The Word Outta Wyncote, FB 2007

DEC. 2

End of Season Report
   Well, it all came to a close as Bishop McDevitt was defeated in the semifinals by West Catholic. A game with La Salle on Thanksgiving followed. Both games showed promise early, but the speed of West Catholic and the passing game of La Salle were too much for McDevitt to handle. La Salle Sr. QB John Harrison, a former soccer teammate, tied the school record for passing yards in a game. He also passed, ran, and caught TDs. After a mediocre football career, one has to wonder why Harrison didn't stick with soccer. He only became one of the most prolific passers in city history.
   This McDevitt team started off slow as they lost their first 4 games. But they bounced back and finished with 4 Blue Division wins and a playoff victory for the first time since 2001. Now we're gonna hand out some hardware. (Sorry guys, no Ted Silary t-shirts for these awards)
Offensive MVP   Sr. RB Jay Golderer finished the year with 1,168 rushing yards and 10 TDs on the ground.

Defensive MVP Sr. DT Steve "Chief" Yuan was a constant in the middle of McDevitt's line. Opposing teams avoided running through the middle because of him. Steve will not be considering any scholarship offers for football as he said in an interview, "I'd like to focus on my chess career instead." (smile)

Special Teams MVP Have to give this one to Golderer as well, as he had 2 return touchdowns and constantly put McDevitt in good field position. Also performed well as punter for the injured Pat Doyle. We also have to give credit to Sr. K Matt Shervin.

Most Improved Player Sr. G Steve Tuffy achieved 1st Team All Catholic success and helped to anchor the line that produced 20 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Best Nicknames- A TIE- Between Steve "Chief" Yuan and Ryan "The Great Hambino/Mikey from Recess/Seth from Superbad/Mike Zagurski" Johnston.
Key losses- Steve Yuan, Joe "DJJ" Smart, Jay Golderer, Ryan Johnston, Steve Tuffy and Nayte Venit, Robert Summerville, Tim Brennan, Matt Davis

Key returnees- Justin Schley, Luke Sawick, Steve Harris, John McCormick, Eddie McGowan, Drew Siegfried and Matt McGrory.
In addition, we'd like to congratulate the West Catholic Burrs and Roman Catholic Cahillites for their Division titles. Major props to good friend Sr. LB Andrew Regan for his TD in the championship game.
It's been a pleasure to write about the Bishop McDevitt football team for 2007. Thanks to Ted Silary and all of you that actually took the chance on reading our reports.

NOV. 10
CL BLUE FIRST ROUND
McDevitt 34, K-K 0

Lancer running backs Jay Golderer, Justin Schley and Kyle Epps should be taking their O-line out to dinner after this one. Each used gaping holes to find running room throughout, and McDevitt's dominance on the line was a big factor in the blowout win. Srs. Ryan Johnston, Robert Summerville, Steve Tuffy, Nick Leva, and Donald Fisher along with Jr. C John McCormick set the tone early and often as McDevitt scored on its opening drive. The featured back on opening drive would be Golderer, who would finish the day with 2 touchdowns on the ground. Jr. QB Luke Sawick guided the team well in this one, and added a long TD pass to Jr. WR Steve Harris for the second consecutive game. McDevitt was also all over a KK punt in the first half that resulted in a fumble recovery by sr. DB Greg Williams in the endzone. Schley added a second half TD as he bulled over a few helpless KK defenders. Sr. K Matt Shervin went 4 for 5 on PAT's, with the last hitting off the upright (come on now, Shervin).
On the defensive side of the ball, Jr. DT Anthony Gaddy made up for the early loss of Sr. DT Stephen "Chief" Yuan (left with ankle injury) with his best performance of the year. Sr. DE Nate Venit and Soph. CB Drew Siegfried added INT's, while Sr. LBs Joe "Smartie" Smart and Greg Williams had their part in numerous tackles. The game also marked the return of Sr. CB Pat Doyle, who entered in 2nd quarter as a linebacker and played well in coverage.
Game Notes

- McDevitt will move on to face West Catholic in the Blue Division semi-finals. McDevitt will have to come out strong from the start just as they did against KK. If they play as well as they did against Kenrick, the game could go down to the wire.

-Congratulations to Kennedy-Kenrick on a turnaround season. Going from 0 to 5 wins takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I'm sure they would of liked to bring their A game tonight, but they now have a lot to build on for the future.

-Tim went up to Penn State on a non-football weekend on the campus. Someone tell me what the point of that was....

