Kommentary by Kevin

Kevin Laukaitis, No. 44, is a football player at North Catholic (starting safety, backup running back). He wants to be a sports writer (someone help this kid, quickly -- smile) and we're giving him a chance. He will file occasional reports on football through a player's eyes. Please give him your support.
You may reach Kevin at believe811@yahoo.com

NOV. 25
A,B,C's of FB 2001
I was thinking of a way to end this Football season with my final Kommentary. I figured since the season is over, all the players will have some more time to get their schoolwork done…whether that’s good or bad. (I usually never associate "school" and "good" in the same sentence, but this time I think I have to.) So, I’ll use the basics of school, the alphabet, to describe my first season of writing for TedSilary.com, and why the site served as a great reference for High School football in 2001.
A – Amauro’s hard work on football columns, while still staying in touch with the B-ball scene.
B – “Before they played for Pay” is a chance to view some of the most successful players’ careers while in High School
C – CL and PL standings and team stats courtesy of Huck
D – Duck’s hard work with the “old school” Public League legends in his Hall of Fame
E – Emails, Emails, Emails! I’ve received plenty of emails, thanx for your comments…good or bad, at least you're reading
F – Fan Tourney. Last year’s fan b-ball tourney was fun, and this year’s shouldn’t disappoint
G – “Guest opinions” give the fans a chance to voice their own opinions of controversial issues.
H – Huck’s picks always attract attention, and he gives accurate predictions for most of the games. (Just check his record!)
I – Interesting columns by all of the writers. Game reports are great, but it’s those interesting, and original columns that attract the readers to the site (Awards, Spits, Predictions, etc…)
J – Jibber-Jabber…Hey it’s not a word (at least I don’t think), but we DO see a lot of it in the random thoughts. It almost creates some interesting storylines that can span for days.
K – Kevin’s Kommentary…Well, you got any other ideas for this letter?
L – Lengthy game reports give all the readers a great “wrap up” of a game they may have been unable to attend
M – Money, Money, Money. Keep the ads coming. Ted DOES deserve SOMETHING for all the time he puts towards the site. Usually people always want to “grub” money in the form of ads that benefit the dumbest things. But, THESE ads really are beneficial to everyone. (Ted's note: The ad money will be split by the writers. It's NOT all going to me.)
N – Nostalgia. Past graduates get a chance to keep track of what their old school is doing, if they can’t get a chance to see in person
O – Only one of its kind. This site is the only source for Philadelphia High School sports on the Internet, raising the level of popularity
P – “Players of the Week” give the players an interactive chance to vote for their teammates, who they think played a good game. It also gives every player a chance to get some publicity, even if they only had one really good game.
Q – “Question’s of Week” give the reader a chance to speak out on certain HS football issues, with their answers being posted
R – “Random Thoughts” This might be the most popular feature of the site, for it lets ANYONE write anything about High School football (Well, almost.)
S – Sparky’s column on the Carroll situation. This caused a lot of commotion this season. And better than that, Sparky still had the guts to attempt to stand on Carroll’s sideline for a game occurring after the article was posted (I say “attempt” because he DID get kicked off of it.)
T – Thanksgiving mayhem. The hard work of Ted and the other guys gave us a great recap of all the Thanksgiving traditions this past Thursday, whether it was on the site, or in the Daily News.
U – Updates regularly. Everyday Ted updates the site, so there’s always something new to read. And usually, the site is updated a few times a day. V – Variety of Public, Catholic, and Inter-Ac content gives a little something for everyone
W – Wild/Wacky story. One word sums up that story…WEIRD.
X – Since X really shouldn’t even be a letter in the alphabet; we’ll disregard that here
Y – Your team’s “Team Page”. You could always count on your team’s page to be updated each week, with every player’s stats, along with the photos of the team captains. Everyone who touched the football for your team this year got on this page.
Z – Zero words that would fit in the Z column for this Kommentary

As always, thanx for reading the latest and final Kommentary for this year’s football season. I hope I added something new and interesting to the site for 2001. Thanx for all the questions and comments you have sent. And of course, thank you Ted, for giving me the opportunity to write for the site. You really helped me a lot. I’ll probably lend a hand with the B-Ball scene, with Kommentary for this year’s season. So, if you’re not a B-Ball person, I guess this is farewell 'til next Football season. All B-Ball fans…Be on the lookout for the first B-Ball Kommentary sometime in December! C-ya’s.

