West Catholic Ready for Next Level
Catholic League Blue Champs focus on State Championship Opportunity
by Marcus Wright
8/22/08
 West Philadelphia, PA – When you win back to back league titles, and have a team stocked with talent, it’s easy to lose the spark and motivation that is needed to fend off oncoming competition. New challenges for one team could be looked at as “been there, done that,” for a team that is accustomed to success, and that could lead to letdowns and disappointments. However, such a detrimental attitude does not seem to plague the two-time Catholic League Blue champion West Catholic Burrs.
“Our number 1 thing is to take [things] game by game by game and show what West Catholic is all about,” said Burrs head coach Brian Fluck between the 2nd and 3rd of his team’s final three-a-day practice on Thursday. That is the philosophy that helped the Burrs win those final two Blue championships, and that could be the philosophy that leads them to even greater success this season.
Because of realignment, West Catholic and all teams in the Catholic League now have a chance to qualify for the PIAA State Tournament (after going through a division playoff and a district playoff). This raises the stakes of the season tremendously, as Catholic League teams that once had to share the Philadelphia limelight with the Public League champion now have a chance to not only take that limelight completely, but also become the toast of the state as well. “Our goal is to get to the state championship,” Fluck said. “[But] it’s one step at a time; the Catholic League, the districts, and [then] the states.”
So can West Catholic obtain this hefty goal? One look at their practice shows that physical toughness shouldn’t be a problem. The players knocked each other around like they weren’t even on the same team. No one was afraid of hitting or being hit. They hustled and scrapped to get loose balls. It was the business of a team that knew that this is the time to take things to a new level.
The Burrs have the talent. On offense, everyone will indeed keep their eyes on three talented seniors: elusive quarterback Curtis Drake, dangerous running back Raymond Maples, and versatile and also dangerous running back Rob Hollomon. The offensive line is physical. The defense has great vision and presence.
But it comes down to the mental toughness. Can this team really put the past championships aside and light the fire necessary to reach the next level? “We have the pieces and the talent to win the State Championship,” Hollomon said between practices. “We just want to stay healthy and keep our focus [and] not get laid back because we won those two championships.”
The accomplishments of the past do not seem to cloud the future for the Burrs. “[The team] wants the respect,” Fluck said. “Every time they got to go out there they got to earn the respect.”
The city and state are watching, waiting to see if West Catholic can become the next big thing in Pennsylvania. West Catholic, however, is only focused right now on becoming the next big thing at practice, and then at Wildwood – that’s where they begin the season against Roman Catholic in their traditional, “Beach Bowl.” If the Burrs can follow the philosophy Coach Fluck stresses, they may be able to take it “one step at a time” to a state championship.
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