🏈 Ready for some football? | Sports Daily Newsletter

Philly, being a city of neighborhoods, doesn’t just extend to the city limits. Whether you cross over City Avenue heading West, Pine Road heading Northeast, or Ridge Pike heading anywhere else, one thing that separates all of it is the allure of high school football.

Over the last decade, there was one team the Philadelphia area was measured by in high school football: St. Joseph’s Prep. That changed last year. The 2025 season marked a historic shift in power for several programs both in the city and the collar counties surrounding it.

Just in time for the season to get going is our annual look at the area programs that look to be a force to contend with in their respective divisions. From a Roman Catholic team defending its first-ever PIAA state football championship to La Salle, which can lay claim to beating two state powerhouses twice in one season last year. Here’s our list of the Top 10 high school football teams in our area.

Also, the time to check in on how close the Phillies are to locking up a spot in the postseason begins now. Stay on top of it all, courtesy of our playoff tracker.

It’s going to be steamy today, with showers expected and temperatures in the high 80s on this first Friday of September.

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Their last meeting on April 26 also happened to be Rob Thomson’s final game as the club’s manager. The 6-2 loss dropped the Phillies’ record to 9-19 to start the season and Thomson was fired two days later.

Don Mattingly took the reins as interim manager, and the team that had been on track to miss the playoffs entirely authored a stunning turnaround, and is back in contention for the National League East. As the Braves return to Philadelphia on Friday, their lead on the division — at one point a gargantuan 10½ games — sits at four.

This series could determine the NL East.

Aidan Miller may be close to playing again. The Phillies’ top position player prospect has missed the season because of a back condition. But in an appearance this week on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, minor league director Luke Murton said the 22-year-old shortstop is “progressing very well.”

Next: The Phillies open a four-game series with the Braves at 6:40 tonight at Citizens Bank Park (NBCSP).

One of the biggest NBA stories of the last decade played out this week in Los Angeles, where the Clippers received punishment from the NBA for circumventing the salary cap to sign star forward Kawhi Leonard. NBA owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and suspended for a year while Leonard was also fined $700,000.

But the Clippers being forced to forfeit five first-round draft picks was the piece of information that caught the attention of basketball fans in Philly. For the record, the 76ers’ 2029 pick swap is safe. The Inquirer’s Chris Hine explains how the Sixers kept the pick and assesses the value of the selection.

Optimism seems to abound with the Eagles’ offense, particularly on the offensive line, where O-line coach Chris Kuper says that the major overhaul happening under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has “come a long way.”

“Still not there yet with what we’re going to be at the end of the season,” Kuper said Thursday. “They’re very much into their job and mastering their craft, which is kind of what we harp on in the room every day.”

Kuper inherited a group that has seen three of his five starters selected to the Pro Bowl, two have been named to an All-Pro team, and together they’ve combined for nearly 400 NFL starts. Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg examines where the group is as of now, and how much farther they need to go before the season starts.

NFL football is just around the corner, but that isn’t the only sport that will kick off locally next week.

Starting next Friday, the Flyers will begin their drive toward a second consecutive playoff appearance with a five-day rookie camp for some of their prospects. The camp, which includes two games against the New York Rangers’ rookies, will be split between Voorhees and Allentown.

Serving as a precursor to training camp the following week, the rookie camp will feature some big names this year, too, with Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump all slated to participate.

Coming into work every day not knowing your future can be unnerving. Fortunately, Union interim head coach Ryan Richter is focusing on the present, and right now that is the club’s upcoming match against Montreal on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

Ask him, as Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald did on Thursday, and Richter contends that he’s not harping on a run that finds the Union on a seven-game unbeaten streak.

But when you consider that the Union are a mere point away as of Thursday from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference following a dismal start to the season, it is nothing short of remarkable by a coach choosing to play it cool.

Sept. 4, 1993: Penn State’s first-ever game in the Big Ten Conference resulted in a 38-20 win against Minnesota after wideout Bobby Engram scored four touchdowns.

As we head into Labor Day Weekend, we say goodbye to one of the busiest sports summers in Philadelphia history, one that included a World Cup, an MLB All-Star Game, and much, much more.

One of the summer’s final events was the return of the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, but there was also a one-of-a-kind event on the Delaware River and a Sixers rookie locked in a glass gaming truck in South Philly.

As they do each Friday, Inquirer photo editors picked the best sports images from the last seven days. Even with the Phillies on the West Coast, there was plenty to choose from for this week’s Big Picture.

We asked: Which Phillies player needs to step up the most in this final stretch ahead of the playoffs?

Right now Bryce [Harper] is carrying the team offensively. Schwarber needs to get hot again, and Marsh has dropped to .268 from being a league leader at one time. None of the guys Bohm, Stott, and especially Turner are contributing as they should. Going to take an every-man effort to take down the Braves whether in the regular season or playoffs. — Everett S.

Haven’t heard much from Kyle Schwarber recently. Should step up against the Braves. Perfect timing. — Bill M.

Tre Turner needs to help fuel the top of the order. Sandwiched between Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, Turner’s speed and ability to hit to all fields is a critical table setter for the top of the batting order. He can move runners, steal bases, and score from first on long singles. He needs to continue to cut down on strikeouts and be selective to barrel up pitches. — Bob C.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Joseph Santoliquito, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gustav Elvin, Chris Hine, Jeff Neiburg, and the Inquirer’s photography staff.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Alright, Philly. I’m going to go and enjoy the long weekend. You do the same, and we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday. — Kerith