High Schools - Explosive West Catholic takes on Lancaster Catholic in PIAA Class AA semifinal

Somewhere, there must be someone running a contest for the year's best slogan.

It's not too late to enter "Enjoy the Show."

Those words appear on the back of T-shirts celebrating the fantastic football season being enjoyed by West Catholic High and, phew, do they fit. This squad's offense is so explosive, its hardest worker is statistician Ed "Huck" Palmer.

Tonight at 7 o'clock at Northeast High, the Burrs (13-1) will face Lancaster Catholic with the chance to not only earn a spot in next week's PIAA Class AA state final, but tie the city record for wins in a season.

La Salle went 14-0 in 1996. The Explorers also dealt West its only '08 setback, by 27-26 in Game No. 3.

Among this squad's city-record accomplishments . . .

It has roared to 704 points. The old mark (584) belonged to Archbishop Carroll's 2000 powerhouse, which featured wideout Maurice Stovall (Notre Dame, Tampa Bay), and before that to the '97 Frankford juggernaut (457) with rusher Eddie Gaskins.

It's the first team to produce three 1,000-yard rushers, thanks to halfbacks Rob Hollomon (1,742) and Raymond "Syrup" Maples (1,020) and quarterback Curtis Drake (1,341). Amazingly, Hollomon and Maples share a position and are rarely on the field together.

Hollomon boasts 39 total touchdowns (and needs one more as a rusher to tie St. Joseph's Prep's Pat Kaiser, who rang up 35 in '02).

Drake, bound for Penn State ostensibly to play wideout, is the first quarterback to top 1,000 yards as a rusher and passer (1,257).

While the Burrs averaged 37.2 through five games, they were just getting warmed up. Their norm over the last nine is 57.7 and only last Friday, against Dunmore, did they fail to reach 50 (49).

Tonight, fireworks could be a gamelong constant.

Lancaster Catholic also has fun on offense, mainly thanks to junior quarterback Kyle Smith, a lefty. Already he has thrown for 3,010 yards and 41 touchdowns (in Philly, those efforts would have crushed the city records) and made unofficial visits to Michigan and Notre Dame.

Tickets are $6. Calculators not included. *