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It seems when talking Philadelphia sports, it’s all Donovan McNabb all the time. Will he or won’t he be traded? Does he or doesn’t he want to be in Philadelphia? But the Eagles are not in the playoffs, so let’s move on to other things.
Yeah for the Phillies who ended their 13-year postseason drought. Sure, their playoff journey didn’t last very long, but they were the hot topic around town in early October. With 2008 fast approaching, it’s time to start counting the days until pitchers and catchers report to Florida.
The pros weren’t the only ones getting attention in ’08. Another great year of high school sports, highlighted by a Prep Charter boys’ basketball team that made city history by becoming the first Philadelphia school to win league and state titles in the same season, has come and gone. The star-powered Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team also appeared in its third-straight title tilt, but fell to rival Roman Catholic.
Being homeless for a year didn’t seem to effect the Bok football team, who advanced to November’s Public League championship game.
Call it a year of great moments not named Donovan.
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January
The Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team opened the season with a 71-68 league win over Roman Catholic. The real story was the fact no fans were in attendance at 10th and Moore streets, a result of sanctions handed down following the ’06 league championship contest that ended in a melee. Coach Carl Arrigale also was suspended for the first four regular-season games. The month included a stop in Springfield, Mass., where the Saints defeated DeMatha, 81-71. Senior Antonio "Scoop" Jardine led the way with 36 points, six rebounds and six assists.
A high-octane offense made it tough for most city teams to hang with the 12-2 Prep Charter girls’ basketball team.
Former Point Breeze resident and Roman Catholic grad Rasual Butler, in his fifth NBA season, returned home to face the Philadelphia 76ers.
Neumann-Goretti named Louis Spadaccini, a former First Team All-Catholic and All-City player, its new baseball coach.
Southern senior Ramone Moore held a press conference to announce he would continue his basketball career with the Temple Owls.
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February
For the third time in three seasons, the Neumann-Goretti girls’ basketball team was eliminated by Cardinal O’Hara, 57-44, in the playoff quarterfinals. They finished the regular season tied for first with O’Hara and Archbishop Carroll. Star senior Gloria Brown was crowned league MVP.
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First Team All-Catholic duo Rick Jackson and Jardine combined for 44 points in Neumann-Goretti’s convincing 81-57 playoff quarterfinal victory over Monsignor Bonner. The team punched its ticket to the final with a convincing 73-45 win over North Catholic. Jackson paced the Saints with 26 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocks.
Moore was tabbed the Public League boys’ basketball top player as voted by the league coaches. His Rams were eliminated from the District 12 AAAA semifinals by Simon Gratz, 76-63.
In other playoff action, the GAMP, Bok and Furness boys’ basketball teams all were eliminated in preliminary-round action.
On the girls’ basketball scene, Prep Charter, who qualified for states, fell once again to old nemesis Engineering & Science, 62-37.
Jahmel Bashir, a First Team All-Public and Second Team All-City selection, shared big news when he accepted a football scholarship to Delaware State.
March
The year’s biggest story took place on the Penn State University campus when the Prep Charter boys’ basketball team became the first city school to win back-to-back state championships in any sport with a 68-66 victory over Western Pennsylvania’s Aliquippa. It was far from easy as the Huskies committed 33 turnovers and trailed by 15 points with 5:21 remaining. They advanced to the final with wins over Trinity (46-45), Lower Moreland (56-44), York Catholic (65-57) and Imhotep Charter (61-48).
The squad kicked off the month by taking the school’s first league title with a 49-48 victory over Simon Gratz.
The Southern boys’ basketball team also was in the state tournament mix as it defeated Cumberland Valley, 72-53, in opening-round AAAA action. Chester halted those title hopes with a 70-55 second-round victory.
In the Catholic League, the Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team fell one win short of a three-peat as it lost 59-56 to Roman Catholic in the championship.
One former Saint, Derrick "D.J." Rivera, took his game to the bigger stage at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, where his St. Joe’s Hawks defeated Temple in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.
Central grad Gena Brown, of 15th and Reed streets, enjoyed an exciting journey to Springfield, Mass., where her New York University squad advanced to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship.
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April
Local high school baseball and softball teams were sent packing when work began on the 11th-and-Bigler-streets sports complex.
The Anderson Monarchs baseball team based out of the Marian Anderson Rec Center, 18th and Fitzwater streets, enjoyed a starry, starry night at Citizens Bank Park where they participated in the 60th-anniversary celebration of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
It was a British invasion at 26th and Moore streets when the South England Lacrosse Club faced the Saints in an exhibition and won, 20-0.
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May
On the high school baseball scene, GAMP clinched the District 12 A crown with a 12-0 victory over Philadelphia Academy Charter, which qualified the school for states. The Pioneers next knocked off Washington in the Public League semifinals, 7-1. The momentum continued in the league semifinals — for the first inning at least when they exploded for eight runs against Frankford. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The South Philly squad fell 10-8.
Prep Charter’s baseball team advanced to the city quarterfinals where it was eliminated 9-0 by defending champs Central. The Huskies also qualified for states after winning the District 12 AA crown.
Starting the season 0-15, Neumann-Goretti’s baseball team halted its losing ways with a three-game sweep over West Catholic.
The CAPA boys’ volleyball team’s hopes of making states ended with a 3-0 loss to Masterman in the District 12 AA championship.
The school’s softball squad didn’t fare much better as it was eliminated in the league quarterfinals by Philadelphia Academy Charter, 11-10.
In the Catholic League Southern Division track and field championships, Neumann-Goretti junior Hakeem Johnson won the 100 and 200 meters and was part of the winning 4×100 relay team.
