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There are too many articles for one page so the
articles section is broken down into 4 separate
pages. |
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General
Articles |
District
One Playoffs |
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Cumberland Valley |
Woodland Hills |
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NeshaminyFootball.com would like to thank the following
Newspapers for the use of these articles: |
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The
Bucks County Courier Times
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The
Trentonian
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The
Patriot News
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The
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Woodland Hills Progress Star
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Post
Gazette (W.H.)
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The
Bucks County Intelligencer
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The
Sentinel (Carlisle, PA)
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Weather, injuries
down Woodland Hills
in state title game |
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By Brian
Knavish,
Sports
editor |
December 12,
2001 |
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HERSHEY, Pa. -
Woodland Hills
junior Ryan Mundy
stood outside his
team's locker room
Saturday night with
his hood pulled
tightly over his
head and tears in
his eyes. His team
had just fallen to
Neshaminy, 21-7, in
the PIAA Class AAAA
Championship Game.
"We worked so hard
all year," he said.
"For it to end like
this hurts really
bad." |
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Woodland Hills
played the game amid
an all-day downpour
that left the field
at Hersheypark
Stadium a pit of
mud. Speed is
Woodland Hills'
biggest weapon, and
the muddy conditions
clearly slowed down
the Wolverines'
attack.
"Weather is a
great equalizer for
speed," said
Woodland Hills coach
George Novak. "Our
defense is
predicated on speed,
and we couldn't do
what we normally do
because the speed
wasn't there."
Furthering the
hardships for
Woodland Hills was
an ankle injury to
star quarterback
Steve Breaston that
put him on the
sideline for much of
the the game. Both
of Breaston's ankles
have been injured at
times this season,
and those injuries
seemed to linger.
His absence
further hindered the
Wolverines' attack
and damaged the
team's psyche.
"He's been the
engine behind us,"
said Woodland Hills
lineman Brian Borgoyn. "It took
the air out of us
when we didn't have
him."
Breaston
scored the lone
Woodland Hills
touchdown and gained
76 yards on 16
carries, an
especially low
output for the
Pennsylvania
Gatorade Player of
the Year. He left
the game in the
second quarter after
twisting his ankle
on a run. He
returned after
halftime, but left
again with 11:34
left in the fourth
quarter and never
returned.
Breaston
wanted to continue
playing, but the
team's trainers
wouldn't allow it.
"It's the last
game of my high
school career," he
said. "I wanted to
go back in, but I
had two ankles
messed up and
couldn't."
Breaston
finished the season
with 1,718 yards
rushing on 151
carries, an average
of 11.4 yards per
carry. He rushed for
24 touchdowns and
returned two punts
for touchdowns. He
also completed 33 of
69 passes for 590
yards with eight
touchdowns and two
interceptions.
Neshaminy is a
power running team,
and their
effectiveness wasn't
much affected by the
mud. Running back
Jamar Brittingham
churned out 157
yards on 30 carries
to give him 2,575
yards rushing and 30
touchdowns this
season.
He scored two
touchdowns,
including a 45 -yard
burst in the fourth
quarter. He caught
four passes for 106
yards and even
completed one pass
for 32 yards.
The rainy
conditions also
caused Woodland
Hills to fumble
seven times.
Although they didn't
lose any of them,
the fumbles
continually put
Woodland Hills in
long-yardage
situations.
Running back
Kareem Dutrieuille
gained 86 yards on
20 carries to finish
the season with
1,640 yards.
After
Rochester,
Washington and West
Allegheny each won
earlier in the
weekend, the
Woodland Hills loss
prevented the
first-ever WPIAL
sweep at the PIAA
Championships.
"When the
coaches told us we
had a chance (to
create a WPIAL
sweep), it put
pressure on us, but
it shouldn't have
made a difference.
We've had pressure
on us all year,"
said Borgoyn."
Despite the
obvious
disadvantages, Novak
and his team refuses
to use the mud or Breaston's injury as
an excuse.
"We would have
liked to play in
Miami in the sun
with Steve healthy,"
said Woodland Hills
coach George Novak.
"But I give them
credit. They've got
a good football
team."
The players
were equally as
humble.
"We knew (the
mud) would affect us
a little, but
Neshaminy played a
great game," said Borgoyn. "They had a
great game play.
The
just beat us."
