Falcons drop two at Pete Nelson Classic

Coach McCarron has a real good team this season, and to showcase the squad, he has embarked on a challenging non-league schedule. Just look at the teams that the Falcons have on their schedule this year……Walbrook, from Baltimore, which is supposed to be one of the top teams in that city. The team also scheduled IMHOTEP, Strawberry Mansion, Penn Wood and Germantown Academy, all among the top teams in the area. After a couple of league games this week (Roman on Tuesday and Judge on Friday), the Falcons will travel to Wheeling, WV, to take on Bishop McNamara, who could be the best team in the Washington D.C. area. Finally, the team will take on two time state champ, Prep Charter, later in the month. The young Falcons should be prepared for the rigors of the PCL Red division after this non-league schedule.

Due to the holidays, we got a little behind in our reports. But, not to worry, as we fired a photographer, a statistician and two guys whose job it was to sit in the gym and heckle Tom “Puck” McKenna. So, we’ll just get on with our report.

Did You Notice……

….that parking at Widener really sucks? When you drive down 17th street on campus, you’re met by a campus cop who has blocked the entrance because the lot is full. Many people had to park about a quarter mile away and hoof it down to the gym. Fortunately, I was able to get past the blockade and secure a spot right next to the gym. It’s good to have connections

.….that the “Clip Joint” (the Chester Basketball team’s concession stand) was in the house? They were charging $1.00 for a soft pretzel. I know they’re trying to raise money, but a 500% markup on the cost of a baked piece of dough is nuts

.….the number of college coaches and scouting service folks in the stands? Seemed half the bleachers behind the one basket were filled with guys with scorers’ books

.….the metal detectors at the entrance and cops with wands? This is only the second time I’ve had to empty my pockets and go through the metal detectors for a North game. The first time was last year, when we played Strawberry Mansion, at Ben Franklin

.…..Some of the cheerleaders and the routines they were doing? I’m no prude, but some of these routines bordered on “R-rated”. I saw a couple of parents covering their young children’s eyes during some of these “dances”

.…..Tom “Puck” McKenna, the faithful stat guy for North, was working the video camera for the Prep/Plymouth Whitemarsh game. This guy is everywhere (see photo below).

Tom "Puck" McKenna explaining the finer points of video photography

.…..That Bob Makor, a starter for the Falcons, hit the floor so hard (and loud) on Friday, that the whole place got quiet until he bounced back up to his feet

.…..That Bob Makor was not in uniform on Saturday, but that had nothing to do with his fall on Friday. ‘nuff said

.…..Speaking of “Puck”, did anyone notice the large bald guy sitting at the scorers’ table on Saturday? He was taking photos and spotting for Puck. I was going to ask him who he was, but he’s kinda scary looking. He wouldn’t even allow our photographer to take a picture of him.


Faces in the crowd…..

…..We didn’t spot any of the usual super fans on Friday, but Tim Murphy made an appearance for Saturday night’s game. Seems he got caught up in a video game on Friday and lost track of time

.…..The NC Alumni board of Governors was represented on Saturday night, when class of 1988 reps Jeff Rzepczynski and Ken Florkowski made an appearance at the game. (For those who are counting, that’s 21 letters and only 5 vowels in their last names)

Ken Florkowski (l) and Jeff Rzepczynski (r), both class of 1988

.…..Temple head basketball coach, Fran Dunphy, was in the house, no doubt looking for the next Dionte Christmas.

…..A couple of guys from Division 87 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Port Richmond made it to the game. For Frank “Tugger” McGraw, this weekend marked his 2nd and 3rd games of the young season

The Three Musketeers (back row) of Division 87 of the AOH

.…..We’re pretty sure we saw Mike McBride ’81 in the crowd on Friday night. Mike’s a big supporter of North and can usually be found in the stands at football, soccer and basketball games throughout the year.

Well, that’s all for now. In the next week, we’ll be covering the following games:

Tuesday - Roman - 7:00pm, Gwynedd Mercy College
Friday – Judge – 2:30pm, Father Judge High School
Saturday – Bishop McNamara – 1:30, Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, WV)

If you can make it out to see this team, you won’t be disappointed. Well, unless they let a lead slip away at the end of a game. But, chances are, you’ll have a good time, see a good team and you might even run into an old classmate or two. Heck you might even get mentioned here.

