Prior to 1st Pitch on Fri, May 11th, SLA Baseball retired #16 in honor of founding player and coach Brandon Williams, who tragically passed away just before the season started. Former Team Manager Longnu “Lulu” Nhan wore B’s jersey and stood with Brandon’s father during the ceremony. Fellow alumni Chris Cassise, Jeff Schwartz and Isaac Adlowitz came back to celebrate his life and team legacy, while the program also honored graduating Seniors- Ijustice Avery, Tony Brown, Alex Gomez and Trey Matthews- in the pre-game ceremony. 

Then the Rocket bats kicked into high gear. Unanimous All-Public 1st teamer Ijustice Avery missed a bonafide Grand Slam by a hair in an 8-Run 2nd inning that saw 12 Rockets come to bat. That was plenty to back Sophomore David Hammond who allowed just 2 unearned runs on 3 hits over 4 innings. Avery’s 3-RBI triple added to offense by the Cantors (Jakob and Avi) both going 3 for 3 on the day with RBI Doubles and multiple Runs Scored. Avi, also named All-Public 2nd Team, reached base safely in all 4 plate appearances. Freshmen Vince Cammisa (2-3) and Cam Simm (RBI Triple) matched hot hitting Senior Alex Gomez (2-3) and Senior Tony Brown (RBI Double) to round out a dominant 12-2 win. 

Then the rain came…for an entire week.

Ten days later the teams reconvened in Fairmount Park to complete the series and regular season. In Game 2 the Rockets pitching was solid as Vince Cammisa, Avi Cantor and David Hammond “No-Hit” Masterman into the 6th. After a sluggish start the bats roared back scoring 7 Runs in the middle frames, powered by Cam Simm’s 2-RBI Double in the 4th and Leo Cassel-Siskind’s RBI Double in the 6th. When the dust settled on a 7-2 combined 2-Hit win, the Rockets locked up the 5th Seed in the Public League Playoffs, which saw feverish action in the early rounds.  

Next Up: The #5 Rockets host GAMP in the Sweet 16 Round on Wed, 5/23 at Mt Airy Park (7001 Germantown Ave, 1st Pitch 315pm).

Come out and support your Rockets as they make another bid for a City Title. 

After both starting pitchers retired all batters faced in the first it seemed as if the rematch between SLA and Lincoln would be a pitcher's duel. But Senior Ijustice Avery had something different in mind. After patiently working a full count Justice finally got "his pitch" and drilled a towering shot to dead center. Lincoln's starter whipped around quickly, as did their outfielders, and then they all just watched it clear the fence for a lead-off Home Run.  Avery quietly, yet confidently rounded the bases while the entire SLA bench came out to greet him as he touched down on home. In a season full of close games that haven't always gone the Rockets' way, a rare moment of pure elation came over the squad and silenced Lincoln's boisterous bench. 

In the 2nd starting pitcher Freshman Vince Cammisa and the SLA defense pulled off a gem of a 1-2-3 Double Play to get out of a bases loaded jam on a hit back to Vince who came home for the force. Avi's throw and Leo Cassel-Siskind's scoop beat the runner to end the inning.  In the top of the 3rd Cammisa worked a Walk, advanced to 2nd on a Passed Ball, stole third and scored on Avi Cantor's deep Sac Fly to make it 2-0. A couple of solid hits in the 3rd helped Lincoln make it 2-1, but Freshman Cam Simms's Double in the 4th scored Sophomore David Hammond to make it 3-1. 

Both pitchers and defenses bent but didn't break over the next two frames, until Lincoln broke through with a pair of runs on hard ground balls to tie it up at 3-3. The sixth and seventh innings were tense. Both squads put runners in scoring position and tried to rattle the relievers, but golden opportunities fell short and the game went into extra innings. 

It's fitting that Ijustice Avery would start it off again, this time with a rope of a single to center, then reliever David Hammond made a productive out, essentially bunting Justice over into scoring position. Patience in moments like these are a premium, but freshmen Cam Simms, Jakob Cantor and Junior Leo Cassel-Siskind all showed they had plenty working deep counts, with Jakob and Leo drawing critical Walks to load the bases. 

AND HERE IT IS. EVERY KID’S BASEBALL DREAM:

Extra Innings, bases loaded, two outs, your team's season essentially on the line. 

Regardless of what happens, moments like these are remembered for a lifetime, playing out over and over again in glorious memories or haunting nightmares. But Senior Alex Gomez didn't over think and just turned on the first pitch he saw, driving a laser beam into the right center gap, clearing the bases.  And there it was again, that collective pure joy that has eluded this squad in moments just like this in recent weeks. 

With the top of the order coming up Lincoln's coach didn't risk any more runs and lifted his pitcher for the starter the Rockets had previously faced. The switch didn't work out as Senior Tony Brown hit a hard grounder and beat out a throw for an infield single. Starter Vince Cammisa helped his own cause with a double to score Tony. Two pitches later he stole third and scored on a passed ball. Suddenly a tense, 3-3 nail-biter had transformed into a lopsided 9-3 affair. 

But just as quickly as SLA could start to celebrate Lincoln scrapped back with three runs on four consecutive singles and two wild pitches to make it 9-6 with no outs recorded. Suddenly those extra runs off Cammisa's double and aggressive base-running was the difference in the game. But Freshman Jakob Cantor showed composure, attacking the next two hitters and striking out both. With a runner on 3rd and the top of the order coming up Cantor looked determined to shut the door. Then just as he was about to deliver he caught the runner on 3rd off guard and instigated a textbook run-down to end the game. 

With the 9-6 win the Rockets split the season series with Lincoln and further prove that this City Championship is  up for grabs. Just two games remain vs Masterman to round out the season. Wins in both will secure a top-seeded finish for the Rockets and a home playoff game in Mt. Airy on Mon, May 21st. 

NEXT UP: SENIOR DAY & BRANDON WILLIAMS'S #16 RETIREMENT (Fri, 5/11 230p) 

The first of a Home-and-Home series vs Masterman, will follow with first pitch at 315pm.
Come out and support your SLA Rockets as they press for another run at a City Title. 

NOTE: Scroll down to vote and please make sure you select the respective team from the dropdown list. Otherwise you will be voting for the first team on that list.

Many thanks to Philly Voice for running a piece on us just in time to reach new audience and give us a boost in voting. http://www.phillyvoice.com/philly-high-school-5000-prize-cyberbullying-film-festival/

WE REALLY NEED EVERY VOTE, so please vote for both and spread the word to your respective networks. We can do this!!!

Thanks in advance for continuing to support.

You can vote for both of our films “Media Darling” (SLA1) and “Finding You” (SLA2), but ONLY 1 VOTE PER EMAIL WILL COUNT. Hoping you have at least two active accounts to support both films and help finance the next Rough Cut Original with this $5,000 prize.

VOTE HERE: www.hsfilmfest.com/voting

NOTE: Scroll down to vote and please make sure you select the respective team from the dropdown list. Otherwise you will be voting for the first team on that list.

This comes down to which community rallies the most support. Considering the size of the other schools in this WE REALLY NEED EVERY VOTE, so please vote for both and spread the word to your respective networks. We can do this!!!

Thanks in advance for continuing to support.

Although he's not old, Tim Gunn (Head Coach of Germantown Friends) could be considered an Old Head by this point. The S. Philly native had an illustrious career as a Top Ten power hitter for St. Joe's, a legitimate crack at the Pros and coached a Championship team in the American Legion World Series, a 5,400 team national tourney. Suffice (it) to say, Gunner knows this game. And now he also knows that "The Pub" has some teams worth paying attention to. FULL STORY

Although he's not old, Tim Gunn (Head Coach of Germantown Friends) could be considered an Old Head by this point. The S. Philly native had an illustrious career as a Top Ten power hitter for St. Joe's, a legitimate crack at the Pros and coached a Championship team in the American Legion World Series, a 5,400 team national tourney. Suffice (it) to say, Gunner knows this game. And now he also knows that "The Pub" has some teams worth paying attention to.