Breaston was
visibly upset with
the loss but also
refused feel sorry
for himself.
"They played
on the same field we
did,' he said. "You
can't make excuses."
©Woodland Hills
Progress Star 2001
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'Skins state
champions
Neshaminy
21, Woodland
Hills 7
 |
Neshaminy quarterback Jason Waiter calls the signals during the Class AAAA state title football game Saturday in Hershey.
(Photo: Bill Johnson/Courier Times) |
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Neshaminy 21, Woodland
Hills 7
Neshaminy
defends East honor
PIAA FOOTBALL
Redskins finish 15-0
season with 1st title
Sunday, December 09, 2001
By Rod Frisco
Of The Patriot-News
It all went right for Neshaminy High School last night.
The weather. The
injuries. The penalties.
And, most of all, Jamar
Brittingham.
After tight-roping
through much of last night's
PIAA Class AAAA football
championship game with
Woodland Hills, Neshaminy
pulled the trigger in a big
way in the second half to
subdue the Wolverines 21-7.
With a 15-0 record and
the PIAA championship
trophy, Neshaminy not only
did itself a big favor by
claiming its first state
championship but spared the
East the dreaded West sweep.
After WPIAL teams had won
the first three games of
championship weekend,
nationally ranked Woodland
Hills (14-1) appeared poised
to make it the first western
sweep in the 14-year history
of the state playoffs and
give the WPIAL its first
Class AAAA title since 1995.
But Neshaminy had a few
things going for it.
First was the weather. A
day-long, soaking rain that
started with snow flurries
flooded Hersheypark Stadium,
considerably slowing the
fast track that Woodland
Hills craved.
Then, with 4:03 left in
the first half, Woodland
Hills quarterback Steve
Breaston sprained an ankle
that had been injured
before. Although he returned
for the second half,
Breaston left for good early
in the fourth quarter, a
warrior carried off on his
shield.
At that, Woodland Hills,
clearly a tremendous team,
was very much in this game.
Leading 7-6 at the half,
the Wolverines used a pair
of spectacular completions
from Breaston to first Brian
Coleman for 31 yards and
next Ryan Mundy for 19 yards
to set up at the Neshaminy
19.
On third-and-1 at the 10,
the Wolverines were hit for
an illegal shift, wiping out
Kareem Dutrieuille's scoring
run. It was huge.
Breaston made the yardage
with a 5-yard run back to
the 10. On fourth-and-1, the
Wolverines went back to
Dutrieuille but the
Neshaminy defensive front
swallowed him up for no
gain.
Even more huge.
"It could have been 14-6,
and we would have had all of
the momentum," Woodland
Hills head coach George
Novak said.
"Sure, I'd have to [call
that the game's turning
point]," Neshaminy coach
Mark Schmidt said.
Now enter Mr.
Brittingham.
Brittingham, who would
finish with 157 yards
rushing and two touchdowns
and become the only runner
in the championship weekend
to crack 100 yards, turned
the game around with his
arm.
On the first playing
following his team's stop of
Woodland Hills, Schmidt
ordered Brittingham to throw
a halfback pass from just
beyond his own goal line.
A thing of beauty it was
not. Brittingham's lefty
throw lipped off of his wet
gloves but made it to a
held-up Keith Ennis for 32
yards.
Given breathing room, the
Redskins executed a superb
drive that included two
snappy throws from
quarterback Jason Wiater to
tight end Scott Mullin for
17 and to Brittingham for 13
on a screen. Brittingham
then slid in from the 4 with
2:58 left in the quarter to
give Neshaminy the permanent
lead at 14-7.
Still Woodland Hills
wasn't through. With
Breaston running sweeps on
his gimpy ankle, the
Wolverines charged into
Neshaminy territory only to
lose momentum and Breaston
for the game when the latter
was trapped on an option.
That was the last play of
Breaston's high school
career. Neshaminy would
drive and miss a 32-yard
field goal by freshman
kicker Kevin Kelly with 6:26
left, but with Breaston out
Neshaminy sealed the game
with interceptions by Justin
Edwards and Erik Pederson.
Edwards' pick at the
Woodland Hills 45 was
followed by Brittingham's
45-yard explosion up the gut
for the final score with
5:54 to play.
"Brittingham? He's the
best back in the [darn]
state," Schmidt said. "You
can write that any way you
want to, but he's the best."
