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It was a year of homecomings and heartfelt goodbyes.
The Phillies may have fallen short of becoming back-to-back world champs, saying so long to the World Series crown, but a slew of local high school teams stepped up, setting up winners for the next generation of play.
Fans said farewell to the 42-year-old Spectrum that once was home to the Sixers and Flyers. The fabled arena closed its doors in October to pave the way for entertainment district Philly Live!
But home is where the heart is as the return of stellar talent in just about every sport proved. From Point Breeze’s Rasual Butler and his LA Clippers playing at the Wachovia Center during one of the biggest snowstorms in city history to Mike Koplove’s bid to play for the Phils after coming from the Las Vegas 51s to Bishop Neumann grad Pat DiPilla becoming the new Saints athletic director, the returns were just as popular as leaving the nest seemed to be. High schools’ top talent called their college picks, the Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team headed to Hawaii for the Iolani Prep Classic and Rogers Mtagwa went to The Big Apple to fight for the junior featherweight crown in a year that saw a lot of action.
January
Everybody expected defending Super Bowl champs the Giants to still be playing, but not the Eagles. The Philadelphia team turned things around and faced their New York rivals in a divisional showdown.
The Neumann-Goretti Saints boys’ basketball team pulled double-digit victories on a routine basis. For their efforts, the squad was ranked No. 1 by the Harrsiburg-Patriot News in its Class AAA poll.
The Prep Charter girls’ basketball team chased the ultimate goal: Winning their first district championship. The Lady Huskies used the 11-game non-league schedule as preparation for more meaningful matches down the road.
With 1,942 career points and counting, Coppin State University guard Tywain McKee, from 12th and Bainbridge streets, left his mark on the school’s Division I men’s basketball program.
February
Neumann-Goretti girls’ basketball point guard Ashley White was surprised to find out she was closing in on 1,000 career points. Averaging 20 points per game, the senior was ready to lead her Saints into the Catholic League playoffs.
The Saints boys’ basketball team looked like a favorite to win it all, including being a top contender for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAA crown.
Hard work and dedication finally paid off for South Philadelphia High’s boys basketball team as it defeated the Bartram Braves, 69-65, for the Public League District 12 AAA championship.
It was no surprise the Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic boys’ basketball teams were the final two standing for the fifth time this decade in the race for the Catholic League crown. Heading into the latest round, the Saints were the hotter of the two, riding an 11-game winning streak.
March
Boys’ basketball team champ Neumann-Goretti made its Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association debut in the AAA bracket. For the Saints, the final undertaking on their list of preseason goals was to remain standing later in the month when the winner was decided at Penn State University.
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Four area teams took the court in PIAA state tournament action, but only two remained in championship pursuit: The Neumann-Goretti Saints and the Prep Charter Huskies. For the Southern boys’ basketball team, a loss to Plymouth-Whitemarsh marked the end of its PIAA Class AAAA championship aspirations.
Division I men’s basketball teams from Boise, Idaho, to South Philadelphia, with familiar faces Neumann-Goretti grads Rick Jackson and D.J. Rivera in the mix, came out for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The national champ was crowned in Detroit in April.
As it came down to the Sweet 16, four local athletes remained in the hunt for a spot in the Final Four. Jackson helped his Syracuse Orange advance. Prep Charter grads and twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris both recorded points and rebounds for the Kansas Jayhawks, while Jason Love, of 22nd and Tasker streets, helped his Xavier Musketeers score a postseason victory over Portland.
April
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Mike Koplove ends a solid spring training with the Phillies, but when the regular season opens, the Packer Park native reports to Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs.
After transferring from St. Joe’s to Binghamton, Neumann-Goretti grad Derrick Rivera is turning into a win-win in basketball for player and team as the America East Conference’s leading scorer.
Neumann-Goretti junior Al Baur is a nice addition to the Saints starting rotation, pitching four complete games with 47 strikeouts over 28 innings of work.
Lincoln Financial Field transformed into a battlefield for checkmates when more than 200 of the city’s top young players, including Bok junior Khyrie Benton and Bregy Elementary fourth-grader Eric Clopp, competed in the Eagles Youth Partnership/After School Activities Partnership Chess Tournament.
