Erictric Performer

Erictric Performer On

Thanksgiving Morning, 2010, in a 46-20 loss to Overbrook, West Philadelphia jr. wideout Eric "T.O."

Leslie made two catches for 100 yards and two TDs, thus claiming the

all-time Public League record for receiving yards in one season

(861). (At right, Eric makes a leaping catch in an earlier game vs. Boys' Latin. Other photos below.) |

For the majority of the season, West Philadelphia's offense

included . . . Linemen: Brahim Hanton, Frank Williams, Lee Berry, Dave Brown, Chris Brown,

Curtis Smith. TE: Khalil Summers WR: Eric Leslie and Christian Southern. QB: Larry Richardson RB: Desmond Sams and Robert Andrews Head coach: Pat O'Hara Offensive coordinator: Larry Bledsoe

How he got there (29 catches, 861 yards, 10 TDs) . . .

No. | Name | Bart | Fut | King | Dobb | BL | UC | Rox | Fkn | Gtz | DV | Ovb | Totals

82 | Eric Leslie | 1-32 | 3-113 2 | 6-114 | 3-74 | 3-123 3 | 1-53 1 | 1-9 | 3-86 1 | 3-31 | 3-126 1 | 2-100 2 | 29-861

Speedboys' Leslie sets

Pub mark

By TED SILARY silaryt@phillynews.com

Eric

Leslie

is not

exactly a natural when it comes to receiving.

How could he be? He never played wideout

until the final game of the 2009 season. Matter of fact, he never played

football at all until his freshman year at West Philadelphia High.

"I always wanted to play," he said. "But

we had some struggles as a family, and we couldn't afford [the fees] for

youth ball. My mom said I'd just have to wait until high school. "

Eric Leslie , a 5-10, 140-pound junior who's called T.O. by his teammates

because he's very good, not because he's a nut, is now the Public League's

all-time leader for one-season receiving yardage.

Yesterday, though the Speedboys fell to

visiting Overbrook , 46-20, Leslie made two catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, thus finalizing

his season numbers at 29-861-10.

The previous recordholder, Darrell

Miller, posted 769 yards for Frankford in 1976. That effort helped him

become the Daily News' Public League Player of the Decade, and he went on to

star at West Virginia.

"Dammmmn," a laughing Leslie said, when told of Miller's

accomplishments.

(Yesterday was not a good day for

Frankford all-timers. Warren Mays, who'd owned the Pub's one-season

passing-yardage mark since 1969, at 1,875, was surpassed by Samuel Fels'

Tyree "Bam" Rucker, at 1,994. )

The Speedboys wasted no time lifting Leslie to new heights. He entered

the game with 761 yards and immediately took a right-side screen pass from

Larry Richardson 62 yards to the Spruce Street end zone.

"That was our plan. Go for it right

away," said Leslie , who lives near

52nd and Baltimore. "It was a 'bunch screen' with four of us out to the

right. Khalil Summers and Robert Andrews were on the line, and Markel Faulk

was right next to me in the backfield. I got great blocking.

"We ran that play time after time in

practice these past couple weeks [West hadn't played since Nov. 5]. We had

it down. "

Leslie 's

other TD covered 38 yards.

"I had barely had faith in myself," he

said. "But like the coach [Pat O'Hara] tells us, 'If you work hard, you can

get somewhere. '

"In ninth grade, I barely got on the

field. Last year I started at cornerback and then our starting wideout got

hurt and I played the Turkey Bowl against 'Brook. I guess the coaches saw

something they liked." *

--

After big catch vs. Del-Val.

After TD vs. Boys' Latin (with Robert

Andrews).