After last night, so too
was Neshaminy.
Rod Frisco may be reached
at 255-8122 or rfrisco@patriot-news.com.
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Neshaminy
continues its league's
dominance
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
By Rod Frisco
Of The Patriot-News
We promise.
No more yap about
blistering rainstorms,
swampy playing fields,
twisted ankles, what-ifs,
maybes and shoulda-couldas.
You have your 2001 PIAA
football champions, and they
are to be congratulated. So
we shall.
Neshaminy especially
comes in for unrestrained
applause, not just because
it took out highly regarded
Woodland Hills on Saturday
night, but the way the
Redskins did it.
Neshaminy bombed that
team. And that wasn't
supposed to happen,
according to the state
scholastic football
intelligentsia, such as it
is.
The talk was Woodland
Hills speed, then its speed,
then a little more about its
speed. And while the mushy
track at Hersheypark Stadium
did have an effect on
Woodland Hills (oops, we
weren't going to mention
that), it was Neshaminy en
toto that had the greatest
effect.
Consider that Neshaminy
snapped the ball 39 of 51
times (not including
penalties or kicks) in
Woodland Hills territory.
The only thing that kept it
from being a rout was
Neshaminy's own failures in
scoring position.
That game, far more than
CB West's string of three
consecutive Class AAAA
titles from 1997-99, tells
to ignore bluster from the
western half of the state
about their powerhouses
until they actually perform.
A WPIAL Class AAAA team
hasn't won a championship
since Penn Hills whacked
Lower Dauphin in 1995, and
only one western team, Erie
Prep's all-star outfit last
year, has won in the
interim.
And it confirms again
that the Suburban National
One Conference in suburban
Philly is the king of
Pennsylvania high school
football. There is no other
possible conclusion.
Oh, yes, we're well aware
of the WPIAL championships
in the other three classes:
West Allegheny in AAA,
Washington in AA and
Rochester in A.
The same thing that can
be said about Neshaminy and
its league in Class AAAA can
be said about Rochester and
its league in Class A. It
has been simply dominant in
the state playoffs, and we
have adjusted our rankings
to reflect that.
Possibly we should have
done the same in AAAA,
elevating the likes of CB
West, CB East, Pennridge and
North Penn into the top 10.
If they had just not beaten
up each other so much.
In Class AAA, serious
plaudits are due West
Allegheny quarterback Tyler
Palko, the likely choice for
The Associated Press Big
School Player of the Year.
Executing his father and
head coach Bob Palko's game
plan to near precision,
Palko showed why he was one
of the "wow" players in
Pennsylvania this year.
Lucky Pitt, eh?
In Class AA, Pen Argyl
head coach Roy Cortez, who
probably should be the Small
School Coach of the Year,
but will likely yield to
Washington's Guy Montecalvo,
came up with the line of the
weekend.
When asked about
Washington's blurry
backfield, most of whom
combined to set a WPIAL
record in the 400-meter
relay last year (with
Montecalvo as track coach,
by the way), Cortez snorted.
"They're not running in
lanes out there, you know,"
he said. "People get in the
way on a football field."
There's a lot to like
about Cortez, a former
Easton assistant who has
brought a no-excuses
approach to the little town
in the Slate Belt.
When we called him to
chat about the state title
game, we casually mentioned
how the Mountain Valley
Conference, comprised of the
Lehigh Valley's biggest
schools, tended to
overshadow Pen Argyl and its
Colonial League
counterparts.
Without hesitation,
Cortez spat out, "The
Mediocre Valley Conference,
you mean."
Now we know why Pen Argyl
has run to the top of Class
AA football in this state.
Rod Frisco may be reached
at 255-8122 or rfrisco@patriot-news.com.
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PIAA AAAA
CHAMPIONSHIP
Hail to the
Redskins!
Neshaminy
completes
its
fantastic
15-0 season,
knocking off
favored
Woodland
Hills to
claim the
area's first
state
football
title.
By
ANTHONY
STITT
Courier
Times
HERSHEY -
In the rainy
December
chill, on
the slop of
a football
field, among
the mud and
muck and
gunk, it
happened.
Amazing.
Delirium.
Destiny.
It's
over.
It's the
Neshaminy
Redskins -
the best in
the state,
the PIAA
Class AAAA
football
champions -
yes,
champions.
