QB Anusky envisions success for Ryan

THERE'S A REASON Mike Anusky gives off an extra-feisty aura.

To understand, you'd have to see the sporting world from his perspective and, well, just be thankful you don't. It wouldn't be easy.

The 5-11, 175-pound Anusky is the senior quarterback for Archbishop Ryan High's back-up-on-the-upswing football team. While it would be overstating the case to call him a one-eyed QB, it's not a stretch to say he's operating with inferior vision.

Blame a screwdriver. The one that, accidentally, jabbed into the area right between Anusky's left eye and his nose during the summer before fourth grade.

"We were just on my street, hanging out, and my friend's older brother was trying to do something with a screwdriver," Anusky said. "It flew out of his hand and . . . I had to get a whole new tear duct - and they did something else; can't remember what it was called - and my vision has been blurry ever since.

"Even with the contact in, I can sit right in front of a TV and only somewhat read the words on the screen. If the contact's out, I can only see that there's words there, with no idea what they say.

"With a last name starting with 'A,' I'm always right near the board in class. So I do OK most of the time. But if I don't have my contact, I have to squint as hard as I can. Sometimes, I just close my left eye. That kinda works. If I close my right eye, I can't see anything. Far or near."

On football fields, Anusky copes with non-stop blurring.

Saturday night, however, even with some fog mixed in, Anusky was able to pass 8-for-11 for 162 yards and three touchdowns as Ryan trumped Archbishop Carroll, 42-20, at Radnor's Prevost Field.

Anusky also ran for two scores, and his highlight in that department was a 30-yarder featuring a pirouette out of double contact at roughly the 12. His TD tosses went to Nick Le Van (two) and Dylan Rowan, and those to Le Van came on perfectly pinpointed streaks.

"I still have double vision," Anusky said. "But I've had it for so long now, it's like I don't because I'm used to it.

"When you're a righthanded quarterback, your left eye is the most important as you're dropping back. And when you're batting (righthanded), that eye's closest to the pitcher. So, all along, I've had people doubting me, wondering if I'd be able to get past this. That keeps me going.

"When our new coaches [Frank McArdle Jr. and staff] came in my sophomore year, that was when my fight began. They'd heard about me, but I had to show them that I'd eventually be their guy."

Ryan rolled to 269 yards by halftime and put the mercy rule into effect 5 minutes later; the 42 points were its most since a 44-41 win over Father Judge on Sept. 20, 2003. Rowan added 107 yards on 12 carries and Kevin Newell posted a rushing TD. The grunts were center Ed Bier, guards Alvin Allen and Brian Robbins, and tackles Chris McMonagle and Bruce Phares. Sam Dumond picked off a pass to set up a score.

Amazingly, Ryan now owns a three-game, same-season winning streak for the first time since 1998. And the number could very well be four; the Raiders fell to Cardinal O'Hara, 24-21, in the final moments of their opener in Ocean City, N.J.

"Last year O'Hara smoked us," Anusky said. "Nobody had any confidence after that game. Nobody expected us to compete with them this year, either. Though it hurt to lose like that, it showed we made a lot of progress. And we've carried that forward."

When asked how long he has been playing QB, Anusky shot back, "I started at age 4."

He then amended, "Well, no one's really playing quarterback at age 4, but I was always the one throwing the ball and running around with it. Then, I was the quarterback on my first team, Liberty Bell's 75-pounders. I used to just run around the edge. Even had a 99-yard touchdown run, against Calvary, to put us into the finals.

"In baseball, I was always a pitcher. I loved being the center of attention."

Online high school coverage at philly.com/rally.