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T-Time Return to TedSilary.com Home Page Terrance McNeil, a former Central HS football player, is a junior at Temple. He's majoring in broadcasting and has asked for the chance to cover some games for the website. Don't be fooled by the picture at left (smile). Terrance is a friendly, personable young man and we welcome him to our somewhat normal group. Please offer your support. Terrance may be reached at tmac32@temple.edu. |
NOV. 23
THANKSGIVING DAY RIVALRY
Franklin 22, Dobbins 21
Two classic games in a row? Yes, sir. I had heard some serious
compliments about this series and this game did nothing to disappoint.
I’ve got to applaud both of these teams for putting on one heck of a game.
Mustangs RB Eric Riley opened the scoring with an 18-yard rumble.
RB/DE Seabrean Riser added the 2PC and Dobbins took early control 8-0.
Franklin held the ball for the rest of the 1st quarter, but on the 1st play of
the 2nd quarter, QB Tajidin McGough was picked off by DB Marcellus
Willoughby.
Dobbins would then embark on a 13-play, 93-yard drive. The Mustangs
overcame 3 holding penalties and still scored on this drive. A key play on this
drive was a 17-yard scramble by cool-as-a-fan QB Wesley Brown. W. Brown
also threw a beautifully thrown 27-yard spiral to WR Darrell “Butta” Brown.
It’s a toss-up between W. Brown and Gratz QB Jerrick Jenkins as to who
throws the prettiest ball in the Pub. But the culmination of the drive came when
RB Rannell Plummer trucked a defender or 2 on his way to an 18-yard TD.
He showed serious will to score on this play. The 2PC attempt failed and the
score was 14-0.
Franklin’s next drive was doomed from start to finish. Dobbins LB
Chris Williams dropped Franklin RB Versean ‘Verse’ Dawkins for a
6-yard loss and flexed his Mustang muscle after the play. McGough picked up 4
yards the next play, but was sacked by Riser and lost 6 on 3rd down. So,
Franklin was set to punt. The snap was horrible and Jamel Haggins managed
to get a pass attempt away instead of taking a huge loss.
Dobbins took over on Franklin’s 29 and took one magnificent play to
score. The QB Brown took a snap and rolled out to his right. He stopped and,
without a good plant, threw an on-the-money pass across his body to WR Brown for
a TD. It was a phenomenal pass. Martin Roberts converted the kick and the score
was 21-0 at the half.
Dobbins absolutely dominated the first half of the game, but
there’s a reason that there are 2 halves of a game. It started to pour down
raining at halftime, and I sought refuge underneath a tent Dobbins had set up
for selling food. Franklin took an extraordinarily long time at halftime, like
35 minutes, or 20 more minutes than they are allowed, and may have sapped some
of the Mustangs’ momentum.
Anyway, whatever Franklin’s Coach Ken Geiser told his troops
in that time worked. They pulled off an improbable comeback and played with some
serious fire in the cold weather conditions.
The 2nd half started with Dawkins running for 39 yards on 2
carries. On the third play from scrimmage, the center and quarterback had
trouble with the exchange, and DT Shaun Stephenson fell on the ball
for Dobbins. 2 plays later, Wesley Brown lost the handle an attempting an option
pitch-out. LB Calvin Johnson picked up the fumble and took it 20 yards
for 6. Dawkins earned 2 the hard way, grinding it out on the muddy field, and
Franklin was down 21-8.
Even after Franklin’s score, there were about 4 staunch Franklin
supporters on the sidelines who thought Franklin would win. The rest of the
crowd thought the game was pretty much over.
Dobbins’ next drive stalled, and the punt was partially blocked by LB
Harold Scott. The punt traveled only 5 yards and Franklin was in business at
Dobbins’ 43-yard line. Dawkins promptly took the ball 43 yards on 3 carries, and
cut the lead to 21-14. He also ran in the 2PC and made it 21-16.
Now, we’ve got a game. The crowd was pumped, the Electrons were buzzing, and
the Mustangs realized they weren’t going to run away with this game. Dobbins’
offense took the field and picked up a 1st down. They looked like they had
found that rhythm they had in the 1st half.
The game headed to the 4th quarter with the Mustangs marching and
the Electrons needing a stop. The Electrons got their stop when they picked off
W. Brown and regained possession at the Dobbins’ 47. But Franklin gave the ball
back on a turnover on downs, thanks to a stop by Williams.
The Mustang offense still struggled on their next drive, and the
15-yard punt that ended their drive didn’t necessarily help matters. So,
Franklin takes over with 40 yards to the goal line. Bang! Dawkins takes off for
a run of 25. Boom! 15 more on the next tote, and for all my math wizards out
there 25 + 15 = 40 and 40 yards = a TD. The score is now 21-20, with a big extra
point looming. The Electrons hand it to #22 and he pounds a DB on his way to the
2PC. Coaches always preach, “If you get lower than your opponent, you’ll win.”
Well, this DB was lower…he just forgot to bring some strength with him and
‘Verse’ bowled him over and gave him a ‘You’re way too little’ look. With 1:46
left, and trailing 22-21, Dobbins had their work cut out for them.
W. Brown put Dobbins on his right arm. 3 plays, 3 completions, 39
yards. Another holding penalty on the Mustangs brought the ball back to the
Franklin 46 and killed the momentum. Brown’s next pass was to the wrong team, DB
Tyran Carlton to be exact, and that was the ball game. What a game!
GAME BALL- Without Calvin Johnson’s key defensive
plays (the fumble return TD, but also a great special teams tackle, and
back-to-back stops on Franklin’s last drive), Franklin wouldn’t have been in it.
It was a total team effort, but Johnson gets the game ball.
I NOTICED- My sneakers and jeans were completed covered with
mud, but I love this game!...The crowd was absolutely wonderful. It was a great
atmosphere…These are two of the better guys as coaches in the Pub. Dobbins’
Lou Zambino is as cool as they come, and Ken Geiser of Franklin has
done a great job with the Electrons…It never fails. The field at 29th and
Chalmers will be muddy every time I go . . . I had some trouble getting into the
game. Hopefully, I won’t deal with many more problems as I’m just trying to give
the players the exposure they definitely deserve.
NOV. 18
PUBLIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Frankford 15, Washington 14
Champions show a desire to excel when it’s crunch time. They have a
resolve to get it done that can’t be taught. They dig deep to find whatever it
is they need to come up big when it counts. The 2006 Frankford Pioneers are
champions.
The game started off in a bad way for Frankford. They fumbled on the first
play from scrimmage. GW’s LB Jeff “Milky” Jones, who had himself one heck
of a ballgame, hopped on the fumble and the Eagles turned the turnover into 6
points 3 plays later. RB Jay Sloh did the honors by finding paydirt from
21 yards out. The extra point from the boot of K Will McFillin was good.
Frankford would come storming right back, mostly behind the arm of QB
Andreas “Dre” Hudson. On this drive, Dre went 3/3 for 61 yards, concluding
with a 19- yard touchdown pass to RB/Hero Ervin Goodson. Hudson threw
this ball with so much touch, Omarion would have been impressed. Goodson missed
the extra point as he tends to do after he scores from 15 yards or more, and the
score was tied, 6-6.
