Players are removing their football jerseys with five minutes left in the game. Others are complaining about not getting the ball or a chance to play. Some are expressing their displeasure with coaches for not calling their number.
Such is the life of a South Philadelphia High football team searching for a winning identity.
Judging by last Thursday’s 39-16 loss to Bartram High, the Rams still have a lot more work left. Following the game, the players realized that mistakes cost them a chance to win the regular-season opener.
"The only team that can beat us is ourselves," said sophomore Lamone Fox, who led Southern’s offense with 173 yards and two touchdowns. "I believe we are unstoppable, but we make a lot of mistakes. We just have to clean up our mistakes."
That will require attending practice every day. In recent seasons, Southern’s scarce numbers forced coach Bill Edger to put his players in games whether they showed up for practice or not. Now that he has 30-plus athletes, he has no problem telling his no-shows not to bother dressing for the games. A couple of the team members were wearing street clothes during last Thursday’s contest.
"We are going with a zero-tolerance policy," Edger said. "If the kids want to quit, so be it."
The coach added players who miss practices could be suspended from the team or made to run extra laps. He believes his players need more discipline if they are ever to reach their goals.
"They just don’t understand what it takes to win and the teamwork it takes to get there," he said. "There have been so many ups and downs."
A lot of the Southern football players — especially the offensive line — are playing on an organized team for the first time. The inexperience showed with the lack of blocking up front against Bartram.
The Rams go into Saturday morning’s game against neighborhood rival Bok still looking for their first victory of the season. Their 16 points against Bartram marked their biggest offensive output so far.
Still, that’s not good enough for a squad that has become sick and tired of losing over the past couple of seasons. Even after Thursday’s loss — which wasn’t as lopsided as the score might indicate — the athletes are trying to stay focused.
"We’ve got to keep our head up because we could’ve won [the Bartram] game," said junior quarterback Jalil Harris. "Everybody put their heads down and quit. We’ve got to keep our heads up."
Harris, who transferred from West Philadelphia High, was referring to the Rams’ third-quarter missteps.
Trailing 19-8 at halftime, Southern opened the second half with the ball. The offense drove the ball down to the Bartram 3-yard line, and it looked as if the Rams would trim the Braves’ margin to single digits. But on first and goal, senior Gerald Terry fumbled the ball and Bartram recovered, killing Southern’s momentum in the process.
Following the game, Harris, who threw for 55 yards, took responsibility for the costly mistake.
"I shouldn’t have audibled that play," he said. "I called the wrong play. I should’ve called the play that was given to me."
Bartram ended up converting the turnover into another six points to make the score 26-8. While some of the players were dejected, Fox wasn’t quite ready to call it quits. With 6:24 left in the game, he took off on a 60-yard touchdown run down the sideline and converted a two-point conversion to make the score 26-16.
Then, just when the Rams thought they still had a chance, the Braves put the game out of reach by scoring two more touchdowns in the final 1:48. The last touchdown came via a Southern turnover.
The Rams still have seven games in which to jell and improve on last year’s two-win mark, which was a goal heading into the season. Making the playoffs would be a huge accomplishment, considering Southern hasn’t made the cut since the 1999 season. The program experienced some tough times in the interim, which included ending the 2001 season three games early due to a shortage of players. In September 2002, the Rams ended a 14-game losing streak with a 6-0 win over Edison.
Southern is determined to overcome its latest setback through dedication at practice and teamwork. The next opportunity comes Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in the annual homecoming game against the defending Division D champion Bok Wildcats, who defeated West Philadelphia 14-6 on Friday.
This battle for South Philly bragging rights should be just about all the motivation the Rams need.
"If everybody does what they’ve got to do, we’ll be all right," Fox said. "I still believe we’ve got the best team."
Southern schedule
Sept. 26 Roxborough L 22-12
Oct. 3 Gratz L 8-0
Oct. 9 Bartram L 39-16
Saturday Bok Home 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 23 Central Home 3 p.m.
Oct. 31 West Philadelphia Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 7 University City Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 13 Germantown Away 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 Dobbins Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 27 Neumann Home 10:30 a.m.
Bok schedule
Sept. 25 Gratz L 12-6
Oct. 3 Germantown W 22-14
Oct. 10 West Philly W 14-6
Saturday Southern Away 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 24 Bartram Home 3 p.m.
Oct. 30 University City Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 Roxborough Home 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 13 Dobbins Away 2:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 Central Home 2:30 p.m.
2003 Division D Standings
Bok 1-0
Bartram 1-0
West Philadelphia 0-1
Southern 0-1
University City 0-1