NOV. 18
FOOD FOR THANKSIVING THOUGHT
Happy Thanksgiving to all . . .
   The annual Thanksgiving
games this Thursday will carry out their traditions
started so many years ago. For seniors, they will
take the field for one last time, which is sure to be
pretty emotional. For underclassmen, it’s their "time
to shine," in front of the HUGE crowd in the stands.
This year’s games are sure to be very competitive.
We’ll preview a few, and try to decide exactly what
makes these games so exciting and significant to all
involved.
    All football games are played for fun, while still
containing that adrenaline-pumping competitiveness.
But what makes THESE games the most special and
significant to all who participate? There are many
reasons. Here are a few…
   Not only is this game the last game of the 2001
football season (With the exception of the few
Championship teams), but it’s also the last game EVER
for a senior. Emotions will be high, the excitement
level will be raised, and the anticipation can begin
DAYS before the game takes place. Usually, players
will get their full adrenaline pumping the day before
Thanksgiving, in which for some, a "Pep Rally" takes
place. Reality hits the seniors, for this will be the
last time they put on the pads as a High School
football player. For first year Varsity players, this
is when realism strikes, and they realize EXACTLY how
special these games are to fans and students. These
underclassmen get to see the intensity and passion the
fans will transport on Thanksgiving Day.
   Which brings me to another reason why these games
are SO special…THE FANS! Most of these games take
place early in the morning (AS early as 9:45 A.M.!).
One of these early games is the North vs. Frankford
showdown at Frankford High School. This is one of
longest lasting traditions in the Philadelphia area,
and it hasn’t lost its significance, since. Though it
IS played early, this game draws a TREMENDOUS crowd.
If you haven’t experienced this illustrious rivalry,
just imagine being on the field and looking up at your
stands, PACKED with rowdy students, watchful family
members, and interested friends. (I know this game
draws a crowd bigger than probably two or three of our
regular season games combined!) It means THAT much to
SO many.
   The last reason, which can draw mixed reactions, is
the weather. Thanksgiving Day, end of November, you
know it’ll be cold! These past Thanksgiving games
have been extremely cold, and a few even brought some
chilly rain. So, what could possibly be good about
bitter temperatures and cold rains?…well EVERYTHING!
(At least for the players) Whether it’s before the
game, and you can’t feel your hands because of the
bitter wind chill, or the harsh winds racing into your
helmet, these feelings just can’t be experienced doing
anything else besides playing football. And once you
DO experience these things, you think, "This is why
High School Football is more challenging than any
other sport. And THIS is exactly why I chose to
play!" Going out there in zero-degree wind chills,
cold rains, and bitter winds shows just how tough a
football player is. But beyond that, going out and
competing with the same level of intensity as an early
season game in the pleasant Labor Day whether, shows
how a football player won’t back down from ANY
challenge that crosses their path.
   Normally bad whether can ward off eager, but
cautious fans. But not on Thanksgiving, and
definitely not at the North vs. Frankford game. Rain,
sleet, snow, wind, bitter temperatures,
tornadoes…(well I wouldn’t go this far, but hey, who
knows?) NOTHING will keep the fans from piling into
the stadium. Believe it or not, football fans are
smart. They know weather, and they’ll come prepared.
They’ll pile on layers of clothes, bring blankets,
wear hats, and buy hot chocolate, whatever it takes to
experience the excitement generated in a Thanksgiving
football game. Though some may disapprove of the
wicked Thanksgiving weather, the TRUE football fans
embark on it, for this is what makes a football game
so "footballish." (You know. There are certain
things associated with football, and football alone.
So, you could consider them "footballish" right?
Maybe we should add that to the Webster’s Dictionary
soon.")
   Though all of these reasons will heighten one’s
nervousness, the emotion and adrenaline one
experiences once out on that field on November 22, is
unmatched. Win or Lose, these games are just SO
unique. And the only way someone, besides a player,
can experience this thrill is to go and witness a game
for themselves. Whether, it’s the traditional and
historical North vs. Frankford game at 9:45 A.M., or
your own school’s game, trust me, you won’t want to
miss it. If you’re uncertain about where to go this
Thursday, check out
http://tedsilary.com/FBweekly01.htm.

NOV. 7
TWENTY QUESTIONS
Here are 20 questions about the 2001 Philadelphia High
School football season. Some will make you think.