The rest of the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter were
dominated by the defenses. Jones led the way for GW, while Lamont Fitzgerald
was getting busy for Frankford. Washington’s offense would resurface though,
with a methodical 9-play, 70-yard drive, capped by an impressive cutback-filled
12-yard TD run by classy RB Fateen Brown.
Once again, Frankford would answer. Gritty RB Calvin Spires got
things rolling with a 6-yard run. The big play would follow, as Hudson found
Goodson again, this time for 34 yards. Spires followed with runs of 10 and 6,
and big FB Nate Johnson bullied his way to a 4-yard TD. The 2PC attempt
failed and the score was 14-12.
The defenses claimed the third quarter forcing both offenses to struggle.
Large DT Tyree Dudley, who is being courted by James Madison and Temple,
and LB Josh Burnett led the Pioneers’ defense. Dudley is a true
space-eater with some serious athleticism and Burnett was just sticking his nose
in plays and disrupting them.
George Washington was led by an interception by DB Rich McPhail and the
play of DB Oliver Wallace and Jones.
Now, onto the final stanza. Man, this one was pressure-packed and intense.
Defense was key. Turnovers were plentiful, presumably because of the immense
pressure and nervousness. Special teams were absolutely critical. And emotions
would seep through at the end.
Enter defense. It started with ‘Dre’ throwing his 2nd INT to DB
Anthony Bright, who had a good return getting the ball to Washington’s 45.
Washington’s passing game, which was non-existent, received another blow when
Frankford’s Stephen Ortega chased QB Clinton “Juice” Granger and
sacked him. The Eagles would punt, as would the Pioneers after picking up only
one first down.
Enter turnovers. On G-Dub’s next possession, Burnett would force Brown to
fumble. Then on a 4th down from Washington’s 18, Hudson fumbled, only to have
Spires pick it up and advance it 9 yards. Spires would fumble later when hit by
Oliver Wallace and DE Scott Marano would fall on it at the 15. After 3
plays and only picking up 3 yards, Washington was set to punt.
Enter special teams. The snap went to Marano, but he bobbled it. He was
immediately swarmed by Ortega and DT Terrell Lewis for an 11-yard loss.
Ortega is a DEMON. He plays special teams with so much passion. He just goes
after it with all he’s got and truly leaves everything on the field. He also can
fly on D and creates havoc. But I said a couple reports ago that he was a demon
and he proved it. Young players, and current players, can stand to learn a thing
or two from his approach to the game. Don’t overlook playing on those special
teams when you’re not starting. You can make a difference.
Frankford’s ball with 5 yards to go to paydirt. Hudson picked up 3
yards on 1st down, but he fumbled but a teammate recovered. By this time, the
crowd was in total pandemonium and engulfed in the intensity of the game. On he
next play, Johnson is stuffed for a no gain by Jones and Bright. 3rd down:
Hudson from the 2. He got the ball to about the foot line from the stripe that
would give him 6 points. So, it’s 4th at the 1-foot line.
So, play the coach. You’re down 14-12 with 47 seconds left on the
clock. You don’t have a proven FG kicker, just a running back who kicks extra
points and you have a 6’3” QB who can lean forward and a big, effective line to
block behind. But Coach Capriotti decided to go with Ervin Goodson for a
FG attempt. GW tried to ice him. Twice.
Enter emotions. But Goodson delivered an upright-splitting FG and
sent the crowd wild.
Washington still had a shot, but they ran on 1st down. Then,
Granger sent a bomb down the field, but it missed the mark. And Frankford is
back-to-back champs.
GAME BALL- Gotta give it to Goodson. His heroics are
immeasurable. His 3 catches for 76 yards and a TD only complement his
game-winning, championship-clinching FG kick.
I NOTICED- This game was one of the real treats this season.
The game had it all: suspense, heroics, and true emotion…Washington’s Fateen
Brown had one of the classier exits in defeat. He told each and every Pioneer
“Good luck in the States.” What a class act…The Frankford LB corps: hard-hitting
Chris Spence, highly active Josh Burnett, and Dwayne Lewis
played with a chip on their shoulder the entire game. They were visibly upset by
the Inquirer’s comments about them being small. They could be heard saying,
“Who’s too small? Huh? Who’s too small?”…You would’ve thought it was Valentine’s
Day with all the “I love Erv” comments on the sidelines…Tyree Dudley’s dad was
in attendance and enjoyed his son’s performance.
NOV. 10
NON-LEAGUE
West Philadelphia 26, Freire 14
Football is about playmakers. It’s a joy to watch a playmaker
emerge into a game breaker, a player that’s a threat to take one to the house
any time he touches the ball.
Freire Charter has an emerging game breaker in junior QB/RB/DB/PR/KR
Antoine “Blueberry” Singleton. I know Freire lost the game, but “Blue” is
a special talent. The show starts and ends with him at Freire and the game
against West was no different as he opened the scoring with a dazzling punt
return for a TD and tossed another one later.
Freire punted on their 1st possession, and after a 3-and-out West
was forced to punt too. West punter Khalif Sapp kicked a short dribbling
kick that took a bounce in West’s favor. All the Freire coaches were screaming
“Get away, Blue! Get away, Blue!” Singleton calmly picked up the ball after the
bounce, made a couple nifty moves to get to the sideline and outran everybody
for a 71 yard punt return. After “Blue” made his moves to the sideline, all of
Freire’s coaches were screaming “Go, Blue! Go, Blue!” They had a change of
heart, I guess. Anyway, the pass failed and the score was 6-0.
But West was quick to answer as their next drive was capped by a perfectly
thrown pass from talented QB Courtney “Vick” Waiters to WR Derrick
Amos. The hold was bobbled on the PAT and the kick was blocked. That made it
a 6-6 ball game.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Singleton took a handoff, cocked
back to throw and found QB/WR/DB Dante Blow for a 29 yard touchdown. The
2PC was good as Singleton found Aleem Melvin in the back of the end zone.
Once again, West came marching back. On a drive that covered 65 yards,
Waiters took a QB sneak in from about the 2 inch mark. It was set up by a 13
yard run from FB Terrell Carroll that seemingly put the ball on the ½
yard mark. A facemask penalty gave West another half the distance and Waiters
just leaned forward for the TD. After an illegal procedure penalty on the
Speedboys erased a successful conversion attempt, the next try failed. That
brought West to within 2 points, 14-12.
West’s defense held on Freire next drive and their ensuing drive was aided by
2 15-yard penalties against Freire. The Speedboys capitalized as Carroll bulled
his way to a 2-yard score. Waiters had a big 21-yard run on this drive to
essentially set up Carroll’s TD.
On the 2PC try, Waiters tried to play Reggie Bush as he leaped to
enter the end zone. The attempt was in vain though as Blow flipped Waiters and
caused some ooohs from everyone in attendance.
Carroll seemed to impress his coaches a whole lot with his play and RB
Jabril Brown told his coaches, “Hey, don’t forget about me!” After Carroll
recovered a Freire fumble, Brown sped his way to a 25 yard TD to justify his
claim. Amos caught the 2PC and that ended the scoring.