All-Catholic guard Jasmine Daniels became the latest member of the Saints girls’ basketball program to commit to the college ranks. She accepted an athletic/academic scholarship to Florida’s Bethune-Cookman College.
At Cabrini College, Neumann-Goretti grad Kristie Sandefur set a new school record with 15 home runs.
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June
The high school baseball season came to a close when GAMP and Prep Charter were eliminated in the PIAA state tournament. In the AA bracket, Prep Charter made a first-round exit following an 8-0 loss to Pine Grove. GAMP was the victim of a 5-0 shutout to Delco Christian.
The Review’s yearly athletic awards were announced. Neumann-Goretti’s Gloria Brown and Prep Charter twins Marcus and Markieff Morris took top honors, while Dan Brinkley got his second Coach of the Year nod after leading his Huskies to a Public League and PIAA AA state championship season.
Pugilist Tyrone Brunson, of 28th Street and Snyder Avenue, left his mark on the international stage when he returned home from New Zealand after tying the world record for consecutive first-round knockouts (18) set by WBA featherweight champ Edwin Valero.
On the Catholic Youth Organization scene, St. Richard completed a perfect 11-0 season by winning the Region Six title with a 13-12 victory over St. Monica.
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July
The Neumann-Goretti basketball squad made valuable use of summer vacation by taking its annual trip to the Messiah College team camp, where the focus was on replacing the six seniors lost to graduation.
Rogers "The Tiger" Mtagwa, of 20th and Mifflin streets, was crowned North American Boxing Federation featherweight champ at the New Alhambra with a split-decision victory over Mexico’s Aldo Valtierra.
The big headlines went to Neumann-Goretti senior Chris Palmer, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive tackle, who announced he would continue his football career at West Virginia University starting in fall ’08. Former teammate Mark Hatty (’07) decided to stay closer to home at Delaware Valley College.
Prep Charter grad Kevin Radford also had big plans. After back-to-back state championship basketball seasons, he selected De Sales University.
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August
High school football season got off to an early start when the Bok Wildcats defeated the Southern Rams 26-0 in an Aug. 31 non-league contest. Having 6-foot-5, 330-pound Ryan Murray, who verbally committed to Temple University, playing offensive and defensive line didn’t hurt.
The Furness Falcons and Prep Charter Huskies held grueling practices to gear up for their respective first seasons of varsity football.
At Neumann-Goretti, Bill Sytsma was promoted to head coach replacing Steve Smith, who resigned. The new coach previously served as offensive coordinator.
Reno Regalbuto, of 12th and Ritner streets, had summer plans that included a stop in Tulsa, Okla., where he competed in the American Amateur Baseball Congress 15-and-under World Series with the Glendora Gators.
The Neumann-Goretti baseball team enjoyed a successful summer as it advanced to the championship series in the Delaware Valley Southern Jersey 16-and-under league, where it was eliminated by Pennsville.
On the pro scene, fullback Kyle Eckel, originally from 17th Street and Packer Avenue, signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots.
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September
After dropping the August opener to Bok 26-0, the Southern football team reeled off three-straight victories over Mastbaum (14-0), Martin Luther King (24-0) and University City (38-6).
Local high school football teams were pleased with the progress of the 11th-and-Bigler sports complex, where a new synthetic turf field created a state-of-the-art look.
In college basketball news, Neumann-Goretti senior Jamal Wilson verbally committed to the University of Rhode Island.
October
It was cheesesteaks all around for the Bok football team, courtesy of Pat’s, in honor of beating Ben Franklin for the District 12 AAA title.
On the girls’ volleyball scene, the High School for Creative and Performing Arts clinched the District 12 AA crown with a 3-1 victory over Engineering & Science. The Bok Wildkittens also made the postseason with a 3-2 win over Washington to close out the regular season 9-2. They fell to Kensington in opening-round playoff action.
November
The Bok football team’s great championship run ended in the Public League District 12 final against George Washington, 34-6. Luke Lassiter scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown on a three-yard run and 163 yards for the game. The athlete closed out his high-school career with 2,979 rushing yards, the 10th-most in league history.
Bok advanced to the championship match with wins over Central and Northeast. For coach Tom DeFelice, the victory over the former was the 100th of his career.
Bok qualified for the PIAA AAA state tournament thanks to its league win over Ben Franklin, but scheduling conflicts forced the program to decide between playing for the state or a league crown.
Neumann-Goretti qualified for the Catholic League Blue playoffs, where it was eliminated by Archbishop Carroll in the quarterfinals. After trailing 30-8 at halftime, the South Philly squad made a valiant comeback in the 30-22 decision.
There was a major Thanksgiving Day void when the yearly football game between Southern and Neumann-Goretti was canceled for just the second time since 1934 due to having no field.
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December
The Prep Charter girls’ basketball team traveled a long way from home to Walt Disney World and had quite a good time on all the rides. They were there on business, taking part in the eight-team KSA Events Classic Basketball Tournament, where they finished third. The squad returned to Philly with a 2-1 record and 5-2 mark overall.
The Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball squad also spent time in the warm Florida sun participating in the 16-team Amare Stoudemire Invitational Classic, where it finished with a 2-2 record.
After starting the season 0-3, GAMP’s boys’ basketball team quickly turned things around by racking up five-straight wins.
The Southern boys’ basketball team rolled out the red-and-white carpet when it hosted its debut boys’ tournament at Broad and Snyder. The Rams defeated Bartram High, 68-60, in the championship match.
The Furness boys’ basketball squad, looking to improve its four-win mark from a year ago, opened the season with victories over Swenson and University City.
