A new season brings a new era for the Phoenix football team as they merge two strong teams for a winning chemistry on the field
Career catalysts : Phoenix quarterback Tyler Stockard and running back Mauri Mitchell have been two of the sparkplugs of Career Academy’s impressive start to the new football season, which features a merger of the Vashon and Career Academy programs. Photo courtesy of Career Academy offensive coordinator Karon Flenoid.
By any barometer, the early returns suggest that the new-look Career Academy/ Vashon merged Phoenix football program is a success-and that’s not counting what has transpired on the field, where the Phoenix split their first two games.
No, the mere fact that veteran coach Sorrell Harvey was able to amass a roster of 60-plus players from two programs in a state of flux, is a testament to the sustainability of football with the team. More than a dozen Vashon players have joined forces with Career Academy: Jaylen Adams, Anthony Dunn, Promise Dickinson, Martell Ferrell, Janard Gleghorn, Marcus Golliday, Melvin Jones, Santrese Jones, Clinton Murphy, Donyell Murphy, Reginald Sadler and quarterback Tyler Stockard.
“We had a number of kids from both schools that were interested in playing,” said Career Academy athletic director Darren White. “Coach Harvey was a big influence in getting them together and prepared to play, as well as convincing the parents we would still have football.”
Two games into the season and Career Academy is much more than merely function. After losing the opener to the Hazelwood Central Hawks 22-8, in a game in which the Phoenix trailed 8-6 or were tied 8-8 through more than three quarters, the Phoenix exploded for 24 second-quarter points on the way to a 44-0 rout of Public High League foe Soldan last afternoon. Like their first game against Hazewlood, a host of Career Academy players had good performances, including quarterback Tyler Stockard, all-purpose star Mauri Mitchell, two-way player Gavin Bryant, running back Travelle Willis and defenders Jaylen Adams, Caleb Moore and Melvin Jones, among others. Stockard threw two touchdown passes Mitchell caught a 38-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 14-yard score, Robert Murphy (27 yards) and Donyell Murphy (17 yards) had touchdown runs and Melvin Jones added a 14-yard fumble recovery for a score in the rout.
In their loss to Hazelwood Central, Mitchell scored Career Academy’s only touchdown early in the second quarter on a 24-yard catch and run. Hazelwood Central subsequently with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Kenyon Bolden to Alan Bright, then added the two point conversion play to go up 8-6 before Career Academy tied it 8-8 with a safety as time expired in the third quarter.. It stayed that way until the final six minutes of the game when the Hawks finally capitalized on Career Academy turnovers. Maurice Evans scored on a 15-yard run off a turnover and Amon Lee closed things out with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, his second pick of the day. The ball-hawking hawks finished with two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
“We just didn’t execute and play the way we were capable of playing,” said Harvey. “Turnovers and mistakes killed us. We beat ourselves.” It was nothing they did. We didn’t execute.”
In describing his game-changing picks, Lee said it was a matter of preparation.
“I watch a lot of film to prepare and I was just watching the quarterback’s tendencies,” said Lee. “I’m like a cheetah in the wild. But we also had to keep pushing past our limits as a team.”
As far as Career Academy is concerned, its next game of consequence with league significance will be a noon showdown against the host Gateway Jaguars on Sept. 21 in a contest, which will eventually decide the PHL title. The Jaguars are off to a 2-0 start and have been dominant in the process, in posting consecutive 35-0 victories over Normandy last week and Roosevelt this past weekend.
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