Scholastic Slants

(by Tom Aubrey)

(This article, from the Kenrick area newspaper was written November 9, 1962, before the game was played.

Neshaminy won the game 20-6. It was game 19 of The Streak.)

NESHAMINY HIGH SCHOOL football teams have become a legend in their own time. They are the undisputed kings of Southeastern Pennsylvania scholastic gridirons and, as such, the topic of conversation whenever football buffs gather to discuss the great powerhouses of the modern era.

Neshaminy represents might.

To rival coaches, it is a virtually indestructible machine, put together by a dedicated perfectionist named John Petercuskie. Call in an ‘experiment in terror,’ if you will, but to its fans it is the apotheosis of schoolboy competition, a team which must be seen to be fully appreciated.

A mounting feeling of expectation, which first swept through Our Town with the announcement a month ago that Bishop Kenrick High would play Neshaminy on Nov. 9^th at Langhorne, is nearing a crescendo tonight as the final hours prior to the Knight’s greatest challenge swiftly pass by.

Rotund Dan Hoey, the genial Kenrick coach who has himself become synonymous with success in the parochial football circuit, offered his appraisal of Neshaminy High while wolfing down a hearty meal at the Coaches-Writers Roundtable conclave at General Washington Country Club.

“Tremendous organization and extreme simplicity, a study in contrasts, constitutes the foundation upon which (Coach) John Petercuskie has built his juggernaut” Hoey offered. “There are four junior high schools in his area and all four run the single wing offense.”

‘Organigation and Simplicity’

Have Helped Make Neshaminy

Football Teams A Legend

By the time these kids enter Neshaminy,” Hoey figures, “they have mastered the fundamentals of single wing, the rest is simply a matter of perfecting their skill because 80 percent of the Redskin offense consists of running through tackle or around end. There is no fancy stuff to learn; they don’t try to camouflage a thing.

“In fact,” Dan recalled, “they just ‘double team’ and ‘trap’ you to death, all the while holding on to that ball. They ALWAYS run to the right; only on a reverse do they left – and its ALWAYS left. When they’re near a first down, they ALWAYS run the left halfback over the ‘strong side’ tackle.

When “55” comes into the game – he’s Phil Lange, 6’ 1” 176 pound end – they ALWAYS throw to him on the next play and the pass is ALWAYS deep. Lange doesn’t cut right or left or even try to fake; he just turns on the speed and leaves the defense behind. A William Tennant defender played Lange 21 yards deep on Monday and still this kid had the defender beat.

“What I’m saying is this,” Hoey summarized, “they don’t care whether or not you know what they’re going to do, they’ll just do it just the same and defy you to stop them. I think their record of 54 wins out of the last 56 games speaks for itself. If you get in the road, they simply overpower you!”

“As far as organization goes,” Hoey began anew after a few more morsels of chow, “they have punting teams, punt receiving teams, kickoff teams, kickoff receiving teams, field goal kicking teams, a defensive squad appropriately called “The Savages” and a ‘Bomber Squad’ which takes over when Neshaminy gets inside your 20-yard line.

“They dress 55 players for every game and use just about all of them,” Hoey added. “There was a time when the ‘fifth’ team would come out at 7:30 and warm up for the 8:15 kickoff, the ‘fourth’ team would come out at 7:40 and so on, but they don’t do that anymore, now they all come running out at once. I don’t know which is worse!”

WHILE WAITING FOR DESSERT, Dan continued: “I do know that another big item in the Redskins ‘Success Story’ is that they don’t make mistakes nor are they penalized. I’ve been watching Neshaminy play football for five years – long before Kenrick considered playing them – and its rare that they get penalized.

“The William Tennant game was the first time in five outings this season they’ve been assessed – and that was a 15-yarder for illegal use of the hands (holding). They quickly made up for that by converting two Tennant first period fumbles into a 13-0 lead. When you play Neshaminy, mistakes cost you touchdowns.

“And, they are ‘hungry’ for touchdowns! I’ve seen them call timeout twice in the final 12 seconds of a half when the other team had the ball and was trying to ‘kill the clock.’ The object was to save enough time for one more TD, even though they already had an insurmountable lead.”

“To give you another example of how ‘hungry’ they are, William Allen had just tied Neshaminy, 14-14, in the final 58 seconds of their classic this year. The Redskins took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Allen 24 in three plays where they had a fourth-and-four situation.

They brought in their field goal specialist. The kick wasn’t long enough – went under the crossbar by about a foot and Neshaminy had to settle for a tie – the only blemish, incidentally, on a record of eight straight wins.”

“On the way out of the stadium that night, two ‘Old Grads,’ bedecked in proper Redskin colors, were discussing the field goal try. “To bad the kid missed,’ said one, bet Petercuskie has him out practicing early tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow afternoon, nothing,’ replied the other gent, “Big John’ will have him out at 6:30 AM!”

Yet in a more somber moment, Dan Hoey confessed he expects to “surprise a lot of people” tomorrow night. And who is to say a man such as he, whose dedication to victory is firmly bolstered by an impressive 57-14-1 record, will not harness this mighty Neshaminy team? Winning is his business and upsets are his specialty.

In the final analysis, it must be remembered, individual skills cannot be measured by the mathematics used by ‘accountants’ of the game. Football is one of the few sports in which girls do not compete – where games are won and lost by desire and determination, or lack of it.