Bishop McDevitt's young football team enjoying early success

Bishop McDevitt's 2-0 start on the gridiron has been fueled in large part by the rushing efforts of a pair of underclassmen.

Freshman halfback Jon-Luke Peaker has carried 33 times for 371 yards and three touchdowns. The 5-foot-6, 160-pounder netted 206 yards and two scores on only 13 attempts as the Lancers outlasted Abraham Lincoln, 43-32, in their season opener.

"He doesn't second-guess himself," McDevitt head coach Mike Watkins said. "He just takes the ball and goes. He also knows how to absorb a hit."

Lonnie Rice, a sophomore quarterback, has rushed 31 times for 141 yards and four TDs in a spread attack. "I tell him, 'Be decisive out there, and we'll take whatever we get out of it,' " Watkins said.

The Lancers, who last season went 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Catholic League Blue Division, edged neighboring Cheltenham, 14-13, in Friday night's nonleague contest.

"There's a lot of work to do," Watkins said. "We want to build things one brick at a time. We're only concerned about getting ready for the team that's in front of us."

Peaker, who played Pop Warner football for the Enon Eagles, is supported by fellow halfbacks R.J. Laurie-Clark and Quamir Reynolds and fullback Tyseem Caesar.

McDevitt's offensive line is made up of center Andrew Metro (5-9, 235), guards Giancarlo Kelly (6-0, 245) and Nasir Pettus (6-1, 225), tackles Jared Warren (6-2, 290) and Tyrone Fowler (6-2, 220), and tight end Lawrence Richardson (6-1, 215).

A 4-3 defense is anchored by nose guard Warren, ends Pettus and Fowler, linebackers Richardson and Richard Cotton, cornerbacks Zay Scott and Amari Jones, and safeties Rice and Laurie-Clark.

Of giving up 32 points in Week 1, Watkins said, "Our tackling was a little sloppy. We put a heavy focus on that going into the Cheltenham game."

How does Watkins expect the Lancers, who have seven sophomores in the their rotation, to fare in a Blue Division that has title contenders in defending champion Cardinal O'Hara, Conwell-Egan, Neumann-Goretti, and West Catholic?

"There's a lot of good competition there," he said. "I know it's a cliche, but we really need to take it one game at a time."

Game on. After last year's scheduled meeting was canceled because of a heat advisory, Imhotep Charter (1-1) will visit Northeast (1-0) in a Public League Independence Division showdown at 4 p.m. Friday.

Multipurpose threat Isheem Young and Imhotep rebounded from a 33-14 loss at Harrisburg with a 55-12 pounding of Ben Franklin on Thursday.

Northeast opened its season Friday with a 44-0 rout of West Philadelphia. The Vikings' run-heavy offense is led by QB Carlos Davila and halfbacks Daniel Scott, Ubayd Steed, and Sameen Thompson.

Questionable. QB Isaiah Jones' status to play for La Salle in Saturday night's nonleague clash against Malvern Prep is up in the air.

Jones, who sat out all of last season with a left leg injury, left Saturday's 21-9 nonleague loss at McDonogh (Md.) in the first quarter with an apparent injury to his right leg and did not return.

Dan Solecki filled in for Jones against McDonogh, completing 11 of 21 passes for 150 yards and a score.

The Explorers, 1-1 and ranked No. 4 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by the Inquirer, take on the No. 2 Friars (1-0) at 7 p.m. at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Malvern downed La Salle, 21-12, at Franklin Field last season.