Some just can’t be answered.
1. Who has the more loyal fans? Prep or Bonner?
2. Where’s the Pulse?
3. What’s worse…the contraction of the MLB, or
Southern CANCELLING the rest of its season because of
lack of players?
4. Is it me, or does it seem Huck owns that betting
book Biff used in Back to the Future II when he makes
his picks?
5. Want to witness the Historical Dust Bowl? Just go
to the Ryan vs. Judge game on Saturday night at
Northeast High School. The field is ATROCIOUS!
6. Which team had the most disappointing season this
year? (Follow up: Which team had the most surprising
season this year?)
7. Which one player was the most difficult to contain
by opposing teams? (You know…Someone who you spend the
whole week preparing for, and he still manages to have
a break-out performance.)
8. Why are virtually all of the Random Thoughts from
Prep or Bonner students? (You can probably go back to
Question #1 for this answer.)
9. (Note: Carroll has allowed just 2.9 points per game
in regular season play.) So, if Defense wins
championships. Who do you think will win the Catholic
League Blue?
10. Who was the first visitor EVER to visit
TedSilary.com?
11. If Frankford is first in points scored per game in
the Public League, how didn’t they make the playoffs?
12. There have been some very exciting games this
year. But what was the most exciting game in recent
Philadelphia High School Football history?
13. Looking back at the Ryan programs from the early
90’s, what has happened to this Football program?
14. Exactly how many Prep football players will be
going Division I this year?
15. Is it me, or does it look like Maryland’s ENTIRE
football team will be from the Philadelphia area in a
couple of years?
16. When will Puck actually WRITE about a football
game he watched?
17. How hasn’t North Catholic’s Mike Piotrowicz
received Defensive Player of Week this entire year?
18. What was supposed to be accomplished by going to
the Red / Blue alignment?…Looks like NOTHING!
19. What will be the most competitive Thanksgiving Day
game this year?
20. Where’s question #20?
(Well, question #20 would have been…Who will win the
CL Red and CL Blue this year? But since the answer is
Prep & Carroll, I declined to add it. I HOPE I’m
wrong, but the truth’s the truth.)
P.S. Enjoy the Playoff games this week! Anyone you
decide to see should be a great game, and a best bet
for you.

NOV. 6
PLAYOFF OUTLOOK
The 2001 CL Season has come to a close. No big
surprises this year…teamwise, except for
Judge...well, maybe. A few surprising players have
stepped into the title of some of the leagues’ best,
though. The CL Red remains stronger than ever, while
the CL Blue remains mediocre. Prep tops the Red
Division at 7-0 in the regular season, destroying the
competition to the tune of an average win margin of 28
points. After some controversy earlier in the season,
Carroll tops the Blue, also undefeated in league play.
Both are clear-cut favorites to win their divisions,
as well they should. However, we will definitely see
a huge fight to determine who will face each of these
teams in their respective Championships. Bonner and
Wood have earned the bye in the Red and Blue
respectively, along with the two division toppers.
Who will face these teams will be determined this
weekend, and every game should be a pretty evenly
matched contest. Let’s break down the first week of
the 2001 Catholic League Playoffs…

OCT. 27
   What ever happened to the term "playing" sports?
I constitute "playing" as working hard to win,
competing at your own highest level, and most of all,
having fun. Is it me, or has High School football
evolved as almost a "job" involving workers, rather
than a game involving players? What I’m referring to
here is the concept of recruiting. There’s been a lot
of talk on this site lately about recruiting, and the
technical aspects of it. I’m not going to sit and
break it down from a technical standpoint. I’m just
going to comment from a player’s perspective. So,
forget about all the rules and regulations talk, none
of that here.
   Now it may be easy for me to sit here and discuss
just how wrong recruiting is, as opposed to someone
from Prep, Malvern, O’Hara, Carroll, etc., considering
I play for North, a school that doesn’t participate
the recruiting "war." Yes, I do think my school
should recruit, but not because I agree with it.
Unfortunately today, a team must recruit to contend
for a championship or even compete with the recruiting
"giants." Therefore, North simply has no choice but
to stoop down to that low level recruiters sit at, for
a run at a Catholic League title.
   I’m not going to sit here and say if I received an
athletic scholarship, that I wouldn’t accept, because
I most likely would. It is just so sad that this is
what High School Football has come down to…A bunch of
greedy coaches hindered in the monotony to succeed,
doing anything, and I mean anything, to win. (I won’t
even get into what goes on "behind the lines.")