The day after last season ended with SLA reaching the City Final Four, Tim invited SLA to a friendly vs GFS. He also helped out as a hitting coach for The Rockets over the winter, so he was definitely not a stranger to the potential this group had. He'd heard a lot of buzz about SLA so far this season, but the friendly was the first time he had seen them play a game. He threw his ace at the Rockets, and immediately knew he had a real game on his hands when Tony Brown smoked a triple to the opposite field to lead off the game. It would be the first of two "oppo tacos" for Brown who went a perfect 5-5 on the day with 2 Triples, a Double, 2 RBIs and 3 Runs scored. 

Ijustice Avery scored Tony on a sacrifice to give SLA an early 1-0 lead, but then disaster struck. Leon Finney doesn't like the cold much less the rain, but both dominated the day. GFS was patient and Finney couldn't find his normal groove, which normally hold his opponents scoreless and only yields a few scattered hits. But by the end of the 1st GFS had scored 5 runs on just one hit, and it seemed that the Old Heads knew what they were talking about.

And yet, there was a flash of something great about to unfold. Finney worked through it and struck out the last two batters, both top of the order hitters. SLA then quickly communicated they would not go down quietly. This wasn't the first time this team had been down early on in a game against a dangerous opponent. Last year they were down by the exact same score to #1 Frankford, but came back to steal that one 6-5 in a thriller of an elimination playoff game. 

A walk, a hit batter and a near-perfect sacrifice bunt by Jason Greene put two runners in scoring position just in time for Tony Brown's 2nd opposite field blast to make it 5-3. He'd score moments later on a hard single by Kevin Courtney to quickly erase the hole and make it a 1-run game. Finney was sharp in the next two frames, and a beautiful strike out-throw out combo at 3rd by Finney, Avi Cantor and Ben Simon ended a scoreless 3rd.

SLA tied it up at 5 in the 4th when Kevin Courtney turned on the first pitch he saw. But a walk, stolen base and a throwing error allowed GFS to take the lead back in the bottom half. For just a millisecond the energy swayed toward GFS. Meanwhile, The Rocket was ready to open it up. As was the case in that now infamous upset of Frankford, it was Lukas Supovitz-Aznar who got this come back started by blasting a lead off Double to center. Aznar would score to tie it at 6 after a productive out and a fielder's choice. Ben Simon who reached on that FC, would also score on a Sacrifice by Aaron Watson-Sharer to give SLA a 7-6 lead. 

Lukas had come in to relieve Finney in the 4th, and held GFS at bay for 3 innings while SLA's bats did some more talking. Two insurance runs came across in the 6th after Tony Brown roped his 2nd Triple of the game down the left field line. Ijustice Avery plated him with a monster 350ft shot to dead center that would have been a Home Run in any park with a wall and Lukas would score another with a shot past Short to make it 9-6. They threatened to score two more in the 7th, but a shot by Leon Finney was caught in deep Right field. "Stop hitting the ball" was whispered by a GFS player as Tony Brown came off the bases. Meanwhile, the same could be said to Freshman Kristian Ramos, who is showing signs of the future Rocket by smacking a would-be Double almost exactly where Brown launched his 2nd Triple. 

In another Frankford deja vu moment, Ben Simon came in and closed the door on a dead silent GFS bench. After their Catcher couldn't keep up with Simon's fastball and struck out to end the game, Tim and his Asst Coach immediately acknowledged how impressed they were. Both had worked with SLA over the winter, but seeing them come together and work past that first inning was something special. No bad blood between these two teams, just some solidified respect and tangible evidence that the Old Heads don't always know what they're talking about. 

Next Up: SLA hosts Fels (Mon, 5/2). 1st Pitch 315pm 

Three years ago University City took it down to a play at the plate in their final game to preserve a perfect season, their final as a school and program. As a result SLA (11-1), who dominated with the best offense and pitching rotation of the season, finished 2nd and missed the playoffs. SLA would move up to C-Division due to a realignment after multiple schools were shuttered, but it was an early season loss to UC that sealed their fate. The following season would see SLA destroy King in their lone head-to-head meeting. But King, who inherited a very good B-Division team when Germantown closed, ran the rest of the table finishing 11-1 to take the Division. SLA would make the playoffs, but they were stuck in C. 

Last year it was The Rocket who completely ran the table undefeated, won the Division and made a magical run to the Public League Final Four, finally moving up to B. That team was defensively sound, had great pitching and just smashed the ball game in, game out. Yet, everyone on the squad recognized they were misplaced in C and weren’t getting to play real baseball every day. They desperately wanted to play against better competition, and their run in the playoffs proved they belonged by knocking off three A-Division powerhouses- Esperanza, #1 Frankford and Lincoln- to reach that Final Four where they fell just shy of the City Title.

Five games into Season 7 for SLA Baseball, and the expectations have changed. No longer are The Rockets overlooked, underestimated or considered irrelevant. Every team feels compelled to throw their ace to have a fighting chance, and Edison was no different. Having been in A-Division for most of a storied history, Edison found itself relegated to B after a dismal 2015 season where half their starting nine was ineligible. Not the case in 2016, and they most assuredly expected their stay in B to be short-lived. SLA had other ideas, and after the weirdest and arguably worst officiating ever experienced, The Rocket finds itself in the Divisional driver's seat after a 6-4 come-from-behind win.

Granted it is only early April, but both sides recognized this game as the equivalent of a Division Title game. Both threw top pitchers who dueled in the worst of conditions. Gale force winds upwards of 35mph made it nearly impossible to hit a ball in the air outside of the infield, yet neither pitcher sacrificed much in the first three bone-cold innings. 

Leon Finney, in his 2nd start for SLA, struck out the side his first time through the Edison lineup. Yet, Edison's Maddox held SLA's potent offense at bay for the first half as well. Eventually Edison would break the tie with two runs in the 4th. They manufactured a run off of an error, walk and single to center, the only ball to leave the infield against Finney all day, and would get another off another error that prolonged the inning. The Rocket looked poised to respond, but a 4-6-3 Double Play squashed the power of a lead-off walk in the 5th. Finney would come back to strike out the side in his half of the frame, setting the stage for an emotional roller coaster. 

After 83 pitches, 11K, 2BB, 3H and only 1 earned run, Finney's day on the mound was done. But Leon led off the 6th by beating out an infield hit to 3rd. He'd steal and advance to third on Courtney's tapper back to the mound. Ijustice Avery drew a walk, then immediately stole 2nd. A first pitch swing and Lukas Supovitz-Aznar erased Edison's 2-0 lead with a double to Center. Then with two outs Benny "Buckets" Simon scorched his own RBI Double out to Center to give SLA the lead 3-2. 

Lukas would come in relief and struck out the first two batters on nine pitches, and it seemed that all the momentum had officially shifted. Then disaster struck as SLA's normally rock-solid defense imploded a bit, committing 3 errors that lead to two more runs, putting Edison back on top 4-3 heading into the 7th. 