-Any La Salle kids wanna jump on here for the last week of the season and talk some LaSalle-McDevitt trash? Come on, I expected some student reporters on here by now from LaSalle. The Thanksgiving game should be a packed house as the two schools renew their rivalry that has been off for a few years.

NOV. 2
CATHOLIC BLUE

McDevitt 34, Neumann-Goretti 6
   It was Senior Night for the Bishop McDevitt Lancers, but we ran late and thought we would miss a good portion of the first quarter. However, upon arrival at Benjamin L. Johnston Stadium, the clock read 11:14 and players were scattered around the field keeping loose. The reason you ask? The lights on the visitor's side had shut off. (Let's just say we didn't want to miss the action. We have connections to the stadium's lighting operator, and we told him to delay the game a bit) But, the lights turned back on upon our signal that we had arrived and the game resumed.
  The Saints of Neumann-Goretti had all the momentum early on. Sr. WR Darrell Dulany made an acrobatic catch on a 4th and long that took the Saints to the McDevitt 1, and they would eventually pound it in. McDevitt would eventually take that momentum right back on the ensuing kickoff as Sr. RB/KR/PR Jay Golderer used some nice spins to break free for six. McDevitt would never look back, and a few drives later runs by Jr. RB/S Justin Schley carried McDevitt down the field and Jr. QB Luke Sawick snuck it in to take a 14-6 lead into halftime.In the first half, Soph. CB Drew Siegfried set the tone with two interceptions while Sr. LB Joe "DJJ" Smart constantly got into the backfield.
   The second half began with Sawick's best throw of the year. It went to Jr. WR Steve Harris for 80 yards and set the tone for the second half. Golderer added another TD run, while Schley also went in at the end of the third to increase the lead to 28. Coach Manzi then gave all his senior reserves some well deserved playing time in the 4th quarter.
   For McDevitt, Golderer, Schley and Sr. RB Kyle Epps all ran hard for effective yards. The linebackers for McDevitt were outstanding in this one. They included Smart, Golderer, Jr. Eddie McGowan, and Sr. Greg Williams. For Neumann, Sr. RB Hakeem Johnson showed good speed on constant pitches. QB Anthony Mastrando showed true heart in withstanding constant McDevitt hits. He bounced right back up each and every time.
Game Notes

-McDevitt (4-3 in Blue) will most likely play a home game against Kennedy-Kenrick (2-4 going into game versus Dougherty) in the first round.

-Since it was Senior Night, here's the list of the 22 who just played their final regular season game for the Lancers: David Affleck, Chris Chilman, Pat Doyle, Chris Emrich, Kyle Epps, Jason Golderer, George Illingsworth, Ryan "The Great Hambino" Johnston, Jeremiah Laster, Nick Leva, Rudy Monteiro, Rasheed Reid,Matt Shervin, Joe Smart, Robert Somerville, Stephen Tuffy, Naythan Venit, Jacque Whaumbush, Reggie "The Real" White, Greg Williams, Joe Wlock, and Stephen "Chief" Yuan.

-Father Bill Chiriaco was again impressive on the microphone. Referring to the lights turning back on, he responded with a Bible quote, "On the third day, there was light."

OCT. 27
CATHOLIC BLUE
McDevitt 30, Dougherty 16
Well, we haven't been around for the last two weeks and we don't lack a good excuse. Basically, we have been in hiding from Wood Sr. RB/LB Bob DeLucas. After our last report and the McDevitt-Wood showdown, Bob left numerous voicemails displaying his dissatisfaction with our previous report. One went to the tune of, "How many tackles? 15, 20? (referring to the game) and "Looks like the IRISH FOLK MUSIC got me pumped up enough, eh?" Well Bob, we congratulate you on the victory and you truly deserve the MVP of the Blue Division from what we've seen. Bob is clearly the difference maker on both sides of ball for Wood.
Fast forward to the homecoming matchup with the Cardinals of Dougherty. The game began with McDevitt firing on all cylinders from the start, as they took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Sr. RB Jay Golderer carried the ball effectively en route to another rushing TD, while Soph. CB Drew Siegfried picked off a Phil Baxter pass and took it to the house for a "pick six." Sr. K Matt Shervin made it 17-0 with his first field goal of the year. We will also add he added the game-winning goal in the McDevitt soccer team's 2-1 double OT playoff-clinching defeat over Archbishop Carroll.
The third quarter may have been the longest we have seen in football history. Flags were being thrown on nearly every play, but McDevitt scored once again thanks to legs of Golderer and the impressive offensive line. McDevitt looked like they would roll out of Benjamin L. Johnston Stadium on cruise control, but Dougherty had other ideas. Led by Sr. QB Phil Baxter, Sr. WR Sean Kidd and Sr. WR Quinten White Dougherty cut the lead from 23 to 7 thanks to an impressive aerial attack. They had all the momentum, but McDevitt marched right back down the field in the 4th and Golderer plunged in for his third score. This put all thought of a Dougherty comeback away.
McDevitt's rush defense was dominant in this one as the Dougherty RBs rarely got past the line of scrimmage. The D was led by Sr. DE Nayte Venit, who was everywhere on the stat sheet with 4 (count em, 4) sacks, a fumble recovery, and an INT. Jr. LB Eddie McGowan and Sr. DE Robert Summerville both registered sacks also. Golderer carried the offense thanks to the lead blocking of Soph. FB Matt McGrory.
Game Notes

