DEC. 12
CATHOLIC BLUE FINAL
Wood 17, West Catholic 14
   The cancellation of the Thanksgiving game and two postponements caused Wood's players and coaches to hang around and do nothing but practice for three weeks. But now that a title has been won, all concerned will say the extra time investment, and even having to indure the wrath of Tennent faithful, was well worth it. The Vikings broke a 14-14 tie on a 35-yard FG by sr. K-P Tom Laurich with 4:22 left, and then had to withstand West's only true drive of the game. (Its TDs came on runs of 70 and 81 yards by sr. RB Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley). The Burrs started at their 20 after an end-zone kickoff by Laurich and Brinkley ripped off a 22-yard gain. On fourth-and-14, soph John Maddox kept alive the drive with a 16-yard catch on a pass from sr. QB Will Burke. Maddox made another clutch play, leaping this time, to provide an 11-yard gain on third-and-9 and the Burrs had the ball at Wood's 34. The sequence from there: sr. OLB-SS Shane Rose stopped Brinkley for a 4-yard gain on a sweep right; Burke threw long to Maddox in the left corner of the end zone and sr. DB Tim Kilkenny made a great defensive play; Rose dropped Brinkley for a 1-yard loss on another sweep right; and Burke, under pressure from sr. DE Jack Ayling, was unable to hit sr. WR Evan Polk on the left sideline at 0:15. The celebrating then began! Kilkenny had an excellent game, snagging an interception and keeping Maddox catchless until those two on the final drive. Rose had six tackles. Sr. DL Pat Kane and sr. LBs Mike Kruzits and Bill Gross also turned in strong performances. Laurich's FG capped a drive in which the Vikings used their offense from the glory days, the wishbone. Soph RB Bryan McCartney (22-134) and Kruzits (10-52) mostly took turns and sr. QB Dane Mangin chipped in an 8-yard run for a first down. Mangin spent most of the season merely handing off; he averaged 22 passing yards per game through the first 10. But in this one, he passed 6-for-8 for 85 yards in the first half and hit sr. WB James Harrigan for a 13-yard score with 0:02 left. Mangin tried to hit Harrigan on back-to-back fades, but was unsuccessful. The coaches then called for a slant and Harrigan fought his way into the end zone, dragging several tacklers. Wood's first score had come on a 10-yard run by Kruzits. Brinkley finished with 213 yards on 19 carries, finalizing his career total at 7,413 yards. I look at that number and can't believe it. Try this one on for size, too: 1,007 carries. Phew! Well done, young man!! Soph LB Wayne Donahue made 13 tackles for the Burrs. Jr. LB Kelvin Quick and sr. DB Kevin Gardner added eight apiece. Well, troops, that's it for FB season. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for paying attention.

DEC. 10
PUBLIC LEAGUE FINAL
Frankford 12, Washington 0
   It was raining and the field was a mess even beforehand from the snow of the previous weekend, but the conditions barely affected the Pioneers. They were dominant on both sides of the ball while finishing 11-0 and extending their winning streak to 20 games. Frankford rolled to 298 yards total offense and held Washington to 73. The shutout was the eighth of the season, a school record! The rushing was balanced as sr. FB Jeremy Benson (16-84) and sr. HB Arnold Mullins (13-67) ran for one TD apiece and soph HB Brandon Norris, who shared time with Mullins, went for 80 yards on eight carries. Jr. QB Lamont Brown went 4-for-8 for 58 yards, mostly to sr. WB Michael Washington (3-54, two spectacular snags). Sr. E Ervin Hook made a key play in the first scoring drive. Washington blocked a punt, but Hook picked up the ball and ran for first down yardage. The drive continued and Mullins ran 5 yards for a TD on the first play of the second quarter. Hook also made a crucial play on defense: In the third quarter, Mullins lost a fumble and sr. S Rich McFillin recovered at the Frankford 12. In order, sr. S Andre Mungin dropped sr. RB Marcus Banks for a 3-yard loss, sr. DE Isaiah "Zeke" Thompson registered a 5-yard sack on McFillin, McFillin threw incomplete and Hook made the fourth-down pick at the 10, adding a 29-yard return for good measure. The Pioneers made it 12-0 two series later as Norris zoomed 44 yards to the 27 and Benson rumbled home from there. The defense, coordinated by Bill Clausen, featured ends Thompson and Benson, tackles Ray Williams and Henry Smith, inside linebackers Joe Farina and Zaire Small, outside linebackers Hook and Washington, cornerbacks Mullins and Norris and the safety, Mungin. All are seniors except for Norris. Washington's only bright spot was a record-setting performance by jr. RB Jerry Butler. The Frankford resident was able to post only 37 yards, but that raised his season total to 1,247, best in Washington history. Congrats to The Iceman! (That's the nickname of a back-in-the-day singer named Jerry Butler -- smile). The post-game scene was wild, as the Pioneers frolicked in the mud and nearby snowbanks.

