Payin' the Bills, FB 2008

Payin' the Bills
Football 2008

Bill Wettstein, who has done some writing for community papers in the Northwest Philly area, is a valued member of our website crew. We appreciate his thorough efforts.
Bill may be reached at wwettstein@yahoo.com

NOV. 27
THANKSGIVING DAY
Murrell Dobbins 14, Ben Franklin 0
No division or state titles hanging in the balance here, just one more game for the families. Those who’ve raised some of the Public League’s finest departing seniors were honored in a well-organized pre-game escort ritual, which truly demonstrated what Thanksgiving and the game’s that accompany them are truly all about and why they should always continue. Year after year, the Mustangs may struggle early but, in the end, they can be downright nasty and the credit has to go to head coach Lou Zambino, who always maintains an upbeat atmosphere and allows his players to make plays, which didn’t take long in this game. On the opening kickoff, sr. RB Ralston Thomas found a seam on the left side and bolted 61 yards to the Electron 25 where, three plays later, jr. RB Karon James used a jet sweep to score the game’s first touchdown from 20 yards out. Sr. K Anthony Walker added the conversion kick for a 7-0 Dobbins lead and the defense handled the rest. The Electrons were first met with 10-yard loss courtesy of sr. DT Michael Graham and second down tackle for no gain by sr. DT Darryl Clark. When the game’s first pass fell incomplete, the Mustang offense began another march downfield. Franklin had trouble finding someone fast enough to keep up with the speedy James and, despite a holding call, he gained all 20 yards needed to continue the drive. Just inside Electron territory, good blocking from soph. LT Aaron Walker, jr. C Stephen Bradley and soph. RG Yusef White gave James, Thomas and sr. FB Derek Clark nice holes through the middle of the defense until sr. Jamel Haggins’ fourth down play stopped the promising drive. Franklin’s longest play of the game arrived on the next series when jr. RB Shuron Briggs broke through for 25 yards and another 12, aided by a key sr. Darius Harris block, that eased two previous penalties but, Thomas caught Briggs on a quick sideline pass to force a punt. They held Dobbins to a three-and-out and Briggs maintained a 10-play drive to within 20 yards of potential tying score. The Mustang defense stopped two plays for losses while the remaining two resulted in incomplete passes, one of which was near perfect throw from sr. QB Khaleem Brown that was dropped in the end zone. Although a fumble recovery by soph. LB Jeffery Neal on the very next play gave Franklin another possession in close, they ran eight plays, were granted two pass interference penalties and could only manage a one-yard net gain. Why? Holding on their first play of the drive, a face mask foul after one of the pass interference calls and a stunning nine yard tackle for loss on a fourth down blitz by Derek Clark moments before halftime. Both teams traded possessions to start the third quarter and when the Electrons regained control for the second time, they appeared poised for the equalizer. From their own 45, they were backed to the 40 and then the 30 but, Brown completed his first pass of the day, a 20-yarder to a leaping Haggins, and he ran for a first down moments later. Briggs added another first down to the 35 along with nine yards on two carries to set up a seemingly easy conversion. With a yard to go, Thomas’ tackle for no gain on third down and Darryl Clark’s one-yard loss fourth swung the momentum to the Mustangs, who wasted little time increasing their lead. Poise and patience from sr. QB Terrell “Mouse” Barringer allowed Thomas to get open on a sweet 32-yard underneath crossing route and he added 17 more two plays later. Derek Clark bulled through the middle of the Electron defense for 12 and Barringer completed the tidy seven-play drive with a well-executed option pitch to Thomas, who sprinted and dove through the pylon for a 14-0 Mustang lead with the Walker kick.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: Franklin still had nine minutes left to make something happen but, when they came up a yard short near midfield, Dobbins used special teams to preserve the shutout. Despite being faced with a fourth-and-15 deep in their own territory and a couple of previous failed attempts, Zambino sent sr. QB/P Terrell “Mouse” Barringer off to the races out of punt formation. His game clinching 18-yard run revealed, yet again, that you can never relax against a Zambino coached team—game over, bill’s paid.
Field Notes: I’d like to thank the player’s, coaches and families of both squads for providing an enjoyable festive atmosphere at a time of personal sadness. My father, Bill Sr., was recently diagnosed with a serious illness and I was unable to enjoy this Thanksgiving with him. I’m grateful to the football family for the much-needed support in a difficult time.

Special Teams Leader: Terrell “Mouse” Barringer (Fourth quarter run to seal the win.)

NOV. 14
NON LEAGUE
Germantown 22, Roxborough 8
Regardless of their records, this “across-the-hood” rivalry has always brought out the best in these one-time division rivals. Who can forget Akeem Johnson’s courageous conversion effort that vaulted the Bears to a two-point 2005 overtime victory or the 2007 four interception defensive masterpiece, which ended the Indians longtime drought against them and established Amir Boler as one of best players Roxborough has ever produced? Although the score may indicate otherwise, this game was just as interesting as both teams battled in yet another test of wills. The Bears struck first on the game’s opening series with a 14-yard bolt by sr. RB Shahid Bundy followed two plays later with a stunning 48-yard pass play from jr. QB Ramanda Abdullah to sr. RB Jeffrey Best. From the Indian five, jr. RB Demetrius Saunders used a great push from sr. C Ian Davis, sr. RG Brandon McCollum and sr. RT Rondell Johnson to give G-town a 8-0 lead with the Abdullah to sr. WR Linear Ruffin conversion pass. Roxborough came right back though with the incomparable jr. RB Akmed Green, who, without a doubt, will go down as the best improvisational runner in recent Indian history. His 42 yards on five carries, along with a 16-yard pass from jr. QB Antonio Murrell to jr. TE Shaimsadin Reed, put the Indians inside the Bears 30 where a holding penalty seemed to take them right out of a promising drive. On first-and-19 however, Murrell floated a screen pass to Green that was initially tipped, but Green kept his cool, waited for ball, picked up a pair of seal blocks from jr. LT Kwame Bell and jr. LG Barry Jones and sprinted 38 yards untouched for a touchdown. A nice conversion catch by sr. TE Jeffrey Edwards tied the game at eight and the respective defenses began a punishing battle that would last until the fourth quarter. On G-town’s next drive, Reed helped wipe out an Indian personal foul penalty with an 11-yard sack and jr. DB Braheem Ford batted down a third down pass to force the game’s first punt. Roxborough then converted a fourth-and-inches by drawing the aggressive Bear defense offsides but, despite tough yards from Green the drive stalled due in large part to a clipping penalty. Reed stepped up again with a two-yard loss on a third down G-town draw play and sr. DB Byron Wilkerson countered with a forced fumble that netted a nine-yard loss while sr. LB Rahmel Hamilton added three more on the next play resulting in an Indian punt. With the last drive of the half, the Bears managed to survive a sack by Indian sr. NG Dwayne Ferguson for a 23-yard pass from Abdullah to sr. TE John Ellis only to have sr. CB Darnell Ross intercept the final play before the break. After fumbling on their first play of the second half, the combination of Ellis and Bundy produced 21-yards in sacks and the offense, behind the solid running of sr. RB Robert Fitzhugh drove to the Indian three where they fumbled to the Indians again. Still tied at eight, the Bear defense held to a three-and-out and the line drive punt was snatched by Best, who diced right through the middle of the Indian coverage for a 32-yard punt return to put G-town ahead 16-8 with the Abdullah to Best conversion pass. Both teams traded two possessions and, with less than four minutes to go the best from Best was about to put this game away.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: After a Roxborough fourth down pass attempt at their own 15 fell incomplete, the Bear coaching wasn’t about to sit on the lead. Despite a holding call that backed them to the Indian 22, Abdullah faded back on third down and launched a perfect spiral to sr. RB Jeffrey Best, who ran a perfect post corner route to cradle the pass and close all scoring, perfectly—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader: Jeffrey Best (Punt return for touchdown and two solo special teams tackles.)