Moments before the 6th, Lukas rallied the troops and said, "all we need is three runs. Just three runs and this game is ours!". They got just that to take the lead but now found themselves down to their last at-bats down now trailing by 1. But The Rocket wasn't done. With one out Tony Brown slapped an opposite field single and quickly stole 2nd. After Leon Finney drew a critical walk, Brown nearly got caught in a rundown, yet ended up safe after Edison dropped the ball on an aggressive slide into third. Finney would make it to 2nd in the confusion. Down to their last out, IJustice Avery lashed out and served a hard hit ball to the left side. A solid throw came across the diamond with drama in tow as the bases umpire called Avery out, ending the game.

As Edison jumped for joy and celebrated what they truly believed was a ticket back to A-Division, SLA's coaches lost their minds over how badly that call could have been blown as Avery was safe by an entire body length. This wasn't the first time this particular umpire blew a call in a game with SLA, and their coaching staff wasn't having any of it.  

After the third instance in the game where officials needed to conference, the Plate umpire reversed the call. Justice was safe, Tony Brown had scored to tie the game 4-4, and Leon Finney was now 90ft away from giving SLA the lead. Justice took second with the catcher conceded the base since he was more worried about the go-ahead run just down the baseline. With two in scoring position for The Rocket, Lukas Supovitz-Aznar confidently stepped to the plate and drove a first pitch fast ball into the gap to plate Finney and Avery, making it 6-4. Edison's coach was overheard saying, "it was inevitable...just a matter of time" as he lamented a game-ending call being reversed.

The 7th started off like another potential nightmare inning for SLA defense when Edison got the first runner on after an error. Yet Lukas kept his composure and attacked batters. After a battle of an at-bat, Edison's Moronta hit a hot grounder to Avery at SS, flipped to Jason Greene who then turned a beautiful 6-4-3 Double Play to a fully extended Kevin Courtney to wipe the bases clean. No one else from Edison would reach base and SLA held onto the weirdest 6-4 win in their history. 

These two late-inning gritty comebacks to steal this one was very reminiscent of The Rocket's slow and steady comeback over #1 seed Frankford in the 2015 Playoffs. They just keep battling, and much like in the Frankford game it was Lukas Supovitz-Aznar who rose to challenge and got it done when needed most. Against Edison, he'd finish the day 3-4 with 2 Doubles, 4 RBIs and a run scored. He would shut it down on the mound too, not allowing a single ball to leave the infield in two innings of relief. 

And so now it is Edison who will be chased by the ghost of the 6th and 7th on Friday the 8th of April 2016. They'll keep battling for positioning and will make the playoffs for sure. However, Edison's expectation of a short-lived stint in B-Division now requires a whole lot of help from a Rocket team happy to leave them wallowing in the swirling winds of lost opportunity.

Next Up for The Rocket- Ben Franklin on Tues, 4/12, Kensington on Mon, 4/18, Roxborough on Wed, 4/20 and E&S on Fri, 4/22.

SLA Rockets Baseball Family and Bandwagon,

We shocked the Philly Public League last year by going undefeated in the regular season and upsetting the top seeds en route to the Final Four. 

Yet, we fell ever so short of fulfilling our mission of bringing home a City Title. Now the target is squarely on our backs as a team to beat, and every game we play this spring will be against the very best around.

Since the first week of September we've been building on the strong foundation of our recent success, but we're still up against teams and a system that favors the established and the fully staffed. We'll always be that scrappy, royal blue Rocket that believes and defies the odds but we need your help.

To this end, we're starting this GoFundMe campaign to ensure that our team is ready to compete against the very best the city has to offer in 2016. 

Your support will help us in the following ways:
-Professional Hitting and Pitching Coaches
-Indoor Facility Rentals
-New baseball equipment
-New Uniforms 
-Spring Training Tournaments down South

Help support the continued growth of the hottest team in the City Public League. 

City Title on 3, Family on 6!!!

With nine of our films winning awards at various regional film festivals, 2015 was a break out year for Rough Cut Productions . 

Perhaps most impressive is "EVAN", which we recently learned is an Official Selection for the 2015 All-American High School Film Festival, the most prestigious of its kind, from Oct 9-11th. Literally thousands of films produced by young filmmakers from around the world were submitted and we made the Cut!

We've set up this GoFundMe to help subsidize the unfortunately high costs associated with our film team attending this amazing weekend. 

"EVAN" will be officially screened at the AMC25 in Times Square on Sat, Oct 10th, all attendees will benefit from a full weekend of workshops led by industry professionals, and the Festival rounds out with an Awards Gala at Kings Theater in Brooklyn. 

Your support will help cover the following costs:
-All-Access Passes for our film team ($275 per)
-2 Nights in a Hotel ($250 per)
-Transportation to/from NY ($50 per)

https://www.facebook.com/events/612268388875619/ (Links to an external site.)

The 5-minute cut of their Genre Study film "EVAN" blew away the judges to take 1st Place today in Quakertown!!! 

Never had a doubt this would move the ground beneath their feet, but the judges unanimously agreed this film was ready for the next level of competition. Next up, T.S.A. States in April, then Nationals in June.

Ideas are swirling on how far this project can truly go. Considering "Writer's Block" barely missed scoring the Grand Prize at WHYY Youth Media Awards, a 7-minute version of "EVAN" is sure to earn a nomination for Film of the Year. 

I am so very proud of the effort, dedication and creativity they all put into this film. That goes for everyone else who participated in front and behind the camera on this project. This is a true team win!!!

#roughcut4life

SLAphotolab has been busy!

Fresh off the success of our summer indiegogo campaign, we've been cranking out work all semester and are ready to show some of it off. Thanks to the continued support of our generous sponsors, our students have the unique opportunity of setting up camp at Metropolitan Gallery 250 in Rittenhouse Square from December 5th until January 18th. 

Our show centers on a truly piercing quote by legendary Magnum photographer Ernst Haas, 

"There is only you and your camera. The only limitations in your photography 

are within you, for what we see is what we are." 

We've taken this to heart, explored his work and have interpreted this as a challenge to continue our push forward. 75 new students are embracing the medium, and those who pioneered the program last year have continued exploring via independent study. Their work is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Come join us on First Friday, Dec 5th from 6-8pm for Opening Night, and learn more about the ground-breaking public photography workshops our students will lead throughout Dec/Jan.

Gallery Hours: Sat/Sun from 11-4pm from Dec 5th until Jan 18th. 
(250 18th St. Rittenhouse Sq, directly across from the Art Alliance). 

Student work is available for sale to the public throughout our stay to continue to fund the growth of our dynamic program. For more info on the show check out BreadHead Blog, and get in touch if interested in volunteering/participating in our weekend workshops (promoted on the blog).

Hope to see you on the 5th and beyond! 
SLAphotolab

Douglas Herman
dherman@scienceleadership.org

Prior to the showdown with SLA (5-1) on Friday, King had yielded just 13 runs in 5 games and blasted their opponents with 72 of their own. In light of the litany of upper-league players they inherited, King swaggered into the game with a level of confidence and arrogance that communicated a belief that they were unbeatable. Then the Rockets, who stormed back to steal one from King in the season opener last year, blasted King's "unhittable" pitcher- Clinton Hickson- for 17 runs on 21 hits en-route to a 17-10 win. 

The key to the offensive assault by the Rockets was the back-end of the order, led by Senior Jhonas Dunakin, which constantly got on base. This gave Senior Starting Pitcher and Leadoff Hitter- Ethan Reese- the unique opportunity of notching 6 RBIs (Runs Batted In) by going 4-6 with a clutch Double. Junior Stephen Eager-White kept his bat hot, going 3-5 with yet another Triple (3) and 2 RBIs. Sophomore Kevin Courtney, who earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2013,  continued his literal perfection at the plate in Divisional games by going 4-4 with 2 Doubles and 3 RBIs. Senior and Team Captain- Jeff Schwartz- followed up hitting for the Cycle (Home Run, Triple, Double and Single) in the previous 19-3 blowout of rival Randolph, with a 5-6 performance that included a Double and 3 RBIs. Freshman Kevin Williams made stellar stops at Third when King mounted a potential comeback, and he also hit a monster Triple of his own, finishing the day 2-4 with a Walk and an RBI. 