THANKSGIVING
PUBLIC-CATHOLIC RIVALRY
Frankford 49, North Catholic 28
   Frankford has received a lot of attention this season and still faces a title-game appearance next week vs. Washington. So if you don't mind, I'll focus more on North in this report. The Falcons entered with one win and their previous game ended in disaster: they had a 28-0 halftime lead to McDevitt only to lose, 36-28. But they honestly believed they could hang, even win, and they left Memorial Stadium with reason to feel proud. Coach Tim Quinn used all kinds of gimmicks and did so right away. High school rules allow for multiple forward passes as long as they happen behind the line of scrimmage. I'll go seasons without seeing anyone take advantage, which is amazing. Anyway, North lined up in a muddle huddle (almost everybody tight to the sideline) and jr. QB Joe Waclawski flipped the ball to jr. FB Rasuel Thomas, who was lined up behind the blocking wall. Thomas made the catch and then threw downfield to sr. WR Ryan Nottis. The ball was a bit of a floater and sr. DB Andre Mungin broke it up. Otherwise, North would have scored right away. The Falcons came back with the very same play, except that this time Thomas kept the ball and gained 4 yards. They drove and drove and took a 6-0 lead on a 2-yard run by sr. FB Pat Fahr. Quinn used trips formations and quads formations and at least on one play, he sent a tackle out to stand next a WR, with the hope that the presence of a blocker would help a hitch become a big-gainer. It didn't work because the tackle missed his block, but it looked cool (smile). Waclawski finished 22-for-38 for 213 yards and ran eight times for 29 yards. He took a shot on his left bicep (he's a lefty) early in the third quarter and went to the sideline. He even removed his shoulder pads, appearing to be done for the day. Then he picked up a ball, tossed a few passes, put his pads back on and trotted onto the field to the accompaniment of loud applause from North's rooters. He said he had no feeling in his arm, but wanted to get back in because the game was North's last. Nottis had seven catches for 59 yards. Sr. WR Sammy Ladd (7-97) and jr. RB Shane McNamara (5-49) also had strong receiving efforts. McNamara added 54 yards on 12 carries. Obviously, it would be ludicrous to say a defense that gave up 49 points played well. But the Falcons did have their moments. They held sr. HB Arnold Mullins and sr. FB Jeremy Benson to 7 and 9 yards, respectively. In the second quarter, Fahr dropped Mullins for a 5-yard loss, then jr. LB Matt Sharkey and sr. DL Sean James followed immediately by dropping him for a 2-yard loss. In the second half, jr. DE Hector Guzman and soph LB Steve Angelucci made TFLs. Also, one of the smaller Falcons, sr. Dan Dempsey, outfought everybody to recover an onsides kick. As for Frankford's headliners: sr. Michael Washington scored thrice, twice on his only two running plays, counters, and once on a pass from jr. QB Lamont Brown (6-for-10, 177). Sr. Ervin Hook also caught a TD pass. My DN story focused on soph RB Brandon Norris, who ran for TDs (and 83 total yards) on three of his four carries. On the season, 11 of his 31 rushes have gone for scores!! Norris also had an interception and was flipped by jr. Ozzie Franco. DN photographer Steve Falk got a great photo of Norris, with his heels literally at the top and his head at the bottom. Late in the game, Quinn was trying to make a point with the head linesman about a supposed Frankford violation. He talked and talked for maybe 30 seconds and could tell he was getting nowhere. He finally asked, "Are you a Frankford guy?" Both started laughing. Holding the down marker all game was Frankford all-time RB Gary Hegh. He now coaches baseball at Mainland High, down near Atlantic City.

NOV. 22
CATHOLIC RED FINAL
SJ Prep 45, O'Hara 7
   From the O'Hara standpoint, and the will-this-be-competitive? standpoint, this game had the WORST possible start. O'Hara failed to cover the opening kickoff, jr. Steve Quinn recovered at the 11, sr. RB Dan Jones immediately ran for a TD and the Hawks had a 7-0 lead after 10 seconds! The Prep's student rooters chanted "It's all over!" just after the recovery was made. Prophetic. Later, soph RB John Shaw, who shared the tailback spot all season with Jones, put on a show of speed, moves and hunt-and-peck abilities behind his blockers. He ran 19 times for 98 yards and four TDs. He actually ran for five TDs, but one, a 21-yarder, was called back due to motion. No matter. On the next play from the 26, after being hemmed in/surrounded, Shaw wriggled free and made a return visit to the end zone. The other TDs were scored by Quinn on a 29-yard pass from sr. QB Mark Noonan and by Noonan on a 30-yard designed keeper. Sr. Matt Welsh hit three PAT. O'Hara did very little on offense, honestly. Sr. RB Anthony Heygood, in the final game of a stellar career, had to settle for 29 yards on 12 carries. Sr. QB Matt Campbell passed 4-for-12 for 51 yards and scored on a 1-yard sneak. He was sacked three times, once apiece by sr. DT Brandon Friday, soph DT Charlie Noonan (Mark's brother) and sr. DE Matt Parkhurst. Friday added two TFLs on Heygood and recovered a fumble. Sr. LB Rob Fritsch was in on 15 tackles for O'Hara. We wish the best for head referee John Marshall, who ended his career after 34 years. He always displayed the proper demeanor, at least through these eyes, and was highly skilled at just flat-out properly running the game. Not much more to say. The game, played before an overflow crowd at P-W estimated at 5,500, was that one-sided as the Hawks extended their winning streak to 35 games.

