Are you ready for some football?
Welcome to the official blog on high school football for the 2013 season.
During the off-season let’s talk about players, recruiting news, teams and everything about high school football.
During the season each week let’s talk about match-ups and how teams did. Let us know what player(s) stood out each week.
2,248 Responses
@ jive Turkey hey I’m beginning to like u man, we all have our right to agree and district agree but that last statement was nicely put and a mouthful thank you
@ RRMARKS IN PAST YEARS BEFORE THE PUBLIC WAS ABLE TO COMPETE IN STATAE PLAY THE PUB WOULD OF DOMINATED PERIOD. Its not our fault that we live in a major city and able to have multiple youth teams. But that’s just pound ball what about the big guys they can’t play because of their size. Those kids go to these schools they try out some are good some are not but good coaching get them to the status of all american or a serviceable player. Well that statement now ask us can inmhotep coaching staff coach. Well the answer to that question is yes. Just because u have talent dosent equal a championship or d-1 players. The hard work a staff put in with their players does.
Move up to AAA or AAAA? Imhotep plays in the Philadelphia Public League, they can play in any class and win their regular season games by 50. 22 points scored in the 4th quarter yesterday, when they were already up 60, is a disgrace. You guys know I’m not a fan of Imhotep at all, but stop with the complaining. Somebody actually brought up the ACLU, are you serious? The freakin ACLU? I understand the guys outside of D12. You guys are bitter because all D12 has done is come in and dominate, in pretty much every sport. Stop with the complaining and the excuses. If you don’t like competition, leave the PIAA and have a competition for your own little plastic trophy.
I am a HS coach out watching yesterday between Roxborough High vs Del Val Charter and man was its a disgrace, what u witnessed was an all out brawl not even a half of football played. Both teams should be disqualified and there head coaches should be fired Monday morning. There was absolutely NO discipline on these teams at all, both benches cleared on the sidelines of Roxborough as the fight was totally out of control. Kids swinging helmets an punches being thrown all over the place, what was the worst part was it was Homecoming for Roxborough so there was family an kids that had to witness that. It’s a shame and it’s a definite black eye for both schools no pun intended. I hope some of these kids don’t think they will play in college after yesterday cause something needs to be done and this can’t happen ever again.
@RRmark cause catholic schools suck the talent out the pub by offering scholarships but now top athletes have imhotep to go to youth teams like nw raiders 2 time runner up pop warner Super Bowl is where Imhotep practice and the kids sit on the side and watch. They look at them practice and say I’m going to imhotep. Imhotep is the type of school now where they don’t need to recruit they come to them and try there best to get in the school but catholic schools take all the talent out of the pub mainly Zaire franklin, Thaddius, Etc I could go on with this ….
So RRMark, I’ll first address your statement about why haven’t Philly public schools done well historically. That’s easy, coaching. The public schools generally only use teachers as coaches and then there are normally only 3-4 of them and sadly most of those have historically only been out there to get the extra pay. Catholic league schools for years have had had extra volunteer or paid assistants who don’t work at the school. If you look at Imhotep’s sidelines you will see 12 or more coaches working on game day. If most of them are there every practice, that’s a ton of teaching and coaching going on every day. And oh by the way, most of Imhotep’s coaches are not paid but volunteer with the team.
Now for your point about most of the other areas only having a single youth feeder program. Are you really going to tell me that you want to penalize Imhotep or any other Philadelphia area school, because of the population loss and lack of a pool to get kids from in other areas of the state. That’s almost laughable. Bottom line is school choice has been in place for a long time and up until district 12 came into PIAA play, it really wasn’t an issue for most around the state. The areas who can compete do, those that can’t complain.
The only reason I can see why the PIAA hasn’t changed the rules is they are afraid of getting sued by the ACLU etc… on discrimination grounds. Of course, Philly schools would stand no chance on the state level without such an advantage. They probably will start combining public Philly schools athletically so they can compete too. What a joke. Well, much like the rest of our nation has become the past 5 years.
@phillyboy
Your posting about Berwick (1992 season), CB West 1998 season and Pittsburgh Central Catholic 2004 season stirs fond memories. I had the pleasure of seeing those three teams in person and have always rated them as three of the best teams I ever saw; and PCC 2004 as possibly the B E S T high school team I ever saw. Downingtown 1996 when it was all one school is up there also. Of course there were many teams I did not see although O’Hara at Wood this afternoon will be my 866th game. Thanks for stirring fond memories.
http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/518570.html?nav=5129
@the quite one
Let them dominate at AAA or AAAA then and compete where they belong like all the other teams with 90 player rosters.
