tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:58:50 +0000It's a North Catholic Thing! We Have Taken Hold And We Will Not Let Go.http://www.thefalconnest.com/noreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)Blogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-3262885673937942557Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:08:00 +00002009-11-09T09:37:02.792-08:00Game SummaryIf you didn’t know better, you’d think that the Falcons gave their uniforms to some other group of young men for the second half of this game. I mean, have you ever seen two different halves in a North Catholic team? I have to be honest and say that the Falcons played like a mediocre JV team in the first half. Missed tackles, fumbles, bad blocking, etc. Conwell-Egan jumped out to http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/11/north-beats-conwell-egan-20-17-heading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-8862440286082032901Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:42:00 +00002009-11-01T06:52:19.566-08:00Game SummaryThis was a gamed filled with “what ifs”. What if we didn’t turn the ball over twice in the redzone? What if we could have fielded a punt? What if we could have fallen down on a kickoff? What if we didn’t give up two touchdowns in the final 38 seconds of the first half? The simple fact is that we didn’t do those things, and we lost this final regular season game of the North http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/11/falcons-drop-final-regular-season-game.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-8028401565026054137Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:56:00 +00002009-10-18T21:08:39.896-07:00While the news that North is closing (for now) is disturbing and short sighted, one of the responsibilities is to provide options for the parents of our boys and this responsibility is shared by the Archdiocese, the school and the stakeholders of the school (Alumni, Coaches, Friends of North Catholic). While the school’s leadership is struggling with this, these stakeholders are taking this http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/no-falcon-left-behind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-3280062768071193984Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:18:00 +00002009-10-14T18:27:16.933-07:00In support of North Catholic, a rally was held on the front steps of the school tonight. One of the highlights of the evening was a banner that was hung on the fence outside of the school. (see photo below). In attendance were current students, alumni, coaches, teachers and even people who work in the offices at North Catholic. We even had people who never attended North, nor had a family http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/no-surrender-we-are-nc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-8783518272307557723Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:36:00 +00002009-10-14T12:38:10.075-07:00The Northeast Catholic Administration has asked that the following be posted:Due to the anticipated high demand for tickets to the final North/Frankford Thanksgiving Day football game, a larger and more prominent venue is being considered for this annual game. The administrations of both Northeast Catholic and Frankford High Schools have agreed, in principal, to move this game from the current http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/northfrankford-game-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-6123344256361936751Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:10:00 +00002009-10-12T19:16:49.383-07:00The Office of Catholic Education determined last week that both Northeast Catholic and Cardinal Dougherty demographic shifts and trends offered no other alternative than closure to solve the problem of declining enrollment. Many knowledgeable education experts recognize that declining enrollment is due to several other factors as well. The one that jumps out most is the cost of Catholic http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/critical-thinking-education.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-7731949194157207381Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:26:00 +00002009-10-08T21:47:36.730-07:00MONEY TRUMPS SPIRITUALITY AND MISSION IN THE CITY, 1,200 BOYS AND GIRLS LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES AS ARCHDIOCESE EXPANDS IN WHITE SUBURBIA NORTH AND WEST OF PHILADELPHIAEducation: As They See FitOn a visceral level, I can understand the decision today to close storied North Catholic and Cardinal Dougherty. As far as I am concerned, the Archdiocese has removed itself from educating all its http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/archdiocese-unleases-nuclear-option-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-3213921183160096429Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:34:00 +00002009-10-06T19:37:18.660-07:00North Beats Roman, 4-2, Martinez, Hall and Hiltwine Score In The WinArchbishop Ryan was once again hosted our home game against Roman as we head into the second half of the season. I don’t think I have said this all year, but thanks to George Todt for his generosity and for being a gracious host.North has struggled in the past few games with scoring as its defense and the goal keeping of John http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/north-wins-keeps-pace-with-lasalle-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-1890695748950922080Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:51:00 +00002009-10-05T17:07:40.582-07:00We’ll begin this week by apologizing for being a little absent last week. After taking the entire staff to Irish Weekend, in North Wildwood, some of the younger staffers went missing, and the rest of us had to search the entire Jersey shoreline to find them. They were found, unharmed, on the beach of Asbury Park. Yes, they ended up all the way up in North Jersey. It’s a great and very long http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/football-team-wins-league-opener-33-18.