Touchdowns before turkey

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Revenge. It’s something the Neumann-Goretti football players and coaches have been thinking about since Thanksgiving Day 2004. Losing 30-26 to the Southern Rams for the first time since 1989 ended their season on a sour note.

Add last Friday night’s 41-27 loss to Archbishop Carroll and these Saints have a hungry man’s appetite to close out 2005 on a win. It’ll make the Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce that much more enjoyable.

"We’ve got a lot better team this year and a lot better chance to win. Five wins aren’t bad, especially after last year" Neumann-Goretti senior Tommy Howlett said, referring to the season the Saints finished 2-10 overall.

Despite trailing the all-time series 49-19-3, the Rams are up for the challenge. They are coming off their best performance of the year, beating William Penn 38-0. A 14-12 win over West Philadelphia the first week of the season was their previous best. The Nov. 10 victory over William Penn, which was just their second of the season, gives the Rams momentum heading into the holiday contest.

"The kids have been hanging in there and coming to practice," Southern football coach Bill Edger said. "It’s been fun the last couple weeks."

The Saints started putting the Southern game plan in motion last Thursday afternoon. Neumann-Goretti may have the better record and the bigger team in numbers and size, but the Catholic League squad knows it can’t afford to get cocky or overconfident.

"We are not looking at Southern as an automatic win," Howlett said. "If we do, we are going to lose the game."

Southern junior running back-linebacker Steven Burroughs said he is excited about being part of the decades-old tradition.

"I don’t think I am going to get any sleep," he said. "I am going to sleep with my shoulder pads on."

Team: Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti Saints

Coach: Steve Smith

Assistants: Roger Kalinger, Mike Concannon, Charles Williams, Bill Sytsma, Greg Davis, Dwight Coney, Franklin Trappier and Kevin O’Brien.

2004 record: 2-5 Catholic League Blue, 4-7 overall

With no game scheduled last week, Smith gave his players two days off to rest. Sure, the break was nice, but the players and coaches would’ve preferred spending time preparing for the Catholic League Blue semifinals. An opening round loss to Carroll eliminated that scenario. The Saints came within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get past Carroll.

"We’re not feeling great, but we’re back in working mode," Smith said at last Thursday’s practice.

Offensively, the Saints have one of the city’s top quarterbacks in junior Mark Hatty. He heads into Thanksgiving Day with 1,073 passing yards and needs just 119 yards to become the school’s single-season passing leader. Larry Barretta, class of ’82, is the record-holder with 1,192 yards.

Hatty has passed for more than 100 yards in each of his last four games, including a season-high of 174 against Cardinal Dougherty earlier this month. His numbers include five touchdowns over the last two games and 11 for the season.

Senior Chuck French, who has been on the receiving end on three of those passes and leads the Saints with 25 receptions, is looking forward to helping his friend break the record.

"I am just going out there to try and catch the ball, help [Hatty] and help the team," he said. "He’s my buddy, so there is more motivation there."

Hiram Bowman is Neumann-Goretti’s top scoring threat, getting touchdowns four different ways this year – rushing, receiving, kickoff return and punt return. Bowman has 11 touchdowns for the season.

Defensively, the Saints have a size advantage up front in 6-foot-7, 396-pound John Gamble. Barry Canady, 6-foot, 250 pounds; J. Mike Francesco, 5-feet-10-inches, 190 pounds; and Paul Bryson, 6-foot, 200 pounds fill out the Saints defensive line. Rich Allen, the lone senior starting linebacker, is one of the team’s defensive leaders, along with sophomore safety Darrell Dulany. Allen is looking forward to closing his high-school career with a victory, especially after the recent loss to Carroll.

"We played hard and made some mistakes, but we never quit," Allen said. "We want to end the season on a winning note against Southern."

Team: South Philadelphia High Rams

Coach: Bill Edger

Assistants: Stosh Tunney, Fran Mackin, Joe Gifford and Dwayne Williams.

2004 record: 0-5 Public League Blue, 2-8 overall

The Rams and its small contingent of fans aren’t accustomed to celebrating Thanksgiving with a win over their Catholic League neighbors. Last season was just the 19th time in its history the South Philadelphia High team went home with a victory. That’s the 19th time in more than 70 years.

During Monday’s practice on the muddy field at 11th and Bigler streets the coaches were using Neumann-Goretti as motivation.

"You got to suck it up if you want to beat Neumann-Goretti back to back," an assistant coach shouted.

The odds are stacked against Southern as a Rams team hasn’t won back-to-back games since the ’46 and ’47 seasons. The two victories came at the end of a six-year winning streak over the then-Southeast Catholic squad.

