OCT. 4
NON-LEAGUE
Mastbaum 31, Southern 0
    Sorry about the brief absence I was up to my neck in school work and was unable to attend any games. But this week was different so I went to check out Mastbaum vs Southern. I didnt expect much of Southern with their team folding last year but overall I was impressed with the progress they had made, they had enough players you have to be impressed with that.      
        I walked in to The Bowl at Lincoln today midway through the first quarter (class ran late) and the score was 7-0 Mastbaum thanks to a 36 yard run by Sophmore James Baptist who also had a few other big runs on the day. Right away I could tell Southern was the weaker team after Nate Nixon ran through the whole defense from his own 15 yard line to around the Southern 30.
       Then the second quater rolled around and that is when back up Sophmore Quarterback Markies Tavares shined, I mean this kid out of no where shows up and plays like he has been starting for the past 4 years. On what looked like a broken play Markies ran the ball down the sideline 20 yards and in for the second Mastbaum TD. Southern on the following drive was forced to punt. Jovan " Bones Of Steel" Pratt recieved the punt around his own 25  and took the ball all the way through Southerns Punt team to their 3 yard line but it was called back by a penalty to the Mastbaum 48 yard line. The very next play Senior RB Nate Nixon took the ball and about 3 Southern players 52 yards to the endzone for the third Mastbaum TD. On the kickoff Southern fumbled letting Mastbaum recover. Southern's defense got a second wind somehow and shut Mastbaum down on this drive with the help of Southern's Gerald Terry sacking Markies Tavares.Then out of no where from 35 yards out Mastbaum's Coach John Murphy  puts David Pough in to kick what would be a 45 yard field goal. Reminder this is The Pub; there's not many quality kickers. Pough kicked the ball straight through the uprights to add another 3 points to the board. On Southern's next drive before the end of the half  Southern appeared to be driving on Mastbaum. Southern's QB Monir Nock handed the ball off to the running back who proceeded to step back and throw what would have been a TD if  Mastbaum's Sherrod Evers had not been there to pick it off. Mastbaum then went on their final drive of the half. Markies Tavares hooked up with David Pough for a 28 yard TD pass, Pough even kicked the extra point ( yes he does it all ).
       After Halftime the game slowed down a bit.Mastbaum substituted in David Pough for the impressive Markies Tavares. There was alot of hitting this half from both sides. On many plays I saw Southern's Chris Campo (Lineman) knocking many people on their backside. But the Mastbaum Defense just looked to strong for Southern, supplying the big hits on the defensive side were Derrick"Slim Deezy" Knight, Jahleel Porter, Mark Brighter and suprisingly the small husky guy Steven Gilbert. But Southern just looked too spirited to just give up and lay down. Southern QB Monir Nock tried everything until finally he saw some light and ran for it. On a QB Draw he ran 20 yards giving Southern some hope of scoring, that hope didn't last long with the game running down. Southern eventually punted, allowing Mastbaum to run the clock down for the victory with some powerful runs by Ethan Onwodi ( I am sure Lincoln's field still has Southerns own Mark Lee's numbers imprinted on the ground).

SEPT. 15
CHECKING OUT SCRIMMAGES
      Well it's only the begining of the Public League Season and no official games have been played but scrimmages are happening and I was lucky enough to catch two of them. I went to see the first two Mastbaum scrimmages. I didn't know of any other ones to go see this week and me being a Mastbaum grad it goes without saying why I was there.The first one was against Lincoln. Lincoln looks to have improved from previous seasons. They have some powerful backs running the ball this year and a good sized line. Lincolns defense looks to have some potential as well. But with Lincoln being in the A Division they are going to run into some stiff competition with the likes of Frankford, Northeast and Washington.
       Another team I happened to see was Frankford. There were many people in the stands for this scrimmage held at Frankford Stadium including two former players for Frankford, Big Tracy Williams (Bloomsburg) and Marcus "Dink" Waddy (soon to be Virginia Union) and I can't forget the Mastbaum side which included the 2002 Public League Player of the Year Chris DeShields, Eddie Bowman and myself.
       Frankford's offense looked well. They have a returning quaterback with great size and ability named Darrell Turner). I also saw a spirited running back I believe his name is Joselito Cruz; I could be wrong with the name. They also have a big defensive line, but the Frankford secondary looked a little shaky. Frankford overall shows much potential and I can see them as one of the top teams in Division A.
       Now to Mastbaum. Mastbaum has a very young team this year with 15 sophomores and only 6 seniors. But don't overlook them because they are young. They are led in the backfield by a powerful runner named Nate Nixon. When Nate was a "young buck," we knew he would be a great player by his senior year and by the looks of it he will have a great season. Dave Wilson, the quarterback, looks to have improved dramatically over the off season as he showed he can not only pass the ball well but he can also run the ball. This year Mastbaum has a new Tight End/Defensive End named Mark Brighter. Mark has good size and if his hands do him well he could have a great year offensively as well as defensively. Then there's "Bones of Steel" Jovan Pratt, an up and coming reciever who looks pretty good so far. The Line is young but is led by the experience in Derrick "Slim Deezy" Knight, a returning lineman from last year. Derrick knows how to play. Although young, they are coached by John Murphy, who has led the past 13 of his teams to the playoffs, a streak not matched by any team in the area. So they will be in good hands.
       Mastbaum's starting offense showed capability and looks promising. The defense looks to be in good shape as well for being a young team. Good Luck Panthers!
       Remember the games were just scrimmages so what I have seen can change by opening day. This looks to be shaping up to be another exciting year of Public League Football. GOOD LUCK! to all the teams.

SEPT. 14
INTRODUCTION
   My name is Russell Kubach, former Guard/Defensive Tackle for Mastbaum. I was also a member of the 2002 Public League All Star Team (the only white guy on the team. I was an active member of Random Thoughts last season as well. Due to personal reasons my junior year, I have been forced to attend a junior college for a semester or two instead of a four-year college right away. After my time at Manor Junior College is over, I plan on transferring to Millersville University or Shippensburg University to play football once again.
  As a former player in the Public League I know many of the players feel The Pub should recieve more recognition and credit. The Pub is home to some  great players, so for anyone that looks past the Public League you should have your head checked.
  Football played a major part in my life during high school. I made friends with so many people that I will be in contact with for a long time. Football got me through school, it gave me a reason to do my best in classes. Being eligible is was very important to me and should be very important to everyone who plays high school football. I wasn't the best of students but I did what I had to do to be eligible. Many teams suffer come playoff time because of grades and players not taking care of what they have to in the classroom. If any players have any aspirations of going to college to play football, get your work done in the classroom or you will be stuck doing what I am doing, spending a semester at a junior college to prove you can handle college work.
  I am going to be attending as many games as I can and giving reports on as many teams as I can as well trying to give as much recognition to The Pub as possible. Not saying I won't comment on the Catholic League, though but this will be mainly a Public League column.
  The Public League League is full of great players, great fun, great games, and of course great trash talk. Trash talk is an essential part of not just Public League Football but football in general. No coach ever teaches you how or even encourages you to talk trash, but no matter what it happens. So, since this is a Public League column, send all of your comments or thoughts to Barroomhero73@aol.com but keep them clean, no profanity.
   I hope you enjoy the season and the column.