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Payin' the Bills Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Bill Wettstein, who has
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Payin' the Bills Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Bill Wettstein, who has
done some writing for community papers in the Northwest Philly area, has become an
important member of our website crew. We appreciate his efforts. |
NOV.
25
PUBLIC-CATHOLIC RIVALRY
Roman 21, Roxborough 6
The Cahillites
eased the disappointment of another CL playoff loss with yet another victory over the
Roxborough Indians in the 33rd annual Thanksgiving Day classic on a sloppy Westerman
Field. A strong holiday crowd (~1,500)
surrounded the field in every direction, withstood steady first quarter rain showers and
were treated to a very competitive game. Credit
for the closer than predicted score goes to the Roxborough players who, for the first time
in recent memory, put aside their usual emphasis on individual accomplishments and decided
to work as a team, particularly on defense. Sound fundamental football, a hallmark of a Jim Murphy coached team,
prevented the upset and allowed sr. RB Evin Jones to finish his high
school career in style. In addition to his
94-yards rushing (16 carries), he also accounted for all of the Cahillites return yards
with 62-yard opening kickoff return that set Roman up at the Roxborough 20-yard line. Jones then carried for five of seven plays and
scored the game’s first touchdown behind the blocking of jr. RG Jude Martin and jr. RT Dan O’Conner, both of whom were
called on often over the course of the game to produce running lanes. Roxborough, behind a rare push from the
offensive line and courageous running of sr. RB Chris Mitchell, moved the ball to
midfield until a mishandled pitch-out fell into the mud and so. DL Mike Long recovered the
fumble for the Cahillites. Following a
29-yard run by Jones inside the Indian red-zone, another lop-sided contest seemed
inevitable. Once Roman moved into a
first-and-goal situation however, the Indian defense stiffened. Combination tackles for losses by Mitchell, so. LB
Calden Pierce and sr. DL James McBride on second and
third down resulted in a fourth down pass that fell incomplete as the first quarter
expired. Despite a 15-yard penalty, the Roman
defense rose to the occasion as jr. LB Ryan McAdams, sr. DL Jim Moore, sr. LB Tim Plona, and so. DB Troy
Richardson all assisted in tackles for losses on three successive downs, thereby
forcing an Indian punt. Roman quickly
capitalized when sr. QB Tim Hoban found jr. WR Dan Jordan open on a post-route for 43-yards, but
a touchdown saving tackle by Indian sr. DB Carl
Scott prevented the score, albeit for one play. Sr.
FB Brian Chiodi bulled through the middle and
crossed the goal line by inches to give the Cahillites a 14-0 lead with Jones’
conversion run. They held Roxborough to a
three-and-out, which resulted in a short punt 30-yards from another score. A nine-play drive featuring three different
runners moved the Cahillites into another first-and-goal, but the strong defensive stand
of Indian jr. DL Jeremy Travis (three tackles
in the drive) and sr. LB Vinson Jones left
Roman four yards short of paydirt as the first half ended.
Roxborough opened the second half with a 13-yard kickoff return
by jr. FB/K/C Richard “Microwave”
Williams and embarked on their longest drive of the game. When faced with a fourth-and-six at midfield
though, they pulled out a little trickery when sr. P/QB Maurice Jones connected with Mitchell, who
executed the fake perfectly out of punt formation, to keep the drive alive. The Cahillite defense then stepped up the pace. Game defensive standout sr. LB Sean Matthews held runners to small gains, Plona
broke through twice to post losses and sr. DE Joe
Mulhern came within inches of intercepting a pass.
All of which led to a fourth-and-15 that was too much for the Indians to
overcome and, thus ending an interesting 16-play drive.
In the waning seconds of the third quarter, Roman countered the previous
Roxborough fake with a gem of a play. What
appeared to be a potentially productive reverse to Jones was turned into a well-executed
48-yard flea-flicker from Hoban to a wide-open Jordan for 21-0 lead with Hoban’s
conversion kick. With 1:01 remaining in the game, Scott kept Roxborough’s final drive
alive with a desperation 22-yard run off a fumble and Mitchell helped avert the shutout
with a determined 12-yard run as the clock and the season expired.
Footnote:
The type of effort
the Indians displayed in this game came a bit too late for Larry Burnetski, who directed his
final game for the school after a difficult two-year reign as head coach. He, along with assistant coach Dennis Gabriele, tried everything humanly possible to instill a team-oriented program. Had the players accepted this concept sooner, a
couple more division wins and perhaps further “All-Pub” nominations may have
resulted.
The Tackle Leaders:
Roman
Sean Matthews—10 (3 solo)
Tim Plona—5 (2 solo, 3 TFL)
Jim Moore—5 (2 solo, 2TFL, 1
NG)
Brian Chiodi—5 (2 TFL, 1 NG)
#77—5 (2 NG)
Ryan McAdams—4 (2 TFL, 1 NG)
Dominique Joseph—4 (1 solo,
1 TFL)
Joe Mulhern—3 (1 NG, 1 pass
defended)
Troy Richardson—3 (2 TFL)
Antonio Martinez—3 (1TFL)
Special teams
leader:
Evin Jones—(62
kick return yards-team total for the game)
Roxborough
Calden Pierce—9 (3 solo, 1
NG)
Chris Mitchell—7 (2 solo, 1
TFL)
Carl Scott—7 (2 solo)
Vinson Jones—6 (1 solo, 1
pass defended)
Jeremy Travis—6 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Jeff Banks—6
Charles Preston—6
Jerome Walker —3 (2 solo, 1
pass defended)
James McBride—3(1 NG)
Melvin Barnes—3 (1 TFL)
Special teams
leader:
Maurice Jones
—(Completed pass from punt formation, which led team in passing yards)
NOV.
20
PUBLIC LEAGE FINAL
Washington 30, Northeast 12
If nothing else,
the new PIAA affiliation has certainly changed the complexion of the “Pub”
championship game of years past. Instead of
usual boisterous celebrations and trophy parade, the Washington Eagles marched back on the
bus with an attitude of unfinished business.
For the Vikings of Northeast High, a season filled with
impressive individual performances and a determination to pull out close games comes down
to a final rematch against Central on Thanksgiving.
What seemed like a less than stellar Eagles performance was largely due to a
Viking team that brought everything they had and indeed, left everything on the field. Despite having to punt on the game’s opening
drive, the Viking defense kept the upset hopes alive as jr. LB Seth Shapiro posted a blind side
sack of Eagle sr. QB Chuck
Hughes,
which led to sr. RB/DB Jeremiah
Pitt’s
interception return for touchdown on the next play.
Good hustle by jr. CB Jordan Strickland (two tackles) and blanket
coverage by sr. CB Kyle Sample during the
Eagles next series forced another punt. In
an attempt to spread out the defense, the Vikings began a game-long double-slot approach,
but Eagle sr. DE David Gonser snuffed out the
first play for a five-yard loss, which returned possession to the offense three plays
later. Exactly when incomparable sr. RB Jerry Butler would become a factor was answered on
the third play of the Eagles next series as he glided through a gapping hole created by
sr. RG Nolan Young and C Lance Gribben and shifted into fourth gear for a
77-yard touchdown run. Sr. K Mike Kline quickly gave them a 7-6 lead with the
conversion kick. Following an eight-yard
completion out of the double-slot set from sr. QB Cordia
“Chop” Mosley to so. TE/WR Sean Evans,
the often-overlooked Eagle defense began to take control.
Pressure up front from jr. DT Demitrius
Wilson and a batted pass attempt from the keen Gonser set up the Washington/Curry defensive gem of the game, which
Sir Ted described succinctly. Down only 14-6,
the Vikings came back fighting with a 27-yard kickoff return by Evans near midfield and
three completions during the drive from Mosley to jr. WR Rockeed McCarter that eventually set them up
with a third-and-one at the Eagle 24-yard line. From
there though, Gonser posted a sack and sr. WR/CB Dominique
Curry halted a potential game tying drive with a fourth down stop for no gain. Neither team mounted a threat with the next two
possessions. After an interesting decision to
punt on third down set the Eagles up near midfield, Hughes and Curry helped the team
rebound from a clipping penalty during the previous play to hook up again for a 47-yard
touchdown. Curry showed excellent concentration on the play and never assumed the closing
defender would be a factor even though he had to break stride to camp under the ball. Hughes responded again on defense by maintaining
his zone coverage responsibility and was the recipient of a third down Viking pass that
was tipped in the air into his waiting arms for the first of two interceptions. A pair of personal foul penalties wiped out a
eight-yard run from Butler and pushed the Eagles back even further following a sack by
Northeast jr. LB Jeffery Jones with an assist
from Shapiro. This however, gave Hughes
enough space to launch a 47-yard net punt, which in addition to another fine play by
Gonser to trap a runner in the backfield effectively ended the first half. Big time plays on defense held both sides in
check for most of the third quarter. First,
a Viking combo sack by Strickland and Shapiro stalled the opening second half drive. Washington countered with an intense pressure
defense that resulted in two straight incomplete passes and a low third down
“shot-gun” snap, which caused the quarterback’s knee to touch the ground. Northeast sr. DE Khaliyl Willis registered three tackles in the
ensuing Eagle drive, but jr. DB Thomas Wilmer
caught on to the Viking short passing game to break up a pass and Gonser fought off a
tough block to bring down a runner for no gain, forcing another punt. The Eagles then needed just one play to put the
game out of reach as sr. FB Jerome Lewis was
sent on a take-off route down the sideline and Hughes threw a perfect strike that went
through the outstretched arms of the defender into Lewis’ capable hands. Despite some up-and-down games for Lewis
throughout the season, he has rebounded well to become a formidable and consistent
offensive weapon for Eagles. Along with the
added speed on the new turf, his pass catching ability has become a nice compliment. The devastating touchdown bomb was capped with a
Hughes pass to Roy out of a rare “jumbo” offensive formation. Pitt’s ensuing 27-yard kickoff return and
Mosley’s 23-yard pass to Sample revealed that, despite the score, the Vikings
weren’t about to quit. Unfortunately
for them, neither did the Eagles and the third quarter ended with a stunning leaping
interception by the quiet but effective Eagle sr. CB Mikal Sabree (see Special Photos). Hughes and playoff standout Sample traded
interceptions to end respective drives for both teams, but less heralded CB/LB Lawson Draper, whose defensive presence the entire
game was worthy of “Player of the Week” honors sacked the quarterback for a
nine-yard loss, dashing any hope of a comeback. Northeast
closed the scoring when Mosley found McCarter with less than a minute remaining.
