Franklin passes Turkey Day test

WHEN IT WAS cold, muddy and windy at 29th Street and Chalmers Stadium on Thanksgiving, Ben Franklin quarterback Kevin Caldwell struggled mightily.

Firing touchdowns passes had been the norm for the 5-9, 180-pound junior.

He may have been shut out of the end zone yesterday, but he did engineer the game-winning drive with poise and perseverance he learned this summer at the Manning Passing Academy in New Orleans.

"I was the only kid from Philly down there," he said. "I was networking with some of the other players and coaches so I could get noticed and go to different camps because I want to be something."

With help from teammates, Caldwell and Franklin were 12-6 winners over Murrell Dobbins Tech on Turkey Day.

Caldwell went 6-for-20 for 107 yards and was held without a passing TD for the first time this season.

"It was terrible," Caldwell said of yesterday's conditions. "You can't plant your feet, you can't step into your throws and you can't follow through."

Luckily, Rafael "Macho" Rodriguez came up large. A 5-10, 180-pound senior, Rodriguez put Franklin on the board with a 75-yard punt return for a score. Later, he added the clincher.

"That set the tone for the game because we came out and couldn't score," Caldwell said. "And when he ran it back, it lifted the team up because everyone had their heads down thinking it was going to be a long game."

Dobbins responded later with a 25-yard Lamar Parker scoring run.

A six-play, 70-yard drive engineered by Caldwell and Co. was enough to secure victory. The key on the drive was a 57-yard pass from Caldwell to Jymere Toney, which put the ball on the Dobbins' 10.

"It was a screen pass," Caldwell said. "They overloaded one side and I checked to a screen play."

It may have lacked the Peyton Manning gesticulations, but it got the job done. Rodriguez' scamper from the 5 later on gave Franklin a win they wanted for respect.

A pep rally on Wednesday was designed by head coach David Carter and his staff to build camaraderie and school spirit.

Caldwell said the coaches are trying to change the culture of the program.

What boosts morale more than imitations of your coach?

"We're a family," Caldwell said. "We had Thanksgiving dinner the day before the game. We told stories and did skits . . . "

The team broke off into classes. Caldwell's junior class spoofed an intense coach Carter halftime speech from earlier this season.

"The facial expressions the players were giving . . . it was funny," Caldwell said.

Best impression, according to Caldwell, goes to Rasheen James, a sophomore receiver.

Jokes aside, Caldwell said he appreciated his coach's intensity and devotion. He said Carter helped him attend the Manning Academy, where he met Peyton and even posed for a photo.

"Basically, you had to be good to be there," said Caldwell, who lives on Osage Avenue in West Philly with his mother, Andrea Caldwell, father Kevin Caldwell Sr. and his 14-year-old brother, Anr'e.

"Everybody down there was way taller than me and D-1 prospects. But, I fit in real well, coming from a school that never really focused on quarterbacks."

After transferring in from now-closed Communications Tech and spending a few days in the summer in New Orleans with the Mannings, Caldwell came back with a glimpse at the cost of greatness.

"Repetitions," he said. "I was constantly working out trying to better myself because I know there are kids all over chasing the same dream I am."

His younger brother, who played QB for the Central Cobras this season, is on that list. Kevin said he could be his backup next season.