AS HE WALKED OFF the football field Saturday at Upper Darby High, Joe Nilan was greeted by a guy who slapped him five, offered one of those half-hug bumps and said, "What's goin' on, dude? Awesome game!"
Further proof that blood is thicker than school ties.
There was a reason the guy interacting with Nilan bore a strong facial resemblance. It was his brother, Ed, who'd just witnessed Joe and Malvern Prep deal his alma mater, Monsignor Bonner, a 28-7, nonleague battle-of-Friars setback.
"I'm still [hissed] he went to Malvern," Ed kidded. "I love to bust his [chops] about it."
Ed, who played three seasons of varsity football at Bonner (defensive lineman), now attends West Chester University. The brothers hadn't interacted in person since late summer. Finally, Ed got to see that Joe, a 6-foot, 220-pound fullback and linebacker (and co-captain), has become quite the force in his senior season.
He also witnessed entertaining byplay.
Joe Nilan knows all kinds of Bonner students, even hangs with some, and they razzed him from time to time.
Early in the third quarter, they bellowed, "Where's Joe Niiii-lan? Where's Joe Niiii-lan?"
Indeed, Nilan had missed two offensive series late in the first half due to dehydration. But he was out there this time and, as the chant cascaded down to field level, he turned toward the stands, lifted both arms and even wiggled his fingers.
Hard to miss.
"I won't be hanging out with them anymore. That's for sure," Joe quipped. "I want to. But I'm not sure they'll have me."
Nilan (nye-linn) was recruited by Malvern out of St. Francis, in Springfield, Delaware County.
"My family and pretty much everybody I know is associated with Bonner," Joe said. "Same for my fellow linebacker, Sam Schmucker. This was a big game for us.
"All through seventh grade and then into eighth, I always thought I'd be going to Bonner. But then Malvern made contact and I went up there to visit - I still wanted to go to a Catholic school - and I loved everything about it. My family was happy for me no matter where I went."
Defensively, Nilan was part of a 9-yard sack with Northwestern-commit Connor Mahoney and made three early stops to assure Bonner had no momentum.
On offense, he posted 42 yards on nine carries and his blocking assisted Shawn Wilson, who began his scholastic career at now-defunct North Catholic, on his garnering of 105 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
Nilan's best moment, however, was likely an act of trickery.
