Catholic League High School
Click on story title to go directly to each story: O’Hara’s coach Algeo: ‘You don’t say no to [Bishop] McFadden’
Wood’s coach Powel: ‘I’m brutally honest with my players’
Bonner’s Quarterback Verica: ‘I want the responsibility’
Success on the gridiron and the basketball court: Archbishop Carroll’s Ellis Rogers
Blue Division: Stronger programs, new rivalries
Red Division: Despite history, the Hawks are beatable Meet St. Joe’s newest Hawk O’Hara’s coach Algeo:
‘You don’t say no to [Bishop] McFadden’
By Bob Steiner
Editorial and Sports Assistant
Dan Algeo has obviously found his calling.
Currently the head football coach at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Algeo has spent the better part of two decades coaching Catholic high school football, and he feels right at home doing so.
“I went to 12 years of Catholic school — 16 if you count college,” Algeo said, “I enjoy Catholic education and what it stands for.”
Algeo began his coaching career during his senior year in high school, working under his father, Jim, at Lansdale Catholic High School, albeit rather inauspiciously.
“I got hurt and missed half the season,” Algeo explained. “[So] I helped out with the secondary. I thought, ‘This is something I could do with my life.’”
It was a good thought.
Just over 20 years later, Algeo guided the 2004 Cardinal O’Hara Lions to the Catholic League Red Division championship, defeating the perennial powerhouse, St. Joseph’s Prep High School, 14-13, back in December.
“This is my second year [as head coach] at O’Hara, but my fifth year teaching,” Algeo said.
“It was the previous head coach, George Stratts, who called me in 2001 and said, ‘Look, we’ve got an opening at O’Hara — a teaching opening,’ Algeo said. “And I said, ‘Well, Coach, I want to be a head coach right now.’
“He said, ‘I think you’re better off just coming down and waiting until I retire.’”
If that advice from Coach Stratts wasn’t convincing enough, Algeo would soon receive encouragement from an even higher authority.
“Msgr. [Joseph] McFadden, who’s now Bishop McFadden, was the president [at O’Hara] at the time, and he called me as well,” Algeo said. “He must have called me a half-hour after George, and said, ‘We want you at O’Hara.’
“You don’t say no to McFadden.”
And, especially after last season, O’Hara is glad Algeo didn’t say no.
Although the 2004 season was his first as head coach at O’Hara, Algeo is no stranger to the Catholic League — or to a Catholic League championship.
After having gone 3-8 in his first season as head coach at Roman Catholic High School in 1996, Algeo led the Cahillites to a Catholic League Red Division title just three years later.
But as Algeo points out — lest prognosticators and other outside observers become consumed with counting championship trophies — there are other ways to measure success.
“Too much is made of winning and losing,” Algeo said. “I got a tremendous amount of satisfaction coaching my first Roman team that went 3-8. [That] first year we really struggled, but we won three of our last four games. The kids improved, and we got better. I loved that ‘96 Roman team as much as I loved the ‘04 O’Hara team.”
Indeed, two Catholic League championships as head coach at two different schools have bolstered Algeo’s resume. And although he has a chance this season to win consecutive titles for the first time in his career, Algeo is quick to downplay his own personal ambitions.
“My guess is if I coach long enough, I’m going to win back-to-back [championships],” he said. “But it’s not about me. I always tell our kids as long as we get better from August to December, I’ll be happy.’ We never talk about winning or losing, ever. I just say, ‘Let’s get better, let’s play hard, and where the chips fall, they fall.’ And that’s our approach.”
It is an approach that is certainly paying dividends for O’Hara, and Algeo couldn’t be happier.
“I’m in a great situation,” he said. “We’ve got great kids. O’Hara is a family-based school, very big on community. I’m very lucky and very happy to be there.”
That Algeo matched his championship success at Roman Catholic with last year’s O’Hara squad is proof that one can, indeed, go home again.
“I left Roman to go to the public schools, [but] I’m not a public school guy,” Algeo said.
“So when the opportunity came to go to O’Hara, I jumped at it,” he added. “I was ecstatic. O’Hara is a great place. When I left Roman, in the short run, I thought it was the worst move I ever made in my life. Why leave a place that you’re perfectly happy at? [But] I’ve got a second chance. Our administration is so supportive. I’m very fortunate and I’ve got no complaints.
