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Many Public League football coaches are thankful Luke Lassiter has graduated from Bok, as, come fall, they will no longer have to build their game plan around trying to contain the First Team All-Public and Second Team All-City running back. This 5-foot-8, 160-pound athlete might not be very big, but few defenders could catch him. The 1,373 rushing yards he racked up in 2007 are a Bok single-season record, while Lassiter’s 2,979 career rushing yards rank 10th all-time in Public League history. He is so quick the athlete’s summer job is chasing after shopping carts at the Front Street and Snyder Avenue ShopRite.
Lassiter really caught the attention of Bok football coach Tom DeFelice sophomore year.
"I couldn’t believe my eyes how well he looked as a 10th-grader," DeFelice said. "I knew we had a diamond in the rough with him.
"He had a great year [in ’07] and was the go-to guy for everything we did."
Everything includes leading the Wildcats with 17 rushing touchdowns and, more importantly, helping Bok advance to its first league championship match since the 1999 season. Despite falling 34-6 to Washington, Lassiter finished the game with 163 yards and a touchdown. It was Bok’s lone defeat of the ’07 season.
"We’ve been together since 10th grade so we wanted [a championship] a lot more," Lassiter, 19, said of his team. "We wanted to show everybody that we could play football and we were really good."
To this top ‘Cat who works fast on his feet goes the 2008 Review Male Athlete of the Year Award.
Lassiter was born with the drive to become a standout football player. At 5, he was playing pick-up games around the neighborhood and six years later signed-up to join the Capitolo Seminoles at Ninth and Wharton streets. When he was in classes at Fell Elementary, 900 W. Oregon Ave., he would write in his journal about becoming a football player.
The athlete from 22nd and Latona streets now can finish his journal with stories about his individual records, four division titles and three trips to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament. (The latter number would’ve been four, but the coaches and players bypassed an ’07 appearance in favor of a shot at the league title.) "We had not been there in a long time," Lassiter said of the league championship match.
The athlete is grateful to all the Bok coaches, especially DeFelice, for helping him develop into a standout.
"Coach DeFelice always pushed me and made me work hard on the field," Lassiter said. "Even when I thought I couldn’t do it, he always made me work harder."
Around Bok, his personality also made a lasting impression.
"He was always a gentleman," DeFelice said. "He has charm and personality and is just a nice kid."
One of the things Lassiter will never forget about his Bok days — besides the division titles — are the postgame celebrations. With Bok being easier to spell out than Eagles, the players would put together a chant similar to the pro’s. It would end with "what does that spell?" "BOK!"
Where does Lassiter go from here?
He wants to continue playing on the collegiate level, possibly at Lincoln or Shippensburg universities. He might first take the community or junior college route to get his academics in order. If this is indeed the final chapter of his football career, Lassiter has left nothing wanting.
"This might have been my best year yet," he said. "I have no regrets."
Runners-Up
Mark Donato, Neumann-Goretti baseball
Only a sophomore, this Catholic League Blue MVP ranks in a class all his own when it comes to baseball. He was a First Team All-Catholic selection as both a pitcher and first baseman. Offensively, he hit .591 with five home runs and 23 RBIs. On the mound, he was nearly unhittable with a 7-0 record and 0.92 ERA.
Jamal Wilson, Neumann-Goretti basketball
Although this recent grad didn’t play in the Catholic League championship game as a senior, he enjoyed a very successful career with 890 career points as a Saint. He averaged 14.5 points per game in 14 Catholic League contests. Wilson earned First Team All-Catholic, Second Team All-State and Third Team All-City honors for his 15-10 squad. He will continue playing at Division I University of Rhode Island.
Anthony "Crip" Reese, Southern basketball
This Second Team All-Public and Honorable Mention All-City selection averaged 11.6 points in 14 league contests. More importantly, this 5-foot-10 guard handled the leadership role in guiding his Rams to the Public League semifinals for the first time in more than a decade. He tallied 14 points and nine rebounds in Southern’s 76-60 quarterfinal victory over Simon Gratz. His Rams also advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history in any sport.
