Scholastic Football, 1997
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All-City
FIRST TEAM |
Offense | |
L | Ryan Smith | Roxborough
L | Paul Weinacht | La Salle
L | Ralph McCoy | King
L | Joe Mahoney | Judge
L | Frank Cacciola | SJ Prep
Rec. | Jeff Pietrak | La Salle
Rec. | Danny Johnson | Dobbins
QB | Brett Gordon | La Salle
RB | Eddie Gaskins | Frankford
RB | Chris Downs | Malvern
RB | Jim Casey | Judge
RB | Aaron Brown | SJ Prep
MP | Paul Northern | Bartram
K | Greg Davis | Gtn. Acad.
P | Steve Godfrey | Northeast
Defense | |
L | Bryan Anderson | Bartram
L | Dan Person | Episcopal
L | Charles Woodall | Washington
L | Charles Taylor | Franklin
LB | Victor Hobson | SJ Prep
LB | Danny Owens | Frankford
LB | Keith Ulrich | Ryan
LB | Ed Bongard | La Salle
B | Jermaine Slade | SJ Prep
B | Reuben White | Washington
B | Matt Blewitt | Gtn. Acad.
SECOND TEAM |
Offense | |
L | Mike Hendrzak | Kenn.-Ken.
L | Kevin Czaban | Gtn. Acad.
L | Maurice Suggs | Bartram
L | Terrance "Ted" Cook | Frankford
L | Joe McFillin | Ryan
Rec. | Masai Skief | Neumann
Rec. | Akeem Thompson | Mastbaum
QB | Rob Heleniak | Gtn. Acad.
RB | Herb "Pitter" Sample | Frankford
RB | Dante Poole | Northeast
RB | Sam Campbell | Central
RB | Jeff Moore | Ryan
MP | Rocco Trivarelli | Roman
MP | Darryl Williams | Central
K | Matt Gibbs | Penn Charter
P | Jon Burling | Hav. School
Defense | |
L | William Warfield | Bok
L | Jim Woodward | Malvern
L | Dan Gress | SJ Prep
L | Sean Friel | Judge
L | Mike McGinn | North Cath.
LB | Ed Stefanski | Carroll
LB | Sean Killeen | SJ Prep
LB | Mack Taylor | Bartram
LB | Russell Newman | Northeast
B | Dan Boyle | Wood
B | Tom DeCree | Ryan
B | Omar Johnson | Franklin
THIRD TEAM |
Offense | |
L | Eric Carroll | Malvern
L | Josh Brinkley | Northeast
L | Mark Turturici | Bonner
L | Frank Santaniello | Ryan
L | Evan Davis | Germantown
Rec. | Fran Nelling | Bonner
Rec. | Sean Tuffy | McDevitt
QB | Andre Davis | Dobbins
RB | Greg Sadowski | Kenn.-Ken.
RB | Eddie Lane | Gratz
RB | Ryan Moore | Edison
MP | Bruce Perry | Dougherty
K | Mike Gavaghan | Ryan
P | Jason Guzak | Washington
Defense | |
L | Kevin Walls | O'Hara
L | Greg Oschell | Malvern
L | Joseph Carmichael | Mastbaum
L | Fran McMenamin | Ryan
L | Shelron White | Southern
LB | Dan Dunfee | West Cath.
