IT'S NOT ALWAYS Sunny in South Philadelphia.
Not around Southern High's football program, anyway.
In its first four games this season, the Rams thrice were blanked and then managed only a safety vs. Abraham Lincoln.
"I was kind of mad when I got home after that one," said Wayne Brunson, a 5-11, 170-pound junior who plays running back and outside linebacker. "I was like, 'Man, I don't even know if this stuff's worth it.'
"My mom [Janice Kenney] gave me a good talk. She said she still wanted me to keep trying. To keep doing my best. She said if I showed the way as a leader, the other guys would follow me."
Bingo.
With Brunson making eight tackles, including five solos and one for a loss, and scoring a touchdown on a 3-yard run (officially) with 7 minutes, 21 seconds remaining, the host Rams Thursday pinned an 8-0 Public AAAA Silver loss on a fellow struggler, Thomas Edison.
"You definitely go through times where it's tough to keep playing," Brunson said. "But once I get out there, I work hard every day. You get some guys who show up for a couple days, then disappear. And other guys who don't always give [top effort]. But there are enough of us who have this attitude: 'Let's play hard and see what we can do.' That keeps me going."
Nate Robinson (12 tackles; Saquan Ausborne had 13) blocked a punt to set up the score. Southern needed to cover only 7 yards, but it wasn't easy. Amin Julia ran for 2 and 3, then lost 1.
The scoring play came on a flip from James Stokes, but it goes into the books as a rush because the ball sailed backward.
"Devon Ford was out to the left, then he ran a slant to clear space," Brunson said. "I drifted out that way and just waited for the ball. He had pressure, so we had to go back a little, but there was nobody there once I caught it [at about the 15]. Devon had made a [long catch] earlier, so we knew they'd go with him.
"When I made the catch, I was able to take a quick look and . . . nobody! I ran as fast as I could to the pylon [south end zone].
"It's pretty exciting to know our first touchdown gave us our first win. I couldn't get that happy at the time, though, because there was still a lot of time left."
Stokes finished 4-for-8 for 107 yards for rookie coach Scott Pitzner, while Ford made two snags for 72 and knocked down a final-play pass at Southern's 19. David Bennett (22-53) and Shadeed Purnell (9-21) experienced some rushing success for the 0-4 Owls, while Dayquine Cooper posted an interception.
Brunson, who lives on 21st Street near McKean, had a quick answer when asked to pinpoint the season's lowest moment: losing, 46-0, to Edward Bok Tech in the opener.
"That's because we practice on the same field with them," he said, with the hint of a laugh. "We'd been around them since Aug. 15, with a lot of trash-talking. After losing that one, we knew we'd hear it the following Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday . . . for the whole year, really."