May
After four seasons and a career .367 batting average, the Cavaliers softball team had a major void coming with the Cabrini College graduation of Kristie Sandefur. The resident of 17th and Jackson streets was a three-time First Team all-conference selection.
After missing the playoffs the two previous seasons, opportunity finally knocked for the Bok Wildcats when they squared off against the Furness Falcons in a Public League Class AAA opener. Senior Joey Ferlaino shined with an 11-strikeout, four-hit performance in the come-from-behind 3-2 victory.
The Girard Academic Music Program baseball team advanced to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament, thanks to a 5-4 victory over Masterman in the Public League District 12 Class A championship game. However, the Pioneers lost to Washington, 9-7, in the quarterfinals.
Roman Catholic senior and four-year member of the school’s crew team Giovanni DiSalvatore, of the 2600 block of Rosewood Street, helped his squad complete one of its finest seasons, which included a third-place finish in the national championships at Mercer Lake, N.J.
June
Following a 49-year hiatus, Neumann-Goretti boys’ baseball fans, players and coaches celebrated not one, but two crowning achievements. The first, and the biggest, came in the form of the Catholic League title game against La Salle, which the Saints won 3-1 in eight innings.
Making it to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state semifinals is a huge accomplishment and the Neumann-Goretti baseball team wanted to be the last one standing in the Class AAA bracket. They may not have gotten their wish as they suffered a 9-4 defeat at the hands of Abington Heights, but they were one of only two District 12 squads to advance to the final four.
After playing two years for Rutgers, former All-City and All-Catholic star Earl Pettis, of the 1500 block of South 15th Street, joined La Salle University’s basketball team.
Neumann-Goretti baseball coach Lou Spadaccini helped his Saints end a nearly five-decade championship drought. At the end of an disappointing 2007 season, in which the Saints finished 3-18, he told his team it would have a successful ’08, which it did, ending a 11-year playoff drought.
July
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After racking up his share of individual accomplishments, Tony Chennault led his Saints to Catholic League and City titles during the 2008-09 season.
Raven Jones, the athlete who helped put the Lady Huskies on the Public League map, received the Review’s Female Athlete of the Year Award. During her last season at Prep Charter, the girls’ basketball squad competed in its first league championship.
Talented local athletes, including Neumann-Goretti grad and Syracuse University guard Antonio “Scoop” Jardine, Tywain McKee, Jason Love and Neumann-Goretti senior Mustafaa Jones, gathered at La Salle University’s Tom Gola Arena to stay in shape during the off-season with an invitation-only conditioning regimen. The daily three-hour sessions included everything from drills to full- and half-court games.
Nine-year-old Alex Podagrosi, of the 2500 block of 19th Street, was one of the six participants from the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation chosen to participate in the Ace Bailey Children’s Foundation Got Skills competition in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is part of a youth-oriented community outreach program. He and his fellow players were divided into two teams, with his Eastern squad winning, 7-5.
Former 76er and current team ambassador World B. Free visited Fels Community Center, 2407 S. Broad St., as part of the team’s Summer Hoops Tour. Free and other staffers gave the campers helpful hints on dribbling, conditioning and shooting.
August
Former Neumann-Goretti head coach Bill Sytsma went semi-pro with the Philadelphia Liberty Belles, a team in the Women’s Football Alliance. Along with winning the Northeast Division title, the players racked up a number of awards and titles in their first year, including two First Team and two Second Team All-Americans, as well as two honorable mentions.
Bishop Neumann grad Pat DiPilla returned to his roots to replace Chip Reitano as the Saints athletic director. He began by helping hire Rich Garfagno as head football coach to replace the departing Bill Sytsma.
The Los Angeles Clippers introduced its newest acquisition, former New Orleans Hornets veteran Rasual Butler, formerly of 20th and Manton streets. Butler is a career 37-percent three-point shooter and was coming off his most productive season.
The Philadelphia Comets girls’ basketball team returned from the national Amateur Athletic Union tournament in Buena Vista, Fla., with a top-20 performance under its belt. Despite being defeated 38-26, the team rose to the challenge during a 30-8 halftime deficit, allowing their opposition to score just eight second-half points.
