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Rick O'Brien: Cheltenham’s Finley runs wild

If you had asked Damin Finley about his rushing total immediately following Cheltenham's 32-28 win over Upper Dublin on Friday, he would have guessed in the neighborhood of 250 yards.

If you had asked Damin Finley about his rushing total immediately following Cheltenham's 32-28 win over Upper Dublin on Friday, he would have guessed in the neighborhood of 250 yards.

Actually, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior tailback rushed for 361 yards on 37 carries. His four touchdowns in the Suburban One League American Conference road victory covered 36, 43, 25, and 6 yards.

"I found out what the number was after I got home," Finley said. "My dad [Thomas Andrews] told me. One of our coaches had called him."

Initially, Cheltenham's coaches, including longtime boss Joe Gro, said Finley had set a new single-game school record with his 361 rushing yards, beating a mark of 360. However, The Inquirer, based on stats provided by Gro at the time, reported on Oct. 24, 2003, that Marcus Fontes netted 362 yards on 25 attempts in a 55-27 triumph over SOL Liberty Division rival Hatboro-Horsham.

Gro said yesterday that he would double-check the tape from Friday night's contest. So, as it stands now, Finley, an 18-year-old from Elkins Park, is a close second behind Fontes on the school's all-time single-game rushing list.

Either way, it was a stellar effort by Finley, who suffered a concussion in a Week 2 loss to neighboring Bishop McDevitt and had to sit out the next week's nonleague loss to Quakertown.

"I think I'm back to 100 percent," he said. "When I go out there, I just try not to think about the concussion. I play like it never happened."

On Oct. 9, in a 28-21 league win against Wissahickon, Finley, a 200-meter specialist in track and field, carried 30 times for 290 yards and three scores.

"He's reasonably fast, and he can run inside and outside," Gro said. "On Friday night, he did real well running outside."

Cheltenham's offensive line versus the Cardinals included left tackle Steven Johnson (6-0, 215), left guard Lawrence Cottom (6-2, 290), center Rich Levine (6-1, 225), right guard Jamier Jones (5-11, 260), and tight end Jon Tsipori (6-1, 180). On the flanks, key blocks were provided by wideouts Justin Ferguson, Dan Rouse, and Jon Gary.

Finley, a third-year starter for the Panthers, also is a part-time cornerback. A 1,200-yard rusher last season, his favorite NFL running back is Minnesota Vikings standout Adrian Peterson.

"He's a powerful runner, he can make you miss, and he's got good speed," he said.

With 2,190 yards in 2003, Fontes is the school's single-season rushing leader. In the single-game category, Chad Levitt is No. 3, with 285 yards in a 1992 contest. He later starred at Cornell University and played briefly in the NFL.

Public League playoffs

The Public League AAAA quarterfinal playoffs are scheduled for Friday. Here are the matchups: Martin Luther King (Blue Division No. 2) at Northeast (Red Division champion), 3 p.m.; Southern (Blue champion) at George Washington (Red No. 2), 3 p.m.; Central (White Division No. 2) at Bartram (Red No. 3), 3 p.m.; and Frankford (Red No. 4) at Germantown (White champion), 6 p.m.

In the Red Division, Northeast (3-1 league) gained first place by virtue of its 14-12 win over Washington (3-1) on Oct. 2, and Bartram (2-2) earned third place because of its 14-6 victory against Frankford (2-2) on Oct. 17.

Tommy on the spot

Downingtown West senior cornerback Tommy Woodward played a huge role in Friday night's 26-14 victory over crosstown and Ches-Mont League National Conference rival Downingtown East.

The 5-11, 170-pound senior cornerback made four second-half interceptions, returning the second 62 yards for a score, as the "visiting" Whippets prevailed in the Battle of the Brandywine at Kottmeyer Stadium.

Woodward's four interceptions came over the final 14 minutes. "He went up and made plays on the ball," West coach Mike Milano said.

Milano and the Woodward family go way back. In 1963, Milano was a 10-year-old center for the Downingtown Young Whippets' 95-pound team that was coached by Tommy Woodward's late grandfather, also named Tommy.

Also, Milano coached young Tommy's father, Mike, when he played for the Young Whippets. Mike Woodward now coaches the program's 80-pound (7- and 8-year-olds) squad.

Blue-chip recruit

Over the weekend, George Washington two-way lineman Sharrif Floyd visited Ohio State and watched the Buckeyes trounce Minnesota, 38-7, in a Big Ten matchup.

Floyd has already visited Florida and USC. His last two official stops were scheduled to be South Carolina and North Carolina, but Eagles coach Ron Cohen said he plans to sit down with the mammoth senior and possibly line up trips to different schools.

The reason, Cohen said, is that the 6-3, 310-pounder, projected as a defensive tackle in college, has already been to both South Carolina and North Carolina, among several others, on unofficial visits.