Hard throwing Courtney, who pitched 4 solid innings in relief, struck out the side in a critical 4th inning, and the Rockets pushed it out of reach against a King team that consistently lacked sportsmanship and respect for the game. Undefeated no more, dominant no more, confident no more, King followed up their first loss of the season by squeaking out a 12-10 win over Saul after blowing three separate multi-run leads to a team the Rockets had dismantled 18-3 earlier in the season. 

With respect to playoff seeding, the Rocket's come-from-behind win over a tough and disciplined Del-Val squad on Monday proved even more impressive. Freshman Lukas Supovitz-Aznar was sterling in his first Varsity start of the season, fanning 12 batters over five innings. His nasty curve and off-speed pitches reduced their best hitters to the likes of Little Leaguers swatting at flies. However, the Rocket's defense has some lapses and quickly found themselves far from the mountain top of toppling King 72 hours earlier. While SLA's hitters were patient and consistent, loading  the bases twice with no outs in the middle frames, in each instance they were only able to plate one run. Del Val's Starter- Conway- wasn't dominant, but his defense was outstanding and they contained the Rocket's aggressive base-running with the help of a few questionable calls, like a play at the plate that punched out Jeff Schwartz on a perfect slide, ending a major Rockets rally. Del Val's offense played great "Small Ball" and piled up 6 runs through the 5th.

Kevin Courtney came in for Aznar in relief in the 6th to shut down the heart of their order with a weak grounder to 2nd and back-to-back strike outs. And then the inning that will forever define the depth of this team unfolded in dramatic fashion. 

Bottom of the Sixth, down 6-2, Jhonas Dunakin comes to the plate and works a masterful walk to get it started. Aznar rips a hard single and Freshman Dave Baker follows with his first hit for Varsity. Again, bases loaded, no outs. Freshman Aaron Watson-Sharer hits a bomb to center, but their Center Fielder- Khalil Williams- made a sick grab and blasted a laser beam home, just like the one that caught Schwartz in the 3rd, to hold Dunakin on base. As the order turned over and Ethan Reese came to bat the feeling was creeping in that this was their last shot at a comeback. Three times with the bases loaded and no outs has to net more than 3 total runs, and net runs did they ever. 

Reese ripped an RBI single past a diving Short Stop, but those heavy arms in the Outfield forced them to hold the runner at third. 6-3, bases still loaded, just one out. Stephen Eager-White, who has been stinging balls all season, just missed one. However, the contact he did make mimicked a 'Suicide Squeeze Bunt' and the throw to get him at first, which he beat out, allowed Aznar to score. Bases still loaded, just one out, down 6-4 and Jeff Schwartz stepped to the plate. 

Del Val's Outfield had been playing him back all day. They knew what he was capable of, but he is so hard to defend against and Schwartz proved it again with a 2-run bomb over their heads to deep, deep center that tied the game at 6. Kevin Courtney followed suit with a two-run Triple in the Left Center gap that gave the Rockets an 8-6 lead. Del Val was standing around perplexed as their Coach came out signaling the end of Conway's day, but the Rockets onslaught was far from over and Del Val's Bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding. With two outs Jhonas Dunakin, who led off the inning, worked another deep count and was eventually hit by a pitch. Moments later he simply walked to 2nd on a signature "Mt. Airy" play that took advantage of the defense needing to protect against the runner on third. Aznar worked another walk and Baker ripped another hot shot single, which scored Courtney. Then Aaron Watson-Sharer, who hit a monster Home Run in his first At Bat of the season against Dobbins in a 28-0 win, blasted one to Right that knocked in another two. Reese drew another walk and "Mt Airyed" his way to 2nd. 

There was seemingly no end in sight as the Rockets lineup just kept finding ways to get on base. 45 minutes after Eager-White scored the 2nd run to make it 6-4 the inning finally came to a close when he flew out deep to Right. 10 Runs, 8 Hits, 3 BB, and 1 HBP later and the Rockets had a commanding 12-6 lead moving into the final inning in which Courtney shut the door with 2 Strike Outs. 

The epic come-from-behind win kept SLA perfect in "AA" Classification play (3-0), gave them a Tie-Breaker over the top two teams in their Division, and a loss by FLC across town put the Rockets alone in 1st Place for the first time this deep in a season since the program started in 2010. The 'never-say-die' attitude of this Rockets club and their potent offense, which can be temporarily contained but never wholly denied, continues to strike legitimate fear into their opponents. Scoring 95 runs in 7 games can have that effect. 

Next up, FLC on Mon, 5/5 and S Philly on Wed, 5/7. 

As was expected, the "interested" dwindled when the sessions increased in intensity and frequency. However, those who kept coming back for more formed the core of a dominating "Army of One" set to do battle from beginning to end. While their heroes and role models worked out in the golden sun of Florida and Arizona, this Army did so in defiance of the elements. When both started their respective seasons on April 1st, it was as if the roles had been reversed and the professionals paled in comparison to the amateurs. 

"There were three main goals when we started out this season", said SLA Varsity Baseball Coach Doug Herman before the team took the field vs. Sankofa in their final regular season game. "We set out to establish a J.V. squad to expand our program, finally secure a home field, and we looked to command our own destiny with solid, fundamental performances to earn the right to move up in the Varsity ranks. We obviously achieved the first two, thanks to the addition of Coach Dan Winterstein, but a solid win today will help us accomplish all three." While having the Umpires officially deem the field unplayable on the final day of the Regular Season was not how this team wanted to earn a trip to C, they'll take it. 

That Army, formed through the dark days of painful practices in swirling winds and bone-cold temps behind the ominous towers of Lee Park, never took their eyes off the prize. That Army, which would become known simply as "The Rocket", would weather all sorts of storms and suffer through hours of daily public transit to attend practices. That Army, which never let anything ruffle their feathers, had something to prove and constantly put their all on display. It was clear to anyone who glimpsed at the standings or box scores during this 2013 Season that this Army walked the talk and clobbered most who they faced. 

From the very first game, when King's most Dedicated forgot he wasn't coaching football, and chose to incessantly bark his orders instead of sending signs, to the very end when Sankofa's coach didn't lift a finger to prepare their field for battle, "The Rocket" maintained composure and completed a near-perfect season, finishing 11-1. But these warriors were gentlemen too. They dominated but never forgot where they came from. Remembering what it was like to be on the receiving end of mismatched beat downs, they moved toward their goal with class and earned the respect of everyone along the way.

"Started from the bottom, now the whole team here."

If all things were fair and equitable "The Rocket" would not yet be the material for an end-of-season article such as this. For in no sport, on any level, does a team with only 1 loss over an entire season NOT make the playoffs. Outside of their own circle of fans and divisional opponents the "The Rocket" will merely serve as a poster-child for what happens when your best IS good enough but it still doesn't get you to "The Show". So exactly how does a team that goes 11-1, leads the league in Runs Scored, and establishes the best overall Run Differential NOT make the playoffs?  

The answer is surprisingly rooted in an attempt to ensure all things were fair and equitable. Somehow this best laid plan has led to massive inequity, inconsistency and the continuation of smaller inner-city schools being further stripped of opportunities to fairly compete. In theory, the structure of the Public League for High School Baseball- four Divisions based off skill and four Classifications based off of school population- is supposed to ensure fair competition takes place. But the functional reality of this structure unfolds more like a Caste System with extremely limited upward mobility and consistent obstacles imposed upon under-funded and under-supported programs across the city. 