NOV. 22
PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINAL
Washington 21, Dobbins 14
   Perhaps not a gigantic upset, but Dobbins was close to a large one when something went terribly wrong with 1:22 left. Connections on a handoff could not be made, the ball fell to the turf and, in a wild scramble, jr. DB Charles Hughes made his third big play of the day (also two picks) by recovering at the Dobbins 26. On the third play thereafter, jr. RB Jerry Butler completed a strong performance (22 carries, 230 yards) by zipping 23 yards for a TD and the Eagles pulled out the win. They were trailing, 14-13, prior to Hughes' recovery and by 14-0 at halftime. How'd they come back? Their first TD came just 1:23 into the third quarter as Butler dashed 13 yards (after his own 35-yard jaunt and an 18-yard pass from sr. QB Rich McFillin to sr. rec. Ricardo Rivera). A fumble recovery by jr. DT Stefan Ruff set up the next score, a 35-yard TD catch by jr. RB Jeremiah Pitt. McFillin put the ball on the money and Pitt outjumped a defender. On the two possessions before Butler's winning TD, McFillin was unable to connect on FG attempts of 38 and 42 yards. On the possession after the TD, Butler himself posted an interception. Dobbins' scores came on a 60-yard run by jr. RB Rashad "Reds" Williams and a 12-yard pass from sr. QB Maurice Whitaker to sr. WR Ariel Simmons, who did a nice stretch-out in the right corner. Hughes made six tackles, including a sack. Sr. LB Zimier McCloud had nine. If Dobbins had won, Simmons would have been the toast of North Philly. Aside from his TD catch, he recovered a fumble (setting up his own score), had an interception and came out of nowhere, seemingly, to prevent a TD and tackle Butler on the 1 just before halftime.

NOV. 22
PUBLIC LEAGUE SEMIFINAL
Frankford 48, Central 24
   Yes, I realize Frankford won the game. But this report must begin by giving props, a shoutout, or whatever, to Central jr. QB Joe Marshall. With sr. QB Marcel Quarterman (sprained wrist) unavailable, the inexperienced Marshall (one pass on the season) got the nod and was simply marvelous. He accounted for 257 yards total offense by passing 9-for-13 for 191 (and two TDs to sr. WR Jordan Anderson) and carrying 16 times for 66 yards and a score. Marshall's first throw was picked off, but he was able to maintain his composure. Kudos, kid!! The 75-yard TD pass to Anderson came on an all-time play. The pass appeared to be intended for jr. WR Rodney Sykes. After it was deflected by sr. DB Arnold Mullins, Anderson gathered it in and raced for what turned out to be an easy score. Those heroics gave Central a 24-20 lead shortly into the third quarter. Frankford then regrouped and, as the score indicates, wound up winning in comfortable fashion. The Pioneers eventually rolled to 449 yards of total offense as Mullins (19-176, TD), sr. FB Jeremy Benson (19-90, two TDs) and soph RB Brandon Norris (4-52, two TDs) handled the running and jr. QB Lamont Brown passed 11-for-15 for 121 yards and a score to sr. SB Michael Washington (5-50). Washington also had 11 solo tackles. Sr. LB Joe Farina had two sacks for 12 yards and a fumble recovery. Sr. LB Zaire Small made six stops. For Central, sr. LB Quindel "Milky" Ladson posted 17 tackles. Anderson (11) and Sykes (nine) were also big-timers. Sr. LB Michael Dugas had an interception. Frankford's line included Small at C, sr. Gs William Latham and Isaiah "Zeke" Thompson, sr. Ts Michael Lewis and Henry Smith and sr. Es Ahmad Shakoor and Farina. Ultimately, they wore down the Lancers and created bigger and bigger holes as time went on.