"You
can't
describe
it," said
Neshaminy
linebacker
Pat Carroll,
his smile
nearly
aglow, his
body
encrusted
with mud. "I
don't think
I'll ever
feel like
this again."
Who will?
Like
war-torn
gladiators,
caked in
dirt and
sweat,
emblazoned
with
determination
and dreams,
the Redskins
soared into
history
yesterday,
beating
Woodland
Hills, 21-7,
in the
glorious Mud
Bowl.
The
Redskins are
the
first-ever
area
football
team to
bring back a
AAAA title
to Lower
Bucks.
"It was
the greatest
game," said
Neshaminy
quarterback
Jay Wiater.
It wasn't
easy,
though.
It was
brutal.
Sure, the
score has
Neshaminy by
two
touchdowns,
but the
anxiety was
thick and
heavy for
most of the
evening.
In the
beginning,
Neshaminy
beckoned its
star running
back Jamar
Brittingham.
It was Brittingham
and only
Brittingham.
It was like
Schmidt
declared:
"Try and
stop our
man" - the
guy who
entered the
day with 28
touchdowns
and 2,418
rushing
yards.
On the
opening
drive,
Brittingham
rumbled for
48 yards on
seven
carries and
even nabbed
a 5-yard
pass. He was
involved in
all eight
plays of the
Redskins'
first drive.
And even
though, the
Redskins
failed to
score - they
missed a
32-yard
field goal -
it was a
portent of
play calls
to come.
|
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|
Steve
Brett
(77)
and
Brian
Burke,
right,
of
Neshaminy
have
plenty
to
cheer
about
following
the
Redskins’
victory
over
a
devastated
Woodland
Hills'
team. |
For most of
the evening,
Brittingham
slipped and
slid,
rumbled and
rolled and
splashed on
the swamp of
a playing
surface. He
ran the ball
30 times for
157 yards
and two
touchdowns.
He also
caught four
passes for
96 yards.
"It was
hard out
there. It
was hard
running
because it
was so wet,"
Brittingham
said. "I
just ran for
power. If I
happened to
break a
tackle, then
I'd break
free. The
game plan
was power."
All
Schmidt had
to do was
mix it up a
little bit.
And he
did just
that -
perfectly.
Note the
second drive
of the game:
The Redskins
started on
the
32-yard-line
of Woodland
Hills -
beautiful
field
position.
And they
took
advantage.
The
offense
diversified
its attack
and spread
the ball
around.
First,
Wiater hit
tight end
Geoff
Donahue with
a 9-yard
pass, then
Brittingham
skated 9
more yards.
Then, it was
fullback Jay
Collins'
moment.
Collins
pounded
through the
line for
four yards,
and then
polished off
the drive
with a
3-yard
touchdown
run. The
Redskins
botched the
point-after,
with kicker
Kevin Kelly
attempting a
pass.
Still, it
all looked
so wonderful
- as
wonderful as
could be,
considering
the sloppy
environs,
with the
Redskins
winning,
6-0, heading
into the
second
quarter.
"We knew
we had to
run the
football,"
Schmidt
said.
But,
wait...
Oh, the
football
gods have a
way of
decreeing an
event of
trepidation
whenever the
Redskins
play.
Remember,
this is
Neshaminy -
a team which
routinely
strolls the
razor's
edge, a
squad of
heart-stoppers,
who rallied
from a 12-0
halftime
hole last
week to beat
Cumberland
Valley.
So, of
course,
Woodland
Hills
battled back
when
quarterback
Steve
Breaston
scored a
one-yard
touchdown.
Yes, 7-6,
Woodland
Hills.
It would
stay that
way heading
into the
half. It
looked as if
Neshaminy
had
encountered
an equal, as
Woodland
Hills seemed
to have the
size and
speed the
Redskins'
other
postseason
opponents
didn't have.
Schmidt
remained
unflappable.
He
actually was
as gutsy as
ever.
On
Neshaminy's
first play
of the
second half,
Schmidt made
the call:
Halfback
option,
Brittingham
to pass.
|
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|
Neshaminy
coach
Mark
Schmidt
signals
#1
as
he
walks
off
the
field
after
his
team's
21-7
victory
over
Woodland
Hills
for
the
state
championship
football
title. |
Brittingham
faked a dash
to the left,
then coiled
his southpaw
arm, and
winged a
bomb to wide
receiver
Keith Ennis
- a 31-yard
completion.
