🏈 Pair to play | Sports Daily Newsletter

So quietly — or not so quietly, if you live on the Main Line — there is a petition circulating within the Lower Merion School District urging folks to consider combining the football programs of the district’s two high schools, Lower Merion and Harriton, into one, primarily given the decline in participants.

Coupled with the fact that Harriton has been the perennial bottom-feeder of the Central League, losing every game in league play over the past 10 seasons.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The decline is so severe that Main Line kids are opting out of football, leading both schools to discontinue their freshman and junior varsity teams. As a result, players as young as 14 are facing college-bound seniors on other teams. One parent described it as watching “Villanova go play Ohio State.”

One question we have is this: If the merger goes through, what impact will it have on the annual Radnor vs. Lower Merion game, acknowledged as the oldest continuous high school football rivalry in the United States?

Would it still be?

Stuff to ponder on this blustery Thursday, which won’t see temperatures leave the 40s under partly cloudy skies. Bundle up.

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

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

❓Why do you think fewer kids are playing football? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni appeared miffed Wednesday when he had to answer more questions from the media about his Pro Bowl wide receiver, A.J. Brown. But it’s hard not to ask why Brown went on a livestream with gamer Janky Rondo and discussed just how unhappy he is when it comes to his day job.

Brown has expressed his discontent with the lack of targets before this season, but it has been quelled by the fact that the team is 7-2 following a win against the Packers.

The Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg has more the Brown situation and what Sirianni is saying about it.

Also, Olivia Reiner takes a look at the Lions and what we know about them, as well as what we are still learning about the opponent next up for the Birds on Sunday (8:20 p.m., NBC10).

👏🏾 Applauding: The life of Vhito DeCapria, which for over a decade served as an inspiration to Penn’s football program.

⚾ Wondering: Who’s going to come in and replace Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos if the club decides to move him? Here’s a thought.

🏑 Sharing: St. Joseph’s field hockey team is back in the NCAA Tournament and chasing a return to the title game.

🏈 Taking in: The Kelce brothers’ thoughts on the Eagles’ win against the Packers in the latest drop of their New Heights podcast.

🦅 Watching: Eagles cheerleader James LeGette’s other job and the special lives impacted by it.

In between meetings this week, the Phillies’ highest-ranking baseball official said he recently had a “good conversation” for “quite a while” with the face of the franchise and “everything went well.”

And with that, Dave Dombrowski declared an end to l’affaire Harper.

Swell. What says Bryce Harper?

“Well, look,” agent Scott Boras told The Inquirer on Wednesday at the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, “I said from the start that [owner] John Middleton and Dave Dombrowski want Bryce Harper to finish his career in Philadelphia.”

Does Harper still feel the same way?

Dombrowski also offered up an update on Zack Wheeler’s thoracic outlet decompression surgery rehab, and made clear the team has interest in bringing back outfielder Harrison Bader.

“They know we’d like to bring him back,” Dombrowski said Wednesday. “They also had expressed that they want to see what’s out there, because this was the best year he’s had, I think, in quite a while.”

Formerly the No. 2-ranked high school player in the country, Justin Edwards was expected to play at Kentucky for one season, land a top-10 spot in the NBA draft, and move on to a lucrative professional career. Well, things didn’t exactly pan out as planned. Instead, Edwards struggled with the Wildcats and went undrafted. The former Imhotep star did move on to the NBA and carve out a spot with the 76ers that looked like a fairy tale ending.

So he entered this season with expectations that he would play a major part in the rotation. But that didn’t come to pass as he sat behind a deep rotation that starred Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre Jr. But Edwards kept fighting, showing up early and preparing himself for the moment. That came when he posted 22 points and converted five three-pointers to save the Sixers in a win over the Celtics. “It shows that I’ve been waiting my turn,” Edwards said postgame, “and today was my day, honestly.”

The U.S. men’s national team has been practicing all week in Chester ahead of its game against Paraguay at Subaru Park this Saturday (5 p.m., TNT, Univision). But yesterday was a bit of a reunion for Mark McKenzie and Brendan Aaronson, a pair of locals who were groomed in the Union system.

In addition to the duo reuniting with former Union teammates, they took a tour of the new YSC Academy, the school they both attended during their academy days.

“Being back home is, of course, amazing, and we’re both really lucky that this is the first time that the national team has been in Philly since we’ve been on the team,” Aaronson said.

The Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald has more on the duo’s homecoming and their place on manager Mauricio Pochettino’s roster ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Nov. 13, 2022: Not trying to pour salt in the wounds of Sixers fans watching Joel Embiid back on the sidelines. However, it was on this date just three seasons ago that he scored 59 points in a win against Utah, which at the time was his career high, until his 70-point night against the Spurs during the 2023-24 season.

“As it stands, the Sixers say [Joel] Embiid is day to day. Of course, for most of his 12 NBA years, he’s been day to day. However, this is the first time he’s been day-to-day at the age of 31. In reality, Embiid will likely be day-to-day every day until the final day of his new three-year, $188 million contract, writes Hayes in his latest column.

LAND BACEPLM

Which NFL coach just this week referred to playing a game inside Lincoln Financial Field and in Philly as a whole as a “hostile environment?” Take a guess and click here to see if you’re correct.

We asked: What are your biggest concerns surrounding the Phillies?

The bullpen and the outfield are always my concerns. They need to resign [Kyle] Schwarber, JT [Realmuto], Ranger [Suarez], and [Harrison] Bader. I know they won’t, and that’s a mistake. The outfield needs a complete overhaul, in my opinion. Not sure if that can be accomplished. Rojas is not the answer. Bolstering the bullpen is always good. If they don’t make some changes, it will be just another season without that elusive ring. This crew isn’t getting any younger. — Kathy T.

What I think are the biggest concerns might not be what Dombrowski wants, but I think No. 1 is to sign [Harrison] Bader. We need that guy in center field. The Phillies need a right-handed, power-hitting left fielder, and then allow Justin Crawford to play right. Hoping that Duran can indeed be the closer, the team has to really improve that middle relief group. If they are going to let Suarez go, then Painter has to come through. For a few more million, not sure I would let Suarez go. With the money coming in from the remarkable fan base, the Phillies can afford to match the Dodgers’ payroll. Keep JT, but let Marchan play a lot more than he is. The guy can hit. Let him play. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Denali Sanger, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Ariel Simpson, Colin Schofield, Sean McKeown, Scott Lauber, Jenna Miller, Jonathan Tannenwald, Marcus Hayes, Lochlahn March, and Rob Tornoe.

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.

As always, I appreciate you allowing me to start your day. Jim returns tomorrow to get you ready for the weekend. Have a good one. — Kerith