@That Guy Philly
You prove my point. If you have a larger population from which to recruit athletic talent, then you have an unfair advantage, regardless of enrollment. The vast majority of schools in the state have only 1 youth program to foster athletes. And if Philly is such a hotbed of talent, why have they been largely unable to compete at the state level? Only a handful of teams come out of the city that have historically even hoped to compete with the top teams in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 11. And most of them have been catholic, prep and now charter schools. This in spite of their large population pool.
@RRMark do you know how many youth football programs are within a short commute of Imhotep? Did you know that several Pop Warner national championship have been won by these teams over the past 5 years. That’s several, not one from a single area of the country. This is a hotbed of talent.
@ Jim B
Berwick also won the USA Today title in 1995. They won it in ’83, ’92, and ’95 and North Hills in ’87. Obviously the rankings are an art and open to a lot of subjection. I think the ’98 CB West and ’04 PCC teams were arguably the best in the nation.
Not So Much…
Glad you’re not commenting on the officiating because it would be laughable to think that the home team from a vastly more affluent school district was getting “it” from the refs…in the league’s marquee game of the weekend.
As far the composure comment fine, apologies. They didn’t lose it. Multiple Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are not indicative of that. Their best player didn’t play because he wasn’t injured.
@rrmarks they will still dominate if they move to three or four a. Please majority of the players live with in four mile of the school why travel to northeast, Washington, and Frankford where there’s a two to three buses to catch when u can walk or mom can drop u off in 10 min.
@SteveS, you shouldn’t make statements that reflect negatively on a coach (like running up scores)and then say you were just “embellishing”.
You said Rinella was a senior not me, I know he’s a sophomore and I also gave you his name, it’s Rinella not Spinella. If you were credible, you’d at least get the basics right.
You were asked to specify when coach Gordon left his starters in up 35 points as you had stated he did numerous times; you can’t name one instance. Enough said.
Wow, 90 on the roster?! One source has Imhotep’s male enrollment at 285. Yes MALE enrollment is the important number. The percentage that play football is approaching 33%. ONE THIRD… That just doesn’t make sense.
@That Guy Philly
I sure can hope for fair competition within classifications that make sense. If over a quarter of your male enrollment plays football, and it is not due to some freak football frenzied town phenomenon, I think there is something wrong with being lumped in with teams dressing half as many.
@Mark
Why move up cause a lot of students wanna play a sport at a school and imhotep dresses most of them but imhotep enrollment is only about 600 or 500 kids in the school and about 90 of them play football
Imhotep has great kids, great coaches… a great program all around. That is not what I meant by “brand of football”. All teams should play by the same rules as far as how their rosters are comprised. Classification can no longer simply be defined by enrollment numbers alone. In a public school, the number of male students who wish to play football is defined by those male students who wish to play football and live in that district… cut and dried. In a prep or charter school, male students can transfer into the school simply to play football. Hence, you see an Imhotep have twice as many players on the roster as some other AA teams. I say Imhotep should be in a higher classification without a doubt.
Philly boy,
Berwick won two USA Today National Titles, ’83 & ’92.
@Rollie Ciffo-
PG had 34 yards at half. On 20 plays. They had 60 on 40 plays at the end of the 3rd. That is a FACT. I wouldn’t be so boastful comparing them to Berwick.
I won’t comment on the officiating, because it will not change the outcome and it would diminish a great game on both sides. But it was interesting to say the least.
I would NEVER call out 16, 17 or 18 year old kids on losing their composure. But you chose to do that on an on-line forum. You DON’T know those kids. I find that very disrespectful. You have your opinion, and that is fine, However, your view and analysis is very myopic.
It was a hard fought game and both teams deserve better than your analysis. I wish PG well moving forward. They are a good football team and well coached. It was a battle.
Imhotep 83 !!! Points in one game starters came out in 1st quarter 40-0 in 1st quarter
@o l coach
Look back at Ryan, Judge, RC last year. I embellished some scores but when you are up by 3or 4 TD’s, put the kids in the game. go back to 2010.
Spinella is a sophmore. Substitute in Tamar Turner. Irregardless these guys saw limited to no time last year and as seniors should have had some decent playtime last year.
LaSalle 28 – Arch Ryan 14 and it wasn’t even that close. LS lead 21- zip at halftime and dominated. Ryan nowhere near ready for prime time.