One of our young staffers had nothing better to do, so he trekked up to the Perzel Center in the heart of Mayfair to catch the Falcons basketball players in the summer league playoffs. On the previous night, the Falcons disposed of Father Judge by over 40 points. But, this night wouldn’t be as easy, as the Falcons would be taking on a very competitive team from Cherokee (NJ). This Cherokee team had some very tall and very athletic players on their team. But, our guys were just as athletic, and probably a bit quicker. During the game, the Falcons built a 25 point lead at one point. During the second half, with their shooting getting a little cold, the Falcons’ lead dwindled to about 10. The Falcons recovered and came away with a 15 point win.
Did You Notice……
….At the scheduled tip-off time (7:00PM), there were only 4 Falcons on the court. (Read On)
….Just prior to game time, a Falcon player was seen leaving the building. From what our staffer was told, that player forgot his sneakers. We’re not mentioning names here. This player’s quick thinking dad figured it would be quicker to head up to the mall and get a new pair than it would be to drive home and back. Now that’s taking one for the team.
….Two other players showed up just prior to tip-off. Tom “Puck” McKenna, statistician extraordinaire, mentioned that these two players were in “Mawuhwin.” After asking him a second and third time what he was saying, it finally dawned on our staffer that he was trying to say “Maryland”.
….In this league, they play two 16 minute halves, instead of four 8 minute quarters. We like the two halves better.
….that late in the second half, the score-keeper couldn’t seem to figure out what the score was. This left coach Lefty Ervin perplexed and he asked for some “adult” help with the scoring.
….the game was getting so far out of hand, it appeared as though Lefty took a short nap while the team was building their lead. (I’m sure he wasn’t sleeping, but from the other side of the gym, it was reported that he looked like he was sawing some logs.)
Faces in the Crowd….
….Keep in mind that this is June, and there are almost 3 months before any North team plays a real game. So, what do you think a Super Fan is to do? That’s right, he shows up for a summer league basketball game in Mayfair. We had not one, but two super fans in attendance for this game. Our young staffer was flanked by Mr Tim Murphy on his right and Mr Ed White on his left. Apparently, both Super Fans needed a NC fix.
….Sitting behind Murph, was his lovely daughter, Erin. Erin recently graduated from Little Flower and is, from what we understand, heading to LaSalle University in the fall. Good luck to Erin from the entire staff at TheFalconNest.
….Also spotted in the stands was JV coaches Guy Moore and Tom Ballard. They are just two of the very knowledgeable coaches on the NC staff.
….Near the end of the game, our staffer reports, he was introduced to Jim O’Connell, who is a North grad from the late 1960’s. Jim lives over in NJ these days and has a son on the Cherokee team. But, I’m sure part of him was still happy with the NC win. Jim and his family are huge supporters of North Catholic. It was real nice seeing him.
….As mentioned earlier, Tom “Hockey Puck” McKenna was in the bleachers filming the game. Not sure who watches these films, but Puck needs something to do in the summer.
North Setting a New Course
Not sure that you heard, but North's President for the past several years, Mr. Stan Witalek resigned his position last Friday. We want to thank Stan for his service and dedication to his Alma Mater.
Archdiocesan city schools are in a world of pain and transition. With the ongoing, worldwide recession pushing unemployment to over 9% and changing city demographics, the neighborhoods that North serves have been greatly impacted. One of the most pivotal jobs at North, is the President. The primary responsibility of the job, is to manage the financial condition of the school. This charge includes, but is not limited to, fundraising.
Within a very short time, North will announce its new President. This person will be the most critical hire that North has ever made. What I am preparing you for, is that this person will reaching out to his fellow Alumnists and other "Friends of North" to continue to our success. This success comes with a cost and a price tag.
Wouldn't it be great to see North build a new field house, or athletic complex out its backdoor? Or how about updating its library, science, media and technology centers? Our goal as adults, parents and Alums should be to help change lives, especially to those who might not have all the opportunities that have and had.
