Narrative
Gil Brooks took over at St. Joseph’s Prep in 1992, a sputtering program that had gone 9-43 in the five years prior to Brooks arrival, and had only won one Catholic League championship since World War II ended (going 7-0 in league play in 1977). Brooks quickly established the Hawks as a player in the Catholic League, going from 2-8 in his first season to 8-3-1 in his second, advancing to the PCL finals in 1993, 1995, and 1996, before winning the PCL title in 1997. Brooks modernized the program - paying for a new weight room out of his own pocket, running year round lifting, conditioning, and speed workouts, and drawing some of the best talent in southeastern PA and southern New Jersey. But his sights were set bigger. Brooks began to regionalize, then nationalize the schedule, adding games with North Penn, CB West, and Holy Cross (NJ), before creeping out into Maryland, New York, and Ohio for opponents. As he started to attract talent, the Hawks became one of the powerhouses in not just southeastern PA, but big time high school football.
After an 0-3 start to 2001 (with losses to CB West, Malvern Prep, and Holy Cross), St. Joseph’s Prep won ten straight to close out the year, culminating in their first PCL title since 1997. The Hawks ran the table in 2002, blowing out CB West in their opener, beating arch rival LaSalle twice, by a combined score of 73-15 ,and stomping Roman Catholic in the PCL final, 38-7.
The Hawks entered 2003 with serious expectations. They returned 15 starters from the 2002 championship team, including nearly all of the defense. The USA Today ranked them in their preseason top 15. Linebacker/fullback Brian Tracz was getting attention as one of the premier linebacker recruits in the country and he teamed with rising junior and budding superstar Steve Quinn to form the best 1-2 punch in the state at the position. The Hawks also were playing an excellent schedule, featuring perennial District 11 power Bethlehem Catholic, the top independent school in New York in Brooklyn Poly Prep, South Jersey power Holy Cross, and Maryland superpower the Gilman School, who were coming off of a top 10 national ranking in 2002, not to mention their Philly Catholic League opponents, with Cardinal O’Hara and Roman Catholic both predicted to be strong in ‘03.
The season started with a trip to BASD Stadium to take on the Bethlehem Catholic Golden Hawks. Becahi had played for four straight D11 titles, narrowly losing to state champ Parkland in 2002. Becahi’s reputation was stellar, and they had garnered some attention in preseason national rankings despite heavy losses to graduation, particularly on offense, where they had really made their reputation. The first series set the tone for the day. Prep’s Greg Ambrogi stepped in front of Andrew Wilson’s first career pass attempt, and after two plays, the Prep had already generated a turnover. Becahi held, but fumbled at their own 40 on the ensuing drive. Danny Jones got the ball moving with a slashing 24 yard carry, then scored from 8 yards out on the next play. Just before halftime, Jones returned a punt out past midfield, then Prep went the remaining 48 yards in nine plays, with quarterback Mark Noonan sneaking into th end zone from a yard out with less than two minutes left in the half.
The second half started with some momentum for Bethlehem Catholic, as the Golden Hawks marched 11 plays for a touchdown, converting two fourth downs, and Wilson hit Zach Santiago for a 25 yard TD to cut the Prep’s lead to 13-6. However, SJP responded with a 9 play, 63 yard drive of their own, with Brian Tracz rumbling in for a 14 yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. As would so often happen, Prep would absolutely take over in the fourth quarter. Becahi threw a pick on the second play of the next drive, and Noonan hit tight end Matt Parkhurst for an 18 yard touchdown. After a three and out, Prep rammed the ball down Becahi’s throat, running on six straight plays for 43 yards, capped a TD from sophomore John Shaw, putting the Hawks up 33-6. Becahi threw an interception on their next drive, which Steve Quinn returned all the way to the 14. Back up tailback Jeff Desipio scored on the next play to account for the final 40-6 margin. The result was a stunner across the state, where Becahi had been an elite program (though they would end up limping to a 4-6 season and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade). The Prep out gained Becahi 325 to 156, and held the Golden Hawks to 34 rushing yards on 29 carries. Danny Jones led all ball carriers with 101 yards on 9 totes.
The following week, Prep would face their next big test - Brooklyn Poly Prep. Poly Prep came in ranked 5th in all classes in New York, and had been a fixture in national rankings in the early 2000s. The game was a rock fight. Poly Prep’s Naheem Harris picked up a fumbled and sprinted 71 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, to get the New York powerhouse on the board. However, the second quarter belong to the Prep, first with Danny Jones capping the only real Prep drive of the day with a 4 yard TD run. Then, on the final play of the half, Greg Ambrogi kicked a 33 yard field goal to give the Prep a 10-7 lead at the break. Neither team could gain much of anything on the opposing defense, until Poly Prep hit a 43 yard completion late in the fourth quarter all the way to the Hawks’ 28. But Steve Quinn came off of the edge untouched for a strip sack, recovered by Matt Parkhurst. Prep was able to run the clock out after the stop and preserve the 10-7 win. Parkhurst was the star of the show, with two sacks, a forced fumble, and the final fumble recovery. Although Prep gained just 237 yards, they held down the Poly Prep offense, keeping them out of the end zone entirely, and limiting them to just 49 yards on 22 carries.