NOV. 21
CATHOLIC BLUE SEMIFINAL
Wood 13, Neumann 7
   Somehow, the stars come up with the big plays when they're needed the most and sr. RB-LB Mike Kruzits was no exception in this one. Whether he had help from the referees is very much up for debate. Kruzits ran 17 yards for the game-winning TD with 0:24 left, even though he and his teammates and coaches would have been satisfied with a small gain to set up a last-second FG attempt by sr. Tom Laurich (despite his earlier difficulties). Kruzits appeared to be stopped at roughly the 10, but as the Pirates tried to poke free the ball, the whistle never blew and Kruzits kept churning. He eventually broke loose, spun off one last tackler and eased into the end zone. Kruzits himself said he was surprised no whistle was blown. Neumann coach Ed "Bubby" DiCamillo was livid. I've never heard a coach show as much anger about a call, or calls, as DiCamillo did. He dropped F-bomb after F-bomb and even insisted that he what he was saying better wind up in the paper. He added that he didn't care if his outburst cost him his job because his kids had been cheated. He was hissed not only about the non-whistle, but that Wood had received the benefit of two penalties (defensive holding, 5-yard facemask) on the last drive, set up by the second of two interceptions by jr. DB John McFadden. Out of the wishbone, Kruzits had gains of 11 and 7 yards earlier in the drive. On defense, two of his eight tackles went for losses. Laurich had a roller-coaster night. After he hit a 22-yard FG late in the third quarter, ostensibly drawing Wood within 7-3, he was roughed and a penalty resulted. The line of scrimmage was the 5, so the Vikings took the points off the board and went in for a TD on a 1-yard keeper by sr. QB Dane Mangin. Later, Laurich missed FGs of 27 and 30 yards. After Laurich missed the 27-yarder, a player and/or assistant coach from Neumann (different refs gave different versions) made the choke sign. Not good. I know the game was emotional, but that was inexcusable. Neumann was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Neumann got a quick jump offensively as sr. Jon Brady hit sr. RB Billy Canady for a 57-yard gain to the Wood 17. Canady ran in from the 7 five plays later. Neumann had two first downs on that drive, and only four for the game. Wood ran 60 plays and Neumann's defense was largely outstanding. Jr. DT James Smart, though not especially big, was in on nine tackles. The Gigantic One, jr. DT Marques Slocum, also was a force. Sr. LB Frank Baldino made a series of clutch stops. In one sequence, sr. safety Mike Matteo made five tackles in six plays. I have put out the word that the assigner for referees, Andy Hafele, is welcome to comment on DiCamillo's charge that Neumann was cheated. We'll see what happens.

NOV. 21
NON-LEAGUE
Germantown 35, University City 0
   Not much of a contest. G-town had its 35-0 edge by halftime and the second half FLEW by due to the mercy rule. The Big Bear was tiny sr. Marcus Walton (5-7, 140), who ran nine times for 122 yards and TDs of 42 and 45 yards. He also kicked three PAT. Soph RB Akeem Johnson added 46 yards and two scores on nine rushes. G-town's line was hungry for attention. Sr. T Dennis Hill was braggin' about all his pancakes, so I said I would call him "IHOP" in this report (smile). The others were sr. C Anthony Washington, jr. G Jarell Johnson, jr. G Byron Holmes and sr. T Aaron Josey, who with a big smile kept saying to Hill, "Why don't you leave Ted alone? You keep trying for ink, don't you?" Jr. QB Brandon Cuff hit sr. WR Christen Johnson with a perfectly thrown 50-yard scoring pass. G-town's fourth TD came shortly after jr. Parrin Jones sent a kickoff off the side of his foot and jr. Christopher Siaplay recovered at the UC 48. It wasn't supposed to be an onsides kick, but it worked out like one. Sr. Gabriel Johnson had an interception. If you're counting, that's four Johnsons for the Bears. There are six altogether and no two are related. (The others are Justin and Phillip, recently up from the JV. Justin had a fumble recovery.) Jr. DE Don "Florida" Williford had a TFL. On the other side, sr. Brandon Arrington had two TFLs. UC had 105 yards in penalties (ouch!) and very rarely sustained any momentum. But as the second half opened, jr. Jamar Goss recovered a medium-distance kickoff at the 33 and the Jaguars got to the 8 on runs by sr. Washchonne Savoy (9 yards), jr. RB Arnold Malloy (11) and sr. RB Anthony Williams (5). Procedure followed, though, and Williford recorded his TFL two plays later and the drive yielded no points. UC sr. QB Kayon Walton (illness) was only a spectator, but got off a great line. After sr. DL William Gray picked up a ballcarrier and buried him into the turf, Walton said, "Let me introduce you to my friend called Ground!" Site of the day: the head linesman had a tattoo of a naked girl on his left arm. The breast area was covered with a Band-Aid. I do not make up this stuff.