“I’m just really blessed.”
Bob Steiner is the CS&T’s Editorial and Sports Assistant. E-mail him at rsteiner@adphila.org or call 215-587-3698.
Back to top Wood’s coach Powel:
‘I’m brutally honest with my players’
By Bob Steiner
Editorial and Sports Assistant
Ask Joe Powel about his responsibilities as a head football coach in the Catholic League, and he’ll talk about more than just “X”s and “O”s.
“Competing in the Catholic League, you play hard-nosed football, but there’s a lot of commonality with your faith,” said Powel, head coach at Archbishop Wood High School.
“We’re a close-knit group, and I think we all want to serve our players and make them better young men, and make them Christian young men. I don’t think it’s all about winning.” Powel added. “Obviously, we’re competitive people, being coaches. But I think I can honestly say that we want the best for our kids, and we’ll help each other for all of our kids to go on and be successful in life.”
Of course, Powel knows a thing or two about success. His Vikings won the 2004 Catholic League Blue Division championship by defeating West Catholic High School, 29-0, back in December. It was a victory that, a month into the season, seemed rather improbable — considering Wood won only one of its first four games.
Powel let his team know then that things needed to change.
“I’m brutally honest with my players,” he said. “I told them we were not executing, we were not playing as well as we should be, and that we were at a critical point in our season where we needed to stop beating ourselves.
“We needed our seniors at that point to start playing better football, and I challenged them. I said, ‘You want to get back to the championship [game], but haven’t paid the price yet. We’re not willing to do the little things to win these games.’ And they responded.”
Respond they did. The Vikings won seven of their last eight games on their way to shutting out the Burrs — a team they had lost to during the regular season, 20-12.
“We were coming in such underdogs [in the championship game],” Powel recalled. “They had three Division I football players on their team. They were the bigger team, they were the faster team [and] they went undefeated in our league. And obviously we had lost to them. … So we were looked at as the underdogs.”
As they were facing the perceived better team, Powel had to assure his players that their second game against West Catholic would yield different results than their first.
“We convinced the kids they had gotten better by leaps and bounds from the first time we had faced [West Catholic],” said Powel. “We sold to our kids that we had to play technically sound, execute the game plan, and use our speed above all to go against their size.
“We had two tremendous weeks of practice prior to that game. I think everything just clicked and fell into place,” he said. “I think it was the perfect example of a football team peaking at the right time.”
Call it a premonition, but Powel had a feeling his team would be hoisting the trophy after that championship game.
“It has nothing to do with football,” Powell explained, “but on the Thursday night prior to the game, the seniors got an opportunity to talk to the team and coaches, and they got pretty emotional. That was a pretty emotional night. I just felt there was no way we were going to get beat. Our kids understood what I had been preaching about teamwork, about battling. And I kind of knew that we would have a heck of a football game.”
And a heck of a football game they had. The challenge for Powel now, is to guide his team to its third consecutive Blue Division championship (the Vikings also won the title in 2003 under previous head coach Art Barrett). But don’t expect much talk of that feat from Powel.
“We try not to think about it,” he said. “Our players are constantly talking about a ‘three-peat,’ but as coaches, I think we understand there’s a lot that goes into winning a championship. There’s a lot of luck. You have to stay injury-free. You have to have some breaks along the way. We try to keep our kids focused, one game at a time.”
And that includes keeping them focused off the football field as well.
“Obviously, I want to continue to win championships,” Powel said, “but I think it’s more important to develop young men. Seeing my young men go to college, become adults, make good decisions and act responsibly … that’s where a lot of my enjoyment comes from.”
Bob Steiner is the CS&T’s Editorial and Sports Assistant. E-mail him at rsteiner@adphila.org or call 215-587-3698.
Back to top Bonner’s Quarterback Verica:
‘I want the responsibility’
By Bob Steiner
Editorial and Sports Assistant
Had Monsignor Bonner High School star quarterback Marc Verica stuck with his first athletic endeavor, he would’ve been known for his legs rather than his arm.
“I used to actually be a soccer player back in grade school,” said Verica, senior quarterback for the Friars. “My dad always wanted me to play football, but my mom didn’t want me to because she was afraid I would get hurt.”