North stands on the precipice of great things. Think about that for a second, a school who has seen its enrollment decline to under 700 boys and yet, succeeds both athletically and academically. This has not been an anomaly. There has not been a year that goes by where North has not won a Catholic League Championship. This year it was soccer, once again. Last year, it was basketball, wrestling and bowling. North is still the dominant debating school in the city. Three years ago, four of our graduates were accepted at Penn, more than any other Archdiocesan high school.
Please, when the call comes, keep an open mind, open your heart and wallet to continue this tradition and make these teen years the best years for these boys, just like they were for all of us.
Archdiocesan city schools are in a world of pain and transition. With the ongoing, worldwide recession pushing unemployment to over 9% and changing city demographics, the neighborhoods that North serves have been greatly impacted. One of the most pivotal jobs at North, is the President. The primary responsibility of the job, is to manage the financial condition of the school. This charge includes, but is not limited to, fundraising.
Within a very short time, North will announce its new President. This person will be the most critical hire that North has ever made. What I am preparing you for, is that this person will reaching out to his fellow Alumnists and other "Friends of North" to continue to our success. This success comes with a cost and a price tag.
Wouldn't it be great to see North build a new field house, or athletic complex out its backdoor? Or how about updating its library, science, media and technology centers? Our goal as adults, parents and Alums should be to help change lives, especially to those who might not have all the opportunities that have and had.
North stands on the precipice of great things. Think about that for a second, a school who has seen its enrollment decline to under 700 boys and yet, succeeds both athletically and academically. This has not been an anomaly. There has not been a year that goes by where North has not won a Catholic League Championship. This year it was soccer, once again. Last year, it was basketball, wrestling and bowling. North is still the dominant debating school in the city. Three years ago, four of our graduates were accepted at Penn, more than any other Archdiocesan high school.
Please, when the call comes, keep an open mind, open your heart and wallet to continue this tradition and make these teen years the best years for these boys, just like they were for all of us.
Football News for the Summer
We know it’s only June, but that means football season is just around the corner. While talking with the guys over at NorthCatholicFootball.com, we got some inside information on some of the changes to that site for the upcoming season. I’ll list those changes later in this article. For now, we wanted to keep you up to date with all of the activities going on with the team this summer.
7 on 7 contests
- Thursday, June 11 at Cardinal Dougherty, 6:00PM
- Saturday, June 13 (ISAA Tournament) at Chestnut Hill Academy, 9:00AM
- Thursday, June 26 at Roman (Location TBD), 6:00PM
- Saturday, July 11 (Tournament) at Haverford School, 9:00AM
- Thursday, July 30 at Hatboro-Horsham, 6:00PM
Rumor has it that there could possibly be more 7 on 7 games and/or tournaments throughout the summer. These contests allow the players in the skill positions (non-line) to work together to get accustomed to one another in their offense and to also get their timing down as we enter the 2009 season.
Football Site
The good folks over at NorthCatholicFootball.com gave us an early preview of some of the changes to their site for the coming season. In addition to game photos and stats and the regular features we have all grown to know and love, they have either already made changes or will make the following changes before the season begins in September:
Additions already implemented
- Home Page – On the left-hand side of the home page, they will show the helmet of the next opponent, the overall record against that team and a link to display the results of those games over the years. On the right-hand side of the page, we have added the tweets from this blog. During the year, when TheFalconNest tweets, using Twitter, those tweets will be automatically added to this space on the home page of NorthCatholicFootball.com. This will be particularly helpful during games, as the quarter by quarter score will be updated for every game, within minutes of the end of a quarter or game.
History Page – All records have been updated through the 2008 season. Also, there is now a link “All-time records against District 12 teams”. If you click on that link, you’ll find every team in the PCL and Philly Pub that North has played over the years, along with the overall record against that team. If you click on the team’s helmet, you’ll see a listing, by year, showing the scores from each of those games over the years.
Resource Page – Some of the old links have been updated and this page continues to be an incredible source of information for parents and players as they move through their high school years and on to the next level.
Calendar - On the top of the right-hand column, there is a link to the team calendar. This calendar has events through December, 2009. Once the schedule is finalized, the times, dates and locations of each game will be posted there, as well on the schedule page.