LB | Dan Bonner | Malvern
LB | Omar Torres | Southern
LB | John Daly | Penn Charter
B | Nate Brooks | Northeast
B | Chris Glowacki | Penn Charter
B | Jamie Lockard | Carroll
B | Rasheed Muhammed | Frankford
Public League
Quarterfinals Frankford 42, Bartram 6 In cold, wet conditions, Eddie Gaskins rushed 10 times for 203 yards and
three touchdowns to become the leading career rusher in Philadelphia-area
history. He finished the game with 5,453 yards, bettering the effort of 1997
Ocean City grad Kevin Sinclair (5,380). When Gaskins broke the record on a
69-yard, first-quarter TD, Frankford coach Tom Mullineaux, not normally moved by
his players' personal accomplishments, ran to Frankford's press box and told PA
announcer Gene DeLaurentis to inform the crowd. For Bartram, Paul Northern
(16-111) ran 78 yards for a late TD. Dobbins 9, Mastbaum 7 Andre Davis began the scoring with a 26-yard field goal and ended it with
a TD pass to Raymond Northan. Davis finished 11-for-15 for 100 yards. Lonzo
Edwards preserved the win by intercepting a pass on the Dobbins 10 with 50
seconds remaining. Northeast 15, Southern 2 Steve Godfrey scored an early TD on a 3-yard run and later made a
heads-up play as the punter when he kicked a bad snap through the end zone,
preventing a TD recovery by Southern. Dante Poole added 127 yards on 22 carries
and Mike Konrad ran 9 yards for a score. Southern, which in 1996 had terminated
a 56-game losing streak, longest in city-leagues history, entered the game with
an 8-0 record and a school-record seven consecutive shutouts (29 quarters
total). King 28, Germantown 8 Andre "Smurf" Wilson (11-87, two TDs) and Christoper Dorman (10-57, TD)
led the rushing attack. Germantown's score came on Rashad Razzaaq's 90-yard
kickoff return. Semifinals Doubleheader at Northeast Frankford 63, Dobbins 29 In the highest-scoring game ever played involving a city-leagues team (or
teams), Eddie Gaskins (19-261, four TDs) and Herbert "Pitter" Sample (17-119,
three TDs) ran wild and Jim Nagle passed 5-for-8 for 115 yards and two scores.
Frankford scored on its first nine possessions. Bill Sheerin set a city-leagues
postseason record with seven PAT. For Dobbins, Andre Davis passed 13-for-23 for
a city-leagues postseason-record 306 yards and four TDs -- two apiece to Rondell
Clement (5-165) and Danny Johnson (4-134). In the waning moments, Dobbins's
Khary Dennison returned a fumble 61 yards for what appeared to be yet another
TD, but a clipping penalty was called. The teams combined for 903 yards total
offense and 178 on returns (1,081 total). Northeast 42, King 0 Dante Poole rushed 18 times for 138 yards and two TDs as the Vikings
advanced to the final for the first time since 1983. Nate Brooks added 69 yards
and two TDs on 15 carries and Steve Godfrey, who should have been serving as
head usher at his sister's wedding, passed 6-for-8 for 134 yards and a score to
Ray Hines (3-60). King was held to 111 yards total offense. Final At Northeast Frankford 31, Northeast 21 Capping the most productive career, by far, for a running back in
city-leagues history, 5-10, 205-pound halfback Eddie Gaskins rushed 26 times for
206 yards and a game-record three touchdowns. Gaskins finished the season with
200 carries for 1,940 yards and a record-tying 29 TDs. He tied the record for
overall TDs (31) and broke the record for points (195). In his career, Gaskins
rushed 675 times for city-leagues marks in yards (6,122) and TDs (84) while also
claiming marks for total TDs (87) and points (536). Nevertheless, Frankford's
rushing leader was 145-pound fullback Herbert "Pitter" Sample, who produced a
game-record 250 yards and two TDs on 24 carries. When Sample ran 19 yards for a
late TD, the Pioneers broke their own city-leagues record for points in a
season. They scored 457, averaging 38.1. They'd scored 454 in '87. Also setting
a game record was Northeast's Dante Poole, who ran 93 yards from scrimmage -- longest run in PL postseason history -- for an early score. Poole
finished with 16 carries for 178 yards. In Gaskins' four seasons, Frankford
roared to a 43-4 overall record.
Standings
DIVISION A |
*Northeast | 4 1 0
Frankford | 4 1 0
Washington | 3 2 0
Lincoln | 1 4 0
Olney | 0 5 0
* -- beat Fkd for first.
DIVISION B |
Dobbins | 5 0 0
Germantown | 3 2 0
Central | 2 3 0
Gratz | 2 3 0
Roxborough | 0 5 0
DIVISION C |
King | 5 0 0
Mastbaum | 4 1 0
Edison | 3 2 0
Franklin | 1 4 0
Overbrook | 0 5 0
DIVISION D |
Southern | 5 0 0
Bartram | 4 1 0
West Phila. | 3 2 0
Bok | 1 4 0
Univ. City | 0 5 0
Coaches' All-Public
DIVISION A |
Frankford |
Eddie
Gaskins | RB
Herb
"Pitter" Sample | RB
Danny
Owens | L-LB
Michael Statham | DL
Rasheed Muhammed | DB
Northeast |
Steve
Godfrey | QB
Nate
Brooks | RB
Chris
Beatty | L
Dante
Poole | RB
Russell Newman | LB
Washington |
Reuben White | RB-DB
Charles Woodall | L-DL
Sidney Stewart | L-DL
Mahmood Ibrahim | L-DL
Olney |
Nestor Espada | L-LB
Marvin Little | RB-DB
Lincoln |
Stephen Hancock | L-DL
Keith
Carney | RB-DB
DIVISION B |
Dobbins |
Andre
Davis | QB
Ricky
Davis | DL
Rondell Clement | Rec.-LB
Danny
Johnson | Rec.