Motherly instincts notwithstanding, having a father who was a quarterback was certainly a tremendous influence.
“My dad played quarterback at Cardinal O’Hara, and Notre Dame had offered him a scholarship,” Verica said of his father, Mark.
The elder Verica never got the opportunity to suit up for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame rescinded its scholarship offer because, as fate would have it …“He broke his leg against Bonner,” Verica said.
Still, nothing prevented the elder Verica from being his son’s role model, and instilling in him some universal values.
“He’s always been my teacher,” said the younger Verica. “He’s been very instrumental in my development as a player and as a person, because you can take a lot from the game and apply it to life.
“Quarterback is such a highly regarded position,” he added. “Everyone looks up to him. Some people look at all that responsibility as a burden, but that’s [what] I embrace. I want all the responsibility. I want the load on my shoulders. I really want to carry my team.”
And Verica knows that, as the senior leader of the Bonner football team, he has the responsibility of imparting his knowledge to those who will follow in his footsteps.
“I’ve been around for a while, so I have experience,” Verica said. “There are some younger quarterbacks on the team, and I do my best to teach them the things I’ve learned. I’m always just trying to set an example for the younger guys, and just lead the guys out there on the field.”
This time next season, Verica looks to lead a group of Cavaliers out on the field, as he begins his college career at the University of Virginia. Make no mistake, though — he is currently focused on his senior season at Bonner, a season he expects to end on a positive note.
“Expectations are pretty high this year because we have so much talent coming back,” Verica said. “The last time Bonner won the [Catholic League] championship was [in] 1994. So our goal is to win the championship. That’s what we’re setting out to do, and we’re in position to do that. We have the players, we have a great coaching staff. We just have to go out on the field and get it done.”
Verica understands, though, how hard winning a championship in the Catholic League can be.
“The Catholic League is one of the most competitive leagues in the state,” he said. “There’s such great competition, top to bottom. Every year, there are Division I players in the Catholic League, and there are so many heated rivalries. It’s just an honor to be the quarterback of a team in the Catholic League.”
And although Verica has flourished in the highly-competitive Catholic League — throwing for 1,545 yards and 8 touchdowns last season — and has been recruited by several major colleges, he remains unfazed by the spotlight.
“I’m a laid-back guy,” he said. “With all the attention I get, whether on TV or in the papers … I really don’t let it get to my head at all. I’m really focused on my senior season. I try not to let distractions like that get to me.”
Verica’s easygoing nature is matched by his humility.
“I really would just like to thank my parents,” he said, “[for] always sticking by me, making sure I work hard, and for my faith in God. I’m just really glad everything is coming together, and I’m just really excited for my senior season.”
It is a senior season that Verica hopes will find his Bonner teammates and him in the Catholic League Red Division championship, foreshadowing success at the college level. But reflecting on his childhood soccer days, Verica sees that, in a way, his young career has already come full circle.
“I love when my mom comes to my games — she enjoys watching me,” he said. “I know for sure she’s happy now I’m playing football.”
Bob Steiner is the CS&T’s Editorial and Sports Assistant. E-mail him at rsteiner@adphila.org or call 215-587-3698.
Back to top Success on the gridiron
and the basketball court:
Archbishop Carroll’s Ellis Rogers
By Bob Steiner
Editorial and Sports Assistant
Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest sources.
Just ask Ellis Rogers, sophomore wide receiver and defensive back for Archbishop Carroll High School. Rogers, who snagged two interceptions during his freshman season, is also a guard on the Carroll basketball team.
He credits a special childhood playmate for sparking his athletic interests — his grandmother, Hazel Thomas.
“She really was the foundation of me playing basketball,” Rogers said. “She used to have this basketball hoop in her back yard [in West Chester] and we always used to go play. She would come out and actually play with me. I heard she used to be really good when she was young.”
And just as Thomas instilled in her grandson a love for basketball, he likewise broadened her athletic horizons.
“She never used to watch football that much, until I started playing,” Rogers said, “[but now] she even comes to all the football practices. My grandmother has stuck with me since day-one.”
Thomas is no doubt looking forward to seeing her grandson and the rest of the Carroll Patriots rebound from a tough playoff loss to West Catholic, 14-12, back in December.