New Additions which are coming soon
Roster Page – In addition to the team roster (coming in August), the site will include a link to the coaches’ bio page, which will include a photo of each coach, along with a short bio. This will allow fans of NC Football to get to know the coaching staff a little better.
Schedule Page – The staff at NorthCatholicFootball will provide updated google maps for all games (Varsity, JV and Frosh games) so family and fans alike can find the location of each game.
Home Page – Two weeks before the season starts, there will be a season preview, introducing the team and the players to the NC fan base. They will include a preview of the team, key players to watch, as well as expectations for the 2009 season. In addition, each week there will be a game preview, with information on the upcoming opponent, and may include some expectations for that game. After each game, there will be a game summary, including the highlights of the game, stats and game photos.
Alumni Page – This page should become more active, and the main source of information for the new NC Football Alumni Association.
The editors of NorthCatholicFootball.com want feedback from the NC Football community. If you have an idea, suggestion or complaint about that site, just drop them a line at webmaster@northcatholicfootball.com
Have a great summer, and don't forget to stop by from time to time to keep up with the summer activities of the team.
7 on 7 contests
- Thursday, June 11 at Cardinal Dougherty, 6:00PM
- Saturday, June 13 (ISAA Tournament) at Chestnut Hill Academy, 9:00AM
- Thursday, June 26 at Roman (Location TBD), 6:00PM
- Saturday, July 11 (Tournament) at Haverford School, 9:00AM
- Thursday, July 30 at Hatboro-Horsham, 6:00PM
Rumor has it that there could possibly be more 7 on 7 games and/or tournaments throughout the summer. These contests allow the players in the skill positions (non-line) to work together to get accustomed to one another in their offense and to also get their timing down as we enter the 2009 season.
Football Site
The good folks over at NorthCatholicFootball.com gave us an early preview of some of the changes to their site for the coming season. In addition to game photos and stats and the regular features we have all grown to know and love, they have either already made changes or will make the following changes before the season begins in September:
Additions already implemented
- Home Page – On the left-hand side of the home page, they will show the helmet of the next opponent, the overall record against that team and a link to display the results of those games over the years. On the right-hand side of the page, we have added the tweets from this blog. During the year, when TheFalconNest tweets, using Twitter, those tweets will be automatically added to this space on the home page of NorthCatholicFootball.com. This will be particularly helpful during games, as the quarter by quarter score will be updated for every game, within minutes of the end of a quarter or game.
History Page – All records have been updated through the 2008 season. Also, there is now a link “All-time records against District 12 teams”. If you click on that link, you’ll find every team in the PCL and Philly Pub that North has played over the years, along with the overall record against that team. If you click on the team’s helmet, you’ll see a listing, by year, showing the scores from each of those games over the years.
Resource Page – Some of the old links have been updated and this page continues to be an incredible source of information for parents and players as they move through their high school years and on to the next level.
Calendar - On the top of the right-hand column, there is a link to the team calendar. This calendar has events through December, 2009. Once the schedule is finalized, the times, dates and locations of each game will be posted there, as well on the schedule page.
New Additions which are coming soon
Roster Page – In addition to the team roster (coming in August), the site will include a link to the coaches’ bio page, which will include a photo of each coach, along with a short bio. This will allow fans of NC Football to get to know the coaching staff a little better.
Schedule Page – The staff at NorthCatholicFootball will provide updated google maps for all games (Varsity, JV and Frosh games) so family and fans alike can find the location of each game.
Home Page – Two weeks before the season starts, there will be a season preview, introducing the team and the players to the NC fan base. They will include a preview of the team, key players to watch, as well as expectations for the 2009 season. In addition, each week there will be a game preview, with information on the upcoming opponent, and may include some expectations for that game. After each game, there will be a game summary, including the highlights of the game, stats and game photos.
Alumni Page – This page should become more active, and the main source of information for the new NC Football Alumni Association.
The editors of NorthCatholicFootball.com want feedback from the NC Football community. If you have an idea, suggestion or complaint about that site, just drop them a line at webmaster@northcatholicfootball.com
Have a great summer, and don't forget to stop by from time to time to keep up with the summer activities of the team.