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-488799504168859400Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:27:00 +00002009-10-04T07:51:49.634-07:00Miscues the Difference in the Match as Ryan Cashes In on Two Penalty KicksAnalysisFunny how the games look in person and then when you watch the film, how different it was. That could be said about Friday night's setback against Ryan. While North fell by the score of 3-1, it wasn't so much any dominance by Ryan but more of mistakes by North. From the start of pre-season, the one question that thehttp://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/10/ryan-upends-north-3-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-289524822714555135Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:07:00 +00002009-09-30T22:08:37.286-07:00McCarthy, Martinez, Hall and Defensive Backline Hold Judge Scoreless for Taut 1-0 VictoryWell the waiting is over and the final score is in, North holds on and defeats neighborhood rival, Father Judge to remain unbeaten in the PCL Red Division and remain in first place. It is still early in the season with eight more games until the real season, the playoffs. Played in front of a packed house, http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/north-takes-down-judge-1-0.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-8154128845743875881Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:55:00 +00002009-09-23T16:22:09.934-07:00Here is how a real reporter sees PCL soccer from today's InquirerCatholic League Boys’ Soccer - May Be Region’s BestBy Matt Gelb INQUIRER STAFF WRITERAn incredible save on a point-blank shot with time about to expire in overtime, three posts hit by laser shots and trash talking with some pushing and shoving after the final whistle.And this is just the beginning of the Catholic League race."I http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/north-lasalle-settle-for-scoreless-draw.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-1282930897132453909Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:21:00 +00002009-09-20T21:49:30.723-07:00Sunday, 9/20 (Newark, NJ)Any successful team or program needs to measure itself from time to time. Throughout North’s storied history, every PCL match is a litmus test. It is always our main mission to win the Catholic League Title whatever comes after is just gravy. But every now and then, the itch to see just how good one is needs to be scratched. Even with the PCL now in the PIAA, which allowshttp://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/highly-regarded-st-benedicts-prevails-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-1958297410070006324Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:25:00 +00002009-09-20T08:46:08.792-07:00Game SummaryAs was written on the football team site, the Falcon running game was all but non-existent. The only offensive bright spot in this game was Anthony Reid, who performed better than his 8-17-150-1-1 stats. Anthony threw a couple of sure touchdown passes which were dropped by receivers. But, the offense never really got going much in this game, with the exception being a nice 87 yard http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/falcons-lose-to-ohara-23-6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-2458801965666004115Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:16:00 +00002009-09-16T19:35:34.572-07:00BackDrop What a great day yesterday was, mid 70s to low 80s, no humidity with plenty of sunshine. What a better way to spend it by watching North soccer take on a heavily regarded St. Joe’s Prep team. Last year, North was able to defeat the Prep by the scores of 2-1 in OT and 1-0 (at the death). This has been a contentious rivalry throughout the years and this year would be no exception. Both http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/north-edges-prep-1-0.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-1194705003853636156Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:22:00 +00002009-09-13T21:53:38.690-07:00Now I know what all the excitement is about for Monday night football as North visited Roman to open its campaign as defending Catholic League and City Champs. Actually, North travelled a shorter distance as visitor since the game was hosted by Lighthouse Soccer Club in northeast Philadelphia. The reason for Sunday night was not because of a television contract, rather the weather played havoc http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/sunday-night-soccer-north-defeats-roman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-2335862664801449810Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:21:00 +00002009-09-13T08:55:11.717-07:00In our first home game of the 2009 season, the Falcons’ defense dominated the Archbishop Ryan team throughout the game. Ryan was held to 5 first downs and 62 total yards on offense. As a matter of fact, North led in just about every statistical category, but unlike last week’s game, we also put more points on the board than their opponents. Go to www.NorthCatholicFootball.com for a game summary http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/week-2-football-team-beats-ryan-17-0.