Brett
Singleton | L
Ray
Northan | DB
Germantown |
Terry
Bacon | RB
Tyric
Armstead | DL
Rashad Razzaaq | RB
Evan
Davis | DL
Central |
Darryl Williams | QB-RB
James
"Jake" Becker | LB
Sam
Campbell | RB
Gratz |
Eddie
Lane | RB
James
Spence | DB
Roxborough |
Ryan
Smith | L-LB
DIVISION C |
King |
Ralph
McCoy | L-DL
Joseph Mims | L-DL
Ahmad
Henry | Rec.-DB
Marcus Bazemore | LB
Brandon Pemberton | L-DL
Derrick Davis | DL
Mastbaum |
Akeem
Thompson | Rec.-DB
Joseph Carmichael | L-DL
Shaihie Wynder | QB-DB
Kyle
Johnson | RB-DB
Edison |
Ryan
Moore | RB-LB
Kimoke McIntyre | Rec.-DB
Curtis Taylor | QB-DB
Franklin |
Charles Taylor | L-DL
Omar
Johnson | RB-DB
Overbrook |
Jamel
Smith | L-LB
DIVISION D |
Southern |
Shelron White | L-DL
Anthony Neroni | L-DL
Omar
Torres | RB-LB
Yusef
Turner | RB-LB
Kyron
Allen | Rec.-DB
Bartram |
Bryan
Anderson | L-DL
Paul
Northern | RB-DB
Maurice Suggs | L-DL
Mack
Taylor | RB-LB
Sal
Guida | L-DL
Bok |
William Warfield | L-DL
Bruce
Morton | RB-LB
West |
David
Watson | RB-LB
Ronald Horne | Rec.
Sean
Williams | RB-DB
U.
City |
Jason
Harris | RB
Champs' Thumbnail Sketch
Frankford Coach Tom Mullineaux Record 4-1-0, 11-1-0 All-Stars Terrrance "Ted" Cook, L Eddie Gaskins, RB Herb "Pitter" Sample, RB Michael Statham, DL Danny Owens, LB Rasheed Muhammed, DB
Catholic League
Quarterfinals Judge 47, La Salle 14 Jim Casey ran for 222 yards and three TDs on 29 carries to pace an explosion that netted 444 yards total offense and brought an emphatic halt to La Salle's 32-game winning streak, longest in city-leagues history. Ed Guzak (19-114) and QB Joe Tyer (11-87, four TDs) aided the cause. La Salle's Brett Gordon passed 13-for-28 for 199 yards and two TDs, but was intercepted three times. Ryan 19, North 14 Joe Corsanico passed 12-for-24 for 137 yards and one score apiece to Tom DeCree and Bob Lynch and the winning TD was scored by Joe O'Connell (22-95) on a 1-yard run. North's Brian Kulb passed 16-for-30 for 167 yards and scored on a sneak. Carroll 28, O'Hara 14 Ed Stefanski rushed 25 times for 155 yards and two TDs as Carroll rolled to the first 28 points. Freshman Kevin Jones scored twice for O'Hara, first on a 60-yard pass and then on a 4-yard run. He rushed 10 times for 80 yards. SJ Prep 33, Bonner 0 Soph Milton Johnson generated 99 yards and two TDs on 13 carries. Aaron Brown (19-110, TD) also rushed well while Steve Comly ran for one score and passed for another. At Plymouth-Whitemarsh Semifinals SJ Prep 27, Judge 6 Victor Hobson returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a TD and Steve Comly passed 8-for-15 for 153 yards and two scores to Jermaine Slade (6-122) as the Hawklets earned a spot in the title game for the first time since 1977. For Judge, Joe Tyer passed 6-for-16 for 99 yards and a TD to Sean Hennigar. At Northeast Ryan 13, Carroll 0 Jeff Moore (27-111) and Joe O'Connell (22-108) ran for one score apiece in the first quarter, and then the Raiders relied on defense. Keith Ulrich, Chris Lorenc and Jim Hughes had interceptions. Carroll's Ed Stefanski rushed 15 times for 49 yards. Finals At Northeast SJ Prep 14, Ryan 3 Kevin Komelasky (nine tackles), Victor Hobson and Aaron Brown (seven apiece) led the defense as the Hawklets limited Ryan to Mike Gavaghan's 22-yard, first-quarter field goal and won their first championship since 1977. Ryan's chances were damaged early in the second quarter when leading rusher Jeff Moore suffered a broken ankle. The Prep scored on Jermaine Slade's 6-yard pass from Steve Comly and Brown's 62-yard run. Brown ran eight times for 89 yards. Milton Johnson added 93 yards on 20 carries. Johnson and Ryan's Joe O'Connell (28-106) were the first sophs in CL history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. Their totals: O'Connell (1,147), Johnson (1,032).
