Injury can't depress School of the Future's Bolger
High School of the Future football coach Marcus Fulton was momentarily puzzled as his newly victorious players - minus a key one - wore subdued expressions as they strode toward him.
High School of the Future football coach Marcus Fulton was momentarily puzzled as his newly victorious players - minus a key one - wore subdued expressions as they strode toward him.
"I was like, 'What are y'all looking at? We just won!' " said Future's first-year coach.
Seconds later, their ruse was revealed in chilling fashion.
"Man, they dunked me with the ice and cold water!" Fulton said.
Friday afternoon's 46-12 victory over host Edison was the Firebirds' first of the season and Fulton's first as a head coach. In the previous three seasons, Future (1-5 overall, 1-3 league) had been 1-15 in Public League play and just 5-29 overall.
Jarell Bolger, who suffered a gruesome leg injury the week before, was still at home recovering when teammates knocked on his door after the game.
"I couldn't believe it at first because it's been a rough couple of weeks," the senior said. "But when I saw it in their eyes, I knew!"
For the second consecutive season, a major injury ended Bolger's season and taxed his resilience, but ultimately it strengthened his resolve.
"It's not forever," Bolger said. "This injury is not forever. I'm not going to be like this for the rest of my life, so I can overcome this. And if I can overcome this I can overcome anything."
Bolger injured the ligaments in his left ankle during Future's loss to Kensington on Sept. 22 at the Simon Gratz Super Site.
Tears streamed down Bolger's face as his teammates stood - some with helmets held aloft in tribute - near the ambulance that took him from the field to a nearby hospital.
He had already missed all of last season because of torn ligaments in his right knee.
Last week, Bolger had ankle surgery that included the insertion of screws and a metal plate. While his body and mind heal, the victory, at least, lifted his spirits.
"I feel like nobody deserved that win more than my team did," Bolger said. "I was really proud and happy. I was also kind of sad because I couldn't be there for them. But they got it, and I'm happy."
Tough times still lie ahead.
Bolger said he gets around the house with crutches but has fallen a few times, which has made him feel "helpless," and caused him to ask "why me?"
Strength learned from his late aunt, Pearl Fisher, helps him navigate the negativity.
"She used to tell me, 'Don't ever limit yourself,' " Bolger said of Fisher, who died of bone cancer when Bolger was in eighth grade. "I always took that to heart. But when she died, that was very, very hard for me. But what I've learned from her, I've tried to bring it to my life."
Fisher also told him, "You never know when it's your last day," he said.
"And I try to live by that quote," he said.
To that end, Bolger hasn't missed many school assignments.
"They said I'd be excused for the work I missed, but I didn't want that," he said. "It's not like I'm not capable of thinking or using my upper body. I didn't want to miss out on any more opportunities, so I had to take [school] into my own hands."
Bolger said he hopes to study business in college and impress the importance of education upon his three younger siblings.
And when "woe is me" creeps into his mind, he hopes to shoo it away.
"You won't get far with that mind-set," he said. "With all this, I'm learning to overcome heavy situations, and I can guarantee that no other kid who is 18 knows pain like this, after two major surgeries and overcoming both of them. Because of that, I can learn from this experience and make a more positive outcome for the future."
First win, first child
Kensington's victory over Future on Sept. 22 was the team's first win since 2014. The Tigers (2-3, 2-1) went winless in Public League play last season.
The week before the Future game, Kensington coach Sean Ryan welcomed his first child, William Peter Ryan, into the world, causing him to miss Kensington's game against Roxborough.
Well, sort of.
"The whole time my wife was getting induced, I was sending text messages, 'What's the score at halftime? What's the score at halftime?!' "
Roxborough won that game, 20-8.
La Salle's chart-topper
Troy Holland, a 6-foot-1, 150-pound wide receiver for La Salle, exploded for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches and two touchdowns Saturday night during a 35-7 win over Father Judge.
Holland's yardage mark is the most by an Explorer going back to 1981, according to TedSilary.com. Holland had just 49 yards in the first half.
Senior quarterback Tom LaMorte finished 18 of 21 for 264 passing yards and three touchdowns.
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