Thanksgiving Day, past scores mean nothing. The players are concerned about earning bragging rights for the season.

Team leader Demetrius Tillman, a senior offensive tackle-defensive end and a First Team All-Public selection, said he knows everyone stays focused heading into the big game.

"Whether we win or lose, we’ve got to leave it all on the field," Tillman said. "We’re going to talk with our helmets and shoulder pads."

Like the 10 previous games, Neumann-Goretti will present the Rams with another tough challenge.

"Our defense will be a big factor in this game," said Southern’s Burroughs.

The key will be finding the end zone. In seven of the Rams eight losses this season, their offense was held to eight points or less, which includes four shutouts. In the win over William Penn, Southern scored touchdowns from five different players. Getting six touchdowns against a Saints defensive line that averages 258 pounds will be a lot more difficult.

Two-way lineman Anthony Bouie, a Second Team All-Public selection, also is looking forward to getting his teammates pumped up for Thanksgiving Day. If they follow his lead, confidence won’t be an issue that morning.

"If we come out and practice the way we are supposed to, we should win this game," Bouie said. "We are going to win."

Senior Ricky Nguyen, an offensive-defensive lineman, junior tight end-defensive end Jamehl Bashir and junior running back-defensive back Eric Whitaker also will need to have big games for the Rams to have a chance against Neumann-Goretti. Bashir brings size on both sides of the ball, tipping the scales at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds.

"I think he has grown 3 inches since we started the season," Edger said.

Whitaker ranks second on the team with three touchdowns and is coming off his best performance of the season – three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Burroughs is coming off his best game of the season with a two-touchdown performance against William Penn.

THIS THANKSGIVING TRADITION also gives Southeast Catholic, Neumann and Southern grads a chance to reunite in a festive atmosphere. The game might not be standing-room only anymore, but for some, Thanksgiving Day is the one day former players can get together and root for their alma maters.

Every Thanksgiving morning, the Southeast Catholic-Neumann alums set up a tent by the field entrance and enjoy a small tailgate party with close friends. They share their memories while enjoying grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

Smith, Neumann Class of 1979, looks forward to seeing old friends.

"It’s always festive," he said. "I see so many of my ex-teammates and people I coached who like to go home with a win. We bring the big crowd to the game and I don’t want to disappoint them."

For Edger, who has been with the Rams since 2000, Thanksgiving Day has included its share of lopsided defeats, like the 68-0 beating Southern took in 2003. Edger said the holiday tradition has grown on him, though. Last year’s 30-26 victory over Neumann-Goretti helped.

"Winning last year was a huge game," Edger said. "It really jacked me up. [The Neumann-Goretti-Southern game] is a great way to end the year." SPR

Neumann-Goretti leads series, 49-19-3

Last fall, Southern shocked Neumann-Goretti with a 30-26 victory, ending the Saints 14-year winning streak. Prior to last season, Southern’s last Thanksgiving Day triumph came in 1989. Here’s a history of the rivalry, from the first clash in 1934 to last year’s battle:

*Southeast Catholic/Neumann Southern

1934�0�26
1935 �9�0
1936 �6�7
1937�0�33
1938 �0�6
1939 �0�0
1940�0�0
1941 �19�0
1942�0�13
1943�0�13
1944 �12�44
1945�6�33
1946�0�39
1947 �12�14
1948 �15�0
1949 �7�12
1950 �38�0
1951 �13�6
1952 �25�0
1953 �25�0
1954 �33�0
1955 �6�14
1956 �0�0
1957 �25�0
1958 �22�0
1959� 9�0
1960� 3�0
1961 �12�9
1962�13�6
1963�28�14
1964 �6�8
1965�28�16
1966 �35�0
1967 �12�8
1968 �20�6
1969�21�6
1970 �35�6
1971� 6�14
1972 �10�0
1973 �12�0
1974 �12�0
1975�24�6
1976�8�6
1977�9�7
1978 �7�6
1979 �27�14
1980 �6�7
1981 �40�22
1982 �36�0
1983 �25�13
1984 �0�6
1985 �14�0
1986 �36�8
1987 �43�0
1988 �27�0
1989 �6�26
1990 �12�6
1991�49�0
1992 �43�0
1993 �69�12
1994 �37�19
1995 �32�0
1996 �21�0
1997 �21�6
1998 �20�6
1999 �20�12
2000 �61�6
2001 �Southern forfeits
2002�68�0
2003 �40�8
2004 �26�30

*Southeast Catholic changed its name to Bishop Neumann in 1955 and then to St. John Neumann in 1978. This season, the school begins a new era as Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti High School.