| Guest Opinion . .
. Ryan Nase Football 2008 Ryan "Goose" Nase , a former
star lineman at Judge ('02), Peddie School in New Jersey and then Lafayette,
and a staunch supporter of this site from writing reports to helping with a
basketball tournament we formerly held for student fans, is now an assistant
coach at Admiral Farragut Academy, in St. Petersburg, Fla. We thank him for wanting to express his opinion. Ryan may be reached at rnase@farragut.org .
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Ted's note . . . This was written in response
to an article about Zakee Moody, who is starting at tailback for new Pub member Esperanza Academy at 5-3, 130 pounds (maybe), and after he
missed the 2007-08 basketball season due to a heart problem.
Ted, I just read your
article
online about Esperanza football player
Zakee Moody
. It really
made me think about a few things and I thought it was a perfect set-up
for what should be a great season of high school football not only in Philly
but around the country. There are so many players and many more parents who
refuse to allow their kids to live and learn on the athletic fields because
they feel their child is too small, too weak, or not going to be
successful. For so many parents high school athletics has become just for
kids to go to college. I was lucky enough to play football at the Division
I level, but I learned so much more from
Tommy Coyle
, the staff at
Father Judge and my coaches at Peddie than merely how to play ball at the
next level. I don't think I would be the man I am today without coach
Coyle, the
Maley
brothers (played at Penn Charter;
Rich
coached me at Judge and his brother
George
at Peddie) or
Frank
DeLaurentis
.
Football by no means came easy to me. I never stepped on a varsity
field until my senior year and even then I wasn't that good. I fought with
Jim Kauterman
constantly about getting in shape and doing the things
necessary to be successful on and off the field. My coaches never accepted
anything but the best. That didn't mean a pancake on every play, but it
meant showing them that the game meant something. We were never allowed to
slide on anything. I think that's why I have the ability to look coach
Kauterman in the eye now and tell him I was wrong, and thank him for helping
me.
I currently coach at a Class A school in Florida
where we have 25 guys on the team. It is completely different from Judge
where we had 25 lineman on the freshman team. So many kids refuse to
participate because they don't think they are big enough, strong enough, or
fast enough. Again, the parents are even worse. I wish I could bring Zakee
to my school just to slap these kids in the face and say, "I'm 5'3, 130 and
had a heart murmur! What's your excuse?!" I have the utmost respect for him
and his coaches for the task of trying to enter directly into a varsity
campaign as well.
With your permission I would like to put this on the lockers of all
my players as they play their first game and in the mailboxes of all the
teachers and parents at our school.
Thanks Ted.
Author
Published
March 5, 2026
Updated
March 5, 2026