Boys Latin fights to hold off Mastery Charter 28-20 to cap off the regular season

Tagged under: District 12, News, pfn

Anthony Franklin | October 23, 2023

A windy and yet perfect Saturday evening produced a classic Philadelphia Public League game in which each team showcased their talents in a great game that saw tides of momentum on both sides. The game started with Boys Latin controlling the time of possession and utilizing their vaunted rushing attack led by junior star RB Semaj Carmichael Jr. Semaj totaled 253 rushing yards on the evening to accompany his 3 rushing touchdowns for the Warriors. The Pumas first drive resulted in a fumble deep in their own territory that led to Boys Latin having a very short field and Semaj ultimately took a handoff 14 yards to the endzone while also converting the conversion for an early 8-0 lead with just over 9 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter.

Mastery struggled to gain much traction offensively most of the first half which led to Boys Latin often having a short field which they took advantage of. In the 2nd quarter with just over 5 minutes remaining in the half Semaj once again raced into the endzone on a 39-yard rushing score to extend the lead to 14-0. The Pumas responded with a great drive that saw them get down to the Warriors 5-yard line before they’d turn the ball over via fumble with just over two minutes left in the half. The Warriors responded with Semaj’s third score of the game a 93-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 20-0 that they took into halftime.

The 3rd quarter featured both defenses coming up with big stops and little offense until Mastery’s QB Mahmud Gee started finding success running the ball. The combination of Mahmud and Amir Northern taking turns running the ball helped Mastery get on the board with 3:38 left in the quarter with Northern getting the score. Despite having one of the best kickers in the league the Pumas opted to try a 2-point conversion which was successful to cut the lead to 20-8. The Pumas were not done as they forced a punt from Boys Latin and proceeded to drive downfield into the 4th quarter ending with Mahmud scoring from 8 yards out to cut the lead to 20-14 with 5:34 left in the 4th quarter. The ensuing possession Boys Latin So. QB Jeremiah Roach would throw an interception to Jr. DB Darrin Watson Jr. to give the Pumas a chance to tie or take the lead. With the ball on the Warriors 13-yard line Amir Northern went almost untouched into the endzone to tie the game up as the snap on the extra point was high which led to the extra point being unsuccessful and the score remaining tied at 20 with 3:58 left in the 4th quarter.

With just 1:21 remaining in the game and facing 4th and 13 from the Pumas 32-yard line the Warriors So. QB Jeremiah Roach found Sr. WR Michael Stewart for a touchdown to give Boys Latin the lead 28-20. Mastery with 2 timeouts in their pocket advanced the ball to the Boys Latin 44-yard line before turning the ball over on downs to conclude the game. Amir Northern and Mahmud Gee both rushed for over 50 yards each and gave their team their all in the defeat. For Boys Latin Semaj Carmichael showed why he is one of the area’s best running backs. He has interest currently from a few FBS programs such as Temple, Syracuse, Old Dominion & Army. Semaj stated, “my game plan was to stay patient and wait for the holes to develop then after they open up I see it then break away, and that’s what happened tonight”.

Up next for Mastery is their quest to return to the Public League 5A championship game. To accomplish that feat, they’ll first have to win on the road Friday afternoon against West Philadelphia HS. For Boys Latin they’ll be the top seed in the Public League 4A playoffs and will host The High School of the Future Friday afternoon.

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