Ted Silary: Episcopal Academy's Florio relishes perfect season

Passing along some city high school football tidbits . . .

MULTIPLE PAGES had to be ripped from calendars, but Jack Florio's most vivid Episcopal Academy football memory is no longer negative. In Week 3 of the 2010 season, the Churchmen visited Hun School (N.J.) and, after scoring a touchdown, found themselves down, 21-20, in overtime.

"We decided to roll the dice and go for the win," Florio said. "We threw a pass to our best receiver. Hit him right in the chest . . . and fell to the ground. That was a real tough moment. Things didn't go too well after that. It marked our season. Us seniors always look back at that."

Time to wield an eraser! On Saturday, with the 6-2, 270-pound Florio doing his ever-yeoman work at left tackle and nose guard, visiting Episcopal topped Haverford School, 21-14, to complete a 10-0 season (best record in school history) and capture the Inter-Ac championship.

"I feel great, but I'm not even sure it has completely sunk in," Florio said Monday. "To come from where we were to do this? In my first three varsity seasons, we were 1-14 in the Inter-Ac.

"We have 20 seniors on this team. We always felt that if we stayed together and worked hard, we could be pretty good by this season. Coach [Todd] Fairlie kept pushing us. Our season really turned out to be special."

The o-line featured center John Minicozzi, rotating guards Mike Watkins, Robbie Ibarguen and Connor Longen, tackles Florio and Dante Addona, and tight ends Evan Butts and Matt McLaughlin. They helped Penn-bound quarterback Adam Strouss account for 238 yards and all three TDs vs. HS.

Strouss was responsible for 35 TDs this season (18 rushing, 17 passing), one fewer than QB Curtis Drake registered (21, 15) in West Catholic's outrageous 2008 season (775 points). One difference: Those Burrs played 16 games.

"Adam had a tremendous season," said Florio, who lives in Springfield (Delco), plans to major in finance and is receiving Patriot League interest. "I can't say we did everything for him, because he had some great [individual] plays, but he knows how much we helped. Every time we'd get a nice gain or a touchdown, he'd come back and tell us how well we were blocking.

"As a lineman, your satisfaction comes with every first down. You see those chains move and it's, 'I did my job. We did our job.' Best feeling in the world."

Imhotep now owns the Public League record for points in one season with 486. Frankford scored 457 in '97 after notching 454 in '87. At those times, they were city marks. The 775-point dropped by West in '08 will be tough to outdo . . . La Salle senior wideout Sean Coleman, who will play lacrosse at Harvard, owns 135 career catches for 2,050 yards and 22 TDs. The Explorers scored 11 TDs in the last three Catholic AAAA title games. He contributed seven while making 19 catches for 288 yards . . . St. Joseph's Prep's title-game loss to La Salle ended the run of senior-year perfection by the Tracz family at 33 games. David plays tackles for the Hawks, who entered 9-0. His cousin and deceased uncle (both named Brian; star linebackers) each went 12-0 (for Prep in '03, O'Hara in '73) . . . In seven seasons, La Salle coach Drew Gordon is 73-19 (.793) . . . King coach John Sheroda, already holding a game ball with his right hand, used his left arm to catch/cradle an errant pass by Future's Ronald Wade against his chest. "It was like someone threw me a beer," he quipped . . . Sheroda, on the fact that one of his promising linemen is reluctant to hit the weight room: "It's his scholarship. Not mine." . . .

In three starts vs. archrival Germantown Academy, Penn Charter's Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) passed for 144 total yards. His soph cousin, Pat McCain, notched 134 in Saturday's win over GA . . . In five varsity seasons (he repeated sophomore year after transferring from SJ Prep), Penn Charter's Eric Neefe turned 499 carries into 3,029 yards and 37 TDs . . . Kudos to Bonner-Prendie's student rooters for staying to the end of the 38-16 playoff loss to Wood. Also not a bad rendition of "Jingle Bells" . . . Classic play: B-P's Jim Haley, in stride, made multiple tips of a pass from Collin DiGalbo (he looked like a waiter trying to control an errant tray) before teammate Michael Roman made the catch on his knees . . . In his last three outings, Wood's Andrew Guckin has rushed 71 times for 930 yards and 14 TDs. His mom, then-Jane Gresko, was St. Hubert's top athlete (soccer MVP, track) in the 1984-85 school year . . . Bok TE Dylan Edmonds-Carty has five catches this season. Distances: 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 yards. If he makes a snag for 9 or 15 yards this week vs. Wood, cue the "Twilight Zone" music . . . West Catholic's QBs were perfect against Conwell-Egan. Antwain McCollum went 9-for-9 for 205 yards and two TDs. Frosh Josh Holsopple went 1-for-1 for 12.