Where'd be been? Stuck in Concussionville.
Summers was quite the star running back as a youth player for the Drexel Hill Raiders, who were coached by Jim Bongard,the now-deceased father of his best buddy, likewise named Jim, and he then scored 24 touchdowns as an eighth-grader for the CYO team representing St. Andrew, also of Drexel Hill.
Trouble followed. Three concussions in roughly a year. One with Bonner's freshman team. Another during a rough-touch game at a park. One more with Bonner's JV as a sophomore.
"Jim Haley gave me that last one," he said, laughing, mentioning the guy who now stars as the Friars' quarterback. "I ran a fly pattern, caught the ball and Jim gave me a good hit . . . I stopped playing after that. The doctor said it wouldn't be a good idea to keep going."
So, why is he back?
"I took a whole year off, so I figure I'm OK now," said Summers, whose uncle, Dan, was a first-team All-City defensive lineman for Bonner in 1987. "My mom [Michelle] kind of wishes I stayed away, but she told me,'You can do what you want.' She comes to the games. I'm not trying to avoid [necessary] contact, but if I'm close to the sideline and there could be a big hit, I might step out."
During the game against Judge, Summers' helmet popped off three times and he paid a post-game visit to a hospital.
"I landed funny on one catch and hurt my hip a little," he said. "Oh, and I needed three stitches on my elbow, because I got tackled at the edge of the track that one time. No head problems. The third time, the guy just ripped my helmet off. The first two times it came off, as I realized later, it was because the ear pads weren't big enough."
Summers said he first discussed rejoining the program with fellow seniors.
"Jim Haley told me,'Dude, we'd love to have you out there,' " Christian reported. "I can jump and have big hands, so I feel I can help us."
*****
Pub charters this season have played 21 games against Pub regulars (including nonleague games). The charters are dominating, 18-3, and their scoring advantage is 603-167 . . . One of the spectators at Washington-Central was Temple assistant Sean Cronin. He spent a large chunk of time along Washington's sideline before the game, though he also said hello to Central coach Rich Drayton. Late in the first quarter, Drayton spotted Cronin right behind the west end zone and animatedly ordered the refs to remove him. Know where Drayton starred in college as a receiver? Yup, Temple . . . Here's hoping star rusher Elijah Clark (Bartram) does not finish the season with 999 yards. Against King on Sept. 14, he lost a touchdown for beginning a celebratory somersault at the 1. However, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties cannot be assessed as live-ball fouls . . . SJ Prep is 4-0 for the first time since 2003 (12-0 final record . . . If you want a big gain, throw to Gratz' Nydair Rouse. His six catches have produced 223 yards (37.2 average!), along with three TDs . . . Against Ryan, La Salle soph Jimmy Herron became the fifth player in city history to score TDs via rushing/receiving while also throwing for one . . . Scoreboards aren't working at Central and 29th Street Stadium (used by Dobbins/Franklin), and the clock at Lincoln is a joke, with numbers that look hieroglyphics . . .
McDevitt's Gabe Dwyer hammered a kickoff off a West Catholic up-man, caught the resulting popup and rumbled for almost 10 yards. Muffs can't be advanced, however . . . Blaise Natale, son of Bok coach Frank "Roscoe" Natale, had an interception for Neumann-Goretti vs. Lansdale . . . Almost everywhere, the six passing TDs by Germantown Academy's Hayes Nolte in a 42-41 loss to Blair (N.J.) would be a school record. Just his luck. GA's Sean Grieve owns the city mark with seven in 2002 . . . A faulty microphone prevented Conwell-Egan cheerleader Renee Eastburn from singing the national anthem before the game with Carroll. C-E's players then pinch-hit at very low volume . . .
After logging four sacks and two TFLs 2 weeks ago vs. Frankford, Northeast strong safety David Pulliam was looking for a tape to send to college coaches. By chance, David met Frankford running back Damion Samuels on the El and Damion said he'd make sure to get him one . . . West Philly really misses injured quarterback Ricardo Streams. Against Boys' Latin, four guys combined to pass 1-for-14 for 8 yards. BL's Ben Coulibaly posted three interceptions and returned one for a 56-yard TD . . . In a loss to Furness 2 weeks ago, Edison QB Jason Hutzler rang up 249 yards of rushing/passing in his first game. There are questions about his eligibility, however (he was widely listed as a junior 2 years ago at Lindenwold High, in South Jersey), so for now he's inactive. He attends Bracetti, which partners with Edison for football . . . Dobbins has managed no passing yards in three of its five games . . . Medium-to-strong suspicion: Kadir Chisholm is the first Olney QB to post TD passes in four consecutive games . . . Central's Jesse Gillis has already run for eight conversions. Teammate Walter Pegues owns seven return TDs in two seasons . . . In the quick-kick competition, B-P's Jim Haley outdid Judge's Ryan Mackiewicz, 56 to 44 yards.
*****
CITY TOP 10
1. La Salle 5-0
2. St. Joseph's Prep 4-0
3. Archbishop Wood 4-1
4. Imhotep Charter 5-0
5. Roman Catholic 2-2
6. Cardinal O'Hara 3-2
7. George Washington 5-0
8. Malvern Prep 2-2
9. West Catholic 2-2
10. Episcopal Academy 5-0
Under Consideration: Frankford (3-2), Father Judge (2-2), Archbishop Ryan (3-2), Edward Bok Tech (5-0), Penn Charter (3-1).
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Contact Ted Silary at silaryt@phillynews.com. High school coverage online at www.philly.com/rally.
