Smooth sailing for Huf, Cardinal O’Hara in win over Roman Catholic

Mike Huf and water go way back. Might go way forward, too.

Yes, it's early in the recruiting process and a number of quality schools are expressing interest in Huf, a 6-3, 235-pound senior who serves Cardinal O'Hara High as a middle linebacker and tight end.

But when Navy is one of your pursuers - even if attending there would mean ridiculously early rise-and-shines and a commitment beyond 4 years - it's hard not to listen.

Plus, as mentioned, Huf likes the wet stuff.

"I could picture myself doing the Navy thing. I really could," Huf said. "It's a crazy lifestyle, but I have so much respect for the military and I always saw myself doing something like that. Navy football's awesome."

And...

"I have a house on a lake in the Poconos. I'm always going out on the water for swimming or sailing, and I'm a lifeguard, too."

Keep kids from drowning. Make sure the opponent has all kinds of difficulty advancing the football. Kinda the same, right?

Today, Huf hustled for four tackles and broke up a pass as O'Hara smothered visiting Roman Catholic, 13-0, in a Catholic AAA game at Springfield Delco.

As much fun as Huf had while playing and directing a defense that limited Roman to four first downs, 75 yards and 35 plays, his moment of the day came on offense.

On the second play of the third quarter, Huf ambled across the middle, right to left, and used a full-scale layout to record a 19-yard gain on a pass from Ryan Laughlin. Ohio State commit Corey Brown, who would suffer a right-knee injury in the fourth quarter, added 44 yards on a quick screen two plays later and Dan O'Hara ran 2 yards for a score right after that, making it 13-0.

Hmm. Maybe Huf has water skiing to thank for his great coordination and/or ability to pull off a daredevilish feat?

"Nah, our lake doesn't allow motors," he said.

He added, "I can't say I've ever made a catch like that before. I was doing a corner route and got jammed up a little bit inside, then broke to the outside and Laughlin threw a perfect ball.

"I did everything I could to grab it...He put it out in front of me, which was where it needed to be."

Huf is a product of St. Bernadette, in Drexel Hill, and his position was LB there, as well. With O'Hara, he's expected to not only produce as a pad-popper, but also as the signal-caller for a defense that's coordinated by John Algeo, brother of head coach Danny.

The play calls aren't kindergarten stuff. John Algeo signals this and that, then this and that some more and then...phew.

Even though he boasts a 3.7 GPA, does Huf ever worry about messing up when he relays the sequence?

"Absolutely," he said, laughing. "And sometimes I do.

"He's a great coach. Knows so much. Making the play-calls is a big responsibility and after that I try to get my team amped up. And I like to play mean."

Overall, opportunities to exhibit aggression were limited. And tension was basically nonexistent, seeing as how Roman never snapped the ball inside O'Hara's territory. Tackle Matt Williams and end Brendan O'Callaghan also helped see to that.

Roman's final play, a long pass by Kevin Regan, resulted in an interception for Demiere Shaw.

"It starts up front with our line. They were sick," Huf said. (In teenager speak, "sick" means tremendous.) "The coverages were great, too."

The Lions' first TD, Brown's 4-yard run, was scored with 2:22 showing in the first quarter. The drive began at the 24, but O'Hara needed to accumulate 106 yards thanks to four procedures and a hold.

Meanwhile, every person affiliated with O'Hara held his or her breath with 9:28 showing when Brown, while blocking, went down in a heap. As Brown was helped off the field by two teammates, it was so quiet you could have heard title hopes end.

But after spending about 3 minutes in the locker room, Brown walked back to the bench with only a hint of a limp. An on-site doctor said the injury could be termed a strain for now, but that a workup would be performed early this week.

As for Huf, other interested schools include North Carolina State, Villanova and William & Mary.

"I'm keeping my options open," he said, "but the Navy thing does sound good."

As does anything involving water.