“We were battling the whole game,” Rogers recalled, “and we lost on a last-second field goal that was blocked. If we win that [game], we go to the championship.”
Although that Blue Division championship game eluded Carroll last season, Rogers hopes that the current team attitude will lead to greater success on the football field in 2005.
“Everyone is really excited, but [also] really focused, because we have a hard schedule this year,” he said. “We’re trying to show everyone what we can do.”
And Rogers is looking to be more instrumental this season in guiding the Patriots to their ultimate goal.
“I’m just trying to be more of a leader this year,” he said. “Last year, I was new, and I wasn’t all that vocal. This year, I’m trying to lead the players coming up from junior varsity.”
Rogers knows from personal experience that those J.V. players will be given every opportunity to succeed at Carroll.
“The coaches are amazing because they give everyone a chance, and there’s no favoritism,” Rogers said. “My father told Coach [Dan] Bielli that if he gave me a chance, I’d show him what I can do — and he gave me a chance.”
Rogers is making the most of that chance, and he plans to extend his success on the gridiron to the basketball court for Carroll this year. And with the advent of NFL superstars Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, both former basketball players who have excelled at football, one wonders how long Rogers will choose to continue as a two-sport athlete.
“My father and I always talk about [playing both sports] and he says if I ever see a drastic improvement in one, I should concentrate on [that] one. But I’m going to try [to play both] if possible,” he said.
For the next several weeks, though, Rogers will be devoting all his attention to football, as the Patriots look to put last season’s playoff loss behind them and bring the Blue Division trophy to Archbishop Carroll.
And Rogers knows that whenever he steps onto the field this season, he can always count on seeing Thomas in the stands, cheering him on.
“She’s 82 years old,” Rogers said, “and she’s never missed one game.”
Bob Steiner is the CS&T’s Editorial and Sports Assistant. E-mail him at rsteiner@adphila.org or call 215-587-3698.
Back to top Blue Division:
Stronger programs, new rivalries By John Knebels
Special to The CS&T
At one time, the Catholic League Blue Division wasn’t exactly an afterthought, but it was pretty darn close.
Before the 1999 season, when the Catholic League split into two divisions — “Red” for the schools with larger enrollment and “Blue” for the smaller schools — most of the attention shifted toward the Red.
The pervasive attitude was that the “real” Catholic League champion would be the Red team — that, simply because its schools were was bigger, they would probably defeat the smaller schools.
But over the years, attitudes have changed.
The Blue Division definitely enjoys its own separate identity. New rivalries have been spawned. Talk of “us versus them” seems to have receded to a mere whisper. Some teams from the Blue even defeat teams from the South.
“Any time there is a change, it usually takes a while before everyone gets used to things,” said West Catholic’s seventh-year coach, Brian Fluck. “You’ve seen different teams rise to the occasion in the Blue Division, but it took some time.”
Indeed. No longer does Archbishop Carroll rule the roost. Although the Patriots have been mainstays every year, they haven’t been dominant.
That said, Carroll’s accomplishments since the advent of the new alignment are worth revisiting.
A year after Bishop McDevitt defeated Carroll, 14-10, in the first Blue final of 1999, Carroll went on to defeat McDevitt, 42-10, in a magical campaign, in which the Pats went a perfect 13-0 while outscoring their opponents by a ridiculous 584-42.
Then , in 2001, Carroll went 12-1, losing only what amounted to a non-league game against Monsignor Bonner (of the Red Division) before toppling Archbishop Wood, 28-7, for the Blue title.
The following year, Carroll wasn’t quite as dominant but no less successful. It went 9-4, with its only league loss in a game against West Catholic in the division opener. The Pats avenged that loss by defeating West in the final, 22-7, for their third straight crown.
West Catholic got the Pats back in the 2003 semifinals, a 32-27 battle that still brings back exciting memories. West Catholic beat Carroll again last year, 14-12, in the semis.
Although a few league coaches quietly chastised Carroll for dropping Malvern Prep as its annual Thanksgiving Day opponent after the 2000 season, in favor of the smaller school, Bishop Shanahan, the fact remains that Carroll did so after stopping the Friars, 31-7 — thus proving it could “play with the big boys.” Previously, Malvern Prep had pretty much had its way with Carroll.