Own a Piece of North Catholic History

As many of you already know, the North Catholic gym is affectionately known as "The Pit". Well, the floor has recently been replaced with a new colorful decking and logos. The floor that it replaced was laid down in August, 1967, and over the years this floor has supported 2 Philadelphia Catholic League champion basketball teams and over a dozen Catholic League Wrestling championship teams. The wood from the old "Pit" was saved and cut down to roughly 5 1/2" x 2" pieces (see photos of actual size pieces below). To get one of these historical pieces, stop by the Falcon Mall (next to the cafeteria at school), or call the bookstore at 215-831-5216 for more information or to see how you can own a piece of North Catholic History.

Basketball Version

Wrestling Version

Wreslting Team Joins the Falcon Nest

The Falcon Nest has branched out once more by adding the wrestling team to the fold. Now, you can check here for updates for Football, Soccer, Basketball and Wrestling. We're working on bringing more teams into the nest to give you a one-stop source for North Catholic sports.

The first two updates have already been mailed out to over 100 people. For anyone who hasn't seen them, we have posted them here. Future updates will be here, at the Nest, so family, friends and other fans of NC wrestling can keep up with the team. The entire staff at TheFalconNest.com welcomes the North Catholic Wrestling team.

Originally sent on 12/19.....

Seasons Greetings everyone,

NORTH AT LASALLE
On Wednesday night north catholic traveled to lasalle for an early season battle. we did not wrestle from dec 6th to dec 17th, and it showed. Some of our guys were not crisp and we dropped a 41-23 decision. LaSalle has got some high powered recruits recently that were able to capitalize on some of our mistakes. The best part about the whole thing is that it is only December and there is no such thing as a big match in december. Mark my words, we will be better prepared if we meet again!

ABINGTON DUALS
This saturday north is traveling to abington to participate in the abington duals. wrestling begins at 830. we wrestle william tennent and wissahicken in our pool. other team attending will be pensbury, blue mountain, central bucks east, aberdeen (md) and west chester rustin. we will wrestle 5 duals on the day. with some outstanding performances i feel we can leave with 5 wins!

HOME MATCH - TUESDAY DEC 23RD - OHARA - 6PM JV, 7PM VARSITY
there has been a slight change to the schedule. i was informed on thursday that cedar crest did not want to travel 1.5 hours to Philadelphia to get their butts kicked again. this left us scrambling to fill the date. the coach from ohara had a spot to fill and they are traveling to nc on christmas eve eve. we only have 4 home meets for the season so i hope to see many of you there. we will also have shirts and shorts for sale.

CANS FROM NORTH WRESTLING FANS
fans coming to the north match on tuesday are asked to bring canned goods for a food drop that my friends are having. we will also be taking any old coats, blankets or kids clothes that may not be of use. a box for donations will be by the gym entrance.

OWN A PIECE OF NORTH CATHOLIC HISTORY!!!!
in case you did not know, north catholic got a new gym floor this year. north catholic wrestling, along with the athletic department, are selling pieces of the floor with a plaque that says "north catholic wrestling' "THE PIT" they are selling for $15 each with all wrestling pieces proceeds going to north wrestling. to check out what they look like go to www.northcatholicbasketball.com and check out own a piece of north history. the only difference will be basketball is changed with wrestling. they would make a great gift to any and all die hard i currently have 500 of these to sell and expect them to go fast. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG AND DONT BE SHUT OUT!!!

TAKEDOWN-A-THON
the wrestling takedown a thon for breast cancer is a great success so far. it is not too late to sponser a wrestler or the team. i will email updated takedowns after the abington duals.
i think that is all for now. you are all invited to the unofficial north catholic wrestling christmas party at the memphis taproom (memphis and cumberland) on december 26th at about 2pm. sorry folks, im a catholic school teacher and wrestling coach, it is cash bar however free beers for myself would be greatly appreciated!!!!
thanks and have a great holiday!!!
sav


Originally sent on 12/22.....

Abington Duals Update
The north catholic wrestling team bounced back from their disappointing loss at LaSalle in dramatic fashion with a 2nd place finish at the Abington Duals. The Abington Dual field consisted of 11 surbaban wrestling teams and North Catholic. We ended up going 4-1 on the day with our only loss comming to powerful Blue Mountain High School out of Allentown Area. Here are the scores....

