"I love Terrell Owens!" Black gushed. "That's my guy!"

Wait, let him explain.

"He talks trash, but he can back it up," Black said. "When he says he's gonna do something, he goes out there and does it.

"I'm the same way. I'm always making bets with my teammates about what I'm going to do. And then I win them...Well, most of them."

Black, who oozes athleticism and personality, is a 6-2, 200-pound senior at Abraham Lincoln High.

Though he is known mostly for his pass-catching skills, he also stars at linebacker, primarily in a 5-2 defense, and yesterday he made numerous contributions - some obvious, some subtle - as the Railsplitters bullied visiting Ben Franklin, 40-12, in a nonleague game.

To be determined, via scrutiny of the game tape: whether he again outdid teammate Ali Baxter.

"You know that pizza store, Jean's, across the street from Lincoln?" he said. "Well, we always bet slices on who's going to do more. He's like, 'You can't catch two TD passes today...You can't get 100 yards today.' I usually win. These last 2 years, I'm boxes worth of pizza slices ahead of him."

Lincoln needed only three plays to drive 65 yards and post a quick, game-opening touchdown, a 44-yarder by Ernesto Garcia, and passing wound up not being much of a priority. Black settled for two catches, both on hitch passes, for 15 yards, and also drew a key interference call on a scoring drive.

On defense, he logged 11 tackles, and two came way downfield to prevent long touchdowns by star tailback Marquis White. He also recovered a fumble and made a spectacular, quick-instincts play to turn the opportunity into a 67-yard return TD.

Here's his explanation...

"Our coaches knew that wherever they sent their fullback, that's where the play was going," Black began. "They knew I could pursue to the ball, because I'm a little faster than our other linebackers. We flip-flopped the linebackers on that play, and Chris Williams blew up their fullback, making him bump back into the quarterback, and making him drop the ball.

"I just flowed to the football and saw it there on the ground. Then I did the super swipe we always work on in practice: Run full speed, get as low as you can, pick up the ball and take off."

With one alteration.

"I felt a lineman jumping on the back of my legs," he said. "So I gave the ball a little smack, trying to get it to bounce up a little. It did. That gave me some room and kept me from having to break stride."

Lincoln's quarterback, Joe McCausland, wound up passing only six times. He completed four for 75 yards, and his one TD covered 36 yards to Dylan Gallagher. There was also a 17-yard completion to Hakeem Cooper.

"On days when I don't get too many passes, I still get satisfaction from knowing I'm running my routes the right way," Black said. "When I see Dylan and Hakeem catch passes, that makes me know I'm doing my job by creating space for them.

"If teams want to throw two to three guys on me, that's fine. It gives my teammates a chance to show their talent."

Wonder whether TO ever said anything close to that? We'll wait as you (fruitlessly) search the Internet.

Garcia and Williams enjoyed similar rushing success. Garcia turned seven carries into 90 yards, while Williams' numbers were nine and 87. Their TD totals were three and one, respectively. Gallagher and Baxter picked off passes, while Cooper joined Black in making a strong showing at linebacker.

White was Franklin's only answer. He ran 28 times for 184 yards and both TDs, caught one pass for 17 yards and collected 85 yards on returns. Clarence Cohen (interception) and Demetrius Town (recovery) experienced defensive happiness.

Black, who lives in West Philly, has been staying with an uncle near Lincoln during the SEPTA strike. If he'd followed an original plan, his daily commute would be even longer.

"In 10th grade," he said, "I was going to transfer to Washington. Coach [Gene] Kelly said he wasn't going to let me. He promised me he'd help me blossom. I talked to my dad [John] about it and he said it was up to me. I decided to stay, and I'm glad I did."

Black's next colors could be Cherry and White.

"Temple has been talking to me and I went to their camp," he said. "They said if I keep working on my grades and keep performing on the field, my future could be very bright. I would like to be a part of that program. It's on the rise."

Who knows? Maybe Black will become a TO type for the TOs.i