This year, behind a returning backfield consisting of Brent Christie, Josh Halladay, and Jake Szulinski — which, last fall, collectively gained 2,512 yards on the ground and scored 30 touchdowns — plus linemen such as Jordan Faust, John Pettine and Tom Ciccoli, Carroll figures to be in the mix once again and has a great chance of re-seizing the division crown.
In its way are several foes, including two-time defending champion Wood.
Enroute to defeating West Catholic, 29-0, in the final, Wood went 8-4 overall, winning seven of its last eight.
In 2003, the Vikings’ 11-0 tally provided the program’s first perfect season. The team did so behind outstanding defense and a running game manned by Bryan McCartney, whose 1,417 rushing yards was a school record. That’s the same guy who gained 1,115 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last year, and the same guy who returns as a senior this year.
McCartney joins classmate Chris Lorditch, who caught 26 passes for 556 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.
“Last year was probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in coaching,” said Wood’s Joe Powel, who, like Cardinal O’Hara’s Danny Algeo of the Red Division, won in his first year as head coach (Algeo also coached Roman Catholic to the Red Division title in 1999). “Everything came together.”
And now, since the Vikings have won two straight championships, the rest of the division will be measuring itself against them.
If imitation is really the highest form of flattery, Powel appreciates the sentiments.
“I think that will be the case, although I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he said. “Every year is different. Every team changes. I try and keep things separate, and treat this year’s team as a separate entity.”
However, teenagers being teenagers …
“I know our kids realize they are the defending champions, and realize everyone wants to beat them,” Powel said. “They have handled that whole thing well. I think it’s motivated them to be that much better. The last two, three years, most of our kids have worked out on a full-time basis to improve. It’s obviously paid dividends.”
Although it hasn’t won a championship since 1965, West Catholic has come agonizingly close lately, losing in three straight finals.
Last year, the Burrs appeared to be on the threshold of ending the four-decade-long drought. The Burrs entered the championship final with a perfect division record, but anything that could have gone wrong did go wrong, and West lost to Wood, 29-0. In 2003, the Burrs lost a 17-14 heartbreaker to Wood, and the previous year, dropped a 22-7 decision to Carroll.
Maybe this will be the year the Burrs hurdle the last challenge and finish on top. The Burrs will employ a no-huddle offense behind sophomore quarterback Eric Brennan (13 TD passes last year) and very competent senior backup Steve Powers. Among the skill players are receivers John Maddox (504 yards and seven TD receptions last year) and Erik Frazier, an All-Catholic transfer from Father Judge.
Defensively, a good group that included defensive backs Maddox (a whopping nine interceptions in ‘04) and Harold Davis became even stronger when top-notch All-Catholic outside linebacker Dan Chavis transferred over from Neumann-Goretti.
“We’re bringing in some kids who fit the program very well,” said the aforementioned Fluck. “We’ve expanded the program to include kids from all different places — from Chester, North Philly, Southwest Philly. … They’ve been quality kids who have come in and competed for jobs and really helped the program.”
Fluck, a 1988 West Catholic grad, said that when he took over the program, he told everyone that it would take four years to get the Burrs to a championship game. Four years later, that’s precisely where the Burrs were.
“Now, once you’re there, you can maintain the success,” he said. “That’s why we’ve been fortunate to have so many quality kids.”
There used to be a time, not so long ago. that Cardinal Dougherty wasn’t even sure it had enough kids to sustain the program.
When Ernie Covington inherited the reins three years ago, he only had 18 players. Last year, there were about 40.
Now? Including incoming freshmen, Dougherty has 94 players on the roster.
So, although Bishop McDevitt is always strong, and Conwell-Egan has enjoyed two superb seasons in its last three, and both Kennedy-Kenrick and St. John Neumann-St. Maria Goretti have some talent, might this year hold a rags-to-riches story for a Dougherty team that didn’t win a game last year, and hasn’t won more than once since 2001?
“Philosophically, there isn’t a big gap between us and the teams that have had a lot of success over the past few years,” said Covington, a 1975 Dougherty alum. “Player-wise, there is a big difference. We don’t have CYO teams, like some of the suburban teams, so a lot of our players — especially the big guys — really don’t know the fundamentals, because they have never been taught them.
