The Football Reunion by Jack Coll

The Football Reunion

Let’s Talk About It!

By Jack Coll

January 26, 2015

Former students and members of the football teams that played for St. Matthew’s and Archbishop Kennedy High School will stroll into the Great American Pub on January 30, to gather and shake hands, reminisce, talk about some old times, good times, the good looking girls and the pranks they pulled in school, man they were the best.  But as the evening settles in and the small groups of these former warriors of the grid-iron circle, the game stories, and locker room stories will be told once again.  Only the passes will be a little longer, and the guy that was double-teamed will now be triple teamed, and the running back that ran it in from the three yard line for the winning touchdown, well that winning touchdown has grown over the years and was actually scored from the fifteen yard line, there were two defenders hanging on as they crossed the goal line, but when the story gets told on January 30, I assure you six, maybe seven defenders were hanging on as the touchdown was scored.

As the hours roll on down at the Great American Pub you’ll be sure to hear more than a few names being kicked around the room.  Coaches John McMenamin, who coached in the mid 1960’s, Charlie Heavey, who suffered an untimely death in August of 1955, Vincent Miraglia, who coached for a short time in the 1950’s before leaving to make a stop at Conshohocken before crossing the bridge to become Principle at Bridgeport High school.  Bill Brannau, who coached in the late 1950’s and won a championship in 1958 with a 7-2-1 record in the Eastern Catholic League.  Some of the players attending the reunion might recall Ray Norton who coached the team from 1958-1960.  I think Joe Valerio coached football for a year or two as did Tom Green.  Coach John Hanrahan coached in 1963 when St. Matthew’s took the field against Conshohocken High School, it was the final time the two teams would meet after playing each other for 20 consecutive years.  St. Matthew’s won the game 25-18.  John McMenamin coached with Kennedy and may have been a head coach for a short time.

Of course Chris Bockrath will figure into a lot of conversations and one of his coaches not to be left out would be Frank Suntheimer, “Sunny.”

I covered a lot of football games over the years for the Conshohocken Recorder Newspaper, from the early 1980’s until the school closed in the mid 1990’s.  There were some pretty good teams over that fifteen year span, yea some pretty good teams.  The funny thing is when I sit and think about my time covering Kennedy football I think about a couple of good freshman teams, I don’t know why but they were fun to watch.

The 1983 and 1984 Saints freshman teams were undefeated, the 1984 squad only played five games but scored 129 points allowing their opposition to score a mere 12 points.  The coaches were just as fun to watch, of course Chuck Leahan doesn’t need an introduction to anyone who ever sat in a classroom with him or played a sport under him.  If I remember right Leahan’s supporting cast of coaches included John Staudenmayer who played on a couple of Bockrath undefeated seasons, I think Don Sabia also coached in 1984, all them Sabia boys were good football players and I remember Dave Falcione walking the sidelines.

I think the game I remember most was a 46-6 ass-kicking game with Morrisville.  They also beat up on Lansdale Catholic something like 25-0, I always liked beating Lansdale in anything.  I think Dan McGee was a quarterback on that team, I do remember Peter Balzano, John Days, Brian McTamney, Rob Sassi, and Vince Gambone playing for that team.

I have some old notes in front of me and it looks like Rich Slatowski, Joe Entenman and Robby Gervari also contributed to the Fresh-Saints winning ways.  Oh and of course Jeff Malazita who was a tough kid and George Wolfinger were also on the team.  Ronnie Halas, Mike Abbey, Pete Criscuolo, Mark Mitchell, Rich Parell, Mike Kane, John Jonkowski, Joey Gambino, Chris Fazio, and Joe Poloczuk.  Forgive me if I missed a name or screwed up a name I’m working off some pretty faded notes.

Unfortunately, I’ll remember 1984 as the year Plymouth Whitemarsh snapped Kennedy’s 22 game winning streak beating them 42-23.  Kennedy finished the 1984 season with an 8-1-1 record with standout players like Felix McKeough, Jimmy Borkowski, Steve Borusiewicz, Bobby Blasczak, Harry Magliente, Chris Bello, Jay Guyger, Brian Kelly and a number of other talented players on that team.

The other talented Freshman team I think about from time to time was that 1988 team who had players like Chris Specca, Craig Kaminski, Brian Coll, Andrew Guano, John Storti, Kevin Flanagan and a couple of guys I often got mixed up, Jay Sedgwich and Greg Sedgwich.  The 1988 freshman team posted a 5-1 record, their only loss was a 14-12 away game to Upper Dublin.  I remember it well because at the following practice Head Coach Chuck Leahan talked to the team about the loss with his back turned to the team, he said he couldn’t stand to look at them, and that folks was Coach Leahan. I liked the fact that they kicked the crap out of Wissahickon 30-0, and beat Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-0.