NOV. 20
NON-LEAGUE
Bok 12, Mastbaum 8
   Call this one The Cedric Green Show. Rarely has a player dominated a game in such fashion without scoring a point. The 5-10, 180-pound sr., a FB and LB, gained "only" 47 yards on 13 carries. But he did so much more: made 11 tackles; recovered a fumble to set up a TD; uncorked a 52-yard quick kick to provide a big swing in field position. Then, in the fourth quarter, also while punting, he tracked down a bad snap 22 yards behind the line of scrimmage, at the Bok 12, and bobbed and weaved his way to an 11-yard gain and was one tackler away from what likely would have been a 66-yard touchdown run. He ended Mastbaum's next-to-last possession by uncorking the best hit of the game on junior QB Markies Tavares (8-for-19, 72). It came on a fourth down play. Tavares fumbled and the ball rolled out of bounds one yard short of a first down. On Mastbaum's last possession, again on fourth down, he chased Tavares toward the right sideline and helped to assure that his pass would sail out of bounds. In what was not exactly a shocker, Green was given the game ball. Bok's TDs went to the Major twins, sr. RB Kenny and sr. QB Allen. For the fourth consecutive game, Allen had NO passing yardage and did not even throw the ball for the third game in that four-game stretch. Amazing. Sr. DT Navarre Archie made two big plays at or just beyond the line of scrimmage. Jr. DT Chris Cotton had a wicked hit. For Mastbaum, sr. WR Jovan Pratt had six catches for 49 yards and the leading rushers were sr. Kenny King (11-52) and jr. Perrell Jones (7-51). Especially early, jr. LB James Baptiste was a force. Jr. WR Sherrod Evers scored the TD on a 20-yard catch. Two Bok players -- jr. NG Joe Campagna and jr. DE Sean Jessup -- were hurt on the same play. They were lying a few feet apart in the mud and then finally got up. Akeem Jordan came out to help Jessup off the field, but no one else came out and Campagna did the honors, limping heavily all the way to the sideline. Earlier, Jessup got blocked by sr. TE Mark Brighter and wound up in a kneeling position, cradled by Brighter's legs. The two remained that way for a good 5-6 seconds. Brighter had his hands up, as if saying to the refs, "This isn't a penalty. I'm just standing here and he happens to be underneath me." Pratt and sr. SB Steve Gilbert wound up a few feet apart in a pattern. Gilbert was in front and attempted a diving catch. The ball went off his fingertips. Pratt likely would have made the catch right behind him. "Damn!" Pratt said. "Sorry, dog," Gilbert said. "I didn't know who the pass was to."

NOV. 15
CATHOLIC RED SEMIFINAL
O'Hara 35, Roman 0
   Hard to believe how one-sided this one was. O'Hara dominated on both sides of the ball and was frolicking by the end. Roman ran 54 plays and 13 lost yardage. Sr. QB Andre Sloan-El was dropped for losses nine times and the yardage total was 59. And this is NOT a slow kid with bad pocket/rollout presence. The Lions were that quick, that aggressive. Sr. DT Mike Kimpel had three sacks. Jr. OLB Brahiim Washington had two. Jr. DT John Paul Conneen was in on 1 1/2. Jr. DEs Keith Hilliard and Bill Kerr had one apiece. Sr. LB Paul Signora had a 1/2. Interceptions went to Signora and jr. LB Mike Marotta. Roman had just four decent plays all night: a 36-yard scramble by Sloan-El, a 52-yard pass to sr. WR Khalil Ferguson, a 21-yard run by jr. Tyree Berrian and a 23-yard pass to sr. WR Charlie Squitiere on the game's final play. Offense, you ask? The Lions were just as impressive, churning out 392 yards. Sr. FB Matt Gough (9-127, two TDs) and sr. RB Anthony Heygood (15-112, TD) handled the rushing. Sr. QB Matt Campbell passed 3-for-8 for 87 yards and one TD apiece to jr. WR Sean Barksdale (a perfectly thrown 57-yard bomb) and jr. WR Tom Creighton (a 25-yard fade to the left corner; also right on the money). The TD pass to Creighton caused bad blood. The score was 28-0 at the time and 6 minutes remained. Several people standing on the sidelines, as well as some in the stands, yelled angrily across the way at Danny Algeo, O'Hara's offensive coordinator and Roman's former head coach. After the game ended, a few Roman loyalists glared at Algeo as they walked toward the Cahillites' get-together. Algeo said he was ignored by a couple of Roman's coaches in the handshake line. He appeared to be upset with the notion that everyone had assumed earlier this season that the title chase would come down to Prep and Roman. Roman coach Jim Murphy said only, "Someday we'll have the chance to do that to somebody, and we will NOT do it." Algeo has had a controversial season. Ryan coach Glen Galeone accused him of trying to show up his team in a regular season blowout. Moving on . . . Sr. lineman Frank Suplick recovered two fumbles for Roman. The Cahillites' main rusher, jr. Marc Patricelli, is still out with a concussion suffered in the first O'Hara-RC game two weeks ago. He will miss the Thanksgiving game vs. Roxborough also. "I'm still getting dizzy sometimes, and having a hard time concentrating," he said. At one point in the first half, I happened to walk past O'Hara's coaches when a play was being sent in: shift two, jumbo elephant, 38 power. Heygood ran for a short gain and I wound up next to a group of youngsters who'd been allowed to dress for the game. I figured I'd test them. "OK, guys, let's see who's paying attention. What was that last play?" One of them said, "A handoff."

