By Yvonne Dennis (246)
The Lancers football locker room recently received a much-needed spruce-up thanks to generous alumni, Lowe’s home-improvement store and the hard work of the team.
First, Jerry Truxell (238), father of Lancer Walt Truxell (277), power-washed the locker room in preparation for painting.
Joseph Carlini (239), who has financially helped other Central teams including the Robolancers, provided funds for paint supplies and Lowe’s Plymouth Meeting donated the paint that was then used by players and coaches to paint the facility last Tuesday.
The result, just weeks before the 2015 campaign is set to begin, is an improved headquarters next to the home field at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue. The locker room, and indeed the entire facility, could still use lots of improvements. But football coaches Rich Drayton (246) and Chuck Wenger (260) are grateful for the progress that continues to be made thanks to dedicated alumni and others who care about Central.
A committee of alumni that includes the aforementioned grads, Pete Forjohn (235), David Mack (242), Marc DeBeary (242), Peter Jahn (244), Dwayne Wilson (237) and many others continues to work on ways to finance team needs as public-school funding declines.
Those needs include new bathrooms in the locker room, practice equipment, scaffolding in the home-side bleachers for coaching purposes during games and cameras on each goal post to film play. Such film would help in promoting players to college coaches and promoting the Central program as a whole, Coach Drayton said.
The committee, the coaches and the team would appreciate any assistance. To talk about equipment or grants you employer may be able to provide, or any other ideas you may have, please email Coach Drayton at coachdrayton@yahoo.com.
Or come meet him and the rest of the Lancers staff Saturday Aug. 22 when the team hosts Lincoln High School in a scrimmage at 10 a.m. The scrimmage will be followed at 1 pm by an alumni flag football tournament fundraiser that costs $10 per person. There will be food and other goodies and all players will receive a Lancers T-shirt.
Below, Coach Rich Drayton speaks to players during practice Monday Aug. 17; at right, Lancers assistant football coaches, from left, Calvin Townes, Chuck Wenger, Montik Goodwin, Gerardo Muhammad and Charles Burke (who coached Rich Drayton as a youngster at Leeds Middle School).