West’s D was led by DE Keith West, who tallied 5 tackles, 3 sacks and
a TFL and Alfred Carney who made 7 stops with 3 TFL and was seen jumping
on to plenty of other piles.
Dante Givens led Freire with 6 stops and Anthony Nichols, who
was playing in a practice jersey, notched an INT.
GAME BALL- I’m going to have to split this one between Brown
and Waiters. Brown hustled his way to 6 tackles on D and he finished the day
with 17 carries for 92 yards and a score. Waiters impressed me again with his
passion for the game. He passed 4/5 for 62 yards and a TD and ran for another
score.
I NOTICED – West’s coaches told a running back, “When in
doubt, run behind Tristian.” They were referring to 5’10, 320 pound O-Lineman
Tristian Singleton. Wouldn’t you run behind him too?...When the referee, who
happened to be white, made a call that went against West, a player said “See,
white man still trying to oppress us.” I can’t make this stuff up…One official
got down and dirty when he was run into out of bounds by 2 players. He was
fine…A mom on Freire’s sideline told their coach, “You know, we should look into
some no-slip cleats.”…West’s Dominic Peterson told me that he wants
everyone to know he’s a good football player. He sat out both the games I
attended…2 weeks ago, former Central stud Jordan Anderson made his 1st
career start vs. Villanova. Congratulations! Last week, another member of
Central’s 2003 vaunted Big 3, Marcel Quarterman had an INT and a TFL vs.
Georgetown.
NOV. 3
PUBLIC LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL
FRANKFORD 58, OLNEY 12
This game was perennial playoff powerhouse vs.
virtual newbie, as Olney made its first playoff appearance in school history and
Frankford made its 175,487th straight playoff appearance. And in this one,
Frankford was just too strong.
Frankford RB Calvin Spires did his thing in this one, getting loose
for 139 yards on 12 carries. Throw in his 2 TDs on the ground and he had a great
game. RB Ervin Goodson also had a pretty good day on the field as he
broke a 63 yard punt return for 6, scored on a run, and was kicking extra points
as usual.
RB/LB Chris Spence is a monster. No joke. His tackles say
something and other teams don’t like to hear from him very often. Spence
definitely ROCKS people. After Spires went down with an injury, Spence stepped
up at running back and ran 8 times for 44 yards and a TD. He also took a kickoff
back 76 yards for a score. As Jim Jones would say, he was “BALLIN!” But that
seems to be week-in, week-out for Spence. But when he’s on defense, the offense
definitely knows where #45 is on the field. And if they didn’t know, they better
call somebody. Oh, yeah. He’ll be back next year.
I can’t go without mentioning LB/special teams DEMON Steven
Ortega. Talk about going hard? Every time I see Ortega he’s trying to lay
somebody out. I’m not talking in figurative language, I mean really trying to
lay people out. On special teams, you have to kick away from his gunner
position. I know it’s a stretch to say that about a gunner, but he deserves it.
Multiple times I’ve seen him leave his feet to launch his body at someone to
clean their clock.
For Olney, super-tough QB Mike Reyes was also “BALLIN!” He
had Olney’s only 2 scores and, boy, they were impressive. First, he took a
kickoff, ran to the middle of the field, where all the action was, took about
6-8 hits and kept going for an 87 yard score. He spun off of them all and then
broke for the end zone. That’s maximum effort. His 2nd one also came on special
teams, as he scooped up a fumble and scooted 31 yards for a score.
Olney tried, and I truly applaud their season. They have some
quality human beings, including Jerrell Toomer and Jamarr Leary, and
there and they seem to have good leadership in Coach Hugh MacDonough.
Let’s just hope we’ll see them in the postseason again and soon.
GAME BALL- It’s got to go to Spence. He was playing with
that emotion that you love to see. He’s also got that flair needed to play LB.
He also scored on a KO return and a rush. He’s a bruising football player. He
can ball.
I NOTICED- Frankford’s talent level is ridiculous. They have
so many skill position players, they’ve got athletes, and they just continue to
be a mainstay at, or near, the top of the Pub…The attendance was kind of scarce
for this game. I thought it would draw a lot more people…It was very, very cold
outside.
NOV. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Franklin 39, Edison 14
In this one, there was so much trash talk
it would have made Muhammad Ali smile. It started with the chain gang members.
Franklin’s students usually handle the chain gang duties and they’re on the
opposing sidelines. There is usually a lot of smack being tossed around but it’s
usually all in good fun. This time, one of the chain gang members got into it
with an Edison player, one of Edison’s coaches took offense, and that kid was
promptly removed from moving the sticks.
The smack then moved to the field, in the form of Edison RB Kory
Marshall. He rushed 15 times for 51 yards and a TD along with 3 tackles on
D, but I can still hear him yapping and the game ended yesterday.
Franklin decided to talk with their play on the field, jumping to a 21-6 lead at
halftime, courtesy of 2 TD runs by star RB Versean ‘Verse’ Dawkins, and a
TD reception by WR/LB Harold Scott from QB Tajidin ‘Taj’
McGough, whose picked off a pass to set up Verse’s 2nd touchdown.
McGough’s interception came on a ball that sailed from Edison QB
Ernesto Medina. McGough stepped in front of the pass, to give him 6 INTs on
the season, and a penalty during the return brought the ball back to
Edison’s 35 yard line. Verse took it in easily and dove into the end zone with
no defender close to him. He ran in the 2PC to make the score 14-0.
On the first play from scrimmage in the 2nd half, Dawkins
stripped Edison RB Joshua Alicea from behind and McGough scooped it up
and took it 53 yards. Taj can play. He looks like a solid athlete who still
impresses me more on defense than he does on offense. He’s an opportunistic
playmaker who just simply makes plays. That made the score 27-6.
Franklin kept on talking with their play as McGough found his
favorite target, sophomore WR Jamel ‘Redz’ Haggins, for a 70 yard
TD. Haggins probably should have had another TD earlier. He caught a 58-yard
bomb in the 1st quarter, but was stripped by an Edison defender at the 15.
Regardless, his touchdown made the score 33-6.
This is where the game started get that ‘only in the Pub’ feel to it. After
getting the ball on their own 25, Edison marched to Franklin’s 18. There Medina
pitched it to RB Robert Serrano, who threw a TD to wide open WR
Antonio Rodriguez.
Franklin had its second team offense in the game at this point, but
Edison still had their starters in. On back-up QB Rhaim Dawkins'
only attempt, he threw a bad pass that got RB/LB Christopher Wood
leveled. Franklin’s entire sideline took offense to the hit because the
Electrons’ back-ups were in the game. So, Franklin’s coach, Ken Geiser,
sent his 1st team defense back out to show Edison a lesson.
After a 12 yard scramble by Medina, Marshall was still
talking. So, Franklin’s goal was to shut him up, but instead Franklin DB
Phillip Washington picked off Medina’s pass. Geiser sent out his first team
offense. Only, after a deflection by RB/DB/basketball player George Baker,
and a sack, Franklin’s first ‘O’ found themselves at their own 2 yard line.
Verse got a pad-his-stats run of 12 to give Franklin some breathing room, but
the center snap was off and Edison had a safety.
