Brothers armed for battle

Even after two seasons of having brothers Allen and Kenny Major on his football team, Bok coach Tom DeFelice still gets the pair mixed up.

The twins wear different numbers and play different positions, but look very much alike. The two are fraternal twins; Allen is slightly taller.

To reinforce his memory, DeFelice gave the brothers the nicknames Batman and Superman last season.

"I gave it to them so I could try to identify them," he said. "This year I am just calling them Allen and Kenny."

The players, meanwhile, are helping matters by making a name for themselves.

Quarterback Allen led the Wildcats to a 20-0 win over Southern on Saturday with touchdown runs of 1 and 5 yards. Kenny had a couple touches on offense and played steady at defensive back.

The coach is impressed, and not only with the Majors’ on-field performance.

"They just blossomed into nice young men and very good athletes," DeFelice said. "[Allen] has made such great strides that it’s hard for me to visualize how good he has become."

The brothers, originally from 16th and Federal streets, have helped their team come far enough to contend for a Public League title. With the defeat over Southern, the Wildcats finished the season 5-0 in league play, and have won six straight games since losing their opener to King on Sept. 26. Today, they’ll try to make it seven in a row when they open the playoffs at home against Central.

No matter how high the stakes, the brothers claim they have no competition over who can score more touchdowns or gain more yards.

"I don’t say who the better player is because we play together as a team," said Kenny, who normally plays running back.

"It’s a tie," Allen agreed.


Besides playing pickup games at 19th Street and Washington Avenue, the Majors also learned to play football with the Sigma Sharks. Kenny said the experience helped them get tougher and more aggressive.

At first, it didn’t look as if the brothers would get the chance to play together on the high-school level, as Kenny enrolled at Audenried, which doesn’t have a football team. He transferred to Bok during his freshman year so he could play with his brother.

Last season, Kenny got some experience at cornerback, while Allen served as the third-string quarterback. This season, the Wildcats are leaning heavily on the twins. In the Southern game, both teams were scoreless until the second quarter, when Allen made a quarterback sneak.

"It was like a monkey off our back because we just needed that first touchdown to keep going," he said.

Allen, who rushed for 23 yards, later added a 5-yard touchdown run. Senior Akeem "Feathers" Green, who rushed for 152 yards, scored on a two-point conversion and a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Majors grew up with some of Southern’s players, which makes the rivalry a little more personal. Southern might be 2-6 overall and 2-3 in Division D, but against Bok, records really don’t matter.

"It’s a rivalry every year that we play them," Allen said. "Plus, we live in the same neighborhood, and we are all good friends."

"We just want to keep the winning streak going," Kenny added.

If Southern had beaten West Philadelphia in overtime two weeks ago, Saturday’s game would’ve had playoff implications for both teams. Instead, it was just another friendly meeting at 12th and Bigler streets. Even though his team has been scoreless in its last games, Southern coach Bill Edger said he is pleased with the progress his squad has made this season.

"When you look at our record, we exceeded everybody’s expectations," he said.

DeFelice said he gives Edger all the credit for turning Southern’s program around this season after folding three games early last year.

"He is the glue and the Velcro to that whole situation over there," DeFelice said. "I am happy for them that they won a couple games."

The Bok players felt Southern was a formidable foe, despite the shutout.

"They put up a good fight," Allen Major said.

Now it’s on to Central, who finished second in Division D. Allen and Kenny — aka Batman and Superman — are ready to fight off all comers in their battle for Public League supremacy.

"We just have to come out ready and prepared from the start," Kenny said.

As befits a twin, Allen is thinking alike.

"We’ve got a good team," he said. "All we’ve got to do is play together and we’ll win."


Football in a flash

St. John Neumann High enters tonight’s semifinal contest against West Catholic – the Blue Division regular-season champ – riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak.

A victory tonight would give Neumann a spot in next weekend’s Blue Division championship game, while a loss would mean an extra week to start preparing for its annual Thanksgiving Day game against Southern.

The Pirates defeated Bishop McDevitt 14-9 in Saturday night’s quarterfinal game to reach this point. It was the first time the local squad beat McDevitt since the Catholic League was realigned three years ago.

"It was a very important win for the good of the program and mentally for the kids," said Neumann coach Ed DiCamillo.

McDevitt, who won the Blue Division title in 1999, drove 81 yards in the game’s final five minutes, but failed to score. On fourth down, McDevitt had the ball on the 6-yard line, but quarterback Robert Dougherty threw an incomplete pass. Senior linebacker Dan Concannon led Neumann’s defense with 11 tackles.

It was sweet revenge for the Pirates, who lost the regular-season contest against McDevitt 35-28 after rallying from a 21-0 deficit. Neumann’s offense had the ball at McDevitt’s 1-yard line when the game ended.

Tomorrow night, the Pirates (6-5 overall) will try to avenge October’s 29-14 loss to West Catholic. The key will be to contain junior running back Curtis Brinkley, who set a city single-season rushing record with 2,274 yards. In the regular-season meeting, Neumann’s defense held the junior to a season-low 100 yards.