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Tony Chennault was a bona fide star before even stepping on the court during the 2008-09 school year. This 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard had made a verbal commitment to Wake Forrest University following a stellar sophomore season.
When teams face the Neumann-Goretti Saints, the 17-year-old is the one with the target on his back.
"I knew other players were going to come at me hard, so I always had to be on top of my game," he said.
After racking up his share of individual accolades, Chennault wanted to take things a step further by helping his Saints win Catholic League and City championships. Sure enough, in late February, his Saints accomplished goal No. 1 by defeating rival Roman Catholic 86-53 for the league crown. Chennault did his part with a 19-point effort. Hungry for more, it was off to the District 12 Class AAA title game in which the South Philly squad scored an 80-78 victory over Franklin Learning Center. Chennualt, the ’08-09 Catholic League Blue Division MVP, finished with a game-high 22 points.
Besides his 16.2 points per contest, this athlete excelled in a leadership role for coach Carl Arrigale.
"Tony is very unselfish, he helps his teammates to get better shots. When he plays in that mind-set he’s at his best," Arrigale said.
After guiding his teammates to not one, but two championships, Chennault can add another honor to his basketball resumé — the ’09 Review Male Athlete of the Year Award.
"Going into the season I wanted to be a leader on the team. I led by example. I’ve been in the Catholic League for three years. I wanted to show guys the ups and downs of a season, along with what needed to be done to win a championship," Chennault said.
This standout performer spends countless hours in the gym fine-tuning his game. He isn’t satisfied on being a decent basketball player. This First Team All-Catholic and All-State honoree motivates himself to be the best player he can be.
"I’ve gotten in the gym everyday since my freshman year. I work on adding range to my jump shot, speed and strength. I can always work on adding more tools to my game. Other people are working on their game so I have to work on mine," Chennault said.
Every once in a while, he is confronted by his share of doubters, but this senior to be welcomes the critiques.
"It’s just more motivation for me. I let my game do the talking," he said,
Chennault, who started playing the game at age 10, realized as an eighth-grader that he had Division-I potential. But before stepping on to the big stage of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Chennault has to write the final chapter of his high school story. He enters the ’09-10 season with 1,066 points, which ranks sixth all-time in program history. Steve Benton, a 1985 grad, tops the list with 1,808 points. But priority No. 1 is to leave 10th and Moore streets a winner on and off the court.
"I want to win every game, a state championship and be the State Player of the Year," he said. "I want to get a 3.0 in the classroom too."
Neumann-Goretti came up three wins short of a state title last season, falling to eventual champs Archbishop Carroll in the quarterfinals. Like he did as a junior, Chennault will continue leading the way.
"We have to be hungrier in practice and in our games no matter how many wins we have," he said.
Runners-up
Mark Donato and Joey Armata, Neumann-Goretti baseball
Donato was a key contributor to Neumann-Goretti’s playoff run with three postseason wins and a 0.58 earned run average, helping the Saints win its first Catholic League Title in nearly five decades and first-ever City title. He was a First Team All-Catholic selection.
Armata, a senior, also came up huge as a leader behind the plate. Offensively, this First Team All-Catholic hit .417 and drove in five runs in the Saints championship run.
Ray Tucker, Bok Football
The Wildcats had one major problem to address at the beginning of the ’08 season. Who would replace 1,343-yard rusher Luke Lassiter? Tucker come to be a suitable replacement, rushing for 993 yards and 10 scores. He went on to earn All-Public recognition.
LaRon Byrd, GAMP basketball
The Girard Academic Music Program closed out the ’08-09 season with a new high scorer in the record books, as Byrd closed out his high school career with 1,684 points. Tom Catlett, a 1994 grad, held the previous mark with 1,370 points. Byrd also received First Team All-Public and All-State recognition.