Footnote:
How many
underclassmen stepped up for Northeast during the season and in the playoffs? Did we just see next season’s champions? Hmm.
The Tackle Leaders:
Washington
David Gonser—9 (2
solo, 4 TFL, 2 NG, 2 sacks, 1 batted ball)
Lawson Draper—8 (1 solo, 2
TFL, 2 NG, 2 sacks)
Raymond Roy—7 (4 solo)
Dominique Curry—6 (5 solo, 1
TFL, 1 NG)
Stefan Ruff—6 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Justin Presley—6 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Thomas Wilmer—3 (2 passes
defended)
John McPhillin—3 (1 sack, 1
batted ball)
Jelani Washington—3 (1 solo,
1 forced fumble)
Mikal Sabree—3 (1 solo)
Chuck Hughes—3
Special teams
leader:
Mike Kline—(2 PAT kicks
& 4 straight kickoffs inside the 20)
Northeast
Khaliyl Willis—10
(1 solo, 3 TFL, 1 NG)
Chris Craddock—10 (3 solo, 1
fumble recovery)
Kyle Sample—8 (4 solo, 1
pass defended)
Seth Shapiro—7 (1 solo, 4
TFL, 2 sacks)
Jordan Strickland—6 (2 solo,
1 NG, 1 sack)
Jeffery Jones—6 (1 TFL)
Jeremiah Pitt—4 (2 solo, 1
pass defended)
Derek Butler—4 (1 solo, 1
NG)
Jessie Joseph—2 (2 solo)
Terron Oats—2 (1 TFL)
Special teams
leader:
Jeremiah Pitt —(40 punt
return yards)
NOV.
11
PIAA District XII “Final
Four” Preview
With the possible
exception of the Central Lancers, the most talented teams D-XII had to offer this season
have advanced far enough to dream about a championship trophy, but can any of the others
match the talent, decisiveness and destiny of the Washington Eagles? Chances don’t look promising at the moment. Nevertheless, we’re going to play the games
anyway. Before jumping into specifics
about the upcoming games however, I noticed the affects of windy weather hampered the kick
return game for some during the quarterfinals and, since winds are forecast for this
weekend, perhaps a few words about projectile motion may be in order. For review, the distance a kicked ball
travels is dependent on two vector components of velocity; vertical (up) and horizontal
(downfield). When a ball leaves the foot at
a high angle (say, 60 degrees) the hang time may be stunning but most of the velocity will
be wasted just getting the ball elevated when more distance would be obtained from a
shallower angle (35 degrees). Wind speed, and
to a lesser extent drag (wobbly vs. spiral motion), influences the horizontal velocity
(distance) either in the positive or negative direction depending on which way the wind is
blowing. As an estimate, a squarely kicked
football at the D-XII level travels at a velocity of 22.0 meters/second (50 mph) which,
through the magic of algebra and calculators, roughly translates into a hang time of 2.7
seconds and distance of 50 yards (35-degree angle and no air resistance). Now, add
a 10-mph wind to the horizontal velocity (distance) and the hang time and distance will
increase by a second and 12-yards respectively.
The opposite would therefore be true with a 10-mph wind against the
kick. Baseball taught us many times over that
it’s easier to come in for a ball than to go back, right? For the students reading this, don’t take my
word. Discuss this and other related
exercises with your math teacher—this could bump up your final grade (smile). Enough yackin' —on to some analysis.
Northeast vs. Murrell Dobbins
This
game features two teams that have relied heavily on their prized running backs to get them
to this point and they’ll be counted on to produce points but other, less publicized,
players will have a stake in determining the victor.
Apart from time missed to injury, Northeast’s Jeremiah Pitt has displayed everything a coach
could ask for in a back—incredible resolve, courage and the ability to make things
happen with broken plays. When he walked off
the bus in full uniform for a game versus Roxborough earlier in the season, it wasn’t
a front to trash talk or make lofty predictions. He
simply put his “A-game” on the table and let the results speak for
themselves—nothing since has changed that observation.
Those who’ve followed Dobbins for any length of time know a Doug Macauley coached team usually finds a way to
be in the hunt at the end. However, this
wouldn’t have happened this season without the return Rashad “Reds” Williams from early
academic difficulties. He’s one
of the most elusive runners in D-XII, who counters potential gang tackles with impressive
speed and balance that allows him to cut laterally without losing momentum. Those creating
running lanes though, hold the keys to the end zone and each team has players that can
respond. Backed with exceptionally quick feet and the ability to hold a block, C Brandon Stewart, G Brandon O’Malley, T Teddy Joseph, who’s also a key contributor on
special teams, and so. TE Sean Evans have
proven formidable. On the Dobbins side,
C Cordero Thompson, T’s Greg Davis and Matthew Brent now have a firm grasp of various
line techniques, but must continue to produce the creases necessary, which leads us into
one way this game could turn—the ability or inability to stop the run. Dobbins’ run defense has been inconsistent
this season and, while DE Robert Williams and
DT Dedarryl Washington have shown they can
pressure opposing quarterbacks, an extended lapse of gap responsibility by the lineman and
linebackers could prove costly. Conversely,
the stingy Northeast defense, led by LB’s Jeff
Jones and Seth Shapiro, DT’s Jamal Evans and Darrin Swain, and DE’s Khaliyl Willis and Jordan Strickland held the dominating Central
offense to 14 points and have a complete understanding of the numerous defense schemes
deployed by the exceptional coaching staff. At
some point during this contest or the finals, the passing game must function with
efficiency and both squads have the quarterbacks and receivers that can create big-time
plays. Northeast’s QB Cordia “Chop”
Mosley remains one of the most mechanically sound quarterbacks in D-XII this season.
With a little more time in the pocket (something in short supply during the Central game),
he and potential game breaking playmaker WR Rockeed
McCarter could make the difference. What
they’ll face in a defensive secondary will be hawks Damond Griffin, Paul Boldin, Sydnor and Williams, who all play
pass and run defense with the same intensity. Once
he settles into a game, Dobbins QB Steve Sydnor
can be exciting. He can throw for distance
and accuracy, but when things get hot in the pocket he becomes a running back which can be
very frustrating to an opposing defense looking to get off the field. As for receivers, the loss of WR Cedric Graham last week hurts Dobbins from an
experience standpoint. As stated though, this
team always finds a way to stick around at the end, which means other receivers will need
to step up. Who can handle the pressure?
X-factors
(“hidden” playmakers that could come up big when least expected)
Northeast—Chris Banks
Dobbins—Damond Griffin
Washington vs. Frankford
What’s
left to say about the 2004 Washington Eagles? Should they capture the D-XII championship,
they seem to have all the tools to really make some noise against the district powerhouses
but, what’s impressed me thus far is despite all the ink and high praise—they
haven’t bought into the hype. So, in
that same sprit, we’ll treat this like any other game.
The Eagles come into this contest with a lot of confidence following a
dominating performance against the Pioneers in week eight.
Had the semis been the first meeting between the two squads, there
would’ve been a little more juice flowing for Washington to avenge last season’s
championship loss. Now that Frankford knows
what to expect and hopefully have a chip on their collective shoulders, this game should
show once and for all what they’re all about this season. In order to pull off this miracle, Frankford will
have to first figure out a way to contain the incomparable Jerry Butler, who stunned a packed Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium with his display
of blazing speed the likes of which we may not see around here for quite some time. One look at the expression of former
Washington, now Philadelphia Eagle RB Bruce
Perry’s face during Butler’s first touchdown last week spoke volumes about
his future. Particularly impressive in the
week eight matchup was the ability of Washington’s offensive line of C Lance Gribben, T Demetrius Wilson, G Nolan Young and G Stefan
Ruff to open holes in the Pioneer defensive front and still have T Jason Patton available to kick out the play side linebacker. Frankford’s front of DT Angel Gonzalez, DT Braheem Foy, DE Damon Brockington and DE Isaiah
Stroman, who's shown marked improvement and was a force last week against Overbrook,
must rebound, preventing Butler and any other Eagle backs from penetrating between the
tackles. The quickness of so. DT William Ray may prove beneficial for a defense in
need of more speed. Once they manage to
corral the rushing attack, a better effort against the Eagle efficient passing attack
would be the next order of business and that may prove difficult. As the Pioneers discovered in week eight, tackling
Washington QB Chuck Hughes can be challenging. Failure to do so when opportunities arise will
most likely result in completions to WR’s Dominique
Curry, Jelani Washington, Raymond Roy or John McFillin, all of whom bring solid route
running and pass catching skills to the table. Blustery
conditions forecast for the weekend may limit the passing game for both sides, but this
will hurt Frankford more so because they’ll need to throw in order to stay close. With all due respect to the hard-nosed running of Frank “Cherries” Jubilee, speed of Malik "Flip" Walker and principles of
the “Wing-T” offense, the reins on QB Lamont
Brown have to come off and he has to come out firing.