SLA, classified as a "AA" school based off the number of eligible boys in their student body, has been in the D-Division since joining the Public League in 2010. After fighting through a rough start (notching zero wins in its first eight games is certainly rough), "The Rocket" has surged with 29 wins for an overall program record of 29-17. During this stretch they made the playoffs twice and yet remained in D since the only way out was to win the Division. The system, which works a little bit like the English Premiere Football League, only promotes 1 and demotes another each season to ensure competition in each Division is "fair and equitable". 

While this seems to make sense, the reality is that regardless of Classification a team literally needs to be perfect to get out of D. Teams who make just one mistake along the way, like SLA this season, are doomed to dwell in D forever and suffer as a result. Fields are not maintained, if they exist at all, permanently installed equipment is regularly stolen, major transportation issues are a daily reality, many games are only afforded one umpire instead of at least two, and the level of competition is inconsistent at best. 

Every team that has escaped the dungeon of D- Boys Latin ('10), Ben Franklin ('11), Del-Val Charter ('12) and now University City ('13)- have all accomplished the necessary feat of perfection. This leaves younger teams like SLA on the outside looking in when a C-Division team drops down and then goes undefeated. This was the case with Ben Franklin and Del Val in previous seasons. While SLA had their eyes squarely and legitimately set on a Divisional Championship this season, their coach knew that an early season loss to University City would come back to haunt them. In response, he started wearing number 11 on his jersey to signify the number of wins they would NEED to have for a legitimate shot at the top spot. SLA won their final 9 games, and over that stretch remained perfect at home, tossed 2 "no-hitters" (Nick Manton and Jeff Schwartz), outscored their opponents 97-13, and further clarified they belonged in a higher Division all along.

The unfortunate reality is that D is a "one-and-done" league. Unlike the higher Divisions, where teams can actually make mistakes, lose games and still make the playoffs, D-teams MUST be perfect to move up. This unfortunately motivates coaches to abuse their best and brightest players in their attempts at perfection. On more than one occasion this season SLA opponents had their best starters throw well over 100 pitches in a single game. In three cases they hurled over 200. Coaches were inclined to repeatedly throw their best starter in every game instead of develop a full rotation of pitchers. Seeing the potential for long-term injury, many are talking about implementing pitch count limits on players as they do for International Little League World Series players. 

Aside from their offensive prowess, SLA impressed by consistently using multiple pitchers, none ever throwing over 100, which ensured all were legally available for every game and healthy enough to do so. It also opened up more opportunities for everyone to contribute to the team's success. While the results speak for themselves it was uncertain what would happen by the end of the season. In hindsight, SLA wishes it had all their starters for that game vs. University City. Perhaps they are the ones who end up undefeated, but the point here is that one loss shouldn't have been the death knell for a shot at post-season play. SLA was forced to remain perfect and hope for Univ. City to slip up and they almost did. But with come-from-behind-wins against Sankofa, West Philly and Randolph U.C. pulled it off to finish undefeated, win the Division, face Nueva Esperanza in the AA Classification Playoffs, and give the school something to be proud of in its final season of operation.  

But what about SLA? Shouldn't finishing just 1 game behind an undefeated team get them to "The Show"? The answer is yes. Well, that is if it was still 2012. 

However, this year an out-of-nowhere and unexplained new development unfairly snapped SLA's streak of consecutive playoff berths at a time when they clearly had built a team to go deep in the Tournament. Only 1 AA team would qualify for the Tournament so that a school- Mast Charter- that doesn't even play in District XII could compete. As a result, SLA which beat everyone but U.C. doesn't get in at 11-1. No clarification for this decision was ever provided, but it should have been seen on the horizon since District XII leadership has slowly but surely been limiting the number of D-Division teams that qualify for the tournament. 

In 2010 and '11 three teams from AA got in, in 2012 just 2 made it, and now only 1 would earn a berth. The rationale behind the shift was that it had been a long time since a D-Division team won a playoff game. According to the current League leadership a D team has never beaten an A or B-Division school and the latter automatically make the tournament regardless of record. With the focus squarely put on the Public League having the best possible team to represent the City in State competitions, no mind was paid to any of the Little Engines That Might-Could compete on that level. But anyone paying attention to the growth and performance of specific AA-Class D-Division programs, while higher class-programs dropped significantly in quality, would have seen this coming well before the first pitch on Opening Day. So the result is as follows: A-Class (Rush 6-5), which lost to SLA 12-1 gets in. AAA-Class (King 6-6), which blew a 4-0 lead to SLA and lost 8-5, gets in. And AAAA-Class Bartram (9-3), which blatantly ducked SLA in the final week to ensure they had their best pitcher available for the playoffs, gets in. This leaves SLA on the outside looking in on account of that one loss to U.C. which represents AA-Class. 

While SLA's near perfect season isn't for naught- they will move up to C since Univ. City is closing- a plan is in the works for a D-Division Tournament of Champions at SLA's home field at Mt. Airy Park. Invitations will be sent out to the top 4 teams in D in an effort to provide these forgotten programs with some high-stakes games. For Seniors, this will be all they get in terms of meaningful games as their High School Baseball careers come to a close. SLA would be the #2 Seed, right behind undefeated University City, and would face the squad from Bartram that ducked them. Univ. City would face Randolph (9-3). The winners would play for the Championship and the losers in a Consolation game. The Tournament is expected to take place after the official PIAA Playoff brackets unfold prior to Memorial Day Weekend.  

As the sun starts to set on a magical season, and SLA Varsity Baseball says farewell to Nick Manton, Abe Musselman, Jordan McLaughlin, Mike Sanders and Matt Rinaldi, at least they stayed true to their mascot. Much like an actual rocket engine, which thrusts forward by rapidly throwing back its exhaust, "The Rocket" will continue to surge with the contributions of all who weather the storm to be a part of this "Army of One". 

As was expected, the "interested" dwindled when the sessions increased in intensity and frequency. However, those who kept coming back for more formed the core of a dominating "Army of One" set to do battle from beginning to end. While their heroes and role models worked out in the golden sun of Florida and Arizona, this Army did so in defiance of the elements. When both started their respective seasons on April 1st, it was as if the roles had been reversed and the professionals paled in comparison to the amateurs. 

"There were three main goals when we started out this season", said SLA Varsity Baseball Coach Doug Herman before the team took the field vs. Sankofa in their final regular season game. "We set out to establish a J.V. squad to expand our program, finally secure a home field, and we looked to command our own destiny with solid, fundamental performances to earn the right to move up in the Varsity ranks. We obviously achieved the first two, thanks to the addition of Coach Dan Winterstein, but a solid win today will help us accomplish all three." While having the Umpires officially deem the field unplayable on the final day of the Regular Season was not how this team wanted to earn a trip to C, they'll take it. 

That Army, formed through the dark days of painful practices in swirling winds and bone-cold temps behind the ominous towers of Lee Park, never took their eyes off the prize. That Army, which would become known simply as "The Rocket", would weather all sorts of storms and suffer through hours of daily public transit to attend practices. That Army, which never let anything ruffle their feathers, had something to prove and constantly put their all on display. It was clear to anyone who glimpsed at the standings or box scores during this 2013 Season that this Army walked the talk and clobbered most who they faced. 

