Hara scored eight runs in the visiting seventh and seven
followed this juncture: two outs, nobody on and Joe Romano facing an 0-2
count. The Lions scored four runs (all earned) in one-third of an inning against
reliever Ted Blucas, who had not allowed an earned run all season. Scott Seifert
(4-for-5, three RBI) started the inning with a double and later had an RBI triple.
Tim Kelly (3-for-5) singled for the final RBI of the inning. The win went to John
Morris, who allowed one run in two innings. He had pitched only 3 1/3 previous
league innings. For Egan, starting pitcher Bob Zupcic went 4-for-4 with two triples
and two RBI to finish 11-for-17 (.647) with seven RBI in four playoff games.
  (Ted's note: It's a game like this that makes people honor baseball's status as
the one major game that's played without a clock. Down three runs. One strike
to go. Didn't matter. O'Hara got the job done. Before the seventh inning, O'Hara
was batting .216 in two playoffs and had scored three runs, only one earned.
Bob Zupcic, also a star QB, went on to play outfield for the Boston Red Sox.
Kelly will be O'Hara's basketball coach this winter.
Here's the recap of O'Hara's seventh . . .

Totals - 8 runs, 4 hits, no errors, 1 left.

No. 4
BASKETBALL
1953
City Title
At the Palestra
West Catholic 54, Overbrook 42
  Before 8,461 fans (4,000 were turned away), West Catholic held 6-11 Wilt
Chamberlain to 29 points by surrounding him at all times with four defenders.
Chamberlain shot 9-for-25 from the floor and 11-for-19 at the line. Bill
Lindsay played the "floater" in West's defense and also scored a game-record
32 points, shooting 12-for-13 and 8-for-11.
  (Ted's note: Wilt went on to become the best player in world history, later to
be challenged only by Michael Jordan. Who's your choice? Wilt was a soph
when this game was played. How much energy did Lindsay expend this night?
Scores 32 points at one end. Chases FOUR guys at the other. Incredible!)

No. 5
1997
BASKETBALL
Public League Round of 16
At Franklin
West Phila. 78, Franklin 76
  In the most amazing comeback in PL playoff history, West won the last
quarter, 36-16, and erased a 73-60 deficit in the final 1:27. Five-eight soph
Donnel Feaster set PL and city postseason records with seven threes (in 12
attempts), scored half of his 38 points in the final quarter and dribbled the
length of the court to flip in a 7-footer with 0:03 left. Sean McKnight hit three
threes en route to 15 points. For Franklin, Alex Wesby mixed 20 points, seven
rebounds and six assists and Dontise McClay dished eight assists. Because of
violations of team rules, both teams were missing two key players.
  (Ted's note: I still think often of this one. Feaster was a teenager possessed
in that fourth quarter. Especially back then, Franklin was a tough place for
visiting teams and Feaster just kept takin' it to them, TAKIN' it to them and
TAKIN' it to them. In those moments, he would have crushed AI in a game
of one-on-one -- smile. Wesby had a nice career at Temple and was a first
team All-City player in '98 when Franklin won the title.
  Here are key elements from my story the next day . . .

After Feaster (38 points) capped a 19-point, fourth-quarter outburst by canning a 7-foot flip
shot in the lane at 0:03, and after referee Warren Harding ordered the timer to put 2 seconds back
onto the clock because the fans had rushed onto the court, and after several Franklin players
stormed away in disgust and did not return, and after Franklin inexplicably had just four players
on the court when Dontise McClay missed a three-quarter-court baseball throw to end it, and
after West's players romped joyously to their locker room, coach James Brown bellowed,
``I bet y'all will believe in yourselves now, won't you!? ' ''

If not now, never.

Franklin coach Ken Hamilton had been confident enough to remove his best player, junior
swingman Alex Wesby (20 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and McClay, his senior floor leader
(eight assists), at the 1:27 mark in favor of two players who had yet to appear in the game.

Wesby and McClay rushed back in at 0:43, but West was already within 75-68, thanks to
Sean McKnight's left-corner three-pointer and Franklin was reeling.

At 0:34, Feaster was fouled while attempting a three-pointer. He made two of the free throws
and the Speedboys inched within 76-72. Franklin committed a turnover and Feaster scored again
at 0:26. Franklin committed another turnover and McKnight hit a jumper on a pass from Anthony
Frazier at 0:19 to tie it.

By this point, many Franklin fans were rimming the court and berating the referees and the
security folks were running from end to end, barely maintaining control.

At 0:15, Franklin freshman Hanif Styles went to the line for a double bonus. He missed
both shots. Derrick Johnson fought for the rebound and handed the ball to Feaster.

West had no timeouts remaining. Covered by McClay, Feaster rushed upcourt moving
slightly to his right. Then he veered to his left, scurried down the lane and launched the ball.

Gooooood!

And this . . . (brace yourself; "Ham" was hissssssssssssed -- smile.)
     All game, Hamilton yelled at his players to guard the arc and get a hand in Feaster's face.
If they heard him, they didn't carry out the orders.

``I couldn't be happier about what happened,'' Hamilton said. ``Why would I want to
coach these guys anymore? They don't deserve to go to the next round. They don't listen.
It's been the same thing all year. ''

No. 6
BASEBALL
1968
City Title
At Connie Mack Stadium
Egan 1, Southern 0 (11 inn.)
  A pair of lefties, Egan's Dennis Yesenosky and Southern's Willie Jones,
were masterful in this marathon. Yesenosky allowed two hits and three
walks and set strikeout records for seven innings (12), nine innings (17)
and overall (20). Jones allowed eight hits and fanned 16. In the home 11th,
singles by Tony Varacallo, Dan Connors and Jim Colella loaded the bases.
Jim Carpenter sent a sinking liner to right and Vince DeMeis made the catch.
With all three runners moving a doubleplay was possible, but DeMeis's throw
to first was off-line. Jones then walked Phil Scalzone on four pitches to end it.
In the sixth, Southern had runners thrown out at second and the plate.
  (Ted's note: Thirty-six combined strikeouts! Phew! I'm not sure what became
of Yesenosky -- maybe someone out there can let us know -- but Jones
definitely played in the Phillies' farm system. Maybe as an outfielder? . . .
Meanwhile, here's a similar game. Couldn't find evidence that any of the daily
papers covered it in person, so the details are skimpy/sketchy and I would
have been uncomfortable giving it an official spot on the list. I played on a
youth team with Steve Miller, by the way. 
Public League Semifinal
1971
At Central
Roxborough 1, Frankford 0 (14 inn.)
  Jerry West's double in the home 14th scored Steve Miller to make reliever
Dereck Hicks a winner. Hicks and Bob Waldeck combined for 16 strikeouts
in a 10-hitter.

