Tony Smith

Tony Smith What he has done. Smith said he transferred from Father Judge to Washington for financial reasons. In the last two seasons with the Crusaders, he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last year, while earning second-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA honors, the 17-year-old connected on 110 of 215 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 scores. Smith, also a basketball player, went to QB camps at Cincinnati, Rutgers, Temple, and Virginia. What he says.

TONY SMITH at first insisted he had never dropped a pass. "Yup, that's right. Never," he said, smiling. Good thing nobody had a Bible to place in front of him. "I always caught the hard ones, for some reason," he said, shifting gears. "I never caught the easy ones. " Having only mildly reliable hands was not behind the switch in positions Smith experienced 7 years ago, as he tried out for the JV football team at St. Matthew School in Mayfair. Even then, with the help of his dad, also named Tony, he had a knack for seeing the big picture.

A new quarterback is now delivering the football to George Washington High's two Temple-bound receivers, Brandon Chudnoff and Daquan Cooper. Not just any quarterback, either. Tony Smith, who, in two seasons as Father Judge's starter, passed for 2,838 yards and 26 touchdowns, yesterday was cleared to play for Washington by the District 12 committee. Smith, last Saturday, represented Washington in a scrimmage vs. Cardinal O'Hara, and that could have been a problem since Judge had not yet signed off on the transfer.

A shootout would have favored George Washington. Instead, it was quite the thumpathon and that favored Northeast. In a battle of 5-0 squads, Northeast, Friday night, bested the visiting Eagles, 13-6, to capture the Public AAAA Gold regular-season title. Megaprospect Deion Barnes, a two-way end, made 1 1/2 sacks and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Harold Alexander with 10 minutes, 5 seconds left, expanding the Vikings' lead from 7-6. Eugene Moten's blocked punt gave Washington life at Northeast's 9 with 0:59 left, but a completion from Tony Smith (11-for-20, 86, TD to Albert Gaye)

The thought of suiting up for George Washington entered Tony Smith's mind long before he had any inkling that that was where he would spend his senior year. For Smith and his new receivers at Washington, the what-ifs started when the three were placed together on the Eastern Pennsylvania team at the Badger Sport Elite 7-on-7 Camp in February. "It just clicked right away," Smith said. "They're awesome players. It was everything a quarterback wants. " The camp, held at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., is a nationally recognized showcase of the nation's best high school football players.

Hakeem Sillman said his eyes lit up when he saw the open lane big enough to drive a Mack truck through. Sillman seamlessly merged into that open path and took off - and so did George Washington's season. Any question about lingering effects of the Eagles' heartbreaking loss to St. Joseph's Prep in Week 1 were wiped away in the 12 seconds it took Sillman to return the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown Saturday against rival Frankford. Sillman said he never looked back.

TONY SMITH at first insisted he had never dropped a pass. "Yup, that's right. Never," he said, smiling. Good thing nobody had a Bible to place in front of him. "I always caught the hard ones, for some reason," he said, shifting gears. "I never caught the easy ones. " Having only mildly reliable hands was not behind the switch in positions Smith experienced 7 years ago, as he tried out for the JV football team at St. Matthew School in Mayfair. Even then, with the help of his dad, also named Tony, he had a knack for seeing the big picture.

THE TOUCHDOWNS occurred on opposite sides of the ball and could not have featured much more of a contrast. For one thing, the second covered 88 more yards than the first. For another, it involved all kinds of running after the first offered nothing but high-quality soaring/snatching. Say hello to Daquan Cooper, now of George Washington High and soon to do his football thing at Temple. As for what side of the ball will be honored by the presence of the 5-10, 165-pound Cooper . . . the jury's still out and that makes damn good sense.

Dig a hole deep enough, and it's tough to get out. Father Judge found that out the hard way last night during a Catholic League Red Division showdown between Judge and St. Joseph's Prep that was everything it was billed to be. St. Joe's defeated Father Judge, 28-21, at Northeast High, handing the Crusaders (4-1, 1-1) their first loss of the season and taking first place in the Catholic Red with a 4-1 overall record and 2-0 in the division. Father Judge certainly made it interesting, though.

Tony Smith What he has done. Smith said he transferred from Father Judge to Washington for financial reasons. In the last two seasons with the Crusaders, he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last year, while earning second-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA honors, the 17-year-old connected on 110 of 215 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 scores. Smith, also a basketball player, went to QB camps at Cincinnati, Rutgers, Temple, and Virginia. What he says.