“The desire is there, the raw ability is there,” he said. “It’s just that the experience isn’t there.”
Asked how long it might take for Dougherty to show improvement in the win-loss column, Covington’s response was somewhat stunning: “This year, I think we might be as competitive as any team in the league.
“The interest has grown,” he said. “The captains did a great job of spreading the word, both inside the school and outside the school. It seems to have caught on.”
Covington pointed to players such as seniors Steven Hart, Matt Boerner, and Tom McDonald, and junior Charles Gladman. Like most players, those four will have to play two ways. But the amount of repetitions will decline, thus affording a break now and then. That may translate into more energy down the stretch.
“We want to be like the Dougherty teams of 10, 12, or so years ago,” Covington said. “We want to go out every game and know we belong there, and have a chance to be competitive. I think we’re at that point, and it’s exciting.”
Time to kick off.
(Do you have any comments or tips for future articles? Send email to jknebels@comcast.net.)
Back to top Red Division:
Despite history, the Hawks are beatable By John Knebels
Special to The CS&T
When it comes to any discussion about Red Division football, two schools seem to jump out immediately: St. Joseph’s Prep and Cardinal O’Hara.
And why not? One or the other of those teams have won the last five division championships.
O’Hara sandwiched titles in 2000 and 2004, between a ‘three-peat’ by the Prep from 2001 to 2003. Plus, the Prep lost in the championship in both 2000 and 2004 while O’Hara fell in the 2003 final.
For what it’s worth, although they appreciate the compliments, the coaches from the Prep and O’Hara are not pleased with superfluous plaudits.
They are both aware that the adage about any team being able to beat any other team on a given day is accurate, even if much of the public doesn’t buy it.
With that said, when assessing the Red Division, it is painfully obvious that St. Joseph’s Prep and Cardinal O’Hara — or Cardinal O’Hara and St. Joseph’s Prep — are the teams most likely to walk away with a Catholic League championship in early December.
Not everyone has a problem with that notion.
“I know it annoys a lot of people when the Prep and O’Hara are pointed out as the top teams, but I take a different approach to that,” said Bonner coach Jim Carrigan.
“They set the bar, and then they raised it,” he said. “It’s up to the rest of us to meet it. You can make a thousand excuses, but that’s really what it comes down to.”
Carrigan, a 1961 Bonner grad (and a member of the school’s first four-year graduating class) who is now in his second year as coach, said he and his coaching staff try to reinforce the belief that maintaining tradition is a key element of what they are trying to accomplish.
“We try to put into a mindset of one piece at a time,” he said. “It takes building blocks.”
LaSalle coach Joe Colistra was a tad testier than Carrigan when asked about the Red Division’s one-two knockout punch.
Colistra pointed out that LaSalle has been a bona fide contender during the Prep-O’Hara run.
The Explorers have made the playoffs every year during that time, eventually losing 23-21 to O’Hara in the 2000 semis, and 41-14 to the Prep in the 2003 semis.
Before that, LaSalle lost to Roman Catholic in the 1999 final after having won three of the past four championships.
‘I’m not taking anything away from the Prep or O’Hara. They have earned my respect,” Colistra said. “I just think it’s important to look at the whole picture.”
Colistra doesn’t envision his players becoming overwhelmed by the recent Red Division trend. Although LaSalle has struggled mightily against the Prep since the beginning of 2000, losing all 10 games, eight of them by 21 points or more, it shouldn’t be of any significance in 2005.
“Kids are very ahistorical,” he said. “They are more aware of last year and this year, not four or five years in the past. Every year our teams are different. Same tree, different leaves.
“When we talk about goals, we tell them that they are the latest installment in a program that has lots of years and many traditions. … Anything else about telling them how they are supposed to win is putting them on an unnecessary guilt trip, and that isn’t fair.”
O’Hara’s Danny Algeo, who, like Blue Division champion coach Joe Powel of Archbishop Wood, snared a championship in his first year as head coach (Algeo also coached Roman to a 1999 title) isn’t quite sure there is a “bull’s eye” on O’Hara, even though history strongly suggests that defending champions tend to solicit topnotch performances from adversaries who aim to beat the best.