NOV. 8
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern Prep 18, Chestnut Hill Academy 0
Was there any doubt? Certainly not in the minds of the Malvern Prep Friars. Their dominating I-A season ended with a resounding championship achievement against the feisty Blue Devils, who tried everything and everyone to derail the Friar express.   While the team was jubilant about winning the title, they’re well aware others are competing for state titles and, after this performance, few would question their ability to give the city’s best a formidable opponent. Intensity was at a fevered pitch to begin a damp afternoon as the Blue Devils opened with a 21-yard gain on the game’s first play followed by a 12-yard reverse two plays later to move deep into Friar territory. With the home crowd and the bench anticipating an early score, Malvern sr. LB Gerald Starks met the ball carrier at the line punched the ball to sr. DB Billy Conners and he promptly bolted 74 yards untouched to give the Friars a 6-0 lead. Seemingly unfazed by the stunning turn of events, Chestnut Hill called on jr. RB Ibraheim Campbell, who capped a 34-yard kickoff return with a 33-yard gain off left tackle back to spot of the previous turnover.   Any momentum left however seemed zapped by an impressive Conners interception against the sideline two plays later. From the 20, the Friars went to work. They started with elusive sr. RB James Connelly and he used great blocking from sr. RG Michael McCorkle, sr. C Matt Devlin and jr. LG Joseph DiTrolio to gain an initial first down. Conners followed with a 13-yard option run and despite a fumbled snap (recovered by Friar sr. LT Bobby Panchisin) and an incompletion, Conners found sr. RB Rob McCabe wide open for 27-yards on third down to keep the drive alive. A combo sack by Chestnut Hill jr. LB Tom Devlin and sr. LB Phil Thomas brought up another third down and Friars unveiled a gem.   Faced with a third-and-16, Conners faded back, sucked in the Blue Devil front and tossed a backside screen to sr. WB Neil Willis, who skated 27-yards to pull out to a 12-0 late in first quarter. To end the first, jr. K Pat Connaghan extended Chestnut Hill’s next series with a 21-yard run out of punt formation. Stiff defense from Stark, sr. DT Sean Ferguson and “all-day” sr. DE CJ Mooney stuffed three straight plays for no gain resulting in a 35-yard field goal attempt that glanced off the right upright. Malvern comfortably ran out the last 8:50 of the half with an 18-play drive that featured a seven carry 43-yard effort from Willis and ended with a missed 41-yard field goal attempt. A barrage of penalties for both sides marred the second half but, before that began, the Friars made their championship statement with a dandy of a play.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: As the second half began Malvern coaching staff seemed to have the Blue Devil defense perplexed with the play calling and they rattled three straight simple running plays by three separate ball carriers to advance to the Chestnut Hill 43-yard line. They then executed a downfield option pitch inside the 25 where the Blue Devil defense came to life and stopped the next three plays for a net of minus five yards. Then the roof caved in. At certain points in the game, Willis was given blocking duties from his wing position and, on fourth-and-16 from the 30, he appeared to be doing the same.   Instead, a basic chip block turned into a stunning out-and-up and Conners floated a gentle pass to a gliding wide open Willis for the clinching touchdown. Well done, gentlemen—game over, bills paid.
Field Notes: Ah, the penalties. After the final touchdown (7:16 3Q), a total of 13 flags for 135 yards were tallied, which made for a difficult conclusion to an otherwise great game. In between the disruptions were a beautiful pass and catch from Conners to sr. WR Joe Price that covered 35 yards and an apparent CHA touchdown from soph. Danny Gallagher to jr. Jon McAllister, who snatched the ball away from the defender.   The play was called back for, you guessed it, a penalty.

NOV. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Gratz 54, Esperanza 6
Judging by the level (or potential level) of talent the Bulldogs displayed in this game, the fact that they haven’t won more often seems difficult to comprehend. Well, they made up the lost points at least with relative ease against the first year Toros from Esperanza, who finished their inaugural campaign winless and, much like William Penn and Communications Tech in their first year, suffer from a severe lack of confidence. Gentlemen, look at those teams now. Why are they better? They became tired of losing. Believe me, you don’t want to come against Gratz next season. Most of the names that follow will be heard from again. Bulldog jr. LB Derek Cobb and DT Tamaric Richardson stuffed the first two plays of the game for losses and a three-yard punt led to an easy 25-yard touchdown run for jr. RB Jason Martin just two plays into their first series. Jr. K Darrian Gordon, perhaps the most impressive kicker Gratz has produced since Roderick Coleman, booted the first of six conversions for a 7-0 lead.     They then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and, one play later, a 14-0 lead courtesy of a nice pass from soph. QB Montrell Stewart to sr. WR Faarug Butler.   Following a third down sack by soph. LB Khalil Brown, Butler appeared to add another score on an interception on a pass thrown out of punt formation but a penalty turned back the return. Nevertheless, two plays into their next offensive series Stewart connected with jr. WR Malik Joe on a quick out and he strolled in from 27-yards for Gratz’ third touchdown in seven minutes. Just three minutes later, soph. RB Jamir Anderson grabbed a pitch out and outran all defenders to up the lead to 28-0.   The Gratz defense came up with another gem to begin the second quarter as sr. LB Raheem Hall pummeled the Toros quarterback, jarred the ball loose to Richardson, who rumbled 28 yards for another touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, the first Bulldog drive went south when Esperanza sr. LB Stephen Williams forced and recovered a fumble only to watch Gratz sr. LB Lawrenzo Evans intercept the next third down pass play. A 38-yard Anderson run on a well-executed slant led to a four-yard touchdown from Hall with three minutes left before the mercy clock. Before that time came however, the Bulldogs weren’t about to let up the pressure. The Toros managed one offensive play before soph. DT Jamel Morgan forced a fumble, which resulted in a five play Gratz touchdown drive polished by a nifty Stewart eight-yard bootleg before half. Ahead 48-0, one Bulldog added insult to injury with a run of fun to begin the third quarter.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: Perhaps the only first half starter that didn’t waltz into the end zone was jr. RB Aaron Rice.   He made the most of his final two carries of the game with a 22-yarder that set up 28-yard touchdown run whereby he purposely cut back horizontally three or four times to take on as many defenders as possible. Only in the Pub, baby—game over, bill’s paid.
Field Notes: Jr. DB Stanley Bayliss added his first two career interceptions to prevent the Toros from getting a single first down until late in the final quarter. Esperanza Sr. WR Andrew Davila gained 37-yards on one play, which outgained the entire team and led to a seven-yard bootleg touchdown from sr. QB Elias Martinez to avert the shutout.   Many thanks to Ms. Phelan Majic, who tallied all tackles for this game and became the first woman scorekeeper in TS.com history.