No. 7
BASKETBALL
1968
Catholic League Final
At the Palestra
O'Hara 53, Judge 52 (OT)
  O'Hara authored one of the more legendary chapters in CL history by
scoring the final 13 points of regulation in 2:18. Mike Daly hit a 25-footer
to complete the comeback, during which Judge missed four one-and-ones,
grabbed no rebounds and committed four turnovers. Joe Hazinsky (15),
Tom Ingelsby (13) and Daly (12) scored in double figures. Ingelsby dribbled
away most of the extra session and swished a clinching free throw with 0:16
left. The Lions' playoff run featured four OTs and three wins by five points
total. Judge suffered a blow when floor leader Tim Fehrle (17) fouled out
with 1:44 left in regulation.
  (Ted's note: This was a distressing development for Judge, no doubt. The
school's basketball program already had been dealing with a "choke" label
and this one did not help. Bill Fox, in his first season, enabled the Crusaders
to finally experience a title, in '75. Ingelsby played in the NBA after 'Nova
and was later a successful coach at Carroll, with help from his son, Martin,
a first team All-City player in '97.)

No. 8
FOOTBALL
1946
City Title
At Franklin Field
Northeast 33, West Catholic 20
  John Papit ran 29 times for 160 yards and three TDs and passed 3-for-9 for 56
yards and another score in a game attended by 60,000 and halted by rioting with
10 seconds left. When Northeast's fans attempted to tear down the goalposts in
the final minute, West's fans ran onto the field to defend them. Elsewhere, two
fans connected with neither school ran toward Northeast's backfield to tackle and
slug Papit. With several thousand fans on the field, officials ended the game.
Soccer-style kicker George "Bertie" Miller booted three PAT and averaged 52
yards on six kickoffs. For West, Charley Albertus passed 8-for-20 for 186 yards
and two TDs and Emory McCourt carried 11 times for 91 yards.
  (Ted's note: John Papit played for a while in the NFL. Could you imagine being
at a high school game with 60,000 people? How cool is THAT?! In that era, high
school ball ruled Philly. Pete Gogolak -- look him up on Wikipedia -- has always
been credited with being pro football's first soccer-style kicker, in the mid-1960s.
A big deal was made about Bertie Miller in the papers, but no one stated that he
was the city's FIRST soccer-style high school kicker. Could have been, though. By
the way, as our older visitors know, Northeast was located at 8th and Lehigh during
this era. It moved to its present location in the mid-'50s and the original building
became Edison. In turn, Edison vacated the premises in the mid-'80s for its
present location on Hunting Park Ave., east of Rising Sun.)

No. 9
FOOTBALL
2002
Catholic Blue Semifinal
At Northeast
West Catholic 55, Neumann 48
   In the highest scoring game ever involving city teams, there were 788 yards
from scrimmage and 264 on returns (1,052 total). The first half, which ended with
West ahead, 35-20, produced exactly 600 yards, including returns. The tone was
set as West's Chris Diaferio returned the opening kickoff 67 yards for a TD.
Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley posted 240 yards and four TDs on 26 carries. For
Neumann, Jimmy Porreca ran 24 times for 159 yards and three TDs and caught
a pass from Jon Brady (15-for-29, 236, three TDs) for a fourth. The win was
assured when West's Dave Fitzgerald recovered an onsides kick at 0:25. The
Burrs were quarterbacked by DB Matt Rodia; the former starter had been
dismissed from the team for school-related reasons.
  (Ted's note: Huck was in his glory at this one! Ha, ha. Well, we all were,
actually. Stat heaven! As you can imagine, this game took a loooooong time.
My original hope was to write about this game and another. I called the office
at halftime and Bob Cooney graciously agreed to write about the other one via a
phone interview, due to our ridiculously early deadlines; they're even earlier now
-- ugh . . . Anyway, Brinkley is now a senior at Syracuse. Fitzgerald is now an
assistant at West. Rodia is part of a big sports-crazed family. For good reason,
his brothers were quite proud that Matt was the QB on a night when the offense
exploded for so many points.)

No. 10
BASKETBALL
1988
Public League Final
At Temple's McGonigle Hall
Frankford 71, West 64 (4 OT)
  Frankford, a PL member since the 1916-17 season, won its first championship
in a classic war of attrition. Both teams lost four starters to personal fouls.
Frankford's ninth man, guard Jeffrey Mack, made a huge steal in the third OT,
then made another in the fourth. The Pioneers took the lead for good, at 64-62,
on Jason Warley's rebound basket with 2:34 left. Warley had 22 points and 23
rebounds. His brother, Carlin, a sophomore, had 16 points and 15 rebounds. For
West, Mik Kilgore had 27 points and 10 rebounds.
  (Ted's note: This was a very emotional day for Frankford coach Vince Miller,
a former Sixers' scout and Wilt Chamberlain's very best friend. Vince's dad,
Reuben Miller Sr., died about a month before this game at age 85. The Warley
brothers are the sons of ex-NBA player Ben Warley. Here's the part of my story
that dealt with Mack's situation/contributions . . .

"That kid Mack is always bugging me to play. Well, he sure got his chance today," Miller cackled.
"I also get it from his girlfriend (Samantha Hawkins). She gives me a hard time. She's always saying,
'I came to see Jeff play and you didn't even put him in. ' "

"Friday, coach Miller had me practice with the first team a little," Mack said. "But when the third
quarter came and I hadn't played yet, I said, 'Shoot, he's not going to use me. ' I was kind of mad. I
didn't want to show anybody, but I was kind of sulking at the Franklin game (semifinals), too. That
could have been the last game in my career. It hurt not to get in. Thankfully, we got to today.

"I was just trying to keep Williams" -- Eric, the victim of Mack's two steals -- "in the middle of the
court. I wanted to 'turn' him again and again, so he'd have to switch hands. Hopefully, he'd lose it on
one of those switches.

"Playing defense is what I do better than anything else."