Last year, O’Hara’s only loss during the regular season was to the Prep, 12-7. Then, in the Red Division championship, the Lions trailed the Hawks 13-2 at halftime before stunning their rivals, 14-13.
This year, might there be yet another championship meeting?
“That’s our goal, but it’ll be a great challenge,” said Algeo, who returns six starters on defense and five more on offense. “Last year was great. Winning it by comeback was definitely exciting and meant a lot, but just beating (the Prep) was sweet.”
Algeo spoke glowingly of the Prep’s program.
“Most people now put us in the same breath as them, and that’s saying a whole lot,” he said. “We think very highly of Gil Brooks and his staff. They have done a remarkable job year-in and year-out.”
Algeo insists that O’Hara isn’t taking anything for granted.
Along with the aforementioned LaSalle, teams such as Bonner, Roman Catholic, Archbishop Ryan, Father Judge, and North Catholic all return their share of headliners. There have been countless examples of favored teams either losing, or coming very close to losing, against upstart opponents whose win-loss record of 0-3 could be 3-0 if not for a key play here or there.
“We look at it as an eight-team race,” said Algeo. “We respect all of our opponents, which is one of the reasons why we have been so successful. Whether it’s the Prep or anyone else, you gotta be consistent and put out the same effort.”
Of course, simply saying that doesn’t always convince people.
“When our schedule came out, I heard talk about the Prep game right away,”Algeo said. “Well, the Prep is our 10th game of the season (Nov. 5, 7 p.m. at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School). We have nine quality opponents before them. Believe me, there are enough good teams in this league that can win. The reason you always hear about us and the Prep is because every champion this century has been one of us, and the Prep has been in all five finals.”
As for the Prep, they just got back from breaking camp in Williamstown, N.J. The Hawks will be typically strong, with 10 starters back on defense and seven on offense. Their preseason schedule is a typical killer, and then come seven division games.
One of the Prep’s most amazing feats —hardly ever mentioned — is that it has not lost a regular-season division game since the beginning of the century. The team’s only losses against Catholic League competition have been the aforementioned defeats in the 2000 and 2004 finals.
Brooks is understandably proud of that record, and he detests hearing detractors in the background.
“There are always haters out there when someone is successful,” Brooks said. “That, unfortunately, comes with the territory. It’s not a lot, but it’s out there. The Internet stuff is where it usually begins and grows. Someone throws something out there that isn’t true, and all of a sudden, enough people talk about it to the point where it becomes true, even though it’s not reality.”
The Prep is the annual favorite to win the Catholic League. That’s the plain truth. No matter how good another Red Division team looks on paper, St. Joseph’s Prep remains atop the Most Wanted List.
High praise. And unfair expectations, too.
“The one that hurt me a lot was in 2000,” Brooks said. “We were 12-0 and lost in the final. But a lot of people lost sight that being 12-1 was quite an accomplishment, as though that wasn’t a great season.”
Brooks and Co. quickly shook off the disappointment. After losing three straight non-league games in 2001, the Hawks proceeded to capture 35 straight wins, including perfect seasons in both 2002 and 2003.
But the Hawks are beatable. Last year’s championship final proved that.
“Footballs don’t always bounce your way,” Brooks said. “Last year, O’Hara probably outplayed us during the regular season, and we won. And we probably outplayed them in the championship, and to their credit, they came back to win.”
Let the games begin.
(Do you have any comments or tips for future articles? Send email to jknebels@comcast.net.)
Back to top Meet St. Joe’s newest Hawk
By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer
When 21-year-old Andrew Moral applied to be “the Hawk, ” St. Joseph University’s coveted mascot, he continually prayed Psalm 23.
“I would repeat … ‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ thinking to myself, ‘He’ll shepherd me to where He wants me to be — why should I worry about it?’”
Moral’s prayer has been answered in the affirmative.
The senior elementary education major has been named the official Hawk for the 2005-’06 season. He will be the 29th student to represent the university as the men’s basketball mascot, in a season that will mark the 50th anniversary of “the Hawk”.
“I’m really thankful,” Moral said. “To be able to represent the university as a central figure is an amazing experience. It’s very humbling to be selected among all the people who did go out and apply for it.”
A member of Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish in North Wales, Moral is a 2002 alumnus of Lansdale Catholic High School and a 1998 graduate of St. Stanislaus School in Lansdale.