Sound
familiar?
Well,
yes. During
the season,
Brittingham
completed 5
of 7 passes
for two
touchdowns
on similar
plays.
It was
the
Brittingham
pass which
ignited the
fuse
yesterday.
He would end
up scoring a
4-yard
touchdown to
cap off the
drive he
initiated
with his
throwing
arm. And
deep into
the fourth
quarter,
he'd zip for
45 yards for
the
game-sealing
touchdown.
Offensively,
Brittingham
did it
again, as if
he were
playing on
stone-dry
turf, as he
scored
touchdowns
29 and 30,
an area
record.
Yesterday,
it was also
the tenacity
of
linebacker
Pat Carroll,
who racked
up 14
tackles, the
most in the
game.
It was
also the
savvy of
Wiater, who
hit a
variety of
targets for
150 yards.
Somehow, he
gripped the
slick ball
and
completed 9
of 11
passes,
completing
throws to
four
different
receivers.
NESHAMINY
21, WOODLAND
HILLS 7
Player
of the game:
Jamar
Brittingham,
30 carries
for 157
yards and
2TDS. He
also caught
4 passes for
96 yards.
Play of
the game:
Neshaminy's
big
defensive
stop of
Woodland
Hills on a
fourth-and-two
at the
Redskins' 10
in the third
quarter.
Stat of
the game:
Neshaminy
linebacker
Pat Carroll
racked up 14
tackles.
Sunday,
December 9,
2001
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Neshaminy
has grand
homecoming
A convoy of
fire engines
and rescue
vehicles
greeted the
state champs
after the
Redskins'
21-7 win
over
Woodland
Hills on
Saturday.
By MARK
SCHIELE
Courier
Times
LANGHORNE -
They came
home to a
reception
fit for
heroes.
Which, in
reality, is
what the
members of
the
Neshaminy
High
football
team have
become after
capturing
the PIAA
Class AAAA
championship
by defeating
Woodland
Hills
Saturday
night in
Hershey.
Even
before the
Redskins
finished
celebrating
their 21-7
victory and
had packed
their 15-0
record on
buses for
the
two-hour-plus
ride home,
they were
already the
talk of the
town.
And the
town was
waiting for
their
champions.
When the
buses
carrying the
players
pulled off
the
Pennsylvania
Turnpike at
Exit 28,
they were
greeted by a
horde of
fire engines
and rescue
vehicles
from the
Parkland
Fire Co.,
Trevose Fire
Co. and the
Penndel Fire
Co.
As the
buses rolled
through the
toll booths,
lights
flashed,
sirens
blared and
horns blew
as the
champions
were
welcomed
home in
grand
fashion.
What
followed was
a loud and
flashing
escort from
the
emergency
crews back
to the
Neshaminy
High campus,
where a
crowd of 500
well-wishers
had braved
rain and
chilly
temperatures
to salute
their
gridiron
warriors.
|
 |
|
The
Redskins
pose
with
their
state
championship
trophy
after
returning
from
their
21-17
victory
over
Woodland
Hills
in
Hershey. |
It was a
magical end
to a magical
day for a
magical
team. A team
that, once
again,
battled from
behind to
post yet
another
thrilling
victory.
One of
those
waiting to
salute
Neshaminy's
first
football
state
championship
team was
Alan Ash, a
1979
graduate of
the school.
He was one
of several
fans who
wanted to
share in the
big moment,
arriving
more than an
hour before
the team
came home.
"I
listened to
the game on
the radio,"
Ash said. "I
was bummed I
couldn't go,
but wanted
to be here
when they
came back."
Even
before that,
talk of the
stirring and
sweet
victory in
Hershey was
making news
throughout
the area. At
the Irish
Rover Inn in
Penndel,
manager
Shawn
McIntrye, a
1996
Neshaminy
graduate,
was
celebrating
with several
customers -
also
Neshaminy
alumni.
"I wish I
could have
been there,
but I had to
work,"
McIntrye
said.
"Everyone
that comes
in here is a
Neshaminy
grad. Even
the coaches
come in some
nights.
"We're
making a
banner for
them that
we're going
to hang in
here. It's
gonna say:
'Neshaminy
High, 2001
State
Champions,
15-0.' We're
going to get
it made next
week."