No. 11
FOOTBALL
1999
Public League Semifinal
At Northeast
Northeast 9, Bok 8
   In a circumstances-for-the-ages finish, Northeast reversed an 8-7 deficit with
0:08 left when Dante Poole blocked Ralph Sheridan's punt through the back of
the end zone for a safety. Bok had only 10 players on the field on the fateful
play -- the missing man was one of Sheridan's three personal protectors. With
1:02 left, Northeast coach Harvey "Brew" Schumer opted not to attempt a
chip-shot field goal and Tavis Green (17-110) was dumped for a 1-yard loss on
fourth-and-1 from the 4. Poole scored Northeast's TD on a 10-yard run. For Bok,
Will Gadson passed 10-for-18 for 121 yards, leaped into the end zone for a 2-yard
TD midway through the fourth quarter and then flipped a conversion pass to Ed
Brumskill. Gadson played more than half the game with a broken leg and needed
three stitches to repair a gash in his chin. Bok, the smallest PL school with football
(400 male enrollment), was trying to make the final for the first time since 1951.
  (Ted's note: Still can't get over the finish of this one. First, NE messes up its
late-game chance to win it on offense, then DOES win it on defense due to Bok's
mess-up on special teams. I was on Bok's sideline as this one wound down. Rarely
have I witnessed such emotional devastation.)

No. 12
FOOTBALL
1967
Public League Final
At Northeast
Central 13, Bartram 6
Central 8, Edison 6
    In an unprecedented move, league officials decided to break a three-way tie
with two half-games on the same day at the same site. In the first game, Central
scored the first two TDs on short runs by Rich Weaver and Jack Gorman, then
Marv Frazier returned a kickoff 95 yards for Bartram. After a short break, during
which Central coach Ed Veith had no time to discuss preparations for Edison,
Edison stormed downfield in 11 plays and Pedro Barez scored from the 1. But
in the second period, Paul Lobosco's fumble recovery gave Central the ball at
Edison's 5, Johnnie Williams immediately ran for a TD and Gorman passed for
two to Handsome Wearing.
  (Ted's note: Could you imagine? Two half-games to decide a champ? Only in
the Pub!! Gotta love it. There were no playoffs in this era and three teams
happened to finish tied for first. Central then played in the City Title game.
Pedro Barez was likely the city's first great Hispanic athlete. Also starred in
basketball and baseball. And check out the last name in the recap. Handsome
Wearing. An all-timer!! Right up there with another guy from the '60s -- Franklin
hoopster Alton Laughinghouse. If any Central guy who played in this two-game
affair happens to read this, I'm sure we'd all be interested to hear your thoughts
on what it was like. Send to silaryt@phillynews.com. Thanks!)

No. 13
BASKETBALL
Public League Final
1994
At St. Joseph's University
Franklin LC 56, Gratz 55
  In the most amazing finish in PL playoff history, Michael Robinson (13 points)
fumbled the ball, then ducked under the upraised arms of a defender and swished
a 30-foot three-pointer with 1 second left to win it. It was the first time since 1968
that a championship was won on a last-second shot and the lead was FLC's first of
the game. Rasiheed "Noot" Arnold poured in 34 points before fouling out. Lynard
Stewart and Terrell Stokes scored 12 points each for Gratz.
  Note: The school district later found that FLC had used ineligible players
during the season. The district stripped FLC of the title and awarded it to Gratz.
  (Ted's note: Believe it or not, I was the TV analyst on Channel 29 for this game.
When Robinson hit the shot, I was smart enough to stay quiet and let the fan
noise/pictures tell the story. I still think there might have been a backcourt
violation at the early part of the possession. The camera didn't quite show a
good enough view. Stewart was our Player of the Year. His brother, Larry,
played in the NBA and Lynard has been overseas for a long time. Another
brother, Stephen, is an assistant at Delaware. Great family! Stokes is now an
assistant at Loyola, in Baltimore . . . The ineligible FLC guys were guilty of
playing in games on days when they were marked absent. Very messy development.)

No. 14
FOOTBALL
2006
Catholic Red Final
At Northeast
La Salle 14, SJ Prep 7
   These private-school rivals canceled their Thanksgiving game and played
the next night before an overflow crowd. La Salle, a 42-14 loser in the regular
season matchup, survived in this one, despite being outgained, 390-175, by
forcing two fumbles at the 1 and making interceptions at the goal line and 1 yard
deep in the end zone. The Explorers' first TD came when Jack Forster and Rob
Saraceni forced a fumble within a whisker at the goal line and Greg Frantz picked
up the ball and dashed 96 yards for a TD; it was the longest fumble return for a
score in city postseason history. Saraceni had the other recovery while Mike
Donohoe (goal line, last play of first half) and Jack Forster (1-yard into end zone,
fourth quarter) made the interceptions. On the Prep's final play, JB Campanella
and John McBurnie combined for a sack. Andrew Wood (15), Campanella (13)
and Sean Saverio (11) racked up large tackles numbers as Prep ran 72 plays.
La Salle had zero rushing yards, but John Harrison passed 17-for-29 for 175 yards
(he finished with a city record for completions in a season, with 200) and a TD
to Joe Migliarese (7-84) and was sacked just once. It was the second time in three
years that a first-year CL coach won a title (Drew Gordon for La Salle, Joe Powel
for Wood in '04). The Explorers became the first Red team to win the title without
having the luxury of a first-round bye and just the third team in CL history to
capture a crown after losing three league games (also Judge in '81 and '83).
  (Ted's note: The circumstances of this one still boggle the mind. La Salle gets
NO rushing yards, is outgained total by much more than 2-to-1, yet wins because
it forces FOUR turnovers pretty much AT its own goal line!!?? If this game had
occurred in college or pro football, the FBI would still be investigating.)

No. 15
BASEBALL
1988
Catholic League Second Round
At La Salle University
Ryan 11, Judge 10 (13 inn.)
  This one featured 29 hits, 10 extra-base hits, 19 walks, 10 errors, seven
steals, the use of 32 players and lasted 4 hours, 13 minutes, not counting
an 8-minute rain delay. Soph Tom Billek, a backup shortstop, made his
first pitching appearance and posted 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the
win. The winning run scored in the visiting 13th on Steve Devlin's suicide
squeeze. Jim McNesby had a two-run homer. For Judge, Doug Briggs went
2-for-6 with a double and three RBI. With no out in the home seventh, Ron
Brunner broke for home on an errant pitch, but catcher Jim Stafford recovered
quickly and tossed to pitcher Jim Yozallinas for the out.
  (Ted's note: I did not see this one. Puck covered it and complained like crazy
that the game's length made him late for a summer league game/practice; I
forget which. If the name Steve Devlin looks familiar, well, he is now Wood's
football coach. Jim McNesby is the brother of Roman basketball assistant
Chris McNesby. As always for second stories, Puck got Billek's number and I
interviewed him later over the phone. He said, "When they told me to warm up,
I didn't have any idea I'd get in the game. I warmed up in the 10th, then they told
me before the 11th, 'If someone gets on, you're going in. ' I was nervous going
out there, but I was also excited about getting a chance to play. I didn't look at
anybody or anything. Just the catcher's glove. I don't think Judge took me seriously.
They were probably thinking, 'Who's this guy?' ")