From the very first game, when King's most Dedicated forgot he wasn't coaching football, and chose to incessantly bark his orders instead of sending signs, to the very end when Sankofa's coach didn't lift a finger to prepare their field for battle, "The Rocket" maintained composure and completed a near-perfect season, finishing 11-1. But these warriors were gentlemen too. They dominated but never forgot where they came from. Remembering what it was like to be on the receiving end of mismatched beat downs, they moved toward their goal with class and earned the respect of everyone along the way.

"Started from the bottom, now the whole team here."

Before the first pitch was thrown, Rush's Short Stop nonchalantly asked his teammates where they were going to celebrate after beating up SLA. Four inning innings later he was chirping at SLA's 3rd Base Coach claiming they weren't showing class by running hard on the base paths to build a 10-run lead. The innings in between his two comments were a textbook example of how psychological the game of Baseball can be, why Rush fell out of C division last year and how the Rockets continue to surge. 

After striking out the first two batters he faced, Rush's starter- Anthony Moore- walked Jeff Schwartz on four pitches, became visibly frustrated when he stole second, and seemed to lose his composure when called for a Balk. Schwartz was awarded third and easily scored on the next pitch when Kevin Courtney ripped one through that same Short Stop to make it 1-0. 

The psychological impact of a run scoring without a hit continued to unnerve Moore who was called for a total of three Balks in the game. The second put Mike Sanders in scoring position and Moore uncorked a wild pitch allowing him to reach 3rd. Although Sanders didn't score, the scene was foreshadowing for what would unfold in the third and fourth innings where the Rockets would score 11 times.

Moore threw hard, but the Rockets were patient the second time around the order. Ethan Reese fought off a bunch of pitches, eventually ripping a single up the middle and Abe Musselman was hit squarely in the back to reach 1st. With the runners moving, Jeff Schwartz notched his 31st and 32nd RBIs of the season on a rip into Center. Schwartz advanced to 2nd when Rush's defense tried to throw out Musselman at the plate. Kevin Courtney continued his hot hitting with an RBI (19) single to Center, making it 4-0. Mike Sanders came back in to pinch run, stole 2nd and 3rd and then scored on Nick Manton's groundout to the right side to make it 5-0. 

Rush got 1 run back off 3 consecutive singles, but Nick Manton, who remained perfect on the season in 4 appearances by striking out 7 and only issuing 1 Walk, got some great defense from Mike Sanders whose catch in Right stranded runners on 2nd and 3rd. The Rockets continued to prove they can play Small Ball as well as mash it up by scoring 7 more runs off just 1 extra-base hit in the 4th to put it out of reach. The win moved SLA just 1/2 game out of first place behind University City who was in action against Gratz. 

Kevin Courtney led The Rocket attack, reaching base in all 3 plate appearances, going 2-2 with a Double, 4RBIs and 2 Runs-scored (by Mike Sanders). SLA finished their 3-game road trip a perfect 3-0 and rides a 7-game win streak back home to Mt. Airy where they have outscored their opponents 82-9 in 5 games. Their next game is on May 6th vs. Bartram (7-2). 

The students of the inaugural class of SLA-B will be chosen from the students who interviewed for SLA in the fall. Students who are still on the waiting list for SLA can email their interest toadmissions@scienceleadership.org; teachers interested in working at SLA-B should send copies of their resume and a cover letter to teaching@scienceleadership.org.  

For the full story, check Jenn Wright's story at SLAMedia.org.

This is an incredible honor for SLA, and it continues the wonderful partnership between SLA and TFI that has brought speakers such as Dr. Stephen Squyres and Bill Gates to the school. 

-- Mr. Lehmann

Manton's dominance continued as he struck out the next two batters he faced and got out of a jam as two reached base on errors. The Rocket was back at it again in the bottom of the 2nd when Stephen Eager-White turned the order over again with a screamer down the line to score one and move another Rocket to 3rd. Ethan Reese brought in two more by forcing a quick throw on an infield single that got past their First Basemen. Jeff Schwartz, who had already tripled and doubled in the first inning alone, put down a sacrifice bunt to move a runner but ended up reaching on a low throw. 

The 16-run Rocket attack was also fueled by Abe Musselman who went 3-3 and racked up 3RBIs in the 2 spot; Freshman Mike Ostrowski who reached base on all 3 plate appearances and ripped an RBI-double in the 1st; Mike Sanders who worked a walk and later scored on a single by Ethan Reese; and an RBI-single by the Rocket's Big Man Raekwon Smith. While Freire's defense consistently stopped themselves from making it a competitive game, SLA's attack was a fine balance of power-hitting and small-ball efficiency. Nick Manton, who earned his 2nd win of the season for SLA had a final line of 4IP, 0ER, 0H, 7K, 0BB, producing the 2nd unconventional "No-Hitter" in team history. 

SLA looks to ride this energizing wave into a 3-game road trip next week against University City (Mon, 4/8), Lamberton (Wed, 4/10) and Sankofa Freedom Academy (Fri, 4/12). Shortly after the game ended, Varsity got word that their J.V. counterpart also had their way with a 12-4 road win over Mastbaum. Diamond Blenman pitched lights out for the second straight game, Jordan McLaughlin hit a triple and also struck out every batter he faced in relief. J.V. has their Home Opener at Mt. Airy Park against Olney on Tues, 4/9. 

Rockets on 3, 1…2…3, ROCKETS!!!

Rough Cut Productions proudly presents its first annual film festival showcasing student work from the past academic season. Varying in length and content, all of the films in the showcase make it abundantly clear that age is not pre-requisite for professional filmmaking.

The films included in this inaugural show run the gamut of storytelling via content, style and format, but all come back to skills honed through our video production courses.

Come to The Franklin for an evening of films that will entertain, provoke thought, inspire and most importantly celebrate the amazing work of these young artists.

A Q&A session with the filmmakers along with a reception will follow the film screenings. This event is free, and open to the SLA community and their guests. The Musser Theater has a 250 person capacity, so reserve your ticket early.

Rough Cut Productions proudly presents its first annual film festival showcasing student work from the past academic season. Varying in length and content, all of the films in the showcase make it abundantly clear that age is not pre-requisite for professional filmmaking.

The films included in this inaugural show run the gamut of storytelling via content, style and format, but all come back to skills honed through our video production courses.

Come to The Franklin for an evening of films that will entertain, provoke thought, inspire and most importantly celebrate the amazing work of these young artists.

A Q&A session with the filmmakers along with a reception will follow the film screenings. This event is free, and open to the SLA community and their guests. The Musser Theater has a 250 person capacity, so reserve your ticket early.

After a devastating loss to Del Val, which is doing a great impersonation of a buzz saw as they cut through the entire division en route to a 7-0 record, SLA needed a big win like this to bounce back into playoff contention. Also, it seems that the Flyers needed the Rockets to win again as well. After the 10-3 drubbing they took last night while trying to clinch the series, the Flyers look like they need a little help from their friends. It's kind of eerie how these two teams are intricately linked. Stretching back to the 2010 playoff run, which found the Flyers down 0-3 to the hated Boston Bruins, anytime the Rockets win a game so do the Flyers. After dropping their first 8 contests in embarrassing fashion, never getting closer than a six-run loss, SLA Coach Herman had enough of losing. His pre-game speech against Comm Tech, which beat them 13-5 in their first game of the season, was curt and to the point. "Look, I am so tired of losing and I know you are too. I got tickets for the Flyers tonight and I'll be damned if getting mercy ruled again by a team we can beat is going to make me miss the start of the greatest comeback sports has ever seen. Let's just do the things we work on in practice and beat these guys. We are better than this. Start playing for one another and it will start to click". And click did it ever. With several starters missing the game, SLA stomped all over Comm Tech 25-10 for their first win in team history. Later that night the Flyers won in overtime 4-3 and started what has become exactly what Coach Herman predicted. 

