Huck's Corner Return to TedSilary.com Home Page     Ed "Huck" Palmer is one of our trusty statisticians/observers. He is not to be confused with Tom "Puck" McKenna. (Huck is normal. Puck is not even close). He will make occasional reports on games he sees. You may contact him at TEDDYCAT10@aol.com.

NOV. 27
NON-LEAGUE (THANKSGIVING)
West Catholic 33  Penn Wood 23
     In the waning moments of the first half the Burrs trailed the Patriots 3-0. Then, with :15 seconds left in the half, sr. FB/DE David Fitgerald bulled in from one yard line and Burrs took a 7-3 lead into the locker room. On the first play of the second half, cat-quick jr. RB Carl Graham sped 53 yards to the left for the Burrs second score of the game. The Patriots answered with a score of their own, and cut the Burr lead to 14-9. On the first play of the Burrs next possession, sr. QB Will Burke found soph. WR John Maddox, who out-jumped a PW defender, gathered himself and coasted into the endzone for a 51-yard score. This gave West three touchdowns on three consecutive offensive plays. Sr. RB/LB Khalid Jones added a TD on a 2-yard run and Fitzgerald score on another 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring for the Burrs. It was good to see Fitz, which he is commonly called, reach the end zone not once, but twice in a game. This kid has done a work-man-like job all year as the lead fullback for rusher supreme, sr. RB Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley. After his second score he said, “Hey Huck, I got two baby. I never scored two touchdowns in Madden, let alone a real game.” Speaking of Brinkley, he was forced to sit out the game because of the PIAA rule that forbids fifth-year seniors from playing games against PIAA opponents. He was visibly disappointed throughout, and is undoubtedly looking forward to next week’s CL Blue championship game versus Archbishop Wood. Today, his replacement was the slippery Graham, who stepped up nicely. He rushed for 202 yards on 20 carries. This kid has plenty of speed, but probably needs to get stronger to be considered an every-down back game-in-and-game-out. It will be interesting to watch how he progresses. The Burke-to-Maddox combination continues to gather momentum. Burke has a serious arm, and in recent weeks he has just chucked it and watched Maddox do his magic, usually out-leaping smaller defensive backs. Today, Burke finished 7-for-13, for 182 yards, setting a season and career high. Maddox hauled-in four of these throws for 138 yards. He had gains of 40, 51 (TD), and 36. Defensively, soph LB Wayne Donahue (sack, blocked ex pt) led with seven tackles. He had two TFL’s for 19 yards. Jones was next with 6 stops. Sr. DB Kevin Gardner and jr. LB Kelvin Quick evenly split 10 tackles. Frosh. DE Isaiah Edmond added a sack. Sr. DB Thomas Fontaine snared two INT’s, his fifth and sixth of the year. Burke had INT called back because of a penalty, but did have three pass-defends. Some notes to pass along: The weather was ideal and it showed at the gates, as a solid crowd turned out for the game. With the win, the Burrs now hold a 3-1 series lead in the short history of the game. Jr. WR Mike Van Loan, a one-handed player for the Burrs, who was featured in a story in yesterday’s Daily News, nearly made the score sheet. After the Burrs' fifth score they went for two. The play was a designed call to hit Van Loan on a short out-pattern. He appeared to be slightly open, but the ball was underthrown. Van Loan gave a gallant effort, but couldn’t come up with the pass. He later played during the Burrs last series, but West in a run-the-clock-out situation did not attempt a pass. Former West star players Will Grant (Tenn-Martin) and Michael Bazemore (Mich. St.) were just a couple of the former Burr players in attendance. Bazemore, who I haven’t seen recently, is a monster. He has added considerable weight (positively) and seems to be in rock-solid shape. The Burrs racked-up 433 yards in total offense and the teams combined for 965 all-purpose yards. Burke (1,056) surpassed 1,000 yards passing for the season. Becoming just the fifth Burr to do so since 1981, and the first since John Friel (1,064) in 1992. That gives the Burrs a 1,000-yard passer and a 2,000-yard rusher in the same season. A feat only accomplished by a handful of city teams ever. Maddox, with 690 receiving yards has a shot at the team single-season record of 726 yards held by Rob Gentile (’87). West will play for the CL Blue Championship next Friday at Northeast High at 7:00 o’clock. This promises to be a spirited and exciting contest.

NOV. 21
CL BLUE SEMIFINAL
West Catholic 32, Carroll 27
     The Burrs overcame an early 20-point deficit to advance to the CL Blue title game for the second consecutive year. The Patriots who came out flying, will not participate in the league final for the first time since the league’s inception. They had been the three-time defending league champions in the Blue. Carroll scored three touchdowns on their first four possessions and seemed to be in complete control early in the second quarter. To this point they had amassed 188 yards in total offense and were running through the Burrs defense like a hot knife through butter. Sr. RB Rich Wood (4-31) scored from six and three yards in the first quarter. Then, sr. FB Mike McMahon (18-93) coasted in from the seven, and the rout seemed to be on. The Burrs regained some momentum after sr. QB Will Burke hit soph. WR John Maddox on 17-yard slant for a touchdown. This methodical scoring drive seemed to rejuvenate the Burrs. The drive covered 67 yards and lasted 6:23, on 13 plays. After a fumble on Carroll’s first play of their next series the Burrs were back in business. However, sr. RB/DB Ryan Stewart intercepted a tipped ball that went through the hands of West star sr. RB Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley and the potential scoring drive was halted. The Patriots took a 20-7 lead into the half and still appeared to be in relatively good control. The Burrs didn’t waste any time, and on their second play of the second half Burke once again found Maddox on a pretty 37-yard pitch and catch. Six plays later Brinkley roared up the middle from the three, and the Burrs were within six points. Carroll fumbled the ensuing kickoff without even being hit, and West jr. LB Kelvin Quick was there to pounce on the rock. After a first-down incompletion, the Burrs put the ball into the reliable hands of Brinkley for six consecutive plays. His last run produced his second score of the half from 3 yards out. The extra-point was pushed to the right and the game was knotted, 20-20. The Patriots wasted little time in answering. After a 35-yard hook-up between jr. QB Greg Kobilka to sr. RB/DB Mark Ellow, Stewart (8-111) stormed in from the thirty and the Pats had regained the lead at 27-20. Early in the fourth quarter, jr. P/DB Brian Rorick pinned the Burrs at their own 2-yard line. Brinkley got the Burrs some breathing room with an 18-yard run around the right side to the twenty. After another 3-yard run and a 15-yard penalty on Carroll, the ball sat at the 38. Next, Brinkley, the all-time city career-rushing leader provided us with yet another spectacular moment. He took a handoff dashed slightly to the right, split a couple of defenders and was off to the races. Towards the end of the run, a Carroll defender gave a gallant effort diving to trip him up. Somehow, Brinkley kept his balance, as his hand bounced off the turf repeatedly, like a stone skimming off water before regaining control, thus scoring his third TD of the half and pulling his team to within one point. The point-after try was engulfed by solid two-way lineman John Lachman (5 tackles), and Carroll still held the slimmest of leads at 27-26. The Burrs forced a punt on Carroll’s next possession. They then marched to the Carroll 38-yard line, but were faced with a fourth-and-2. They gave the ball to Brinkley, but the Carroll defense was ready for him and stuffed him for no gain. The Patriots on the subsequent possession were faced with a similar situation. On fourth-and-two from their own 46, the Pats gave the ball to McMahon who was stopped short by a yard, giving the ball back to the Burrs potent offense. One can only imagine how far back Carroll could have sent the Burrs if they would have punted. The Burrs began the drive with 3:08 left on the clock. After three plays, they got a firstdown and were situated at the 34-yard line. On the next play, Burke was sacked by Carroll jr. DE/TE Pete Novak (7 tackles) for a 12-yard loss placing the ball back at the 46-yard line and the clock showing under two-minutes left. What happened next could possibly be the biggest play in recent West football history. Burke lofted a beautiful pass down the sideline to sr. WR Evan Polk who hauled it in inside the five before being brought down at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Brinkley scored his fourth touchdown of the half, and with just :35 left gave the Burrs a 32-27 lead. Carroll took over at their 46-yard line after an apparent squib kick found a Carroll up-man. A Kobilka-to-sr. WR Albert Wankmiller-to-Stewart hook-and-lateral produced a 20-yard gain. Then, on some sort of razzle-dazzle attempt, Brinkley slammed Rorick to the ground for a 10-yard loss. After an incompletion, Carroll had just :05 left on the clock and time for one play. In a bizarre scene that was quite reminiscent of the famed California-Stanford play involving band members then occurred. Jr. DE/TE Derrell Hand (6-4, 275) jarring the ball loose sacked Kobilka. The West sideline erupted in glee only not realizing the play had not been blown dead with the loose ball. A Carroll player scooped up the ball and what must have seemed like 25 West defenders coming at him. He was eventually brought down at midfield. When the dust had cleared flags were everywhere. The Burrs were called for two fouls on the play. With no time on the clock and the ball now placed at the West thirty Carroll was allowed to run one more play. With a couple a receivers in the endzone Kobilka lofted a pass that was batted down by Maddox. This ended one of the more memorable high school football games I have ever seen. For West, Brinkley continues to amaze. He rushed 39 times for 225 yards and the four scores. He racked up 177 of those yards on 25 carries after the intermission. He also returned three kicks for 78 yards, giving him a dazzling 303 all-purpose yards. What can this kid do next? Burke was again solid, he finished 7-for-13, for 131 yards, and a TD. No disrespect to SJN’s, sr. QB Jon Brady and Wood sr. QB Dane Mangin, but in my opinion this kid should have been in the mix for one of those All-Catholic spots. Maddox caught all his balls except for the big one to Polk. He finished with 87 yards on 6 grabs and for being just a sophomore has become a legitimate weapon and prospect. Much of the Burrs running success came from the power-I formation. Sr. FB/DE David Fitzgerald (6-25) and Hand did a great job of paving the way time after time. Defensively, Maddox led with 8 tackles. Fitzgerald forced a fumble. Hand recovered a fumble and had a sack amongst his five tackles. Sr. LB Khalid Jones and soph. LB Wayne Donahue evenly split 10 tackles. For Carroll, the hard-hitting and sure-tackling Rorick was in on 16 stops. Jr. Dave Puliti was next in line with 12 tackles. Sr. LB Will Bradley and sr. DB Bryan Maguire split 12 tackles. Sr/ LB Mark Herm chipped in with 7 tackles. Playing on both sides of the ball and holding his own was frosh. Jordan Faust (6-4, 265). He is the younger brother of Justin Faust, a standout from last year. This kid has the makings to be an impact player and a serious prospect. Some notes to pass along: Brinkley went over the 7,000-yard barrier in the game. He now has exactly 7,200 yards!! His four touchdowns now give him 83 for his career, just four behind Frankford’s Eddie Gaskins who holds the career record with 87. He also went over 2,000 yard for the season (now at 2,081) and became the first player to do that twice in a career. In two games this season against Carroll he rushed 84 times for 549 yards and 9 touchdowns. They’re career numbers for many. In two games against West this year Rorick has been in on 37 tackles. Despite the Norristown location, especially for West rooters, there was a decent crowd on hand. The people that turned out were treated to a dandy of a game. The game featured 107 total plays, 33 firstdowns, and 937 all-purpose yardage. Carroll’s Wood hurt his lower leg late in the second quarter and did not return. How about some irony? The Burrs got a sense of redemption, as last year on the same field, and on the same date they lost the CL Blue Final to Carroll 22-7.