No. 16
FOOTBALL
2000
Catholic Red Final
At Northeast
O'Hara 35, SJ Prep 10
  Capping a sensational career, Kevin Jones posted four TDs and 196
all-purpose yards as the Lions rolled to an upset victory. He ran for scores
of 2 and 39 yards, returned a kickoff 86 yards for another and made a
34-yard reception of a Mike Lomas Hail Mary pass for yet another.
Lomas (6-for-12, 137 yards) also fired a TD pass to Ryan Barksdale.
Prep entered at 12-0 and thus became the first team with a perfect record
to fall in a CL title game since St. James in 1969. Kyle Ambrogi rushed for
50 yards and fell nine yards short of overtaking Judge's Bill Foley
(2,116 in '68) for the No. 1 spot in CL one-season rushing. Mike
McGann passed 18-for-37 for a game record 245 yards.
  (Ted's note: Jones starred at Virginia Tech and is now in camp with the
Bears after previously playing for the Lions. Ambrogi, who played at Penn,
is remembered fondly by all who knew him. McGann starred at Temple
and was in camp with the Colts two summers ago; he's now assisting at
Prep . . . My biggest memory of this game concerned something not part
of the actual action. This was the beginning of my notes column the
following Tuesday:

Friday night, moments before the Catholic Red title game, St. Joe's Prep's players came
storming onto their sideline.

Tight end Pat McCauley ran right toward me and screamed, "We've got this one!"

I didn't consider him a wiseacre. It didn't seem as though he was delivering the line in
we'll-show-you fashion. He merely appeared excited, like he wanted to direct a pregame
comment to somebody, anybody. I happened to be standing alone. In his path. No sweat.

The Prep, of course, lost to O'Hara, 35-10, and poof! went its hopes of a 13-0 season.

Long after the game ended, I was in my car, trying to squeeze out of the still-crowded
parking lot. I was looking straight ahead. Tap, tap, tap. Driver's side window. I rolled it down.

"I was wrong," a young man said.

It was Pat McCauley.

*

Prep coach Gil Brooks was not surprised by that story. He called McCauley "a wonderful
kid" and then told me a story. As an eighth-grader, McCauley was cut from the basketball team
at St. Margaret, in Narberth, but showed up to practice the next day. "The coaches didn't have
the heart to cut him again," Brooks said. "By the end of the year, he was starting".

No. 17
BASKETBALL
2007
Public League Round of 16
At Strawberry Mansion
Imhotep 80, Straw. Mansion 75
  This featured some of the most noteworthy circumstances in city history.
In the first quarter, Mansion's Dwayne Davis (32) hit six consecutive treys.
No. 6 came on a shot while he was falling out of bounds in front of Imhotep's
bench. He later added two more treys and finished with 32 points, but the Knights
collapsed after he fouled out with 6:40 remaining. Imhotep, which entered the
fourth quarter down by 19 points, rang up a 31-7 advantage while forcing 12
turnovers. The three D-I signees, Tamir Johnson, Jermaine Washington and
Kashief Edwards (19), scored seven points apiece in the wild comeback.
Afterward, Davis and Washington were crying as they shared a halfcourt hug.
  (Ted's note: I witnessed this one. Could you imagine seeing a guy hit SIX
treys in the first quarter? My mind was racing: he'll end up with 15, maybe 20!
Then, at the back end of the game, we had the great collapse after Davis
fouled out. Just as amazing, especially since Mansion was the home team.)

No. 18
BASKETBALL
2007
Catholic League Final
At the Palestra
Roman 59, Neumann-Goretti 56
   Just when it appeared the Cahillites were dead meat, with just under
six minutes left, they overcame a 10-point deficit by roaring to 11
consecutive points in 1 minute, 40 seconds, and wound up scoring 17 of the
game's final 21 points. The win gave 21-year coach Dennis Seddon his 10th
title, eclipsing the CL record of nine by Roman's Billy Markward in the 1920s
and '30s and preventing N-G's Carl Arrigale from capturing his fifth in seven
years. Roman went ahead for good, at 56-54, with 2:22 left as members of the
team's two sets of twins did the honors: Will Kirkland (also Wes) scored on a
pass from Pitt signee Bradley Wanamaker (also Brian). Will Kirkland was the
defender in '06 when Derrick "D.J." Rivera hit his game-winner; he said he
wasn't himself for a whole month afterward. Bradley Wanamaker had 17 points,
six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Wayns (13), Will Kirkland (12) and
Brian Wanamaker (10) also scored in double figures. N-G's leaders were Syracuse
signees/best buddies Rick Jackson (20 points, 18 rebounds, six blocks) and Antonio
"Scoop" Jardine (11 assists). Jackson's three-game playoff averages were 22.7, 14
and six. Will Kirkland sank the first of two free throws at 6.4 for a 62-59 lead.
Teammate Courtney Stanley grabbed the rebound of the missed second shot, then
clanked two FTs of his own. N-G's Jamal Wilson rebounded and passed ahead to
sixth man Mark Hatty, who hit the rim with a 24-foot, right-wing trey at the buzzer.
As the Cahillites began to celebrate, roughly a half-dozen, liquid-filled plastic bottles
were fired onto the court from high above N-G's bench. Roman's contingent sought
refuge in the locker room, then later returned to accept the plaque and cut down the net.
  (Ted's note: Seven of these guys have played -- or, are about to play -- D-I ball, Not bad.)

No. 19
FOOTBALL
1982
Catholic League Quarterfinal
At Villanova Stadium
McDevitt 10, Judge 0
    Pat Lawn scored on a 57-yard pass from Matt Kolen and John Moran
kicked a 31-yard field goal as the Lancers, making their first postseason
appearance in their 20th season of CL play, stunned the undefeated regular
season champs. Down linemen Bob Arnold and Chris Conlin combined for
35 tackles, including 20 solos.
  (Ted's note: This was coach Pat Manzi's first season at McDevitt. Judge
had gone 8-0 in division play while winning seven of those games by at least
23 points. McDevitt was "only" 3-3-2 and lost to Judge, 28-0, in the regular
season. Arnold and Conlin played for Maryland and Penn State, respectively,
and the latter went on to the NFL. Conlin was part of a great sports family
(also Ken, Craig, Keith, Kevin). McDevitt's quality linebackers were Mike
Anderson. Yes, plural. Michael Stephen and Michael Sean; not related.)

