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Anthony Sample isn’t quite ready to think about next week’s Thanksgiving Day game against Southern. Sure, he wants to graduate with a win over the Rams, but first he hopes to secure his Saints a spot in the Catholic League Blue semifinals, a place Neumann-Goretti hasn’t been since 2003.
To get there, the Saints will have to beat three-time defending champ Archbishop Wood, who they face 7: 30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Northeast High. Neumann-Goretti lost the regular-season meeting, 28-13, and hasn’t beaten Wood since ’02, when it was still an all-boys school.
Sample, a 17-year-old Southwest Philly resident, played a big role in getting his team this far, with close to 500 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. In the Nov. 10 quarterfinal game against Archbishop Carroll, the senior scored on a two-yard touchdown run.
Teammate Mark McPhearson, a senior fullback, tallied the deciding score in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard run. Sample, who also plays defensive back, and junior defensive back Darrell Dulany both had interceptions.
"It’s a good win, no doubt about it," coach Steve Smith said. "[Sample] played a solid game."
It was one year ago when Sample, a three-year starter, and his teammates came out on the losing end against Carroll, 41-27. Sample credits the turn around to a better team attitude.
"It’s our work ethic," the tailback said. "Everyone is working harder in practice. There is no more goofing around."
With McPhearson (1,059 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns) in the backfield, the Saints established a potent one-two scoring punch. Smith also uses Sample as a receiver out of the backfield and a blocker on running plays.
"Playing with McPhearson has made things a lot easier," the tailback said.
So does having senior Mark Hatty at quarterback. Besides his 16 touchdowns, Hatty is the first Neumann-Goretti passer to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He has the school’s single-season record of 1,277 yards, with at least two more games remaining.
"[Hatty] is our leader," Sample, a product of the West Philly Panthers youth football team, said. "We listen to him. He has a big responsibility on his shoulders."
Combined with a strong defense, the Saints have managed to put together their best season under Smith, now in his third year. They finished third in the Catholic League Blue standings with a 5-2 record.
Sample had his best game of the season Oct. 13 against Conwell-Egan when he scored three touchdowns to go along with 145 rushing yards. It gave the South Philly squad its first win over the school since ’02 and an advantage in the Catholic League Blue standings. The tailback also made it into the end zone three times in the Nov. 4 win over Cardinal Dougherty.
"This year, everybody is fired up, everybody is ready," Sample said.
A strong showing the rest of the way could lead to bigger opportunities on the college level for Sample, who is getting looks from I-AA schools William & Mary and Fordham. He also is looking at Temple. The athlete said he’ll put more thought into college, including official visits, once football season ends.
"I think his better years are ahead of him," Smith said.
Bok in states
The Bok Wildcats are back in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAA state tournament representing District 12 for a third-straight season. This time, they’ll face Garnet Valley, the No. 2 seed in District One. For the first time, Bok will play a state game within the city limits at Germantown Super Site 7 p.m Nov. 17.
Garnet Valley is 10-1 overall, which includes last weekend’s 35-7 tournament win over Upper Perkiomen. It’s been outscoring opponents at a 34-11 clip this season.
In their two state appearances, the Wildcats failed to get a point. Like previous tries, the South Philly squad heads into the tournament with an impressive 9-1 overall record, but suburban competition is on another level.
If Bok is going to have luck finding the end zone, they’ll need junior Luke Lassiter, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, to succeed in running the ball. The defense, which has surrendered a total of 26 points all year, needs to have its best game of the season.
Garnet Valley will probably win handily. But go and support those Wildcats.
