PRE-SEASON REVIEW: FALCONS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PCL CHAMPIONSHIP
NORTH PLAYERS TO FIGURE ON NEXT PCL CHAMPION
The nightmare became reality this week as pre-season, high school soccer has officially started. It feels surreal that there is no North Catholic Soccer squad contending for another title, dominating pre-season polls and highlighting some of the best soccer talent in the area. But alas, it is true and very sad. In the soccer community, there is much empathy but the reality of our closing has made it easier for other teams to now win and possibly dominate the PCL. The league will never be the same, its reputation is now diminished and its title is diluted than in years past. This decision was never about the boys rather about an institution and vengeance and revenge from two men who have left the area (Thanks Joe and Vince).
Back to the pitch. Falcons will be flying over many fields this fall in attempts to help lead their substitute school to a possible title. Here is an update on where are boys are:
Archbishop Ryan: Senior, All Catholic Dan Venuto will be anchoring the Raider defense this year. Junior Matt Martinez in the back, Senior Eric Crudele in goal and senior midfielder, Brendan Bradley, will join him. Ryan looked strong in their first scrimmage versus Penn Charter, which they won 4-2.
Father Judge: Sophomores Kevin Lockhart and Justine Hiltwine will help the Crusaders defend their PCL title. Both boys were the focus of North’s phenomenal freshman class. Kevin will anchor the left side of Judge’s backline while Justine will control the left side of the midfield. Both were instrumental in Judge’s first scrimmage at Council Rock North playing to a 2-2 tie. Also joining Kevin and Justine is Sophomore Teddy Maciocha.
Roman Catholic: Roman’s hope of competing for a title was enhanced with several Falcons possibly playing a big role this season. Junior, Thomas Kostic, Sophomore Daniel O’Brien, Junior Norman “Boomer” Stiegelman, Senior Kyle McCabe, Senior Tim Zemczak, Sophomore Dylan Rutledge, Junior Ryan Likasienski, Junior Alex McKee, Sophomore Billy Broadbent , Sophomore Chris Furman, Sophomore, Shane Holton will battle to bring Roman its 2nd PLC championship. In addition, Sophomores Jader Espinosa and Michael Flanagan are at Roman but are on the mend from injuries but will add to Roman’s depth next year.
LaSalle: Senior and three times All-Catholic Khristian Hall will help the Explorers to compete for the championship. Khristian just got back from Iowa where his club, PSC Coppa competed in the National Championships.
The odds suggest that one of these teams will be at the top at the end of the season. And you know what, whichever of these teams are successful; they will only have gotten there because of North Catholic.
While no North is a bitter pill to swallow, this fact will again solidify North’s success and its impact on high school soccer in Philadelphia.
Keep on following North soccer on this site and the success of its players and alumni.
The Archdiocese's New "Gold Standard"
Recently, an article was written in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the new Pope John Paul II High School in Upper Providence. If you would like to read this article, along with a NC alum's letter to the writer, click on the Opion link on the Menu to the left.
Some Children Left Behind
As everyone seems to know, a Catholic education is not as cheap as it used to be. In fact, at North today, close to 70% of our boys receive some sort of financial assistance. Families usually have to sacrifice much more now than they did back in the day when there were more religious vocations, and back when Catholic high school was supplemented by the parish where the student’s families belong. But, as the number of priests and nuns has diminished over the years, the number of families practicing and supporting the church has significantly declined, the changing demographics of the neighborhoods, and with the popularity of charter schools, our parishes could no longer bear the entire cost of tuition for their parishioners; parents had to make some tough decisions. Many families just sucked it up by creating additional income streams (second and third jobs), while others modified their spending and gave up certain material goods, all in the name of a good Catholic education for their children. But, there were, and still are, many families who are stretched thin as far as money goes. Those families needed some sort of tuition assistance. There are many options for students’ families when it comes to financial aid, but for this article, I’ll discuss just a couple.
Anatomy of a Murder, the Closing of North Catholic
By Mike Ferris, class of 1982
Also contributing to this column was Tom Crossett, class of 1975
A funny thing happened on the way to transitioning North Catholic into a Cristo Rey network school. You see, the feasibility study was going along just fine. The archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) had orally given its blessing (remember this!), businesses were lined up, the alumni association was backing the plan, an existing student base was in place, money was being raised, and many people were on board for this new venture. The only two things that needed to be done were to secure a building, and have a religious order take “ownership” of the building and school. The former is a requirement of any school, but the latter is a requirement of the Cristo Rey board. While Cristo Rey is a Jesuit application, the Jesuits were open to any order to lend a hand. The final pieces to this puzzle seemed like slam dunks, right? Not so fast.
Also contributing to this column was Tom Crossett, class of 1975
A funny thing happened on the way to transitioning North Catholic into a Cristo Rey network school. You see, the feasibility study was going along just fine. The archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) had orally given its blessing (remember this!), businesses were lined up, the alumni association was backing the plan, an existing student base was in place, money was being raised, and many people were on board for this new venture. The only two things that needed to be done were to secure a building, and have a religious order take “ownership” of the building and school. The former is a requirement of any school, but the latter is a requirement of the Cristo Rey board. While Cristo Rey is a Jesuit application, the Jesuits were open to any order to lend a hand. The final pieces to this puzzle seemed like slam dunks, right? Not so fast.