No. 20
FOOTBALL
2006
Catholic Red First Round
At Northeast
N. Catholic 30, Judge 27
   This was quite the red-letter occasion for North. Terrell Oglesby (12-195)
and Daryl Robinson (15-154) raced for one and two TDs, respectively, as the
Falcons rolled to 426 total yards and won a postseason game for the first time
since 1956 (12-0 over Lincoln for the City Title). Also, it was their first triumph
in a CL playoff since '37 (13-0 over SJ Prep in a final necessitated by a tie for
first place in the standings). In all, Robinson generated 265 yards of
rushing/receiving/returning and lost an 84-yard score on a punt return to penalty.
He did catch a scoring pass from Dennis Logue and make two of the Falcons' five
interceptions. Oglesby, Rich Cruz and Ryan McCullough also had picks. For Judge,
Andrew McHale scored on a punt return and a pass from Paul Volpe (7-for-16, 135,
two TDs).
  (Ted's note: Robinson's performance was a masterpiece -- three total TDs, 265
yards of three Rs, two picks.)

No. 21
BASKETBALL
1981
Catholic League Quarterfinal
At the Palestra
St. James 58, Roman 56 (OT)
  In the greatest upset record-wise in CL playoff history, the 7-7 Bulldogs,
who needed to win a preplayoff just to join the party, stunned 14-0 Roman
as Nate Hall collected 15 points and 10 rebounds, John McHugh added 10
points and eight boards and Paul Van Horn, accustomed to shooting less than
50 percent, went 6-for-8 at the line and dished five assists. St. James had lost
29 in a row to Roman. Tom Jones blocked Roman’s last shot in regulation.
Hall’s one-and-one conversion with 0:10 left in OT provided a 58-54 lead.
Roman’s Glenn Welton scored 20 points.
  (Ted's note: This wound up being Speedy Morris' final season at Roman.
Tom Jones is the father of ex-O'Hara FB star Kevin Jones, now in the NFL.
St. James, located in Chester, closed in June 1993.)

No. 22
BASEBALL
1996
Public League Final
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.
  (Ted's note: In the semis, Dintino was the hero in a win over Frankford. He
lived DIRECTLY across the street from home plate at Frankford's field. As for
Goodhead, the last time I saw him it was on TV! He made an appearance on
Wheel of Fortune when the show came to Philly a few years ago and made a
decent amount of money, if I remember correctly. Greco is the son of Central's
girls' basketball coach, Frank Greco.)

No. 23
BASEBALL
2001
Public League Semifinal
At La Salle University
Central 13, Frankford 12 (8 inn.)
  Thirteen runs were scored in the one extra inning. A grand slam by Teddy
Lipford, who also doubled while going 3-for-4 with a walk, double and five
RBI, capped Central's seven-run outburst. Joe Manini and Will Bromley had
RBI singles as Frankford clawed back. With Bromley, the tying run, at third,
Adam Hartman grounded to Lipford, the shortstop, and was called out on an
extremely close play to end it. Noah White got the win, John Hickey the save.
Frankford pitchers Glenn LaBadie and Tom DiBello were used two times apiece.

No. 24
BASKETBALL
1980
City Title
At the Palestra
Overbrook 65, Roman 56 (OT)
  Overbrook put the finishing touches on a 34-0 season -- the best record in
city-leagues history -- as Tony Costner collected 23 points and 15 rebounds,
Darryl "World" Brown added 14 points and five assists and John Bryant (12
rebounds) and Steve Black split 20 points. Costner scored eight points in a 15-6
overtime session. With 0:11 left in regulation, Roman's Randy Monroe went to
the line for a one-and-one. He hit the first shot to create a 50-50 tie, but then
missed the second. William "Vernon" Hardwick (jumper) and Costner (tap)
missed shots for 'Brook to make necessary the first OT session in the series
since 1943. Gerald Roberts (21) and Lonnie McFarlan (18) led Roman in scoring
while Monroe (14) and McFarlan (13) were tops in rebounds.
  (Ted's note: This wound up being the final City Title game and Overbrook's
34-0 mark remains the best in city history. Tony Costner starred at St. Joe's
and is the father of Brandon Costner, of North Carolina State; he grew up in North
Jersey. Randy Monroe is the head coach at UMBC.)

No. 25
BASKETBALL
2006
Catholic League Final
At La Salle University
Neumann-Goretti 44, Roman 41
  An exciting finish wound up leading to what was likely the darkest day in CL
history. Derrick "D.J." Rivera drained a left-wing trey with 1.4 seconds left,
and then dashed immediately down and across the court to a spot in front of
Roman's student rooters, who'd been heckling him hard all game. Players and
fans followed, the Roman kids threw debris, including plastic bottles, and a
Roman student received a cut nose when something was fired back. There were
also on-court scuffles involving adult N-G fans and police and a city-wide assist
call resulted in 100-plus police officers rushing to Tom Gola Arena. Two juveniles
were among six people arrested and the incident drew national attention. Though
intense and close, the game was not especially clean. The teams combined to
shoot 31-for-108 (28.7 percent) from the floor and 21-for-41 at the line (51.2)
and were guilty of 30 turnovers. Rick Jackson had 12 points, six boards and seven
blocks and helped hold Mike Ringgold, the South MVP, to two points. Roman's
Rockeed McCarter totaled eight points and 15 boards while Raymond "Doodles"
Sims mixed nine points, two assists and three steals. A week-long investigation of
the incident by principals, ADs and the archdiocese resulted in a suspension for
N-G coach Carl Arrigale for the first four games of the 2006-07 CL regular season.
Among other sanctions: no spectators for the N-G/Roman games.

No. 26
BASEBALL
1983
Public League Final
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.
  (Ted's note: This Franklin group was a fun bunch and it captured the title
just before baseball, basically, became a non-factor for the city's African-
American kids. Scouts routinely used to check out Franklin/Gratz/U. City,
etc., and occasionally sent guys to the minors. Franklin's next very good
pitcher AFTER Miller, Terrell Berthau, spent some time in the minors, and
an outfielder from the Class of '78, Steve Harvey, reached as high as AA
Reading in the Phillies' system. By the way, Miller pitched those 21 innings
over eight days -- Thursday, Monday and Thursday again. Wouldn't be
possible under current rules.)

No. 27
FOOTBALL
1922
Catholic League Final
At Baker Bowl
Roman 13, Villanova Prep 9
  In the dying moments of the game, Charlie McKinney caught a punt
on Roman's 5-yard line and zig-zagged 95 yards for the game-winning TD.
Villanova had taken a 9-6 lead earlier in the quarter on Vail's 35-yard
field goal. A 35-yard pass from McKinney to Francis "Dibby" Cassidy set
up the game's first score, Vince McNally's 4-yard run. Villanova countered
with Jimmy Quinn's 3-yard run. The Cahillites finished with a quite unusual
overall record of 7-0-4. Included was a 6-6 road tie against St. James, of
Haverhill, Mass.
  (Ted's note: Baker Bowl, once the home of the Phillies, was located on
the southwest corner of Broad and Lehigh. Vince McNally became a star
at Notre Dame and still holds a record for returning two punts for TDs in
the same game. He later spent about 15 years as the Eagles' general manager.)