NOV. 14
CL RED SEMIFINAL
SJ Prep 41  LaSalle 14
     After a brief scare the Hawks finally settled in and rolled to their 34th straight victory and secured a date in the CL Red final for the fourth consecutive year. The Explorers came out firing and needed just three plays to cover 67 yards for the game’s first score. Brassy jr. QB Mike Lynch hit a wide open sr. WR/DB Chris Garzone (3-101) down the middle of the field for a 32-yard touchdown just :56 seconds into the game. The LaSalle faithful had to be feeling good about themselves, but it wouldn’t last for long. On the Hawks first offensive play following the score, sr. RB/DB Danny Jones was shot out of a cannon and went 72 yards before being pulled down at the two-yard line. Two plays later sr. FB/LB Brian Tracz (8-38) burrowed in from the one. It took the Hawks just 1:09 to answer back. The rest of the first half belonged to the Hawks. LaSalle would only manage one more firstdown in the half. Take away the 67 yards LaSalle had on their first drive and the Prep out-gained them a whopping 329-to-6 yards. When this team is running on all cylinders they are a machine. Soph RB John Shaw (15-109) scored the next two touchdowns on runs of 20 and 3 yards. Shaw has tremendous feet and when he gets in the open it is lights out. It’s a safe bet that he will rack-up serious numbers in the next two seasons. Sr. DB Greg Ambrogi supplied the run of the night on a 50-yard interception return for a TD. After making an over-the-shoulder grab with a LaSalle receiver clinging to him, he broke free and spun up field. He shredded numerous tackles on the return and spun-off at least two would-be tacklers. This was Ambrogi’s 12th pick of the year. Providing the half’s final score was Jones, who dazzled all evening long. On this play, he headed up the middle, bounced to his left and then made a wicked move on a LaSalle defender leaving him in the dust. Jones added a 23-yard score in the second half. For the game he rung up 251 yards on 18 carries. This kid has serious speed and is stronger than he appears. He is arguably the best all-around football player in the city. It will be interested to see what offers come his way. He is not the biggest player, but he has done nothing but excel during his time at the Prep. Sr. QB Mark Noonan was not asked to throw much, he finished 5-for-8, for 48 yards. Jr. WR/LB Steve Quinn, who has been known to unleash the big play, did not have to in this tilt. He did however gather in four receptions for 34 yards. Two of these grabs went for firstdowns.  Where he did make noise was on the defensive side of the ball. He led the Hawks with five tackles, with 2.5 of these being sacks. Sr. DT Brandon Friday (sack) and soph DT Charlie Noonan (.5 sack) also got to the quarterback. Tracz and Ambrogi evenly split eight tackles. Sr. DB Kevin Murray recovered a muffed punt late in the game. The Prep netted 476 yards of total offense (422 rushing yards). Much of the credit has to go to the boys up front. This group includes: Sr. T Dave O’Brien (6-4, 258), sr. T Mike Robinson (6-0, 272), jr. G Brendan Gilroy (6-2, 247) sr. G Mike Buscaglia (5-10, 244), sr. C Pat Regan, and sr. TE Matt Parkhurst (6-4, 243). What this bunch lacks in overall size they more than make up for with quickness, technique, and desire. The Explorers for as hard as they played were just flat-out overmatched. Lynch is a nice player, and showed his toughness on LaSalle’s second touchdown. On a fourth down play, he kept the ball on a keeper and went around the left end. He was met at the goal line by Jones, but lowered his head and made it into the endzone. He passed for 176 yards, but went just 8-for-25. A bulk of his yardage came on four completions that went for 30-yards or more. Sr. WR John Trainer (3-70) pulled in two of these completions. Can a team abandon the run before the game actually begins? Well, that’s what it seemed like tonight. LaSalle had just 9 yards on 15 carries, Ouch!!! Explorer RB’s had just 5 yards on 8 carries. In fact, a LaSalle RB didn’t run the ball until the 6:09 mark of the second quarter.  This was LaSalle’s 15th offensive play. Defensively, the Explorers were on the field for long stretches. Sr. LB Kevin Donohoe had a game-high 11 tackles. Jr. DB Rob Forster was next in line with 10 tackles. He also had a busy leg, as he punted eight times for a 33.1 average, his longest kick was 55 yards.  Sr. DB Chris Mulholland and sr. DE Frank Jorfi (sack) evenly split 18 tackles. Sr. DE Jack Crouse (7 tackles) and jr. LB Joe Sobocinski (6 tackles) each added a sack. Jr. DT Christian Barrett and sr. DB Brian Hogan each had 6 tackles apiece. Jr. LB Eddie DiDonato hustled for seven stops. Sr. DB Kyle Whitmire had an interception. Some notes to pass along: Danny Jones and Kevin Donohoe were presented with game MVP trophies afterwards. Prep Head Coach Gil Brooks and his team were presented with a trophy that is usually given to the winner of this game on Thanksgiving. For those of you who have been sleeping for the past two days, the game has been cancelled. I spent the duration of the game on the Prep sideline and I don’t think too many of the players, coaches, and supporters were pleased with this decision. The Prep had 22 first downs to LaSalle’s 5. LaSalle’s first six plays of the first half netted 86 yards. There first two plays of the second half 69 yards. Their 32 remaining plays netted just 30 yards. Jones (1,141 yds) and Shaw (1,047 yds) both surpassed the 1,000-yard barrier in the game. Quite an accomplishment, and not just for these two individuals, but for the entire team. The 7 o’clock start time saw the game start with probably only about 50% of the audience already in their seats. Later, the crowd looked good, but I wouldn’t call it one of the better turnouts for a Prep/LaSalle game. The Prep student section got involved and landed two good chants late in the second quarter. After the score became 34-7, they bellowed out with, “start the buses, start the buses.” Then my personal favorite immediately followed, “Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving.” Jones’ 18 carries marked just the second time this season that he carried the ball more than 13 times in a single game. Former Philadelphia Eagle and current NBC-10 sports reporter Vai Sikahema was in attendance on the Prep sideline. He was joined by current Eagles player Reno Mahe. Both men played their college ball at BYU.

NOV. 8
CL BLUE
Wood 20, West Catholic 7
     Don’t let the thirteen-point spread fool you. This was a highly competitive and tremendous high school football game that was eventually settled in the last four minutes. The Vikings sr. DB Tim Kilkenny intercepted a pass and raced 41 yards to break a 7-7 tie with 4:10 remaining. On the play, Kilkenny stepped in front of a West soph WR John Maddox on a short hitch play. He momentarily bobbled and then showed great concentration to gather it in. The run afterwards was uneventful, as he had nothing but open real estate in front of him. With exactly one-minute to play Wood sr, QB Dane Mangin, off a beautiful fake in wishbone formation, scampered around the left side to put the icing on the cake. Wood took the initial lead late in the first half. First, their defense stopped West sr. FB/DE David Fitzgerald on third down and then, sr. QB Will Burke on fourth down at the West 25-yard line. The Burrs needed just a half-of-yard on each play for a first down.  Six plays later, impressive soph RB Bryan McCartney bulled home from four yards out to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead with just :33 seconds left in the half. McCartney was brilliant on the night rushing for 161 yards on 25 carries. He does a good job of bouncing off the first tackler and seems to always be moving forward. In my opinion, though not as strong yet, but he reminds me of former SJ Prep RB Pat Kaiser. He is one to keep an eye on down the road. West tied the game on their first possession of the second half. Sr. star RB Curtis Brinkley (17-76) took a toss and raced around the right corner for a 9-yard touchdown. Two key pass plays led to the score. First, Burke found sr. WR Evan Polk on a 12-yard reception on third down to keep the drive alive. Then, Maddox made a sensational 37-yard catch. While falling back, with a defender close by, he was able to somehow make the catch. Later, Maddox made another circus grab near the Wood sideline. He finished with 79 yards on three receptions. However, he fumbled after his first reception, a fifteen-yarder that would of put the ball at the Wood three-yard line. The ball went forward into the end zone and Wood recovered halting a potential West scoring-threat. From my vantagepoint it looked like  Maddox, while being tackled leaned forward and slammed the ball to ground, which then caused the fumble. It was a close call and a tough break for the Burrs. The teams combined for seven turnovers, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sloppy game. There was just plenty of hard-hitting and solid team defense on both parts. In my opinion the Vikings are the best defensive team in the CL Blue. They fly to the ball and are sure tacklers. I was highly impressed with jr. LB Bill Gross, who for only being 5-11, 180 LBS really packs a wallop. He finished with team-high 8 tackles, two went for losses. Sr. DT/OL Pat Kane (6-6, 265) is extremely strong. I think he can make some noise at the next level. He chipped in with 6 stops. Hard-hitting LB’s sr. Brian Devlin and sr. Michael Kruzits (6-1, 225) split 10 tackles. Jr. DE Brian Howard and Devlin each registered sacks. Jr. DB John McFadden snared a pick right before the half. Gross and Kilkenny each had fumble recoveries. This group did a fantastic job of containing Brinkley and not letting him run wild. Brinkley had some good moments in the second half with runs of 18 and 20 yards, but was unable to break the big one. Most of his success came on tosses, as Wood really jammed the holes between the tackles. Burke had mild success both running and throwing the ball. He passed 5-for-15, for 100 yards and ran 10 times for 45 yards. Defensively, Maddox who made eight tackles and recovered a fumble led the Burrs. Soph LB Wayne Donahue (Forced fumb.) also registered eight tackles, two went for losses. Frosh DE Isaiah Edmond continues to improve and added eight stops. Burke made a fumble recovery and jr. DB Carl Graham recovered a muffed punt. Jr. LB Kelvin Quick was active with 7 tackles. Fitzgerald supplied the hit of the night when he fired through a gap on a third-and-very short play and hammered McCartney for a two-yard loss. Some notes to pass along: To show how evenly played this game was, West ran 49 plays to Wood’s 46, and out-gained them 244 yards to 243 yards. There was a solid turnout for the game, as the Wood side of the field was filled rather nicely. Also, many of the Burr faithful made the trip up to Warminster. McCartney added 55 yards on kickoff returns. He finished with 216 all-purpose yards. Wood sr. K Tom Laurich launched two kickoffs into the endzone. He has a serious leg! After he shanked an early punt, he sent his four following boots for an average of 39 yards. Wood clinched first place with the win. The remaining three spots in the Blue Division are up for grabs. Neumann, West, Carroll, Conwell-Egan, and Kennedy-Kenrick all have three losses heading into the final weekend. Key games next week are: Conwell-Egan/West, KK/Wood, and Carroll/Dougherty. Neumann has finished their regular season at 5-3, and it appears McDevitt is on the outside looking in with four losses. It should be interesting!

NOV. 8
CL BLUE
Neumann 27, McDevitt 0
     With a playoff spot on the line the Pirates used a suffocating defense and an opportunistic offense to bully their way to a win. The game started with five consecutive punts, but on McDevitt’s third possession Neumann’s, sr. LB/FB Frank Baldino made the game’s first critical play. On the second play of the second quarter Baldino swarmed upon McDevitt’s sr. QB T.C. Sawick and sacked him while jarring the ball loose. The ball flung into jr. DT James Smart’s arms, who was then brought down at the McDevitt six-yard line. Baldino then burrowed in from the one on fourth down to give the Buccos the early lead. As it turned out that’s all the points Neumann would need, as from here on out they coasted. The defense spearheaded by Baldino forced five more turnovers (all INT’s). They held McDevitt to 68 yards of total offense and just four firstdowns. Picks were had by: sr. LB Darryl Gillard (sack), soph DB Keith Williams, sr. DB/RB Richard McMickens. Sr. DB/RB Billy Canady, and jr. DB Kenny Brown. Baldino led in tackles with seven, including three for losses (20 yds). It was Baldino that sprung life into the Pirates offense in the early going. He ripped-off tough runs of nine and twelve yards. He finished with 49 yards on 13 carries. The workhorse on this day was McMickens, who carried a career-high 27 times, for 121 yards. Mostly known for his speed, McMickens showed some toughness on this afternoon. Canady (12-46) was his usual spirited self and scored two touchdowns. Showing his quickness, he sprinted around the corner and scored Neumann’s second touchdown on a 15-yard run. This made the score 13-0. On their next possesion, he hauled in a 4-yard pass from sr. QB Jon Brady. He added the conversion run, and the Pirates and a more than comfortable 21-0 lead at the intermission. Later, Brady plunged in from the one-yard line, providing the last Neumann score of the afternoon. Jr. OL/DT Marques Slocumb (6-5, 310) is still a manchild. His size, strength, and athleticism make him one of the more intriguing junior prospects in the area. Also, helping up front on the O-line were: jr. Joseph Stankiewicz, Smart, sr. C Jason Olivieri, sr. Joseph Sandefur, and sr. TE Mike Matteo. After two-consecutive hard-fought victories the young Lancers ran out of magic. Once they fell behind things became extremely difficult for them, and the Pirates knew it. Sawick was pressured throughout and completed more passes to the defenders than to his team. He finished 3-for-15, for just 32 yards and the five picks. The ground game was not much better and leading rusher, jr. Damien Jordan managed just 24 yards on 10 totes. For good stretches the Lancer defense played tough. Once again, they were led by, jr. DB Steve Merlini who registered a team-high 13 tackles. Nobody throws their body around like this kid who is generously listed at 5-9, 170 lbs. Sr. DB Terence Nelson and sr. DE Sterling Williams evenly split 16 tackles. Soph LB Steve Gallagher (7 tackles), jr. DE John Gorman (7 tackles), and sr. DB Ryan Gara (6 tackles) all were active. Jr. DE/FB Jesse Alderfer added an interception. Playing in his first varsity game frosh, LB Jim Surdakowsky looked good and had a sack among his seven stops. Some notes to pass along: To date, the most carries McMickens had in a game this year was 14. He nearly doubled this in this outing. Also, the fullback position has been vital to the Neumann’s offense during the past few seasons. For one reason or another that hasn’t been the case this year. In the previous five games Baldino has had a total of twelve carries. He had thirteen in this one. Neumann’s jr. P Michael McLaughlin punted four times for a 35.3 average. McDevitt’s head basketball coach Paul Westhead, I mean Jack Rutter was once again a fixture on the sidelines. He was proclaiming that, “one week to the real sport begins.” Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we still have plenty of gridiron action ahead. The Pirates had 89 yards on their five INT returns. Neumann ran 66 plays to McDevitt’s 35 plays. I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the Neumann student-cheering brigade. They have dubbed themselves, “The Neumann Cove.” Much of what comes out of this group would take some serious editing skills, so I won’t get into their somewhat unique chants. (Smile)! However, I will give them credit for their trek up to Plymouth-Whitemarsh on such a brisk and cold afternoon. See, for most South Philadelphia teenagers a good Saturday afternoon travel would be to the nearest cheesesteak establishment. All kidding aside, this group seemed to be having fun and very much into the game and it was good to see the enthusiasm.   I’ll be looking for you at future Pirate affairs.