Franklin’s next series began with a 47 yard run by RB Chris
Sturgis. Talk about tight-rope walking? Sturgis straddled the out of bounds
line for about 7 yards and gained his balance to go back into the field of play.
WOW! After a no gain, Rhaim Dawkins ended the scoring by from 3 yards out.
Franklin’s top tackler was LB Brian ‘B-Lil’ Lilly. He had 10 tackles
with 2 TFL. Scott had 7 stops with 2 TFL, and Stephen Brantley had 3
tackles, 2 TFL, a sack and game-long pressure on Edison’s quarterback. These 3
are senior captains and played in their last home game in a Franklin uniform.
GAME BALL- Haggins gets the game ball for his performance in
the game. His 2 receptions for 128 yards only solidified his status as one of
the Pub’s top up-and-comers. Keep your eye on him as he’s got 2 years left to
grow and he’s already 6’2 215. He has 310 yards receiving off of only nine
catches. That’s 34 yards per catch! They say big players make big plays…
I NOTICED- Kory Marshall’s game-long talking…Haggins has an
‘83’ etched into his hair…Edison’s lone female, #73 Christiana Morales,
did play in the 4th quarter…Every time a flag is thrown in a Franklin game, real
big, two-way T Lydell Boanes is guilty to Franklin coaches until the
officials actually announce the penalty…Edison beat their pads to make the Busta
Rhymes song “Touch It”…Franklin cheerleaders began to dance as Edison’s players
re-created the beat…Franklin was a little slow to get the line of scrimmage, so
an older supporter standing right next to me said ‘Come on! Hurry up! Y’all
walking like y’all at a prom”…This had the feel of longest game ever even though
it was only 2 hours and 45 minutes. The head ref was SO slow at spotting the
ball and winding the clock.
OCT. 26
PUBLIC WHITE
Central 40, King 12
I know the score looks like it was a rout. But this
one wasn’t your ordinary 40-12 football game. King stayed in it for a little
bit.
Central already had the White division all wrapped up, so you could imagine
Coach Conway and Co. wasn’t going to play soon-to-be All-Public QB John
Kennedy, a true athlete who is still looking for “whatever
scholarship comes”, all game. He only played the first quarter and a half before
cheering gutsy, scrappy (one of those synonyms here) back-up QB Matt McHugh
on for the rest of the game.
But before he left, he threw a 31 yard TD to pretty fast WB Cory Kelly.
This is my 2nd look at Kelly and he seems to possess some pretty good speed. Not
Jerry Butler-ish speed, but some juice nonetheless. He also took a carry
15 yard carry to the house to put Central up and that basically ended his
afternoon.
On the ensuing kickoff, King’s Kendell Coleman took a kickoff 95 yards
for 6. Only a slight problem: a block in the back. That erased the score and put
the Cougars at their own 6. The next snap was high and as soon as RB Donte
Clanton got the ball he was in his end zone running for his life. He was
tackled in the end zone by Central DB Brock Baxter and the Lancers had
themselves a safety. That made it 16-0.
Before I continue, I have to mention that King’s first two drives were ended
courtesy of fumbles. Both of which were forced by sophomore DT Michael Anhalt.
He seemed to be playing on King’s offensive line he was in the backfield that
much. He finished the game with 6 tackles, 3TFL 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1
fumble recovery. Yeah, he was in their backfield that much.
Central fielded the safety kick on King’s 45 and it didn’t take them long to
capitalize on the short field. On the fourth play of the drive, Kelly took a
handoff and scooted 24 yards for another 6. The kick failed and that made the
score 22-0.
But the Cougars would fight back on their next drive. RB Fatin Trice
was responsible for the longest play of this drive with a 25 yard run that would
move the ball to Central’s 25. After a pair of no gains, Coleman got loose for a
19 yard pickup to move the ball to the 5. He picked up 3 on his next carry
before scoring from 2 yards out. Makeshift QB Christopher Mitchell
(King’s normal QB Aleem Marshall was suspended from school) threw a pick
on the PAT. That made the score 22-6 and that was the score at halftime.
The first play from scrimmage in the 2nd half was a pass from McHugh to WR
Jay Kaufman that covered 59 yards and gave Central a 28-6 lead.
King’s next drive started off doomed because a penalty took them from their
own 16 to their own 8. A 3 yard loss would move them back to their own 5. But
Coleman, who was absolutely nothing short of amazing in this one, zoomed for 95
yards and a score.
But as he broke away from the pack, which is easy to do with his speed, he
fumbled the ball forward. The ball bounced right back into his arms, he never
had to break his stride, and he kept motoring for the TD. That was a classic
one. 28-14 and King’s got some life.
Central had to punt on their next drive and King took over on their own 25. The
handoff went to Coleman. Guess what he did? No, I really want you to guess. He
really took the ball 75 yards with NO problem. He didn’t even look tired after
the run was over. Only there was another slight problem: a chop block, that was
totally unnecessary because Coleman was gone, erased that TD and put King on
Central’s 33. This is my 2nd time seeing King play and this is the third TD I’ve
seen taken away from him because of penalties. He got speed and plenty of it.
They say speed kills, so this is like Jeffrey Dahmer or something.
King started the drive on Central’s 33. 3 downs, a total of 1 yard.
So, Mitchell went up top to Clanton. But Clanton was the one who went up top, as
he rose over a defender, nastily snatched the rock from him mid-flight, and came
down with the catch.
But King couldn’t get any points and a turnover on downs gave the ball back to
Central. They punted and on King’s next drive, Coleman was hurt after a 10 yard
run. He tried to come back but his impact was limited and King’s momentum,
non-coincidently, was halted. Coleman finished this one with 15 carries for
201 yards and 2TDs. Those stats could have been even more monstrous if those
other 2 TDs weren’t erased.
Corey Barkers and Carl King added late scores for
Central, while Avery Williams had 2 picks.
GAME BALL- Man, I don’t give game balls to people on the
losing team otherwise Coleman would get it. So, he gets honorable mention. And I
usually go on the offensive side, so Kelly won’t get it. So Anhalt will get this
game ball with his beastly play. He’s only a sophomore, so he could be seeing
plenty more game balls if he keeps this up.
I NOTICED- One of Central’s managers thought I was Ted’s
son. I didn’t think we looked that much alike, but you learn something new
every day…Central supporters were all over Germantown’s field…Dr. Sheldon
Pavel, Central’s principal/president, was told to move his lawn chair off
the turf. He so used to camping out on Central’s field, but Central’s field
ain’t turf. Nowhere close. Don’t believe the ‘Invincible’ hype…King’s coach
John Sheroda made friendly wagers with the refs and from my understanding
gained a number 2 from McDonald’s from one ref and a steak from Dalessandro’s,
the steak place from another…I spoke to Kennedy after the game and he said “It
feels good to win the division. We let it slip last year but it's all ours.”
OCT. 20
PUBLIC RED
Northeast 16, Gratz 12
Gratz held its ribbon-cutting ceremony for this game. I’m sure
they didn’t want it to end with a loss, but these Super Sites are immaculate.
Gratz’ll just have to wait to pick up a win in their new digs.