So, doesn’t anyone else see the injustice of this?
   Whatever happened to kids going to a school in their
own neighborhood and playing against their buddies
from another adjacent neighborhood? (Those whom they
competed against throughout pound ball.) I,
unfortunately, never experienced this, for I play
during a time of a recruiting "war." I use the term
war, for this game is now played off the field in
battlefields called neighborhoods. No longer is High
School Football a game of catching, running, and
tackling. It is now played before the season even
starts. We refer to this time as the "off season."
   The off-season used to be a time when players
continued to stay in shape and improve through a
combination of running and lifting. Players knew that
if they worked hard in the "off season" their chances
of winning would increase greatly and their level of
performance would also rise. Nowadays, working in the
off season isn’t the way for a team to improve, for
you know a majority of the teams you’ll face will have
plenty of "all-stars," going to their particular
school on a free ride to solely play Football.
   Allow me to elaborate, if you will. Lets say
everyone on my team, North, lifts and runs in the off
season, and truly works their hardest. (Which will
hopefully be the case!) And a team like Prep does the
same thing, but only the players that worked so hard
are some of the best talent in a variety of
neighborhoods, literally being paid to play the game.
Sure, the game would have potential to be a
competitive one. But in the end, excluding certain
ill-advised "mishaps," which team do you think would
prevail? Yes, anything can happen in a High School
football game, or any competitive sporting event for
that matter, but consider it from an honest
perspective--recruiting is just contradicting the
whole concept of "playing football."
   If all of these seemingly "superhuman" teams would
just go out on the field with the players residing in
the schools’ "feeder" neighborhoods, the entire
Catholic League would be competitive. We wouldn’t be
discussing all of the junk about divisional alignment
and how it pretty much SUCKS. Sure some teams would
be better than others, but how much better? There’s
no way one particular neighborhood has entirely better
players, or weight ball leagues, because as far as I
know I don’t see any State Champion Pop Warner teams
coming out of the state of Pennsylvania.
   I’m now going to be brutally honest with you.
This year, when our team went out there and faced Prep
(resulting in a final score of 48-0), I won’t speak
for others, but I myself knew it would take all we
could had and then some, to pull off the upset. I
mean c’mon…Ambrogi, Connors, Lachman, Chromiak, and
the rest of the up-coming future D-I prospect,
underclassman…this team is just stacked. They’re
definitely the favorite to win the CL Red this year.
I just knew Bonner couldn’t match the talent level,
and I thought O’Hara could give them some trouble.
(Boy was I wrong…to the tune of 35-14) Grant it these
players are very good, and they deserve to win and get
much recognition, for they worked very hard to stand
where they are today, but would all of them have gone
to St. Joe’s if recruiting never existed? My guess
is, probably not.
   Again, as I first stated, it may be easy for me to
sit here and disagree with recruiting, because I have
never experienced it first hand. But I have
experienced its affects, and it just seems to me that
the fun of this game has been abolished. The only way
to win is to go out there and "steal" the best talent
available (no matter where it comes from), and
assemble a team of superhuman players. "Playing" this
game we call High School Football just doesn’t exist
anymore. It’s like a job, where a manager (the coach)
hires the most skilled workers (the players) to get
paid to work (using scholarships). Not to be
hypocritical, but how many wouldn’t want to go to
Prep, O’Hara, Carroll, etc.? I know if I was a
talented player coming out of grade school I would
want to go to the best team, who will give me the most
money, preferably a free ride, and in my opinion,
that’s just DISGRACEFUL…A sheer "spit in the face" of
the "game," which Walter Camp, an honest,
unselfishness, human-being, created to be played…FOR
FUN!

OCT. 21
   After all this Carroll talk on the site, from
both fans and writers, I decided to throw my "two
cents" in. We all know the jubilation involved after
a big win, or any win, so we all know how the Carroll
players felt after their 47-8 rout over Archbishop
Wood last Friday. However, does anyone know how Wood
felt after the horrendous loss, and so-called "running
up of the score" by Carroll? Well…I do.