The rest of that series against the Bruins found the Flyers battling back from deficits and shutting down the high-octane Bruins to even the series at 3-3. Funny thing was that the then 1-8 Rockets has also won two more games of their own, and each game happened on the same day the Flyers were slated to do battle. So it came down to the final game of the season for the Rockets, while the Flyers and Bruins set to duke it out in Boston for Game 7 on the same day. Just like the Flyers, the Rockets fell behind 3-0 to University City, but then all hell broke loose when several players threatened and actually tripped a Rocket on the base paths. Coach Herman called a timeout, and much like the magical time out called by Flyers coach Peter Laviolette at the end of the first period that led to a critical goal, the Rockets responded with cooler heads and hotter bats. SLA went on to score 13 unanswered runs to crush University City 13-3, all the while the SLA bench chant of "Let's Go Flyers" grew louder as each run crossed the plate. The Flyers completed the most epic and improbable comeback in sports history later that night with a 4-3 win over Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship and eventually the Stanley Cup Finals. 

But the connection continued in the 2011 season as well. Whenever the Rockets won so did the Flyers, and while both made the playoffs, the Rockets for the first time in school history and the Flyers with high expectations to return to the Finals, both were bounced early on. This brings us to 2012 and the "one for the ages" Keystone State matchup of Flyers-Penguins. Save for the now most infamous modern hockey game this past Sunday at Wells Fargo Center, which the Flyers won 8-4, the link between the Rockets and Flyers is very much intact. Last week the Rockets beat their nemesis and playoff rival Randolph 14-4, and the Flyers came back to win Game 1 4-3 in overtime. The Rockets had that 400ft Walk-Off 10-8 win over University City on Friday when Raekwon Smith crushed a major league home run in the bottom of the 7th, which was followed by the Flyers trouncing the Pens 8-5 to take a 2-0 series lead. The 189 penalty minute game on Sunday happened with SLA idle, but then the wheels came off both teams. Short an impressive comeback to stave off the Mercy Rule for a few innings when they were down 13-1 in the 4th, the Rockets couldn't claw back to truly make it a game against the Del Val juggernaut, and the Flyers also got thumped by Pittsburgh 10-3. So while today's matchup between the Rockets and Strawberry Mansion was what their Coach considered the beginning of a playoff mentality to ensure the playoff were still a reality, SLA players and Coach all felt that the game had much greater implications.

SLA got it started early with Ethan Reese's lead off triple. Stephen White walked and Jeff Schwartz brought them both home with a rip shot to Mansion's Short Stop who took too long to throw to first. Ethan was running on contact, and Stephen went for home once the throw was off line to first. By the time the top of the SLA order was up again, Ethan Reese had already struck out 7 including the side in the 3rd. Reese got another single to lead off the third. He would finish the day 4-4 with the triple, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Stephen hustled hard down the line and reached on an error when Mansion's first basemen couldn't handle the throw. Reese scored and two quick steals later Stephen was on third for a heartbeat before Jeff Schwartz brought him in to make it 4-0. 

In the 4th TJ Nicolella, who was hit by a pitch, would scored to make it 5-0 on Reese's third hit of the game, and SLA broke it open in the 5th with four more runs. Ian McClendon got it started by working a lead-off walk and then stole second. Abe Musselman ripped a shot at the short stop who bobbled the ball and Ian scored when the throw to first was off-line. Abe stole second a moment later, but it didn't matter because Raekwon Smith smacked another monster shot, this time to right center for a triple and the RBI. It seemed as if Rae was going to be stranded at third after Vernon Holt struck out back-to-back Flyers I mean Rockets, but Jhonas Dunakin came through batting in the 9th slot with a hot-shot double down the line just past a diving third basemen to make it 8-0. Ethan Reese brought him home with his team-leading 4th hit of the game to stay perfect at the plate and quickly stole 2nd and 3rd. Coach Herman whispered in his ear, "you are the winning run, so get a move on the second there is contact", as he made it to third. Stephen White, who went 2-4 with 2 runs scored, an RBI and 3 stolen bases on the day ripped a shot to left, but it was right at their fielder. lose to walking off with the mercy rule victory then and there, SLA had to settle for a 9-0 lead going into the 6th. 

But this added some drama and some extra Ks for Reese as he struck out Mansion's deadly hitter Bynum for the third time in the game. Their other huge threat, starting pitcher Vernon Holt, worked a walk and then stole second and third. Trying to do it all on his own, Holt got greedy and tried to steal home, but Reese fired in time for Schwartz to apply a hard tag to Holt's face as he slid in to preserve the shutout. Rees struck out their cleanup hitter Croxtin for the second time on the day, and SLA moved to the bottom of the sixth looking for just one run to wrap it up. 

Jeff Schwartz got the party started with a roaring double down the third base line, and then stole 3rd on the next pitch. 90 feet away from victory, no outs. Holt walked McClendon who worked the count and quickly moved to second on catcher's indifference. That brought up Abe Musselman, who had a double and a triple in the game against Del Val, and continued the hot bat with a single to win the game and finish 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 1 run scored. Shortly after the teams lined up to shake hands Allen Harmon walked over to their coach and engaged him in conversation to distract him long enough to ensure he got the full brunt of the water bucket, a ritual that has carried over since that first win back in 2010. Soaking wet, Coach Herman passed out game balls and "pickles for triples" as he shouted "second place boys, we're in second place!"

So after the 10-0 methodical dismantling of Strawberry Mansion, Flyers fans should feel a bit more at ease going into tomorrow's Game 5 in Pittsburgh. After all, as the Rocket goes so go the Flyers. Perhaps the Rockets should start wearing Orange to clarify their affiliation, and perhaps Ed Snider can pay for the uniforms. Season tickets also seem to be in order. Just sayin'!   

Fresh off handily beating their arch rival and divisional nemesis Randolph for the first time last week by a final count of 14-4, SLA Baseball stepped foot onto some unlikely hallowed ground at  35th and Oxford in Fairmount Park. In the final game of the 2011 season the Rockets were heavy underdogsagainst a strong Strawberry Mansion team. But SLA was surging as well in recent "must win" games, and crushing Freire 16-1 in just 3 innings of no-hit ball by All-Star senior Brandon Williams helped set up the "win and you're in" contest. In the end, that game- a nail-biting, see saw, war of attrition- ended in dramatic fashion with Williams forcing Mansion's best hitter to pop up with the based loaded to secure the 14-12 victory. The win gave SLA an 8-4 overall record, completing a lightning-quick turnaround from the previous 4-8 inaugural campaign, and shockingly propelled SLA into the city playoffs for the first time in school history. Had they lost the game they would have been knocked out by way of head-to-head tie breaker with their bitter rival Randolph, but in beating Mansion they leap frogged them and secured the #2 seed in the playoffs. That team would go onto hold toe-to-toe with the Philadelphia Charter Academy, a B Division powerhouse with a stacked lineup- for five innings before finally relenting. The season ended, but the magic was just beginning. While SLA lost a talented core of seniors- namely John Desalis, Marshall Johnston, Anthony Seeley and Brandon Williams- the team retained it's young core of underclassmen who played pivotal roles in creating a team that believed in itself. 

While the seniors are gone, some now playing in college, the spirit and heart of the team is very much intact, and as the team stepped onto the fresh dirt of their greatest triumph the veterans of that war felt something in the air. The weather was almost exactly the same, the field seemingly untouched since they danced around Brandon on the mound and ritualistically drenched their coach with the water bucket. The implications were also nearly identical. SLA is 2-2 this year, but their record does not reflect the calibre of a team that should be 4-0. More importantly this game, against a very different opponent in University City, was still seen as a "must win" for SLA considering the difficulty of their remaining schedule. 