- It was a good crowd for homecoming, and our congratulations go out to Sr. G Nick Leva who won the Homecoming King. This made up for Nick's horrendous night on the line. (Just kidding Nick, you played very well)

-McDevitt improved to 3-3 in league play with the win. They go on to face the Saints of Neumann-Goretti on Friday Night, which will be Senior Night.

-The Cheerleaders put on an impressive display at halftime. Way to go ladies!

-17 days until Basketball season. 17 days until Matt finds out what Coach Jack Rutter has up his sleeve for the season.

-The Bishop McDevitt Boys Soccer Team clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 13 years and the second time in school history.

-Sr. DB/WR Pat Doyle could make a return for McDevitt's playoff game in 2 weeks.

OCT. 6
CATHOLIC BLUE
McDevitt 28, Kennedy-Kenrick 21

Saturday�s night game versus Kennedy-Kenrick gave McDevitt its second win of the year. McDevitt came out flat in the first half, and allowed Kennedy-Kenrick a couple scoring chances, but luckily no damage was done until the second quarter when Kennedy-Kenrick scored on a TD pass from impressive QB Ryan Sedja (13 for 25, 237 YDS, 3 TDS). The XP was blocked by Jr. Rodney Ellis, who has numerous blocked XPs on the year.

McDevitt came to play in second half and scored right away on a great run from Sr. RB Jason �Jay� Golderer. Golderer was once again a workhouse as he finished with 25 carries for 200 yards and 2 TDS for the game. McDevitt would strike again in the third quarter with another rushing touchdown, this time by Jr. RB Justin Schley. Justin has played very well in the past two games, and can hopefully continue to add a new dimension to McDevitt�s rushing offense. After another score in the 3rd by Jr. QB Luke Sawick, the fourth quarter began with McDevitt boasting a 21-6 lead.

However Kennedy-Kenrick rallied from behind the arm of Sedja. Quickly he brought Kenrick to within 8 with his second TD pass. Shortly late, Kenrick was threatening in McDevitt territory after a long completion to the 10. Kenrick again looked to Sedja�s arm to get them the score, but this time his pass was intercepted by emerging So. CB Drew Siegfried. After the interception, McDevitt ran some clock, but Kenrick got it back and scored through the air. They added the two-point conversion to tie the game at 21. McDevitt marched back through the arm of Sawick, as he completed passes to Golderer and Jr. WR/CB Steve Harris. McDevitt took it to the goal line with time expiring and the controversy began. Sawick tried a sneak on third and short near the end zone but came up short. As McDevitt lined up for a final play, whistles were no doubt heard by all. Yet, Kenrick was out of timeouts and the ball was snapped with Golderer crossing the goalline as Kenrick players basically watched. (Don't know what the cause of whistle was; possibly a mixup by a referee).

McDevitt�s offensive line stepped up big time in this one: Srs. Stephen Tuffy, Ryan "The Great Hambino" Johnston, Donald Fisher, Robert Summerville, Nick "Had a beard since I was 10" Leva, and Jr. John McCormick all rotated in and out. Defensively McDevitt once again eliminated the running game with Sr. DT Stephen �Chieeef� Yuan leading the way.

Games Notes

-On a sad note, Captain Sr. S Pat Doyle looks like he will be lost for the season with elbow surgery. Pat was a very key element of the defense and has been a varsity leader on the field since his sophomore year.

-Next week McDevitt faces a tough task in Sr. LB/RB Bob DeLucas and the Archbishop Wood Vikings. Let's clear up a few misconceptions about Bob, a good friend of ours (he's not that tough):

Bob once bought a Charizard pokemon card for $50. Yes, $50.

He still sleeps with his ninja turtle nightlight on.

Contrary to Ted's article, Bob's favorite music isn't Metallica. Nothing gets Bob going like some good Irish folk dance music.