    Last year, North Catholic played O’Hara, in what we
knew would be a really difficult game to win. As we
all know, last year, O’Hara did have current Virginia
Tech Running Back and future NFL product (In my mind),
Kevin Jones. We knew all of the teams he faced prior
to us couldn’t stop him, so it was most likely that we
wouldn’t either. But, we did have some confidence, in
that we could at least stay close and try to make it a
game. We were wrong, entirely, to the tune of 62-0.
    When you see a score of 62-0, you think it’s almost
impossible for a team to be that bad, and in my eyes,
no team is. However, when teams get "big heads," led
by their coaches, anything can happen. You can
imagine how Jones and the rest of the O’Hara players
felt after that seemingly great game they played, but
how did we feel? And after this week, how did Wood
feel?
    I’ll now set the entire scene from the week before to
the week after our game with O’Hara last year. Most
likely, Wood has felt the same way after their game
against Carroll this year.
    The week before our game, we practiced one
thing…stopping Kevin Jones. We felt we had a pretty
good corps of Linebackers that maybe couldn’t stop, but
could contain him. We also knew O’Hara would be
contending for the title that year, so they were going
to mean all business in every game. That being said,
we would need to play a near perfect game. That
Sunday afternoon, as we took the long trip to O’Hara
on our bus, everyone was thinking what they would need
to do to win, and just how big this win would really
mean to us. Our team knew we had nothing to lose, so
we would just leave everything out on the field.
    However, we had no idea what we would experience on
that field.
    We already had a few players sidelined for
disciplinary actions, so that didn’t help one bit. In
the first half we just got destroyed. O’Hara came out
with all they had…fair enough. I think the score at
the end of the half was like 30 something to nothing.
So, in the locker room, at halftime, we knew only a
miracle would bring us back in this game. We thought
we could maybe put at least two more scores on the
board, and they would tone it down a little by putting
their subs in to make this game reasonable…WRONG.
    The second half was worse than the first! A few
players went down on the North side because of injury,
including our Fullback/Linebacker, which called on me
to take over for him. I was a sophomore at the time,
and this was my first lengthy in-game action. (What a
great time for this to happen!) In the second half,
O’Hara just wouldn’t stop their rampage. They were
throwing the ball, and I can recall seeing almost all
of their starters in that game in the 4Th Quarter!
    That being said, we didn’t get those scores on the
board, or any for that matter. As for O’Hara,
considering their starters played all the way into the
4th Quarter, they finished with 62 points on the
board.
    Final score: O’Hara 62, North 0.
    As you can imagine we were just outraged, let alone
embarrassed for a long period of time. O’Hara had a
great team last year, but they just showed no class
that game. Our coaches were so heated, that they
actually canceled the J.V. game for that week. As a
sophomore, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t
have a chance to get revenge on them, but I understood
the decision to some degree.
    Our bus ride home was a long one. Silence was the
main theme during that near hour trip. When we
arrived back at school that evening everyone just
wanted to get home and try to forget about our
extremely embarrassing loss, but that just wasn’t
possible. The next day (Monday), in school, many
students heard about the loss and approached some of
us, by asking what happened. We just felt so
embarrassed telling them, but most understood what
really occurred. Some, however, (and I just hate
these people. You know, those students who say your
team is bad and crack jokes when in fact they have no
Football experience and would get eaten alive on that
field) just laughed and said our team was a joke.
    NOTE: Practice the week after that game was toned up,
as most of us began to forget about what happened the
previous Sunday. That week, however, our team did
lose to a good, respected Roman team 33-20.
    Message/Thoughts
    After reading this story, I hope all of you learned
exactly how Wood felt after that game and all this
week. Getting the score "run-up" on you is probably
the worst feeling you can have in all of High School
sports. Hopefully, Wood has put this game behind
them, and will go out on the field Sunday with a clear
mind against West. Good Luck!
    As for the Carroll squad, they have a great team,
with some legendary players, and their ability to put up
all these points in these games is incredible.
    However, there’s just no reason for it. They’re going
to be in the Blue Division Championship this year, and
probably will be favorites to win. The Carroll
coaches running up the score proves nothing, except
one thing: They have no respect for their opponents
and no character. They have a great team, and insist
on flaunting it to the highest degree. I agree with
many, this just has to stop, especially, for the good
of the teams on the losing end of a Carroll
annihilation.
    As always, comments on this story, ideas for future
stories, or anything else you would like to ask me are
encouraged. You may reach me at BeLIEve811@yahoo.com
and I will answer all of your comments.
(P.S. "Ask and you shall receive." Here’s my
story…happy Pulse?)

OCT. 8
    This thought came to mind after our team played St.
Joe’s Prep on Saturday night at Plymouth Whitemarsh
High School. We knew if we won, it would be a huge
upset, and we would need to play a perfect game. But
also, we knew we would need a lot of support from our
sidelines. The school attempted to bring back an
idea, which worked last year, a Fan Van. This is
where students sign up to take a bus up to the
football game and just pay the entrance fee. A few
days before the game, at Lunch, a table was available
for students to sign up, but I noticed no one was. On
Friday (the day before the game), it was announced
that the Fan Van had been cancelled. This,
unfortunately, was due to a lack of people who signed
up.
    So what’s going on? Why can’t our school get any
students to attend the Football games? Saturday night
I noticed the ever-popular Prep student section out
and about and rowdy as always. I wondered why our
school couldn’t get the attendance St. Joe’s gets.
Grant it, our game WAS Away (about 45 minutes away),
but the Fan Van was available. Now I know our team
may not be one of the city’s best, but we DO give all
we have for 48 minutes. Plus, the games are a chance
for a bunch of friends to get together and watch THEIR
friends perform on the field for 5 bucks with a
student I.D. As I recall the North Catholic wrestling
championship against La Salle a year ago (which I
attended), I still can’t forget how crowded our gym,
The Pit, was that night. There were at least 500 of
us packed in that tiny gym! Yes, that WAS a
championship match, and our wrestling team WAS
dominant last year, but that isn’t a reason to just
disregard the Football program completely.   In the
game of Football, a crowd really DOES have an impact
on their team. Whether before that opening kick, or
during a crucial play late in the game, the crowd
comes into play greatly. When the players here those
cheers, and boos for the opposing team, it excites us
and even motivates us to “step up” our play. Our
adrenaline raises, and our play on the field raises to
that next level.
    I’ve witnessed and heard large crowds in both of the
Thanksgiving Day games against Frankford that I
experienced on the field. The loud cheers and many
people are so exciting, and all that is on your mind,
is the game, which you are participating in. You want
to make that one play or many plays, and hear the
announcer say your name, letting the fans know your
playing well. But most of all, you want your team to
excel and win the game, to get praise when it’s all
said and done. If our team got the crowds that we
have every year against Frankford in November, I
guarantee that our adrenaline would be raised and we
would feel that sense that people actually DO care
about the NC Football program and care about us.
To answer my aforementioned question is not possible.
Maybe students just don’t have an interest in the
sport of Football. Maybe Soccer, North’s more popular
sport, gets the majority of the attention. Maybe our
record, which CAN be deceiving, just doesn’t attract
the large crowds. Maybe the fact that we’re usually
the underdog is why no one wants to watch us. After
all, who wants to watch a team that rarely wins?
Well, the remaining games are all winnable for our
team. Prep, Bonner, and La Salle are all out of the
way now, and the more reasonable teams are waiting in
the wings. If there’s ever a time to come to a North
Catholic Football game and witness a W, it’s now.
North plays Father Judge Saturday afternoon, October
13, at Lincoln High School for the coveted Tucker
Trophy. ALL students and fans are encouraged to
attend. Or, if you’re reading this, and are from
another school, make plans to attend YOUR team’s
Football game this weekend. Show some support
especially if your team is considered an underdog.
I’m sure your support and cheers would be encouraged,
as well.
    Thanx for reading my latest “Kevin’s Kommentary”.
Ideas and/or suggestions for a High School Football
related story are always encouraged. You can contact
me anytime, and I MAY just consider your idea for a
story. Good Luck to all the “Underdogs” this weekend!

SEPT. 27
    Being a High School Football player doesn’t mean you're one 24/7. You still DO have a social life, but
what does it involve?
    Think real hard about what you do in your spare time and on weekends with friends. Is what you do
good or bad? Now think about if what you do could affect your athletic ability, your reputation, and
your life in general.
    If your answer to THIS question is yes, sit down and look at the facts. Drinking, drugs, and violence
just aren’t the path you want to travel in life.
    Now, I know you’ve all probably heard this before, and some of you may have just blown off the
people who told you this, but if you really take the time to think about how these things affect your life, you’ll
realize it’s true.
    You may think if you DO partake in these things that no one will catch you, and in some instances that’s
true, but what if they do? What would happen if a cop caught you with possession of drugs or alcohol,
or even fighting? Would you face jail time? And if so, what would happen with school? You could be kicked
out…then what? No more football.
    But, what if you were counting on football to get you to college? No college and maybe no high-quality job.
Also, think about this…your parents would most likely find out, so what would they do to you? If you have
younger siblings, would they imitate what you did and do it too? Your reputation as a person and player
would be certainly destroyed. You COULD become a washed up FORMER player, with no hope for college or a
career, instead of being a college-bound football star. Is that really what you want?
    Hopefully, if you're reading this you probably never experienced this circumstance, but unfortunately some
have, and not too long ago.
    In the late '90s a few star-caliber players got caught up in the wrong crowds, specifically by using drugs,
and transformed from a High School football star, with a bright D-1 college future, into a washed up
never-heard-from-again human being.
    There have been many players in the '90s from both the Public and Catholic leagues that have experienced
a GREAT High School football career, but have never made it to college, or in some cases, the NFL because
of off-the-field issues and getting involved with the wrong people.
    You may know or remember someone that fits this description, so I pose this question to all former and
current players, coaches, writers, and anyone else who cares to respond…
    Who was the best High School football player to come out of Philadelphia in the 1990s regardless of where
they stand now?
    Remember: Your answer can be ANY player from Public, Catholic or Inter-Ac you feel was the best, as long as
they are from a Philadelphia school! This player can be a current NFL or college star (ex: Kevin Jones, Marvin
Harrison), or someone who excelled greatly at the High School level, but got caught up in off-the-field issues
or injuries and was never heard from after that (ex: Eddie Gaskins).
    State who your player is (name, position, school) and your reasons why you chose this player. This question
is not just to acknowledge the current NFL and college superstars, but also to remember those players who
have faded right out of the spotlight as the years passed.
   Send your votes to me at believe811@yahoo.com.
   Thank you!!

SEPT. 22
    When you hear the words North Catholic, what sports come to your mind? Well if you know anything about
High School sports, your answer would probably be Soccer or Wrestling, both of which have won
championships in 1999 and 2001, respectively. It’s a fact: For many years North just hasn’t been known for
its Football program. Our 40-50 man rosters just don’t match up to the amounts of the other "big"
schools. (Red Division) What gets to me, however, is how Carroll and McDevitt can be considered "small"
schools (Blue Division) when both of their roster totals are just as high as the Prep's, O’Hara’s, and La
Salle’s of the Red Division. So, what DOES decide the alignment of these divisions? The answer: School
enrollment. But if North Catholic has such a large enrollment (about 800 students), where are all the
Football players?
    Examining it closely, Football may be the single most toughest sport in High School. It requires
dedication, hard work, and endurance not only during the season, but also in the off-season. Lifting and
running in the off-season are a must for any good player, and more importantly, any good TEAM to excel.
It is a sport that contains the most amount of players all working together at one time. Football is
an exciting quest, which teaches kids discipline, teamwork, and individual work ethic. So, this being
said, why would someone NOT want to be part of this?
    Specifically, for North, as I first stated, many kids come here for soccer (which is actually in the same
time period as Football) and Wrestling, not Football. So, these athletes, for the most part, decide to
concentrate on that one sport, which is understandable. Another reason could be the practice
schedule. In the summer, various camps and, in North’s case, a Passing League is held in the months of June
and July. In August, two-a-day practices are held, usually in the midst of heat and humidity. Any
Football player knows, both of these things are a must for the improvement and preparation of your team, but
from the outside looking in, this is not a favorable thing for a kid who is thinking about playing this
sport for the first time. For the first year players who DO still attend the preseason camps and tryouts,
most are not in shape because of lack of exercise, and quit because they can’t take the grueling workouts
and individual hard work, which is expected from them.
    These "first-year" players, not only for North, but for all High School teams have to realize these
football workouts WILL be challenging, but if they just bear with it, and work as hard as they possibly
can, they will get accustomed to it, and eventually develop themselves into a football player. During the
season, practices are held after school, extending the already lengthy time you spend at school.
    Football is not for everyone. It is NOT an easy sport to play, but what sport is? Anybody thinking about
playing should at least try out and experience it first-hand.
    I'd like to write a message to the players, so they have SOME reason to read my articles, so here it is.
