Flacco reaches milestone in Eastern rout

You can't hurdle in high school football.

It's a lesson Tom Flacco had learned the hard way throughout his career.

Leaping over an opposing player results in a 15-yard penalty.

But here was Flacco, in the first quarter of Friday night's 44-21 home win over Clearview, weaving his way down the sideline and hurdling - with eye-popping success - an opposing player.

Cue the flags.

"But it's just instinct," Flacco said. "And that's how I play the game."

On a 19-yard completion to Keeshawn Segers in the fourth quarter, Flacco became just the second quarterback in South Jersey history to reach 6,000 yards passing.

But the hurdle, perhaps more so even than the milestone, was a true indication of Flacco as a football player.

It's an ultra-aggressive move. It's something most high school players wouldn't even try. It's brash. It's competitive.

It's the way Tom Flacco plays the game.

"We were always saying he would be the best [Flacco brother] out of the bunch just because of how athletic he was," said Clearview coach Mark Deal, who coached Flacco's brother, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco, at Audubon.

"Of course, playing with his older brothers helped. He comes from a great family. And he's just a fantastic kid and a fantastic athlete. He can run. He can throw. There's not much he can't do, really."

Flacco's final numbers on this night were 21 for 28 for 241 yards. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for one in a game in which Eastern (6-0), ranked No. 2 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, controlled No. 13 Clearview (4-2) nearly from the start.

In a testament to the expectations surrounding Flacco, the senior said he knew the milestone was well within reach in this game - there is rarely a time when the 210 yards he needed are not the expectation.

"The approach to this game was to do what our offense does every game," Flacco said. "Clearview was a great team, but we just did what we do."

Added Eastern coach Dan Spittal: "We're playing with a lot of confidence right now. . . . [Flacco] has had a great career here, but he wants a championship. And that's what this whole team is working towards."

Clearview 0 7 0 14 – 21

Eastern 7 14 14 9 – 44

E: Cinque Hill with fumble (Todd Spirt kick)

C: Nahir Nelson 59 pass from Brendan Lee (Larry Eimer kick)

E: Kingsley Ayeni 23 run (Spirt kick)

E: Keeshawn Segers 19 pass from Tom Flacco (Spirt kick)

E: Eric Sawyer 6 pass from Flacco (Spirt Kick)

E: Flacco 8 run (Spirt kick)

C: George Kerasinis 1 run (Eimer kick)

E: Pete Flacco 14 pass from Tom Flacco (run failed)

C: Nelson 81 kickoff return (Eimer kick)

E: FG Spirt 42