Standings
NORTHERN DIVISION
Ryan | 7 0 0
La
Salle | 6 1 0
Judge | 5 2 0
4North | 3 4 0
Wood | 3 4 0
McDevitt | 2 5 0
Dougherty | 2 5 0
Conwell-Egan | 0 7 0
4 -- beat Wood for fourth. |
SOUTHERN DIVISION |
SJ
Prep | 7 0 0
Carroll | 6 1 0
3O'Hara | 4 3 0
4Bonner | 4 3 0
Roman | 4 3 0
Kennedy-Kenrick | 2 5 0
Neumann | 1 6 0
West | 0 7 0
3 -- won third on tiebreakers. |
4 -- beat Roman for fourth.
Coaches' All-Catholic
NORTHERN DIVISION |
FIRST TEAM |
Offense | |
C | Joe McFillin | Ryan
L | Frank Santaniello | Ryan
L | Mike McGinn | North
L | Paul Weinacht | La S
L | Joe Mahoney | Judge
WR | Jeff Pietrak | La S
WR | Sean Tuffy | McD
TE | Mike Lorusso | La S
QB | Brett Gordon | La S
RB | Jim Casey | Judge
RB | Jim Miller | North
RB | Jeff Moore | Ryan
K | Mike Gavaghan | Ryan
P | Mike Lamina | C-E
Defense | |
L | Mike McGinn | North
L | Paul D'Orazio | La S
L | Sean Friel | Judge
L | Fran McMenamin | Ryan
E/OB | Jim Walls | Ryan
E/OB | Chris Pennington | La S
ILB | Keith Ulrich | Ryan
ILB | Ed Bongard | La S
ILB | Mike Lacey | Wood
ILB | Jamey Mendez | North
B | Tom DeCree | Ryan
B | Hugh Donnelly | La S
B | Jeff Judge | Judge
B | Fred Weidenmiller | North
SECOND TEAM |
Offense | |
C | Tom Cross | La S
L | Puri Garzone | La S
L | Steve Schafer | Judge
L | Tim McLaughlin | McD
L | Chris DiLeonardo | La S
L | Jim Koritko | C-E
WR | Matt Lorditch | Wood
WR | Mike Prince | Dough
TE | Nick McGonigle | McD
QB | Joe Chipman | McD
RB | Bruce Perry | Dough
RB | Dan Boyle | Wood
RB | Bill O'Meara | McD
RB | Eric Seiferth | La S
K | Brett Gordon | La S
P | Joe Corsanico | Ryan
P | Jon Traczykiewicz | Wood
Defense | |
L | Sean McGlashen | Judge
L | Dennis Maguire | Wood
E/OB | Doug Appleby | La S
E/OB | Mike Brzycki | Judge
ILB | Tim Hagarty | McD
ILB | Josh Secoda | C-E
ILB | Tom Walsh | Judge
B | Jon Traczykiewicz | Wood
B | Mike Lamina | C-E
B | Sean Tuffy | McD
B | Tim Fenningham | La S
SOUTHERN DIVISION |
FIRST TEAM |
Offense | |
C | Rudy Fabry | Carr
L | Frank Cacciola | Prep
L | Mike Hendrzak | K-K
L | Chris Minetti | Prep
L | Matt Lynch | Carr
WR | Fran Nelling | Bonn
WR | Masai Skief | Neum
TE | Jim Davie | Bonn
QB | Dan Ryan | Bonn
RB | Aaron Brown | Prep
RB | Josh Barr | O'H
RB | Greg Sadowski | K-K
K | Nick Civitella | O'H
P | Tom Smith | O'H
Defense | |
L | Dan Gress | Prep
L | Kevin Walls | O'H
L | Kevin Komelasky | Prep
E/OB | Sean Killeen | Prep
E/OB | Tom Riley | Carr
ILB | Victor Hobson | Prep
ILB | Dan Dunfee | West
ILB | Ed Stefanski | Carr
B | Jamie Lockard | Carr