Mike
Carson, a
1990
Neshaminy
graduate,
was also
saluting the
champions.
That, after
a
frustrating
day of not
being able
to find the
game on
television.
"I
couldn't get
it on my
cable TV
[system],"
Carson said.
"I had to
listen to it
on the
radio, but
it was
great.
Neshaminy's
No. 1."
Gary
Bowman, the
superintendent
of the
Neshaminy
School
District,
hustled home
from Hershey
in time to
see the
victory
parade pull
into the
school
parking lot.
It mark the
end of a
long, wet
and exciting
day.
"It was
worth every
drop [of
rain] we sat
in and stood
in [at the
school]," he
said. "I met
them here at
10 a.m. and
gave them
all
Neshaminy
pins.
"We had a
good feeling
[in the
morning]. We
knew our
kids would
find a way
to win, just
like they
have in
every game."
The state
title will
hold a
special
place in
Bowman's
heart,
especially
since he's
retiring
this year
and the team
dedicated
the season
to him in
August.
"It's
probably one
of the
finest
experiences
I've had in
38 years
working in
education,"
he said.
"These kids
brought our
community
together.
They have an
awful lot to
be proud
of."
|
 |
|
Neshaminy
Redskin
Keith
Ennis
smiles
in
his
high
school
gym
after
returning
home
from
Hershey. |
When the
buses
finally make
their way
into the
parking lot,
the
championship
trophy was
prominently
displayed in
the
windshield.
Minutes
later,
Neshaminy
head coach
Mark Schmidt
led the
charge off
the bus,
holding up
the hardware
for any and
all to see.
"It
doesn't get
any better
than that,"
Schmidt said
of the fire
engine
escort back
to the
school. "It
was awesome.
I got goose
bumps."
Parkland
Fire Co.
assistant
chief Bill
Davis, who
spent the
better part
of two hours
planning the
convoy and
keeping tabs
on how close
the buses
were to
home, knew
he was
witnessing a
special
moment.
"This is
one of my
highlights
for the
community
and I'm glad
I got to be
involved in
it," he
said. "I
hope we get
to do it a
couple more
times in the
next few
years. It's
just great
the way the
community
has
supported
these kids."
Monday,
December 10,
2001
|
|
A season
to be
cherished
forever
All season
long, they
never tread
too loudly.
They never
boasted.
They never
pumped arms
of defiance.
They simply
worked. They
won and
worked - and
dreamed.
HERSHEY -
Just before
they
belly-flopped
into the mud
pools like
joyous
children,
just before
they kissed
and hugged
their
parents and
friends,
these young
men - the
conquering
heroes from
Neshaminy
High - had
one last
on-field
meeting with
the
pugnacious
coach Mark
Schmidt.
As the
players
swarmed
Schmidt in a
barrage of
hoots and
grins, the
coach
bellowed:
"All I have
for you is
two words!"
Silence;
then,
Schmidt
bellowed
again, in a
hoarse-voiced
holler that
could curdle
milk:
"STATE
TITLE!"
All
season long,
they never
tread too
loudly. They
never
boasted.
They never
pumped arms
of defiance.
They
simply
worked.
They won
and worked -
and dreamed.
For four
months, they
won game
after game,
battle after
battle. They
knocked off
titans. They
strolled
into a world
of anxiety,
preferring
the
come-from-behind-win
to the
blowout
triumph.
And yes,
the
Neshaminy
Redskins did
it
yesterday,
beating No.
1 ranked
Woodland
Hills, 21-7,
climbing out
of a 7-6
halftime
hole. They
polished off
the
implausible
assignment:
perfection,
15 wins,
zero losses,
winning the
PIAA Class
AAAA title.
They
cried, too,
joyous tears
from tough,
young men.
Fullback
Jay Collins,
who ran for
a touchdown
two hours
earlier,
wrapped his
arms around
his coaches,
mud-juice
trickling
down his
pink cheeks,
the tears of
eternal
youth mixing
with the
mud.
|
 |
|
Neshaminy
teammates
celebrates
their
state
title.
(Photos:
Bill
Johnson/Courier
Times) |
"A whole
bunch of fun
emotions,"
Collins
said, his
eyes still
moist 20
minutes
after the
win. "I'm so
happy. I'm
just
thanking God
and my
mother and
my dad who's
up in
heaven. I
know he's
watching and
he's proud."
