Frankford’s Spires
ready to run wild

By Joe Mason
Times Sports Editor

Last year, Calvin Spires was looking forward to being a star on the Frankford High School football team. He had thoughts of a promising career at linebacker and had hopes of chipping in at fullback.
That wasn’t exactly the case.
Spires opened last season at fullback, and his primary responsibility was to open holes for talented tailback Brandon Norris.
Things were going fine until one day in practice when Norris suffered a leg injury that forced him to the sideline.
"I was nervous and excited," said Spires, who was thrust into the role of lead ball-carrier for the Pioneers. "I was real happy just playing, and I liked linebacker and fullback. But it was a lot of fun to be the halfback, the guy who got the carries, got the yards and scored the touchdowns.
"The best part was that before I started (at tailback), no one knew who I was," Spires added. "Once I got moved, it was fun and exciting, and I think that now everyone, at least a lot of people, know who I am."
Spires did very well as the featured back. He ran for nearly 1,000 yards, scored 12 touchdowns and continued to shine at linebacker.
His efforts helped Frankford win nine games, including last season’s Public League championship, when the Pioneers avenged a regular-season loss to Northeast by beating the Vikings, 14-13, in the title game.
Frankford went on to face Bethlehem Liberty in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Class AAAA playoffs. The Pioneers got thumped, 42-6.
But experiencing the joy of winning the Public League championship and playing in the PIAA state tournament should help Spires and his teammates.
At least that’s what Spires is hoping.
"This year is fun, we got a lot of people who know what it feels like to be the best (in the Public League)," Spires said. "And we got that experience, the experience of playing in states, that will only help us. We know what we’re up against and we know what we have to do to get over the top."
Spires’ shift to halfback last season actually helped the Pioneers in more ways than one. When he lined up as the featured back to replace Norris, the fullback position opened up. Spires’ spot there was taken over by his best friend, Nate Johnson. Like Spires, Johnson is returning to the fray this year and both players know the intricacies of Public League football.
They also have that experience of playing together in the Pioneers’ wing-T offense.
"He’s a great fullback," Spires said of Johnson. "And we work hard for each other. When he succeeds, I succeed. And in our offense, I line up in front of him on some plays and I have to block for him. It does motivate me to go harder because I see what he does for me."
Like most starting running backs, Spires receives a fair share of the praise and recognition. And Spires has a knack for running around and through defenders, one of the reasons he made the All-Public team last year.
But he’s certainly not a glory hound.
In fact, as a former blocker, Spires knows that his success is directly linked to his teammates. And he’s not shy about pointing that out.
"Touchdowns belong to the offensive line, not me," Spires said. "They open up the holes, so it’s pretty easy to run through it. And I make sure to tell them every time we pick up yards that those yards belong to them. If they don’t do their job, I’m not going to do much."
This year, the Pioneers have a mammoth and experienced offensive line. That should mean an opportunity for lots of yards and even more exposure for Spires.
Frankford coach Mike Capriotti thinks his senior leader will take full advantage of his resources.
"Calvin is a very nice player and a very hard worker," Capriotti said. "He’s a very good running back. We knew that when we put him in last year, and we think he’ll do just as well this year.
"It helps that he has that experience," the coach continued. "And we’re depending on him to lead the underclassmen. He knows what we want to do and he’s going to do his best to help the other guys learn what we have to do."
Spires intends to have a great season.
His first goal is to help the Pioneers repeat in the Public League — and hopefully lead them to a strong showing in the state playoffs, should they get there.
But he also wants to put himself in the best possible position for a college scholarship, maybe even at the Division 1 level. So far he’s contacted a few local schools, including Rutgers University.
One major consideration will be his academic choices, which at the moment is a toss-up between business and social work.
"I think I either want to be in real estate or work as a child advocate, they’re pretty different, right?" Spires said with a laugh. "I know there’s a lot of money in real estate, and I want to make as much money as possible.
"But I love working with children," he added. "I spend a lot of time with my niece, she’s three, and I love her to death and she’s a lot of fun. She’s my biggest fan, and I’m her biggest fan.
"She’s the whole reason I wanted to become a child advocate," he added. "It seems like a fun job . . . you can help kids, and what’s better than that?" ••
Sports editor Joe Mason can be reached at 215-354-3035 or jmason@phillynews.com