The tattoo on his arm isn't real. It's permanent marker, and when it rains for the game this weekend it will certainly wash off.

But, truly, Bob is a good friend of ours. We just hope he doesn't cry to much when McDevitt pulls off the shocker of the year when they beat Wood this weekend.

SEPT. 29
CATHOLIC BLUE
McDevitt 13, Conwell-Egan 12

SEPT. 22
CATHOLIC BLUE

West Catholic 35, Bishop McDevitt 6
   Senior Sean Doyle said it best, "Tough loss for Lancer nation." West Catholic's first play on the offensive side of the ball told the story for the whole night. McDevitt came in fired up and wanting to prove that they'll be a contender, but a hook-and-lateral touchdown from Jr. QB Curtis Drake to Sr. WR Rodney Blango, and then a perfectly executed pitch to Jr. RB Rob Holloman, took the wind out of McDevitt's sails. Besides McDevitt's first drive that picked up a couple first downs, the Lancers struggled and the halftime scoreboard read 35-0 in favor of West. Drake looked especially sharp. He made plays both running and passing, and laid an impressive block on LB Joe "DJJ" Smart.
   McDevitt didn't quit in second half and had some bright spots. Sr. RB Kyle Epps ran hard and displayed nice cutback moves on his way to just over 8 yards per carry and a late TD. Jr. S Justin Schley and Jr. LB Eddie "Matt McCoy" McGowan (Eddie recently added a visor) were in on several tackles on defense. Jr. WR/CB Steve Harris showed promise in limited action with one catch and some nice plays in coverage.
   West Catholic's speed will most likely let them cruise through the Blue Division (Wood could give them a tough time). Drake, Holloman, Jr. RB Raymond Maples, and Blango can flat out run. Even Sr. TE Pre'Andre Watson can fly and is as intimidating as anyone coming across the middle.
Game Notes

- On the bright side, Despite losing to West, McDevitt could still end up in the 4th spot in the Blue division. West Catholic and Archbishop Wood have dominated the league in years past and it doesn't look like it will change this year. It's scary for other Blue division teams that West is returning its playmakers -- Drake, Holloman, and Maples -- next year.

- Sr. RB Jay Golderer was hospitalized due to an infection. Hopefully, he'll make a full recovery and be back as soon as possible.

-Also on the injury report, Sr. WR/CB Pat Doyle is hoping to be back for McDevitt's game versus an improved Kennedy-Kenrick squad.

-McDevitt moves on to play Conwell-Egan. This is a big game for McDevitt as they need to get on track with a win. Prediction McDevitt 21, Conwell-Egan 10

SEPT. 15
NON-LEAGUE
North Catholic 31, McDevitt 13

McDevitt's players have to be thinking, "Finally the Blue Division games begin." Wait, West Catholic looms in the distance on Saturday. As far as this game goes, North was simply stronger, faster, and had more talent than the Lancers. McDevitt did have a few bright spots in the losing effort. Sr. RB Jason "Jay" Golderer (one -er is fine by me Father Bill; just kidding, don't fail us in religion class) carried the Lancers' offense. Jay truly shined on the offensive side of the ball because the coaching staff made the decision to only play him one way, and he responded with a strong performance. Nice efforts were put forth on defense by Sr. LB Joe "DJJ" Smart and Jr. S Justin Schley. Sr. DT Steve "Soon changing his legal name to Chief" Yuan continued to impress as he anchored the Lancers' line along with Sr. T/DT Ryan "Seth from Superbad" Johnston and Sr. DE Rasheed Reid. Jr. QB Luke Sawick threw five interceptions, but two hit recievers and we're guessing the others occurred from Sawick simply trying to make a play against a North defense that let few McDevitt receivers get open. The Lancers should get help from Jr. WR/CB Steve Harris, yet another transfer from Judge (Golderer, So. FB Matt McGrory) who will give Sawick a big target to throw to downfield. Hopefully, Harris can help a passing game that is struggling with the loss of Sr. Pat Doyle.
As for North, We came away extremely impressed by Sr. DT Shahid Paulhill, (receiving interest from Temple among others) Sr. RB Terrell Oglesby, and Jr. QB Dennis Logue. This North team looks even more talented that the one last year that included Daryl Robinson of Temple.
Game Notes

- Well, we finally met the famous Ted Silary. Thanks to him for the picture of us and of the small student section. (Students were too spread out, have to get more concentrated for West)

-Sr. K Matt "Yeah, I play football" Shervin notched his first career varsity point. How many kids do you know that have varsity points in basketball and football, varsity goals in soccer, and are top performers in golf? And who said that academics come first anyway?