The game started with a run by RB Hal Chambliss, who transferred from
Mastbaum earlier this season. Just a 3 yard pickup, nothing special. But that
would be 30 percent of Gratz’s rushing total for the night. Yup, for those who
are struggling with the math, that means Gratz had 10 yards rushing total. Their
superstar back 4 years ago, Tyree Watson, who was on the sidelines
assisting the coaches, nearly averaged that amount of yards a carry
(his number was 9.7) for an entire season!
Gratz’s anemic running game was partly because of
Northeast’s defense on those carries.
But a bigger part of that was QB Jerrick Jenkins. This dude
can throw. I mean really chuck it. He went 16-30 for 233 and 2 TDs in this one.
His form is pretty and the balls he throws are on point for the most part. His
favorite target was WR Bradley Martin, as it has been throughout the
year. He caught 7 balls for 112 yards and a TD. WR Malik Palmer was
Jenkins’ other main target with 5 catches for 90 yards and Jenkins’ other score.
So, you might ask how the Bulldogs lost. Penalties and costly
turnovers. Gratz had too many penalties (12) and one of their fumbles was returned for
a touchdown. Jenkins threw his only interception in the 2nd quarter with the
ball on the Vikings’ 33 yard line squandering a scoring opportunity.
That’s to take nothing away from Northeast, though. They had
serious turnover problems, too, but they played their tails off and came away
with the ‘W’. The most impressive player on Northeast’s team is WR Sean Evans.
Amauro and Bill told me about this guy earlier this season, but it’s one
of those see-it-for-yourself type of deals. He is listed at 6’6, 200, but by my
eyes he’s like 6’7 210. If he played on my team, I would give him the ball as
much as possible. He is so much bigger than everyone else. There are so few
people in the Pub that should be able to check him one-on-one. He also had 7
tackles, including a sack, from his DE position. Dude is a beast.
But freshman QB Malik Stokes also flashed some talent going 6-10 for 95
yards. As long as he has a viable receiving option and continue to improve,
he’ll turn some heads in the next 3 years.
But the first quarter was scoreless as Gratz played ball hog
holding the ball for all but 8 plays. One of Northeast’s plays was a 2-yard punt
by Tim Freiling, who doubles as the kicker. He made up for it later,
though.
Northeast had a case of the fumbles, too and early in the second
quarter after a turnover on downs, Northeast fumbled on their own 40. After a 3
yard loss by Chambliss, Jenkins hooked up with Palmer for a 43 yard TD. The kick
failed and the score was 6-0.
Stokes threw a pick to Martin on the next possession, but his defense had his
back. Two plays later, Jenkins, who had four stops on D,
coughed it up and Northeast’s Brendan Miller-Robinson scooped up the
fumble and took it 41 yards for 6. The kick failed and Freiling was hit like he
was a running back as the snap was bad and there was a scramble to gain
possession.
Gratz punted on their next possession and RB Andrew Vu took
over. After a 4 yard tote by RB James Rosseau, Vu went to work. And I
mean he went with his lunchbox, a thermos, and his hardhat. He carried on 6 of
the next 7 plays, the only other play was an incompletion by Stokes, and picked
up 46 yards on those carries to get the ball to Gratz’s 9. An encroachment call
moved the ball to the 4, but an offside call moved the ball right back to the 9
and Freiling drilled a 29 yard FG to put Northeast up 9-6 at halftime.
The third quarter got Gratz back on the board as 4 minutes in,
Jenkins threw a beautifully thrown ball to the back of the end zone and Martin
climbed the ladder to go get it. He came down with the ball over a defender and
gave Gratz the lead, 12-6. The extra point looked doomed from the start as they
lined up to kick but it looked like they never had intentions to kick. The pitch
out was shut down and the score remained 12-6.
After the kickoff return, the Vikings started on their own 38.
Stokes would dial Evans number and Evans answered by turning a 5 yard gain into
27 by shedding would be tacklers and making one defender’s ankle roll (I watched
it; no injury occurred but it had to hurt the defender’s pride). After Vu turned
2 carries into 19 yards, and a facemask of the 15 yard variety placed them at
the 8, Rosseau, who ran very determined on this play, trucked a defender and
bulled his way in for a hard-earned 6. Freiling nailed the kick and the score
was 16-12.
A series of plays going backwards forced Gratz to punt and
Northeast’s second play was a throw to Evans as he picked up 19. But Gratz DE
Elijah Akbar, who notched 4 other tackles, was playing no games as 3
plays later he sacked Stokes for an 11 yard loss. Northeast punted, then Gratz
punted and Northeast’s multipurpose man Mike Small, who had 5 tackles
from his safety spot, came extremely close to taking the punt to the house.
Northeast went backwards on their drive and were forced to punt.
Gratz showed some life as Jenkins continued his assault on the air.
After a run of no gain by Chambliss, and a screen to Martin that Northeast
sniffed out and stuffed for a 10 yard loss, Martin got behind the defense and
Jenkins found him for a 50 yard bomb that put Gratz in business and set the
crowd into a frenzy. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would move the ball
back to the Northeast 35. Another penalty sent the ‘Dawgs back to midfield.
Jenkins and TE Dominic Marrow would hook up for 17 yards, but
back-to-back incompletions by Jenkins gave the ball to Northeast. On the third
play of this drive, Stokes found Evans again for a pick up of 23 yards. Then, Vu
would shut it down with 5 consecutive carries, one that netted a 1st down, to
run the clock out and end it.
GAME BALL-Though he didn’t find the end zone, Evans gets the
game ball. He totaled 4 catches for 81 yards, 6 tackles and a sack worth 10
yards. He put it all out there today as this was the biggest receiving game of
his career. It just happened to be his birthday. So, here’s his present from me.
I NOTICED-Representatives Dwight Evans and Rosita
Youngblood were in the building for the pre-game festivities… Gratz had a
lot of supporters as former players Randy Newton, Ira Dean, and Ray Baylor
III were all on the sidelines…Oh, and that Tyree Watson guy? He
didn’t give me too much trouble when I said I played for Central. He set a Pub
record with 321 rushing against Central 4 years ago. He just laughed and gave me
one of those playful hugs…Mike Small, a former Lancer and overall good
guy (despite the “gangster” tattoos--smile), had his parents in the stadium.
They were rocking custom NE jerseys. His dad’s said ‘Small’ and his mom’s read
‘Mike’s Mom’. How nice…The officiating unit caught hell in this game. Both sides
thought a bunch of calls were questionable.
OCT. 19
PUBLIC AAA
Franklin 25, Penn 0
I was thinking about throwing some cheesy line about the
history of our city and our state in here (Ben Franklin vs. William Penn) but it
would’ve been whack, so I decided against it.
In the game, the first quarter was very surprising to me. This
marks the third time I’ve seen the Electrons play, and the team I saw in the
first quarter wasn’t the team I saw before. They were pretty sluggish. Maybe
they were looking forward to their gigantic meeting with Bok next week.
But they slept on Penn. Though Penn only ran 4 plays of offense in
the first quarter, the score was even, 0-0. This Penn team is called the Lions.
A bunch of Lions are called a pride. (Witness Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride and no
I haven’t seen it.) This team has got a lot of pride and they would not quit at
all. They kept scratching and clawing and they play with the kind of heart and
intensity that is sometimes missing when the players get paid on Sunday.