No. 28
BASKETBALL
Catholic League Quarterfinal
1974
At the Palestra
Dougherty 44, North 43
  Paul Terrell sniped 14-for-22 and 2-for-5 for 30 points, including 10 in the
final period, as Dougherty stunned the 16-0 Falcons. The 30 points were a
CL playoff record. The other Cardinals shot 5-for-27. North led, 43-40,
but Terrell hit jumpers with 0:29 and 0:06 left and North’s Don Hobson
(17) missed a last shot. Lawrence Reid had 10 rebounds. North’s Jim
‘‘Bozo’’ Wolkiewicz had 17 boards.
  (Ted's note: Dougherty's coach, Bob Harrington, said that week at the
Markward Club luncheon, "16-and-0 and down they go and don't quote me
until after the game." If I remember correctly, North posted one of its 16 wins
by something like 112-66.)Reid, then a soph, wound up being one of the CL's
finest athletes. He scored 42 points in a basketball game and rushed for 379 yards
in a football game -- long the city record until Curtis Brinkley broke it -- and
was a RB starter at Michigan. Wolkiewicz played hoops at La Salle.)

No. 29
BASKETBALL
1970
Catholic League Quarterfinal
At the Palestra
North 64, Bonner 50
  As they’d done in 1968, the Falcons again turned a bizarre situation into
victory. At the scheduled 2 p.m. start, coach Fran Dougherty, thinking his
team was slated for the second game, was walking into the building and no
Falcons were warming up. Officials gave North 15 minutes to put a team
on the floor. When Dougherty reached the locker room, he found six
players (four starters). The fifth starter, 6-5 Jim Boylan, rushed to the bench
during the National Anthem and asked guard Billy Dever, ‘‘Which basket is
ours?’’ Gene Kweeder and Joe Rymal scored 18 points apiece. Dever (13)
and Boylan (nine) helped. Bonner’s Joe DiCocco scored 19 points. Two
main men missed the game — North’s Joe Rapczynski (broken ankle) and
Bonner’s John Cappelletti (sprained ankle).
  (Ted's note: As for the opening reference . . . in '68, North's JV, filling in
for the suspended varsity, beat McDevitt in a quarterfinal at the Palestra.
Rapczynski coached North to the '87 CL title. Yes, John Cappelletti is THAT
John Cappelletti -- winner of the Heisman Trophy during his Penn State
career and a productive NFL rusher. He wasn't bad at hoops, either. The day
after this game, one of the Philly papers ran a picture of the court, taken from
high above. Bonner was warming up. North's end was empty.)

No. 30
BASEBALL
Public League Final
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.
  (Ted's note: Turvey went on to play for a few years in the Cardinals'
farm system.)

No. 31
FOOTBALL
1978
City Title
At Kennedy Stadium
Frankford 27, Wood 7
  In a driving rainstorm, which turned the natural surface at
Kennedy Stadium into a mud-covered mess, Frankford relied almost
exclusively on the straight-ahead running of fullback Joe Galasso, who
responded with 155 yards and two TDs on 30 carries. The Pioneers were
just the PL's third winner since 1951. Coach Al Angelo had been 0-8-1 in
city title appearances as a player, assistant and head coach. Chris
Yurkow ran for one TD and completed his only pass for another. Walt
Parrish made four tackles for losses and recovered an errant pitchout.
For Wood, John Kafel returned the second half kickoff 80 yards for a TD.
  (Ted's note: Wood ran the wishbone in this era and the field conditions
were a major hindrance. When coach Angelo passed away recently, one
of his friends told me that a player had talked him into kicking off for the
second half even though Frankford had also kicked off to start the game.
Kafel returned it 80 yards for a TD. For our younger visitors, who might
not be aware, Municipal/Kennedy Stadium was long the site of the Army-Navy
game and is now home to the Wachovia Center.)

No. 32
BASKETBALL
1992
Catholic League Semifinal
At the Palestra
Dougherty 46, Judge 43
  This game had the craziest finish in CL playoff history. With the score tied,
41-41, Dougherty’s Dave Black started a slashing move to the basket and it
appeared he was grabbed by Judge’s Chuck Hiller. A highly controversial
intentional foul was called at 0:09. Black hit two free throws and Cuttino
‘‘Cat’’ Mobley hit two more after the Cardinals inbounded the ball. At 0:02,
Dougherty’s Jerry Ricca was fouled after rebounding a missed three by Judge’s
John McGovern. But Dougherty’s fans, thinking the game was over, stormed
onto the court and the Cards were assessed a technical foul. Ricca made one
free throw and then Judge’s Danny Oldfield made two. On Judge’s inbound
play, Oldfield took a pass from Chris Cervellero and hit the back part of the
rim on a 40-footer. Both teams’ fans then hurled trash at each other —
Dougherty’s from the floor, Judge’s from the stands. Spectators and the
media were banned from attending the next year when the teams met at Dougherty.

No. 33
BASEBALL
1983
Catholic South Preplayoff
At O'Hara
Roman 5, SJ Prep 4 (12 inn.)
  Paul Barton homered with one out in the home 12th to win it. Pat DiCicco
went 2-for-4 with an RBI, was issued two intentional walks, gunned out two
base-stealers and made a great block-and-tag at the plate to prevent an 11th
inning run. Roman scored two in the seventh on RBI singles by Pete Boylan
and John Connor. In the eighth, Prep scored on a doubleplay grounder and
Roman's Fran Zehren had an RBI single. Prep's Vince Bonaventura and
DiCicco had RBI singles in the ninth.

No. 34
BASEBALL
1987
Catholic League Semifinal
At Temple's Erny Field
Bonner 19, St. James 14
  In the highest-scoring playoff game in CL history, the Friars exploded for eight
runs in the visiting seventh to erase a 14-11 deficit. The leaders were Pete Klein
(2-for-3, triple, four RBI) and Chris Boyle (2-for-5, double, triple, five RBI).
Bonner was outhit, 16-8. For St. James, Jim Smith had three RBI while Neal
McLaughlin, Len Montano, Dave "Duke" Elison and Mike McBride had three
hits apiece.

