EAs dominance not good for Hager's kicking game

PASSING ALONG some city high school football tidbits . . .

In an attempt to garner college attention, Episcopal Academy's Quinn Hager has been sending out tapes of his kicking/punting exploits.

One problem: He is averaging only one punt per game for the 4-0 Churchmen (176-7 scoring dominance), and lengthy field-goal opportunities have not exactly been plentiful, either.

Well, since the 6-3, 180-pound senior, also a wideout (and part-time safety), is averaging 23.5 yards on 11 catches and owns three touchdowns, perhaps he should include some snagging video.

"I've been playing football since the seventh grade," Hager said. "I've never been viewed as the stereotypical kicker/punter - as a wuss, I guess you'd say - and I've always enjoyed being a regular player, too. Though I'm not a team captain, I do feel I'm the captain of the receivers. I have a lot of responsibility in our group, and I take pride in that."

In 2011, Hager averaged 40 yards per punt and was one of the few kickers in city history to post more field goals (eight) than extra points (six). At wideout for 3-7 EA, he turned 24 catches into 371 yards and two scores.

This season opened with three consecutive shutouts, a feat the Churchmen last had accomplished in 1963.

"In training camp, I don't know if we pictured doing this well," said Hager, who lives in West Chester and also plays basketball and lacrosse. "I mean, three shutouts and then a 42-7 win over Hill School . . . Our one big goal for now is to be 5-0 going into Inter-Ac play, because that would give us some nice momentum."

Hager's father, Skip, was a first-team All-Inter-Ac defensive back for Episcopal in 1980, in addition to handling . . . you got it.

"He taught me how to kick and punt," Quinn said. "I've been doing it all my life."

On first-and-10 at Comm Tech's 35, Del-Val went backward six straight times (for 33 yards) thanks to, in order, delay of game, illegal procedure, 2-yard TFL, procedure, procedure (yo, anybody wanna wait for the ball to be snapped?) and an 11-yard sack. Following an incompletion, Nate Barnes' punt died 13 yards short of the original line of scrimmage . . . Antoine Whitney boasts 228 of Bok's 247 receiving yards . . . Haverford School quarterback Stephen Fitzgerald notched four carries in a win over Kennett. Each one produced a TD. We're not talking exclusively sneaks, either. The rushes totaled 46 yards . . . After the team bus failed to show on Friday, University City's players took the Market-Frankford El six blocks to 46th and Market, then walked six more blocks to West Philly's field at 48th and Spruce. The Jaguars beat Future, 14-6, although Robert Hall lost rushing TDs of 27 and 28 yards to penalties . . . Six TDs in Mastbaum's 48-14 win over Olney covered at least 44 yards. The longest went to 'Baum's Joseph Walker (79-yard interception return) . . . Eight Ryan players have interceptions. Travon Williams is the only guy with two. The Raiders have won five of their previous six, going back to 2011 . . . As rap songs blared over Malvern's sound system before the game vs. La Salle, assistant Gaspare "Gamp" Pellegrini quipped, "I'm waiting for the Frank Sinatra records" . . . Nine of the 10 starting o-linemen in that game wore numbers in the 50s. Lone exception: La Salle's Patrick Hoffman (78) . . . Six catches enabled La Salle's Sean Coleman to lift his career total to 101. He boasts 1,672 yards and 16 TDs . . . What are the chances? La Salle owns two consecutive wins by scores of 38-6 . . . Four quality rushers - Judge's Samir Bullock and Marquis Seamon (injured), SJ Prep's Vincent Moffett and Northeast's Rashaun Grange - all played for Rhawnhurst's 135-pounders in '09 . . .

Roxborough co-QB Isaiah King was named - what else? - the homecoming king. During the halftime ceremony, he held ice against his neck because of an injury . . . In the first quarter, Prep Charter likely set a city record for shortest time span for three TDs by one team. In 33 seconds, there was a sneak by Dion Volo, a fumble return on the kickoff by Ronald Stokes and a fumble return on the next scrimmage play by Anthony Wyche. Almost all quick sequences involve two TDs for one team, one for the other . . . Through four games, Roxborough's QBs are 5-for-25 for 4 yards . . . This week's games on www.sportsfanbase.com - Friday, Lincoln vs. Furness, 6; Saturday, Mastery North vs. Overbrook, 1 . . . Four Pub coaches are guiding their alma maters: Rich Drayton, Central; David Carter, Franklin; Rendell Ivory, Overbrook; Lorrel McCook, University City . . . Seventeen of the bulbs in the light standards at Northeast's stadium are burned out. Let's see how long it takes to replace them. Breath-holding not advised . . . Imhotep's Eerin Young and David Williams have carried 33 times apiece for 383 and 353 yards, respectively. A hamstring twinge limited Williams to one rush (70 yards) vs. SCH Academy . . . We strongly suspect Frankford's Tim DiGiorgio is the first city QB to reach 3,000 career passing yards in only 15 games.

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