All-Star Classic will cap great year for Edison's Boseman

With apologies to Charles Dickens, plus some alterations, Dom Boseman could grab a laptop and punch out "A Tale of Three Sports Experiences."

Luckily, best of times would outnumber worst of times, 2-1. But the bad one was quite the doozy.

Boseman, a 6-foot, 205-pound senior at Thomas Edison High, reported for Thursday night's Public practice, in anticipation of the 37th annual Philadelphia City All-Star Classic, set for May 21, 2 p.m., at Lincoln Financial Field, as quite the happy young man.

A few hours earlier, he'd captured the Public League's shot put championship, with an effort of 52 feet, 6 inches, for the second consecutive year, and all that did was continue a great run going back to the winter, when he emerged as the Pub's best 215-pound wrestler for Year No. 3 and even added District 12 laurels.

As for football . . . Why'd you have to ask?

Shuffling between guard and tackle on offense, and while playing tackle, end and linebacker on defense, plus mixing in punting (yes, to boot), Boseman endured an 0-11 season.

Oops. Turns out endured is the wrong choice of word. Make that enjoyed.

"I really did have fun. Through the whole season. It was probably the best [sports] experience I ever had," Boseman said. "I went out there every game knowing we probably weren't going to win, but I would never call us a 'losing team.'

"The fact that our level of performance couldn't match the other teams', well, let's keep that quiet. What mattered to me was that everybody was trying their best. Every day in practice, guys went hard. If they'd been going halfway, that would have been different. Our physical skills weren't the same as the opponents'.

"Our team was always the smallest. And I was always the big guy. I got used to it. I did appreciate the comments I got from some people. Like, 'The game's not the same when you're not out there.' "

In the track event, held at Germantown, Boseman, a lefty, achieved his best effort on his next-to-last throw. When he triumped a year ago, at 50-6 1/2, he was Edison's first shot put winner (the school opened in February 1957, in Northeast's original building at 8th and Lehigh) and one of only four Inventors/Owls to claim an individual event since 1967.

"I felt I had a 60-footer in me today," Boseman said.

Huh? An effort 7 feet beyond his personal record?

"I did have one real good one, but I fouled," he said. "I'm still working on my form. Something's up with my technique. I wind up off balance."

Boseman said he was told of his selection to this all-star football game, which matches Pub against Non-Pub (seniors only), during a wrestling match.

"I had a feeling I'd make it, but I went, 'Did this really happen?' " he noted.

Boseman has never attended a professional sporting event. As in ever.

"I can't even figure out why," he said, laughing. "Just hasn't happened."

With that in mind, imagine how large his goosebumps will be when he trots out onto the field.

"I always thought about what it would be like to play football games in the South. Always wished I could do that," Boseman said. "Run out into a stadium in front of thousands of people. At Edison, I bet I never ran out in front of a hundred people.

"Going out for this one, I'm gonna feel like a pro. It'll be special."

Boseman, who lives near 5th and Glenwood, will serve coach Bill Harrigan (Samuel Fels) along the defensive line, while also punting and perhaps seeing a hint of time at tight end. Though he's still hoping to draw higher-level college interest, he figures he might wind up at Thaddeus Stevens Tech in Lancaster.

Long-range, he sees himself in construction or the production end of the music industry.

"If I'm not playing sports, I'm doing music," he said. "I barely watch any TV. I'm always doing something with sports or lifting or music. My girl [Camryn Rosenberg] is big into music."

Mostly, Boseman likes those songs with thumping beats.

However  . . .

"I also like love songs," he added, somewhat sheepishly. "My girl put me on to that."