Round 1 - North 46 - William Tennant - 21
Round 2 - North 51 - Wissahickon - 24
Round 3 - North 24 - Blue Mountain - 53
Round 4 - North 34 - Central Bucks East 31*
Round 5 - North 44 - Upper Morland - 21
* Note - coach canc almost cost us the match by not reminding me that we want to take EVEN if we win the toss. because he over looked the fact that i rarely pay attention we did not get the match-ups we needed and had to scrape out a hard fought victory !)

Here are some notable records:
Matt Dugan was the lone north wrestler to go undefeated on the day. He went 5-0 and looked dominating.

Wrestler Going 4-1 were...
Mike McCall - only loss was to a double fargo champ from blue mountain
David Davidson - david picked up a HUGE pin against CBE to tie the score with one to go
Kevin Mallon - lost to Taylor Franko (ranked 8th in the state at 171) while giving up 10+ pounds. dominated the match except the last 30sec
TJ Van Horn - big props for wanting to wrestle Josh Kinding (ranked 3rd in the COUNTRY)! I dont think his newley swollen eye was that happy:)
Nick Cancelliere - yep this is not a typo! nick canc increased his varsity win total by 200% with 4 victories on the day. also wrestled tough against state champion Corte Chote. he was still smiling at todays morning workout.

other great performances were by the following...
Freshman Gary Robinson currently is the 2nd wrestler with a 1.000 career win percentage. Gary stands a 1-0
Tim Markert, Thomas Goodyear, and Will Trainor got their first varsity pins
AJ Vizcarrondo and Jeremy Reith had big wins to secure our victory against upper moreland
Eric Stank secured our victory against CBE
and lastly big props goes out to coach Rick Mascino who broke the 25 year old record for most sandwiches eaten during a 10 hour period. Good luck to Rick in his training to get on the upcomming wing bowl...

MATCH VS OHARA - CANS FROM WRESTLING FANS
reminder that fans are asked to bring canned goods, old jackets, old blankets or kids clothes to the match tomorrow night.

OWN A PIECE OF THE PIT
we have already sold 50 of our 500 gym floor pieces. check out www.northeastcatholicbasketball.com to see what they look like. PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY DO NOT ALL SAY BASKETBALL! they will say northeast catholic wrestling. you can email me or call the office at 215-831-5246. buy them from us so we can make sure the wrestling team gets the credit.

TAKEDOWN A THON
here are our updated takedown totals current to today....you can see that it is pretty tight at the top! we are getting a lot of press with this. keep an eye out for the northeast times this week.
MATT DUGAN......................19
MIKE MCCALL.....................14
AJ VIZCORRANDO..............14
TJ VAN HORN......................13
ERIC STANK.........................13
KEVIN MALLON..................12
TIM MCGUIRE.....................10
SHANE RAND........................10
MARK BROWN.......................8
DAVID DAVIDSON................8
GIL DOUGHERTY.................7
TOM GOODYEAR.................5
RICARDO ROMAN................5
JEREMY REITH.....................5
DYLAN MARNOCH...............5
BRIAN SWEENEY..................5
TIM MARKERT.....................4
NICK CANC.............................4
JOE JANDA.............................4
SCOTT MATTHEWS.............3
VINCENZO DILEANARDO..2
TYLER DENIGHT.................2
MIKE LANG...........................2
WILL TRAINOR....................1
TAD MEYERS........................1
GARY ROBINSON................1
BOB BUTLER........................1
ANTHONY SIWEK...............1

lastly, have a great christmas. i hope to see many of you at the unofficial wrestling christmas party at the memphis taproom on DEC 26th at about 2pm.

coach sav

Falcons beat Bonner to start Regular Season

In case you’ve been living in a cave since Friday night, you probably know that Rakeem “Roc” Christmas exploded for his first career triple-double (16pts, 12 Rebs, 11 Blks) as the Falcons took down the Friars from Bonner 67-52. Leading the Falcons’ scoring was, for the third straight game, Jack O’Neill (17pts). If you want to read more about this game, go to NorthCatholicBasketball.com to see the write up and stats.

