Philly fan base goes full-boat crazy after Super Bowl win

Does that make me crazy - The Philly fan base went full-boat Gnarls Barkley Sunday night, taking it to the streets at 10:18 p.m., the moment Brady’s prayer of a pass fell to the turf and the Lombardi trophy was on the Broad Street Subway heading south to Lincoln Financial Field. Eagles win 41-33! A younger crowd of subatomic “Carbon Units” less than 30 years old talked about waiting 58 years for this championship. It reminded me of 1999 when Payne Stewart out-kung fu’d Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to win the U.S. Open, crediting his focus to being more at peace with himself and a strengthening religious belief.  Nick Foles, Doug Pederson and Zach Ertz all gave credit to God in postgame interviews. God inside the helmet and under the headphones of the spiritually satisfied makes them dangerously focused. Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce went off in an onfield postgame interview, the former Cincinnati Bearcat sounding like an ultimate fighter, dropping an f-bomb, swallowing others and finally saying, “I’m just so happy, man!” Patriots coach Bill Belichick looked like gramps who had slept through the game in the post-game interview, but he manned up and went to the podium. He tried to be gracious, but mostly it was sad, which is not that much different from Bill being happy. Last Friday night, I snapped a photo of Cape Vice Principal Mike Dmiterchik during the national anthem prior to the Cape versus CR boys’ basketball game. Demo in full-boat Eagles actionwear, we talking Eagles green pickup truck, had a dog named Duce. Earlier that day, I captured an inflatable player hanging in the hall outside Mike’s office. The man from Phoenixville – or is it Pottstown? – is full-boat Eagles out of his mind and, I’m happy for him and the city of my spawning.

Victory from the jaws of defeat - Lucas Ruppert, Beacon heavyweight, pulled victory from the jaws of defeat three times in his championship match against Zin Moorer of Dover Central at the Feb. 3 Steve Stewart Middle School Wrestling Classic, including being on his back and nearly gone in the first period, then getting a takedown with two seconds left in the third period to tie the match at 5-5 and force overtime. Down 6-5 and on the bottom with 10 seconds left in the 30-second double overtime, he got out and pinned to win the match going 13-0 on the season all wins coming by pin.  The Beacon mat side went bonkers. Lucas won Outstanding Wrestler, clinching the award in the final seconds of the 10-hour, one-day Steve Stewart Classic. “That was the best heavyweight match of all time,” said coach Patrick Irelan, whose team placed second behind Smyrna.  

Little Big Man - Hunter Durham of Seaford won the 76-pound title at the Steve Stewart Classic with a win over Jacob Wilbur in the finals. It's been a hard sports road for the Blue Jays, and Hunter’s title was an inspirational and extraordinary story, and he himself reflected on the awesomeness of the moment. Bookends in the championship round – Hunter Durham and Lucas Ruppert, pensive in pandemonium – pretty much a typical day in middle school.

Bean Stalker - Seandra “Bean”  Parson, coached by Bill Degnan, set a school record of just over 40 feet in the shot put in the last throw of her career in 1992. Cape junior Ce'yra Middleton won the 2018 Indoor Delaware State Championship in the shot put with a personal record throw of 38-feet-5-inches. Teammate MacKenzie Parker was fourth, throwing 33-feet-7-inches. The Delaware state championship meet is held at the Prince George's Sports Complex in Maryland. Congrats and way to represent. Also congrats to unsung coach Rob Perciful, who coaches the throwers and learned the event from the late Bill Degnan. Ce’yra and Seandra – friends through church – all Cape connected, all day long. 

Snippets - I’ll be back Friday with full-blown coverage and photos from the Steve Stewart Middle School Wrestling Classic. I should probably cover the Super Bowl parade, but unless they put me on the review stand with my blue chair, I’m out. Mummers? Dag gone right there will be Mummers, and a new generation will learn how to do the Mummers’ strut. There are 15,000 mummers, and just expect some clubs to make fun of Tom Brady. As Richie Ashburn would say, ”That’s a lead pipe cinch.” Any drunken fan thinks he’s tough should go punch a rhino, then talk to me. Go on now, git!