NOV. 15
CATHOLIC BLUE
West Catholic 33, Conwell-Egan 12
   This one figured to be a nail-biter with both teams fighting for a playoff spot. But by the end, the Burrs were coasting with second-teamers on the field. The overall difference in one word: turnovers. The Eagles were guilty of five and two led directly to scores. Soph LB Wayne Donahue had a wonderful day for the Burrs. He was in 12 tackles total. Included were two sacks and two regular TFLs for 20 yards total in losses. Oh, he also recovered three fumbles and forced one. Sr. DE David Fitzgerald and jr. DE Derrell Hand made nine and eight stops, respectively, and sr. DB Tom Fontaine had an interception. The running back duel between West sr. Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley and C-E jr. Steve Slaton never fully developed. Brinkley finished with 234 yards and two TDs, including a 70-yarder, on 30 carries. Slaton's numbers were 22-127-0 and he lost three fumbles. This kid has done so much for C-E's program. It was difficult to see him have such a rough day. He needed 129 yards to hit 4,000 and had 126 at the half. He gained just one yard in the second half. In a gracious move, West coach Brian Fluck was going to have the PA announcer note Slaton's accomplishment. Now, it'll have to come in C-E's Thanksgiving game vs. Truman. Sr. QB Will Burke went 6-for-12 for 96 yards, mostly to soph WR John Maddox. In an interesting third quarter sequence, Burke hit Maddox with a fade to the left corner for a 17-yard TD. A penalty was called, however. On fourth-and-21 from the 34, Fluck went with the same play. Maddox again made a leaping catch -- at about the half-yard line -- and fell back into the end zone. Beautiful! Due to Slaton's miseries and the score itself, C-E had to pass often in the fourth quarter. Sr. QB Chris Schaefer finished 7-for-15 for 110 yards, mostly to jr. WR Jeff McClenton (4-76, TD). Schaefer began the season as the fullback. Though certainly not a pure QB, he always brings gonads to the position and he did his best trying to rally his troops. Jr. LB Matt Porreca (11) and Slaton (nine) led C-E in tackles. Three other members of our dot.com family were in the house -- Huck, Amauro and Frog. All three are West grads! After a very low PAT missed, Huck noted, "A squirrel could have blocked that one!" Some Neumann players were in attendance and got involved in a late-game trash-talking duel with ex-West stars Jonathan Jackson and Robert Ramsey. It was pretty funny. Also, at several junctures, Ramsey offered leaping chest-bumps to West heroes as they came off the field.

NOV. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
Dobbins 22, Mastbaum 21 (OT)
   You look at the stats and you wonder how this happened. Mastbaum had more yardage (333-216) and more first downs (15-8) and was guilty of no turnovers to Dobbins' three. Strange, huh? The Mustangs won this one on Heart with a capital H! (Not that Mastbaum was lacking in that department.) The game-long headliner was sr. FB-LB Greg Myers, who literaly refused to lose. He made 14 tackles and showed enough speed to prove to me he could definitely play DB on the college level. State school alert! Maybe even I-AAs. The late-gamers, along with Myers, were jr. backup QB Steve Sydnor and jr. RB Rashad "Reds" Williams. With 7:44 left, Dobbins took over at its 6, trailing by 14-6. Coach Doug Macauley inserted Sydnor in part because sr. QB Maurice Whitaker called an audible on his own 1 with 4:45 left in the third quarter, resulting in a slow-developing play and a safety. He was also looking for a different look offensively, and Sydnor is more adept on the option. Indeed. Sydnor took the ball and rolled left with Williams trailing. He hunted and pecked and was a shade downfield when he decided, bam!, this is the time for the pitchout. Williams caught the lateral, sidestepped two defenders in fancy-feet fashion and reeled off a 74-yard gain. Sydnor scored from the 1 four plays later and then ran for the conversion, tying the score at 14-14. Mastbaum roared downfield and got a 38-yard completion from jr. QB Markies Tavares (10-for-16, 182) to sr. WR Jovan Pratt (4-72). But Pratt caught a cramp and had to go to the sideline. With 0:10 left and the ball on the 12, Tavares threw a fade in the right corner to jr. WR Ifen Onwodi. Onwodi pushed on the play and was called for offensive interference. That pushed back the ball to the 27 and sr. David Pough was short and to the left (great effort, though) on a 43-yard field goal attempt against the wind. Mastbaum went first in OT. Tavares hit sr. SB Steve Gilbert for eight yards, then RB Jadrien "J.J." Reynolds (14-72) ran in from the 2. Pough kicked the PAT. Dobbins' turn. Sydnor threw a quick pass to sr. SB Nate Gravely for the TD and the Mustangs went for two. Sydnor was going to fake to Myers, but Greg saw an opening, took the ball and easily dashed into the end zone. There was unabashed glee from Dobbins' players and cheerleaders, despair from Mastbaum's. Also important to Dobbins' cause was sr. DL Mike Roberts, who blocked two field goal attempts. Sr. RB-LB Kenny Robinson also had impressive moments on both sides of the ball. Sr. DB Phinizee Stokes was running around yelling that Dobbins' DBs are NOT too small to get the job done and that somebody should put THAT in their newspaper (smile). For Mastbaum, sr. TE Mark "Shockey" Brighter made a tremendous effort on a 29-yard TD catch. He got stuck hard while making the snag at about the 8, then dragged folks into the end zone. Jr. LB Perrell Jones showed some Myers-like passion. Manners are not dead: Dobbins DL Robert Williams hurt his ankle. When I inquired later how he was, he said pleasantly, "I'm OK. Thanks for asking."

