The Streak
From the opening kickoff of the 1990 season until a quarterfinal game on a Saturday night in the fall of 1994, Archbishop Ryan did not lose a Catholic League football game. Forty-seven consecutive games. Forty-five wins. Two ties. Twenty-six shutouts. Four straight championships. Five Northern Division regular-season titles. An average of 3.3 points allowed per game.
Coach Glen Galeone and defensive coordinator Lee Marvel built the Raiders into a program that hit harder, ran longer after practice, and trusted the preparation more than any Catholic League team of its era. They were almost always smaller than the opponent. It almost never mattered.
1990 — The Overtime Opener
The streak started on ordinary ground and ended in extraordinary fashion. In the 1990 Catholic League title game at Villanova Stadium, Ryan and Archbishop Carroll played the first overtime final in CL history. Jamie Sutton's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jim Stott decided it, 20-13. Brian Hamill kicked field goals of 32 and 39 yards that afternoon and finished the season with a city-league single-season record 11 field goals in 16 attempts. Fullback Mark Ostaszewski ran 35 times for 130 yards. Carroll's Sean McGarvey returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score.
1991 — "Ryan Doesn't Have It Anymore"
A year later, the Raiders took a Thanksgiving loss to archrival George Washington — their first ever to Washington on Turkey Day, a 28-24 collapse after leading 21-0 at halftime. A suburban sports editor, covering neither team, predicted that St. James would roll Ryan 33-13 in the championship game. Someone at Ryan's practice field painted "St. James #1" on a goal post. Galeone needed no further motivational material.