Week three closed out the early non-conference slate with Holy Cross, from Delran, New Jersey, playing in their season opener and ranked #2 in South Jersey by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Much like Prep’s 38-0 over Holy Cross in 2002, this one was never close. Brian Tracz scored twice in the first half, as did Danny Jones, and Prep was up 32-0 at halftime. Holy Cross scored a 60 yard touchdown long after the game had been decided, but the 39-8 beat down was complete and total. The star was the SJP defense, which held Holy Cross to 160 yards of offense. They harassed future Lafayette quarterback Rob Curley into an ugly 8-28 day and limited Cross to 23 yards on the ground. Greg Ambrogi continued his monster year with two interceptions, while sophomore defensive tackle Matt Leddy had a pair of sacks. Holy Cross would go on to a 7-3 season and lose in the first round of the Non-Public Group II playoffs to eventual champion St. Joseph’s (Montvale NJ).
The Philadelphia Catholic League schedule continued the Prep dominance. The next week, SJP exploded for 27 points in the third quarter in a 41-0 rout of Monsignor Bonner. Danny Jones set the tone on the third play from scrimmage when burst for a 51 yard touchdown against LaSalle. Jones carried three times in the first half, for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Prep ran for 276 yards in the first half and had a 37-0 lead, then called off the dogs. Archbishop Ryan would suffer a similar fate, as Greg Ambrogi scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the 42-6 blowout.
The next two weeks brought the Prep’s biggest PCL challengers - Roman Catholic and Cardinal O’Hara. Roman, led by future Minnesota quarterback Andrew Sloan-El, had all of the momentum early after holding SJP to a three and out on their first drive, then marching 63 yards in seven plays, capped by a Sloan-El to Charron Fisher 13 yard TD (Fisher led NCAA basketball in scoring at Niagara and still plays professional hoops in Europe). But on the following drive, John Shaw busted a 60 yard TD run up the gut to tie the game. Ambrogi dominated the rest of the half, returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, kicking a field goal, and catching a 27 yard TD pass in the final minutes of the half to give Prep a commanding 22-7 lead at the break. In the second half, Fisher made things interesting by returning a pick 45 yards for a touchdown to bring things within one score, but Prep scored back-to-back touchdowns, including a highlight reel 30 yard run by Jones for a 35-14 lead. The final was 36-20, with Shaw running for 136 yards on 12 carries and Jones added 91 on 12 carries.. Roman was the first team to crack 300 yards of offense against SJP, but could not stop the physicality of the Prep’s offense, nor could they take advantage in the red zone.
Week eight featured Cardinal O’Hara, who was 6-1 with a lone loss in week two to eventual 4A state champion North Penn. Prep opened the game with an 11 play, 77 yard drive, with Tracz hammering in for the game’s first touchdown. While O’Hara was able to cross midfield, they had to settle for a field goal, cutting the Prep lead to 7-3. But Prep gave themselves some breathing room right before halftime when Mark Noonan hit Steve Quinn down the sideline for a 43 yard touchdown to take a 14-3 lead into the break. All-everything running back Anthony Heygood (future Purdue and Carolina Panthers linebacker) started the second half with a 65 yard run, which set up his two yard TD to cut the margin to 14-10. On the ensuing drive, O’Hara forced Prep into a fourth down at their own 40, but Brooks called timeout after initially sending the punt team out. Instead, they ran a play fake and Noonan hit Matt Parkhurst for a 28 yard gain. That seemed to break the Lions, as Danny Jones ripped off a 35 yard run on the next play, then Tracz bulldozed in for his second touchdown of the day and a 21-10 lead. After forcing a three and out, Jones iced the game with a 40 yard touchdown for a 28-10 final score. Heygood ran for 176 yards against the vaunted Prep defense, but again, the Hawks got tough in their territory and contained the Lion star to just one score. Jones ran for 106 yards, while Shaw added 74 in the win.
The finished their non-conference slate the following week with the Gilman School. Gilman limped in at 3-4, but was a traditional power in Maryland. Like Poly Prep, the game was a slog, with Danny Jones scoring a 37 yard TD in the second quarter and John Shaw adding a one yard plunge in the third. The two combined for 176 yards in a 14-0 win. The victory tied the Philadelphia City record for consecutive wins. The following week, Shaw ran for 148 yards on 3 carries, while Jones added 133 on 10 and the defense made four interceptions in a 42-0 win that gave Prep the record in a 10-0 regular season.