NOV. 13
NON-LEAGUE
Franklin 12, Gratz 6 (OT)
   One never knows what to expect from these late-season games that are thrown together for non-playoff teams. But since these schools are both from North Philly and many of the players know each other, I figured they'd care enough to put forth the effort and make things interesting. Ding! It happened despite adverse weather conditions (cold temperatures and winds that surpassed 40 mph; a tree near the east end zone snapped in half). Check out Special Photos for proof -- smile. My DN story focused on sr. QB-DB David Callaway, who passed for a 4-yard TD to his good buddy, sr. Rec.-DB Darrell Fincher, and ended the OT with an interception when he stepped in front of Gratz' prime wideout, sr. Eugene Wright. OT began as sr. RB Clarence Hendley immediately rumbled 10 yards for a TD behind sr. G Curtis Allen, soph T Jeffrey Boanes and jr. TE Michael Hooper. The conversion failed. As Gratz set up for its possession, coach Rich Kozlowski stormed onto the field in a rage, saying his captains had not been properly advised of the OT options. (I was definitely wondering why OT was taking place at the west end zone, meaning the teams were going into the wind.) A 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct resulted, moving the ball back to the 25. Sr. RB Vondell Parson ran 12 yards to the 13, then Callaway picked off sr. QB Kyle Whiting. The Bulldogs' lone TD had come midway through the fourth quarter on a 96-yard pass play; yes, it happened with the wind. Tight end Richard Sheppard made his first catch of the season about 30 yards downfield and ran the rest of the way. Unbelievable. Jr. DB Deshawn Hopkins also intercepted a pass for Franklin while jr. Kordell Morgan blocked a punt. Recoveries went to sr. Darryl Smith and sr. Waverly Lane, whose father, Waverly, was a star wrestler for Gratz (he was in attendance). Gratz' best defender was LB Kamaal Dutton, who did some Omar McDonnaugh-style rockin'. As the third quarter ended, the refs screwed Gratz out of 10 yards. The Bulldogs had the ball on the Franklin 42. They then wound up on their own 48. I spoke up, but the refs ignored me. Late in the game, a Franklin player -- soph Maurice Dantzler, I believe -- walked over and said, "Are you from TedSilary?" I said, "More than FROM. I AM."

NOV. 8
CL FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF
La Salle 28, Ryan 14
   It's finally going to happen. After numerous "almosts" that frustrated fans of both schools, La Salle and SJ Prep are going to meet in a playoff game. The tilt will take place Friday night at Northeast, barring any late changes, and it's undecided whether the teams will still meet for a third time this season on Thanksgiving. Anyway, the matchup became assured because La Salle was able to mix three ingredients in this one: running, passing and tough-enough defense. The Explorers did some serious banging. Jr. DB Rob Forster uncorked one of the season's best hits in pass coverage. Sr. DT Kevin Donohoe again and again hammered away on opponents. Sr. DB Brian Hogan had a big-time, go-through-a-guy tackle. Even jr. Jack Crouse made a stop on a kickoff! (or so he claimed -- smile) Sr. Max Mullineaux gained 140 yards on 11 carries with two long gains (60, 59 for a TD). Jr. Mike Lynch passed 10-for-16 for 130 yards and a 49-yard score to sr. WR Chris Garzone (3-67). Hogan also had a good night receiving (4-55). Jr. RB George Hudson got just one carry, but made the most of it (15-yard TD). On defense, Forster and Hogan had interceptions and Donohoe made seven tackles. Hogan made his pick while on his back! Sr. Sean Adams, a 157-pound nose guard, recovered a fumble to set up a TD run for sr. RB Matt Malloy. Ryan received a terrific outing from sr. WR Rick Ferraiolo, who made eight catches for 141 yards. He showed the preferred hands-only technique and made 'em in stride, while turning around and absorbing contact, while crossing over the middle, while keeping his feet inbound along the sidelines . . . Soph RB Joe Zeglinski took an early rap on his right forearm/wrist. He did finish with 44 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards. Sr. QB Tim Roken passed 13-for-29 for 184 yards. He often stood tall (he's 6-4, 200) and delivered the ball in impressive fashion. When the Raiders ran onto the field before the game through a paper sign held by the cheerleaders, sr. Steve Zuccarini fell to the turf. Tough paper, huh? "My QB's trying to kill me," he said, smiling. Apparently, he fell after bumping into Roken.

