Joining him in the school garage on tiny Hanson Street was state Rep. James Roebuck, another team cheerleader.
And, oh, has this team earned the hoots and hollers.
I've written before about these stupendous kids, who are serious contenders in a $10 million international competition to design and build an affordable, alternative-energy car that gets 100 miles per gallon and can be mass-produced. They also must submit a business plan detailing where and how the car will be made and marketed.
The competition - an almost-three-year odyssey called the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize - will award $5 million for the best four-door economy car; $2.5 million each will go to two winners in a two-seater category. West Philly submitted applications in both classes.
The contest began with 111 contenders from around the globe, including university teams, start-up companies, engineering firms, established automakers, lone entrepreneurs and one hardscrabble, underfunded, inner-city high-school team - West Philly.
After a series of qualifying rounds - the last one took place in April at Michigan International Speedway - only 22 teams remain.
Astonishingly, West Philly is among them, having bested even the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (nothing against MIT, but I giggle like a fool every time I think about that).
This month, the team will journey back to Michigan for a 10-day road test meant to "knock out" those whose cars can't meet the prize's grueling performance criteria.
Those who pass the knockout phase will return in July for a final competition.
And in September, when all the poking, prodding and tire-kicking is complete, Progressive will announce its winners.
