Youth FB friends set for annual family fight

Mike Blandon hasn't been texting his buddies on the Pennsauken football team.

"It's game week," Blandon said, explaining the communication blackout.

Blandon, a senior running back and defensive back at Camden Catholic, usually stays in touch with Pennsauken players Anthony Sweet, Manny Cortez, and others.

They all played together for the Pennsauken Youth Athletic Association.

But this week is different. Pennsauken (5-0), ranked No. 2 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, visits No. 9 Camden Catholic (5-0) on Friday night in a West Jersey Football League showdown between two programs with all kinds of connections.

"It's very special," said Blandon, who has lived in Pennsauken since he was 10. "I grew up playing with those guys. We've got a lot of guys on this team that are friends with guys on that team. It adds a lot to the game, makes you want to win even more."

Friday night's game would be significant under any circumstances: an interdivision clash of unbeatens with serious postseason aspirations.

But there's a lot of history between the programs. There are spider webs of links from youth sports, among alumni, on the coaching staffs. That adds to the intrigue.

Camden Catholic assistant coaches Scott McDonald and Sean McDonald graduated from Pennsauken. About 10 players in the Camden Catholic program live in Pennsauken.

Sweet, Pennsauken's speedy wide receiver and kicker, transferred from Camden Catholic to Pennsauken before this school year.

"We used to all be one big team," Blandon said. "Then we all split up and went to different high schools. A bunch of us came to Camden Catholic, but we still have that connection to Pennsauken."

Blandon said when he was in eighth grade, he played on PYAA's unlimited-weight team with current Pennsauken seniors Tyrik Thomas and Amar Williams, among others. Cortez, Sweet, Marques Thornton, and others were on the PYAA 120-pound team.

In the spring of that year, Blandon played on a Magnolia team with Cortez, Thomas, and current Camden Catholic junior Jarred Alwan.

"That's one of the great things about this game," Camden Catholic coach Gil Brooks said. "These guys all know each other. It adds a lot to the game."

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Blandon is Camden Cathoic's leading rusher and kickoff returner. Junior linebacker Sean Collins, who leads the Irish in tackles, is another Pennsauken guy who is friendly with a lot of the Indians.