Frankford easily takes care of Central

To watch Zaire Anderson play football is to know how he got his nickname.

He packs a serious wallop. His handle is "Bam." Could it be any easier?

Not so fast.

Anderson, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior at Frankford High, was tabbed "Bam" by his grandmom in the days he was such a persistent troublemaker, she (and other family members) always wanted to go upside his head.

Then, 3 years ago, a bullet did.

Look closely at the right side of Anderson's chin, just below his lip. There's still a scar there, and one more on his right chest, the entry place for a bullet with an upward trajectory.

No need to go into specifics. Suffice to say Anderson was running with a bad crowd.

"It's rough getting shot. Scary," he said. "When something that bad happens, you have to make sure to straighten yourself out. I spent too much time doing the wrong things. Not listening to my mom.

"When I got shot, in the ninth grade, my jaw was wired for something like 6 to 8 months. You don't know what the future's going to bring. You don't even know if you'll be able to get back to something you love - football."

With his voice barely audible above the noise made by fierce winds, Anderson spoke yesterday on the field at Frankford.

Thanks to his running and blocking at fullback, and his ferocious play at linebacker, the Pioneers had just handled Central, 27-6, in a nonleague game between a pair of teams that made the Public AAAA playoffs, but are now biding time until Thanksgiving.

Could you imagine? Getting shot as a freshman in high school? Does Anderson often revisit that memory?

"The best thing I try to do is not think about it anymore," he said. "I just stay positive and look ahead."

Anderson slopped through the mud for 53 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries, and his blocking helped halfback Ronnie Mack (20 yards) and quarterback Michael McGroarty (22 yards) also run for scores.

At only his second start at linebacker, he involved himself in 13 tackles, three for losses.

"I was telling coach [Mike Capriotti] all season, 'I can do things out there,'" Anderson said, chuckling. "He was saying, 'I know you can. Just chill. Wait your turn.' Some other guys were in front of me. I was playing some D-end, some linebacker. But not as a starter.

"But now with injuries, I'm out there. This is my step-it-up time. When we played Northeast last week [in a semifinal loss], I was doing my thing on offense and then told me to go out and play defense, too. I made the first four or five tackles. By myself."

How Anderson fell into unacceptable behavior is a mystery. He certainly had a good role model - his brother, Zimier McCloud, starred for George Washington in 2003 and is now doing likewise, at LB, for Clark Atlanta University.

Zimier has made sure to put Zaire in touch with Washington/Syracuse product Jameel McClain, who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

"I've met other good people, too," Zaire said. "I can see what's possible for kids who do their work and stay away from bad things."

Another headliner for Frankford was Taron Mills, who set up the first TD with a 55-yard punt return, the third with a fumble recovery, and the fourth with a fumble force off a sack. Shawn Johnson scooped up the ball on the 2 and stretched it across the plane.

Central's lone score came with 5 minutes left as DeVonne Boler completed a 13-yard, left-corner fade to Siddiq Cornish (5-44).

Other possessions reached the 3 and 12 before petering out.

Anderson, who lives on Harrison Street in East Frankford, did the necessary work to put himself back on track to graduate on time. He wants to major in communications, but also sees himself as a fireman, even on a volunteer basis.

"I'm trying to do good things in my life," he said. "Everyone's proud of me now."i