NOV. 2
CATHOLIC BLUE
West Catholic 36, Carroll 26
     West rushing sensation sr. Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley was at it again, and again, and again, then some more and a little more in this spirited and highly entertaining CL Blue contest. The Burrs, who lost to Carroll in last year’s CL Blue championship game, dominated in the second half and got a bit of revenge. Brinkley in one word was: unbelievable! Today we saw Brinkley being fast, Brinkley being quick, Brinkley being tough, Brinkley being determined, and Brinkley being strong. He rushed 45 times for his fifth career 300-yard performance, finishing with 314 yards. He scored all five Burr touchdowns (2, 41, 6, 5, & 5) and 34 of the 36 points. The Burrs controlled the line scrimmage and had the Carroll defense on the field throughout. West had four drives in which they ran ten plays or more. In fact, West ran 69 offensive plays, while Carroll ran just 30. Quite a disparity! Trailing 7-0, West methodically unleashed an 18-play, 87 yard drive that ate up close to twelve minutes of game clock to tie the game. A late second quarter interception by Carroll’s sr. LB Bryan Maguire (7 tackles) placed the ball at the West three after his 44-yard return. On the next play, sr. RB Richard Wood scampered in from the three and Carroll took a 14-7 halftime lead. West jr. RB Carl Graham started the second half with a nice 36-yard kickoff return. On the next play, Brinkley took the handoff, started right, cut back, and then calmly split a pair of Carroll defensive backs for his 41-yard TD. Let the frolicking begin! After a Carroll touchdown gave them a brief 20-13 lead, West scored on three successive drives, and before Carroll knew what hit them, West had seized a commanding 36-20 lead. Another week, and another week of sr. FB/DE David Fitzgerald being a bully. I think he’s starting to like this fullback job; just a hunch that I have. Once again, he bruised defenders all afternoon with rock-solid blocking. He also ran 9 times for 55 yards. On one of his carries, an 11-yard run, he carried four or five tacklers an extra five yards or so. He’s been an absolute beast the last few weeks. Sr. QB Will Burke despite the early interception (just his second this year) had another solid game. He finished 5-for-7, for 55 yards. All of his completions went to promising soph. WR John Maddox. His prettiest pass came on a second-and-21 play. West was only up 21-20, when he perfectly lofted a pass over a defender into the waiting arms of Maddox. Maddox tiptoed down the sideline and eventually drew a late hit penalty. Burke also supplied the game’s most critical run. Faced with fourth-and-inches from just inside their own thirty Head coach Brian Fluck decided to go for it. He called Burke’s number and he narrowly got the first down on a sneak. The tip of the ball barely snuck past the chain. Nine plays later West took a more comfortable lead 29-20 after Brinkley’s fourth rushing touchdown. Aggressive soph LB Wayne Donahue again anchored the Burr defensive unit. He had a team high 7 tackles and also snagged an interception. He returned the pick 24 yards, tack on a personal foul penalty to Carroll and the Burrs were looking good at the Carroll eleven. Two plays later, Brinkley plunged in from the five and West had a 36-20 lead. DB’s Burke, Maddox and sr. Thomas Fontaine evenly split 15 tackles. Burke also forced a fumble, which was recovered by sr. DB Kevin Gardner. Jr. DE Derrell Hand (6-4, 285) registered a sack. Much praise has to go to the Burrs O-line, who fed off of Brinkley’s success. This unit includes, TE Hand, jr. C Thomas Davis, G’s sr. Fran Enright and Frank Pirrott, and T’s jr. Matt DeMarco (6-2, 290) and jr. Robert Grant (6-3, 320). DeMarco also deflected the ball that Donahue intercepted which allowed the ball to travel right into his waiting hands. Carroll had good success on offense, but just couldn’t get their hands on the ball enough. Sr. RB Ryan Stewart (8-96) and sr. FB/LB Ryan Harford (10-75) each scored touchdowns. Harford played no defense in the first three quarters. Then on just his second defensive play he was hurt. He laid on the field and yelled dishearteningly. He was later placed into an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital. It is feared that he may have a broken left ankle. We all wish Ryan the best and a speedy recovery. To this point of the season he has been arguably the CL Blue’s MVP.  The Patriots will sorely miss his services. Jr. QB Greg Kobilka only attempted four passes, completing two for 37 yards and a touchdown. His first pass was intercepted. He later connected with sr. WR Albert Wankmiller for a 16-yard touchdown to close out the game’s scoring. Defensively, the Patriots battled, but couldn’t keep up with the resilient Brinkley. Jr. DB Brian Rorick was all over the field, and I kept saying to myself, man he has a lot of tackles. Well he did, and finished with a lofty 21 stops. Sixteen of these tackles were made on Brinkley. I say they got to know each other pretty well. SR. LB Will Bradley played a tough and solid game and had 11 tackles. Sr. two-way lineman John Lachman chipped in with nine tackles and had 1.5 sacks. Sr. LB Mark Herm added a sack and eight stops. Jr. TE/DE Pete Novak (8 tackles ) was also busy. Some notes to pass along: The 45 rushes by Brinkley approached the city record of 49, set by Judge’s RB Mike Elentrio in 1983. The five touchdowns by Brinkley now give him 76 in his career. The city record is 87 held by Frankford’s Eddie Gaskins. Check this out, in Brinkley’s last three games he has rushed 103 times for 951 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, while racking up 102 points. Phew, I think my calculator might need some new batteries! West rang-up 25 first downs, 22 of them came on running plays. West was nine-for-fourteen on third and fourth down conversions. Rorick also punted twice and showed great hang time on these punts. He averaged 53 yds per punt. West jr. K Josiah Morley, also a soccer player is out with severely sprained ankle. He got the injury during a soccer game. Sr. Franklin Scott, also a soccer player was added to the roster and in his first game appearance wen 2-for-3 on extra points. He also got good lift on his kickoffs, he sent his first kickoff to the three. Not bad, for a first time out. Tom “Puck” McKenna was in attendance, he made a brief halftime appearance and blabbed away for a solid five minutes. Suspiciously, he was nowhere to be found after the game. I don’t think he wanted to come under the wrath of the Burr faithful after his, “Carroll might send you guys back to the Radnor train station.” Comment. This was only Carroll’s fourth loss to a CL Blue opponent in the 5-year history of the league. This was their first home loss. West now owns two of these defeats.

NOV. 1
CL BLUE
McDevitt 6, Conwell-Egan 0
    Wow, what a difference two weeks makes! It was just two weeks ago when I witness this young McDevitt club get scorched by West Catholic, 56-7. In that game the Lancer defense was on the field for eight possessions and gave up touchdowns on every one of them. Tonight, the McDevitt defense was everywhere and every time they needed a big play they got one. The game’s lone touchdown came on McDevitt’s first possession of the second half. The Lancers traveled 69 yards on 11 plays, and converted on three short third down situations. The last was a 3-yard touchdown pass from, sr. QB T.C. Sawick to sr. Alec Serowatka. On the play, Sawick used play-action and then threw slightly back to his right to find Serowatka in the back of the end zone. Serowatka (4-75) showed good concentration and snared in the pass over an Eagle defender. This combination was instrumental for getting the Lancers into scoring position. Earlier on the drive they connected on a 41-yard pass play that placed the ball at the Eagles 12 yard line. This was Sawick’s first action under center and he did a commendable job. He finished 5-for-9, for 78 yards. He was picked-off twice, but nonetheless hung in there and made mostly good decisions. Soph QB Tom Maha is week-to-week with back spasms. Jr. RB Damien Jordan (19-73) ran hard and showed occasional bursts. While the McDevitt offense did what they had to do to ensure the win, it was the defense that shined. Three of the four Eagle second half possessions reached McDevitt’s side of the field, but each time they were thwarted by an aggressive group of Lancers. Early in the second half, jr. DE/FB Jesse Alderfer (6 tackles) made a diving interception at the McDevitt 18 yard line. Last year, Alderfer was a promising tight end candidate. However, after the early-season injury to star rusher, jr. Lamar McPherson, he has spent much of his time as fullback in the McDevitt offense. He showed he hasn’t lost his pass-catching ability with this snag. Conwell-Egan’s last two possessions ended with great defensive stands. First, at the midway point of the fourth quarter Eagle sr. QB Chris Schaefer was stuffed by a host of McDevitt defenders on a fourth-and-two play from the McDevitt 31-yard line. The Eagles last series ended with just under a minute to play on a fourth-and-eleven attempt. Schaefer’s pass was incomplete and the partying began. The key play on that drive was on third down. Needing just two yards, the Eagles tried one of their signature plays, a sweep left to franchise jr. RB Steve Slaton. The play lost nine yards as jr. DB Steve Merlini (9 tackles) perfectly sniffed it out, and with the help from a teammate threw the dangerous Slaton to the ground for the loss. I love the determination Merlini exhibits, and pound-for-pound he is one of the toughest performers whenever he walks onto a football field. Late in the first half The Eagles appeared that they were going to score, as they were in the midst of 17-play drive and were at the Lancer three on second down. Then, a pair of sacks sandwiched around a costly Eagle holding penalty put the ball back at the 22 yard line. Sr. DT Keith Scheurle and soph LB Joe Mulhern registered the sacks. The Eagles sr. K Matt Fischer barley missed on a 39-yard field goal try. Mulhern was over the field and was in on eleven tackles. Three of these tackles went for losses. Also spearheading the defense was sr. LB Mark Tipson who also registered eleven tackles. Sr. DB Terence Nelson (8 tackles)) and sr. DE Sterling Williams (7 tackles) played strong throughout. The Eagles moved the ball occasionally, but had few significant plays in the game. Slaton was bottled-up for good parts of the game. He finished with 84 yards on 29 carries, and believe me when I tell you, he earned everyone of those yards. I kept saying to myself, he’ll break one soon, but it never happen. Every time he shook off a n initial hit, another Lancer defender would finish him off. His longest run went for just ten yards. Right now, the Eagles passing attack is non-existent. Schaefer, who last year shared fullback duties with good success, has been thrown in to direct his squad. He completed five passes, but for only 39 yards. Also, there is a problem with exchanges between him and the center. At least 10-to-12 times did I notice a bobble or a shaky exchange. Led by LB’s sr. Bryan Hrynczyszyn (10 tackles) and jr. Ryan Biernat (9 tackles) the Eagles defense played hard and tough. Jr. DT Tom Pezolt has a sack and two other TFL’s (15 yds total). Sr. DB Ryan Papandrea chipped in with six tackles. SR. DB Marty O’Hara (5 stops), Slaton and sr. DB Jeff Mclenton each recorded a pick. Some notes to pass along: This win was huge for the Lancers playoff hopes and it now looks like the last couple of spots in the Blue division will come down to the final weeks of action. McDevitt played without at least five starting members. The interceptions recorded by the trio of Egan DB’s was interesting in another way. In order, O’Hara, Slaton, and McClenton snared picks. The players wear uniform numbers, #21, #22 and #23. At halftime Conwell-Egan soph Jamie Holland (sister of ex-basketball star Andrew Holland) put on a fabulous baton exhibition. She spun, spun, and spun again to Beyonce’s, “Crazy in Love” tune. She then lit the baton on fire and began to twirl some more. It was quite a performance!!

