Gratz’s quarterback King Salley, who was a perfect 10-for-10 passing
PHILADELPHIA, PA — King Salley thought for a moment, and the Gratz Mastery Charter 6-foot-2, 212-pound junior quarterback took another few seconds to think some more. You could almost see the thought bubble form over his head, “The last time I was perfect in a game … the last time I was perfect in a game … the last time I was perfect in a game.”
Salley could never come up with an answer, because he was never perfect in a game—until Saturday.
Salley completed a perfect 10 of 10 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns in Gratz’s 39-9 dominance over Bartram in a Philadelphia Public League B Division game.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-2 overall with the victory and clinched their first Pub Division B title in program history, while Bartram fell to 6-3.
Salley, along with the 148 yards rushing from senior tailback Amar Woodson, have quietly kept Gratz winning, despite the program undergoing a recent major change, when Gratz principal—and former Gratz coach—Erik Zipay took over the team the last three weeks in place of dismissed Gratz coach Albie Crosby.
The players have remained together and they continue to win.
The Bulldogs, who are Class 4A, will play the top Class 4A team from the Philadelphia Catholic League. Salley, who transferred in to Gratz from Neumann-Goretti, won his eligibility hearing to play in the postseason.
He started strong and ended stronger. Four of his 10 completions went for touchdowns of 51, 15, 31 and 56 yards.
The Bulldogs were dominant, although they were their worst enemy. They were flagged 16 times for 170 yards.
“I have trust in my receivers, and I knew once they caught the ball, they could all run,” said Salley, who has offers from Delaware State, Akron and Syracuse. “It was pitch-and-catch. We do need to clean up the penalties. We need to play with more discipline. I have to think about that, though, perfect in a game, perfect in a game, actually, no I was never perfect in a game before. This is a first.”
The Bulldogs scored on all four of the offensive drives in the first half, and Jamie Boyer returned a pick-six 35 yards. By halftime, Gratz led 32-3.
“I know King completed a lot of passes, I didn’t know he completed all of them,” Zipay said. “King is really a dynamic young man who excels in and out of the classroom. We have a lot of young talent, and King has been an exceptional leader. He is working is way to being a Power 5 quarterback. He has the poise, the character, everything you want in a quarterback, and he has a rocket for an arm.”
Bartram had its moments, too, especially senior receiver Stephan Green, who caught a game-high five passes for 105 yards. Many were of the highlight reel type against top talent. Green caught one sideline pass over his shoulder from a seemingly impossible angle, yet secured the ball and tapped both feet in bounds. Perhaps his most impressive catch came between two defenders who crunched him, yet he held on.
“Offensively, we should have done way better,” Green said, who has not received any college offers yet. “We needed more intensity in the first half. We were a little shaken up in the first half. We made some adjustments in the second half, talked it out, and came out with a lot of energy.”
The Braves are a Class 3A school, and have the talent to make some noise in the postseason.
Bartram coach JD Ockimey was happy with the way his team competed, but “If we made our adjustments earlier, and used more experience on the offensive line, the outcome would have been closer,” he said. “We finished the game putting some fight in the game. They landed the haymaker in the first half, and we were too stunned to recover. I didn’t like how we started the game, but I did like how we finished it.”
Scoring Summary
Simon Gratz (7-1) 12 20 7 0-39
Bartram (6-3) 3 0 0 6-9
1st Quarter
SG – Joe Melonson 51 pass from King Salley (run failed), 7:25
B – Kemokai Mohammed 23 FG, 2:44
SG – Amar Woodson 74 run (kick failed), 1:00
2nd Quarter
SG – Jamie Boyer 35 INT return run (Nick Guedes kick), 11:00
SG – Melonson 15 pass from Salley (Guedes kick), 8:46
SG – Semaj Thomas 31 pass from Salley (kick failed), :55
3rd Quarter
SG – Nehemiah Coston 56 pass from Salley (Guedes kick), 7:32
4th Quarter
B – Toney Freeman 20 pass from Tyler Freeman (pass failed), 11:36
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.