Chris Calhoun
comes in handy

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Chris Calhoun knows how to do a bit of everything.
And that’s what makes him so valuable.
Calhoun, a senior who plays defensive back for the Archbishop Ryan High School football team, is quite versatile on the field, but it’s off the field where his jack-of-all-trades nature comes in extremely handy.
"I work for a handyman service during the summer. I’ve been doing it for a few years now," he said. "I started working for a friend of my mom, doing just about anything. We do bathrooms and stuff . . . pretty much anything people need, we’ll do.
"It’s cool because I’ve learned how to do a lot of things, and now people are always asking me for help with stuff," he added. "Plus the money is good . . . it’s real good money . . . and it keeps you in shape because sometimes you do a lot of lifting, depending on the job."
On Saturday, Calhoun made a pair of money plays and helped give the Raiders’ defense a lift — he scooped up a fumble and grabbed an interception — but the offense couldn’t score in the game against Father Judge.
Ryan dropped its Catholic League opener to the Crusaders, 24-0, in a Red Division game played at George Washington High School.
The Raiders, though 0-1 in Catholic League play, are 2-2 overall. They have defeated Pennsbury and Archbishop Wood in non-league games — two teams that rank among the best in the Philadelphia area.
The victories gave the Raiders confidence. The loss to Judge, though, punctured some of that momentum.
Ryan had just 125 yards of total offense, while the Crusaders marched up and down the field throughout the game.
Also, the Raiders took some big lumps when star defensive back/wide receiver Nick Ferdinand and stud fullback/linebacker Chris Wilk were knocked out of the game by injuries.
"It’s tough, we didn’t do anything right today," Calhoun said. "We made a lot of mistakes. We have a lot to do to get better.
"But we still have a chance to do well; this was just the (first league game)," said Calhoun, a Bensalem resident. "We played really well during the (non-league) games, so we know we can do well."
While the Raiders have time to get back on track, Calhoun is still feeling his way around the new position.
Last year, the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder lined up at defensive end. This year, he’s still adjusting to life at defensive back.
"I liked defensive end, but I like d-back a lot better," said Calhoun, now in his fourth year of organized football. "I played soccer growing up, so this is my first year playing back there. It’s a lot of fun.
"Defensive end was fun, but I was kind of small," he added. "I like how you can hit and defend the pass, but I’m still learning everything."
On Saturday, Calhoun and his teammates will host La Salle in a game at Washington. Last year, the Raiders defeated the Explorers during the regular season, but La Salle had the last laugh.
The Explorers went on to win the Red Division crown; the Raiders failed to qualify for the postseason.
Calhoun hopes for better things when this season reaches an end.
"The playoffs are the goal," he said. "You always want to win, but now we have to start getting ready for next week." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com