Piscopo eager to lead La Salle to more glory in Catholic AAAA

EVERY SON tries to one-up his father.

Heck, isn't that half the fun of being a boy, especially as the years zip by and cluelessness yields to perception?

Friday night at 7 o'clock, before what promises to be a large, energized crowd at Northeast's Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium, Mike Piscopo will have a chance to help La Salle High win a fourth straight Catholic AAAA football championship.

Piscopo, a 6-1, 190-pound senior, makes his most significant contributions at outside linebacker. But he also plays tight end and holds for kicks, and he has developed quite the reputation for putting the greater good ahead of personal accomplishments.

Let's face it, though. If the Explorers top Roman Catholic, Mike will go the personal route and bust the chops of his father, Tony, who starred at linebacker (13 tackles) in 1977 as Abraham Lincoln bested Frankford, 13-6, to seize its first Public League crown since 1958.

Tony was a junior that season. The 1978 campaign did not go quite as well, teamwise. Though Tony earned first-team All-City laurels, Frankford won the title-game rematch, 7-6.

In 2010, Mike was a part-time defensive player, used mostly in passing situations. Yet contributing is contributing, so he'd take the family lead in direct ties to league kingpins.

"My dad has a whole box of newspaper clippings," Mike said Tuesday, sitting on a low wall outside the school, awaiting the start of practice. "He used to show me that stuff when I was younger, but I didn't really understand. I didn't think they were too interesting.

"I like hearing about his career now. I try to learn off his experiences. Really, his friends are the ones who always pump him up. He doesn't talk about himself too much."

While the offense is always mentioned first, second and third, even fourth, when people discuss the Explorers, the defense has fought its way to praiseworthy status.

Coach John Steinmetz' unit has allowed an average of 12 points over the last five games. Its average over the first five was 22.

The starters on defense are ends Tyler Kern and Matt Maginnis, tackles Conor Resch and Dan Wasylenko, inside linebackers Sean Burke and John Palermo, outside linebackers Piscopo and Mike Eife, cornerbacks Dad Poquie and Chris Rocco, and safety Sean Coleman.

Some of those guys - most notably Maginnis (rowing) and Coleman (lacrosse) - are headliners in other sports and, hey, what do you know, Piscopo is, too. In fact, the third baseman is bound for Northeastern on a baseball scholarship.

We'll ask it for you . . . Did he give any thought to skipping senior-year football?

"I considered it, briefly," he said. "Didn't come close to doing that at all. I decided it would be too tough to walk away from my friends and what we had a chance to accomplish. It would have killed me to go to the games and not be on the field.

"Playing multiple sports is encouraged here, and the coaches make it easy. While I was playing football, they knew I was still doing all my offseason conditioning work."

In the interest of full disclosure, a laughing Piscopo acknowledged he was "kind of a sissy" in his younger years.

Imagine how well that went over with Dad.

"He was always trying to coach me up," Mike said. "I used to get so [hissed] when he'd yell at me during games. Now I understand. He just wanted me to succeed in anything I was doing.

"Now, Sunday is our day to get together and talk about things. That's when he tells me about the good things I did and what changes I need to make."

Those chats usually take place on a sideline, and Mike has been known to step away and holler at his eighth-grade, fraternal-twin brothers, Anthony and Nick. They star for Assumption, a CYO team based in Feasterville, and they could wind up at La Salle. Repeat, could.

"Coach [Drew] Gordon is on me about that," Mike quipped. "He wants to know if he's gettin' them. La Salle is kind of expensive . . . "

For now, Anthony, a running back/linebacker, is a shade more advanced. Nick plays tight end and linebacker.

"Anthony's a stud," Mike said. "How about a shoutout?"

As much as Piscopo loves game day, and trading hard hits with anyone/everyone, it sounds as if his most enjoyment comes elsewhere.

"My father is big on being a good teammate and presenting yourself well," he said. "I like that, too. When I was younger, the older guys here were always great to me. It's about being approachable and taking the time to guide them if there's something they don't understand. Just set a nice example for how things have to go for a team."

The Piscopos (mom is Carolyn) live in Huntingdon Valley, and Mike also helps his school with food drives and collecting money for those less fortunate.

Before being interviewed, Piscopo watched game tape of Roman's 45-17, semifinal win over St. Joseph's Prep. In that one, replacement quarterback Christopher Cruz merely broke the city's postseason record for TD passes, with five, and also ran for a score.

"They're an impressive team," Piscopo said. "They have a lot of real good athletes and they're tough to prepare for."

They might also have a guy trying to outdo Dad.