B | Phil Doherty | O'H
B | Jermaine Slade | Prep
B | Gerry McElhenney | Bonn
SECOND TEAM |
Offense | |
C | Nick Faiola | Prep
L | Jim "Boots" Paylor | Neum
L | Steve Bernard | Bonn
L | Sean Curtin | O'H
L | Tom Worrilow | O'H
WR | Steve Devlin | K-K
WR | Pat Friel | Roman
TE | Mike Kelly | Carr
QB | Christian DeChurch | K-K
RB | Rocco Trivarelli | Roman
RB | Ed Stefanski | Carr
RB | John Wagner | Prep
K | Chris Hawn | Carr
P | Rocco Trivarelli | Roman
Defense | |
L | Matt Ciciretti | Carr
L | Greg Sadowski | K-K
L | Rob Titchenell | O'H
E/OB | Lamont Ellison | Roman
E/OB | Larry Moore | O'H
ILB | Joe Centone | O'H
ILB | Matt Clancy | O'H
ILB | Joe McCann | Roman
ILB | Bob McGinn | Neum
B | Pat Friel | Roman
B | Tim Kapusniak | Neum
B | Dennis Moran | Bonn
B | Virgil Sheppard | West
Champs' Thumbnail Sketch
SJ Prep Coach Gil Brooks Record 7-0-0, 12-2-0 All-Stars Nick Faiola, C Frank Cacciola, L Chris Minetti, L Aaron Brown, RB John Wagner, RB Dan Gress, DL Kevin Komelasky, DL Sean Killeen, E/OLB Victor Hobson, LB Jermaine Slade, DB
Inter-Ac League
Season's Recap Malvern (4-0)
With a week remaining, the Friars ended the suspense with a 32-0
win at Episcopal. Chris Downs rushed 28 times for 216 yards and
four TDs. On Thanksgiving, Downs produced 308 yards and six TDs
in a 41-14 win over Archbishop Carroll to become the city leagues'
all-time, one-season rushing leader at 2,198. He finished with 4,045
yards, best in league annals. GA (3-1) placed second.
Standings
Malvern | 4 0 0
Gtn.
Academy | 3 1 0
Penn
Charter | 2 2 0
Episcopal | 1 3 0
Haverford School | 0 4 0
Coaches' All-Inter-Ac
FIRST TEAM |
Offense | |
L | Doug Tyre | HS
L | Ben Glauser | EA
L | Eric Carroll | MP
L | Clarence Green | MP
L | Kevin Czaban | GA
L | Chris Fox | PC
Rec. | Ryan Edginton | MP
Rec. | Steve Sharkey | GA
QB | Shaun Gallagher | MP
QB | Rob Heleniak | GA
RB | Chris Downs | MP
RB | Matt Blewitt | GA
K | Greg Davis | GA
Defense | |
L | Dan Person | EA
L | Jim Woodward | MP
L | Greg Oschell | MP
L | Derek Mitchell | GA
L | Kyle "Slice" Chaffin | PC
LB | Dan Bonner | MP
LB | Jarrod Niedosik | GA
LB | Jon Neve | GA
LB | John Daly | PC
B | Mike Hennessey | HS
B | John Dilworth | MP
B | Chris Glowacki | PC
Champs' Thumbnail Sketch
Malvern Coach Gamp Pellegrini Record 4-0-0, 9-2-0 All-Stars Eric Carroll, L Clarence Green, L Ryan Edginton, Rec. Shaun Gallagher, QB Chris Downs, RB Jim Woodward, DL Greg Oschell, DL Dan Bonner, LB John Dilworth, DB
Author
Published
March 5, 2026
Updated
March 5, 2026