The
players
hoisted the
PIAA trophy,
a grand
emblem of
superiority,
one with a
giant gold
football,
and held it
high.
It was a
monolith,
rising above
the ground,
hoisted
above
everyone,
carried in
the muddy
paws of the
best
football
players in
the state.
"It
doesn't feel
like it
should be
over," said
senior
quarterback
Jay Wiater,
who was 9
for 11 for
150 yards
yesterday.
"We played
15 weeks and
we won every
game. My
stomach
feels weird.
There is no
feeling like
this."
"It's
been a long
season,"
said star
running back
Jamar
Brittingham,
who had
perhaps the
greatest
season ever
for an area
back,
amassing 30
touchdowns
and 2,575
rushing
yards.
Afterwards,
Coach
Schmidt's
voice
crackled.
His eyes
fluttered
about,
rapidly
trying to
process the
whirlwind of
happenings.
A moment
later,
Schmidt
embraced the
golden
football,
clutching
the trophy
in one hand,
and held his
4-year-old
daughter
Erica in the
other arm -
a glorious
coach in a
glorious
moment,
looking like
he'd just
might live
forever.
It is his
team - the
team he
assumed duty
seven years
ago, the
team which
finished
1-10 in his
first
season, a
team he has
led to the
Promise
Land.
Just
after the
final
seconds
ticked off
the clock,
the Redskins
splashed
through the
mud.
Thousands
and
thousands of
their
faithful
roared. The
Redskins
engulfed
Schmidt as
he rallied
for one a
final
motivational
message.
Schmidt
bellowed:
"Are you
satisfied?"
"YEAH!"
the players
screamed.
"If you
said,
'Yeah,' give
me a 'Hell,
yeah!'"
Schmidt
bellowed
again.
"HELL,
YEAH!"
And we
are, too. We
are
satisfied.
Thank
you,
Redskins.
But wait,
before the
newspaper
clippings
turn yellow,
before the
memories
fade, before
the young
Redskins
traipse into
adulthood,
hark back 50
years when
legendary
Neshaminy
football
coach Harry
Franks
penned the
words: "Time
will never
dim the
glory of the
Neshaminy
Redskins."
It's
true,
Redskins.
It's true,
particularly
this year.
Redskins,
please heed
the words of
Harry
Franks.
You see,
Redskins,
you played a
lone season,
an
unbelievable
season of
eternal
youth, of 15
wins, of
zero losses,
of hope and
hugs, of
dramatic
triumphs -
of joyous
tears.
You
played a
lone season,
a four-month
long odyssey
which led to
the mountain
top, where
thousands of
your
faithful
packed the
stands to
cheer you to
praise you -
to love you.
You
played a
lone season,
and yet, so
quickly it
is over.
You
played a
lone season,
but you'll
walk
together
forever -
for time
will never
dim the
glory of
you.
Champions!
CHAMPIONS!
Sunday,
December 9,
2001
|
|
The
finest hour
for
Brittingham
Despite all
Woodland
Hills press
and pomp,
Jamar
Brittingham
had definite
plans for
his last
high school
game. And
none of them
included
subservience.
Or defeat.
By JOHN
GONZALEZ
Courier
Times
HERSHEY -
The game was
decided, but
he paced the
sideline
anyway. He
was as
combustible
as usual,
but also
eager to
shed his
favored
disposition
for a smile
and a few
hundred
hugs.
Neshaminy
head coach
Mark Schmidt
is nothing
if not
thorough,
however, so
he refrained
from hooting
and
hollering
with the
rest of the
legions
until the
clock had
completely
exhausted
itself.
Besides,
there was
another play
to run and
an attendant
decision to
be made.
Someone
suggested
handing the
ball off to
one of the
backups. It
was a
suggestion
that made
Schmidt
glare, hard
and pointed
and telling.
"I'm
going with
our guy," he
grumbled.
"He's the
one who got
us here."
Indeed.
While the
Redskins
have
undoubtedly
been a
product of
their parts
this season,
Jamar
Brittingham,
more than
any other,
was the most
significant
contributor.
More than
any other,
he was the
one who
pushed and
carried them
to an
undefeated
season. And,
more than
any other,
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