Saint Joe's Prep hopes to turn tide in Malvern Prep series

JIM HURLEY'S left ankle turned out not to be broken.

The question now becomes: Will his heart be as lucky?

The 6-1, 175-pound Hurley, a senior, will start (and likely star) at wide receiver and cornerback Thursday morning for St. Joseph's Prep in a Thanksgiving tussle vs. Malvern Prep, set for 10:30 at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High.

Though Hurley's pregame thoughts have been overwhelmingly positive, it would be impossible not to have occasional flashbacks to recent, rocked-to-the-core goings-on in the series. Especially since his brother, Pete, a 2010 SJ Prep grad now playing for West Chester, was also part of two of them.

There was 2008 . . . The Hawks mounted a 21-0 lead, then collapsed, 34-27.

There was 2009 . . . They rang up almost twice as many yards, 331-171, and owned a 14-0 lead before falling, 17-16.

There was 2010 . . . They lost this one, 14-13, after Hurley had blocked a punt and returned the ball 16 yards to provide a 13-7 lead.

"When you're eating Thanksgiving turkey after games like those, there's always a bitter taste in your mouth," Hurley said. "We're all hoping there's a different outcome this year."

By we're, Hurley meant his teammates and coaches, but even more so his family members.

As many as 30 could be in attendance and that total will include five brothers, each of whom is a Prep alumnus. John ('02) is the oldest, followed by Tom, Joe, Bob and Pete. Every bro played at least freshman football, and all made it to varsity in one sport or another. Some went the multiple route, as does Jim (lacrosse).

"My brothers have been great to me," Jim said. "They've supported and encouraged me since Day 1 and all through my time at the Prep. I guess the best times were 2 years ago, because Pete was a senior and we got to go through that whole season together."

In 2010, Hurley made 17 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 2 target for now-senior Skyler Mornhinweg, whose dad, Marty, is the Eagles' offensive coordinator (not Conwell-Egan; Philadelphia).

This season he boasts team highs in catches and yards (25-417, with three TDs) and, well, those numbers could be much higher if not for . . .

In the early moments of Week 1, as the Hawks hammered St. Marguerite d'Youville, of Canada, Hurley injured his left ankle.

"I thought it was broken. I felt a pop," he said. "When the X-rays came back, they showed no broken bones, so that was good. But the ligaments were stretched and torn apart.

"I had to miss some time, and it's been bothering me all season. Our trainer has been great with me, but there are still some kinks in there and sometimes it hurts pretty bad."

Nonetheless, he'll be starting on defense for the first time since Week 1.

"The ankle has restricted me a lot in terms of playing time," he said. "I just stuck with offense. But now . . . last game of my high school career. It's a special moment, and I want to be out there both ways."

Some down time has helped. The Prep has been inactive since Nov. 5, when it was rocked by Roman Catholic, 45-17, in a Catholic AAAA semifinal. That result signaled a 50-point turnaround in the point differential, as the Hawks had won the teams' regular-season meeting, 42-20.

In college, Hurley has not yet decided whether he'd like to pursue football or lacrosse. He does know, however, that another loss to Malvern could make his immediate future rather rough.

"Where I live, Radnor Township, is big Malvern country," he said. "I have neighbors who go there, and I know a lot of guys on their team from playing with them or against them in grade school.

"I know Malvern [outright Inter-Ac champ] is going to come out ready. But we definitely want to win, too. The last 3 years have been very rough. The vibe from our whole team is, we want this pretty bad."

Turkey tidbits

West Philadelphia (10-1), which will host archrival Overbrook at 10:30, can establish a school record for wins. This is the Speedboys' 96th season. Only the '27 squad (10-0) had reached double digits . . . At 10 at George Washington, much-improved Ryan will look to bump off the Pub's AAAA champ . . . Central-Northeast, set for 10:30 in the latter's stadium, features an interesting dynamic. The teams met earlier in a Pub AAAA first-round playoff, and Central dumped its archrival for the first time since 2001.