I arrived at school about 3:45pm, hoping to get a chance to take some pics for the team website (Roster shots, team photo,etc). But, only the freshman and JV players were in the house. Well, there were a few varsity members of the team in the stands watching the young guys, but it became apparent that I would have to wait until closer to the varsity start time to get the shots that I needed.

In the meantime, NC Athletic Director, Tom Kaiser, saw me and decided to put me to work. I was tasked with hanging a red banner in the new and improved announcer’s box, above the southwest corner of the pit. My first attempt didn’t go so well, but it was revisited and seemed to have worked on my second try. Then, I needed to drag a table from the cafeteria, to the lobby outside the gym. It was on this table that a NC display was added so anyone who might be interested in attending North could get information about the school. It was a real good idea.

Also, I’m told that the sale of old pieces of flooring from the pit was selling briskly. This was another good idea by Tom Kaiser. If you are interested in owning a piece of NC history, stop by the bookstore, which should be open during home basketball games. If you stop by school for the game on Tuesday, you should be able to pick up one of these souvenirs of NC.

While waiting for the varsity team to get ready, I met the new Director of Admissions, Teri Barrett, and we had a nice chat about North, Little Flower (Teri’s a LF grad) and all things Red and White. She seems to be a real nice addition to the NC family.

Did You Notice….
…..The new floor in the pit. Whoever laid that floor, did a great job. You can see photos of the floor on NorthCatholicBasketball.com

…..That Taylor Rand, the Kate Smith of NC athletics, belted out an incredible rendition of the National Anthem?

…..NC Stat guy, Tom “Puck” McKenna, was wearing two pair of glasses (at the same time). Seems like maybe he needs a new prescription.

….. Our announcer, Mike Kaiser, brother of Tom, was announcing the game from his new loft, instead of from the floor, as announcers previously had done.

Game Announcer, Mike Kaier '73

….. Santa was in attendance, and throwing candy into the crowd before the game. Rumor has it that no extra padding was needed to fill out the Santa suit. We’re told that football player, Pete Pulchalski was assisting Santa at the game.

Santa, arriving at the game. He passed out treats to the crowd.

….. The Tucker Trophy was in the house and all dressed up for Christmas. It almost seemed to be talking to the folks up at Judge.

The "Tucker" Trophy, which is awarded the winner of North/Judge in football
(Seems like someone at North was trying to send a message to the folks at Judge)

Faces in the Crowd…..
…..Sitting together at the east end of the gym were NC President, and Basketball Hall of Famer, Stan Witalec ‘66, NC Alumni Association President, Ed White ’55, and Stan’s classmate and former Mall manager, Ed Glackin ’66.

Ed White '55, Stan Witalec '66, Ed Glackin '66

….Chris James ’08 (Del Val College, Football and Baseball), and Eric French ’98 (Edinboro University, Wrestling) were spending part of their Christmas break working out to stay in shape for their respective sports.

….Stopping by to say hello was Ricky Williams ’08 (Widener student). He tells me that, as usual, his grades are very good.

…. Also spotted in the crowd were former football players, Terrell "TO" Oglesby ’08 (Bloomsburg University, Football), and Mike Scott ’09 (College undetermined)

….. Home from Christmas break and catching the game was 2008 basketball star, Velton Jones.

….. As always, AOH Div 87 was well represented in the crowd, with Frank “Tug” McGraw, Matty Edgar, Ed “Obie” O’Brien, and Tom Wenger, all NC alum. But, rumor has it that they were heckling one of the refs during the game. Also from Div 87 were Pat and Barb Dever (mom of player John Dever).

"Tugger" and "Obie" in the house

The whole crew from AOH Div 87
(rumor has it they arrived by limo)

….. Although he wasn’t spotted during the game, former football player and 4 time All Catholic bowler, Andy Jander ’08 (Temple University, Student) was spotted on Jasper St immediately following the game.

….Mike Fagan ‘56, who may see more high school sports than me, was also in the crowd for the game. You can usually find Mike in attendance at North games.

Next Up for the Falcons is a Tuesday matinee against Strawberry Mansion. Last season, the Falcons beat Mansion in a real good game at Ben Franklin. This year, Mansion visits the pit. Game time is 3:15. This should be a real good game.