Last season there was a deep cross in the Frankford playbook that Brown
seemed to be able to throw with his eyes closed—what happened to that? With capable receivers E Alzonzo Williams and HB Maurice Miller there appears to be potential for
big plays. Success in the Pioneer passing
game is critical because the stout Eagle run stuffers DE David Gonser, LB Justin Presley, D-I LB prospect Stefan Ruff, SS
Raymond Roy and DT Jason Patton have proven time and again that long runs simply
won’t occur with any frequency. That
being said, Brown and his receivers will have to contend with excellent cover corners Mikal Sabree, Courtney Williams (if healthy) and FS Chuck
Hughes, who showed last week that he can stop a runner in his tracks with a punishing
tackle.
X-factors
Washington—John McFillin
Frankford—Maurice Miller
Same rules as last
year apply; limit turnovers, momentum turning special teams plays and no matter where you
are on the depth chart, be ready to play at all times.
Congratulations and good luck to all four teams.
NOV.
12
NON-LEAGUE
Edison 16, King 12
Upset
special of the week. The Owls of Edison High
shock the world. A pair of conversions proved
to be the difference in this cold, rainy, turnover laden contest that only the one team
seemed interested in winning. All signs
pointed to a Cougar blowout early on though when jr. Marcel Rivers picked up what was left of the dry
football and bolted through the middle of the Edison coverage for an 83-yard opening
kickoff return for touchdown. A 10-yard run
by FB Carlos Maldonado and two
“sliding” offside penalties kept Edison’s opening drive alive at midfield
until a wobbly pass two plays later was intercepted by sr. DE Deshan Lupton and returned to the Owls 15-yard
line. This set up an 11-yard run off left guard by sr. RB Jared Williams for a quick 12-0 King lead with
just under five minutes to go in the first quarter. What
began as a promising Owl kickoff return turned sour when King sr. Kevin Barnes laid a helmet on the ball, popped it
in the air and sr. Mike Banks caught the
recovery deep in Edison territory. After a
17-yard run from Tirrell Dekeyser put King
inside the red zone, Owls DT Edward Torrance,
LB Anthony Coltrane and LB Carlos Maldonado
stuffed the Cougar backfield for losses on two successive plays and Coltrane along with LB
Joshua Alicea ended the drive with sack on
fourth down. This would be the best field
position King would get for the rest of the game. Edison
then embarked on a nine-play 80-yard touchdown drive that featured a gusty first down run
out of punt formation, 15-yard pass play from QB Jonathan
Baez to WR Mathew Padro, reckless 23-yard run by Maldonado towards the King red
zone. From there, Baez capped the impressive
drive with a 15-yard pass to WR Geo Fabian,
who showed great concentration and made an incredible basket catch sliding near the pylon. Baez found Padro again wide-open for the
conversion, which cut the King lead to four points. When
their next offensive drive stalled, the Cougars made a bad situation worse when, following
a short punt and 13-yard return, they gave the Owls 15 more yards from a personal foul
penalty that moved them 25-yards from a potential score.
With 0:34 left in the first half, Baez patiently delivered a screen pass to
WR Lloyd Junius for a first down and, Alicea
went all-out around right end and stuck the ball just inside the pylon two plays later to
give Edison a 14-12 lead. King began to show
signs of losing interest when they allowed Alicea’s conversion run go in almost
uncontested. As the players walked onto the
field to begin the second half, the Owls were full of fire and the Cougars searched for
ways to stay warm. Junius wasted little time
in toasting the Cougars special teams with a 55-yard return to open the third quarter. Looking to put the game away, the Owls moved down
to the King 14, but a fourth down interception by so. DE Khalief Evans near the goal line kept the deficit
to within a single score. The Cougars then
converted a fourth-and-one only to fumble on the next play, which was recovered by Owls DT
Todd Yon as the third quarter clock expired. Good hustle on fourth down by King sr. DE Larry Allen and sr. DT Caison Austin resulted in a six-yard loss, halting
Edison’s ensuing drive in close. Still
deep in their own territory though, a fumbled handoff exchange cost them another chance
just four plays into the next possession. With
time a factor, King regained a final opportunity 75-yards from pay dirt with a
fourth-and-one stop. Sr. FB Cyril Woodland, one of the few Cougars who managed
to hang onto the mud-slicked ball, busted off a run for 20-yards and jr. QB Marquis Clark hustled a bootleg to the Owl 33,
but another personal foul penalty proved to be too much to overcome. Despite making up the penalty yards, fumbled
snaps on third and fourth down ended any chance for a late comeback and the Owls tossed
their rain slickers, raised their weary arms and ran onto the field triumphant. A well-earned victory indeed—well done
gentlemen. Wear those jerseys with pride this
weekend (smile).
The Tackle Leaders:
Edison
Carlos Maldonado—12
(2 solo, 4 TFL, 1 NG, 1 fumble recovery)
Mathew Padro—6 (1 solo, 1
TFL, 1 NG)
Joshua Alicea—5 (3 solo, ½
sack, 2 fumble recoveries)
Anthony Coltrane—3 (1 solo,
2 TFL, ½ sack)
Todd Yon—3 (1 TFL, 1 fumble
recovery)
Antonio Pagen—3 (1 solo)
Jonathan Cartegena—3 (1
forced fumble)
Armondo
Martinez—3
Edward Torrance—2 (1 forced
fumble)
#54—2 (2 TFL)
Special teams leader—Lloyd Junrus (55-yard
kickoff return & first down run out of punt formation)
ML King
Deshan Lupton—5 (3
solo)
Larry Allen—5 (2 solo, 2 NG)
Brandon Brunson—4 (1 solo, 2
NG, 1 TFL)
Andre Jones—4 (2 solo, 1 NG)
Cyril Woodland—4 (1 solo, 1
NG)
Sammy Tranks—3 (3 solo)
Caison Austin—3 (1 NG)
Jeff Davis—3
Special teams leader—Marcel Rivers (91 return
yards)
NOV. 4
NON-LEAGUE
Univ. City 22, Imhotep Charter 0
Slop du
jour to say the least. To the
always-spirited Jaguars of University City though, it was time to get muddy and take out
some frustration on yet another difficult season. While
the Panthers of Imhotep are short on experience (many of the players haven’t played
organized football before joining the team), their exceptional attitude and guts was
encouraging. Sloppy conditions and wet
pigskins set the tone early and often. On
the game’s first series, a Panther three-and-out and bungled punt attempt gave
possession to the Jaguars 14-yards from a quick lead.
Just two yards from the goal line however, they fumbled into the end zone
for a Panther touchback. A fumbled snap on
their first play gave the Jaguars another chance in close, but they failed to get a first
down in four plays and gave possession back to the Panthers. At their own 15, the Panthers embarked on
their longest drive of the game (7 plays, 22 yards) before turning the ball over on downs. The third time was the charm for the Jags as jr.
RB Sterling Johnson (7 carries, 105 yards)
ran twice for a total of 17 yards, jr. Amir
Muhammad, aided by a key block by so. WR
Damy’on McGhee, bolted around the right side for 18 yards and Johnson capped the
four-play drive with a two-yard run up the middle for the game’s first touchdown. Sr. QB Arnold
Malloy found WR James Liggins wide-open for
the easy conversion and an 8-0 lead. Combination
sacks, led by sr. DT Steve Coleman, assisted
by so. LB Barry Smith and sr. LB John Barfield, stalled each of the next two
Panther drives, but another fumble and penalties prevented U-City from any further scoring
before halftime. The Panthers attempted an
on-side kick to begin the second half and had two chances to recover the mud-covered ball
until the Jags Barry Smith finally gained possession and a mud-covered jersey. Seizing the momentum, Johnson, together with
some power running from sr. FB Anthony Williams, capped a four-play 49-yard drive with a nice
31-yard touchdown run where he cut inside and then jumped outside without losing traction
to go in untouched for a 16-0 lead with Muhammad’s conversion run. Perhaps the most exciting play of the game for the
Panthers turned out to be their most productive. While
in punt formation during the next series, jr. Antonio
Smith fielded a one-hopper, dashed just beyond the grasp of a few sliding tacklers for
a confidence boosting first down. Williams
closed the scoring with a 38-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter that included a nice
juke to shake a would-be tackler at the two-yard line for his career high third touchdown. Gusty jr. QB Rashad Mims, who was harassed all afternoon, jr.
DT Daniel Richardson and jr. LB Kevin Scott all turned in solid efforts for the
young Panthers.