- 58 days till basketball season (Coach Jack Rutter requested a countdown).

- If the Lancers stay away from turning the ball over against West, we're gonna' say the game will be a battle throughout.

SEPT. 8
NON-LEAGUE
Cheltenham 21, McDevitt 6
The McDevitt football team fell to 0-2 this year with a Saturday loss to Cheltenham High School. During the 1st half of the game McDevitt was dominating on the defensive side of ball, holding Cheltenham scoreless. Going into the game I heard that Cheltenham's best player was Sr. RB Ronald Levine, but he was held relatively ineffective in the first half. Everything changed though in the second half. Cheltenham rallied to score 3 touchdowns in the second half and Levine had two of them.

The game started off with a booming kick by Sr. K Matt Shervin. Shervin is replacing the injured Pat Doyle at the kicker position and now is currently participating in three sports this season: Golf, Football, and Soccer. The Cheltenham offense started with bad field position and it only got worse after they fumbled the ball. McDevitt took advantage with a scoring drive that led to Sr. RB Jay Golderer scoring the TD with a one yard run. On the drive, Jay had runs of 11, 9, 9, 3 and finally the one yard score. Sadly, Shervin missed the XP. That would be the only score for McDevitt.
Cheltenham scored and took the lead with a 9 yard TD run by Levine. K Jake Smith hit the XP giving Cheltenham the lead. After a McDevitt failed drive, Cheltenham got the ball back and capitalized on a 38 yard TD run by RB Benton Johnson with 9:40 left in the 4th. McDevitt tried to come back, but mistakes and missed oppurtunities prevented that from happening. The final straw was a roughing the punter call, that allowed Cheltenham to keep the ball on the game-sealing drive. The game was decided with a 43 yard touchdown run by Levine with 2:10 left in the game. On the day, he finished with 16 carries for 107 yards.

Defensively, Sr. DT Stephen "Chief" Yuan was dominant against the Cheltenham O-line. He had 8 tackles and was constantly in the backfield Jr. CB Rodney Ellis, filling in for Pat Doyle on D, added 4 big tackles and a blocked punt. Also, on the defensive side Sr. DE Robert Sommerville had a sack and two tackles. Sr LBs Joe Smart and Nayte Venit added 3 tackles apiece.
Game Notes

- McDevitt showed signs of life in the running game after a poor showing versus Wissahickon. The team needs to find a way to get the ball in the hands of Jay Golderer as much as possible.

- After the game, hoops coach Jack Rutter was heard screaming "2 months and 7 days till basketball season" in the parking lot.

- McDevitt goes up against North Catholic (2-0) this Saturday. We're saying North 27, McDevitt 12.

AUG. 31
NON-LEAGUE
Wissahickon 34, McDevitt 14
      The story of the game can be seen in this stat....McDevitt= 28 rushing yards. Wissahickon controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball from the start. It took them just 3 minutes and 15 seconds to march down the field and pound in a touchdown on a QB keeper from Josan Holmes.(who played running back last year) However, McDevitt answered with a late drive in the first that ended in a TD for Jr. QB Luke Sawick on another QB sneak. The highlight of the drive was a one-handed, bobbling catch by emerging Soph. Matt McGrory that covered 26 yards and brought the Lancers to the two. McGrory is a transfer from Father Judge who is now starting at fullback.
     Wissahickon was constantly confusing the Lancers with QB keepers, fullback traps, and tosses to the outside. The speed of RB's Vaughn Jacobs and Morgan Hill along with the power of FB Steve Ahn seemed too much for the Lancer defense. Touchdowns by Hill (6:54 mark) and Ahn (late 4th) in the final quarter ended all chance of a Lancer comeback.
   Sr. RB/S/KR Jason "Jay" Golderer provided the offense in the kick return game. He began the second half with a 50 yard return to give the Lancers good field position. He also set up their second TD with a 90 yard return to the five yard line after Wissahickon had made it a 27-7 game. Jay cut the deficit to 27-14 with a 3 yard plunge immediately after, but that's as close as the Lancers would get.
     On the defensive side of the ball, Sr. CB Pat Doyle led McDevitt with 10 tackles (plus a Forced Fumble) Sr. LB Joe "DJJ" Smart added 6, while Sr. DT Stephen "Chief" Yuan put up 5 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. McGrory added a fumble recovery after Sr. DT Ryan Johnston knocked the ball free. The game was called with 2:21 to go in 4th quarter after Pat Doyle went down with an elbow injury and had to be carted off the field. We found out afterwards that he dislocated his elbow and will be out for a minimum of 2 weeks.
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