NOV. 8
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Penn Charter 22, Gtn. Academy 16
(PC leads series, 73-33-11)
   One of the major joys of watching sports is seeing someone atone for a major mistake. The "someone" in this affair was PC jr. RB-KR Zack Zeglinski and he did so in grand style. With 3 1/2 minutes left, PC had the ball on GA's 8 and was hoping to roll in for a go-ahead TD. Zeglinski got the call and gained six yards but, oops, he fumbled the ball and sr. OLB Tyler Yerk recovered on the 2. After a strong defensive series (soph LB Joe Rauchut and sr. DB Hanif Hopkins made stops on first and second down, respectively; third down brought about an incomplete pass), jr. Tyler Stampone was forced to punt from the back of the end zone. Zeglinski caught the ball at the GA 39, ran to his left, got a good, early block from jr. Ryan Nanni and steamed down the left sideline to score with little difficulty. As you can imagine, there was wild celebration. GA earned one first down on its last drive, but it then had to spike the ball with no timeouts remaining and the next three plays went: incompletion (broken up by Nanni), 5-yard run for sr. QB Sean Grieve, incompletion (just out of Yerk's reach along the left sideline). The result left PC, GA and Malvern tied for the title at 3-1. That last happened in 1959 (same three teams). Zeglinski ran 19 times for 131 yards and a TD while adding 60 yards on two returns. He also had five tackles and received the Geis Trophy for being the MVP. Jr. FB Paul Sweeney toughed out 64 yards on 10 rushes. Jr. QB James Hannah passed just six times on a cold, windy day, but completed four for 73 yards and added 44 yards and a TD on seven carries. He is not Mr. Fancy Feet, but did post a 30-yard pickup on an option. Rauchut and Sweeney led the defense with eight tackles apiece. Jr. DT Colin Hitschler had seven and blocked a PAT. That was crucial. If the lead had been three points instead of two, GA coach Michael "Pup" Turner might have given serious thought to an intentional safety before the punt that led to Ziggy's heroics. Grieve finished 8-for-19 for 141 yards while Stampone made five catches for 85. He also had 17 yards on a rush. This kid's a gamer. Sr. DT James Wiley had a fumble recovery (in addition to Yerk's). According to several people along the sideline (I heard it, too, but could not believe my ears), the back judge at one point told the players, after a very brief skirmish, "If you're going to fight, wait until after the game." Even in jest, it wasn't smart to say that. You know you're at Inter-Ac game when: After a timeout, a PC manager came back to the sideline with the water bottles and said, "OK, they're all hydrated."

NOV. 7
CL RED FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF
Roman 21, Judge 17
   As this report is being written early Saturday morning, a strong guess is that Judge's coaches are already watching one play on the videotape over and over and over (as they also did late last night, undoubtedly). Either because they know the call was right and they just hope a different image will appear on the VCR, or because they're trying to be positive it was wrong before contacting Andy Hafele, the head of the officials. One of the more monumental upsets in city playoff history ALMOST happened. Judge, which entered with records of 1-6 (Red) and 1-7 (overall), and which had been often pounded (299 points allowed; 47-7 loss to Roman the first time around), momentarily took a 23-21 lead with 0:42 left when sr. WR Carl Peterson caught a 45-yard TD pass from sr. QB Dale Curry. Peterson made a nifty snag between near defenders and raced untouched to the end zone. But . . . the play was nullified due to illegal procedure. The ref who made the call refused to comment as he ran off the field at the end of the game. Wouldn't even look at me, actually. That's "protocol," folks. I only wanted to know the reason for the call. Judge coach Tommy Coyle said he was told that there were not enough men on the line of scrimmage. He was eager to see the tape. Anyway, three plays later, after a pass from Curry to sr. WR Tim Wacker put the ball on Roman's 32, sr. OLB Charron Fisher, of basketball fame, blindsided Curry and the resulting fumble was recovered by sr. DE Alex Garcia at 0:18. Curry, coming off a concussion, was outstanding, passing 11-for-20 for 180 yards and a 44-yard TD to sr. WR George Flack. Just as impressive was Judge's much-torched defense. Sr. DE Kevin Calvert (6-4, 185) made eight tackles, with a sack and two other TFLs among them. Soph Jeff McMahon was in on 11 stops. Sr. LB Anthony Rodriguez had seven. And the tiny DB group allowed sr. QB Andre Sloan-El to pass for just 60 yards. I kept waiting, especially after Sloan-El suffered a sprained right ankle, for Roman to line up in a shotgun and attack Judge with pass after pass to Fisher or also-tall sr. WR Khalil Ferguson. Never happened. When the Cahillites did pass, they usually opted for sideline patterns. Very little over the middle, where the height and physicality could have made even more of a difference. With jr. RB Marc Patricelli unavailable (injury), Roman relied more than ever on jr. RB Evin Jones. He responded with a TD and 79 yards on 15 carries. He also scored the winning TD on a 5-yard flip from Sloan-El with 1:22 left. That drive covered 50 yards in 12 plays; Jones' 37-yard kickoff return set it up. Sr. FB Mike Bergey had scored for Judge with 7:39 left on a 2-yard run. Sr. LB Tom Bowen had six tackles for Roman. Jr. LB Sean Matthews had five (while adding 41 rushing yards). Jones totaled five.