Lynch’s return sparks West Catholic

Jim Lynch began playing football at age 5 and never missed a game. Not for the flu, not for a bum ankle, not for a hangnail, not for nothin'.

Then came Nov. 13 and he finally had to sit . . . for an injustice.

The 6-4, 225-pound Lynch, a captain and two-way force at end, 1 week earlier had found himself among four West Catholic players ejected from the Catholic AA championship game vs. Bishop McDevitt due to his alleged involvement in a third-quarter melee that followed a kickoff.

"The refs said I came off the bench [a violation of PIAA rules]. I didn't. I was already on the field," Lynch said. "Honestly, I did not touch one McDevitt player. I was just trying to break it up. To pull our guys off theirs.

"When they read the numbers of the ejected guys and said No. 41, I was like, 'Me?! What is going on?!' "

Though coach Brian Fluck backed Lynch's version of the events, he could not appeal the one-game suspension because the video man had turned off his camera.

Thus, Lynch had to watch from the stands as the Burrs bashed Delaware Valley Charter, 56-8, in a Class AA subregional.

In retrospect, maybe the forced vacation . . .

Nah, there was no way that was a good thing. But Lynch certainly displayed man-possessed qualities Saturday morning at the South Philly Super Site as West topped Edward Bok Tech, 34-6, for the AA City Title and a spot 2 weeks hence in a state quarterfinal.

The loss ended the career of retiring Bok coach Tom DeFelice (129-50-1 in 18 seasons), who'd been a first-magnitude quarterback for West (class of 1964).

Aside from notching 12 tackles (eight solos, two for losses, forced fumble), Lynch's blocking helped the offense churn for 369 yards. Once it awakened, that is. The halftime score was 6-6.

"We're never our normal selves for morning games," Lynch said. (The game had been switched from Friday night due to community pressure.) "It's like things are too hectic. I know coach Fluck doesn't like them. We knew what we were going to do to them. Just took longer than we wanted.

"After coach Fluck spoke at halftime, [linebacker/captain] Anthony McDonnaugh really snapped. I would have said something, but he jumped right in. What would I have said? 'I'm not trying to lose after missing last week's game. We have to play West Catholic football.' "

Somewhere, Knute Rockne is jealous.

"I wanted to be out there so bad for that Del-Val game," Lynch said. "It's all about getting back to the state final, which we know we can do.

"I knew I'd be coming back out with a vengeance. I really missed doing what I love to do. Plus, that whole game I had to listen to Bok's guys [a first-game winner in that subregional doubleheader] and all their smack talk about how they were going to shut us down."

In this one, as is often its trademark, West enjoyed an explosion. Brandon Hollomon (15-162), David Williams (8-52), Joshua Mathis (5-71) and Williams again combined for four TD runs in an 8-minute, 9-second span that commenced with 2:42 left in the third quarter.

Earlier in that period, a penalty had cost West's Jaleel Reed a 98-yard TD with an interception.

Bok's Shaquil Sammons and Williams had run for first-half TDs.

Lynch, who lives in Collingdale and boasts a 3.14 GPA, is being courted by Villanova and Old Dominion, among others. Some schools see him as an H-back while others project him on defense at end or outside linebacker. He'd like to major in sports medicine or some branch of engineering.

Oh, and he never wants to miss another game.