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-139524705455742714Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:46:00 +00002009-09-10T13:53:44.642-07:00So, I decided to drive to Richland, NJ, or as I call it, East Bumblefutch, to catch the Falcon soccer team take on the very talented St Augustine team. It’s like 50 miles from Philly, but I happened to be in Washington Township and decided to trek down to watch my favorite soccer team play. I normally don't write the soccer stories, but I enjoyed this game so much that I asked our normal soccerhttp://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/falcon-booters-come-from-behind-for-2-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-7464974194710527315Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:03:00 +00002009-09-08T08:17:10.306-07:00Good morning and welcome to another season of Falcon football. I need to begin by apologizing for not having any pictures from yesterday’s game. You see, one of our young staffers had one job and one job only. The job was to make sure that the camera was ready and available by kickoff time. Well, just as the team was warming up, I asked about the camera and found that the memory card was not in http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/09/falcons-lose-opener-to-cha-21-13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-3805846036159862760Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:20:00 +00002009-08-31T19:40:39.533-07:00NORTH STAYS IN THE CITY BUT IT FEELS LIKE THE ANOTHER PLANETDate, Friday, August 27th, location Wm. Penn Charter High School located in Northwest Philadelphia, a neighbor to Philadelphia University, Manyunk, Roxborough and East Falls. The Falcons took a twenty minute trip to visit the Quakers in their annual pre-season scrimmage. While only 10 miles how the crow flies, it might as well have been http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/08/wm-penn-charter-plays-host-for-booters.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-2606985208144761745Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:37:00 +00002009-08-29T09:21:40.773-07:00Bucks County Plays Host for First ScrimmageOn Wednesday, your Falcons officially broke camp and travelled to Newtown, Bucks County to scrimmage the Council Rock Indians. For those unfamiliar with Newtown, it is a bucolic community that includes farms, primarily single family homes, a quaint borough for shopping and some small industry. You might describe it as somewhat Rockwellian. Just to give http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/08/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-8804320851997991668Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +00002009-08-27T14:43:36.625-07:00If you look closely, you will notice that I wrote “Seasons” above, as in the plural form of the word. The reason I write this is that once again this fall, this space will be used to update family, friends and fans of North Catholic sports with information about both the football and soccer teams. Once again, I will be providing commentary, observations and some personal opinions about the http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/08/2009-seasons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-1785532665162358826Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +00002009-08-08T10:35:05.464-07:00DEFENDING CHAMPS RELEASE UPCOMING SEASON SCHEDULE TO INCLUDE NATIONAL POWER ST. BENEDICT’S.It is hard to believe that summer is quickly coming to an end and soccer season is just around the corner. The Falcons have just posted its upcoming 2009 schedule. All games, including junior varsity and freshman games, are posted at www.northcatholicsoccer.com. Additionally, if you go to http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/08/north-soccer-releases-2009-schedule.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-2105678113006791199Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:05:00 +00002009-06-25T12:08:57.120-07:00One of our young staffers had nothing better to do, so he trekked up to the Perzel Center in the heart of Mayfair to catch the Falcons basketball players in the summer league playoffs. On the previous night, the Falcons disposed of Father Judge by over 40 points. But, this night wouldn’t be as easy, as the Falcons would be taking on a very competitive team from Cherokee (NJ). This Cherokee http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/06/summer-league-basketball.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mike Ferris)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-248841782479298272.post-7163305670309952211Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:11:00 +00002009-06-13T12:40:33.139-07:00Not sure that you heard, but North's President for the past several years, Mr. Stan Witalek resigned his position last Friday. We want to thank Stan for his service and dedication to his Alma Mater. Archdiocesan city schools are in a world of pain and transition. With the ongoing, worldwide recession pushing unemployment to over 9% and changing city demographics, the neighborhoods that North http://www.thefalconnest.com/2009/06/north-setting-new-course.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tom Crossett)1