The Tackle Leaders:
University City
Steve Coleman—8 (3 solo, 2
TFL, 1 NG, 1 sack)
John Barfield—5 (2 solo, 2
TFL, 1 NG. ½ sack)
Darryl Smith—4 (1 TFL, 1 ½
sacks)
Thomas Dobson—4 (2 solo, 1
TFL)
Anthony Williams—3 (1 solo,
2 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries)
# 84 (email name) —2 (1 TFL,
1 NG)
# 56 (email name)—2 (1 TFL)
Special teams
leader:
Thomas Dobson —2 kickoffs
inside the 20 (one slipped off the tee as it was kicked)
Imhotep
Daniel Richardson —5 (2
solo, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery)
Kevin Scott—4 (2 solo)
Michael Robinson—3 (1 pass
defended)
Michael Mixon—3
Sam Gordon—2 (2 solo)
Ste’Shaun Johnson—2 (1
TFL, 1 forced fumble)
Rashaun Williams—2
#28 or # 29 (muddy jersey)—2
Special teams
leader:
Antonio Smith —11-yard run
for a first down from punt formation
OCT. 29
PUBLIC MID-CITY
Roxborough 29, Penn 8
An already
tumultuous season for Indians head coach Larry
Burnetski seemed to take a turn for the worse as he entered this game with a rash of
injuries to key starters at the skilled positions.
What came out of this game however, were perhaps a solid pair of
running backs for 2005 and a quarterback ready to take the controls for the remainder of
the season. Following a good opening
return to midfield, the Indians rebounded nicely from a holding penalty when jr. RB Colby Sylvester broke around right end and raced
for 42 of his 148 total rushing yards to give Roxborough a rare early lead with sr. RB Vinson Jones’ conversion run. Untimely penalties to the Penn offense on their
opening series backed them closer to their own goal line, which resulted in a good field
position for Roxborough after a short punt. Just
two plays into their next series, Indian sr. QB Maurice
Jones uncorked a short pass to WR Carl Scott,
who slipped the defender and dashed 28 yards into the end zone. When jr. RB/K Richard “Microwave” Williams’ PAT
kick sailed through the uprights, he extended the lead to 15-0 and became the first
Roxborough kicker since Curtis “Boonah”
Brinkley to accomplish this feat. The Lions seemed ready to send the
Indian offense back onto the field until an odd play gave them hope. A third down pass by sr. QB Anthony Ellison was tipped straight up in the air
and sr. WR Ramsey Farrington (3 catches for 132
yards) grabbed the ball and outran the secondary for 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown. This was just the prelude for an Indians secondary
which, despite the win, gave up 211 passing yards on similar plays during the afternoon. Penn added pressure on defense as jr. DT Jamal Allen’s sack and excellent coverage by
sr. RB/CB Felek McCrae forced Roxborough to
give up possession on downs. With the ball at
midfield, the Lions put together eight productive offensive plays and drove to the Indian
12 before going into reverse. A penalty,
combo sack by sr. C/DL Jeff Banks and sr. OL/DL
Tyrell Beatty and an errant center snap for a
loss of 13-yards was more than a fourth down 24-yard pass play could overcome. While still in their red zone, the Lions
wouldn’t have to wait long for another chance as sr. LB John McNatt jolted a fumble loose two plays into
the Indians next drive. Revealing some
inexperience at moving the ball in close, Penn gained only two yards in four plays and
Roxborough, behind the running of Sylvester (9 carries for 35 yards) and a 17-yard pass
play ran out the first half clock. In what
would prove to be there last chance to even the score, Ellison found Farrintgon again
behind the secondary for 47-yards to begin the second half, but sr. DB Jerome Walker read a fourth down outlet pass and
brought down the runner for a loss. From
there, Roxborough unleashed the second part of their newfound running back tandem to put
the game away. The courageous running of
hobbled jr. RB Dionte Wade (20-73) along with
more tough yards from Sylvester moved the Indians inside the Lions 10 and Maurice Jones
capped a 13-play 85 yard drive with an exciting head first touchdown dive just inside
pylon for a 23-8 lead. Jones effectively
earned the job of starting quarterback early in the fourth quarter when, on
fourth-and-goal from the 19, he scrambled to his right, kept his balance and fired a laser
shot to Scott to close out the scoring. Indian
reserve sr. DB Darryl Davis ended any chance of
a comeback with a fumble recovery off a mishandled center-quarterback exchange.
The Tackle Leaders:
Roxborough
Jeff Banks—7 (2
solo, 1 TFL, ½ sack)
Jerome Walker —7 (4 solo)
Michael Henderson—6 (2 solo,
1 TFL, 2 NG)
Tyrell Beatty—4 (1 TFL, ½
sack)
Carl Scott—3 (3 solo)
Jeremy Travis—3 (1 TFL, 1
NG)
Charles Preston—3
Vinson Jones—3 (1 solo)
William Penn
John McNatt—14 (4 solo, 1
TFL, 1 forced fumble)
Tim Robertson—7 (5 solo, 1
pass defended)
Felek McCrae—7 (3 solo, 1
pass defended)
Braheem Clanton—6 (1 TFL)
Anthony Newman—6 (1 TFL, 1
NG)
Jamal Allen—6 (1 sack)
Thomas White—4 (2 solo)
Special teams
leader: Dante Atkins—35
kickoff return yards
OCT. 28
PUBLIC NORTH
Washington 43, Lincoln 6
Only at
tedsilary.com will you find three (count em’, three) reporters enthusiastic enough to
spend an otherwise warm sunny Thursday afternoon sitting in on a lopsided game. Even as the action began, I had a sense that most
of the Eagles wanted to be somewhere else (first playoff game, perhaps?) and seemed eager
to mail this one in before halftime. One
Eagle that came to make a statement was sr. LB Stefan
Ruff, who was an absolute rock on defense the entire game (see Tackle Leaders below)
and his efforts were rewarded with an unforgettable post game chat with Sir Ted. The formidable size of the Lincoln squad
seemed to be the equalizer in the game’s first series, though, as their ground game
ate up half of the first quarter clock and moved the ball just past midfield. On a fourth-and-one, the feisty Railsplitters were
penalized for an illegal formation, which forced them to punt. In what turned out to be their last chance
to stay close, Lincoln sr. RB/DB Terrell Denson
intercepted a pass on the fourth play of the Eagles first drive, but their offense kept
banging heads with Ruff and failed to gain a single yard before punting again. At this point, the Washington offense went
into high gear. Sr. FB Jerome Lewis blew through the middle of the
Lincoln defense for 38 yards on the first play and bulled in from four yards for the
game’s first touchdown two plays later. Lincoln
sr. QB Kareem Dennis dodged some intense
pressure to complete a third down screen pass for 15 yards, but then hit a wide-open Ruff
on the next play giving possession to the Eagles. Deep
in Lincoln territory, sr. QB Chuck Hughes
quickly connected with elusive sr. RB Jerry Butler
for 16 yards and Lewis finished the short drive with a pair of eight-yard runs for 13-0
lead. The relentless Ruff delivered all
three of his solo tackles during the Railsplitters ensuing possession and sr. DT/OG Jason Patton fought through a tough block on a
third-and-three to drop the Lincoln runner for no gain.
Taking over at their own 40, Hughes dazzled the Lincoln defense with a quick
third down strike to sr. TE John McFillin just
beyond the line of scrimmage that he turned into a 17-yard gain. Following a 12-yard run from Butler, sr. RB Courtney Williams jumped through the biggest hole
you’ll ever see created from an offensive line (Ruff again) and scampered 30 yards
without resistance for the Eagles fourth touchdown with just under six minutes to go
before halftime. A pass interference penalty
gave Lincoln some life inside Washington territory, but sr. LB Justin Presley stepped in front of a slow
developing screen pass for his team-leading fourth interception of the season to thwart
the drive. Washington wasted little time
capitalizing as a well designed fake allowed sr. WR Raymond Roy to drift uncovered down the left
sideline. Hughes threw a 40+ yard pass on the
numbers and Roy finished the 65-yard scoring drive in just one play to give the Eagles a
29-0 lead with 2:30 to go before halftime. The
Eagle offense offered more of the same to begin the second half. After a 26-yard kickoff return by sr. CB Mikal Sabree, a poised Hughes found sr. WR Dominique Curry open for 38-yards to set up a
first-and-goal. Butler waltzed in three plays
later for a 36-0 lead. In one of the more
interesting plays of the afternoon, Butler completed the scoring late in the third when he
broke off a perfect post route from the “hidden” wing position, caught the
Hughes pass in stride while looking directly into the fading sun and cruised into the end
zone. Despite his lower than normal rushing
total, Butler proved yet again that he must be accounted for on every snap.
Footnote:
While
the final result in this game didn’t go their way, the Lincoln football program has
made incredible strides in the Gene Kelly era. In addition to finishing the 2004 season with a
winning record, they have a realistic chance of posting more wins than the school has had
in 20 years. With players like sr. FB/LB Joe DiGrazio, chiseled sr. RB/CB Terrell Denson and sr. QB Kareem Dennis there’s a good chance that will
happen.