September
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This month marked the official kickoff of high school football. The Southern Rams and Bok Wildcats went head-to-head in a non-league contest, followed by the Furness Falcons hosting Episcopal Academy. Cardinal Dougherty faced Neumann-Goretti, while Prep Charter played Imhotep Charter.
Even with its solid 8-3-1 league mark in 2008-09, the Neumann-Goretti girls’ soccer squad missed the cut for the second postseason spot by a just one point. This year, the target was the division crown, which came with a first-round bye and a home playoff game.
The Bok Wildcats and Furness Falcons were looking to build on recent victories, while the Southern Rams, Prep Charter Huskies and Neumann-Goretti Saints were trying to end an early drought. League games later in the month would determine which teams made the playoffs.
Rogers Mtagwa, of Taylor Street, headlined a pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden against undefeated junior featherweight champ Juan Manuel “JuanMa” Lopez. Rated No. 15 by the World Boxing Organization, Mtagwa was ready to prove he had what it takes to stand among the 122-pound weight class elite.
October
The Southern Rams finally obtained their first victory of the football season with a score of 28-26 after going into overtime, while Furness Falcons running back Sharif Smith dominated the game over Esperanza with a 46-0 victory. It took four games, but Neumann-Goretti finally earned a spot in the winners’ circle with its 34-7 victory over Prep Charter.
The world champion Phillies played Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.
Fans were able to celebrate the Spectrum with the Sixers one last time as the team invited them to say goodbye to the arena by way of a free, open-to-the-public practice. Players stretched, ran drills and let the elementary school-aged ball boys take shots while the pros covered them.
After starting the year 0-3, the Rams secured a playoff spot in the Class AAAA quarterfinals. The Wildcats had a rematch with Franklin, after recently defeating the team 34-6. For Furness, meeting with Imhotep again gave the team a golden opportunity to avenge its recent 8-0 loss.
The Neumann-Goretti girls’ soccer squad made history by making the postseason, while the Saints boys’ soccer team, who also qualified, lost 7-0 against Conwell-Egan in the opener. Later in the week, the Southern Rams football team celebrated after clinching the Public League Blue Class AAAA title with a 4-0 mark.
November
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The Bok Wildcats successfully defended their Public League Class AA title with a 32-8 victory over Imhotep Charter, while the Southern Rams were shutout, 42-0, in Friday’s Class AAAA Public League quarterfinal against Washington. The Neumann-Goretti Saints finished 0-4 in the Catholic League AAA standings.
Adriana Sciascia, Jennie Filippello, Karla Masciotro, Tonia Russo and Bianca Giorgio of the Neumann-Goretti girls’ soccer squad earned All-Catholic Blue Division recognition.
After completing 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 276 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Kings College, Neumann-Goretti grad Mark Hatty, now a junior quarterback for Delaware Valley College, was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Week.
Before even playing the first basketball game of the season, Neumann-Goretti seniors Tony Chennault, Tyreek Duren, Mustafaa Jones and Daniel Stewart gathered in the school’s conference room to announce their respective college decisions. Chennault is heading to Wake Forest University, Duren to La Salle University, Stewart to Rider University, and Jones to the University of Hartford.
Even though the turnout has dwindled over the years, the annual Turkey Bowl between Neumann-Goretti and Southern still brings out the faithful Thanksgiving morning. The event dates back to 1934 in a game Southern won 26-0. The squads have squared off 73 times since then, with Neumann-Goretti holding a decisive 52-19-3 advantage.
December
In the final minutes of the Turkey Bowl Thanksgiving morning, the Neumann-Goretti Saints beat the Southern Rams for a 12-8 victory.
Prep Charter grad Rodney Green and his La Salle Explorers faced Green’s former classmates and teammates Marcus and Markieff Morris in a game against the brothers’ Kansas Jayhawks.
The Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team was the sole Pennsylvania squad to attend the 16-team Iolani Prep Classic in Hawaii.
Roman Catholic High and La Salle University grad Rasual Butler stopped by the Wachovia Center, as he and his Clippers were in town to play the Sixers.
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