Winning wasn’t
in the Cards

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Braheem Carroll knows how painful it is to lose lopsided games. But he also knows that it just might be even more painful to lose a nail-bitter.
That’s how it was on Oct. 13, when Carroll and his teammates on the Cardinal Dougherty High School football squad seemed to have a good shot at winning their first Catholic League Blue Division game this year . . . and fell just short.
Despite 161 yards and a touchdown from Carroll, Dougherty lost to previously winless Conwell-Egan, 31-27, at Northeast High School.
"This was tough because we were playing with them the whole game, but we made a few mistakes that really cost us," said Carroll, who doubled his season rushing-yards total in the game. "This was really important to us."
Dougherty actually outplayed the Eagles on both sides of the ball and outgained them, 361 yards to 162. It was different from most of the losses Carroll has experienced at Dougherty.
And he has suffered through quite a few of them.
A varsity contributor since his freshman year, the senior has enjoyed just one win in Catholic League Blue Division play — when Dougherty defeated Conwell-Egan last year.
During his freshman year, Dougherty finished 0-8 in the division and was outscored, 372-42.
During his sophomore campaign, things didn’t get a whole lot better. The team lost all seven of its Blue Division games while getting outscored, 395-143.
Last year, the first under current head coach Chris Riley, the Cardinals finished 1-6, but they were outscored only by 271-205.
The games were closer, and that motivated Carroll and the rest of his mates to get working.
"We started lifting in January for this year," he said. "All summer we were at the school all day, lifting and getting in shape. It hurts to lose, but things are a lot different now.
"When we were freshmen, we didn’t have a chance to beat anyone," he said. "Now we feel like we can beat anyone. But when we make mistakes, we know we’re going to lose."
That’s what made it so frustrating. Dougherty quarterback Phil Baxter played a stellar game, tossing three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Sean Kidd.
The Cardinals’ defense limited Conwell-Egan to a mere 3.24 yards per play.
And still, Dougherty came out on the unhappy end of the scoreboard.
The loss was tough to accept, but also encouraging.
"We could have played a lot better, but we did all right," Carroll said. "You don’t want to get down because we didn’t win, and that’s what we want to do, but we’re still happy because we have gotten a lot better. We all know we’ve gotten a lot better."
If Dougherty wants to earn its first divisional win of the season and the team’s first overall victory since opening day, when the Cardinals defeated Germantown in a non-league game, they better continue to get better in a hurry.
This week, Dougherty faces the daunting task of playing West Catholic, a team that won last year’s Blue Division championship and currently sits at 4-0 in divisional play. They’ve also trampled their foes, 188-17.
The game, which will be played on Saturday night at Widener University, could get messy. Then again, it could help the Cardinals get back in the race.
"I’m excited about it, because you never know," Carroll said. "They’re the best team in the league, but we have a chance to play them. If we beat them, that would be a lot of fun." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com