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It doesn’t get much more exciting than a Catholic League Blue championship. Dec. 3, for the first time in his high-school football career, Dan Chavis of the 1700 block of South 19th Street will get the opportunity to end the season on a high note. Of course, it required trading in the black, white and gold of the Neumann-Goretti Saints for the blue and white of the West Catholic Burrs, but the athlete has no regrets.
"Basically, I came over [to West Catholic] with a good opportunity to go out with a championship," said Chavis, a product of the South Philadelphia Seminoles youth football program. "A lot of people were here; I just added to what was already here."
Chavis didn’t care about being a star or how many tackles he made on defense, he just wanted to be part of a family, like the one he enjoyed his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. John Neumann High. When the school consolidated with St. Maria Goretti last fall, Chavis said he felt out of place.
"I tried the new school out and I didn’t like it at all," Chavis said of Neumann-Goretti. "It wasn’t at all like the old St. John Neumann."
So he headed to 45th and Chestnut streets and made the transition into the West Catholic family.
"Over here, we have a real team thing," said Chavis, a 6-foot, 190-pound fullback-linebacker. "As long as we win, everybody is happy."
West Catholic football coach Brian Fluck said Chavis fit right into the team mold.
"He came in and didn’t do anything to try and impress us," Fluck said of Chavis natural fit. "He brought a lot of energy to practices and games."
Chavis is making valuable contributions on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he heads into Saturday’s game with 53 tackles and three sacks. On offense, the athlete is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Burrs reach the end zone, including making key blocks for junior running back Dennis Shaw, who leads the Burrs with 14 rushing touchdowns.
"If I am in the game at fullback and Denny is running the ball, he knows I am going to make that block," Chavis said.
No matter how things turn out Saturday, the senior has a bright future. He is heavily leaning toward attending Division I-A University of Toledo on a football scholarship.
"I went up there to watch a game and had a good experience," said Chavis, who plans to major in finance. "I just want to play football at the highest level possible."
But, for now, this athlete sees the West Catholic family as priority number one.
"If we all come together and play our hardest, there is no way we can lose," Chavis said of this weekend’s championship game against Archbishop Wood.