The Tackle Leaders (thanks to the one and only
“Puckster” for verification):
Washington
Stefan Ruff—8 (3
solo, 3 NG, 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovery)
Justin Presley—8(1 solo, 1 TFL, 1 NG)
David Gonser—6 (2 solo, 1
NG)
Jason Patton—6 (2 solo, 2
TFL, 1 NG)
Demitrius Wilson —4 (1 solo,
1 TFL)
Mikal Sabree—3 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Jerome Lewis—3
Dominique Curry—3
Special teams
leaders:
Mike Kline — 4 PAT kicks
& Kendall Reese—2 Special teams tackles (1 solo)
Lincoln
Joe DiGrazio —5 (4
solo)
Jeffrey Leriche—4 (2 solo, 1
NG)
Antonio Wessells—4 (2 solo)
Justin King—4 (2 solo)
Terrell Denson—3 (2 solo)
Joe Franklin—3 (2 solo)
Quaron Billups—3 (2 solo)
Charles Whittington—3 (1
solo)
George Huggins—3
Special teams
leader:
Jeffrey Leriche —26 return
yards from a lineman!
OCT. 22
PUBLIC MID-CITY
Dobbins 25, Roxborough 6
Mustang
head coach Doug Macauley summed up the game
best when he told his players to “get some respect back.” Were they as flawless as the statistics indicate? Not quite, but the improvements in continuity
since the early weeks of the season were unmistakable.
Despite losing their first four games, the Mustangs are in position to
win their last five and a possible trip to the playoffs.
In the game’s opening series, Dobbins used three different players to
run for 23 yards yet a sack, incomplete pass and fumbled handoff on the next three plays
forced them to punt. After a first down
run for 11 yards, the Indians opening drive stalled just beyond midfield. As has been the case for most of the 2004 season
however, they allowed a lapse in simple execution to swing momentum. This time, a fourth down snap from center, skipped
beyond the punter for a 21-yard loss and began a breakout afternoon for Mustang sr. RB Rashad “I like making people miss” Williams. On his way to a career high in carries (24),
rushing yards (203) and touchdowns in a game (4), he helped overcome 10 yards in team
penalty losses during the next offensive drive by turning a screen pass from sr. QB Steve Sydnor into 39-yard catch-and-run touchdown. While Williams received credit for the score, the
quick feet and tireless blocking of sr. LT Dedarryl
Washington and sr. LG Greg Davis were
crucial to the success of the play. Along
with the well-thrown pass, Sydnor calmly added the PAT kick for the 7-0 lead. Refusing to be outdone for the moment by his
former childhood teammate, sr. RB/KR Chris Mitchell
caught the ensuing kickoff in stride, cut back across the center of the field and
raced 74 yards for a touchdown that pulled the Indians within a point. The Mustangs quickly responded in kind with an
11-play 56-yard drive that featured 49 rushing yards from Williams capped by his 12-yard
touchdown run made possible by an excellent trap block from sr. RT Matthew Brent.
Some nice gains from Mitchell and a pair of completed slant routes from
first-time starter sr. QB Maurice Jones moved
the Indians deep into Mustang territory only to come up a yard short on fourth-and-five to
close the first half. Down by just seven
points, jr. RB Dionte Wade opened the second
half with a 46-yard kickoff return that set the Indian offense up at the Mustang 41, but
the Indians again became their own worse enemy. With
a critical fourth-and-three at the Mustang 23, a false start penalty backed them up five
forcing a passing situation. Well aware of
the Indians predictable slant pattern, “Reds”
sold out and broke up the play with a near interception.
Back on offense, Williams and sr. FB Jon Rawl used the openings created by sr. C Cordero Thompson on play after play as the
Mustangs looked to put the game out of reach. From
the Indians 10, Sydnor kept the ball on an option run and came within mere inches of
paydirt. Behind one more block from Thompson
though, Williams dove into the middle and gave Dobbins a 19-6 lead. Midway through the final quarter, the Indians,
aided by a pass interference penalty and the strong running of Mitchell, drove to a
first-and-goal. Any hope of a comeback was
thwarted however due to a combined tackle for loss by jr. DE Robert Williams and sr. DE Amos Leak and a two straight incomplete passes. Those who stayed for the final minutes were
treated to one the finest individual efforts this season.
On a simple “27 Sweep”, Williams, nearing the sideline, stopped on
a dime to slip one tackle, cut to the right and stopped to slip another, cut back left to
get around another and then dodged at least three defenders down the sideline to complete
an 80-yard touchdown run—wow!
Footnote:
Noted
as one to take a few chances often with great success, Mustang special teams coach Lou Zambino, despite losing one onside kick
already, decided to take another spin and the kicker mistakenly shanked the ball in the
opposite direction of the previous kick. This
time though, the ball bounced in front of surprised sr. WR Damond Griffin, who pounced on the loose ball for
the recovery—sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
The Tackle Leaders:
Dobbins
Robert Williams—8
(2 solo, 2 TFL)
Jon Rawl—7 (2 solo, 2 NG)
Dedarryl Washington—5 (3
solo, 1 TFL)
Greg Davis—5 (2 solo, 2 TFL)
Damond Griffin—4 (2 solo)
Michael Young—3 (1 TFL)
Amos Leak—3 (1 solo)
Special teams
leader:
Damond Griffin
—Touchdown saving tackle on kick return, Onside kick recovery, 1 return for 15 yards
Roxborough
Calden Pierce —12
(4 solo, 1 blocked PAT kick)
Chris Mitchell—9 (2 solo, 1
TFL, 1 pass defended)
Vinson Jones—9 (3 solo, 1
NG)
Jeff Banks—9 (1 solo, 1 TFL,
1 NG)
Tyrell Beatty—8 (2 solo, 1
sack)
Jeremy Travis—6 (1 solo, 2
TFL)
Donte Sullivan—3 (1 solo)
Jerome Walker—3 (2 solo, 1
TD saving tackle)
Dionte Wade—63 return yards
(in response to Dobbins kicking away from Mitchell)
OCT. 15
PUBLIC SOUTH
Overbrook 27, Southern 0
What a
difference a year makes for the Overbrook Panthers.
Once title bearers of worst team in the league and easy victims for dry
humor, head coach Ken Sturm and his new
compliment of assistant coaches have put together a real “team” determined to
get even for previous shutouts against them, all before the end of the current season! A Panther offensive tone was set early, for which
the Rams would never answer. On his way to a
career-high in carries (22) and rushing yards, sr. RB William Brownlee rattled off 38 of his 137-yard
total in their opening “statement” drive.
Following a first down loss, though, they abruptly ended the 12-play
drive at the Rams 25 with three straight incomplete passes.
Ram sr. QB Jalil Harris responded
with a 17-yard pass to Lamone Fox (4 catches
for 74 yards, 18-53 rushing) but his next throw
hit a helmet and the resulting soft pop-up fell into the waiting arms of Panther jr. DL Robert Sheed for an easy pick. Despite the deteriorating weather conditions,
Overbrook connected on a pair of nine-yard gains, one to sr. TE James Morgan and the other a dangerous floater
caught by Brownlee, that moved them into the red zone.
Brownlee split the remaining yardage with sr. RB Khalif El-Harre-Bey and posted the game’s
first touchdown from seven yards out on a decisive cutback into the gapping hole created
by jr. T Andrew Jrateh and so. G Edwin Negron.
Bad went to worse in a hurry for the Rams on their ensuing possession as a
fourth down long snap short-hopped the punter and when the ball was downed, the Panthers
had a first-and-goal. Brownlee added his
second of three touchdowns on the afternoon two plays later and sr. QB Jarrett Johnson’s conversion pass to jr. RB
Richard Cooper gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead. Reacting as if they had been outplayed, the Rams
were held to no gain, gave up 10-yards in a sack and five yards in a penalty on the next
offensive series. As the snowball began to
gather downhill energy, a misdirected pitch went over Fox’s left shoulder (as he was
running to the right) and into the Ram end zone. Like
dominoes, five or six players proceeded to dive onto sloppy ball, each inching it closer
to the end line until El-Harre-Bey dove over
the twisted pile, barely snatching the recovery for the third Panther touchdown. Had Ram sr. DB Simar Jackson failed to make a play against a
potential touchdown pass just before halftime, the deficit could’ve been worse. A possible Southern momentum swing almost became
the Panther clincher as a brief fumble was snatched from mid-air and returned for an
apparent touchdown by so. RB Martinique Anderson
only to be called back for an illegal block. Much
like the first drive however, Overbrook turned over possession on downs in close, but
Southern failed to respond with a sustained attack. Every
time they established any momentum, a (or a set) of clutch plays by the Panthers would
take away the last remnants of hope. Perhaps
the most decisive example was Johnson’s 57-yard well-placed over-the-top spiral to
Panther sr. WR Devon Starks midway through the
final quarter on third-and-20, which set up Brownlee’s third touchdown run and a
convincing victory.
Footnote:
According
to Ted’s extensive research library, it’s been 34 years (1970) since the
Overbrook football team has won at least five games in a season. The all-time school record stands at eight wins
(1964). The Panthers' offensive line play,
which has developed some nice technique, was crucial to the win over Southern. Lineman who distinguished themselves in this game
were jr. C Hassann Denmark, sr. T Steven Johnson, sr. G Timothy McHale, sr. G Chris Howard and blocking jr. TE Naftalie Ellis—great team effort all around.