No. 35
FOOTBALL
1979
Public League Semifinal
At Northeast
Lincoln 30, Dobbins 28
   In the PL's first postseason night game, Wendell Birch passed 10-for-18 for
171 yards and three TDs (two to Curtis Morman) and ran 13 yards for the
winning score with 1:36 remaining. Zachary Armwood rushed 31 times for 113
yards and a TD. For Dobbins, Kevin Ingram rushed 17 times for 161 yards and
a TD and passed 4-for-13 for 108 yards. Kevin Dixon added 124 yards and two
TDs on nine carries and Cliff Carter posted a 53-yard TD on a punt return. The
teams combined for 34 first downs, 742 yards total offense and 197 yards on
returns (939 total).
  (Ted's note: Ingram remains the best Pub QB I've seen since beginning to cover
the league full-time in 1976. He played at Villanova/East Carolina, and then in the
CFL/NFL. Carter starred in baseball at Temple, and then in an independent minor
league.)

No. 36
BASEBALL
2002
Public League Final
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.

No. 37
BASKETBALL
2007
Public League Final
At Temple's Liacouras Center
  Prep Charter 49, Gratz 48: The Huskies survived as Gratz missed three "last
shots," one of which was launched after the game "ended." After 6-10 Markieff
Morris partially deflected a close-in flip shot by Josh "Scrap" Martin and 6-9
Marcus Morris, Markieff's identical twin, batted away Alibaba Odd's follow, the
clock melted down to 0:00 and the Huskies' fans/cheerleaders stormed the court
in celebration and "We Are the Champions" played over the sound system. One
problem: the clock should have been stopped. The referees summoned the Huskies
back to the court and put 1.3 on the clock. Martin inbounded to Charles White,
who missed a left-wing trey. PC's joy was repeated, this time with even more
intensity. Just two days after Neumann-Goretti's Rick Jackson posted 26 points,
17 rebounds and eight rebounds in a CL semi, Markieff went pretty much stat for
stat with 23-18-8. Marcus had 10 points, 10 boards and five assists. Gratz turned
three straight steals into six consecutive points and a 48-47 lead before Markieff took
a pass from Tyree "Chuck" Harris and followed his own miss for what turned out to
be the winning basket. Tommie "T.J." Sykes (13), White (11) and Ishmawiyl
McFadden (10) scored in double figures for Gratz. White added eight rebounds and
four assists. The loss made Gratz 7-9 in title games over the last 19 seasons, with
three setbacks by one point and two others in OT. (One of those one-point losses,
to Franklin LC in '94, was later erased due to the Bobcats' use of ineligible players.)

No. 38
BASEBALL
1980
Public League Quarterfinal
At Two Sites
Roxborough 7, Bartram 0
  Due to an upheld protest, this game was played in two stages two days apart
at two different sites. Roxborough first "won" by 5-2. But the game was continued
from the spot where the score was 4-0 in the visiting fourth. The protest was over
a pickoff play -- after time was called, Roxborough pitcher Carl Soupik did not step
back onto the rubber before picking off Bartram's Mike Morton. Anyway, Soupik
wound up allowing two hits in 5 2/3 innings and Dave Knittel had a two-run homer.
The game began at Roxborough's field. It was finished at Roxborough and Henry,
Roman Catholic's field.

No. 39
BASKETBALL
1996
Public League Final
At the Civic Center
Edison 74, Gratz 68 (OT)
  Mark Peterson shot 15-for-16 at the line en route to 27 points (nine in OT)
and added 10 rebounds for the Owls, champs for the first time since 1969.
Omar Logan added 17 points. After Gratz's Marvin O'Connor (35 points)
scored with 2 seconds left in regulation to provide a 58-56 lead, Edison forced
overtime on an amazing play: Tyrone Forrest made a three-quarters court pass
to Albert Crockett, who caught the deflected ball on a short hop and made
an all-in-one-motion turn and flip to the basket from 15 feet. The ball banked in!
  (Ted's note: Peterson's teammates went 11-for-31 at the line. There was a
9-minute delay in the first quarter after players slipped on a Nike logo affixed
to the court. Workers couldn't scrape it off with razors, so they sanded it to
remove the slickness. Edison trailed, 9-1, at the time of Swooshgate. There was a
long delay after Crockett's basket as Gratz coach Bill Ellerbee herded his team to
the locker room, saying the clock had not been properly started and the basket
should not have counted. Ultimately, his players convinced him to return to
the court and finish the game.)   

No. 40
BASEBALL
2004
Catholic League Semifinal
At La Salle University
Carroll 9, Conwell-Egan 8 (8 inn.)
  The Patriots rallied from a 6-1 deficit, forced extra innings at 7-7 with three runs
in the visiting seventh (big hit: Colin McHale's two-run double) and held on in the
home eighth when Alex Szathmary was rubbed out at the plate to end the game
while trying to take two bases on a wild pitch. Catcher Matt Lisowski could not
locate Brian Rorick's wild pitch. Rorick wound up recovering the ball at the base
of the backstop and tossed to Lisowski at the plate. C-E's Tim Carroll went 3-for-4
with a double, triple, walk and two RBI. Kurt Bruehl added three hits, including a
double, and two RBI. Of Carroll's eight runs over the last four innings, six were
unearned due to five errors.

No. 41
BASKETBALL
2004
Catholic League Quarterfinal
At La Salle Univ.
Dougherty 66, Wood 63 (2 OTs)
   The Cardinals avoided what likely would have been considered the second biggest
upset in CL playoff history -- behind only the win by North's JV over McDevitt in
1968 -- when sub Kyle Sample took a pass from Tim Smith (17 points, three assists)
and swished a right-corner trey with 2.1 seconds showing. Smith then batted away
Wood's final inbound pass. Dougherty was just the third team in CL history to go
perfect for two straight seasons and was the area's No. 1-ranked team. Wood entered
0-10 in regular playoffs and just two nights earlier had finally tasted postseason
success, downing North in a pre-playoff. Dougherty trailed, 54-49, with 35 seconds
left in regulation, but got to OT on a follow by Shane Clark (12 points, 1,009 for
career) and a trey by 6-7 center DeSean White. Wood point guard Matt Spadafora
had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Rob Pearson (15), Tim Walters and Brian Klumpp
(14 apiece) also scored in double figures and Klumpp's trey on a pass from Corey
Filer created a 63-63 tie with 0:26 showing in the second OT. Kyle Lowry added
10 points for Dougherty before fouling out with 2:17 left in the first OT.

