Finding a groove: Samuel Fels quarterback Aasim Campbell (right) gets set to hand the ball to running back Wesley White in Friday’s 44–14 win over Mastbaum. After a rocky start, the duo has the Panthers focusing on a postseason trip. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTO
The game was over and players from both teams had just participated in the traditional collective handshake near midfield.
A player from Mastbaum began walking toward his visibly battered teammates and, to no one in particular, made a statement.
“There’s no way,” he said, “that team only had two wins before this.”
Such a sentiment is precisely what Samuel Fels High School’s football team wanted to hear after a tremendous all-around effort that resulted in a 44–14 victory Friday night at Northeast High.
Among many Panther contributors were junior quarterback Aasim Campbell and senior running back/defensive back/return man Wesley White. While the former rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown and threw for 31 more and connected with senior Ed Abney for a 26-yard TD, the latter was a force from start to finish.
Despite being keyed on by Mastbaum’s defense, White rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 14 bruising carries. He also returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for another score. For the season, the diminutive all-purpose standout has contributed 517 rushing yards (on only 68 carries — almost eight yards per attempt), 248 receiving yards on 18 receptions and nine touchdowns (four rushing, three receiving and two kickoff returns).
With a second straight victory and third in the past four — all against Public League Class AAAA Liberty Division foes — the Panthers (3–5, 3–2) have put themselves in close proximity to qualifying for the playoffs. A win this Friday night against Bartram (6:30 at Northeast High School) would clinch a spot. A loss, coupled with a Southern victory over Frankford (Friday, 3:15, at Frankford), would exclude the Panthers from the postseason.
While Fels’ situation remains a bit murky, the Panthers are fully appreciating the situation by, to borrow a line from White, “living in the moment.”
“It’s just great to be in a position to choose our own destiny,” White said. “Coming down to the end of the season and having something to play for is exactly what you hope for.
“We would obviously like to take care of business (against Bartram), but if it turns out that we make it some other way, we won’t turn it down. If we can make the playoffs, everyone knows that anything can happen. But we want to beat Bartram.”
Last year, the Panthers qualified for the playoffs. White and Campbell want to prove that it wasn’t just a fluke.
“Sometimes, a team will get lucky and then it doesn’t mean as much,” Campbell said. “You make the playoffs two or three times in a row and then people start to respect you more. That’s why it would mean a lot to us. I feel like we’ve earned it.”
Before the season began, the Panthers had named making the playoffs as their key goal. Four games in, many understandably doubted that Fels could ultimately right the ship.
But here are the Panthers, oh-so-close to turning this season into something special.
“We lost our first four games and it was tough,” White said. “We were playing against really good teams but when your record is 0–4, it doesn’t really matter who you played. Your record is what it is.
“But we have guys who were playing hard even though we weren’t winning. I think we all agreed that it was a matter of time before all of our hard work started turning into wins.”
Fels’ two non-league losses were to Penn Charter (54–26) and William Tennent (56–14). After deflating losses to currently 7–1 Simon Gratz (53–0) and defending Public League AAAA champion Frankford (39–14), the Panthers edged Southern, 14–8.
After a 63–22 drubbing at the hands of Father Judge, the Panthers have bounced back to defeat both Central and Mastbaum.
Resilience is a team quality that head coach Bill Harrigan has never doubted.
“They don’t stay down,” Harrigan said. “We never have to worry about them giving up regardless of the situation. We have many things to still work on, but effort isn’t usually one of them.”
Fels athletic director Mark Heimerdinger has noticed that quality throughout the season. He lauded Harrigan and his coaches for “doing a great job of preparing their players.”
“When the cards are stacked against them, sometimes there is not a realistic way to win, but they don’t leave anything out there,” Heimerdinger said. “When they are on a level playing field, they are able to prepare their team to beat anyone. They do a great job.”
Campbell was the starting QB last year, when he threw for 15 touchdowns and ran for four more. This season, partly because of graduated star Jylil Reeder, the Panthers have relied mostly on their run game. It was at its best against Mastbaum, when the Panthers gobbled up 300 yards on the ground.
Perhaps that might have bothered Campbell last fall, but not now.
“Run the ball, pass the ball. It doesn’t matter as long as we score a touchdown,” Campbell said.
For Campbell, with success has come maturity — not only as an athlete, but as a student of the game as well.
“Just the little things,” Campbell said. “Better knowing our offense has been big. Learning when to throw the ball away instead of taking a sack. Not getting bothered if things aren’t going our way.”
This time next week, things might really be going Fels’ way. ••