The Tackle Leaders:
Overbrook
James Scott—7 (2
solo 1 TFL, 1 NG)
James Morgan—6 (2 solo, 2
sacks, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble)
Marquice Freeman—5 (1 solo,
2 TFL)
Khalif El-Harre-Bey—5 (2
solo)
William Brownlee—4 (1 solo,
1 TFL)
Rahim Frazier—4 (1 solo, 2
NG)
Edwin Negron—3 (1 solo, 1
TFL, 1 pass defended)
Special teams
leader:
Leeshon Hyman— 1 PAT kick, 1
kickoff for touchback
Southern
Lamone Fox—9 (3
solo, 1 NG, 1 TFL)
Demetrius Tillman—9 (2 solo)
Michael McClain—9 (2 solo)
Ricky Nguyen—4 (1 solo)
Preandre Watson—4 (1 TFL, 1
pass defended)
Derrick Williams—4
Jalil Harris—3 (1 solo, 1
pass defended)
Special teams
leader:
Lamone Fox—1 blocked PAT
kick, 1 KO return for 19 yards, 15-yard gain out of punt formation.
OCT. 8
PUBLIC MID-CITY
Germantown 27, Roxborough 10
For the
past two seasons, the result of this rivalry has put Roxborough’s playoff hopes into
a nosedive while Germantown serves notice to the contenders—this game was no
different. The Bears balanced attack
delivered 241 total yards on offense, gave only four first downs in pitching a shutout on
defense and came up with a late on-side kick. Following a well conceived
“Iso-Counter” scheme, the Bears wrestled control early when jr. TB Akeem Johnson (22-173) bounced around right guard,
dashed 43 yards and added a rare PAT kick before the Indians knew how to react. A pair of underclassmen, so. LB’s Eric Williams (snuffed out a reverse) and Eric Jenkins (sack for six-yard loss), ended
Roxborough’s opening response with a minus-two-yard net and a disheartening
three-and-out. Back on offense, the Bears
tried to continue where they left off, but couldn’t overcome an illegal block
penalty, which eventually forced them to punt. Despite
the benefit of a 43-yard return by sr. RB Chris
Mitchell (16-83 rushing), a dropped pass and crucial false start penalty led to a
fourth down interception by Bears jr. DB Reginald
Lloyd. On the next series, G-town continued pounding away, ate up about
eight minutes of the clock and completed a 12-play drive with a three-yard run by sr. QB Brandon Cuff (5-12-82), who slide through an
excellent push from sr. LG Phillip Johnson and
sr. C James Cartwright. Another good return by Mitchell on the ensuing kickoff gave the Indians good
field position near midfield, but what seemed to be a similar three-and-out (zero-yard
net, this time) series on offense actually produced their only points of the first half. In the process of punting for the first time
in the game deep in their own territory, the Bears center snap sailed high and the punter
wisely batted the ball out of the end zone for a safety.
Although they managed to get to the Bears 34 during the next series, so. DB Mark McPherson camped under a high fourth down
throw for the first of his two interceptions of the game, the second of which came moments
later after Indians DB Jerome Walker had
answered with his first career interception. Showing
no signs of letting up, sr. Xavier Shaw upended
the returner with a good open field tackle to begin the second half. While the Indians gained a first down on the
series (via a G-town penalty), they gained only seven yards and punted away. In perhaps their best offensive series, the Bears
put the game away with the combination of Akeem Johnson (5 carries, 34 yards), a nice
30-yard stretch and catch by sr. WR Aaron Terrell
(3-71), capped with a five-yard bull rush for touchdown by jr. FB Andre Fisher.
Murmurs of running up the score surfaced along the opposing sideline when
sr. QB Bobby McKnight fired a tight spiral over the defender and hit Terrell in stride to put the Bears up by 25
points with just over two minutes to go in the game.
Roxborough finally earned some points of their own as so. LB Caldon Pierce made a nice adjustment to intercept
a tipped pass while racing for a 65 yard touchdown in the closing seconds.
Footnote:
The
intensity of Germantown cheerleaders and band, who made the trip, added a playoff
atmosphere to the cross “borough” rivalry.
The Tackle Leaders:
Germantown
Eric Williams—9 (6
solo, 2 NG, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery)
Andre Fisher—7 (1 solo, 1
NG)
Eric Jenkins—6 (1 solo, 1
TFL, 1 NG, 1 sack)
Deeian Moore—5 (1 solo)
Reginald Lloyd—3 (2 solo, 1
pass defended)
Xavier Shaw—3 (3 solo, 1
forced fumble)
Kasib Parham—3 (1 solo, 1
pass defended)
New this week—Special teams
leader:
Mark McPherson—On-side kick
recovery, 2 tackles
Roxborough
Aaron Washington—9
(1 solo 1 TFL, 1 NG)
Vinson Jones—8 (1 solo)
Tyrell Beatty—7 (1 solo, 1
NG, 1 tipped pass)
Donte Sullivan—6 (1 solo, 2
passes defended)
Michael Henderson—6 (1 solo,
2 TFL)
Caldon Pierce—6
Tavio DeShields—5 (2 passes
defended)
Jeff Banks—5
Jerome Walker—3 (2 solo, 1
pass defended)
Special teams leader:
Chris Mitchell—93 return
yards
OCT. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Washington 21, Gtn. Academy 7
Had I been
the official scorer, I would’ve been painfully late (whew!). Sooo, rather than the usual specifics, this game
report offers some general observations on an interesting contest between the Eagles and
Patriots. The scenic coziness of
GA’s Deacon Field (well worth a visit) and big game atmosphere made for a fine
afternoon of football despite overcast skies. When
the dust/mud settled in this one, the overwhelming consensus of the Washington coaches and
players was they underestimated the talent of the Academy squad. That’s a humbling assessment from a team
that won by 14 points, but accurate. Down 7-0
early, Germantown Academy executed good defensive gap discipline most of the game thereby
limiting the Eagles efficient running attack to short gains and creating turnovers. Between those plays however were some
gems by sr. RB Jerry Butler, one of which being
a 40+ yard Portis-like bolt up the right sideline that probably would’ve gone to the
house had he been able to turn sharper on the choppy turf.
On at least three different occasions in the second half, Butler was a
bump or slip away from breaking into the secondary.
He was inserted as a nickel back late and made a great
deflection of a desperation pass even though the receiver managed to catch the ball. The Eagles ever-improving passing attack was
led by confident sr. QB Chuck Hughes, who hit
sr. WR Dominique Curry deep to open the
scoring, ran a solid (although somewhat hurried) two-minute offense and later connected
with WR Jelani Washington, who made a nice mid-air adjustment to snare the laser
throw. His
catch set up Hughes’ one-yard plunge for
the second score early in the third quarter. Perhaps
the best plays of the afternoon though were turned in by the stingy Washington defense. In addition to grabbing some key turnovers (one,
after just turning it over themselves), they handcuffed the Patriot offense inside the red
zone. One of the more intriguing
examples was sr. DE/OL David Gonser’s
display of determination and emotion, which he used effectively to spoil a Patriot
fourth-and-goal run from behind and drive defenders all the way to the sideline while on
offense. If he channels his unwavering high
voltage into a more focused discipline, he may be unstoppable. Another that crossed the radar screen was CB Mikal Sabree, who “sold out” on a great
diving pass deflection in the end zone (almost caught it!) and added a kickoff return
where he spun off the wedge, broke down the sideline for 50+ yards to open the second
half. The improving discipline of sr. DT/OL Jason Patton (held up a second down play and
logged an assist for no gain on the next) and the solid run support by sr. LB’s Raymond Roy and Stephan Ruff were key towards pitching a shutout. The Patriots special teams, most notably the
impressive combo of sr. Mark Brown and Joe Zubkoff, helped avoid the shutout. Brown started by “freezing” a punt on
the Eagles one-yard-line, and then both teamed up in the fourth to produce a blocked punt
(Brown block/Zubkoff touchdown). Those of us
who saw sr. QB Tyler Stampone for first time
walked away with the utmost respect for his superior athleticism and grit under fire. On one sequence, I could’ve sworn he was the
quarterback on one play and then executed a good block at wide receiver the next?? Late in the game, he was sacked by FIVE Eagles,
but bounced up and ran the next play without missing a beat. There’s a lot to look forward to within the
GA football program and winning will come—they’re the best 0-4 high school team
I’ve ever seen.
Footnote:
With all the talent
on the Washington team, sr. TE/DE John McFillin
may not get a lot of touches per game but, make no mistake, this kid is one of the most
fundamentally sound players in the city and appears to be solid I-AA prospect.
OCT. 1
PUBLIC SOUTH
Franklin 14, Univ. City 6
What seemed
like a defensive struggle in this one was more like two teams waiting for the other shoe
to drop. Well, that finally happened
early in the final quarter as the always spirited Jaguars of University City lost the
“test of will” and handed the Electrons their first win of the season. To their credit though, Franklin took advantage of
what was given to them, but neither team was able to show a lot of consistency on offense
all afternoon. Case in point--the Jaguars
kept the Franklin offense on the sidelines for most/all of the first quarter only to come
away eight points down. On the heels of
a fine open field tackle and four-yard loss on a third-and-one by Electron sr. CB Barton French, sr. RB Anthony Williams countered with a clutch six-yard
gain on fourth down during the opening series. Moments
later, jr. RB Sterling Johnson rattled off 10
yards on fourth-and-four to move into Franklin territory.
