Bok rolls over Imhotep

When he says his football career is only in year No. 3, Kevin Thompson is speaking in the literal sense.

But as most folks know, there's a whole 'nother grid world out there, and Thompson, to listen to him, has reigned supreme for a large chunk of time.

In Madden.

"Oh, yeah. I've always dominated in that," Thompson said, darn near growling. "Back in the day, that's what you always found me playing.

"It was like I was on the all-Madden team. I'd get on that joystick and [rout] everybody."

That brings us to yesterday and a Public AA contest, played at the Germantown Supersite, between visiting Edward Bok Tech and Imhotep Charter. No white flag was raised, but Thompson and Bok did post a surprisingly easy victory.

The score was 30-0, and Thompson, a 6-foot, 235-pound senior nose guard, even accounted for two of those points by notching a safety on the second play of quarter No. 2.

Also, midway through the third quarter, he again broke through the line of scrimmage, this time forcing a fumble. Chris Sherrod made the recovery at the Imhotep 22, and Khalil Neal burrowed 3 yards for the game's final touchdown three plays later.

Thompson is a strong, athletic kid, and he's more than a little ornery. Why no real football until the 10th grade?

"I don't know," he said. "I never did any kind of sports, really. But then I reached that point where it was, 'I'm going through high school now. I should be playin' somethin'.' I'm a tough guy. I like physical stuff. Football seemed like the best choice."

Little did he know...hopscotch would be part of the equation.

Thompson served Vince Trombetta, defensive coordinator under coach Tom DeFelice, as a backup down lineman as a sophomore. He then moved to linebacker as a junior before agreeing to shift to nose guard this season.

"I didn't know how that was going to work," Thompson said. "At linebacker, you can see everything and just run to the ball and make plays. It's different being down in a stance.

"You have to make sure you're alert. If they run that dive right up the middle and you don't see it coming, the next time you see that guy might be way downfield. I do like playing nose guard, though. You're in the mix on every single play. Always hitting people."

The safety occurred one play after Bok quarterback Andre Frazier, a junior and Thompson's stepbrother, was stopped at the 2 on a fourth-down sneak.

Imhotep tried a sweep to its left, giving the ball to Dasir White. No chance. Thompson's arrival was nearly immediate.

As Thompson made the tackle, did he know the play would be ruled a safety?

"Yup. That was my whole purpose of getting in there so quick," he said, laughing. "I wanted that one. My coach told me to look for an offset formation and, anytime they were in one, to favor that side. That's what I did."

That wasn't all. He used savvy.

"I was timing their snap count," he said. "They kept using, 'Ready! Go! Go!' So when I heard that first 'Go!,' I was ready to explode on the second one. It felt nice getting that safety. That was an important play."

On the forced fumble, Thompson victimized running back Maurice Palmer for what turned out to be a 5-yard loss.

"Same thing," he said. "I timed the snap count and shot right through."

Bok's other d-linemen were tackles Josh Garnett and Vincent Jones and ends Sherrod and Jacqual Dobbs. Garnett also made an important contribution when he batted a pass at the line of scrimmage, enabling Gary Jackson to notch an interception.

The linebackers were Khalil Neal and Naeem Nunnally. The secondary included Jackson, Jihad Ward, Robert Quarterman and Faison Perry.

This was Bok's 39th consecutive regular-season win in assorted Pub divisions, a streak now in its eighth campaign, and the 20th shutout. The average defensive yield is 5.1.

Imhotep threatened only on its last possession, against backups, and a save-face score was not to be. Maurice Pooler registered a 13-yard sack, back to the 26, on the game's final play.

On offense, Neal (16 carries, 64 yards) added two more rushing TDs, and Frazier posted one while carrying 13 times for 52 yards and passing 4-for-6 for 50 more.

The Thompson-Frazier home is at 51st and Thompson in West Philly. You won't find Kevin rushing Andre in a nearby playground, though, just to work on his skills. Won't see it in practice, either.

"The first-string defense always goes against the backup QB," Thompson said.

Would Thompson be delivering wallops?

"Probably a little bit," Frazier said, smiling. "He's tough."i