SLA finds itself in the opposite end of the equation having beaten University City in each of its previous three meetings. While the games themselves have never been close, the air most assuredly has. On numerous occasions the players for UC have verbally and physically threatened SLA players, deliberately thrown at our batters' heads, and have tripped us on the base paths. SLA was expecting the game to be ugly, but their coach made it clear that the ugliness must be one-sided. "They are going to try to get into your heads because they know you are better than them. It is a tactic of compensation. Do not give into them. Do not let them get us into a position where we beat ourselves. Remember that this is a very mental game. Think of their insults like clouds and let them float by".

From the outset it was clear this game would be tense, but SLA is used to that especially on this field. The see saw would swing back and forth, but SLA stayed true to the team mantra of "win the inning", and every time University City would put a run on the board, in fact never more than two in an inning, SLA responded to take the frame. SLA did remarkably well with two outs, and proved to be a very difficult team to put away. For instance, with two outs in the bottom of the first Ian McClendon ripped a shot to third that was too hot to handle. Jeff Schwartz followed suit and quickly SLA had runners on the corners in time for Nick Manton's rip to center to drive them both home and tie the game. SLA scored two more to take a 4-3 lead in the second in similar fashion. After TJ Nicolella led off with a single and reached second on a throwing error, Ethan Reese bunted him over and beat out the throw to first. Nicolella would score on the ensuing throwing error by U.C.'s pitcher and Reese would come around to score on Jhonas Dunakin's rip down the first-base line. Two outs, no problem. 

While this speaks volumes of SLA's composure and how quick they can manufacture runs seemingly out of nowhere, the most impressive aspect of their game has been their defense. Setting a record in a Public League game, SLA recorded six put outs on the base paths including a double play where Ethan Reese faked a throw to second long enough to bait the runner on third to try and go home. Reese spun around and shot a laser beam home in enough time to nail a sliding runner and for Jeff Schwartz to match Reese's throw to third to Raekwon Smith who applied the tag on U.C.'s dumbfounded clutch hitter. While U.C. was most definitely not disciplined on the base paths, which undid a couple of monster triples by their better hitters, SLA displayed the opposite type of presence on the bases. Tallying nine steals, including Jeff Schwartz's swipe of home in the third, SLA also simply worked the bases like professionals and turned every miscue U.C.'s defense made into runs. 

However, for all their mistakes on both sides of the ball, University City tied the game at 5 in the 4th. However, once again SLA responded and won the inning to take a 7-5 lead off with three consecutive singles and another 2 two-out double by Ian McClendon. It seemed the see saw would never stop tilting back and forth though as U.C. tied it back up at 7 and eventually took an 8-7 lead going into the 6th. It could have been much worse considering U.C. had the bases loaded off of walks in the 5th, but once again SLA's defense rose to the occasion catching an undisciplined runner on his way home and another in a run down at second. With the game tied and the bases loaded U.C.'s best hitter was up. He had already ripped a triple to left, but was caught at home on the double put-out in the 2nd. Ian McClendon came in as the closer and did just that by striking him out on a mixture of pitches, the last of which was smoked right by Rivers. 

SLA tied it up in the 6th after Stephen Smith ripped one too hot for their center fielder to hold. Smith came around to tie the game when Reese's hot bat struck for the third time with another bullet right back at center. 8-8 after six with just one inning of regulation to go. McClendon confidently took the mound knowing that holding them here would mean SLA could "win the inning" and walk off with a victory. After a battle of an at-bat, U.C.'s Griffin worked a lead-off walk and then quickly stole second to represent the go-ahead run. What followed was yet another example of the professional composure SLA displayed all day. McClendon struck out the next two batters looking, and when he was in a jam with their number 2 hitter Rivers, he made the ultimate pick-off spin back to second and caught Griffin for the record setting 6th put out. Still 8-8. With the middle of the order coming up, SLA could just smell the win. 

Coach's orders were simple, "just get into scoring position", but Morel, who was still on the mound for U.C. had other ideas. The advantage seemed to swing to U.C. after Morel got Schwartz to pop up to short and lightning-quick Henry Poeng, who had come in to replace an injured Nick Manton, fell behind in the count. Henry owned the box though and got plunked on the wrist when Morel tried to motor one in on the hands. Seconds later Poeng was on third representing the winning run when Raekwon Smith stepped to the plate. Rae had struggled with timing throughout the game, and it seemed the same was unfolding as he quickly fell behind 0-2 in the count. Morel, who had struck him out three times prior in the game, smiled and went for the kill by powering a fastball right down the pipe, but Rae loaded his hands and stepped into the ball with ease. The ball simply disappeared into the crystal blue sky. As SLA's bench cleared to mob Henry as he crossed the plate, Rae simply stared off at his majestic shot wondering if it would ever arc back down to earth. 

Some silly drama ensued when the bench collectively snapped Raekwon out of his self-induced day dream in time to get him to actually run to first base to make it official. Although he robbed himself of his own Home Run trot, the soft, endearing smile on his face merely hinted at how pleased he was with himself. While players joked about how bad they felt for the outfielder having to go all the way to New Jersey to retrieve the ball, it most definitely went over 350ft and therefore would have been a Home Run in Citizens Bank Park. Impressive for a freshman's first extra-base hit of the season. Perhaps Jeff Schwartz, who was a pivotal rookie in the 2011 playoff run, said it best after the team had doused their coach with the water bucket. As he gathered his catcher's gear and helped clean up the dugout, he was overheard satisfyingly mumbling to himself, "something magical always happens on this field." Magical indeed.

1. Load all video.

2. In the canvas, resize each video track to 1/4 screen. Cam 1 - upper right. Cam 2 - upper left. Cam 3 - lower left. Cam 1 is the "base video track, i.e., video track 1... usually the wide angle, but whatever makes sense to your project.

3. Sync, or position, the three video tracks. I usually do this via audio tracks, but video works as well. Just remember that the process is tedious, and accuracy is limited to the frame rate of the video. That is not necessarily the same timerframe of the audio, but close enough, ... most of the time.

4. You can now see all of your video in the canvas. Mute the audio you do not want to listen to while editing, but do not delete yet! With the razor tool you can cut and trim, from the top clip down, to your heart's desire.

5. When editing the sequence is done you should revisit and do two things. First, resize each camera angle to full screen. A tedious process. Second, begin to trim any video on lower numbered tracks that will not be part of the full screen display. I believe this will reduce the file size of your final export.

6. Review video. If you are satisfied with the look, it is time to address audio.

7. Eliminate the audio you do not need.

8. Save your project frequently throughout the entire process.

9. Review, review, review, until you are either satisfied or sick of the whole project. Refine, refine, refine, until you are sick of the project.

10. Once you are satisfied, follow the guidelines on Moodle for MAKING VIDEO INTERNET READY

Leah Stein Dance Co.- Art in Open 2010

Jessi Teich- "Mover and Shaker"

Edited by Dominque Miller

Cam, Qyidir, Sam, and Steve's and 1st Qtr Dig Vid project

Shalia, Antoine and DJ's 1st Qtr Dig Vid project

Perry, Morgan, LaMaya and Andrew's 1st Qtr Dig Vid project

Evan, Jeremy, Anthony and Charlie's 1st Qtr Dig Vid project

Onji, Darnell, Ricky and Yousef's 1st Qtr video project

 Attach VIDEO (add content below as MULTIMEDIA)
You will need to convert to FLV format via Adobe Flash Encoder.
(All laptops have it) Here's an example of what it will look like.