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Rich Carfagno has experienced his share of Turkey Bowls at 10th and Bigler streets as defensive coordinator of the former St. John Neumann Pirates. But last Thursday, he was on the sidelines in a different role — his first as the Neumann-Goretti Saints head coach.
From past experiences, he knew how much beating Southern meant to players and alumni. It’s why he took preparing for the contest very seriously, scouting the Rams on three separate occasions. Going in, Carfagno said, he considered his squad "the underdogs" against the 6-4 opposition from Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. Unlike his Saints, Southern won the Public League Class AAAA Blue Division title and qualified for the playoffs. His team, on the other hand, had just three victories, including a winless mark in league play.
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But the all-in approach, including three- straight days of practicing in the rain, paid off in the form of a 12-8 victory. The highlight was the four-minute, fourth-quarter drive that started on the Saints 15-yard-line and was capped off by Pat Balmores one-yard touchdown run.
Carfagno said maturity played a big part in the win.
"Had this game been played six weeks ago, we would not have won," the coach said. "Had we not practiced, we lose."
Southern scored the game’s first touchdown on a 52-yard interception return by Sean Allen, who also converted the two-point conversion on a pass from Shaquille Gaskins. Neumann-Goretti made the score 8-6 before the half on Anthony Mastrando’s 24-yard run.
The win makes it four straight for the Catholic school and 53 overall in a holiday tradition that dates back to 1934. Southern closed out the year 6-5 overall while Neumann-Goretti finished 4-7.
