Imhotep tops Communications Tech in Public AA semifinal

DEVIN SANDERS sounded like someone trying to apologize for having emerged as the goat of the game.

Instead, he'd served as the hero.

It's funny how things play out in sports, right? Just when you feel it's going to be one of those days, as in negative . . .

"I felt really sluggish today," Sanders said. "I just tried to do my best.

"I drank a lot of water last night, so I'd be properly hydrated and wouldn't cramp up. I got a good night's rest, too. I just felt slow. Like I couldn't open up my stride."

Ohhhhhhhh-k.

So, to hear Sanders tell it, his two best scampers Friday in a Public AA semifinal should have gone for 74 and 90 yards, respectively. Someone, it's doubtful anyone associated with Imhotep Charter, is angry they went "only" for 59 and 71.

The 59-yarder, on a slotback reverse, came in the second quarter and set up Maurice Palmer's 4-yard touchdown run. The second, on a kickoff return, opened the third quarter and helped see to it that Palmer would rush for another TD only two plays later from the 6.

Oh, Sanders, a 5-9, 165-pound senior, also notched a first-quarter interception and knocked down a conversion pass with 2 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in regulation after Communications Tech had forced a tie at 12-12.

The final? Imhotep 18, Comm Tech 12, in overtime.

It was a shame Sanders was such a non-factor.

Of his long gain on the reverse, Sanders said he'd suggested the play to his coaches.

"We were running lots of dives and slants, and we saw that they weren't paying attention to our back side," he said. "We decided to fake the slant and run the reverse. The coaches were asking me what the best plan would be for getting me the ball. That was what I came up with. And it went for a big gain."

The kickoff return was quite the adventure. Sanders was back by his lonesome, looking toward Germantown Avenue - and some big, yellow thing - at Simon Gratz' Marcus Foster Memorial Stadium. He appeared to be fooled at first, well, because he was.

"As I was looking for the ball, it went directly into the sun," said Sanders, who did a late reach-up to glove the kickoff. "I was like, 'OK, is it coming down?' Then I looked again and saw this little black dot coming out. That was a last-second thing, and I just reacted to it.

"Our kick-return wedge team did a nice job on that. A shoutout to them."

With a stiff wind making passing difficult, rushing dominated the afternoon. Palmer turned 23 carries into 140 yards, while CT's Rolando Ransom, a junior, ran and ran and ran - 48 times in all - for 162 yards and a score.

Those 48 carries are the most in city postseason history, topping 43 by St. Joseph's Prep's Joe Rabuck, vs. Cardinal Dougherty, in the 1977 Catholic League final. It also sniffed the any-kinda-game mark: Germantown Academy's Alex Holcombe ran 53 times vs. Chestnut Hill in 2006.

CT forged the tie on Zaki Jamison's 13-yard keeper. Imhotep advanced to CT's 40 as regulation wound down, but a procedure call and two losses - stop by Eric Dickerson and Rasheed Brown combined, then Diquan Gilbert alone - assured a visit to OT-ville.

CT coach John Gossett opted for offense first. On fourth down from the 2, Jamison was dumped for a 2-yard loss by Byron Cooper and Jeraal Boone as he tried to roll out. Palmer powered for 8 yards on the Panthers' first play and a tacked-on, half-the-distance foul put the ball at the 1. An encroachment infraction then placed it even closer to the goal line. Quarterback Christopher Lewis had no trouble ending the game, touching off a celebration.

Imhotep had pounded CT, 40-7, during the regular season. A hint of overconfidence, maybe?

"Not that," Sanders insisted. "We went into this nervous, because we were missing some important players [three two-wayers, because of school issues]. That threw a monkey wrench at us."

As the Panthers walked toward their postgame meeting with coach Marc Wilson, lineman Nicholas Johnson said to fellow grunt Kyle Hambright, "That was a fight, man. That was not easy at all."

Sanders also praised CT.

"I have much respect for them," he said. "And that running back? He's a great athlete."

Though Sanders leads Imhotep's receivers with 16 catches for 310 yards and eight TDs, the passing game is nowhere near as productive as it was in 2009. He tries to make the most of his touches.

"We don't have football players on this team. We have athletes," he said, smiling. "We have lots of guys who can run and catch and hurt you in so many different ways. It's just a matter of who's doing what when. We all step up big-time."

Sanders, who lives near Stenton and Haines, where East Germantown blends into West Oak Lane, plans to major in engineering in college; the electrical variety fascinates him the most. He is hearing from Towson, Stony Brook, Monmouth and East Stroudsburg.

Wait till they hear he starred on a day when he didn't feel top-notch.

Friday's Central-Edison Public AAAA Silver finale went to the former, because the latter, according to league czar Robert Coleman, had only 13 varsity players available.

It's the league's third forfeit this season. Earlier, Imhotep Charter picked up not-enough-bodies freebies over Thomas FitzSimons and Future.

"Between illness, injuries, academics and a couple kids quitting, Edison only had 13 kids," Coleman said. "They'll try to get it together next week [for a non-league game]."

Edison is 0-7 and has been outscored, 220-20. With only 20 players in uniform, it was thumped in Week 7 by Samuel Fels, 62-6. *

The low-numbers' bug has again bitten the Pub.