"You don't really hear that much about people beating it, but it happened for us and I'm really thankful. To see your mom get a disease like that, and not be sure how it's going to turn out, it's really rough. This isn't just anybody. It's somebody you love. It's your mom. I cried a lot.
"The nice thing was, my brothers and sisters and I - the whole family - became even tighter. We helped her with everything. Did whatever she needed."
Toney then displayed his right forearm. Brenda, in fancy script, is part of an elaborate tattoo that runs pretty much from wrist to elbow.
"And we all have breast cancer ribbons," he added.
This scenario unfolded at the South Philly Super Site after the Burrs spanked Ss. Neumann-Goretti, 42-0, to finish perfect (4-0) in Catholic AA with 1 week remaining on the league schedule.
The division crown (Blue in 2006 and '07) is their seventh in a row and their CL regular-season winning streak stands at 31 The 6-3, 245-pound Toney, a senior who flip-flops between end and tackle on the defensive line, set an impressive early tone. Each of N-G's first three series resulted in three-and-outs. Toney more than did his part, registering one sack and two other TFLs.
After that third series, Greg White motored 20 yards for his second of five touchdowns and it was easy to sense a mercy-rule in the offing.
"I don't take no team lightly," Toney said. "I tell myself and my team, 'We always gotta go hard. Gotta bring the intensity. Anything can happen.' As a leader, I have to help my team get that early momentum. It's so important."
Toney, who lives in Yeadon, has played a bit of hopscotch during his high school years. He attended West as a freshman and sophomore, then spent last year at Monsignor Bonner. He decided to return to West last June.
"I had fun at Bonner. It was a great experience," he said. "The environment helped me grow as a person. Helped me realize that football really is a team sport. It's just not all about me.
"But I came back to West because I was thinking, 'It's truly where I should be. It's where I should graduate.' I have good friends here."
Strong and quick, Toney is receiving increased recruiting interest and Connecticut, for one, is showing blossoming love. He plans to major in sports management or mechanical engineering.
"I like playing tackle and end because I can show my versatility," he said. "I can use my moves to get off the blockers and still show strength, too . . . Plus, I love just hittin' people."
White ran 17 times for 163 yards while raising his season total to 1,050. (At least one Burr has rushed for 1,000 yards in 13 consecutive seasons. No other city school can make that claim.) Quarterback Antwain McCollum posted the other TD on a 9-yard keeper.
Score No. 4 for White, a 4-yarder, came 14 seconds before halftime and coach Brian Fluck ordered Josh Holsopple, the backup QB, to take a knee on the conversion.
"We'd already assured the mercy rule [at 36-0] for the second half," Fluck explained. "Just made sense to do that."
Yes, thanks in part to Dom Toney, the Burrs were very much in the pink.
Contact Ted Silary at silaryt@phillynews.com.