I don’t remember all the kids that played on that team but I do remember Brian DiBricida, Brian Mayall, Daryl Reimel, Lou Brasten, Brendan Kelly, Mark Harrigan, Mike Delucca, Jason Coyne, Frank Lodise and Scott Palmer.  According to my notes a few of the other kids on that team included Paul Bryson, Dave Loughead, Chris Meehan, Mike Preite, I think it was Nick Rauscher, and I always liked Jerry Merlusky, and then there was Joe Tinneny and a number of other players.

Of course we can’t cover the entire history of the Conshohocken Catholic School football history here but we can mention a few names and a few games of interest.  Anyone who played football in Conshohocken in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s should be talking about Tony Moore, a powerhouse running back that left us way too soon.  Georgie Schools was the quarterback in 1959 when Moore played.  I wonder how many former players attending the reunion this week will remember Bobby Hildebrand, George Lochetto, Ed Hanger, Joe Bello, John Storti or Bobby Moore playing back in 1959.

Is it possible that anyone from the 1948 St. Matthew’s Team will be present at the reunion talking about Head Coach Charlie Heavey and his coaches Harvey Borzelleca and Billy Bowe.  Man there were a lot of great players on that 48 squad, Bernie Nagle, Donnie Stemple, Marty Kelly, Danny McTamney, Teddy Lewandowski, Eddie Surmiak, George Kelly, Bill Mascio, Joe Racicot, Bill Blair, Art Kehoe, Joe Root, and Joe Watson just to name a few.  Of course in 1948 Conshy High had a number of standouts on their team including Russell Graham, Michael and Phil Marine, Pete Gravinese, Prosper War, Tony Cassinelli, and Tony Frabezio just to name a few of the Conshy guys.

St Matthew’s High School fielded a school sponsored football team in 1925, 1926, and in 1927 before suspending the football program until 1944.  The school reinstated the program looking to lift the war time spirits of both the students and citizens of the borough.  In 1944 there was Jimmy Gavin, John Burns, Jimmy Fondots, Franny Carr, Jimmy McTammany, Matt O’Connor, Bob Bowe, Ray Borzelleca, Donald Moore, George Lucy and Bob Ehlinger all playing on the St. Matthew’s team along with a number of other students more than 70 years ago.

Maybe Don Staudenmeyer, T. J. McGuire and Chris Bello, Tri-Captains of the 1986 Bicentennial League Championship Team will be at the reunion or maybe we’ll see Mike Kelly or Harvey McCloskey from the 1978 team.  I remember two or three of the Sheedy boys running fleet-footed down the sidelines of the “A” Field, Ronnie Keaser reminded me a lot of Walter Payton when he ran thru the “A” Field.

I’m likely to stop by the reunion, I’ll be the one with a camera strapped to my neck, I’m gonna be that fly on the wall just eves-dropping on the conversations.  I’m gonna wanna hear about the guy who scored four touchdowns in one game when the final score was 10-3, I’m gonna wanna hear about the defensive lineman who took on three blockers and still got the sack, when watching the film you’ll notice the quarterback tripped over his center’s feet and the lineman with three blockers just happen to touch him first while the quarterback was laying on the ground, and I’m gonna wanna hear about the great end zone interception that saved the game on the final play of the game, when we won 37-6.

The guys coming together this Friday night at the Pub are all former warriors of St. Mathew’s/Archbishop Kennedy football teams, their ghost can be seen at Eleventh Avenue and Harry Street, where more often than not they were all victorious under the Friday night “A” Field lights.  And after the game, well it was Friday night after the game, and at 18 years old these guys were king of the world and nothing but good times and broken hearts flowed.

There will be lots of hugs, a ton of smiles, and more than a few game time stories to be told.

It’s only now that they fully realize that they were part of something great, something special, something most all of them will take to their grave, they were, and are warriors of the gridiron.  They provided great memories for their family member’s, they played with pride for their school and for the community.  Playing high school football is something that comes at a very young age and provides a lifetime of memories.

They’ll be there, young and old, catching up for the first time in years for some of them, kids, grandkids, wives, some of them two or three wives, it comes with the story of a lifetime, for most, two or three hours just won’t be enough time to catch-up, but it will be wonderful to see everyone.

I’ll see you on the other side of the reunion, perhaps I’ll have a few reunion stories to tell, but then again, maybe I won’t.

As of Today, January 26, there are a few remaining tickets for the event.

The Great American Pub

123 Fayette Street

(For all the players attending who played in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s,

That address is “The Brown Derby”

To the players who played in the 1970’s, that address is O’Donnell’s Pub.

To everyone else the address is as stated above, The Great American Pub”

January 30, 2015

7:30—11:00

The price of a ticket is $30.00

As of this printing there will be no tickets available at the door

Contact Dan Sheedy—610-296-4828

Each attendee is required to bring a few old stories, a few new stories

A SMILE

Bring an appetite and please exercise the right or left elbow, depending which arm you drink with!

And finally, please leave all your deflated balls at home.

Thank You!

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