In the first quarter, this wasn’t the methodical Electron offense
that I’ve become accustomed to seeing. They picked it up eventually and picked
up the ‘W’, but they’ve got to play their style of ball, no matter the comp, or
it’ll end up hurting them.
RB Versean ‘Verse’ Dawkins was at it again, though. I am
really impressed with this kid. He goes hard all the time and I’ve never seen
him take a play off. He’s only a junior so next year he should a problem for the
Pub to deal with. He went for 130 in this one, including a nifty fake punt in
the 4th quarter, when the subs were in the game, in which he caught the direct
snap and took it for 22 yards. He also had three TDs on his 15 carries.
His first TD came from 2 yards out as he bulled his way to the end
zone. Just getting it done. His second TD was a bit flashier. He showed off a
nice set of feet as he danced his way downfield, read a couple blocks and made a
couple defenders miss. His last 6 came from 7 yards out as he smelled the end
zone and waltzed in.
QB Tajidin McGough, a slick southpaw, seems to have improved
since the first time I saw him against the ‘Boro. He only completed one pass in
this one but he seems to be gaining more confidence. And he seems to have a good
vibe with VERY IMPRESSIVE WR Jamel ‘Redz’ Haggins, who also booted a PAT,
because they go up top often. It’s always a deep ball they seem to connect on
and Haggins comes through more often than not. Did I mention that he’s only a
sophomore? Franklin is loaded with young talent, y’all. If they realize and play
up to their potential, they could do some special things.
This time ‘Taj’ and ‘Redz’ hooked up from 23 yards out. McGough
underthrew Hagins, but Haggins came back and took the ball from the defender (I
really mean it, like he snatched the ball from him, literally). It was one of
those catches that makes your face wrinkle. You know what I mean, when your nose
goes up and your eyes squint a little. Yeah, one of those. He added the Vince
Young (the former University of Texas star and 1st round pick of the
Tennessee Titans) celebratory stick-the-nose-of-the-ball in-the-end-zone for
extra oomph.
On D, they were led by one of the team’s captains, LB Brian
Lilly. He was in on 7 stops, including a 6-yard sack of Penn QB David
Allen. This defense is really stingy. They give up 5.5 points a game. Yes,
five and a half. And they’ve played Central, a perennial offensive
machine, Roxborough and Imhotep, who have both thrown up 50 this year.
For Penn, there has to be a positive outlook on this game. I was on
their sideline in the 2nd half and by just listening to them you would never
think they were losing. LB Maurice Clanton, a big-body at 5’6, 160,
embodies that exact attitude. He didn’t care what the score was; he was just
trying to make contact with somebody. DE Kevin Minnick showed flashes of
being a player. All three of his tackles went for losses, including a big sack
of McGough for 10 yards. If he can build on this performance and realize his
abilities, he will become a force.
GAME BALL- I really don’t like giving game balls to the same
player twice in a season. Verse did his thing in this one though. I mean 15 for
130 and 18 of his team’s 25 points? Can I give it to anyone else? If you think
of someone, let me know.
I NOTICED- As I was walking up to the field, I met Puck
along the way. Contrary to the immense amount of stories I’ve heard, he seemed
pretty mellow. He seemed to be on his chill . . . Before the game started, Puck
and I were talking to Franklin’s coach Ken Geiser. I’m really impressed
with him because he’s not one of those guys who’s all about football with his
kids. It’s more than football, it’s life...Coach Geiser, Puck, and I were
discussing the city’s super sites and how the field at 29th and Chalmers should
have been one, not only because of the history, but because of the vast (good
word, eh?) amount of land there . . . The refs were talking about the G-Town-Gratz
debacle and how there are unlimited OTs in the Pub. The game should not have
been stopped unless it was too dark. But, alas, G-Town’s field has lights now .
. . Franklin’s Kevin Edwards, a sophomore, is taking claim to funniest
chain gang member ever. This kid has jokes for days and he always gets into with
the other team. It’s always pleasant to see him at the games because you know
you’re in for some fun.
OCT. 12
PUBLIC WHITE
Mastbaum 8, King 6
After a little detour at Bartram’s field last week, T-Time is
back. And at the right field. (smile)
This wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve ever seen. Well, you had to use all of
your fingers on both hands to count the number of fumbles in this game. That’s
10 y’all. The game was played at Northeast, and the sun rays were beaming. No
rain, no off-the-wall weather. Great football weather, just not great football.
There were a lot of yellow handkerchiefs on the field as well, as 14 flags were
thrown. It was far from a doozy.
But there were some good points in this game. The Cougars of King’s only
score came on RB Kendell Coleman’s run from 8 yards out. The PAT failed.
This dude is the definition of scatback. He darts in and out of traffic
but has the jets to straight leave you in an open field footrace. (Duck
called him the fastest kid in the city and I have always have respected what
Duck has to say.)
That speed was on display on a beautifully executed screen pass from QB
Aleem Mitchell. Coleman took the screen, Marshall’s only completion (thanks
to 2 drops and some Mastbaum pressure), to the house, but a clipping call
brought that TD back and their drive failed. After one of the many fumbles on
the day, this one by ‘Baum’s QB Gregory Desire, the half ended with King
on top, 6-0.
The 2nd half opened with a fumble (this time on the kickoff), and Mastbaum
took over. But on the 3rd play of the Panthers’ drive, Desire, who was under
SERIOUS pressure all game long, threw a pass that was picked off by RB/CB
Fatin Trice.
But King couldn’t capitalize on the drive and had to punt.
Desire fumbled again, but WR Desmond Elijah alertly fell on the ball. On
the very next play, RB Rasheen Tookes,
a sophomore whose big brother, Kareem, is a captain, took
a carry, broke at least 4 arm tackles, and emerged from a cloud of dust for 6.
He took the rock 60 yards on that carry and knotted the game up. Desire took in
the 2PC for an 8-6 Mastbaum lead.
On King’s final drive, back-to-back sacks by big # 80, DT Hector Marrero,
the second of which forced a fumble that was recovered by Elijah again, ended
any King comeback threat.
GAME BALL- I
don’t know. This game was hard to watch. But, hey, let’s show the defense some
love. Marrero and Hason Franklin, a stout FB-LB, had big games for the
Panthers. One of the Mastbaum players joked that ‘Has’ is so strong, he sleeps
with the bench press bar on his chest.
I NOTICED-
Mastbaum’s bench opened the game by hitting their pads and re-creating the Snoop
and Pharrell song, “Drop It Like it’s Hot” with the “Snooooo-oooooop” included .
. . King has some serious ballplayers on D and they’re young. So. LB Kadeem
Brown was making plays all afternoon. He has some serious potential and
reminds me of former G-Town ‘backer Omar “King of Trash Talk” McDonaugh.
He’s got that type of swagger needed to play LB . . . Aong with Brown, junior DT
Richard Dixon (7 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 TFL), who can also trash talk (his
“I ain’t playin, dog” in the 1st quarter caught mine and Ted’s ear) was
living in the backfield, too . . . Good looking out by King’s coaches Harry
Wood and John Sheroda by giving me a lift on the team’s school buses to the
school so I could get to G-Town’s super field to see Imhotep-Freire. The only
thing pretty at that game was the field as Freire lost 50-0.