No. 42
BASEBALL
1959
Public League Preplayoff
At Germantown
Northeast 3, Central 1 (10 inn.)
  This one wasn't decided until PL baseball chairman Jerry Kean went to Connie
Mack Stadium to consult with the umpires (Bill Jackowski, Shag Crawford, Vic
Delmore, Al Barlick) who had worked the Phillies-Cubs game. They disallowed
a protest by Central coach Wally Bennett, who felt Carter Roskow, who stole
second, should have been allowed to score an eighth inning run (it would have
ended the game) when an overthrow rolled onto a runway leading to the locker
rooms. The umps made Roskow stop at third and the major league umps concurred.
  (Ted's note: Shag Crawford is the patriarch of the famous ump-ref family from
Delaware County.)

No. 43
BASKETBALL
1996
Public League Round of 16
At Overbrook
Engineering & Science 75, Overbrook 73 (3 OT)
  Lynn Greer collected 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals and
passed to Jameel Hawthorne for the winning three with 0:08 left. Thomas Darden
added 13 points, 10 boards. For ’Brook, N’aim Crenshaw scored 26 points and
Dakaree “Cory” Rose had 19 points, 17 boards. Crenshaw was barely long with a
last-second three.
  (Ted's note: Lynn Greer played briefly in the NBA and has enjoyed a productive
pro career overseas. Rose is the brother of long-time NBA performer Malik Rose.
The next year, Crenshaw was dating Greer's sister, Kelli, a star in her own right.
N'aim edged Lynn for the scoring title. Kelli kidded that N'aim, on his next visit to
the Greer home, "might have to stand out on the porch.")

No. 44
BASKETBALL
1991
Catholic North Preplayoff
At La Salle High
Dougherty 51, McDevitt 50 (OT)
  The Cardinals roared to a 16-1 advantage in the final 4:14 of regulation and claimed
the win when Cuttino ‘‘Cat’’ Mobley (11 points, seven rebounds) hit a free throw with
0:08 left in OT after grabbing an offensive rebound. Shawn Newman added 11 points
for Dougherty, which lost five of its first six and eight of its first 11 before rallying to 8-8.
McDevitt got 12 points and 10 rebounds from 6-7 Mark Zataveski, but missed four
one-and-ones in the final 0:43 of regulation while allowing Mobley to hit a three and
Elson DeVan to can an uncontested layup at 0:05.
  (Ted's note: Mobley is a long-time NBA player. Newman earlier set the record for
most points in one game by a CL player with 58 in a non-league game vs. West; he later
became a male model, changed the spelling of his first name to "Sean" and dated the
now deceased Lisa Left-Eye Lopes. Zataveski, a true big'un, played football at Notre Dame.)

No. 45
FOOTBALL
1997
Public League Semifinal
At Northeast
Frankford 63, Dobbins 29
  In the highest-scoring game ever played involving a city-leagues team (or teams),
Eddie Gaskins (19-261, four TDs) and Herbert "Pitter" Sample (17-119, three TDs)
ran wild and Jim Nagle passed 5-for-8 for 115 yards and two scores. Frankford
scored on its first nine possessions. Bill Sheerin set a city-leagues postseason record
with seven PAT. For Dobbins, Andre Davis passed 13-for-23 for a city-leagues
postseason-record 306 yards and four TDs -- two apiece to Rondell Clement (5-165)
and Danny Johnson (4-134). In the waning moments, Dobbins's Khary Dennison
returned a fumble 61 yards for what appeared to be yet another TD, but a clipping
penalty was called. The teams combined for 903 yards total offense and 178 on
returns (1,081 total).

No. 46
BASEBALL
1992
Public League Round of 16
At Washington
Washington 31, Fels 2
    The Eagles had 22 hits (six for extra bases), drew six walks and benefited from 11
Fels errors. Washington coach Joe O'Hara inserted all seven of his subs in the third
inning, told Jordan Nicgorski to wander off first base and get tagged out to end the
fifth and did not let his team bat in the sixth. Fels was a first-year PL member. Terry
Burstein had four RBI. Jamar Griffin and John Plunkett had three apiece. Nicgorski
and Herb Hoffman had three hits apiece. There were no homers. Washington's runs
by inning: 11, 5, 0, 7, 8.
  (Mercy rules were not in effect at this time.)

No. 47
BASEBALL
1994
Public League Second Round
At Lincoln
Lincoln 9, Mastbaum 8
    With rain falling, thunder crackling and Mastbaum coach Ralph "Bones" Schneider
being accused of stalling by several rabid Lincoln fans, the Railsplitters scored three in
the home seventh to win it. The winning run scored when centerfielder Renato Lajara
lost sight of Jim Keiser's easy fly and it dropped 15 feet in front of him, allowing John
Dempster to dash home with the game-winner. No more than 10 seconds later, the skies
opened full-force and everyone was instantly soaked to the skin. The downpour lasted
just three minutes. Keiser finished with four RBI. Ed Bowman and Fred Hansberry
homered for Mastbaum.

No. 48
BASEBALL
1994
Public League Preplayoff
At Gratz
Lamberton 24, Gratz 20 (8 inn.)
    The game lasted 4 hours, 20 minutes. Lamberton scored five in the
visiting eighth to break a 19-19 tie as Bobby Melone and Bryant Horsley
had RBI hits. Marshall Kerdeman and Chris Griffin both had grand slams
en route to five RBI. Chuck Moran went four innings for the win. For Gratz,
which committed nine errors and issued 21 walks, Shawn "Reds" Smith had
three doubles for six RBI and Brian Samuels had five RBI.
  (Smith and Samuels were primarily basketball players. Smith was the point
guard with Rasheed Wallace, class of '93, then played at La Salle.)

No. 49
BASKETBALL
1964
City Title
At the Palestra
Germantown 77, Dougherty 62
  Dougherty saw its hopes of a 25-0 season dashed as Lou Gambrell shot
13-for-22 for 26 points, Charlie Orme added 16 points and Bob Reid and
Leroy Lark claimed 14 and 13 rebounds, respectively. Bill Nelson became
the first man to play in the City Title game for a champion (Bartram '44) and
then produce a champion as a coach. For Dougherty, Mike Kempski scored
18 points while Earl Williams (14, 13 rebounds) and Maurice Savage (13, 15)
were productive in two categories.

No. 50
FOOTBALL
1999
Catholic Blue First Round
At Northeast
Dougherty 26, Wood 21
   Despite being outgained, 338-161, Dougherty became the first
city-leagues team with a regular season record as poor as 2-5 to win a
playoff game. Ben Dever passed 4-for-10 for 101 yards and two TDs to
Sarina Oeub (3-70), the first Cambodian native to make an impact in
city-leagues football, while Rodney Daniels (fumble return) and James
Jefferson (end-zone fumble recovery) scored defensive TDs. Wood's Sean
Murphy ran 22 times for 167 yards and the game's first two scores.

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