Dougherty, North Catholic teams stunned at news of closing
By TED SILARY
By TED SILARY
Conventional wisdom says Tarik Morris and Eugene Byrd should consider themselves among the lucky.
After all, they're seniors at their soon-to-close high schools and, deep down, they won't be hugely affected.
But remember, football is the ultimate team sport, so the reaction for Morris and Byrd was hardly blasè yesterday, and their drive will only increase as their squads continue through their - hard to believe - final seasons.
Morris and Byrd are the star running backs at, respectively, Cardinal Dougherty and North Catholic. Along with their teammates, they received the news before yesterday's practice.
Dougherty's guys were in a defensive meeting, inside the school, when coach Jim Grugan dropped the bombshell. North's were on the field, getting ready to start drills, when coach Chalie Szydlik followed suit.
"I still don't think we've grasped it," Morris said last night. "We didn't see this coming. We're all so disappointed."
After struggling for more than a decade, Dougherty has rolled to a 4-1 record. Since the Cardinals are in the same division (Catholic AA) with powerful West Catholic, great success will be difficult to achieve. That won't stop Morris and his teammates from dreaming, and trying.
"We'll go into games with a bigger chip on our shoulders," he said. "We'll be playing for all the people who went before and, of course, everyone who's here now. This is going to rally us. We'll be competing like never before."
Byrd expressed similar thoughts.
"Now we have even more reason to try to win states," he said. North competes at the AAA level. "We want to go out being remembered. And this season's important to our underclassmen so they can get some exposure before they move on to their next school."
Grugan said five helicopters hovered above Dougherty's practice as word about the closing spread. Byrd reported no chopper sightings at North, but...
"The word definitely spread fast," he said. "We weren't out there too long. By the time we finished, [recent players] Daryl Robinson and Ricky Williams were there to see us. You should have seen the looks on their faces."
The Catholic League commenced with the 1919-20 basketball season. North Catholic entered for the 1927-28 school year while Dougherty debuted in 1957-58.
North has captured eight CL titles apiece in football and basketball (including in '08) and 10 in baseball. Dougherty owns two apiece in football and basketball and one in baseball (none in any of those sports since '82).
In 1968, North provided what many call the best moment in city scholastic sports history when its junior varsity basketball squad, subbing for the suspended 12-man varsity (cutting classes), beat Bishop McDevitt, 77-60, in a quarterfinal at the Palestra. That feat drew national attention.
Admittedly much smaller scale but nevertheless similiar, in '69, Dougherty won the baseball City Title, 10-0, over Olney at Connie Mack Stadium behind the pitching of junior righthander Paul Tucker. Filling in for the staff ace, who was disciplined for missing practice, Tucker owned a no-hitter until two were out in the sixth.
North's most famous major sports product is the late Frank "Bucko" Kilroy ('39), a star lineman in the NFL (all 13 seasons with Eagles, 1943-55, titles in '48 and '49) and later the Patriots' general manager. That honor for Dougherty would go to Harry Swayne ('83), a lineman for 15 NFL seasons (1987-2001) and a winner of three Super Bowl rings.
Swayne now works for the Ravens as the assistant director of player programs.i