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Strike up the band for Wood's win

Wood takes seventh straight city title.

Archbishop Wood offensive lineman from left): Shawn Scroger, Kurt Stengel, Ryan Neher, Tom Cardozo and Ryan Bates. (Aaron Carter / Staff)
Archbishop Wood offensive lineman from left): Shawn Scroger, Kurt Stengel, Ryan Neher, Tom Cardozo and Ryan Bates. (Aaron Carter / Staff)Read more

IF THIS football thing doesn't work out, maybe the offensive line for Archbishop Wood High could make its bones as a rock-and-roll band.

They already have the perfect stage name.

On Saturday at Charles Martin Memorial field, "Dirty Tom and the Boys" paved the way for the AAA Vikings' 42-34 win over Imhotep Charter, securing a seventh consecutive city title.

So, what's the story behind that name?

At 6-1, 235 pounds, senior Tom Cardozo is the apparent front man, although no one is quite sure why. Not even the name's creator, 6-3, 255-pound senior Ryan Neher, has a clue.

"I have no idea," Neher said as his O-line mates cracked up. "It just came to me one day."

He conjured up the moniker before a Week 5 matchup with Archbishop Ryan (Wood won, 47-14). Senior running back Jarrett McClenton rushed for 202 yards in that one.

Against the Public League champion Panthers, the Villanova-commit rushed for 157 yards and four touchdowns.

"The best part about being an O-lineman is being able to control the ball and the fact that we control the game," Neher said. "And blocking for Jarrett. Blocking for Jarrett is like blocking for the Golden Child, man. We give him one little crease and he's gone."

McClenton finished with scores from 80, 15, 7 and 1 yard out.

"There's a two-punch combo, too," Cardozo said. "You have Alex Arcangeli and Jarrett. With those two running the ball, they can't be stopped with us up front."

Arcangeli, a senior fullback, finished with 105 yards and a TD. Junior quarterback Anthony Russo added 132 yards passing and a TD toss to senior Jake Cooper (Penn State), while senior tight end Christian Lohin caught three balls for 95 more.

But, the grunts up front set a physical tone throughout.

"The best part about being an offensive lineman is most of the time we control what happens during the game," said 6-5, 285-pound Penn State commit Ryan Bates. "It all depends on what we do. And blocking for Jarrett, he makes us look good."

However, Arcangeli took the critical carry on a fourth-and-1 from the 49 after Imhotep pulled within eight on senior D.J. Moore's 88-yard TD pass from Andre Dreuitt-Parks with 2:44 left.

"Leg drive," said Neher, who hopes to study criminal justice. "We had to get 1 yard on that last play and that's what we did."

"We knew Alex would get that first," said Kurt Stengel, a 6-4 255-pound junior. A few kneeldowns followed after Arcangeli got the first down, running left with just more than a minute to play.

Wood (11-1, 4-0) is set to play District 1's Great Valley at 7 p.m. either Friday or Saturday at Northeast High in the state quarterfinals. At stake is a chance for a third AAA state title in four seasons and defense of last year's crown.

The key will be the same now as it was back then. It might not be rocket science and it certainly ain't poetic, but 6-2, 255-pound senior Shawn Scroger made the point succinctly.

"We're just in the middle of it all," said Scroger, who hopes to study aerospace engineering at Penn State. "We take on a defensive line and [try to] beat the crap out of them."

Game notes

For Imhotep (10-2, 6-0), senior Andre Dreuitt-Parks finished with 299 passing yards and four touchdowns. D.J. Moore (Maryland) added 200 receiving yards on seven catches with two TDs. Junior running back Mike Waters had 72 yards and a score in relief of the Panthers' top rusher Tyliek Raynor, who was out with an injury. Naseir "Pop" Upshur was a major defensive disruptor and also made a juggling TD catch at tight end. A pair of Imhotep fumbles, both in the first half, as well as several encroachment penalties on third and fourth downs, proved costly.