OCT. 25
CATHOLIC BLUE
West Catholic 41, North Catholic 13
     Coming into the contest the Burrs franchise, sr. RB Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley needed 171 yards to eclipse the all-time city rushing mark held by 1998 Frankford grad Eddie Gaskins. On the Burrs first offensive play, Brinkley was stuffed for a short 1-yard gain. The Falcons sideline erupted and had that, they’ll be no record-setting performance today attitude. Umm, not so fast. Brinkley unleashed a 26-yard run on the very next play and never looked back. In one of the greatest single-game performances our city has ever seen, the determined and talented back torched the Falcons to the tone of 399 yards on 30 carries. He scored five touchdowns on the day (32, 40, 17, 80 & 7). Brinkley attained the record on the last play of the first half. After a Burr timeout with :05 seconds left, Brinkley ripped-off a 19-yard gain to close out the half. Ted’s Monday Daily News story will have more details covering the celebration that took place. A celebration that included an emotional moment between Brinkley and his family, as well as a sideline meeting between Brinkley and former record holder Gaskins. Brinkley finished the half with 189 yards. I immediately directed my attention to another possible record. The single-game rushing record held by Cardinal Dougherty’s Lawrence Reid, who attained 379 yards in a game in 1976. I said to Ted, he’s halfway to the record. He replied, “Next stop, Reidsville.” He accomplished the record on an 8-yard run, and did it on a drive in which he carried the ball nine consecutive times that covered 80 yards. I’m sure Ted will get into these events a little more. I’ll just do game stuff from this point on. Sr. FB/DE David Fitzgerald (5-11, 270) was a beast all afternoon. He only rushed four times for 28 yards, but boy did he block, and block, and block. His lead blocking the last two weeks has been magnificent. He’s shown the attitude that a bruising fullback needs to show: get out of my way, I’m taking no prisoners. He looks like he enjoys slamming into linebackers and has packed a wallop in doing so. Also deserving credit was the Burrs O-line, who seem to be getting into a grove. The line includes jr. C Thomas Davis, G’s jr. Frank Pirrotta and sr. Fran Enright, T’s jr. Robert Grant (6-3, 320) and jr. Matt DeMarco (6-2, 295), and jr. TE Derrell Hand (6-4. 285). Did somebody say line up the steak dinners? The Burrs' other offensive touchdown came on a way-to-easy 36-yard pass from sr. QB Will Burke to sr. WR Evan Polk. Though Burke just attempted just seven passes, completing two. He did look good in doing so. At least three of his passes were dropped and could have gone for scores. He showed good presence in the pocket and threw some beautiful balls. This is a good sign for the Burrs, as they’ll need some semblance of a passing game in their upcoming important games with Carroll and Wood. Defensively, the Burrs racked up four sacks (Fitzgerald, Hand, soph LB Wayne Donahue and frosh DE Isaiah Edmond). Donahue and Fitzgerald were tackling leaders with seven and six respectfully. Sr. DB Thomas Fontaine added five stops and an interception. Jr. RB/KR Carl Graham added 101 yards in returns. He had an exhilarating 88-yard kickoff return called back. This kid is shifty and very quick. For the Falcons, jr. RB Shane McNamara ran hard throughout. He toughed-out 120 yards on 23 carries. Jr. QB Joe Waclawski had some decent moments. He scored the Falcons first TD on a 1-yard keeper. He passed 9-for-20, for 124 yards and score. His main receiving targets were sr. Sammy Ladd (3-56, TD) and sr. TE Ryan Nottis (4-36). Ladd’s touchdown came on the game’s last play, as Waclawski hurled a 37-yard bomb that floated over a West defender and into the waiting arms of Ladd. Soph FB Rasuel Thomas looks to have some promise. I would have liked to see him get a few more touches, he did look impressive on an early 11-yard run that set-up the first North score. Defensively, LB Thomas and jr. DT Hector Guzman registered sacks. Tackling leaders were, jr. DB Matt Sharkey (8), jr. DB Dwight Williams (9) and jr. LB Dom Fardella (7). Some notes to pass along: With his five touchdowns Brinkley has now entered the end zone an impressive 71 times during his career. Burr backs sure do like playing in Frankford’s stadium. In 2000, Abdul Sesay amassed 262 yards in a game against the Falcons. Combine that with Brinkley’s 399 yards, and Burr tailbacks have tallied 661 yards. Brinkley family members had a pair of nice looking banners. One read, “Curtis Brinkley, Simply the Best.” The other had the numbers, “6,123”, which of course was the new record. North’s Waclawski punted five times for a 36.6 average. He boomed punts of 57 & 47 yards in the second half. After Brinkley’s final carry of the game, Gaskins noted, “Now that’s how you feed a guy the ball.” The Burrs produced 586 yards in the game (counting returns). Early in the game, after a nifty 16-yard punt return by Brinkley. Sr. DB Kevin Gardner blurted, “Huck, he’s in one of those moods.” Boy, was he ever!!!

OCT. 24
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 34, Haverford School 14
     The Quakers capitalized on early-and-often Haverford mistakes and took a commanding 27-0 lead early in the second quarter. Penn Charter struck first after, sr. RB/DB Hanif Hopkins recovered a muffed punt at the Haverford 6-yard line. Following a Haverford penalty, sr. RB/DB Zack Zeglinski plowed in from the three giving the Quakers the early lead. Haverford’s next possession ended when talented sr. QB Bryan Savage was sacked by frosh. DB Sean Dressel. Savage fumbled the ball on the play and the Quakers jr. DE/TE R.J. Hollinshead recovered. On Penn Charter’s first play after the turnover jr. QB James Hannah found Hollinshead for a 28-yard touchdown. Hollinshead broke at least two, maybe three tackles on the run. This duo was not finished and on the Quakers' first play of their next possession they once again connected. This time it was on another crossing route that went for 44 yards and another Quakers touchdown. Hollinshead had an eventful 2:46 stretch, recovering a fumble and scoring two receiving touchdowns. Amazingly, the Quakers scored on their first play of their next possession, when Zeglinski raced 81 yards for a score. However, the play was called back for an illegal block. If the play had stood the Quakers then would have scored four touchdowns on four consecutive offensive plays. Soon after, on that same drive the Quakers did score, as Hannah found speedy soph WR/DB Kamal Marell on an underneath screen for a beautiful 46-yard touchdown. The Quakers did an excellent job of showing what appeared to be a screen set up to Zeglinski, when out of nowhere Marell darted across the middle to accept Hannah’s pass. When Marell runs it seems like his feet hardly touch the ground. He is very quick and is one to keep an eye on in the future. Midway through the third quarter Zeglinski (14-110) capped the Quakers scoring with a 5-yard run. Zeglinski’s younger brother soph RB/DB Joe Zeglinski is a talented player for Archbishop Ryan’s football team. In many ways the two mirror one another. In both body type and running style. Both change speeds when necessary while carrying the ball. Also, they each have quick feet and tremendous balance. There is much to like about Hannah (6-4, 210), who transferred into Penn Charter prior to the season. He finished 7-for-11, for 161 yards and the two scores. He showed poise, toughness and a strong arm. He has decent possibilities down the line. Sr. DT/OL Biff Gottehrer (6-3, 290) was an anchor on both lines and moved rather well for a big guy. Also, playing well on both lines was jr. Colin Hitschler (8 tackles, .5 sack, forced fumble). Hitschler also does the place kicking. It was the pressure the Quakers defense put on Savage early that propelled them to the early lead. They sacked the Wisconsin-bound quarterback four times in the game, with three coming in the initial part of the game. The defense was led Marell who had 7 tackles and an interception. Soph LB Joe Rauchut, Zeglinski and jr. DB Ryan Nanni each had six stops. Soph DE Ned Bryan added a fumble recovery. For Haverford School sr. QB Bryan Savage was once showed why he is a top-flight quarterback prospect. Not only does he show you in statistics and athletic ability, but also in the way he carries himself on the field. This kid is a warrior, and though the losses have outnumbered the wins during his career with the Fords don’t expect that to continue at the next level. He showed what kind of special player he is during two fourth quarter plays. First, after an interception he hustled and made a touchdown saving tackle. Then, on a scramble he scampered down the sideline, and when he got near the goal line he dove for the pylon sacrificing his body. He didn’t score (I thought he did), but gave a tremendous effort in not doing so. He finished the game 15-for-23, for 207 yards and a score. The score came when he hit sr. TE/DE Pat Fisher (6-6, 215) on a designed rollout with a 10-yard pass. Twice he hit sr. WR/DB Dan Coleman (7-156) on bombs (52 & 43 yds). Both of these balls were thrown beautifully. Soph RB Marty Gallagher (10-36, TD) and jr. RB Sean Halloran (10-38) shared the ball carrying duties. Defensively, the Fords were led by, sr. LB Ben O’Brien who registered seven tackles and a sack. Jr. DT Will Barker (6-7, 250) also chipped in with 7 stops. DE Fisher (5 tackles, sack, forced fumble, & fumble rec.) and soph DT Eric Pender (6 tackles) played well. Coleman added a fumble recovery and made the hit of the afternoon when he sent Zeglinski flying on a kickoff return. Some notes to pass along: After a short run by Haverford RB Sean Halloran he immediately jumped up and told the umpire that he got in his way. The umpire replied, “Run me over, just go ahead and run me over. I need to be there too.” I thought the line was kind of catchy and asked the sideline official if I could have the umpire’s name. He said, “Joe.” I asked him for his last name, and he told me, “Are you a coach?” In which, I said no, I’m from the paper. Which led him to say, “Sorry, no last names, only for the head coach.” I told him it wasn’t for anything negative. He just continued with, “Can’t do it. Sorry, it’s protocol.” Oh yeah, well here’s some protocol for you: don’t expect any ink anytime soon. I spent a good part of the day paling around with Terry Toohey from the Delaware County Times. This was my first encounter with Terry. He was a good guy and by game’s end we were sharing Tom “Puck” McKenna stories. My favorite was this: the time Puck couldn’t figure out how to hook his VCR up to his TV. So, what did he do? Call someone to help? No. Instead, he carried the TV with the VCR on top down Kensington Avenue to an electronics repair store to have it hooked up. You gotta love the Puckster!!!