Special Teams Leaders: Jacknier Tripari and Gilberto Zavala (Solo special teams tackles)

NOV. 1
PUBLIC AAA SEMIFINAL
Mastbaum 28, Roxborough 13
The Panthers shock the world. What this game lacked in precision (20 penalties, six interceptions and two fumble recoveries) was certainly made up for in drama, which came to a stunning climax late in the fourth quarter as Mastbaum captured their most exciting playoff victory since the 2001 season. The perseverance of sr. LB Darren Berry demonstrated what head coach Al Coleman strives to teach and, in the end, that was the difference—for everyone involved. During the early going however, the Indians looked like they’d literally run away with this game behind impressive jr. RB Akmed Greene (30-171) and their stiff defense. His 43-yard dash four plays into an opening seven play drive set up an easy 1-yard sneak from jr. QB Antonio Murrell to give Roxborough a 7-0 with sr. K Grant Graham’s conversion kick. Mastbaum attempted to counter with a 20-yard pass play from sr. QB Gregory Desire to sr. WB Steven Mont, but the Indian defense stuffed the next two plays for losses to force a punt. Mont then added a 7-yard loss to a previous holding penalty for a Roxborough three-and-out. Relentless Indian defensive pressure continued as stout jr. DT Justin Coffey stopped two straight plays and jr. CB Braheem Ford intercepted a third down pass. Roxborough’s offense then began to feel some heat. Despite the Ford interception and his fumble recovery during Mastbaum’s next possession, the presence of sr. DE John Turner, jr. DT Jerrell Robinson and sr. FS Alberto Tilghman stymied the next two Indian drives into lost opportunities. With Roxborough still holding the 7-0 lead midway the second quarter, the Panther offense started for the fourth time and were promptly greeted with a juggling interception by Graham near midfield. Unfazed by the barrage, the Panther defense answered in kind by holding the next three Indian plays to a minus 6-yard net due to the hustle of Tilghman, soph. CB Sean Hubert and soon to be hero, soph. LB Jacob Lockley. A 35-yard Graham punt, along with a penalty, put the Panther offense at their own 7 and, from their worst field position of the game, they set out to take the lead. Foiled to this point, sr. RB Rasheed Tookes rose to life and caught the Indian defense taking a play off. His 11-yard run on first down was followed four plays later by a stunning dive run where he broke through the linebackers, used his incredible strength to bust arm tackles, punched the shifter into fourth gear and he was gone—67 yards, game on. By the time he crossed goal line, the Mastbaum offense was already jogging towards Mont’s eventual conversion to make the score 8-7 with 4:10 remaining in the half. Although Roxborough appeared to be on the move, Lockley ended any hope of a go-ahead score with an interception on one drive while the secondary combo of sr. Jamil Thomas and soph. Tyree Walker thwarted the last. Coffey opened the second half for the Indians much like the first with one tackle for loss and another that ended a drive and then the offense went exclusively to Greene and made some history before Lockley’s second interception of the game. From midfield, Green scampered 15-yards on one of his read-and-react-regardless-of-what-play’s-called runs and broke Chris Mitchell’s four-year-old school record (1,177 yards). The Panthers then fumbled on the ensuing drive, which was recovered sr. CB Darnell Ross and the Indians regained the lead on a well adjusted pass play from Murrell to sr. TE Jeffrey Edwards from 11-yards out to end the third quarter. Without hesitation, Mastbaum went to Tookes and he carried five times for 28 yards, including the last six behind solid blocks from Sr.’s Antonio Powell and David Santiago to retake the lead 14-13. Roxborough appeared well on their way to an equalizer, but Santiago stepped up for the Panthers to shut down the 14-play drive that ended a yard short on fourth down. Moments later, at their own 40, Mastbaum decided to go for the first down instead of punting and lost the gamble—maybe? With 2:10 left in the game, Murrell faded back, threw his finest pass that slipped through the hands of the wide open intended receiver, which turned out to be Roxborough’s last chance at victory.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: Throughout the game, the Panther linebackers were getting good reads on the Indian short passing game, but only managed to bat the ball down. Well, on the next play sr. Darren Berry jumped the Indian slant route, snatched the ball and skated 70 yards to extend the lead to 22-13. To add insult to injury, Roxborough called the slant again, Berry jumped that route and closed all scoring with a second return of 21 yards—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Teams Leader: Rasheed Tookes (22-yard kickoff return to set up a lead Mastbaum would never surrender.)

OCT. 31
NON-LEAGUE
Olney 34, Edison 0
A Trojan trifecta. They used each facet of the game (offense/defense/special teams) to score touchdowns and came within a special team’s score of a doing so at least twice in the same game. You probably wouldn’t have imagined this outcome based on the game’s first series as Olney suffered a quarterback sack and a low fumbled punt snap that gave Edison possession just 17 yards from a score. That however, was as close as they would get the rest of the way. A two-yard run and three straight incompletions returned the ball to the Olney offense on downs and the quick outside running of jr. RB Eric Barrow helped sustain a 11-play drive that ended with a sr. QB Terrell Smith to sr. RB Sean Clark 25-yard touchdown pass. When the Owls threw again on their next fourth down attempt, a wide-open sr. SS Stefon Broughton grabbed the easy catch and dashed 64 yards with the interception return to give Olney a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter. The combination of sr. DT Gerald Laws and jr. DT Kevin Pressley held the Owls to their first punt, which soph. DB Jaron Turner returned 32 yards to set up a sweet 19-yard fade pass to Broughton for the third touchdown in as many possessions. Every time Edison seemed to take a step forward, they took two steps back. One of the better examples followed in the ensuing Owl series where jr. QB Terrell Lee gained 17-yards on a nice sneak and, on the next play, lost 15 on a sack by Trojan sr. DE Antwoine Allen. Right after that play, Edison rebounded with a 13-yard pass to sr. WR Vincent Boseman and 15 additional penalty yards only to have sr. DE Rasheed Thomas drop into coverage, intercept the next pass and skate 77 yards to give Olney a 28-0 lead at the break. The Olney defense kept up the heat through the third quarter as a Pressley sack ended the Owls first drive and the third interception of the game, this time from jr. DB Tyreall Baker, put the Trojans inside the five-yard line. Boseman’s touchdown saving tackle during the interception return gave teammate, jr. DT Joe Perez, a chance at redemption and he jarred the ball loose on the first Olney play from scrimmage to # 79 mere inches from the goal line. Fumbles dictated possessions on both sides until, following another Allen sack, Edison punted midway through the final quarter.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: Despite mishandling a previous chance, soph. Jaron Turner remaining aggressive, gathered the game’s final punt, beat the tired Edison coverage to the sideline and added a nice cutback for a 70-yard touchdown return—game over, bill’s paid.

Special Team Leaders: Vincent Boseman & DeShawn Benson (Only special team’s tackle of the game.)