There was plenty of controversy before the PCL semifinal, where the Prep met LaSalle for the second time this year. The amount of meetings was the issue, as the two had long played on Thanksgiving Day. Before the playoff game, LaSalle announced that the Thanksgiving game would be cancelled, as it did not make sense to play an opponent three times in a season. Much of the commentary was this was specious reasoning, and LaSalle simply did not want their brains beaten in three times by one of the best teams in the United States. The playoff game went as planned, with the Prep throttling LaSalle 41-14. The Explorers scored on their third play, a busted coverage led to a 32 yard touchdown pass. But Danny Jones ripped off a 71 yard run on Prep’s first play from scrimmage, and Brian Tracz quickly tied the game at seven. Things would devolve from there. John Shaw scored a pair of first half touchdowns, and Ambrogi returned yet another interception - his 12th of the year - for a touchdown. Following LaSalle’s first drive, Prep out gained them 329 to 6 in the first half. Prep poured it on, the rest of the way, and finished with 422 rushing yards on the day, while LaSalle finished with 9 yards on the ground. Jones running for a career high 251 yards and added a second touchdown. Shaw also eclipsed the 100 yard mark. Defensively, Steve Quinn had three sacks.
That set the stage for a PCL final with Cardinal O’Hara, who knocked Roman Catholic out in the other semi. On the opening kickoff, O’Hara fumbled, and Steve Quinn pounced on it at the 11 yard line. Danny Jones sprinted in for a touchdown, and the Prep student section began chanting “it’s all over.” It was. John Shaw scored his first of four touchdowns in the second quarter, and the rout was on when Noonan hit Quinn for a 30 yard touchdown to take a three score lead. O’Hara put together a drive and scored in the final minute of the first half, but that seemed to only anger the Hawks, who piled on another four touchdowns after halftime. Shaw set a championship game record for touchdowns as part of his 19 carry, 98 yard effort. Prep also set championship game records with 45 points and a 38 point margin of victory. After Anthony Heygood seemingly ran wild in the first match up, the Prep defense suffocated him, holding the Lions star to 26 yards on 12 carries. On the day, O’Hara manged just five first downs, three coming on their scoring drive. It was an all encompassing beat down. After the game, Gil Brooks declared his squad the best team in Catholic League history.
Brian Tracz was named MVP of the Philly Catholic League following the season, as the leader of the best defense in Pennsylvania. The Hawks had six of the eleven selections on the All Catholic League first team defense. Tracz would also earn AP All State honors on the first team at linebacker. Matt Parkhurst and Greg Ambrogi were both named to the second team on the defensive line and defensive backfield, respectively. In the final national rankings, St. Joseph’s Prep came in at third in the USA Today, beating out #8 North Penn. Only De La Salle (CA) and Don Bosco Prep (NJ) were rated ahead of the Hawks.
Tracz signed with Indiana on national signing day, and spent his first year in college redshirting for the Hoosiers. He transferred out of Bloomington after two seasons, and played at Fordham, where he bulked up to defensive tackle. Tracz is now on staff at Villanova as the football strength and conditioning coach after stops at The Citadel, Elon, and Wagner. Steve Quinn became the biggest recruit of the bunch, choosing Notre Dame over Penn State. He made headlines as a freshman with a blocked punt in the famous “Bush-push” game, and started for the Fighting Irish as a senior. Matt Parkhurst was a three year starter at fullback for Marshall. Greg Ambrogi was an All Ivy League defensive back at Penn. Mike Robinson was an All NESCAC guard at Trinity.
The running back duo did not have such a happy ending. John Shaw exploded for 1,737 yards as a senior when he did not have to split backfield duties and initially committed to FCS power Northern Iowa. However, Shaw suffered a serious knee injury and did not enrolled with the Panthers. Shaw instead went to play at The Citadel, but two more ACL tears ended his career. Danny Jones went to play at Delaware, and had a promising freshman season for the Blue Hens. But Jones pled guilty to felony robbery after he and three teammates burst in to another player's apartment with shotguns to steal steroids.
This season portended excellence for the two sophomore defensive linemen. Matt Leddy was an All Catholic pick the following two seasons, adding tight end responsibilities to his repertoire. He played tight end at Elon. Charlie Noonan became a two star recruit who was a captain at Rutgers. After a stint as a grad assistant at Rutgers, Noonan became the defensive line coach at Holy Cross. Last offseason, Noonan left for Lehigh, where he will be the linebackers coach and Run Defense Coordinator.
Gil Brooks finished his St. Joseph’s Prep career 162-57-2 in eighteen seasons. He won another Catholic League title in 2005, giving him five championships in his career. The 2003 season concluded on a 35 game winning streak, which would end in the 2004 season opener, but the Hawks would continue their PCL winning streak, which stretched to 55 games, ending in the 2004 title game. Brooks went 101-19-2 in PCL games. However, at the end of the decade, Brooks gained a reputation for doing less with more, often finding his teams stocked with Division I talent, but would lose out to LaSalle in big games. When the PCL joined the PIAA in 2008, the Hawks were expected to be a fixture at the state level. But they could not get out of District 12, and watched LaSalle win a 4A championship in 2009 (a team Prep beat during the regular season). That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and Brooks was fired in March of 2010. Brooks moved on to Camden Catholic, where he went 17-5 in two seasons. He is now solely focused on his legal practice, where he has been a partner at Duane Morris for decades.
