Temple University Athletics
WHITE DEFEATS CHERRY 17-14 IN TEMPLE SPRING FOOTBALL FINALE
4.24.04 | Football
Junior quarterback Walter Washington directed the Cherry offense and completed 16 of 35 attempts for 226 yards and a touchdown. Washington was also on the receving end of a 25-yard toss from junior wideout Mike Holley. Senior Buchie Ibeh was the favorite target of Washington, grabbing seven passes for 111 yards.
Junior Roger Price connected on a 26-yard FGA to put the White on the scoreboard first with 9:22 remaining in the first stanza. The White extended its lead to 10-0 when mid-year junior college transfer Tim Brown entered the end zone on a one-yard carry with 1:59 on the second quarter clock. The Cherry posted its first points on a two-yard Umar Ferguson rush to reduce the deficit to 10-7 with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter.
The White responded to the challenge by driving 60 yards on five plays, capped by a 12 yard, McGann-to-Goodman, scoring toss with 0:38 seconds remaining in the third stanza. Facing a 17-7 deficit, the Cherry posted the contest's final points on a 15-yard Washington-to-Holley touchdown pass with 1:23 showing on the fourth quarter clock to register the 17-14 final.
At halftime of the event, head coach Bobby Wallace presented the first annual Mark Bresani Award for spirit and enthusiasm. The award is named for the son of Mark Bresani, a four-year letterwinner at center for the Owls and captain of Wayne Hardin's 1976 squad. Bresani's son Mark, a senior football player at St. Joseph's (Hammonton) HS and spirited Temple football fan, was tragically killed last year on Halloween night in an auto accident. The award went to senior center Frank McAndrew from Bradford, Pa., a former walk-on that earned a scholarship and is an enthusiastic contributor to the program.
Also earning awards at haftime were senior defensive tackle Antwon Burton and junior offensive guard Stephen Bell, who were cited as the spring's most improved defensive and offensive players, respectively. Burton made three tackles for losses, including 1.5 sacks, to spark the Cherry defense.