OCT. 24
PUBLIC AAAA QUARTERFINAL
George Washington 39, University City 0
Were the Eagles as flawless? Probably not. Did they have to be? Definitely not. Like many early round playoff games, the heavy favorite used the opportunity to give underclassmen a chance to show whether they can be factors when championships are on the line and, in that respect, Washington established some solid playmakers. To their credit, the Jaguars of University City demonstrated a lot of heart and appeared unfazed by the daunting Eagle roster but, in the end, the impressive 2008 Eagle defense was simply too much for them to overcome. They forced a punt in the game’s opening series and the first of the potential playmakers, jr. RB Chea Sloh, ripped off seven of his 91 yards for the game before Jaguar jr. LB Sam Bracy blind-sided the quarterback and forced a fumble that sr. DE Nyair Washington recovered. The combination of soph. DE Brandon Chudnoff and jr. MLB Vernon Dupree held U-City’s next series to a two yard net, but they countered on the Eagles next drive despite 27 yards from Sloh due in part to Bracy’s second down tackle for no gain, which forced their first punt. Just two play into the next series however, Dupree jarred the ball loose and gave the Eagle offense a short field with the recovery. From the Jags 30, the second of the day’s playmakers, jr. RB Kessan Christopher, gained a quick eight yards, Sloh added another six after a rare defensive chop block and sr. RB Kyle Glenn raced around right end to complete the five play drive to give Washington their first touchdown. Steady sr. K Will McFillin added the first of four conversion kicks to make the score 7-0 late in the first quarter. Outstanding Eagle pass coverage and a smothering rush resulted in three straight Jaguar incompletions and the offense responded with a nice third down 10-yard screen pass from jr. QB Aaron Wilmer to Glenn, aided by the crushing block of sr. T Mike Dennis to move deep into Jag territory. The drive ended four plays later though with a 48-yard McFillin field goal attempt that sailed wide left. A U-City fourth down gamble at their own 36 then backfired into a 12-yard loss, but Washington’s offense became frustrated and committed a personal foul penalty that left them three yards short on their ensuing fourth down attempt. Moments later, the hustle sr. DT Bryant Davis along with jr. DE Martin Haynes brought up another punt that sr. DB Lorenzo Adams returned inside the Jaguar 30 where the offense needed just three plays to spring sr. RB Omar Hunter for a nine yard touchdown run. Washington then pounced on a failed pass out of punt formation and Christopher ran three times for 21 yards including a lightening quick four-yard score to increase the Eagle lead to 22-0 with a well-executed Wilmer to Hunter touch pass for conversion before halftime. Another screen pass, this time a 13-yarder from Wilmer to Sloh, followed a Jaguar pass interference penalty to open the third quarter and a second McFillin field goal attempt three plays later fell just short. Perhaps key on the missed field goal was the third down tackle for loss by U-City sr. DL Shanadore Scott. Jr. RB Tariq Gordon, a workhorse for the Jags all afternoon, gained 20-yards on their second offensive play only to have Eagle sr. LB Elijah Douglas strip the ball loose to sr. SS Jamaal Williams. The Eagle passing game then went into high gear as Wilmer connected with the third potential playmaker, soph. WR Joe Clayborne on a sweet 30-yard underneath pattern and on Christopher’s well executed slant route to give Washington a commanding 29-0 advantage. McFillin later nailed a 23-yard field goal to end the third quarter. In what would turn out to be their best drive of the game, U-City marched 70 yards in 11 plays behind the capable arm of jr. QB Michael Adens. On fourth-and-11 at the 14, Dupree ended the promising drive with an interception and the Eagles proceeded to put a fitting ending on their first playoff game.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: Although the game was out of reach for a Jaguar comeback, one player in need of a reprieve after a tough season of adjustment was none other than U-City transfer Joe Clayborne. After dropping an easy touchdown pass earlier, he confidently snagged a five-yard pop pass from Wilmer, cut to the outside, lit the afterburners and skated 60 yards for his first career touchdown as a Eagle to the delight of his teammates—game over, bills paid.
Field Notes: Clayborne’s unsportsmanlike high stepping during his touchdown resulted in a successful 33-yard conversion kick by McFillin. Sr. CB Jareef Days preserved the shutout with his first career interception. Many thanks to the Washington coaching staff for allowing my long time companion/best friend and myself to share a unique experience in an always crowded coaches box during the game.

OCT. 17
PUBLIC AAAA RED
Frankford 21, Overbrook 0
Both teams played flawless at times and uninspired in others, but why shouldn’t they? Regardless of their records, all five Red Division teams made the AAAA playoffs, which left this game as little more than a scrimmage. The Pioneers however, managed to demonstrate that their defense remains every bit as formidable as in last week’s game against Washington. Overbrook perhaps should’ve stayed with more running plays out of their unique spread offense, because every time they passed a Pioneer was never far away. Their offense jumped to an early lead with an 11-play drive that featured 21-yards (four carries) from sr. RB Tyrell Lewis, a 10-yard option run by sr. RB Hakeem Watson and an 11-yard pass from soph. QB Michael McGroarty to sr. TE Chris Baker. From the four, McGroarty literally strolled behind the mammoth push from sr. LG Edgardo Rodriquez, jr. C Elvis Diaz and sr. RG Joseph Buck for the easiest quarterback sneak for touchdown you’ll ever see. Sr. K Eddie Ferrell added the conversion kick. The Panthers responded with a 14-play drive, which revealed the shifty cutback running of jr. RB Keenan Clark, but an interception by Pioneer jr. CB Tyrell Martin and his 68 yard return (3 yards deep in the end zone) turned back the scoring chance and set up another. In just two plays, sr. QB/RB Kalif Walker ran for 11 and the final 25 yards right through the middle of the Panther defense for a 13-0 lead with less than six minutes to go in the half. A pair of consecutive sacks from jr. DE Tyrell Allen and sr. LB Montez Rodney that tallied 21-yards in losses were made worse for Overbrook with a Walker interception on the next offensive series. The Panthers appeared to answer with a sr. DB John Melvin pick only to have a personal foul penalty return the ball to the Frankford offense to run out the second quarter clock. Overbrook went to the air to start the third and sr. QB Rhasheed Oberlton moved the team to midfield with two completions, but Baker batted down a third down pass to force the game’s first punt. Sr. LB’s Julius Faison and Brandon Pouncy second down tackle for no gain then helped the Panthers defense register their only three-and-out for the game. Following another punt though, the Pioneers headed for the clincher. The combination of Walker (17 yards) and Watson (26 yards—23 after and 11-yard loss) set up an unlikely but effective call.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: On third-and-five, an Overbrook offside penalty gave Frankford a first down at the 22 midway through the final quarter. Run some clock, right? Nope, the offensive brain trust called for sr. TE Eddie Ferrell to run a slant route and he left the defender spinning as McGroarty hit him on the numbers for a 20-yard gain. From there, a second easy sneak extended the lead to 21-0 with the Watson conversion run—game over, bill’s paid.
Field Notes: Oberlton put up some nice numbers while connecting on passes to sr. Kirk Edwards for 35 and Faison for 26 more but, as they drove to avert the shutout, sr. DB Tyron Cunningham batted down one and sr. S Craig Mack intercepted his last.

OCT. 11
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 53, Episcopal 8
Both teams came in with spotless records and something had to give. Well, for the Churchman of Episcopal, a big-time reality check, courtesy of the dominant Friars, came in like a ton of bricks. Granted, they have size and skilled players but, this season, Malvern has more of them and they presented an attitude that anything less than the Inter-Ac title will be a major disappointment. They set the tone on the game’s first series when sr. LB Gerald Stark jumped a route and ran an interception deep into Churchman territory. The sound blocking from sr. RG Michael McCorkle allowed sr. RB’s James Connelly, Neil Willis and sr. QB Billy Conners to tear into the Episcopal defense for the final 35-yards to give Malvern a quick 7-0 lead with the first of five conversion kicks by jr. K Mark Tiberi. A third down stop for no gain forced Episcopal’s first punt and Malvern went back to work with Connelly runs of 30, 12 and the final six yards to double the lead. The Churchmen came to life when powerful sr. FB Steve Faulkner skated 16 yards with a direct snap out of punt formation and converted a pair of third down plays. At the Malvern 35 though, sr. DB Tom Keefer and sr. DE Matt Devlin stuffed the next third down play for no gain while sr. DE CJ Mooney batted down the fourth down pass attempt as the second quarter began. Despite three penalties the Patriots needed just seven plays that featured a nice shallow cross from Conners to Mooney for 11 yards, the speed of Willis for 49 more, which led to a five-yard touchdown dive from Conners to put the Friars up, 21-0, midway through the second quarter. Episcopal responded this time with a stunning 55-yard option keeper by sr. QB Ryan Klein. Faulkner finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run and conversion run to cut the deficit to 12, but Malvern countered to pull away. With less than four minutes to go before halftime, Willis ran the ensuing kickoff 50 yards and a pair of third down passes, one of 15 to sr. WR Joe Price and six to sr. RB Rob McCabe left an easy six-yard touchdown run by Willis. Connelly opened the third quarter by recovering a fumble during the kickoff and followed a Conners 16-yard run with a 30-yard bolt, aided by the nice seal block from jr. LG Joseph DiTrolio, to set up the fifth Patriot touchdown. From there, the defense of Stark, Keefer and stud sr. DL Sean Ferguson held the Churchman to a three-and-out for the clincher.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: After the Episcopal punt, the Friars needed just one play to unleash Conners on an option keeper that probably surprised even him. As he rolled right, he saw the gigantic opening in the middle of the field, cut back through most of the weary Episcopal defense and sprinted 52 yards for a touchdown to the delight of the homecoming crowd —game over, bills paid.
Field Notes: Malvern closed all scoring with a one-yard run by soph. FB Robert Scaramuzza that was set up off a low snap during a punt and a electrifying 66-yard run by Willis successor, jr. RB Spencer Wallace.

Special Team Leader: Mark Tiberi (Five PAT kicks and three kickoffs for touchbacks)

Special Team Leader: Evan Marks (Recovered a surprise line drive kickoff just before halftime.)

OCT. 10
PUBLIC AAA
Mastbaum 14, William Penn 12
Tooth and nail the entire way. Both teams showed incredible resolve in this game but, in the end, the Panther defense responded to their own turnovers as if they never happened while the offense converted the game’s sole conversion run for the difference. Make no mistake though, the relentless Lions are a formidable team in this league and, if left underestimated, any AAA team could find themselves on the short end of the scoreboard come playoff time. They made their presence felt on the game’s first series by holding Mastbaum to a quick three-and-out. Following a short punt, Lightning fast RB Kenny White, found a crease where a Panther linebacker should’ve been and raced 14 yards to the Panther 30-yard line. Four plays later, the Lions appeared to have the early lead on a stunning touchdown pass only to have the play called back on a procedure penalty. On the next play, the Mastbaum sr. FS Steven Mont stepped up and in front of another pass for the interception. Then the turnovers began. A nice 17-yard cutback run from sr. RB Rasheen Tookes was wiped out when Penn DL Akeem Jenkins forced a fumble that DL Saquan Scarborough recovered. Tookes responded with a third down tackle for loss and two plays into their next series, DB Kamal Rhodes punched the ball to LB Emmanuel Pittman near midfield. The Lion offense answered with a 26-yard bootleg by QB Braheim Dixon and a shocking 28-yard touchdown pass that was tipped by a Panther defender into the hands of RB Dequan Felton for a 6-0 lead to begin the second quarter. The Panthers fumbled again on their next series but sr. LB/DL Andrew King countered with a three-yard loss on third down and when a Penn formation penalty turned a 38-yard punt into a four-yarder after the re-kick, Mastbaum gained the lead. A 12-yard Tookes run behind the block of sr. LT Julian Lipsccomb led to a 28-yard pass from soph. QB Lawrence Clark to leaping jr. WR Fermin Castellanos and, on the next play, Tookes used jr. RG Jerrell Robinson’s block to score from three yards out. Clark added the all-important conversion run to give the Panthers an 8-6 lead midway through the second quarter. The combination of King, and soph. DE Anthony Ortega along with a fumble recovery by sr. LB Darren Berry held Penn’s from advancing beyond midfield for the remainder of the half. The Panther defense came up huge to begin the third with a jr. CB Keyon Dennis interception and 47-yard return where, while then under center, he bulled in for a two-yard touchdown run. On the next drive, sr. NG David Santiago forced a Penn fumble and the offense embarked on nine minute drive that included 31-yard pass play from Berry to Dennis out of punt formation and ended when Penn stalwart LB Khalil Henderson sacked the quarterback on a fourth down play. From there, jr. LB Stephen Mackey limited the Penn offense but, with less than four minutes to go, the Penn special teams made things interesting. QB/PR Braheim Dixon gathered a seemingly routine punt rolled around the right side, cut back to the middle, broke arm tackles and skated 65-yards to bring the feisty Lions to within two points of a tie. Once again the Panther defense stepped up when needed the most and Berry swatted down a fairly well thrown pass to turn back the conversion attempt. We’re not finished yet however. The Penn defense stopped each of Mastbaum’s ensuing offensive plays to losses and Khalil Henderson made one more curtain call to an outstanding performance with a blocked punt that set up the offense 36 yards from a potential game winner.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: As they had done all game, the Mastbaum defense answered the call. With the pressure on and the clock running, jr. LB Duval Alexander, sr. LB Darren Berry and jr. LB Stephen Mackey held Penn to a net of just one yard in four plays to end any hope of an upset (?)—game over, bill’s paid.

OCT. 3
PUBLIC WHITE
Lincoln 19, West Philadelphia 8
This one may have been a blowout had the young Railsplitters realized that few leads are safe at this level. They outflanked, outhustled and outexecuted the thin Speedboy roster for the entire first half but, as young teams often do, they let up in the second and allowed West Philly to gain confidence where a turnover or two could’ve changed the outcome. With more experience and perhaps a few heartbreaking losses, Lincoln will be a formidable team next season and the basis for that rests on the capable right arm of jr. QB Joe McCausland. His technique, confidence and poise have greatly improved since last season and his 12-15-173 afternoon showed that he has little problem dissecting an inexperienced secondary. In the game’s second play however, a timely block from jr. RB Ben Speller, speed of sr. RB Amin Shabazz and poor Speedboy tackling gave Lincoln a quick 7-0 lead on 56-yard touchdown run and sr. K Chris Wilson conversion kick. A tackle for loss by sr. DL William Parker and punishing third down pop from jr. LB Omar Black forced West Philly to punt and the Railsplitter offense went right back to work. Two Speedboy penalties for 20 yards set up a well thrown 31-yard touch pass from McCausland to Black that anyone on the Lincoln roster could’ve snagged for the second touchdown in as many drives. A 14-yard run from speedy West sr. RB John Davis and 15-yarder by Jamar Cox put them in great position to cut into the lead, but a great tackle by # 35 jarred the ball loose and sr. LB Mitchell Guerin gave the Lincoln offense the stage. Another big Speedboy penalty, a Shabazz 11-yard run and 28-yard touchdown pass that was a carbon copy to the previous score from McCausland to Black extended the Lincoln lead to 19-0 early in the second quarter. From there, the Railsplitter defense held every West drive without a single first down for the remainder of the half. Standouts for Lincoln was the four-yard tackle for loss by sr. DL Roman Griggs, the solid linebacking core of Black, jr. Hakeem Cooper and Guerin, who ended drives before they started. As for the Lincoln offense, McCausland showed his mastery of crossing and fade routes in completing 22 and 23-yard passes, but they failed to convert due to a tackle for loss by West sr. DB Justin Carrington and 15-yard sack by sr. DB Laquell Fitzhugh before halftime. The second half was uneventful as both teams struggled for first downs until the Speedboys regained possession with less than three minutes to go in the game. With the offense faltering, sr. QB Keith West took matters into his own hands. A short Lincoln punt provided excellent field position and West scrambled for 10-yards, completed a pass to Davis for seven and diced his way for another 17, which set up an almost easy one-yard sneak to avoid the shutout.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: Prior to the West Philly touchdown drive, the all-out hustle of jr. LB Omar Black limited the West offense to just two yards with two of his seven total solo tackles and prevented them from making things close—game over, bills paid.

SEPT. 19
PUBLIC A
Del Val Charter 46, Freire Charter 0
Welcome to the big time Del Val Charter. They went a long way in this one to show that, not only are they ahead of the curve for first-year varsity programs, but served notice to the rest of Public A. This well-coached team possesses a fully functional offset wishbone running game, speedy 3-4 defense, a rarity in any division, that can turn a cover two into eight men in the box run blitz in the blink of an eye. How can they do this? For the most part, they’re a smart fundamentally sound team that executes as designed rather than allow a handful of skilled players to improvise around mistakes. In the game’s opening series the Warrior defense made an impression with a pair of tackles for losses by jr. LB Shaquille Love and sr. DT Derrick Holt forcing a punt that soph. Rashan Walker returned 16 yards that started Del-Val near midfield. Both programs suffered from handoff/center exchange problems and one of them ended the Warriors first offensive series after two plays. The recovery by Dragon DT Joseph Thomas however, couldn’t prevent the Warrior defense from holding to a second three-and-out and when the Freire punter decided to run, Love and sr. DE Naquiyb Muhammad were there to help set the offense up deep in Dragon territory. From the 35, Del-Val unveiled a well-executed reverse that soph. RB Markeese Walker ran for a 31-yard touchdown. A first down bootleg from QB Donte Blow and some hard running by RB Erik Jordan gave Freire their best drive of the game that started at the 15, moved to midfield and ended with a 15-yard loss on another poor exchange at the end of the first quarter. Blow gave the Freire offense possession to begin the second quarter with a forced fumble that Kameron Brooks recovered, but another three-and-out put the Del-Val offense in high gear. A 19-yard scramble by sr. QB Jabri Monk and 28 yards from Walker left the stage for jr. RB Neil Warren, who showed great cut back ability and vision on a 19 yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 16-0 with second of his four conversion runs. A 12-yard sack and another failed run from punt formation allowed the Warriors to quickly add to their lead as Walker, behind a good block from sr. C Darnell Henderson, dove through middle for a 24-0 lead late in the second quarter. Soph. Brad Wilson ended any hope of a Freire score before halftime with an interception. Both teams exchanged possessions to begin the third quarter, but when the Warriors regained control midway through the third, the scoring floodgates opened. Following a nice tipped interception by Walker, the offense needed just four plays for Monk to find jr. WR Jeremiah Mitchell on a sweet slant route and, on the next series, Monk scrambled 15 yards to increase the lead to 38-0 that started the mercy clock.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: With their first possession of the final quarter the Warrior offensive unit displayed one of the finest counter plays that only the Central Lancers have been able to manage. Jr. Neil Warren used his deceptive speed and stunning blocks from sr. LT Eric Sims-Watson and sr. LG Sherman Brown to give Del-Val their first division win of the 2008 season—game over, bill’s paid.
Field Notes: On a courageous note, this game marked the return of Freire QB Aaron Leedie, who suffered a severe injury last season that required extensive rehabilitation. Although he may have wished for better results during the game, the fact that he’s healthy and enthusiastic about playing again was a great inspiration for yours truly.

Special Teams Leader—Joseph Thomas (nice recovery of a squib kick midway through the second quarter.)

SEPT. 12
NON-LEAGUE
Bartram 38, Mastbaum 0
This primetime matchup between two of the better running backs in the Public League never materialized. An unfortunate injury to his Mastbaum counterpart left the stage for Bartram sr. RB Tyron Cheeseboro and he was simply magnificent on offense AND defense. Would the shutout been averted had sr. RB Rasheen Tookes played? Probably. Could his presence have limited Chesseboro’s career day? Perhaps slightly, but that would’ve depended on Tookes' tackling ability because few Panthers wanted little to do with this strong and powerful player. Despite fumbling a slick ball on the game’s second play, the Braves defense, which will be the crucial element to any success they have this season, held the Panthers on downs and wasted little time making their point. On the first play of the next series, Bartram called a draw and sr. RG Dion Francis and monster soph. RT Markel Hall pushed the Mastbaum defense five yards off the ball while Cheeseboro raced for a 78-yard touchdown—untouched. A first down via penalty gave the Panthers some time to keep the offense on the field, but DT Hall stopped the next series with a tackle for no gain on second down, forced fumble on third and another tackle a yard short on fourth down. Again, on the first play, Cheeseboro executed a simple slant behind the punishing Hall/Francis blocks and bolted 61-yards for the second touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0 with his conversion run. Hope for Mastbaum came from a juggling 44-yard completion from sr. QB Gregory Desire to sr. WR Fermin Castellanos only to have Brave DT Cheick Kiante force and recover a fumble to return possession to the offense. Well, the Braves failed to convert in less than 30 seconds, but they upped their lead to 22-0 with a simple dive run by jr. RB Brandon Mitchell, who used a great block from jr. C Malcolm McNair to skate in from 18-yards out. The Panthers were held to minimal yardage on their next short drive and the Braves looked to score for the fourth straight time on offense following a 15-yard punt return to midfield and a personal foul penalty that started them deep in Mastbaum territory. A holding penalty at the five-yard line and the speed of Panther sr. NG David Santiago finally held the Bartram offense off the scoreboard—just barely. Stunning pursuit however, from Hall and Cheeseboro resulted in eight yards in losses for the Mastbaum offense and despite a fumble on the ensuing punt return, sr. DB Antwain Byrd came up with the recovery to put the high-flying Brave offense back on the field. One of the few bright spots of the Mastbaum defense arrived with a combo sack by soph’s. SS Tyree Walker and DE Anthony Ortega, who dropped the Bartram quarterback for a 13-yard loss on third down, but a roughing the punter penalty gave the offense new life and they knew how to proceed. Just three plays later, sr. RB/Athlete Ira Sample bulled right through two would-be tacklers to score the fourth touchdown to increase the lead to 30-0 with the third Cheeseboro conversion run late in the second quarter. As the rain increased, the rest of the game became more of a fumble fest. There was however, one final closing act.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: After Mastbaum’s best chance to score went south on downs, sr. RB Tyron Cheeseboro completed a nine-carry, 266-yard performance with an absolute gem. Faced with third and 12, he gathered a handoff and the Mastbaum containment was there—defenders on all sides. For all intent and purposes he was caught behind the line. Instead of quitting he went after one player at a time. Shook one, then another then went straight into the teeth of the remaining defense. Broke one tackle, then another, then another and, once into the clear, he turned on the afterburners and closed all scoring with an 89-yard touchdown run that you had to see to believe—game over, bill’s paid.
Field Notes: Although Cheeseboro also led all tacklers, this wouldn’t have happened without the studs Bartram possesses along the defensive front. The execution of the DT’s, sr. Rashard Williams, jr. Raymond Fearon, soph. Markel Hall and Cheick Kiante clogged the middle and allowed athletes like Cheeseboro to post lofty tackle totals at the expense of their own—fine work gentlemen.

Special Teams Leader—Raymond Fearon (recovered fumble in end zone to preserve the final conversion run.)

AUG. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Chestnut Hill 45, Dougherty 0
Often times you can get a sense for the better team just from the pregame warm-ups. While the Cardinals are young, so are the Blue Devils and they used this game to show what a little discipline and attention to detail can accomplish. This one was never close. A high Dougherty snap was recovered by sr. LB Matt Flannery on the game’s second play. Three plays later, jr. RB Ibraheim Campbell used an outstanding block by pulling guard, sr. Eric Herrera, to direct the Blue Devils to a quick 7-0 lead with the first of six PAT kicks from jr. K Patrick Connaghan. Chestnut Hill sr. DB Julian Brown then punched loose the ensuing kickoff return that sr. LB John Kuneck recovered and, on the first play from scrimmage, soph. QB Danny Gallagher connected on a quick out to soph. TE Jon McAllister, who made the score 14-0 before two minutes had elapsed. A pair of tackles for losses, including a sack, by jr. LB Tom Delvin ended the next Cardinal drive and a 35-yard McAllister punt return led to a 20-yard Connaghan field goal. Kuneck’s two tackles held the next Cardinal series to negative yardage and the offense needed just five plays to showcase a nice one-handed catch by McAllister to complete a 42-yard pass play and increase the lead to 24-0 near the end of the first quarter. The third Doughety fumble (and second Kuneck recovery) resulted in a sr. LG Kyle Keller aided 49-yard Campbell run and Devlin slid in from a yard out to add Chestnut Hill’s fourth touchdown of the game. An interception from Blue Devil sr. DB Alex Logue during the next Cardinal series gave them a short field and three carries for 18 yards from Campbell completed a six-play drive to jump the lead to 38-0 before halftime.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: Jr. RB Ibraheim Campbell began the third quarter with a great display of cutback running. On the second play of the quarter, he stuttered to pick up a block from jr. RG Brendan Spearing, then cut past the linebackers, juked the safety and bolted down the right sideline for a 61-yard touchdown to end all scoring—game over, bills paid.
Field Notes: Prior to the Campbell 61-yard run, Doughery jr. LB Luther Harlig was injured making a tackle, but appeared to avoid any serious injury. After a lengthy delay to get the proper medical team to the scene, he was taken to the hospital. All good wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Luther from the entire TS.com staff.

Special Teams Leader—John Kuneck (three special teams tackles and a fumble recovery)

Special Teams Leader—Tyler Gandy (The sole special teams tackle for the game.)

AUG. 29
NON-LEAGUE
George Washington 28, Bensalem 21
For the past two seasons, these two teams have played some of the finest “preseason” football you’ll ever witness. High intensity, good early season execution and unwavering will to win despite any real significance in the standings for either team. For the better part of three quarters however, this rivalry appeared to be coming to an end as the Eagles of George Washington unveiled some new wrinkles and dominated a somewhat undersized Bensalem squad that had a hard time adjusting to what they’d seen in previous meetings. True to form, though, this game became another gem when the pitfalls of a young team allowed the Owls to make things interesting. Perhaps the biggest reason for the early domination was the outstanding play of jr. QB Aaron Wilmer, the last of three siblings to pass through Eagle system and folks, he may just turn out to be the best of the lot. With the game’s opening series, the Eagles displayed near flawless execution as jr. RB Kessan Christopher slid behind sr. LG Waverly Harris’ block and skated 22-yards on the first play. Faced with fourth-and-five three plays later, Wilmer calmly dropped back and lofted a beautiful touch pass right into the hands of jr. TE Jimmy Fowler for a 35-yard gain. The fact that Fowler was interfered with on the play made both ends of the pass-and-catch impressive this early in the season. On the next play, sr. RB Omar Hunter followed sr. RG Bryant Davis into the end zone and sr. K Will McFillin added the first of a perfect four-for-four PAT evening to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead—wow. Equally as intriguing this season will be the new wrinkles in the Washington defense and without exposing too much, let’s just say they know the Catholic League will now be a factor in the PIAA D12 championship. They held Bensalem’s first series to a three-and-out with a sr. DT Sharrif Floyd/jr. OLB Chea Sloh tackle for loss and nifty pass defended by sr. SS Jamaal Williams. A short punt gave the Eagles possession near midfield and the offense capitalized on another fourth down attempt when Fowler’s diving snag on a pass only he could catch set up a play that long time offensive coordinator John McAneney preached in practice, but rarely saw executed. From the Owl 29, Wilmer patiently dropped back, pulled the Owl defense in and delivered a perfect screen pass to Hunter, who used a pair of lay-out blocks by RT Sharrif Floyd on his way to a 14-0 lead with the McFillin kick. The Eagle defense answered again with a stunning three-and-out that started with an Owl second-and-inches and ended with a five-yard sack by jr. DE Martin Haynes. Each team traded a pair of possessions, but when the Eagles regained possession midway through the second quarter, they quickly doubled their lead. A 17-yard run from Christopher and 16-yard pop pass, where Fowler dragged defenders for 10 yards led to a sweet Wilmer to Fowler corner route for a 12-yard touchdown. Minimal Owl gains on the ensuing drive gave the Eagles the ball right back and, with 1:23 to go before halftime, Wilmer proved he belonged. On fourth down with the clock running out, Wilmer dropped back like a seasoned pro, spun out of pressure, stepped up and threw a 30-yard laser to Hunter before getting creamed by a Bensalem on-rusher. Meanwhile, Hunter, who was supposed to run a go route, saw Wilmer in trouble and, a millisecond after he turned to find him, found the ball right on his numbers. Hunter then waltzed into the end zone and a 28-0 lead with the final McFillin kick. Needless to say, the Eagles came out for the second half with a great deal of confidence…perhaps too much confidence. When the precision of the first half began to falter, so did the Eagle psyche. Players became hyper critical of those failing to make plays, assignments began to break down and so did the Eagle lead. In the beginning of the fourth quarter, Bensalem rattled off 20-30 yards a crack on running plays, scored for the first time in the game, recovered an onside kick then scored again, recovered a Washington fumble and marched down the short field to close gap to 28-21.
Payin' the Bills Play of the Game: Having cut the lead to seven, Bensalem lined up for a third onside kick. Sr. LB Elijah Douglass, who had been scolded for being overly aggressive on punt coverage, snagged the well executed spinning kick to save the win an at least a little aggressiveness, right coaches?—game over, bills paid.