OCT. 18
CATHOLIC BLUE
West Catholic 56, McDevitt 7
   Last week I mentioned that West had not put an entire 48 minutes of solid football together this season and that it was costing them games. This week they did, and then some. The Burrs offense scored every time they got their hands on the ball and throttled a young bunch of Lancers. Not in my wildest imagination could I ever have envisioned an outcome as severe as this. Leading the charge was none other than supreme rusher, sr. Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley (28-238) who torched the McDevitt defense for six touchdowns (5 runs, 1 pass). Brinkley also had a conversion run to give him a total of 38 points on the afternoon, tying a Catholic League record. Last week, Neumann’s sr. RB Billy Canady set the record in his team’s 64-0 win over Dougherty. Brinkley’s scoring runs covered 2, 65, 21, 5, and 2 yards. He also hauled in a 19-yard TD reception. On his 65-yard run he past former O’Hara RB Kevin Jones (now starring at Virginia Tech) for second place on the city’s career rushing list. With 5,952 career yards he now has Frankford’s Eddie Gaskins on the radar screen. Gaskins is the city’s all-time leading rusher with 6,122 yards. Brinkley needs just 171 yards to eclipse this magnificent feat. Next up on the schedule for the Burrs is a date with the Falcons of North Catholic. The Lancers could not do much right this afternoon and the Burrs took advantage of every one of their mistakes. McDevitt fumbled the ball on the first offensive play of the game. Five plays later the Burrs were celebrating. The Lancers next series also ended with a fumble. One play later the Burrs were again celebrating. With a 3-yard run by jr. Damien Jordan the Lancers did draw to within 13-7, but this apparent momentum swing would be short-lived. Six plays later Brinkley was once again heading into the house. The big play on the drive was a sweet 41-yard completion from sr. QB Will Burke (4-for-6, 77 yds) to sr. WR Evan Polk. Brinkley scored his fourth touchdown of the half on the Burrs next possession. Closing out the half was Brinkley’s 19-yard scoring reception, it came with just :01 left on the clock and some controversy. With no timeouts, Burke was brought down for a 6-yard loss, he hurried the troops back to the line to spike the ball. When he went to spike he double-pumped, and then sort of pushed the ball with both hands to the ground. The initial call was a fumble, recovered by McDevitt. This drew the ire of West Head Coach Brian Fluck, who disputed the call. The officials gather a few times and then after a few minutes reversed the call and charged Burke with intentional grounding. In the end, West got another play off and scored giving them an insurmountable 36-7 halftime lead. Needless to say, the McDevitt coaches were not happy. The whole ordeal was strange to say the least. Any hope for a miracle McDevitt comeback was dashed when West took their opening drive of the second half 80 yards on 11 plays for yet another Brinkley score. The Burrs would not be done as speedy, jr. RB Carl Graham (8-75) scored on runs of 34 and 6 yards to cap the Burrs last two possessions. Graham isn’t real big, but is very quick and kind of catches teams by surprise with his bursts. Sr. FB/DE David Fitzgerald (7-35) who ran hard, but more importantly was handing out the punishment with his blocking put in a solid game. Fitzgerald to this point had seen limited duties in the fullback position, but after this week’s performance I suspect he’ll be back out there next week. The Burrs offensive line put forth their best outing of the year paving the way to 449 yards of total offense (372 rushing). This group featured jr. C Thomas Davis, jr. TE Derrell Hand (6-4, 285), jr. Matt Demarco (6-2, 295), jr. Frank Pirrotta, jr. Robert Grant (6-3, 320) and sr. Fran Enright. Defensively, the Burrs had many that contributed. Soph LB Wayne Donohue (7 tackles, sack, forced fumble, Demarco (sack) and sr. DB Thomas Fontaine (Int) all recovered fumbles. Impressive frosh. Isaiah Edmond chipped in with 5 stops and a sack. He recorded 3 TFL’s for 12 yards. Pirrotta forced a fumble and Hand had 2 TFL’s chipping in. McDevitt could not muster much offense and only accumulated 117 yards. Forty-six of these yards came on their last possessions against West second team. Soph QB Tom Maha passed 6-for-11, for 77 yards, but is still going threw growing pains as evident by his two early in the game fumbles. The Lancers could only manage 40 yards on the ground on 26 carries. Defensively, sr. Terence Sawick (11 tackles), sr. LB Mark Tipson (9 tackles), Soph LB Steve Gallagher (8 tackles) and jr. Steve Merlini (8 tackles) hustled and played tough. Some notes to pass along: West was penalized 9 times for 99 yards. Amazingly, all came in the first half. The Burrs rung up 22 firstdowns. At the end of a Burke 29-yard run he nicely hurdled over a McDevitt defender. Despite all of the yardage and points the Burrs racked up, their best play may have come on a conversion. After being called for a clip on a successful pass for a conversion the ball was placed way back at the 27-yard line. On the play, Burke found soph WR John Maddox who easily out-jumped the McDevitt defender. This may be a record for yards on a conversion. If West had kicked it would have been a 44-yard extra-point try. Coincidentally, it was Brinkley who hauled in the initial conversion. If it had counted it would have been a 40-point game, Iverson-like!!! McDevitt fumbled seven times, losing three. On the West sideline the McDevitt chain crew had an individual who had a catchy line when trying to catch up with the play. Quite often I heard, “Look out, hot wax coming through.” With all of the yardage West racked up we heard it a lot. There was almost enough wax to open a Madame Tassaud's. Things got so bad early for the Lancers that they had to use a timeout because they were in punt formation with no punter on the field. The ball was almost snapped before the up-back glanced behind himself and saw that something was missing. This was my first ever trip to Cheltenham High School, and the field was in great condition.

OCT. 18
CATHOLIC RED
Roman 21, Bonner 0
     In a game played in a misty, light, steady, annoying, and yes, aggravating rain the Cahillites used a stingy defense to best the Friars in CL Red affair. Whether the conditions are good or bad it is hard to keep Roman, sr. QB Andre Sloan-El under wraps for long. After a forgettable first half (1-for-8, 8 yds, Int) the D-1 recruit seized command and took over the game. He went 8-for-11, 112 yards and two scores in the second half. The Cahillites had just three possessions after halftime and scored on all three of them. First, Sloan-El patiently found sr. WR Khalil Ferguson on a 19-yard scoring strike. The play occurred on a fourth-and-10 play. Ferguson calmly broke free amongst a host of Bonner defenders and rather easily trotted into the house. Earlier in the drive Sloan-El found, sr. WR Charlie “Squid” Squitiere for a 14-yard gain and first down. Roman’s next possession wouldn’t come until the start of the fourth quarter and the possession began at their 15-yard line. Sixteen plays and 8: 19 later Sloan-El found sr. RB Jerry Reed on a 2-yard strike. On the play, Sloan-El used a beautiful ball fake and found the trailing Reed coming across the endzone. On the drive, Head Coach Jim Murphy used some brass when he went for it on a fourth-and-a-long-1 at Roman’s 39-yard line. Whose number did he call? Who else, but Sloan-El, who burrowed up to the Bonner 43-yard line on a quarterback sneak to extend the drive. Roman tacked on another touchdown on a 1-yard run by jr. RB Marc Patricelli (13-63) late in the game. Sr. WR/DE Charron Fisher (3-50) came to life late and had a couple of snags that set up the last two scoring drives. Jr. RB/DB Evin Jones (13-64) continued to impress and ran hard in the sloppy conditions. Jones and Patricelli compliment one another nicely and will undoubtedly be the Cahillites' offensive leaders next year. Defensively, the Cahilltes swarmed to the ball and the Friars, besides a few moments, never threatened. Roman held Bonner to just three first downs (one off a fake punt) and 82 yards of total offense. Once again, sr. LB Tom Bowen (8 tackles) and jr. LB Sean Matthews (7 tackles) led the charge. The boys up front, sr. Lenny DeMalto, jr. Jim Moore (.5 sack), jr. John Haughney, sr. Alex Garcia (.5 sack), sr. Jim Gullifer and Fisher (sack) controlled the line of scrimmage. Jr. DB Tim Hoban added a late-game pick. Tim is the younger brother of Dan Hoban, a Cahillite loyalist, grad and PA announcer at Roman basketball and football games. For the Friars there were a couple of just-missed opportunities in the first half that may have made the outcome a bit more interesting. First, deep in Roman territory Sloan-El while being tackled on an option play pitched the ball to Jones. The ball was dropped and recovered by the Friars. However, the sideline official whistled the play dead and called it an incomplete pass. From where I stood, the ball did seem to have a slight forward motion to it, thus, I felt it was the correct call. Good job by the official in being alert. In many instances that play is given up on with a fumble being ruled. In the game’s final play of the first half the Friairs narrowly missed striking. The Cahillite defensive backs were cheating towards the line scrimmage and jr. QB Andrew Case fired a ball that zipped off the chest of jr. WR Mike Heppler. If caught, Heppler would have easily scored. I wouldn’t have called it a clean drop. The ball appeared to be deflected and had much zip on it. Sr. RB Drew Schiller (12-17) found running room scarce and only had one carry in the second half. Case went just 5-for-17, for 52 yards. His best completion went to sr. WR Alex Oleykowski who made a pretty, diving reception for a 22-yard gain along the Friar sideline. Defensively, the Friars played tough a night. Jr. DB Ryan Juisti was a pest throughout. He ended Roman’s first two possessions with a pick and then forced a fumble. He registered 9 tackles in the game. Sr. DB Nick DeFruscio was equally as active and also had nine stops. Defensive leader, sr. LB Anthony DiEmedio was active early and chipped in with eight tackles. Sr. LB Sean Barclay (7 tackles), sr. DB Bruce Berry (6 tackles) and sr. DB Steve Devito (fumb rec.) also hustled. Some notes to pass along: This week the game clock was operating, one problem, there was 16:34 left on the clock for the duration. However, the score portion of the scoreboard was accurate. At halftime, the Conshohocken Bears took on the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Spartans in a spirited clash. This too went scoreless, but what a better way to spend a Friday night for six, seven and eight-year olds. Playing in the Big House in muddy conditions. Good job to all!!! Most dedicated band member goes to Roman’s Nick Adelizzi. After most of his bandmates disappeared into the night, Nick hung in there. After Roman’s second score he banged out his solo version of the Notre Dame fight song with his horn. I quickly dubbed him, “The Lone Hornsman.” Special thanks to Roman AD Dave Falcione, who directed my attention to this nut, and then retrieved his name. By the way, the rest of the Roman band left after playing the National Anthem. Where has the spirit gone? I would also like to thank all of the folks along the sideline who had kind words to say about myself and Ted’s site. It is much appreciated!!! The game sped by in just one hour and forty-two minutes. Personally, I have never had a bad time covering a game. No matter which teams are playing and how bad the game was I have always taken some degree of enjoyment from the experience. Tonight, that streak was almost snapped. The rain was so persistent and disruptive, I almost lost it on a few occasions. See, I traveled with no plastic bag or pencil. When I entered the game I knew a bag would be needed, so I bummed one off of the people in the concession stand. They gave me a 12-pack of hot dog roll bag. Unsuccessful, squeezing my clipboard into this bag was like squeezing a 400-pound man into to a size 36 suit. No room for pencil maneuvering, if you know what I mean. I kept waiting for the rain to stop, but it never did and I went through a complete tablet of paper trying to salvage the stats. One of these days I will learn and come climate-prepared, stay posted!!!

OCT. 11
CATHOLIC BLUE
Bonner 35, West Catholic 25
     After a sluggish first half the Friars exploded for 35 points and raced past the Burrs in the latter stages to claim their first victory of the year. Bonner scored on their final five possessions. Supplying much of the offense was sr. RB/LB Drew Schiller, who accounted for 28 points. Schiller (33-181) scored four straight touchdowns and ran in two conversions. Bonner only ran a total of 19 plays during their last five possessions. All of the plays were runs by Schiller except for two runs by soph. RB Frank Bizzari, and their last offensive play a 50-yard scoring strike from jr. QB Andrew Case to sr. WR Jordan McCauley. The scoring drives went for 23, 20, 38, 67, and 48 yards. Two of the drives were greatly influenced by special team turnovers by the Burrs. Sr. WR Alex Oleykowski recovered a muffed Burr punt and then he recovered a ball off a pooch kickoff a short time later. Schiller produced 115 yards after the intermission. He has been a workhorse for the Friars all season and is quietly amassing impressive numbers for a team that has struggled mightily on offense at times this season. Case, who has struggled this season finished just 4-for-13, for 100 yards and was picked-off twice. However, his throw to McCauley was clutch and a thing of beauty that hit the streaking receiver in stride. It was good to see him achieve success and take part in leading his team to a win. The Friars got solid line play from sr. Earl McNeil (6-3, 264) and sr. Ryan Walters (6-0, 271). As usual sr. LB/FB Anthony DiEmedio spearheaded the defense. He is constantly around the ball and led all tacklers with 12. Soph LB Matt Boland was next with 7 stops. Sr. LB Sean Barclay, soph LB Matt Licci, and DT McNeil each had six tackles. Sr. DB Steve Devito added 5 tackles and blocked an extra point. Early on, sr. DB/WR Bruce Berry blocked a field goal. Berry also set up one of the Friar scores with a key 65-yard kickoff return. The return came after the Burrs had just countered a Bonner score and went up 19-8. Sr. DB Nick Campanile had the last critical defensive play for Bonner when he recovered a Burr fumble around midfield preventing a possible late-in-the-game scoring drive. Different week, same old story for the Burrs. This team has yet to put a full 48 minutes of solid football together. On this night they squandered a 13-0 halftime lead. It was feast or famine for jr. RB/KR Carl Graham. He had four touches on special teams with mixed results. First, he took the opening kickoff 81 yards for the game’s first score. Then, while trying to field a bouncing Bonner punt he lost the ball and Bonner recovered. This led to Bonner’s first touchdown. Earlier in the game he muffed another punt, but the ball was recovered by a teammate. He quickly redeemed himself after his miscue that led to Bonner scoring their first points by taking that next kickoff 60 yards setting up a score for West. He is very fast, but needs to be more sure of himself when receiving kicks. Franchise, sr. RB Curtis Brinkley (27-129) again had good moments, but did not find the running room he was so accustomed to seeing last year. It is true, opposing defenses are keying on him much more, but that tremendous burst threw the line of scrimmage that I frequently saw last year seems to be missing. Then again, the frequent gaping holes that I saw also seem to be missing. For the second consecutive week the Burrs had relatively good success with their passing game. Sr. QB Will Burke went 12-for-20, for 120 yards. He seems to be most comfortable while rolling out to his left. Burke also added two scores on short 1-yard keepers. His favorite target is impressive soph WR/DB John Maddox (5-61). Maddox has a slight frame, but is 6-4. With maturity he should had weight and strength and become more of a complete player. Maddox also made a beautiful interception on a play near the Burr goal line. He came across and stepped in front of what appeared to be a wide open Bonner receiver and returned the pick 33 yards. Sr. WR Evan Polk added three snags for 42 yards. Defensively, sr. DB Anthony Jackson paced the Burrs with 9 tackles. Sr. DE David Fitzgerald chipped in with 7 stops. Jr. LB/FB Kelvin Quick added six tackles and returned an interception 23 yards. Soph LB Wayne Donahue registered six tackles. Some notes to pass along: For the second consecutive week the Burrs squandered a late scoring drive with a fumble out of the fullback position. Brinkley scored his 60th career touchdown with a 2-yard run in the third quarter. He also achieved his 25th career 100-yard rushing performance. With his 129-yard outing he now needs just 409 yard to break the career rushing yards by a city player, currently held by Frankford grad Eddie Gaskins. The teams combined for 913 yards from scrimmage and returns. They also combined to run 109 offensive plays; only 6 of these plays went for negative yards.

OCT. 10
CATHOLIC RED
SJ Prep 36, Roman 20
     Before an overflow crowd at Garthwaite Field in Conshohocken the upstart Cahillites gave the mighty Hawklets all they could handle for much of this game. Roman actually struck first, as sr. WR/DE manchild Charron Fisher (6-4, 240) bullied his way for a 28-yard TD reception. On the play, Roman was faced with 2nd-and-goal and split Fisher out wide with one-on-one coverage. He easily out muscled Prep sr. WR/DB/K/PR Greg Ambrogi for the game’s first score. Ambrogi would redeem himself later in many ways. On Prep’s next possession they did what good teams are supposed to do and responded quickly. On their first play, impressive soph RB John Shaw (11-136) stuttered-stepped in the backfield and then bolted up the middle for a 60-yard jaunt. Shaw is fast and deceivingly strong and will have plenty of good days ahead. The Cahillites could do nothing on their next series and were forced to punt. Ambrogi aggressively met the ball in flight and zoomed for an ultra-quick 73-yard TD return. Ambrogi has serious speed and this was evident on the return. He would not be finished as he nailed a 34-yard field goal and then caught a 27-yard touchdown on the Prep’s next two possessions. On the score, he nearly crippled a Roman would-be tackler with a shoulder move at around the five. He finished with 5 receptions for 75 yards. The Hawklets had staked claim to a seemingly comfortable 22-7 lead and had the ball. I said to myself, they’ll probably march down, tack on another score and the rout will be on. However, on what was probably an ill-advised pass by sr. QB Mark Noonan (9-for-16, 116 yds), the Cahillites' Fisher snagged the throw out in the flat and motored down the sideline 45 yards putting his team back in the game. With the score 22-14 the Cahillites would have the ball three times to draw closer. Twice they would drive relatively deep into Hawklet territory. First, they reached the 25, but ran out of time to end the half. Secondly, after a 50-yard kickoff return by jr. RB/DB Marc Patricelli (5-41) to start the second half the Cahillites eventually moved to the Prep 17-yard line. The failed to convert on a fourth-and-seven play and lost the ball on downs. Prep sr. RB/DB Danny Jones returned a punt 30 yards and five plays later Noonan found hulking sr. TE/DE Matt Parkhurst for an 8-yard TD giving the Prep a more comfortable 29-14 lead. On the play, Noonan did a nice job of showing patience and waited for Parkhurst to pop open before hitting him. After the costly interception that got Roman back in the game, Noonan actually rebounded nicely and went 5-for-7 in half number two. Playing quarterback at the Prep isn’t always the easiest of jobs. Much is expected, if not demanded from Head Coach Gil Brooks. The Prep iced the game on their next possession as Jones (12-91) sprinted through the middle before bouncing outside for a 30-yard score. The Cahillites showing the determination they exhibited all night and did not quit,  closing out the scoring as, sr. QB Andre Sloan-El (16-31, 214 yds) hit Patricelli for a 20-yard touchdown. There is much to like about Sloan-El and his game. He delivers the ball with good zip and is very athletic. The more I see him, the more I see his development. The sky is the limit for this kid and whichever college program garners his presence will be extremely fortunate. His favorite targets were Fisher (3-67), sr. Khalil Ferguson (4-63), and Patricelli (5-32). I believe this is Ferguson’s first year of playing varsity football. He showed good hands and concentration on his receptions. Ferguson, like Fisher and Sloan-El, is a key player on the Cahillite basketball team. I like Roman RB/DB Evin Jones (9-37). On his first carry he unleashed a 26-yard run in which he absolutely trucked Jones. He has good speed and possesses a good build. I wouldn’t mind see him getting a few more touches. Defensively, the Prep was led by Jones who had a team high 10 tackles. Jr. LB Steve Quinn had 1.5 sacks and recovered a fumble. Sr. DB Dan DiBona chipped in with nine stops. Parkhurst and sr. DT Brandon Friday each had a sack. Sr. LB Brian Tracz was his usual physical self and added 7 tackles. Jr. LB Andrew Spross was in on 6 tackles. Though Ambrogi was beat early by Fisher he continued to draw the mammoth receiver in one-on-one situations. He adjusted nicely and held him check and added four passes defended. The Cahillites were led by gritty jr. LB Sean Matthews who registered 9 tackles and forced a fumble. Jr. DB Tyree Berrian and jr. DT John Haughney each recovered a fumble. Fisher (INT) also had 7 stops, including a sack. Jones chipped in with 8 tackles. Sr. LB Tom Bowen, who is the leader of the Cahillite defensive unit also had 9 tackles. Some notes to pass along: I would have like to seen this game played on better field. For those of you unfamiliar with the Conshy’s field it has a slope running through it. There also are not nearly enough seats to accommodate spectators in a game of this magnitude. I would estimate that 60%-to-70% of the fans had to stand in a horseshoe format around the edges of the field. If this wasn’t enough, the field’s only scoreboard was not working. Instead, a smaller CYO type clock was used and was located behind the end zone nearest to the gates. Thanks to the decent set of eyes I possess it was not too difficult for me to see. However, that had a lot to do with my location on the field. I can only imagine how the fans managed, probably not that well. On a few instances the Prep coaching staff protested that the clock did not start, which it didn’t when Roman had the ball. The refs did correct this problem each time. Football is a tough sport and can at times be dangerous. For the second consecutive week I had to watch another player be immobilized off the field. Roman lost sr. DB & captain Mike Gavin to an apparent broken ankle. Again, we wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery. Patricelli had 5 kickoff returns for 120 yards. The game featured 1,012 combined yards (669 from scrimmage & 343 on returns). The teams combined to run 108 plays from scrimmage. This was the Prep’s 30th consecutive win and Coach Brooks' 100th win at SJ Prep. The Prep student body made sure everyone knew about it.  After the game a former Prep player (name unknown) walked by and asked, “Huck, did you nail this one?” I replied, no, but had 35-14. Which led to, “Man, I’m disappointed!” I guess it’s safe to say that it’s getting difficult to please these people. I’m not too sure if I’ll be able to provide perfection, but I’ll keep chipping away at it. (SMILE)!!!

OCT. 4
CATHOLIC BLUE
McDevitt 47, Dougherty 14
     It turned out to be a bittersweet afternoon for the Lancers. They broke out of their offensive doldrums and put a 47-spot up against the Cardinals. In doing so, they may have lost their talented jr. RB Lamar McPherson. McPherson’s injury occurred with 7:46 to play in the second quarter. To that point the fast and strong back had carried 10 times for 106 yards, and three TD’s (14, 2, & 51). McPherson suffered the injury while being tackled by sr. LB Mpanda Castelo. It appeared that while being hauled down from behind he caught his leg underneath his body. He was taken to Abington Hospital for x-rays for a possible fractured fibula. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lamar. McPherson’s replacement was jr. RB Damian Jordan who did not disappoint. Jordan, who in many aspects mirrors McPherson, except in experience unleashed touchdown jaunts of 42 and 82 yards. He finished with 169 yards on 16 carries. Jordan also set up McDevitt’s first score when he took the opening kickoff 73 yards. Soph QB Tom Maha turned in his finest performance of his young career. He finished 4-for-4 and 57 yards (2 TD’s). His first touchdown came on the play after McPherson’s injury. He used a nice play-action fake and found sr. TE Alec Serowatka, who did a nice job of keeping a foot in-bounds for a pretty 22-yard score. He later added a 5-yarder off another play-action fake. From the 1:51 point of the first quarter to the 5:13 mark of the second quarter the Lancers scored four touchdowns (all offensive) on just six plays. McDevitt also added a safety when a cnter snap flew over the head of their punter, who was then tackled in the endzone by sr. DB Terence Sawick (7 tackles). Sawick also recovered a muffed Dougherty punt. Soph LB Joe Mulhern registered 1.5 sacks and a team high 10 tackles. He finished with 4 TFL’s for 15 yards. Gutsy jr. DB Steve Merlini threw his body around as usual and contributed 8 tackles. Sr. LB Mark Tipson and jr. DE Tom King (2 TFL’s) each added 5 tackles. Early the Cardinals look like they would keep it close. Despite falling behind, they did knot the game up on their first offensive possession. Sr. RB Dominic Rock (13-160) sped 84 yards, the last 80 were without a shoe. Sawick nearly tackled Rock just past the line of scrimmage only to come up with a mere cleat. When looking back at Rock crossing the endzone he angrily slammed the shoe to the turf. Rock is extremely quick and deceivingly strong. If he gets a seam it’s lights out. He picked up 157 of his yards on just three carries. The other ten produced just 3 yards. Jr. RB/LB Bashir Haynes (8-57) scored the other Dougherty touchdown on a 34 yard run up the middle. Jr. QB Kyle Sample went just 3-for-12, with 68 yards, but does show brass. His prettiest pass found a streaking jr. RB Patrick Smith for a nice 48-yard completion. Defensively, the strong Castelo led the Cardinal defense with 7 tackles. Smith recovered a fumble. Haynes chipped in with 6 tackles. Sr. two-way lineman Alton Williams (6-4, 310) constantly shows excitement and moves rather well for a big guy. Some notes to pass along: As Dougherty entered the field just prior to the game they had not one fan in the visitor bleachers. The fan base later swelled to about 35. The running clock went into effect at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter. Dougherty blocked three extra-point attempts, (Castelo & sr. RB Josh Guevara, two). Many of Dougherty’s problems started with the inability to catch a kickoff. Many times the deep-backs let the ball play them, in which, it either bounced off of them on rocketed pass them. On eight kickoff returns they averaged a dismal 9.4 yards. Rock and Jordan combined for 458 all-purpose yards. Amazingly, Dougherty had one more first down in the game than McDevitt.

SEPT. 27
CATHOLIC BLUE
Kennedy-Kenrick 16, West Catholic 13
     This was the Wolverines' first victory over the Burrs since the inception of the Red and Blue divisions. They managed the win despite being outgained, 290-to-159 in total yards. Both their scores came off of Burr turnovers. First, jr. RB Jay Wallace (6-36) scored on a 4-yard run after sr. FB/LB Tyler Johnson (7 tackles) recovered a fumbled at the Burr 15-yard line, giving KK an 8-7 lead. Then, with the Wolverines trailing 13-8, sr. DE Tom Sztubinski (6 tackles) recorded one of KK’s six sacks on the afternoon, forcing West sr. QB Will Burke to fumble. Once again, Johnson made the recovery and KK was in business at the West 49-yard line. It took the fired-up Wolverines just two plays to capitalize. On first down, jr. RB/DB Brian Gillin (5-33) unleashed a 19-yard run. Then, Johnson who was all over the field somehow went untouched on a 30-yard run up the gut for the score. Johnson bulled his way for 110 yards on just 12 carries in the tilt. Sr. QB Rick McMinn (6-4, 240) added the conversion run. McMinn had an forgettable day passing going just 1-for-7, for –4 yards. It’s hard to imagine that the Wolverines came out with the win with so little of a passing game. If the KK defense did not totally shut down West, sr. RB Curtis Brinkley they did contain him. Sr. DE Eric Ondik was a force all afternoon. He recorded 4 sacks and had a total of 9 tackles. His sacks registered 20 yards in losses. The Burrs could not handle him all afternoon. Jr. DT Ken Salvo also contributed nine tackles and was a force as well. Jr. DB Jay Rigg added 6 tackles. Sr DB Chris Matozzo registered 7 tackles and got the Wolverines on the board when he sacked Burke for a safety. Gillin, one of the best athletes on the field, added 5 tackles.  For West, this will probably sting for a while. In the early going things looked good, as Brinkley (31-171, 2TD’s) took the second play of the Burrs' first possession 70 yards for a touchdown. He struggled and earned every yard he got afterwards. Burke (12-60) did have some success scrambling, and unleashed 19, 52 and 15 yard jaunts. However, he was sacked 6 times. The sacks accumulated 32 yards in losses. Just as they did last week, the Burrs seem to be marching towards a last game scoring drive. Sr. FB Kevin Ray (4-33) ripped off a 15-yard run on a third-and-seven play, putting the ball on the KK 30-yard line with slightly under two minutes remaining. After the player the excitable Ray jumped up and spiked the ball to the ground, drawing a flag from an official and a fifteen-yard penalty. The next play produced an 8-yard sack that forced a fumble. On the play, Brinkley scooped up the ball and started to run well behind the line of scrimmage. An offensive lineman was called for an illegal block. When the damage was done the Burrs, who moments earlier stood with a first down at the KK thirty, now had a first-and-34 from their own 31-yard line. This possession ended with Ondik’s fourth sack of the game. Defensively, sr. DE Dave Fitzgerald had two sacks (-20 yds) and 7 tackles total. Jr. LB Thomas Davis registered a team high 8 tackles. Sr. DB Thomas Fontaine and jr. WR Carl Graham recovered fumbles. Jr. DE Derrell Hand (6-4, 265) forced a fumble. Impressive freshman Isiah Edmond blocked a punt. Some notes to pass along: KK sr. RB/DB Dan Connor, one of the Wolverines' better players was hurt on Brinkley’s long TD run. He never returned with what appeared to be some sort of leg injury. West, jr. K Josiah Morley missed on 42 and 34-yard field goal attempts. Both kicks were accurate and started out with good lift. The wind was swirling on-and-off all afternoon and probably affected both kicks. In the same direction as the 34-yard miss, Morley boomed a 50-yarder during warm-ups. Twice, a pelting rain unleashed upon us. Mercifully, the second of the storms started as halftime began, and then, subsided as play was about to begin. Nonetheless many were drenched. The teams combined for 17 penalties for 144 yards. KK held Brinkley to zero or negative yards on nine carries.

SEPT. 26
NON-LEAGUE
Ryan 28, Conwell-Egan 0
     What looked on paper as an evenly matched contest quickly turned into a laugher during the third quarter. The Raiders humbled the Eagles, and though they led just 6-0 at halftime, two touchdowns in 2:20 span in the third quarter catapulted their lead to a more comfortable 21-0. Jr. FB/DE Ron James (8-37) burrowed in from 2 yards out to open the scoring in the first quarter. This drive was set up when sensational, CE jr. RB Steve Slaton (13-81) was stuffed by Ryan jr. LB Chris Smith (7 tackles) on a fourth-and-one play from CE own 34 yard line. The rest of the first half pretty much was uneventful. The Eagles took possession to open the second half, but were unable to get anything going and eventually punted. The Raiders took their opening possession of the second half and proceeded on a 10-play, 71 yard drive that culminated with, sr. QB Tim Roken (6-4, 200) finding sr. WR Rick Ferraiolo (3-64) for a 10-yard scoring strike. The ensuing kickoff provided the game’s most critical play. Eagles return man, sr. WR/DB Marty O’Hara had the ball stripped by Ryan jr. RB/DE John Ferdinand and recovered by James. The Raiders offense took over once again at CE 36-yard line. Smelling blood in the water, the Ryan coaching staff went right for the jugular. Soph RB/DB Joe Zeglinski (18-77) took a pitch and on halfback pass found Ferraiolo for a 30-yard gain. Three plays later, Roken threw his second score of the quarter when he found a diving, jr. WR/DB Mike Pinto who made a sensational 17-yard TD catch near the back of the endzone.  Pinto secured the ball before hitting the ground. The ball did pop loose, but two referees were close by and in my opinion made an accurate call. What little life the Eagles had to this point had just wilted away, and Ryan coasted for the rest of the tilt. Soph RB/DE Mike Varanavage added another score in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run. Roken finished the game 6-for-12, for 69 yards. He is tall and lean, but could help a D-3 school down the road. His best throw may have well come on a two-point conversion. While rolling to his right, and running out of sideline room, he hit Zeglinski with a missile that zipped past multiple defenders. Speaking of Zeglinski, there is much to like about this kid. Like Ted mentioned in an early report he has a very unique running style. He waits for things to develop and then shifts into different levels of speed. Late in the first quarter he made a beautiful juggling interception. Later, he nicely fielded a punt, while on the run he avoided the first would-be tackler, then spun, juked, and twisted his way for a nifty 19-yard return. The Raider defense did a find job of frustrating the explosive Slaton. LB’s Smith, sr. Chris McArdle (INT), and sr. George Fox contained him and were sure tacklers all night. Jr. LB Sean Atkinson added 6 tackles for the Raider defense. Sr. OL Tim Morris (6-0, 260), sr. Jon Bailey (6-0, 280), and jr. Carlos Gonzalez provided a lift with solid line play. The Eagles will want to scratch this one from the books as soon as possible. It is possible they might of come in a bit overconfident after a big road win over Neumann last week.  In my opinion the talent level between the two teams suggests that no way should this have been a 28-point game. One of the few highlights for the Eagles was that Slaton eclipsed the 3,000-yard barrier (currently at 3, 060). However, he only rushed twice in the second half for just one yard. Aside from a 42-yard run in the second quarter, Slaton’s most impressive moments came on the defensive side of the ball. On the game’s opening play he made a hard tackle on a Ryan receiver off a speed sweep. He later made a brilliant, diving interception. After Ryan’s first score he showed that explosive speed he possesses and was a blur in blocking the extra point. The Eagles could only manage two first downs and 16 yards of offense (90 total) in the second half. The defensive unit led by jr. LB Ryan Biernat (9 tackles), jr. LB Matt Porreca (6 tackles, and LB Brian Hryncyszyn (6 tackles) kept them in the game early. O’Hara also added an interception. Sr. DE Anthony Caranci twice in the first half recorded sacks that forced fumbles, only to see the balls land into the hands of Ryan lineman, further showing that it just wasn’t the Eagles night. Some notes to pass along: CE QB’s were just 1-for-10, for a negative-7 yards. After James recovered his third quarter fumble he was slow to get to his feet and eventually helped off the field. He did not return with what appeared to be a mild concussion. At least we hope that’s all it was. Later on, he asked teammate jr. OL/DL Rob Rowan who was sporting a harness for an injured arm, what happened to him? Rowan’s had the harness on for a week, and James and he are in several classes together, despite all of this James did not remember Rowan being hurt. We hope his temporary loss of memory subsides and he gets back out there soon. I know it’s early in the season, but Charlie Martin Memorial field looked great. Well lined and groomed for some quality action. Kudos to Nick Levan, a 9-year old fourth grader served as the game’s lone ball boy. I spotted Nick juggling, not one, nor two, but sometimes three and four balls. A job well done and tremendous hustle!!! By the way, Nick is the younger brother of Ryan sr. TE/DE Dave Levan who had 2 receptions for 15 yards and did a nice job blocking.

SEPT. 25
NON-LEAGUE
Haverford School 27, Great Valley 20
    My schedule at school allowed me to jet out a bit early to catch a glimpse of Haverford’s sr. QB Bryan Savage (6-4, 215), who has already made a verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin. Boy, am I glad I squeezed this affair into my busy schedule. To say this kid has the ‘look’ would be an understatement. With his team trailing 20-13, and 4:56 left on the clock, he led his team on not one, but two scoring drives to secure a win for the Fords. On the day, he threw for 225 yards and 4 touchdowns, on 20-for-35 passing. These numbers don’t begin to tell the story. On three separate occasions he led his team for scores in a hurry-up offense. The first came at the end of the half, and broke a 7-7 tie. The other two came on the final two possessions of the game. I need to mention that on the last possession his team trailed, 20-19. During these three possessions he was an amazing 12-for-16, with 179 yards. Remarkably, only four minutes of game clock were used to produce these three scores. Can you say CLUTCH? He threw more than a few beautiful balls while rolling to his right, passes that had zip and accuracy.  I was also impressed with his leadership skills. He continually told teammates to keep their heads up after dropped balls or miscues. There is a lot to like about this kid!!! If Savage was the first star, then jr. WR/DB John Decker was a very close second. All he did was catch all four Savage’s touchdown passes. On the day, he hauled in 11 passes for 139 yards. His last was a thing of beauty, as he perfectly timed his jump over to Patriot defenders for the 18-yard score. His other scores were 8, 23, and 30 yards. Not to get lost in the shuffle was Decker’s defensive performance. Twice in the fourth quarter in made tackles that stalled Great Valley drives. The first was on a fourth-down play deep in Haverford territory. The second forced a punt that traveled just eight yards and led to the winning score. On the afternoon he registered 11 tackles. Leading receiver sr. Dan Coleman (7-65) was held in check to a degree. Many of catches were caught in front of Great Valley defenders and they did a good job of containing him. He also added 6 tackles on defense. Jr. OL/DT Will Barker (6-7, 250) has interesting possibilities. He should be able to bulk-up some, and could become a decent prospect. He showed good feet and mobility and accumulated 12 tackles and recovered a fumble. Sr. TE/DL Pat Fisher (6-6, 215) had a defensive lineman’s dream to end the game. On the Patriots final possession he registered two sacks, his second and third of the game. He then batted a ball down at the line of scrimmage on fourth down. He hustled for 12 tackles on the afternoon and his three sacks amassed 20 yards in losses. Sr. RB/LB Ben O’Brien (6-39) added 9 tackles and battled throughout. In the early going I noticed a #68 in on a lot of defensive stops. What struck was the size of old #68. Usually, this number is seen being worn by beefy lineman. Not today, for it was donned by the Fords soph LB Andrew Hanna who stood all of (5-10, 175). Hanna proved to be quite the pest early and contributed 9 tackles and recovered a fumble. He later missed some time while suffering from cramps. Offensive lineman sr. Gabe Tribuiani and sr. Rob Casullo did a solid job of pass blocking. I’m not sure if the Fords have enough to hang with some of the more traditional teams in the Inter-Ac, but with Savage and their passing game things could certainly be exciting. Some notes to pass along: The teams combined to run a 120 plays total, with Great Valley supplying 60 on rushes. It will be interesting to see if the three games in the PUB reach this amount, combined!! Haverford gained 86 yards running the football. 83 of those yards came on four rushes, the other 13 carries produced a mere 3 yards. This was my first   visit to Haverford’s field, which uses a form of astroturf. I liked it, and I wasn’t the only one. A handful of Haverford student’s took part in an exciting, fast-paced, and I’d be remised if I forgot to mention, shoeless touch football game during halftime. In the late 1980’s there was a movie entitled, “Dead Poet’s Society”, starring Robin Williams. Well, the cast from that movie was in this game. I kid you not.

SEPT. 21
CATHOLIC RED
SJ Prep 41, Bonner 0
     In the early going the Hawklets sputtered some, but you could sense it was only a matter of time before this giant was awakened. The Friars had to be feeling good about themselves entering the second quarter. The game was scoreless, and Prep jr. WR/LB Steve Quinn (6-3, 205) had dropped a 43-yard bomb in the end zone for what looked like an easy touchdown. For those of you unfamiliar with Quinn, don’t expect to see this too often. Bonner’s fortunes quickly turned to misfortunes on the first play of the second quarter. Sr. QB Mark Noonan (5-for-13, 119 yds, TD) made a beautiful read on a keeper off of an option play and jetted in from 23 yards out. The Hawklets next possession produced their second touchdown. Sr. RB/DB Danny Jones (5-50) took a counter and leaped over initial would-be tacklers at the line scrimmage before turning on the jets for a 40-yard score. The game remained this way for the rest of the half, and though the Friars weren’t doing much offensively, they at least had the Prep restless and a bit out-of-whack. Time for the second half, Bonner will keep the patient, deliberant approach and possibly keep the score respectable and maybe throw a scare into the 10th ranked team in the country, right? Wrong!!! They switched to: huddle next to the coaches, sprint to the line of scrimmage, line up in shotgun formation. This resulted in three straight INT’s, on three consecutive passes nonetheless, all leading to Prep scores, and the rout was on. Sr. DB Greg Ambrogi snatched the first two and Jones the third (2nd of the game). The first score was provided by Quinn (2-66), who redeemed himself and sprinted past a host of Bonner defenders hauling in a pretty 51-yard scoring strike from Noonan. Then, hard-hitting sr. FB/LB Brian Tracz (6-3, 238) turned his only carry of the contest into a bulling 1-yard TD run. Soph RB John Shaw (15-68) scored on a 3-yard run after the third INT. Shaw looks like he being brought around slowly, but he runs hard, low to the ground, and has good speed. He will be very good in the very near future. Later in the quarter, jr. FB/LB Andrew Spross (6-2, 242) plunged home from 1-yard out giving the Hawklets their final score. The Prep defense dominated throughout allowing only 27 total yards and just two first downs. Their defensive backfield with Jones, Ambrogi. sr. Solomon Patterson, and sr. Dan DiBona is second-to-none. With their strong coverage skills they allow their front seven to just wreak havoc on the opposition. Sr. TE/DE Matt Parkhurst (6-4, 243) spearheads the line and is a flat out bully. He finished with a sack and 6 tackles. Soph DE Matt Leddy (6-3, 227) will be a force to be reckoned with in the days ahead. Tracz, Quinn, and Spross head a dynamite linebacking corp. Sr. DT Brandon Friday is touch as nails in the middle of the line and registered 5 tackles. The Prep defensive units were on the field for 17 offensive plays by the Friars in the second half. They went like this; 5 incomplete passes, 3 INT’s, 8 rushes for -10 yards, and a 5-yard completed pass. Coach Gil Brooks won’t find much wrong with those numbers. Offensively, if it wasn’t already apparent, the Friars couldn’t muster much. Jr. QB Andrew Case went just 2-for-14 for 26 yards. He’ll have a tough time trying to figure out which part of his body to ice down first. His arm or leg? He punted eight times for 30.6 average. Defensively, the Friars did play hard and hung in there pretty well considering. Sr. LB/FB Anthony DiEmidio led with 10 tackles. This kid spills his heart out onto the field every time I see him. Soph LB Matt Licci added 8 tackles and has the look of a good one. Sr. DB Steve Devito added 7 tackles. Sr. DT Matthew Minutolo (6-3, 245) added 2 TFL’s, including a sack. Sr. DB Keith Meacham recovered a late fumble. Some notes to pass along: On two pass completions Tracz and Parkhurst threw crunching downfield blocks that got the crowd into a frenzy. The grab of the night belongs to ball boy #7 Greg Brooks, son of Gil, who showed great concentration and quality mitts in catching a rocket of a converted extra-point. Impressive to say the least!!! In my haste to ask Prep Asst. Coach David Hand where a Prep player caught an interception I must have missed Coach Brooks bark out orders to move off the sideline. He quickly informed me that it included high school sports writers. Hey, at least he knew my name. The Prep student section was once again strong, but they did not rip-off any classic chants. I’ll chalk it up to being a school night, but will want a better effort next time out. This was my first look at the Hawklets and I’ve been hearing that this could be their best team ever. I’m not ready to anoint them with this honor quite yet. The previous three teams have been exceptional and like those teams this one is very, very talented. Defensively, they just might be the best. Offensively, they aren’t blessed with that every-down back like those recent teams and I’m not convinced they have as much firepower as some of those squads. I guess only time will tell.

SEPT. 21
NON-LEAGUE
O'Hara 42, McDevitt 7
     It did not take long for things to get out of hand in this one as the Lions score on four-of-five first half possessions and raced to a 28-0 halftime lead. The Lions took their opening possession and drove 69 yards as highly recruited sr. RB Anthony Heygood capped the drive with a 14-yard TD run. Heygood was not finished; on O’Hara’s next possession he bulled his way in from the eight for his second TD of the opening quarter. Late in the first half, with O’Hara already holding a commanding 21-0 lead, the star rusher showed why he is one of the most coveted players in the state. In a four wide receiver set, with Heygood in the slot, sr. QB Matt Campbell (6-4, 185) found the streaking Heygood down the middle of the field for a beautiful 65-yard TD reception. Heygood, who would not see any action in the second half finished with 138 all-purpose yards. Campbell was nearly perfect finishing 6-for-7 for 132 yards, and two scores. Jr. WR/DB Sean Barksdale (4-54) looks to be his favorite target. Barksdale scored the other Lion touchdown of the first half with a 4-yard snag. O’Hara’s offensive and defensive lines dominated throughout. The O-line consisted of jr. Matt Lowry (6-6, 300), sr. Phil Vaughan (6-2, 260), sr. C Dan Byrne (6-1, 245), soph. Dan Gough (6-3, 245), sr. Tom Hayden (6-2, 270), and jr. TE Tom Green. This unit paved the way for runners Heygood, sr. RB Anthony Lucidonio (8-43), and sr. FB Matt Gough (6-44). Not to be outdone was the O’Hara defensive unit. Sr. DT Paul Titchenell (6-2, 260) was a bull all afternoon, as was sr. Mike Kimpel (6-3, 260). Sr. LB Rob Fritisch led with 6 tackles, while jr. LB Brahim Washington (6-0, 225) added five with some hard hitting. Jr. LB Keith Hillard and jr. DL Bill Kerr each produced a sack. Sr. DB Bob Hogan put the mercy rule into effect when he intercepted a McDevitt pass and raced 62 yards down the sideline with 10:51 left in the third quarter. Frosh RB John Dempsey scored the Lions' last touchdown on a nice individual effort with a 3-yard run. The Lancers will most certainly have more productive afternoons. Their first nine possessions produced a negative-24 yards and you guessed it no first downs, OUCH!!! The sequence went like this; punt, punt, punt, punt, end of half, INT (ret for TD), punt, punt, and downs when the center snapped the ball over the punter’s head. They didn’t cross midfield until the 4:47 mark of the fourth quarter. The Lancers did avoid the shutout on jr. RB Damian Jordan’s (3-33) 10-yard run with 2:07 left in the game. Jr. RB Lamar McPherson, one of the more underrated runners in our area, toughed out 51 yards on 17 carries, but found openings hard to come by. If this young Lancer team doesn’t find way to soften up defenses with some passing, they could find themselves in trouble. Teams will just concentrate on McPherson and dare them to throw. Right now soph QB Tom Maha is calling the signals. A couple of other sophs led the defense, LB Steve Gallagher had 10 tackles and LB Joe Mulhern registered 7 tackles. Sr. DB Terrance Bawick chipped in with eight tackles, while jr. TE/LB Jesse Alderfer added five and a sack.

SEPT. 20
CATHOLIC BLUE
West Catholic 27, Dougherty 26
     In all honesty the Cardinals were the team that deserved to win this contest, and came a mere :33 from pulling off an early-season upset. West sr. QB Will Burke found soph. Wr John Maddox for a beautiful 23-yard TD reception. Maddox showed great concentration and hauled in the pass with a Dougherty defender draped all over him, providing the winning score. Had the pass been incomplete a flag was thrown and the Burrs would have set up shop at the one-yard line. First-season coach Ernie Covington has the Cardinals playing inspired ball. They showed no signs of rust from the recently settled teacher’s strike, and showed the Burrs they would not rollover on their first offensive play. On a halfback pass, backup jr. QB Hector Rivera found jr. RB Patrick Smith wide open down the middle of the field for a 69-yard TD. Dougherty’s confidence oozed from this point on, while the Burrs were sloppy at best. West, the CL Blue runner-up last season, put the ball on the carpet seven times, losing three of them. They did manage to take a brief lead when jr. RB Carl Graham bobbed and weaved for a nifty 50-yard punt return. The ensuing kickoff produced an 88-yard scamper by Dougherty’s Mr. Do-Everything, sr. RB Dominic Rock. Rock produced a total of 151 all-purpose yards. He was held in check rushing the ball going for just 26 yards on 15 touches. However, the cat-quick runner did score twice in the fourth quarter on runs of five and twelve yards. The game seemed to turn in the Burrs favor during the third quarter. Their first possession of the half produced a punt, but a confused Dougherty return team could only manage to get about nine players onto the field. On top of this, sr. WR Tim Manning got caught in-between whether or not to catch the punt or let it drop. The ball rocketed off of the turf, and then glanced off his leg. West, sr. WR/DB Evan Polk pounced on the ball in the endzone giving the Burrs a gift touchdown and the lead, 14-12. West stymied the Cardinals on their next series and stuffed them on a fourth-and-three attempt at their own 29-yard line. Six plays later West franchise, sr. RB Curtis “Boonah” Brinkley (31-193) burst up the middle for an 11-yard score giving West what seemed like a commanding 21-12 lead. To Dougherty’s credit they did not let up and had the Burrs on the ropes until Maddox’s late game heroics. Though he did accumulate impressive rushing totals it was not a solid game for the usually sure-handed Brinkley. He put the ball on the ground three times, and was responsible for two of the Burrs' three fumbles. However, he did lose all except one yard in a 66-yard TD run that was called back on a questionable holding penalty. He actually did accomplish one record today, and that was for career carries by a city rusher. That record was previously held by former O’Hara and current Virginia Tech star Kevin Jones (710 career carries). Brinkley now has 723 career carries and counting. Dougherty received solid defensive play by, sr. LB Mpanda Castelo who recorded two sacks (27 yds in losses), totaled 9 tackles, and recovered a fumble. Jr. DB Mark Berrouet also registered 9 tackles. Jr. DB Ralph Smith and sr. DB David Rivera also recovered fumbles. Jr. QB Kyle Sample (82 yds passing/running) proved to be elusive at times and despite is diminutive frame played tough throughout. Defensively, the Burrs were led by jr. LB Kelvin Quick (8 tackles), soph LB Wayne Donohue and sr. DB Anthony Jackson had 6 tackles apiece. Frosh DE Isiah Edmond (6-0, 225) has a key sack on Dougherty’s last series. West, jr. K Josiah Morley shows a strong leg, and boomed his third touchback in two games. Dougherty was called for 7 procedure penalties, with five coming on the offensive side of the ball. Former West and current Penn State football player Jonathan Jackson was in attendance. Jackson is sitting out this season and most likely next season with a rare medical problem. He seemed very upbeat and intends to make it onto the field in Happy Valley at some point. He will begin classes there next semester. All of us at tedsilary.com wish him the speediest of recoveries and look forward to seeing him in the blue and white in the very near future, good luck JJ!!!!

AUG. 29
NON-LEAGUE
Upper Darby 31, Bonner 7
     For the third consecutive year I made the short trek over to Upper Darby to take in this neighborhood rivalry between the Friars and Royals to start my high school football season.   Early mistakes prevented the young Friars from making this a contest. Upper Darby is a senior-oriented team this is solid across the board. At about the mid point of the second quarter with Upper Darby holding just a 7-0 lead, the Friars let a golden opportunity literally slip from their grasp. Facing a 3rd-and-one from the Upper Darby seven, sr. RB Drew Schiller (20-96, TD) gained a Friar first down inside the five, but fumbled the ball preventing a possible game-tying score. Upper Darby for all intents and purposes put the game away by kicking a field goal and then scoring a touchdown with just :34 left in the half on their next two possessions.   Schiller did plunge in from two yards to avoid the shutout with just :26 left in the tilt. Jr. QB Andrew Case (3-for-18-60 yards, 2 INT’s) will have better nights. Case took over for the Friars halfway through last season and had some good moments. It looked to me that he tried to do a little too much at times and found himself scrambling franticly in the Bonner backfield. He was sacked five times by the Royal defense. All three of his completions went to sr. WR Jordan McCauley (6-4, 205). One of his receptions was a nice leaping grab over an Upper Darby defender along the sideline. Offensively, not much more happened for the Friars, in fact, Schiller, Case, and McCauley were the only Bonner players to touch the ball on offense. Amazing!!! The Bonner defense which is usually a tough bunch hung in there for a while, but on such a humid night and with their offense not providing much relief they eventually succumbed to a proficient Upper Darby ground attack. The Royals rushed for 367 yards on 49 carries. Sr. DB Nick DeFruscio led Bonner with 12 tackles. Sr. LB Anthony DiEmedio (8 tackles) is the defensive leader and look for him to rack up some impressive tackling totals. Sr. DB Steve DeVito one of Bonner’s more quicker player’s chipped in with 9 tackles.  Soph. LB Matt Licci (5 tackles) has the look of a pretty good prospect. Jr. OL/DT Alex Fremont (6-3, 250) recovered a fumble. Alex’s twin brother Dave Fremont (6-3,255) also saw time on the O-line. They are the younger brothers of former Bonner baseball/basketball player Scott Fremont, who was pretty solid performer in his playing day’s. Sr. DE/OL Earl McNeil (6-3,264) is Bonner’s best lineman and should get some decent college looks. This Bonner team is very young and right now a little short on offensive weapons. It could be a long year in the ever-tough CL Red. However, they do have some 60+ players on their roster that are juniors and sophomores, so the future could provide some relief. It was easy to spot Bonner Head Coach Mike “Stumpy” Coyne prior to the game. He was the only Bonner coach decked out in a shirt and tie. Stump had a wedding reception to attend after the contest. He also supplied the line of the night. The game was momentarily delayed at the start because the chains were tangled and then seemed to be about 8 inches too short. Stump quickly blurted out, “And you thought these things only happened in the PUB.” New chains arrived shortly thereafter.