The Imhotep Panthers, football team from a smallish charter school located in East Germantown (Philadelphia) won the PIAA 3A state championship on Friday night. It was the first time a Public League team from Philly won it all, making it a big deal.
I covered the game; you can see my PhillyVoice story on it via this link.
Head Coach Albie Crosby put things into the big-picture perspective of a team that comes from an area where children are getting shot and need positive outlets, like playing football, to get their life on the right track.
“I remember the times when if a kid died at 18, it was front-page news. Now, kids are dying at 12 and we don’t even hear about it. It’s something we’ve become accustomed to, and that’s a sad thing,” said Crosby, still shivering from the celebratory Gatorade shower. “When these young kids accomplish things like this in front of their families and friends, get into college, it’s an amazing thing.”
I’ve covered Crosby’s team for three years now (since this story, actually), so I knew those words weren’t mere lip service. Journalistic objectivity aside, that’s why I’m so happy that his team reached the lofty goals they set for themselves. Despite snide comments from folks around the state — even whispered under the breath of some in the press box last night — they’re doing great work in Northwest Philly.
Anyway, here’s some pictures from a historic night in Hershey:
