Jon Brady knows Archbishop Carroll isn’t unbeatable. In his first two seasons at St. John Neumann High, Brady played on the freshman and junior varsity teams that defeated the Patriots.
However, the varsity squad hasn’t been as successful against Carroll, who has won the last three Blue Division championships.
Now a senior quarterback, Brady was hoping he would have the pleasure of disarming the Patriots once again. Neumann played Carroll on Saturday, and everything started out on target. On the Pirates’ first offensive series, Brady hit fellow senior Billy Canady on a 5-yard touchdown pass and, with the extra point, the game was tied 7-7.
"After our first touchdown drive, I thought we had a very good chance to win," said Brady, of the 100 block of Fitzgerald Street.
That was before Neumann committed five fatal turnovers — three interceptions and two fumbles — on the way to a 48-22 defeat. But even when the Pirates trailed 21-14 at halftime and 34-14 after three quarters, Brady wasn’t willing to concede the game.
"I tried to keep everybody up," the 17-year-old said. "Coach [Steve] Smith said, ‘If you don’t believe, don’t go back on the field.’"
In the wake of the frustrating loss, Brady still believes the Pirates have what it takes to win a championship this season. The athlete, who is also a starting pitcher on the baseball team, is hoping his senior year in football will bring some better luck than last season, when his Pirates lost the Blue Division semifinal game 55-48 to West Catholic.
On the baseball field, the right-handed pitcher and his teammates haven’t even made the postseason.
"It’s a lot different knowing that it’s your last shot to put everything on the line," Brady said. "It’s the last time you step on the field with your friends and teammates."
The returning All-Catholic passer is trying to keep his football team in the race for one of four postseason spots. He has passed for over 100 yards four times this season to go along with his eight touchdown passes and 683 passing yards. As a result, Neumann enters Saturday’s home game against Archbishop Wood with a 4-2 league mark — good enough for third place.
Wood is in first place and enters the game with a 6-0 record, which includes a 5-0 mark in league play.
Brady is hoping his preparation — which included summer conditioning sessions with the trainer from the Philadelphia Kixx — will help him respond to the pressure.
"We want to win this week and prove that we can beat the best team," said Brady, who is hoping to continue his athletic career at Temple, Widener or La Salle. "I definitely think we have the best team in the league."
Bok senior Cedric Green is used to winning Division D titles. This season, the fullback-defensive back is on a personal mission to help the Wildcats clinch their third division championship in four years. Green, a team co-captain, knows from experience that the game against Bartram usually determines first and second place. He was ready when Bok faced its Southwest Philly rival Friday afternoon.
"Last year wasn’t as important because I was a junior, but senior year you don’t want to lose any games," Green said. "This is the best game we ever played."
Which might be why it resulted in a 10-0 shutout of Bartram.
Green ran for a team-best 77 yards and scored the game’s lone touchdown on a 1-yard run up the middle with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter. Fellow senior Hakim Leach added a 2-point conversion to make the score 8-0. The Bok-Bartram games have a reputation for being close, hard-fought battles. Two years ago, Bartram won a double-overtime thriller, while last season, Bok pulled out an 8-6 victory in nasty weather.
Defense once again made the difference, as the Wildcats kept the Braves out of the end zone. Bok gave up 93 rushing yards to Bartram senior running back Mustafa Crumpton, but those yards never led to any points. Bok’s biggest defensive stand came with 8:32 remaining, when senior Marcelluas Barnes tackled Bartram quarterback Gary Carter in the end zone for a safety. The public-address announcer gave Green credit for the assist, which actually belonged to another teammate.
"I wish I could [have taken credit], but by the time I got there, they had him on the ground," Green said.
The win gives the Wildcats a one-game advantage in the division race as they prepare for contests against winless University City today and 2-3 Roxborough on Thursday. The 4-1 Wildcats enter today’s match-up riding a four-game winning streak, but Green knows his team can’t afford to get overconfident.
"We know once we get past this game we are kind of OK, but we can’t take the rest of the games for granted," he said. "We still have to come out every day and practice hard, and play every game like it’s for the division title."
Unfortunately, the Southern Rams will not be joining their South Philly neighbors in the postseason. The team is once again struggling with an 0-5 record, which includes an 0-3 mark in Division D play. The Rams hope to get back on track tomorrow afternoon when they host 2-4 West Philadelphia.
Standings
Division D
Bok 3-0
Bartram 2-1
West Philadelphia 1-2
University City 0-3
Southern 0-3
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Catholic League Blue
Archbishop Wood 5-0
Archbishop Carroll 4-1
Neumann 4-2
Conwell-Egan 3-2
West Catholic 3-2
Bishop McDevitt 2-3
Kennedy-Kenrick 2-3
North Catholic 1-5
Cardinal Dougherty 0-6