This one goes out to all of the small schools (you know who you are): If any kid from your school is
thinking about playing Football, but doesn’t want to because of a reason I stated above, or any other
reason, encourage them to at least try out. Tell them everything great about the sport and your team,
specifically. Tell them all of the benefits and how being a part of a High School football team is nothing
like they will ever experience in life. Let them know that their first practices will be difficult, but they
WILL get used it. Also, tell the young players, just because they aren’t playing now doesn’t mean they
should quit. Let them know that if they work hard and prove themselves in the JV games, playing time WILL
come as they advance in their years of High School.
    Now I know just getting like 2 or 3 kids to play who have never played before won’t win you a championship,
but who knows, maybe these kids who never played before are keeping a talent hidden, which no one knows
about. Try to turn your school around, and at least make an attempt to reach the top of the High School
Football ladder, where all of the elite teams stand.

SEPT. 13
   (Ted's note: Kevin's first effort recounts the atmosphere
around school and the team during a tragic week.)
    September 11, 2001…Nine – One One. It was around
10:15 A.M. when the principal announced that the World
Trade Center Building had been hit by a terrorist
attack. I was in my Algebra class. No one was really
sure what happened. A few thought maybe it was a bomb
or just a shooting. (I say "just" now after finding
out what really occurred.) Later in the day, around
11:00 A.M, our principal announced to everyone to
report to homeroom, and that we would be dismissed
early. At this point everyone got serious and
realized THIS was serious. No one actually knew what
happened until our homeroom teacher stated that two
hijacked planes flew into both of the "Twin Towers"
and they had collapsed. As if that wasn’t enough, she
also stated the Pentagon was struck. Her final
statement, however, got to us all. When our teacher
said that Pittsburgh had also been attacked, everyone
thought, is PHILADELPHIA next? Some had parents who
worked downtown. Others had relatives and friends
in Center City. Would PHILADELPHIA be next on the
list? While in homeroom our principal announced that
we would dismiss around 11:15 A.M. and not to go to
our locker unless we needed a house key or a token.
Also, he announced all after-school activities were
cancelled, including football. Obviously at this
time, football wasn’t on any of our minds right now.
This was a serious "Attack on America." This was for
real!
    Like many, when I got home I watched the many news
programs throughout the day. I later decided maybe I
should get my mind on something else and read the
latest articles at TedSilary.com, only to find Ted’s
message, "This site will not be updated today . . .
Say your prayers." Even one of the
most enthusiastic people about sports knew this wasn’t
a time to think about such issues.
    Later that night I made sure I watched both the
President’s and Mayor’s addresses, not only to hear
their views on this tragedy, but also to see if there
would be school the next day, and if so, would there
be football practice? The first report was just
Public Schools would be off. Then both Public and
Catholic, but ultimately the final decision was just
public schools would remain at home the next day.
There’s a question of whether or not sports would heal
a country during a tragedy, but based on the many
cancellations of the MLB, NFL, College events, etc.,
the U.S. felt it was best out of respect for everyone
involved not to play, considering the tremendous
impact this had and STILL HAS on everyone around the
world.
    September 12, 2001 -- Everyone was back in school, and
practice was back in session. In the locker room at
NC, none of the players could deny the fact that this
tragedy had occurred, but everyone knew it was best
just to go out there and play and get our minds off
this tragedy. There were thoughts of anger, rage, and
astonishment, with many players agreeing that whoever
did this had to pay. They killed innocent people, and
many believed the United States should do the same in
return. But do two wrongs make a right? According to
the players of North, the U.S. must do whatever it
takes to have the dreadful person or persons who
masterminded this attack eliminated AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE. Some players, including me, wondered if our
game against Conwell-Egan would be played on Saturday night,
as well as the rest of the High School schedule, but
according to Ted, they will. One site struck me today
as soon as I saw it…John Popplewell (DE for North)
posted an American flag on his car to show his
support. This tells me that every American was
affected by this tragedy, from kids to adults. When a
tragedy as significant as this occurs, everyone all of
a sudden becomes one. It doesn’t matter if you’re a
student, a worker, if you play football, or how old
you are. When an event this devastating occurs, every
U.S. citizen becomes similar in one way…Everyone
becomes a true AMERICAN!
    To all the players: Be thankful that you will even
walk out on the field this weekend. What happened in
all of the cities affected could have happened right
here in Philadelphia. Continue to pray and show
support for American during this trying time, and
continue to go out there everyday and keep playing
football.