Father Judges continues
a tradition of triumph

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

After lopsided losses in the regular season finale and the semifinals of the playoffs, the Father Judge Crusaders were hungry for a victory.
So, they decided to feast on the Abraham Lincoln Railsplitters in their annual Thanksgiving football game at the Barfoot Bowl.
"We wanted to be in the championship game, but we definitely didn’t want to lose three games in a row," said senior running back/cornerback Andrew McHale. "A loss would have put a huge damper on the season. We had to go out on a good note."
McHale made sure the Crusaders ended their season in good fashion. He carried 14 times for 84 yards and two touchdowns to help his team cruise to a 42-6 victory. He also scored on a two-point conversion run.
Judge (9-3) beat Lincoln (10-2) for the 18th year in a row and leads the series 29-3-1.
The Most Valuable Players in the game were Judge quarterback Paul Volpe (8-for-11, 184 yards, two touchdowns) and Lincoln running back/outside linebacker Kevin Chilton (91-yard kickoff return for touchdown).
Volpe finished the year throwing for 1,266 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Chilton finished the year with 1,398 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, but Judge held him to 54 yards on 21 carries. The Crusaders were pumped to stop a big-time running back after North Catholic’s Terrell Oglesby and Roman Catholic’s Balial Lewis Sloan-El had big games against them in the last two outings.
The Sportsmanship Awards went to Judge’s Dan Keenan and Lincoln’s Vinson Christian.
For McHale, it was the second year in a row he has starred on Thanksgiving. He scored three touchdowns in the first half last year as the Crusaders blanked the Railsplitters. He earned the Sportsmanship Award that day.
All this year, he was the main man for the Crusaders. He rushed for 1,380 yards and scored 15 touchdowns against a very difficult schedule. He was named Catholic League Red Division MVP.
Much of the credit for Judge’s potent offense, he believes, should go to the offensive line: center Anthony Marascio, guards Matt Schule and John Lavelle, tackles Dave Smith and Joe Gallelli and tight end Ryan Langdon. Marascio, Lavelle, Gallelli and Langdon were all first team All-Catholic.
"They did a great job all year," said McHale, a team captain. "We couldn’t do anything without them up front."
Besides the two touchdown runs by McHale, the Crusaders scored on a 35-yard catch by Adam Nowak, a 1-yard run by Chris Dowling, a 50-yard catch by Jim DiLisio and a 14-yard run by Rob Harris.
When Harris scored late in the third quarter to give Judge a 42-6 lead, the mercy rule was invoked and the clock was run continuously the rest of the game.
When it was all over, Lincoln was looking for its first win in the rivalry since 1989.
"This is their championship. They always want to beat Judge," Volpe said. "But, we came out fighting hard. It’s a big game for us, too. We don’t want to lose. We wanted to end the season strong, and the seniors wanted to end their careers in a good way."
Chilton, from his linebacker position, saw the Crusaders overpower the Railsplitters.
"They were bigger and stronger and were pushing our defensive line back," he said.
The Crusaders posted shutouts over Lincoln in 2005 and ’06, and their defense was perfect again. If not for Chilton’s long kickoff return in the second quarter, the Railsplitters would have been shut out for the third year in a row.
Lincoln did not drive into Judge territory all day and finished with just 55 yards of total offense and three first downs, all in the first quarter.
"They’ve played well throughout the year," Judge coach Tom Coyle said of his defense.
Coyle, the Red Division Coach of the Year, said his team won with depth and physical play at the line of scrimmage.
"We have a hard-working group of kids," he said. "We played a 10-1 football team, and Chilton is a very good player. For forty-eight minutes, we played hard and well. This football program played well this year and has brighter days ahead."
Lincoln coach Gene Kelly was counting on the Railsplitters’ speed and quickness to give them a chance to win.
That strategy worked early. Chilton rushed for 48 yards in the first quarter, and his kickoff return made it a 14-6 game midway through the second quarter.
But, it was all Judge the rest of the way.
Still, Lincoln enjoyed a terrific season that included victories over Dobbins and Central, both playoff teams.
"We went 10-2," Kelly noted. "We won ten games. We dominated some games, we came back in games and we held on in games. We learned how to win."
Brighter days could also be ahead for Lincoln. The JV was undefeated, and a number of talented varsity underclassmen will be back.
The group is led by first team All-Public League linebacker Hakeem Cooper and honorable mention defensive lineman Chris Williams, both of whom are sophomores. Others who’ll be back include quarterback Joe McCausland and linemen Rasaan "Slippers" Hanner, Marcus Jackson, John Reynolds and Kyle Chilton (Kevin’s brother). ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com