SEPT. 29
PUBLIC BLUE
Olney 21, West Phila. 14
At first, I’m not going to lie, I was like, "I gotta cover
Olney-West?" But was I wrong because these two teams honestly played their
hearts out and left it all on the field. Let’s get right into it.
On the second play from scrimmage, Wagner Estrella, took a counter
68 yards to the house. Just like that, its 6-0 Olney. That’s when I thought ok
maybe this won’t be so bad.
After the score, though, the teams started feeling very generous with the
football. First West fumbled, then it was like Olney said, ‘No, it’s your ball’
and gave it right back on a fumble. Not to be outdone, West showed off its
manners and QB Courtney Waiters threw an interception to give it right
back to Olney.
Then Olney stopped sharing. Two plays after the turnover, RB
Jerrell Toomer took a handoff 87 yards for 6 points. He showed off blazing
speed on this play, leaving everyone in his wake after getting a great
knock-your-socks-off block from his partner-in-crime RB/LB Jamarr Leary.
Estrella, who loves to run counters, took one in for the 2PC. 14-0, Olney.
At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, one of Olney’s JV players was
a little slow on changing the down marker. The ref and the kid had the
appearance of people who enjoy to eat, and the ref said ‘Come on man! Flip 'em
like they were pancakes. I know you like pancakes.’ It was hilarious.
After a West punt, and 3 plays, Olney was left with a 4th and 7.
Toomer, who was Mr. Big Play all day in this one, came up big with a 28-yard run
to give Olney a fresh set of downs and give the crowd, which was a respectable
size, something to scream about again. After a loss of 2, super-tough QB Mike
Reyes, who later notched a key sack from DE, threw his only completion, a
screen to Leary for 10 yards to West’s 21. A defensive offside call and the ball
was at the 16. Guess who? If you guessed Toomer from 16 yards out,
congratulations. He scampered in almost untouched. The kick was good by
Gerardo Zuviri and the score was 21-0. The rout was on.
Or so you thought. If you thought the Speedboys were done, you are
wrong. They came out playing with some fire. An onside kick by Olney was
recovered by Reyes, but the drive stalled and West went to work. After
back-to-back runs by better-than-his-stats-read RB Jabril Brown, brassy
QB Courtney “Vick” Waiters finally started to hit some passes. He was
victimized by absolutely horrible play by his receivers for most of the game.
But on this critical drive, Waiters hit WR Basil Summers with a 53-yard
bomb. He followed that with a 16-yard slant to WR James Bestman and
another quick hitter of 11 yards to Summers that forced Olney to take a timeout.
That timeout couldn’t stop the bleeding after a drop, one of 3 on the day by
West’s receivers, Brown took a handoff 18 yards to paydirt. On this play, he
showed excellent vision along with quick feet as avoided going down in the
backfield by 2 defenders. He then cutback multiple times and with 2 SICK . . .
no, I’m sorry, VERY SICK -- juke moves left 2 Olney defenders on their butts out
of bounds watching him waltz in for the touchdown.
That got the Speedboys going. Their defense pushed Olney back 10
yards on their next possession and forced them to punt. The punt attempt was
botched and when a punt is botched on your own 7-yard line, that ain’t good. The
ball rolled into the end zone and LB William Smallwood pounced on it for
6 and more momentum for West. Waiters took the 2PC to cut the deficit to 7,
21-14.
With the fire still in them, West actually blew the kickoff return
up, forcing a 1 yard loss on the return. But it was Toomer AGAIN on the fourth
play of this drive with a 20 yard pickup that silenced the Speedboys for the
moment. ANOTHER 19 yard by Toomer would carry Olney to West’s 16-yard line.
After a gritty, seemingly back-breaking 9 yard run by Leary, West held up to
force Olney into a FG attempt by Zuviri. For those used to watching the Public
League and are unfamiliar with the initials FG, they stand for field goal.
The attempt by Zuviri was wide, and by PIAA rules, West got the
ball at their own 20. Waiters tried to put West on his shoulder again. He came
out on this drive firing rifle passes. He did everything he could to bring West
a victory. He ran for 2 first downs and threw for 1 on this drive and West
seemed to have realistic chance to score. But bad judgment by the receivers on
back to back throws cost the Speedboys 2 downs. West tried to punt, but the snap
was bobbled and the punter, Dominic Peterson, had to take off in hopes of
getting the first down. Those hopes were dashed Leary. He came over and HAMMERED
Peterson.
Olney punted and West had one final shot, but that shot missed as
DB Stefon Broughton intercepted Waiters’ last pass and the game was
over.
GAME BALL- The game ball for this game is split between
Leary and Toomer. On just stats alone, it would be Toomer, hands down. But
Leary’s presence (5 tackles including that BIG hit on Peterson, plus West Philly
ran away from him) and his carries in the clutch were big. I spoke to these two
after the game and they seem like great guys. The first thing Toomer did was
thank his O-line and Leary, his fullback. He also thanked his coach “shout out
to Coach D” and said that he sees his team with “a championship, division
championship, Public League championship…championship.” Leary, who models his
play after Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, said “it feels better” to be
undefeated at Olney after years of struggling. “Everybody in school is loving us
and it’s just better,” he said.
I NOTICED- That I still don’t know what on Earth a Speedboy
is. If someone knows let me know… Also, Olney’s crowd was pumped. They played a
factor and are genuinely enthused about Olney’s success so far…Olney’s football
team dumped their coach with ice as the clock was winding down in the 4th
quarter…A rooter at halftime screamed “Olney is back! Olney is back!” At 4-0,
can anyone disagree? ...West opened by reciting the Lord’s Prayer and almost
received a delay of game penalty on the kickoff.
SEPT. 21
NON-LEAGUE
Franklin 26, Central 14
Franklin received to start the game and they gave Central a
heavy dose of Jr. RB VerSean "Verse" Dawkins.
He got the 1st 11 carries of the game. He gained 49 on those 11 totes, driving
deep into Central territory before Jr. QB Tajidin McGough ended the drive
by throwing an interception to sr. DB Brock Baxter, who returned it to
Central’s own 18.
The first carry from Central went to sr. RB Daniel Barrett.
He came off the bench ready to play as he exploded for 26 yards. Extra savvy sr.
QB John Kennedy, who should be a marketing major the way he sells the
option, took the next carry for 12 to give Central back-to-back 1st
downs. Central would keep on driving as Kennedy completed a pass to speedy sr.
wingback Corey Kelly for 29 yards and another 1st down. But Franklin’s
defense turned Central’s car off, ending the drive 4 plays later at their own 9
yard line.
So, Franklin would gain possession, and with a steady mix of
Cashmier "Cash" Fields (23 yards) and Verse (10 yards), the Electrons would
pick up 3 first downs moving to Central’s 42. But Dawkins would fumble and sr.
LB Anthony Duley would pick it up and get to the 25. But what comes around goes
around as super-big so. DT Lydell Boanes (5’11, 325 and he’s every bit of
it) forced Barrett to fumble at the 22 and Franklin regained the ball. Jr.
Iscsam Smith recovered the fumble to make it two weeks in a row he’s had a
fumble recovery. He’s as alert as they come so keep your eyes open with him.