Demons of seasons past resurfaced three plays later though as an errant
lateral pass “one-hopped” the intended receiver and the only player who reacted
with any urgency was Franklin jr. LB Maurice
Dantzler. He picked up the loose ball and
bolted straight into the end zone and an 8-0 lead with his conversion run. Despite the benefit of a pass interference penalty
during the ensuing series, the Jags closed out the first quarter with a punt and little to
show for their “11:54” time of possession advantage. Once the Electron offense finally took the field
to begin the second quarter, they wasted little time returning the favor. A crushing sack two plays into their first
series forced jr. QB Frank Anderson to leave
the game. On the next play, his replacement
lobbed a soft pass into the flat that Jags sr. DE Sam
McCoy snatched from mid-air for an easy eight-yard interception return. The crucial pass for conversion fell
through the hands of the receiver and Franklin held to their 8-6 lead at the break. Neither team mounted much of a threat in the
third quarter, but an odd sequence of events set up the game clincher in the fourth. After a well-thrown third down deep
ball by Jag so. QB Steven Baxley was dropped
the fourth down punt snap sailed high and bounced to within a yard of a Franklin score. From there, Anderson, behind the strong lead block
of sr. G Johnie Gray gave them the cushion
and the only offensive score of the afternoon.
A devastating blind side sack by sr. LB/DE Michael Hooper seemed to end any hope at a second
deep pass for U-City.
Footnotes:
Although the Jags needed to find some outside running lanes due the
strong run stuffing in the middle by Electron sr. DT’s Johnie Gray and Jeffrey Boanes, sr. G Steve Coleman and sr. T Barry Smith responded well when called upon for
crucial blocks. While the final result of the game didn’t go their way, the work
ethic of the University City cheerleaders, drum corps and mascot was remarkable. They started a half-hour before kickoff, continued
through a brief halftime show and had enough energy left to lead a cheer as the players
were boarding the bus for the ride home—Great job all around and thanks for the
“face wash”.
The Tackle Leaders:
Ben Franklin
Anthony Wright—8 (2
solo, 3 TFL, 1 sack)
Frank Anderson—7 (5 TFL)
Joshua Wright—6 (3 solo, 1
TFL)
Maurice Dantzler—6 (2 solo,
2 TFL)
Barton French—6 (1 solo, 4
TFL, 1 NG)
Rodreen Howell—4 (1 TFL)
Jeffrey Boanes—4 (1 solo)
Kordell Morgan—3 (1 solo, 1 TFL, 1 NG)
University City
Amir Muhammad—6 (2
TFL, 1 NG)
Thomas Dobson—5 (3 solo, 1
TFL)
Keith Tillman—5 (2 solo,1
batted ball)
Dane Adams—4 (1 TFL)
Jamar Goss—4 (1 NG)
Sterling Johnson—4 (2 NG)
SEPT. 28
PUBLIC MID-CITY
Edison 22, Penn 0
--- “Victory is sweetest when you've known
defeat”
Okay, so
this wasn’t exactly a clash of the Titans, but for the players Edison High School
this hardly mattered. Led by a solid
defensive effort, the Owls held the “work-in-progress” Lions from William Penn
to 44 yards of total offense and, for a change remain mathematically alive for a playoff
spot. Edison benefited from a couple of Penn
defensive penalties to advance to midfield on the game’s first series, but an
offensive pass interference penalty stalled the drive.
An indication of the types of offensive problems Penn was to face most of
the day were clear their first series. A pair
of fumbled center snaps sandwiched between a running play that lost yardage forced the
Lions into a quick punt. Fueled by the
previous effort, Owls RB Dontae Williams (9-35)
scampered 16-yards on a sweep and QB Johnathan
Baez (5-9-70) connected with FB Carlos
Maldonado (8-38) on short screen that resulted in a 17-yard gain inside the Lion red
zone. From there, Baez hit WR Mathew Padro in the left corner of the end zone
four plays later to give the Owls an early 6-0 lead.
The Owls returned the favor though and handed over a pair of defensive
penalties to Penn allowing them to advance beyond midfield.
Facing a fourth-and-one however, Owl LB’s Carlos Maldonado and Antonio Pagan stuffed the play for no gain. As their next series stalled, due in part to a
nice solo tackle by DL (#92, sorry, number not on roster), Edison received quite a scare
on the ensuing punt. What appeared to be a
76-yard touchdown return by Lion sr. Anthony
McCloud, was called back due to a holding penalty (McCloud’s impressive bolt down
the sideline exposed Edison’s lazy tackling that may come back to bite them against
the division powerhouses). Nevertheless, they
shook off the setback and moved the ball 36 yards to the Edison 44 before a clipping
penalty seemed to zap whatever momentum they had left.
With 1:19 remaining in the first half, the Owls put together a six-play
drive that featured a spectacular 30-yard catch (minus five for delay of game) by WR Geo Fabian, who out-leaped the defender while in
stride, and a well executed screen pass for touchdown from Baez to Williams. Equally as impressive was the leaping point after
catch in the corner of the end zone by Mathew Padro to give his team a 14-0 lead at the
break. The second half belonged to the
Edison defense (see TFL’s below). Despite
a special teams blunder (running into the “punter”) midway through the third
quarter, the Owls defense forced the Penn quarterback to throw the ball backwards and out
of the end zone on the next play of the ensuing possession, resulting in a safety. Behind the defensive prowess of LB Anthony Coltrane (fourth quarter fumble recovery),
the Lions registered just 13 yards of offense in the second half. Carlos Maldonado bulled in from a yard out
early in the fourth quarter to complete all scoring.
Footnotes:
On the
bright side of the Penn football equation, the accuracy of quarterback Kareem Rodriguez (3-3-25) and the tireless
hard-hitting effort by CB Braheem Clanton seem
to be something to build on. In one of
the classiest moves I’ve seen during my time on the football beat, Edison head coach Larry Oliver elected to take four consecutive
kneel downs as his team stood poised at the Penn one-yard line in the closing minutes. After the game Oliver, who understands what an
inflated final score can do to the long term psyche of an opposing team, told his players;
“That might be your son out there some day.”
The Tackle Leaders:
Edison
Anthony Coltrane—7
(1 solo, 3 TFL, 1 fumble recovery)
Carlos Maldonado—7 (2 solo,
3 TFL, 1 NG)
Johnathan Baez—5 (1 solo, 2
TFL)
Mathew Padro—5 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Juan Alicea—5 (3 TFL, 1 NG)
Jonathan Garcia—5 (1 solo, 1
TFL)
Robert Serrano—3 (1 solo)
William Penn
Braheem Clanton—14
(3 solo)
Anthony McCloud—6 (2 solo, 1
TFL, 1 pass defended)
Thomas Edwards—6 (1 TFL)
Terrell Mitchell—6 (1 NG)
Bashir Hopper—3 (2 passes
defended)
John McNatt—3 (2 solo, 1
sack)
Felek McCrae—3 (1 solo)
SEPT. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Roman 13, Valley Forge 7 (OT)
As remnants of Hurricane Ivan laid down a final
soaking, “Hurricane Evin” was just
getting started. For the second straight
week, sr. RB Evin Jones (24-133) led the
Cahillites to victory in overtime, this time against the tough cadets from Valley Forge. Jones’ head-first blast from two-yards out
gave Roman the lead on the first possession of overtime and a forced fumble by DB Aaron Pryer, (recovered by DB Dominique Joseph) sealed the deal.
Footnotes:
By choosing
to tangle with the Cadets, Roman essentially played what most would consider a junior
college team. Since losing many skilled
players to graduation last season, the young Roman squad needed to reach a higher level
and went a long way towards doing that today. Although
Valley Forge doesn’t appear on the city radar screen, the power and speed of
potential D1 prospect FB Adam Adiyah, (scored
the lone VF touchdown, but fumbled in OT), was truly impressive--a player the Roman
defense probably won’t soon forget anytime soon . . . With less than a minute to go
in regulation, Roman RB Mike Guinter’s
eventual 22-yard run might have been the game winner on a dry field. He saw a nice patch of daylight and had the angle
for a dash down the sideline, but the mud treadmill held him up long enough for the
defender to grab his jersey.
The Tackle Leaders:
Roman
Joe Mulhern—12 (2 solo, 3
TFL)
Brian Chiodi—8 (2 solo)
Tim Plona—8 (1 solo)
Dominique Joseph—5 (4 solo,
1 fumble recovery)
Matt Schenk—4 (1 forced
fumble)
Rich Brandt—4 (1 solo)
Aaron Pryer—4 (1 solo, 1
TFL, 1 forced fumble)
Jim Moore—3 (1 solo)
Matt Marcinek—3 (1 solo)
Troy Richardson—3 (2 solo, 1
pass defended)
NON-LEAGUE
Pennsbury 36 Frankford 14
Nothing
sophisticated here. Pennsbury strolled in
with their precise brand of simple and reliable dives, blasts and sweeps to which
Frankford seemed to have few answers. The
jubilant pregame optimism seemed to be turning into reality early as the Pioneers forced a
punt on the first series, took advantage of the Pennsbury’s defensive tendency to
play the run and sr. QB Lamont Brown found
sr. WR Maurice Miller streaking down the seam
for an early touchdown. Those who recall the
Brown-Michael Washington (who was in attendance) touchdown strikes of seasons past will
find similarities in the newly formed Brown-Miller connection. Pennsbury responded in kind with a well-executed
corner fade route for 38-yards, but jr. DL Nicolas
Martinez and sr. DL Angel Gonzalez stuffed
the next play for a loss and jr. LB Alonzo
Williams managed to catch the scrambling Falcon quarterback short of first down
yardage. The Pennsbury defense also stiffened
though, posting losses on the next two Pioneer offensive plays and rushing Brown into a
third down incompletion. With good field
position, the Falcons cranked up a counter running game and needed just four plays to draw
within two points of a tie (conversion failed). Reacting
with urgency, the Pioneers featured the running of sr. FB Frank Jubilee (21-74), sr. TB Malik Walker (11-33) and a fine pass play from
Brown to Williams, which placed them within 10 yards of a first-and-goal situation. As the first quarter came to a close
however, the game drastically became unraveled for Frankford. The combination of uncharacteristic
turnovers and a simple Pennsbury running attack inside the tackles turned a two-point
Pioneer advantage into a 20-point deficit. With
the running game stymied, Brown gave the team some hope and found Miller again galloping
down the seam for a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 0:23 left before halftime. Frankford revived the running game in the second
half, but never advanced beyond the Pennsbury 30-yard line until their final drive, which
ended as time expired.