He has been a manager of the university’s basketball team for the past two years, keeping stats and transporting equipment. “Being around the team, you see what the Hawk means … to the whole university. … It represents that attitude that the team represent — ‘The Hawk will never die.’ You always give everything 100 percent.
“When the position opened up, I thought, why not apply?” Moral said. “I felt I was able to fulfill that role — and here I am.”
Although the men’s basketball season does not officially begin until November, Moral is more than ready to report to the basketball court.
He works out a minimum of five days a week, and throughout the summer, he has appeared as the Hawk at numerous charitable events, graduation and birthday parties, and even wedding receptions — all the while flapping his wings, a job requirement whenever he’s in costume.
From the tip-off to the final buzzer of every game, the Hawk remains in constant motion. That includes “flying” in figure-eights around the court during time-outs .
According to information from the university, the constant flapping — an average of 3,500 flaps for a regulation game, and the “scrappy play” of the university’s athletic teams, combined to inspire the school’s slogan, “The Hawk Will Never Die.”
“It’s just understood that the Hawk’s going to keep flapping,” Moral said. “I’ve never heard of a Hawk that did stop.”
Moral, whose family members are all products of St. Joe’s, has hovered around the Hawk since childhood. He remembers games keeping his eye on the Hawk during the games, and asking, “‘Why does he do this?’”
“It’s real intriguing,” he said. “I’ve been amazed by the tradition that surrounds the Hawk.”
Moral’s father, Armando, attended St. Joe’s, and his mother, Christine [formerly Coghlan], is a 1977 alumna. His brother, Tony, graduated from St. Joe’s in 2003, and his sister, Laura, is a freshman there this year.
“I am very excited about serving the St. Joseph’s community as the 29th Hawk,” Moral said. “It is an honor and privilege to have been selected to carry on this proud tradition” — and to root for the basketball team.
“They’re a great group of guys,” he said. “They’re so dedicated to what they, as a team, are trying to accomplish. It’s really awesome to see.”
Moral’s interview to become the Hawk included a one-on-one with Phil Martelli, the men’s head basketball coach.
“Coach Martelli teaches so many life skills,” Moral said. Among those, he said, is accountability.
“ Whatever any player or member of this team does represents … not only the team, but the university as a whole.” he added. “It makes you realize how accountable you are for your actions — both what you say, and what you do. And that ties into the dedication the team shows. They’re always working hard … to be the best that they can be.
“That’s the way Jesus would want us to live our lives — always to work hard and be dedicated to whatever it is that inspires us, whatever our vocation is. … And be accountable.”
In addition to his Hawk costume, his Catholicism will accompany Moral to all the basketball games.
“Going into college and throughout college, it’s important to know who you are, what’s important to you, and keeping focused on what’s important — your faith, your family, your schoolwork, your friends. You can’t let your social life … interfere with who you are spiritually, intellectually and physically,” he said.
A former altar server, teenage rectory receptionist and CCD instructor at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, Moral counts his pastor, Msgr. Philip C. Ricci, among his role models: “He really represents Christ on earth. It’s unbelievable what that man will do for anyone in that parish.”
Moral has served as historian and director of alumni relations for the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi. Through that affiliation, as well as St. Joe’s Campus Ministry, he has worked on numerous community service projects.
According to information from the university, St. Joe’s athletic teams have been recognized with the nickname “Hawks” since 1929.
At that time, the school’s yearbook editor initiated a contest among the student body to select a mascot. More than 100 submissions were considered. The winning suggestion was submitted by a member of the Class of ’31, who was a catcher on St. Joe’s baseball team. According to the student yearbook, the name was appropriate because it typified “the fighting spirit of our crimson and gray athletes, and it is suggestive of the aerial attack which has made our football team famous.” Football was discontinued at St. Joe’s following the 1939 season. The idea to have the Hawk as a mascot originated during the 1954-’55 season by an ex-Marine and St. Joe’s cheerleader, who first suggested securing an actual hawk but later modified the concept to a hawk costume. The student government raised $120 for the first costume — which the same student donned for three years after his debut as the first Hawk on Jan. 4, 1956, in a 69-56 win over La Salle College at the Palestra.
The Hawk has not missed a men’s basketball game since that first season.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org
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