South Philly Review

Share this Story:

The first-half defensive and offensive units for Edward Bok High School, 1901 S. Ninth St., offered a figuratively cold complement to Friday afternoon’s frigid temperatures. Overcoming an unusual three-week break and early resistance from Prep Charter High School, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., the Wildcats regrouped to pulverize the Huskies in the second half to score a 32-0 victory. The Public League AA semifinal triumph at the South Philadelphia super site, 10th and Bigler streets, also secured the first postseason success for Frank “Roscoe” Natale as Bok’s coach.

His team will look to make it two in a row 3:30 p.m. Saturday when it hosts 7-2 Imhotep Charter — a 21-6 winner over Southwest Philadelphia’s Communications Tech — for the league’s Class AA crown.

Playing on back-to-back weeks is a nice change of pace for the local squad, which recently dealt with scheduling conflicts and a forfeit. The Bok athletes yearned to make misery for West Passyunk’s Huskies. Natale’s charges entered with a 7-0 record, with 236 points for and a measly 27 against and immediately had their defensive resolve tested. A 4-4 team, Prep Charter scored 15 of those points in a 42-15 setback Sept. 8 and chewed up seven minutes on its opening drive.

“Let’s go D!” the Bok sideline cried as the Huskies reached the red zone.

A stop on fourth down at the 14-yard line inspired the offense and its leader, running back Shaquil Sammons, to reward the defenders’ duties. After a one-yard gain, the senior and 2010 All-Public pick galloped for an 85-yard touchdown. The point-after attempt failed but the Southwest Philadelphia resident, who ran for 116 yards in the teams’ first tilt, and his mates seemed settled.

Their defensive partners, however, continued to have difficulties stopping Prep Charter’s ground game. Another fourth down stand proved their prowess, and the squads traded punts in the second quarter, with a timely sack by defensive end Jihad Ward, another ’10 All-Public honoree, giving the offense a final chance to flourish before halftime. Though Sammons notched 20 yards on two carries to put the Wildcats in the red zone, no points materialized and they escaped the late October chill to reflect on their stymied schemes.

“Did you think they weren’t going to show up?” Natale, of the 1600 block of South Juniper Street, said to his frustrated players.

The school’s athletic director, he succeeded popular coach Tom DeFelice, who retired in June after 18 seasons as the varsity leader, and has desired to sustain Bok’s reputation as a regional power. Under DeFelice, the Wildcats won 129 games and 13 division titles. The past met the present, as DeFelice attended the game and encouraged the seniors.

“Don’t make any excuses,” the former Bella Vista inhabitant, who last year guided Bok to the District 12 Class AA state subregional final, said to the elders. “It could all be over for you in an hour.”

His successor voiced similar warnings.

“Play your position,” Natale said. “This is not hard. It’s football. It’s not physics.”

Their gusto intensified in the fourth, as Olney resident and senior ironman Omar Bashir intercepted a pass to start the final 12-minute session. Also a running back, the factotum, nicknamed “O,” had shown his offensive talents in the third with a 22-yard dash and rejoiced with both sides of the ball when senior quarterback Marquise Brown pushed the edge to 20-0 with a 28-yard trip to the end zone.

Prep Charter, lauded by Natale for its talent, began to seem resigned to becoming his initial postseason victim. Its offense appeared stunned, as the Wildcats vowed to register its fourth shutout and spoil plans for an upset. When sophomore defensive tackle Mark Webb returned an interception 15 yards for a score, the Huskies’ gumption waned. Another pick added extra frustration.

Natale called on Sammons to punctuate the effort, and the 5-foot-9 figure obliged. A great run following the third swipe put him within two yards of hitting the 200-yard mark for the second time this year. Brown went to Sammons from the Huskies’ 10-yard line, and the fan of Eagles running back LeSean McCoy gave Bok its sixth game with at least 30 points. Another stalled Prep Charter drive removed any remaining suspense, and the Wildcats roared once the final whistle signaled their supremacy.

“Ninety-nine percent of the game is up here,” Natale said to the ballers as he pointed to his head.

The coach is now focused on preparing his gang for this year’s second meeting against the West Oak Lane-based Imhotep Panthers. The Wildcats scored a 24-6 victory in the mid-September clash and will look to duplicate their performance, especially Sammons, who shredded defenders for 196 yards.

“We had a little frustration in the first half,” Sammons said of Friday’s six-point output. “We had a spark in the second half, and my line members picked their heads up. From then, it was on me.”

He noted the switch from DeFelice to Natale presented no challenges, as no matter who coaches, that person earns the Wildcats’ trust.