After a 2-yard loss by Fields, Dawkins sprinted 80 yards leaving a
corner’s ankle cemented into the ground along the way and outrunning everyone
else to paydirt. (After the play a fan looked Amauro, Bill, and
myself dead in the face and said, "That’s a sexy play." The truth must be told.)
Central’s next possession ended with another fumble. This time sr. RB
William Brown was rocked by jr. RB/LB Christopher Wood and jr. LB
Calvin Johnson took it 34 yards to Central’s 43 yard line.
With under 2:00 to play, a 6-0 lead and 43 yards to go, you may expect teams
to be satisfied with running the clock to halftime. Not today and not Franklin.
McGough was the man on this drive by throwing to Fields for 9 yards on the 1st
play, picking up the 1st down with a 3-yard scramble on the next play, throwing
a 31-yard TD strike to impressive so. WR Jamel "Redz" Haggins as time
expired. Jr. QB/DB Kyle Yeiter, a serious hitter, defended the PAT.
So, as the Lancers took possession to open the 2nd half, they gave
the ball to their best player, #12 John Kennedy. (I said the same thing last
week…I might be on to something.) The Lancers put the ball in Kennedy’s hands
and he delivered. Mixing completions of 7, 13, and 9 with runs of 6 (twice) and
11, the chains were moving. After a 21-yard burst from Barrett to put the
Lancers on Franklin’s 4-yard-line, Kennedy punched it in for Central’s first
score and cut the lead to 12-6. Kennedy then ran in the 2PC to make it 12-8.
It’s like Kennedy has an extra gear, but I’m not talking about
speed. His gear is determination and he wills his team to rally around him. He’s
a natural leader. Dawkins has the same leadership qualities and after returning
the kickoff 16 yards to Franklin’s own 40, he was stuffed for a 7 yard loss. He
gained 17 the next play and after a bruising run by Wood, McGough took off for
41 yards and, more importantly, another 6 points on the board. The PAT failed
and the score was 18-8.
Central’s best defensive player, Mark Surma, was strictly
used at OT in the 2nd half and one has to wonder why. With Franklin rolling up
the running numbers and their 2nd best defensive player, jr. playmaker Ray
Harris, in street clothes (suspension from last year; had to sit one game),
the decision to sit Surma, the hard-hitting enforcer down on D is intriguing.
Central went with Yeiter (4/8 for 53 yards) at QB and Kennedy at slot to mix it
up and create mismatches, but they had to punt, and after a 2 yard TFL by Yeiter,
Dawkins took the next carry 43 yards while leaving spectators with dropped jaws
and leaving Central down 26-8.
Dawkins is for real. He racked up 204 yards on the day and was
Central’s Achilles’ heel all afternoon. He’s a dangerous mix of tough and fast
and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
But, once again, Central called on #12 to carry them. He ran for 37
yards, including a 3-yard TD plunge. The 2PC failed as sr. WR Jay Kaufman
(5-51) caught the ball with his knee on the ground. The scoring would end here
and Franklin would hold on for the win.
But it’s never that simple in the Pub. Things got heated when
Kennedy was absolutely drilled by jr. Phillip Washington and the ball
squirted loose. It seemed as if the ground caused the fumble and Central’s
sidelines were rumbling with complaints that a ref had already blown the play
dead. Central assistant coach Bruce Glatthorn, who is always full of
passion, argued it in a way that only he could but the play stood as is.
Franklin then kneeled to end it.
GAME BALL- The game ball goes to Versean Dawkins. I spoke with
Verse after the game and the absolute 1st thing he did was praise his O-line. He
also said he sees the team winning the division, but the team must give “hard
work and lots of it.” I said it last week and I’ll say it again: Dawkins is
their best player, and as he goes so do the Electrons.
I NOTICED- Franklin had a lot of field support with 4 players from
last year: Joshua McKnight, Rodreen “Chief” Howell, Anthony Wright,
and Walter "Nate" Glover were on the sidelines cheering hard for their
squad. John Kennedy’s father, who coaches the Mount Airy Bantams, was there
supporting his son as well.
SEPT. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Roxborough 12, Franklin 0
To my true football fans, we know that an
ugly field produces the most beautiful games. That means the field at 29th and
Chalmers always produces beautiful games because I’ve never seen it dry. On this
day, it was muddy because of the rain, but these two teams put out a great game.
The final score says 12-0 Roxborough over Franklin, but the game
was much closer than the score indicates. The game was scoreless at halftime,
and there was an 89-yard interception return for a TD, a ½ inch TD run, and
there SHOULD have been a 98-yard fumble return for a TD, but a ref blew the
play dead a little (ok, a lot) too early (more on that later). But let’s start
with the 1st half.
The biggest play in the half from either team came on a 3rd down in
the 2nd quarter. The ‘Boro needed 6 yards to convert. So, QB Stephen Tucker
came up locked, loaded…and sold the draw to perfection. The handoff went to RB
Ramon Odom and he went off for 20 yards and a big 1st down. The kid was
a beast in the 1st half as he had 86 of his 89 yards.
Franklin’s best play came from their best player, #22 Versean
Dawkins. It was a 14- yard run of the grind-it-out variety. On multiple
occasions, Roxborough’s sidelines would say ‘22’s their heart’ or ‘take 22 out
and they're done’ and those cries weren’t very far off as he is the heart and
soul of the squad. As he goes, so do the Electrons. So keep your eyes open.
The 2nd half opened with a bang as on the 2nd play from scrimmage
Tucker dropped back to throw and underthrew WR/CB Amir Boler in
traffic. But Tucker was just making Boler look good as he made a NASTY Moss-ish
snag that fired up his teammates. Yet, the Indians couldn’t capitalize and
Franklin wouldn’t be outdone.
Franklin got into a groove on its opening drive by doing what teams
are supposed to: get their best player the ball. Dawkins had 44 yards on 8
carries that drive and it was no surprise that Franklin started to move the
chains. But then, Boler stepped in front of Franklin QB Tajidin McGough’s
pass and took it 89 yards for the score.
Boler lost his wind, stopped completely (yes, he stopped) but
quickly turned it into a stop-n-go hesitation move as he got a 2nd wind to get
in the end zone.
Franklin’s next possession ended with a bad center snap, giving
Roxborough possession at Franklin’s 11. RB Calden Pierce made his own way
on back-to-back carries of 3 and 6 yards. On the next play, there were 2 thefts.
First, McGough, who was IMPRESSIVE on D with 2 picks, ripped the ball away from
Tucker, and had clear daylight (with blockers). Should’ve been a 98-yard fumble
return for a TD and a 6-6 ball game. But a ref (who had the worst view of all of
the refs) blew the play dead and stole McGough’s TD. Crying shame. Too bad the
cops weren’t there. But Tucker punched it in from the ½ inch line and a 12-0
lead. Rushanne Black sealed the deal with a late-game pick.
Game Ball- Split between Boler and Pierce. Boler got on the
scoreboard and had 2 PHENOMENAL plays. Pierce is an excellent player who tallied
9 tackles (thanks Ted) and displays that cockiness/confidence all the
great players have. He has that flair for the game you love to see.