Dougherty works through what was probably last football practice
By TED SILARY
By TED SILARY
SOME EXAMPLES of irony are more delicious than others.
On the afternoon Cardinal Dougherty High held what quite likely was its last-ever football practice, on a muddy field under cloudy skies, two coaches from Esperanza Charter, head man Chris Hanley and assistant Matt Evangelist, were among the early witnesses.
Their team should have been hosting Thomas Edison in a nonleague game and the referees even showed up at that field because no one had given them the word that Esperanza, due to an ongoing low-numbers issue, had canceled the clash.
So, there those men were at Dougherty. In vulture mode.
"They asked me if I thought they could get any of our guys for next year," said coach Jim Grugan.
His response, in effect: Get in line.
"Between phone calls and e-mails and guys just stopping by here," Grugan said, "I've probably heard from 10 schools on that matter."
Pause. "I'm also hearing from teams that want to know what we're going to do with our equipment and uniforms. And from alumni - people I don't even know - who want to know what we're going to do with our memorabilia."
As announced by the archdiocese Oct. 8, Dougherty and North Catholic will cease to exist come June. Sure, there's hope that one or both schools will somehow be saved, but most seem to realize the chances are slim and are starting to emerge from the doldrums.
Take Dougherty assistant Jim Whitehead Jr. When asked yesterday how he was doing, he shot back, "Not too bad, [considering] the school where I played, and the school where I coach, are both closing."
Grugan, Dougherty's second-year boss, hoped to rekindle, for one last time, the Cardinals' old Thanksgiving rivalry with Olney, and he even made tentative plans for a game with Imhotep Charter.
He was recently told by the school administration, however, that the season would end with the Cardinals' participation in the playoffs.
Tonight, 7 o'clock at Truman High in Levittown, Dougherty will meet mighty West Catholic in a Catholic AA semifinal. Part of Grugan wants (and needs) to think that Dougherty stands a chance. After all, it did hold a 19-7 lead at one point in the teams' regular-season meeting. He's also no dummy: West then blitzed to a 57-19 win.
Grugan made no mention before, during or after a spirited practice of the program's impending expiration.
"I don't want to get into a finality thing," he said.
Afterward, referring to tonight's game, with the players and coaches gathered near midfield, he said he wants the Cardinals to put "their foot on the pedal" and "make sure they can't collect our equipment."
Grugan then announced the coaches' All-Catholic honorees from the Cards, and the players applauded each name. He finished and then an assistant piped up, "You forgot one guy, coach. You."
The players enjoyed hearing Grugan had shared the division's Coach of the Year honors with Bishop McDevitt's Pat Manzi.
The session ended with the players standing as one, holding high their hands. One of those hands held a football. "Let's make a legacy tomorrow night!" someone yelled.
The players then left the field in groups of two or three or four, with some stopping along the way to pick up blocking pads and such. Due to injuries, illness and recent dismissals because of general knuckleheadism, the team now numbers just 25 players, with about an even split between seniors and underclassmen. There was no freshman team and just two games were played by the junior varsity.
For now, lineman Kyle McDowell is the answer to the trivia question, Who was the last player to exit the field at Dougherty's final practice? Fellow grunt Khalif Jackson was right in front of him.
"When news of the closing came, it was like everybody got senioritis," said Grugan, who hopes to remain in coaching and is a regional sales rep for an environmental-services company. "I'm not saying there's a lack of effort...These kids aren't being given too much information on how things will go forward. I'm not sure they know how to feel.
"I'm mad for the younger kids. But especially the juniors because they won't get to graduate from here. The freshmen and sophomores? Who knows? I fear some of them are going to get lost in the shuffle."
After tackling a patchwork schedule (2-5 record) in 1957, Dougherty joined the CL for the '58 season.
Counting this campaign's 4-4 mark - it has followed 0-9 - the Cardinals' total record is 227-289-15.
Dougherty won CL championships in 1968 under Gene O'Pella and in '82 under George Stratts and the former squad is regarded as one of the league's all-time best by many longtime observers. In the City Title game, the Cardinals scored the first 42 points and crushed Public champ Northeast, 48-14, to finish 11-0.
The quarterback of that team was Ray Capriotti (10-for-20, 125 yards, three TD passes vs. Northeast), brother of Frankford coach Mike Capriotti. He had hoped to stop by yesterday's practice to offer words of encouragement, but was unable to break free from work in time.
"Please tell them I'm sorry, and that I wish them luck," Capriotti said.
Grugan said about 1,000 people were expected for last week's homecoming game with Archbishop Carroll, but foul weather limited the number to about 250.
Grugan's staff includes three ex-Cardinals - Joe Perilli (1985), Vernard Abrams and Ron Fulton (both 2001).
"You always heard rumors that the school would close or merge with another school," Perilli said. "You didn't want it to happen...But these days, it's reality.
"The hard part, footballwise, is that coach Grugan and the other coaches were doing a nice job building the program. From 0-9 to 4-4 and a playoff spot."
At one point, a flock of Canada geese flew overhead. They formed a "V." Omen, maybe?
"I'm all for beating West," Abrams said, smiling. "I'm not completely convinced this is the last practice.
"Just standing here, I'm thinking back to the last practice my team had. I can't imagine being one of these kids, with their school about to close. I can't believe this is happening. Anywhere I go, I hear people say, 'Oh, I graduated from Dougherty.' The tradition is so rich."
As is the custom for practices the day before games, there was no serious contact. The Cardinals worked on special teams, then defense, then offense and the linemen occasionally broke off to pop the sleds, or each other.
The mood was generally light and Grugan almost never had to raise his voice, at least not to anger tones.
The assistants kidded with the players, and each other, and there was feigned disgust late in the workout when a mistake, which had just been addressed, was repeated.
"This is going to be in my book," Grugan said with a smirk.
Nearby, an assistant asked no one in particular, "Anybody got any Jameson?"