AUG. 29
NON-LEAGUE
Horace Furness 20, Samuel Fels 6
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while--you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
-Vince Lombardi
They’re undefeated. The Furness Falcons now understand that victories earned are far more rewarding than those simply given by another’s failing. The water bottles emptied atop head coach Victor Pastore’s head and smiles on the player’s faces were a final testament to a team that wanted to shake the memory of their sole forfeit win during last years inaugural season. How did they succeed?Simple execution of some of the most basic football fundamentals. They started by attacking every point of the Panther defense with the impressive speed of frosh. RB Sharif Smith and he glided past linebackers for 27 of his 130 yards on the game’s first drive. When their drive came up inches short on fourth down near midfield, the Falcon defense of DL Sam Byrd and LB Yaseem Nelson demonstrated sure tackling and held Fels’ first series to a three-and-out. Smith then ran six times to move the Falcons inside the 25, where he bounced off a nice block by LT Andrew Hewlett and revealed remarkable toughness to go along with shifty cutback ability and carried three tacklers for about 15 yards mere inches from the goal line. From there though, Panther LB’s Morgan Willingham and Elijah Staton stuffed the next two Falcon plays for six yards in losses. Following a third down pass that missed being caught inbounds by inches, Furness came up a few yards short on fourth down, but the change in possession would be short lived. Tackles for no gain by Nelson, DL’s Gerald Martin and Henry Greene forced a Fels punt that Ryan Johnson returned 27 yards to put the Falcons right back where the previous drive had ended. A few yards from Smith set up an easy “blast” for FB Victor Pastore, who scored the Falcons' first touchdown of the 2008 season. In their third drive of the game, nice outside running from soph. RB Cortez Covington (2 carries 32 yards), and a 22-yard hook up from soph. QB Akeece Jones to sr. WR Malik Jackson produced their third and final first down of the half inside the 25-yard line. With the clock running out before halftime, Furness LB Robert Jenkins ended any chance of an equalizer with a five-yard sack. Martin and Jenkins handed Fels more of the same treatment to begin the second half, recording losses on two of their three plays in the series. Another heavy dose of Smith, this time with runs of five, 12, six and 11 set up a surprise eight-yard touchdown sneak from QB Anthony Ings who completed an efficient 10-play drive to give the Falcons an 14-0 lead with the Smith conversion run.
Payin' the Bills' Play of the Game: Solid tackling had allowed the stingy Furness defense to hold Fels to just four first downs for the game and when they committed a personal foul penalty to give them a fifth they clamped down harder. After a five-yard Covington run, the Falcon defense of Pastore, Nelson and LB David Metz stuffed the next two plays for no gains which gave the offense another long scoring drive that ended with a second Pastore touchdown run and 20-0 lead—game over, bills paid.
Field Notes: Perhaps the only crack in the Furness armor was their inability to stop the Panthers Jones-Jackson aerial connection, which hit five times for 51 yards and they closed all scoring with an eight-yard touchdown pass.

Special Teams Leader—Ryan Johnson (27-yard punt return to set up the first TD of 2008)

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Derek Clark	8	5	3	1 (-9)	0	0	0	1	0	0
Tyrell Brooks	8	3	5	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Darryl Clark	6	2	4	1 (-1)	2	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Walker	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ralston Thomas	3	2	1	1 (-7)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Joshua Bangura	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Long	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyriq Clark	2	2	0	1 (-2)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Justin Smallwood	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Terrence Stafford	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Michael Graham	1	1	0	1 (-10)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yusef White	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jamaine Leslie	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Matthew Nelson	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Braheem Hightower	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Jamel Haggins	10	5	5	1 (-3)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Shuron Briggs	6	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lydell Boanes	6	2	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Darius Harris	5	3	2	1 (-5)	0	0	1	0	0	0
Haafiz Mainor	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jeffery Neal	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Corey Maxey	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dante Alexander	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Khaleem Brown	2	1	1	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Steve Garrett	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Ingram	2	0	2	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ronique Felton	1	1	0	1 (-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kairi Haynes	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Donnell Jones	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Demetrius Town	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Rahmel Hamilton	9	7	2	1 (-3)	0	0	1	0	0	0
John Ellis	7	6	1	3 (-12)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Byron Wilkerson	6	6	0	2 (-6)	0	0	1	0	0	1
Johnny Richardson	6	2	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Shahid Bundy	5	4	1	1 (-14)	1	1	0	0	0	0
Jeffrey Best	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon McCollum	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Taylor Bailey	4	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Demetrius Saunders	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
James Slayton	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Robert Fitzhugh	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Cherry	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Matthew Henderson	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daniel Harris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Byron Yancey	7	6	1	2 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0
X-Zavier Southerland	7	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kortney Brown	6	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Braheem Ford	5	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Nick Blackmon	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Kwame Bell	4	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Shaimsadin Reed	3	2	1	2 (-13)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Justin Coffey	3	2	1	1 (-5)	0	0	1	0	0	0
Barry Jones	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dwayne Ferguson	1	1	0	1 (-6)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Darnell Ross	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
CJ Mooney	7	3	4	4 (-16)	0	1.5	0	0	0	0
Christian Green	5	4	1	1 (-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Michael Mayock	5	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neil Willis	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sean Ferguson	4	2	2	3 (-4)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Joseph DiTrolio	4	1	3	2 (-16)	0	1.5	0	1	0	0
Robert McCabe	4	0	4	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Thomas Keefer	3	2	1	2 (-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gerald Stark	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Hill	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Michael McCorkle	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brian Swanick	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Michael Bolte	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Billy Conners	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
Matthew Devlin	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Panchisin III	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

Frankford	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Kalif Walker	6	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Ammron Hargrove	5	2	3	1 (-10)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Hakeem Watson	5	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Montez Rodney	4	3	1	2 (-15)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Akeem Smith	4	2	2	1 (-7)	0	0	0	0	0	0
#39	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nathan Johnson	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Christopher Baker	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Taron Mills	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2
Tauheed Smith	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyrell Allen	1	1	0	1 (-10)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Tyrell Martin	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Elvis Diaz	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eddie Ferrell	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyron Cunningham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Craig Mack	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Overbrook	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Brandon Pouncy	9	6	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Nafees Devero	7	6	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Julius Faison	5	1	4	1 (-6)	1	0	0	0	0	0
David McCants	3	3	0	1 (-4)	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Melvin	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Harris Scott	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Erik Staley	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kirk Edwards	2	1	1	1 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stanley Johnson	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stacey Nesbitt	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Andre Sheppard	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Giba Goda	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Robert Gay	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Ehramis Chism	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Falante Dede	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Bartram	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Tyron Cheeseboro	10	6	4	3 (-13)	1	0	1	0	0	0
Markel Hill	6	4	2	2 (-6)	1	0	2	0	0	0
Derek King	5	3	2	1 (-1)	0	0	0	1	0	0
Angelo Eads	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ira Sample	4	0	4	2 (-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yusuf Bangura	3	2	1	1 (-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Duane Jones	3	2	1	1 (-2)	0	0	0	1	0	0
Raymond Fearon	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Karmo Semah	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cheick Kiante	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Antwain Byrd	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Marquis Bailey	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kamel Bloodsaw	2	0	2	2 (-5)	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 36	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brashir Lee	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eric Booker	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
David Martinez	7	2	5	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Zedekiah Montanez	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Miquel Torres	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zakee Moody	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Andrew Davila	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stephen Williams	4	1	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
Gilberto Zavala	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joshua Navarro	1	1	0	1 (-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jacknier Tripari	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jovanny Zavala	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anthony Soto	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bryant Cadavid	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Terrance Gray	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vernon Spearman	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vincent Boseman	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Daniel Soto	3	1	1	1 (-7)	0	1	0	0	0	0
Juan Purrington	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Leroy Harris	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joaquin Melendez	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
# 12	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DeShawn Benson	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Dominick Boseman	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nelson Pagan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Christopher Faggins	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nicholas Buelna	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Joe Perez	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
# 79	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Buddy Ferro	7	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jake Butts	6	3	3	1 (-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Richard Rosati	6	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sean Toner	5	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Erik Klein	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Dave Rinner	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stephen Faulkner	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Carl Lampe	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dan McKelvey	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#3	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Elliot Albert	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dan Mengel	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hunter McMullin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

	Tackles	Solo	Assists	TFL	NG	Sacks	FF	FR	INT	PD
Donte Blow	3	3	0	1 (-3)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jeffery Robinson	3	3	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
Adam Leedie	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Kameron Brooks	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Titus Oluwole	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Byant Heath	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Donte Harper	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marcus Rothmiller	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Desmond Strickland	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tibias Parris	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mark Brown	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Erik Jordan	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Stephon Fulton	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Darryl Singleton	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joseph Thomas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Ryant Heath	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Aaron Leddie	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Micheal Spiller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0