LEANDER "LEE" BERRY is pumped for the fight of his life. And we don't mean the Public AAA football playoffs.
Of course, Berry also will be motivated like crazy for those, and he'd love to see West Philadelphia High collect wins in the semifinals and final to set the school record for wins in one season, with 11.
His primary skirmish will last until June, however, and it will take place in the classrooms at Parkway West, which partners with West Philly via a cooperative sponsorship.
Berry, you see, ranks No. 2 in the senior class. No. 1 is Seanna Williams.
"We both have 3.7 GPAs, but she's got me on the extra decimals," Berry said, smiling. "It's a pretty interesting situation, actually, because I know her very well. We grew up together. Her dad and my dad are best friends."
Meanwhile, if you ask rookie coach Paul Noon, Lee Berry is his team's best example of how a high school player should carry himself.
"I can't say it's shocking to hear that," Berry said, "because I do try to go as hard as possible, and do my best on every single play. I'd say it's uplifting, because it lets me know my dedication is appreciated.
"The other nice part is, since I come from Parkway, the coaches probably weren't expecting me to be a true player."
Berry, who goes 5-5, 190, formerly served the Speedboys as a fullback and linebacker. But since true big-'uns are amazingly scant, Berry, who volunteered, now plays center and nose guard.
True, he's strong. But he's also rather tiny, compared with most linemen. Must get pretty scary in those massive pileups.
"When we played Roxborough, all their linemen had to be 6-something and high-200s-something, even 300-something," Berry said. "We ran dives a couple times. I drove my man 2 to 3 yards and then wound up at the bottom of the pile.
"Those guys were heavy. Just had to wait until they all got off. My teammates were pulling some of them off. That helped.
"The way I feel is, you don't have to be big to be good, Sure, size can help you, but it's all about technique. My coaches teach me everything I need to know, then it's up to me to go out on the field and do things right."
The Speedboys are 9-0 for the first time since 1928. If they top Boys' Latin Charter Saturday, 3:30 at Simon Gratz Charter's Marcus Foster Memorial Stadium in a semifinal, they'll tie the '27 squad for the best record in school history. West played its first game in 1910.
