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Three years removed from being timid prey for their Public League foes, the Horace Furness High School Falcons have reversed their fortunes and have become courageous predators. They displayed their ferocious ambition last Thursday, pouncing on the Jules Mastbaum Area Vocational Technical School Panthers, 21-0. The team’s second straight shutout victory came under the lights at the South Philadelphia super site, 10th and Bigler streets, and kept coach Anthony Pastore’s squad on track for the most successful season in its four-season existence.
Prior to the opening kickoff, Pastore, of Fifth and Ritner streets, reminded his hungry players of the night’s significance.
“‘If you can’t get excited about this game, you’re not a football player,’” the lone coach in the brief history of the program at 1900 S. Third St. said.
Entering with a 4-1 record, including a 3-0 mark in the Public League’s AAAA Silver Division, the Falcons dominated every facet of the contest. Pastore preaches ball-control offense and smash-mouth defense, and his maturing hunters bewildered the Panthers in the schools’ first-ever meeting.
Stymied on their initial offensive possession, the Falcons turned to junior star Sharif Smith to wear down the opposing defense. The running back made the second drive a success, breaking loose for a 20-yard dash and scoring from six yards out to give his team the lead with seven minutes elapsed.
Smith doubled as a defensive back and contributed to his team’s forcing four first-half turnovers. A student at Academy at Palumbo, 11th and Catharine streets, the Kensington resident can suit up for Furness thanks to a cooperative sponsorship agreement permitting schools with certain sports to unite with those that lack them.
By halftime, the opposition likely wished school officials had never hashed out that agreement, as Smith ran 13 times for 63 yards, 25 of which came on a second-quarter-touchdown run that, with a failed extra point attempt, gave his team a 13-0 cushion.
During the break, the players discussed chatter they had heard from the Panthers, whom they said vowed to show their claws after catching their breath.
“‘Nobody’s ever beaten us in the second half. Defense, you guys have to keep playing hard,’” Pastore, a former defensive coordinator for St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, said before his players continued their war of attrition.
Victor Pastore, the coach’s son and a Furness graduate, serves as the defensive coordinator for his alma mater, and his personnel frustrated every Mastbaum scheme in the third frame, grabbing two more turnovers, including an interception by Smith.
Executing their head coach’s offensive plan, the Falcons devoted 44 of their 48 offensive plays to the run, with Smith earning 28 carries. A three-yard plow by the 6-footer gave the team a 19-0 edge, and following a missed two-point conversion, the younger Pastore’s defenders swooped in to deliver more punishment.
Pinning the Panthers at their own two-yard line, they inspired their coordinator to call for more points.
“I want a safety, I want a safety!” he hollered.
Two plays later, he had his wish, as a gang of Falcons led by senior Nadeem Harris, a Palumbo student of the 2400 block of Mountain Street, dropped a Mastbaum ball carrier in the end zone. The defensive corps notched eight turnovers, including six interceptions, while the offense gave up the ball only once.
“The clock is our friend,” the elder Pastore noted as the seconds and the opponent’s chances dwindled.
Assured of a victory, the coach substituted liberally, removing his workhorse Smith and other key figures. He and his charges have advanced considerably since 2007, when, in their first year, they dropped all 10 games and watched others remove their stars when the games were in hand. A year later, they split 12 games and won six in ’09.
This season, their only blemish has been a a Sept. 16 27-20 non-league loss to Upper Moreland High School. With six games remaining, including today’s 3 p.m. tilt against South Philadelphia High School at 10th and Bigler, they need only two wins to achieve their most accomplished campaign.
As numerous players have contributed on the defensive side, which has surrendered only eight points in the last three games, Smith has sparked the offense. He finished last Thursday’s clash with 142 yards, a hefty number only one yard below his season-high set Sept. 23 against Thomas Edison High School.
In his two-and-a-half seasons, he has run for at least 100 yards 13 times. His total against Mastbaum is the sixth highest of his career, which includes a 256-yard virtuoso effort last season against divisional foe Communications Technology High School.
“Give him a little bit of room, and he’s gone,” Pastore said of Smith.
The agile athlete certainly knows the difficulty of creating that room.
“The offensive line was big tonight,” he said. “The blocking and the playcalling helped me to gain confidence with each touch.”
As for his team’s great run, Smith can site the source.
“Our practice and decision to work hard have made us successful,” he said.
Before disbanding his players, Pastore acknowledged their need to improve if they are to fly away with the division.
“Tonight we did what we had to do. We’re still in first place, baby!” he said.
Perhaps unbeknownst to him, his final point was a perfect description of eager falcons.
“We’re the ones at the top of the mountain,” he said. SPR
Furness schedule/results
Sept. 3 Neumann-Goretti W 24-23
Sept. 11 Central W 26-12
Sept. 16 at Upper Moreland L 27-20
Sept. 24 at Edison W 30-8
Sept. 30 at Olney W 14-0
Oct. 7 Mastbaum W 21-0
Oct. 14 Southern 3 p.m.
Oct. 21 Fels 6 p.m.
Oct. 28 Bok 6 p.m.
Nov. 6 at Germantown 2 p.m.*
Nov. 12 at Bartram 2:30 p.m.*
Nov. 24 at Comm. Tech (10th and Bigler), 3:30 p.m.
*Pending playoffs
Home field: 10th and Bigler streets
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