WEST CATHOLIC 56, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 7

PCL 2A CHAMPIONSHIP

Nov. 1st, 2008


West Whacks Carroll for 3rd Straight PCL Crown


     Even though the West Catholic football team won their third straight Philadelphia Catholic League championship there wasn’t an inordinate amount of celebrating afterwards. The last two years West won titles in their last game of the season. This year’s championship was not the last game of the year. And if the Burrs have any say, then they hope to be playing well into December.


     This is the first year that Catholic League can vie for a state crown. With that, as many as sixteen games can be played. For now, the Burrs will take them one at a time. After pounding Archbishop Carroll, 56-7, next up for the Burrs is Edward Bok Tech from the Philadelphia Public League. This game will be played Saturday at the South Philly super site complex. The game is scheduled for 2 o’clock and a District-12 title will be on the line.


     Once again the Burrs wasted little time dispatching an inferior opponent. West scored three times apiece in the first and second quarters to build an insurmountable 42-0 halftime advantage. By the time the third quarter was through, West had put two more touchdowns on the board for a 56-0 cushion. Eventually, Carroll would break the shutout with a score late in the fourth quarter, but by this time the Burrs were well on their way for another easy victory.


     Doing much of the damage for the Burrs was the one-two punch of senior quarterback Curtis Drake and senior running back Rob Hollomon. On West’s first offensive play Drake sped 44 yards on a keeper. Two plays later he found senior wide receiver Haleem Hayward for an 18-yard touchdown just 1:24 into the game.


     Soon after, it would be R. Hollomon’s turn to dazzle, as he took a Carroll punt and zipped 65 yards for the second Burr touchdown.


     The next time West got the ball back Drake unfurled an ultra-quick 69-yard jaunt to make the score 21-0 towards the end of the opening quarter.


  1. R.Hollomon would follow this up with back-to-back touchdowns. First he zoomed 75 yards and then skipped down the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown. Capping the scoring in the first half was sophomore fullback Albert Campbell with a 12-yard run.

    

    In the second half it was more R. Hollomon, as he scored his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the game. These two covered 10 and 35 yards. In the game, the lightning-quick R. Hollomon rushed for 156 yards on just 5 carries. He also added 108 yards on three punt returns. All total, he accounted for 264 all-purpose yards on eight touches.


     Over the last two weeks R. Hollomon has been a man possessed. He has scored eleven total touchdowns. Ten of these scores have come on rushes, but he has only needed 14 carries to accomplish these numbers. He also has 368 total rushing yards during the two games.


     Not a bad day in the office for Drake either, as he accounted for 240 combined rushing and passing yards. He had 142 rushing yards on 4 carries and passed 3-for-4, for 98 yards.

     All total, the Burrs went off for 502 total yards. The third such time this season they have eclipsed that number. Sophomore running back Brandon Hollomon added 47 yards on 7 carries. Senior wide receiver Eric Young had a 66-yard reception.


     Great offensive line play was once again the theme for the offense. Senior’s Austin Peters, Covisia Wilson, Paul Murtagh, Victor McNair, and junior Jake Zuzek all played well in the trenches. Sophomore tight end Jim Lynch also contributed, while Campbell (2-36) and junior fullback Marcus Burwell (2-19) were solid as lead blockers.


     Defensively, the Burrs got a solid effort from many. Junior defensive tackle John Ruppert made five tackles and had a fumble recovery. Senior defensive end’s Chris Williams and Artis Carroll each made seven tackles. Junior defensive back Ray Manuel notched 5 stops and a pair of pass defends. Junior linebacker’s Bill Tobin (5 tackles) and Dante Dickens (7 tackles) were steady throughout.


     Once again, the Burrs will play for the District-12/City Championship Saturday at 2 o’clock. The location is the South Philly super site complex and the opponent will be Bok.