THE TOUCHDOWNS occurred on opposite sides of the ball and could not have featured much more of a contrast. For one thing, the second covered 88 more yards than the first. For another, it involved all kinds of running after the first offered nothing but high-quality soaring/snatching. Say hello to Daquan Cooper, now of George Washington High and soon to do his football thing at Temple. As for what side of the ball will be honored by the presence of the 5-10, 165-pound Cooper . . . the jury's still out and that makes damn good sense.

A shootout would have favored George Washington. Instead, it was quite the thumpathon and that favored Northeast. In a battle of 5-0 squads, Northeast, Friday night, bested the visiting Eagles, 13-6, to capture the Public AAAA Gold regular-season title. Megaprospect Deion Barnes, a two-way end, made 1 1/2 sacks and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Harold Alexander with 10 minutes, 5 seconds left, expanding the Vikings' lead from 7-6. Eugene Moten's blocked punt gave Washington life at Northeast's 9 with 0:59 left, but a completion from Tony Smith (11-for-20, 86, TD to Albert Gaye)

TONY SMITH at first insisted he had never dropped a pass. "Yup, that's right. Never," he said, smiling. Good thing nobody had a Bible to place in front of him. "I always caught the hard ones, for some reason," he said, shifting gears. "I never caught the easy ones. " Having only mildly reliable hands was not behind the switch in positions Smith experienced 7 years ago, as he tried out for the JV football team at St. Matthew School in Mayfair. Even then, with the help of his dad, also named Tony, he had a knack for seeing the big picture.

TONY SMITH at first insisted he had never dropped a pass. "Yup, that's right. Never," he said, smiling. Good thing nobody had a Bible to place in front of him. "I always caught the hard ones, for some reason," he said, shifting gears. "I never caught the easy ones. " Having only mildly reliable hands was not behind the switch in positions Smith experienced 7 years ago, as he tried out for the JV football team at St. Matthew School in Mayfair. Even then, with the help of his dad, also named Tony, he had a knack for seeing the big picture.

Hakeem Sillman said his eyes lit up when he saw the open lane big enough to drive a Mack truck through. Sillman seamlessly merged into that open path and took off - and so did George Washington's season. Any question about lingering effects of the Eagles' heartbreaking loss to St. Joseph's Prep in Week 1 were wiped away in the 12 seconds it took Sillman to return the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown Saturday against rival Frankford. Sillman said he never looked back.

Tony Smith What he has done. Smith said he transferred from Father Judge to Washington for financial reasons. In the last two seasons with the Crusaders, he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last year, while earning second-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA honors, the 17-year-old connected on 110 of 215 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 scores. Smith, also a basketball player, went to QB camps at Cincinnati, Rutgers, Temple, and Virginia. What he says.

The thought of suiting up for George Washington entered Tony Smith's mind long before he had any inkling that that was where he would spend his senior year. For Smith and his new receivers at Washington, the what-ifs started when the three were placed together on the Eastern Pennsylvania team at the Badger Sport Elite 7-on-7 Camp in February. "It just clicked right away," Smith said. "They're awesome players. It was everything a quarterback wants. " The camp, held at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J., is a nationally recognized showcase of the nation's best high school football players.

Tony Smith What he has done. Smith said he transferred from Father Judge to Washington for financial reasons. In the last two seasons with the Crusaders, he threw for more than 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last year, while earning second-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA honors, the 17-year-old connected on 110 of 215 passes for 1,255 yards and 13 scores. Smith, also a basketball player, went to QB camps at Cincinnati, Rutgers, Temple, and Virginia. What he says.

A new quarterback is now delivering the football to George Washington High's two Temple-bound receivers, Brandon Chudnoff and Daquan Cooper. Not just any quarterback, either. Tony Smith, who, in two seasons as Father Judge's starter, passed for 2,838 yards and 26 touchdowns, yesterday was cleared to play for Washington by the District 12 committee. Smith, last Saturday, represented Washington in a scrimmage vs. Cardinal O'Hara, and that could have been a problem since Judge had not yet signed off on the transfer.

Dig a hole deep enough, and it's tough to get out. Father Judge found that out the hard way last night during a Catholic League Red Division showdown between Judge and St. Joseph's Prep that was everything it was billed to be. St. Joe's defeated Father Judge, 28-21, at Northeast High, handing the Crusaders (4-1, 1-1) their first loss of the season and taking first place in the Catholic Red with a 4-1 overall record and 2-0 in the division. Father Judge certainly made it interesting, though.