Football

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Steve Addazio called the three proposals on divisional alignment presented to the Big East football coaches and athletic directors at the conference's spring meetings a win-win-win situation for Temple. One proposal would split the league into East and West divisions beginning in 2013. Another called for North and South divisions. And the third would have a non-geographic alignment, splitting the West Coast schools, the Texas schools, and the Florida schools.

Mastbaum's Tomar Taylor stopped West Catholic's Kimani Patterson on a two- point conversion attempt with 1 minute, 5 seconds left to secure a 13-12 Public League victory in the city all-star football game last night at Northeast High. The Non-Public team scored twice in the last 4 1/2 minutes after facing a 13-0 deficit. An interception by Lincoln's Mannie Adens set up the first touchdown of the night. On the Public League's first offensive play, quarterback Dave MacDonald of Lincoln threw a 33-yard scoring pass to Ben Franklin's Tyrone West.

In one of the first games of Nana Gillett-Spio's first year of organized football - heck, any kind of football - the Edgewood freshman was carrying the ball when he spied a would-be tackler out of the corner of his eye. He greeted the defender with a withering forearm, flipping him into the air. Any doubts Gillett-Spio might have had about switching from one brand of football to another were smashed right there. "Now I look back at that tape and say, 'Oh my goodness. I can't believe I did that,' " said Gillett-Spio, a native of England who is now a senior at Overbrook.

OFFENSE L Frank Taylor Archbishop Wood, 6-4, 295, Sr. L Michael Mooney Malvern Prep, 6-6, 260, Sr. L Brandon Arcidiacono Archbishop Wood, 6-6, 255, Sr. L Mike McGlinchey Penn Charter, 6-8, 275, Jr. L Eric Condron Father Judge, 6-2, 250, Sr. L Melvin McLeod George Washington, 6-0, 270, Sr. Rec Richard Drayton Central, 6-1, 210, Sr. Rec William Fuller Roman Catholic, 6-2, 155, Jr. Rec Nijay Kelly...

Sean Boyle is finally healthy, and that's a good thing for Temple's football team. The Owls are counting on Boyle, a 6-foot-5, 324-pound center, and right tackle Martin Wallace to anchor an inexperienced offensive line. Wallace is the lone returning starting offensive lineman from last season's squad. Boyle, on the other hand, has had four shoulder surgeries and was sidelined the last two seasons. But you wouldn't know that by his performances at this spring's practices.

MATT SHEEHAN'S athletic career just would not die. He thought it was over after suffering knee injuries in his freshman and sophomore years of football at Episcopal Academy, but he still kept playing through his senior year with the promise that his coach could get him an athletic scholarship. His injuries didn't exactly make him a blue-chip prospect. He mostly received offers to a few FCS schools and Temple was his lone D-I offer; they were pulled once those schools learned about his injuries.

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Concerned Temple football fans need to chill, according to one recruiting analyst. It's too early to panic because Temple doesn't have a commitment for the Class of 2013, said Bob Lichtenfels, the East regional manager for Scout.com recruiting service. Judging by last summer, Lichtenfels may be on to something. Temple didn't get its first commitment for the Class of 2012 until May 27, 2011. By July 11, the Owls had secured 21. But some Temple fans believe the expectations are now higher, considering the team is going into the Big East Conference.

What: Soul (7-2) at Spokane (4-4) When: Friday, 11 p.m. Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena TV: The Comcast Network.   Internet: www.PhiladelphiaSoul.com or www.UStream.com . About the Soul: Defensive lineman T.J. Langley, acquired in a trade with Jacksonville on May 12, will make his debut. Langley is an AFL rookie who spent time in the training camps of the Panthers and Bills last summer. . . . Phil Marfuggi will be the kicker this week.

While it's nice, Temple's Edberg-Olson Hall isn't on par with some of the nation's premier college football practice facilities. But once the $10 million expansion and renovations are completed July 1, there likely will be plenty of satisfied people at 10th and Diamond Streets. The upgrade "is twofold," Owls coach Steve Addazio said Friday amid the construction. "It's got a big effect on recruiting. But it's also functionality. You need a state-of-the-art training room to give your players the best opportunity for rehab and to be able to come back from injuries and protect their bodies.

OF ALL THE positions one could picture Demetrius Town playing, point guard would be last on the list. Point guard? Wait. Isn't Town, of Ben Franklin High, a football lineman? Doesn't he go 6-2 and weigh (at least) 275 pounds? Indeed. But every school has gym classes and at Franklin basketball is the No. 1 pastime and maybe a month ago, there was Town, trying to run the show. "Know why I did that? Because I saw a documentary on LeBron James and it was showing him trying to take the ball to the basket, like he was AI," a laughing Town said, referring to Allen Iverson.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS at North Carolina made up more than a third of enrollments in suspect classes within a department the school investigated for academic fraud. The school said Tuesday football players represented 246 of 686 enrollments (36 percent) in the 54 courses within the Department of African and Afro-American Studies between summer 2007 and summer 2011. Those classes lacked appropriate supervision and were called "aberrant" or were "taught irregularly" with limited contact between instructors and students, according to a university report released Friday.

ROBBINSVILLE, N.J. - Some football team will be crowned South Jersey's first Group 5 champion in December. The new classification for public school football was approved by the NJSIAA's executive committee on Wednesday, despite criticism by a couple of South Jersey administrators. Kingsway athletic director Joe Galliera and Gloucester City superintendent Paul Spaventa, members of the executive committee, encouraged their colleagues to table the proposal to expand the public-school tournament to allow for more consideration by coaches, athletic directors, and others.

Projected New Football Groups Projected makeup of football groups, based on enrollment figures for this school year. South Jersey Group 5 Absegami, Atlantic City, Cherokee, Cherry Hill East, Eastern, Egg Harbor Twp., Lenape, Millville, Rancocas Valley, Southern, Toms River East, Toms River North, Vineland, Washington Twp., Williamstown. South Jersey Group 4 Cherry Hill West, Clearview, Cumberland, Hammonton, Kingsway, Lacey, Mainland, Moorestown, Oakcrest, Seneca, Shawnee, Timber Creek, Toms River South, Triton, Winslow Twp. South Jersey Group 3 Bridgeton, Burlington Twp., Camden, Central, Delsea, Deptford, Highland, Lower Cape May, Manchester Twp., Ocean City, Pemberton, Pinelands, Point Pleasant Boro, Sterling, Woodrow Wilson.

Staying within the family, Monsignor Bonner has promoted Greg "Bubba" Bernhardt from assistant to head football coach. Bernhardt, 34, was the team's offensive coordinator for the last five seasons. Before that, he served in the same position at Cardinal O'Hara. "Obviously, I'm extremely excited," he said. "Since I got into coaching, it's been a dream of mine to be Bonner's coach. " Bernhardt, a 1995 Bonner graduate, was a wide receiver and cornerback for the Friars' 1994 Catholic League championship team.