Footnote:
With all due respect
to the capable running backs on the roster, QB Lamont
Brown’s confidence, accuracy and touch has improved dramatically over last season
and proved to be the best offensive weapon in this game.
The Tackle Leaders:
Frankford
Malik Walker—8 (4
solo)
Isaiah Stroiman—7 (3 solo)
Nicolas Martinez—6 (1 solo,
TFL)
Shariff Mintz—5 (2 passes
defended)
Kareem Lomax—5 (1 solo)
Joseph Morris—5 (1 solo)
Derrick Kennedy—4 (2 solo, 1 sack)
Damon Brockington—3 (2 solo)
Ernest Canales—3 (1 solo)
SEPT.
10
NON-LEAGUE
Northeast 27, Roxborough 8
Maybe
it was the sight of sr. Viking RB Jeremiah Pitt
walking off the bus in full uniform with his game face on or maybe it was the pregame
warmups. Something zapped the life from the
Roxborough Indians before the game even started. Despite
a decisive advantage in the turnover battle and fewer penalties than the prior week, the
Indians failed generate any emotion or intensity until the outcome was already decided. Once the game started though, the quickness of
the Viking defense and their ability to finish tackles with authority seemed to set the
tone. The Vikings' defense served notice on
the game’s first series as speedy jr. LB Jeffery
Jones closed down the usual running lanes for short gains and sr. DE Khaliyl Willis batted down the third down pass to
force an early punt. An efficient and
disciplined Viking offense, drove down the middle of the field and came within five yards
of capping a scoring drive before fumbling the ball over to the Indians. Jeffery Jones, jr. LB Seth Shapiro and an ill-timed false start
penalty kept the Indians pinned against their own goal line for a second straight punt. This time however, Pitt used a nice wall created
by the Vikings special teams unit to cruise around the corner 38 yards for the first
score. Indians sr. RB Chris Mitchell (27-82) carried the offense most of
the afternoon and revealed an effective stiff arm move for 14 yards on the next series,
but the Viking defense responded with 12 yards in losses to give their offense another
short field. A impressive 13-yard cut
back run by Pitt helped close in on another score, but jr. LB Richard “Microwave” Williams laid a
helmet on the ball, giving the Indian offense
another chance to mount a drive. After an
initial first down (only the second of the game to this point), Willis broke up the next
third down pass attempt when he bolted around the right end untouched to break up the
play. Still down by only a touchdown, the
Indians chances for victory began to slip away courtesy of a well executed counter play
that took the Indian defense by surprise and allowed Pitt (9-119) to streak 70 yards in
just one play. Crushing blocks by the TE
Willis and pulling guard sr. Brandon O’Malley
gave Pitt all the room he needed to for his second score and a 14-0 lead with jr. K Chris Mountney’s second of three
extra point kicks. Bad went to
worse for the Indians as a hit by sr. Jullian
Rattliff and recovery by jr. Bryan Unger
produced a Viking takeaway on the ensuing kickoff and they proceeded to ice the game via
the air attack. A nice screen pass from sr.
QB Cordia Mosley (4-8-87) to Pitt for 16 yards
(after an offensive holding penalty) and a fade route to jr. WR Rockeed McCarter for 35 yards moved the Vikings to
within 8 yards of the end zone. From there,
Mosley hit McCarter on a quick slant with 45 seconds left in the first half for a 21-0
lead with the conversion kick. Following a
nice return by jr. Chris Craddock to start the
second half and a 28 yard pass from Mosley to McCarter, a sack by Indians sr. LB Kevin O’Mally forced the Vikings into their
first of just two punts for the game. Roxborough’s
second fumble on a handoff exchange two plays into the next series ended any hope of
staying close as jr. RB Christen Jerrick later
bulled in from four yards. The Indians
averted a shut out with a 57-yard touchdown toss from sr. QB Carl Scott to sr. TE Aaron Washington.
The Tackle Leaders:
Jeffery Jones—10 (4
solo, 1 batted ball)
Jamel Evans —7 (2 solo, 3
NG)
Seth Shapiro—7 (1 solo, 1
pass defended)
Daryn Swain—5 (2 solo)
Khaliyl Willis—5 (2 solo, 2
sacks, 1 batted ball)
Michael Nelson—5 (2 solo, 1
sack, 1TFL)
Jordan Stricklene—5 (2 solo)
Jullian Rattliff—1 (1 solo,
1 forced fumble)
Roxborough
Kevin O’Malley—8 (3
solo, 1 forced fumble, 2 TFL)
Jeremy Travis—5 (1 solo, 1
fumble recovery)
Jeff Banks—5 (2 solo)
Aaron Washington—4 (1 solo,
1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery)
Dionte Wade—3 (1 solo, 1
fumble recovery)
Tavio DeShields—3 (1
interception)
Dante Baldwin—3
SEPT. 3
NON-LEAGUE
Roxborough
24, University City 12
Over the
last few seasons, the team that escaped with the shortest list of mistakes has decided the
outcome of this early season matchup. Although
the Roxborough Indians have traditionally come away victorious against the always spirited
Jaguars of University City, their mistake-prone football was later exposed when facing
their more refined division opponents. Well,
for one game, the Indians shed some the demons of seasons past and, in the process,
revealed a new playmaker that can deliver. Maintaining
even par in the turnover battle and committing just five penalties (two more on a failed
PAT) allowed sr. RB Chris Mitchell to amass 257
all-purpose yards en route to a momentum-building win. On the first series of the game,
Indians head coach Larry Burnetski called
Mitchell’s number for seven of the first 10 plays and he showcased his elusive
cut-back ability to gain 42 of his 162 total rushing yards to put the Indians 23 yards
away from the Jaguars goal line. (While
Mitchell doesn’t possess the north-south acceleration of former Rox standout RB Dante Bryant, his impressive cutbacks were
courageous, precise and kept the opposing defense off balance the entire game.) One of the two Indian turnovers stalled the drive
however and for the moment proved costly. Despite
a pair of delay-of-game penalties on the first three plays the Jaguars, behind the speedy
running of jr. RB Amir Muhammad, setup the
games first score when so. QB Steven Baxley
fired a near perfect 30-yard pass to so. WR Antwoine
White, who had gotten behind the secondary for
an easy touchdown.
The Indians came right back with a nice passing display of their own as
sr. QB Carl Scott connected with sr. WR Luca Colella on a well-executed slant route and
tied the game six plays later on a 29-yard toss in the right corner to sr. TE Aaron Washington.
On the ensuing kickoff however, the Jaguars quickly regained the lead
courtesy of a 68-yard return by so. Damy’on
McGhee, who scraped about five arm tackles on his way to the touchdown. Refusing to be outdone, Mitchell stepped up,
matched the previous return and re-tied the game with an 87-yard kickoff return right
through the teeth of the Jaguars coverage unit.
The Roxborough defense, led by sr. LB Kevin O’Mally, brought some order to the game
with a forced fumble, which was recovered by Richard
"Microwave" Williams on the next series.
From there, Mitchell gained all of the 31 yards (on four carries) needed for the
go-ahead touchdown and moments later added to his three touchdown performance with a blast
from three yards out to end all scoring before halftime.
Footnotes
Roxborough’s
final touchdown of the afternoon was set up by a pair of excellent defense plays, one by
sr. DL Charles Preston, who delivered a
punishing quarterback sack which led to a 42-yard interception return by sr. CB Tavio DeShields on the next play. In addition to finishing with a game-high in
tackles, Kevin O’Malley came very close to adding a pair of fumble recoveries as
well—reminiscent of Zach Thomas linebacker play all afternoon. This game featured the most exhausting first
half ever--almost 90 minutes. As a
reminder that we are indeed in the PIAA, one of the officials stopped play for the
2-minute warning only to be reminded that it no longer exists.
The Tackle Leaders:
Roxborough
Kevin O’Malley—13 (7
solo, 1 forced fumble, 2 sacks)
Charles Preston—7 (3 solo, 1
sack)
Dionte Wade—5 (2 solo)
Tavio DeShields—4 (2 solo, 1
INT, 1 pass defended)
Aaron Washington—4
University City
Arnold Malloy—11 (5
solo, 1 NG, 1 fumble recovery)
Anthony Williams—10 (3 solo,
1 NG, 1 fumble recovery)
Sterling Johnson—8 (2 solo)
Thomas Dobson—6 (3 solo)
Jamar Goss—5
Amir Muhammad—3 (3 solo)