By Joseph Santoliquito

How do you improve on perfection? That’s the obstacle facing Imhotep Charter’s new coach, Mark Schmidt, the former Neshaminy coaching legend who was on the Imhotep staff under previous Panthers’ head coach Albie Crosby last year.
So how do you improve on perfection?
“It’s a good question,” Schmidt said. “The best way to start that is to have a good group of guys that understand what went into last year. We lost a lot of very good players, but we also have a great group of guys that are back. After the Christmas holidays, the kids came back and worked hard. They bought in and we stayed with the same philosophy as we had last year. We have a lot of key players back. There are guys that mentally know what we’re doing. We have a lot of positives back. We have some dynamic guys back on offense. We’re in a position to do some good stuff. I like our speed and our guys aren’t afraid to work hard. We have kids on our team that really like football.”
Imhotep went 15-0 in making history as the first Philadelphia Public League team to win a state title in football. The Panthers easily dominating Erie Cathedral Prep in the Class AAA state championship, 40-3. Under Crosby, who left for personal health reasons though is remaining close to the program, Imhotep compiled a 53-6 record the last four years, was PIAA Class AA state runner-up and last season won the Class AAA state championship.
The Panthers will be a Class 4A school, playing up from 3A, in the PIAA’s new school 6A classification system.
Meaning Imhotep will be tough to beat again.
Returning senior quarterback Nasir Boykin (6-1, 190) is the hub of an explosive offense, which will also feature senior receivers Amir Brown (5-10, 182), Amir Lewis (also a RB; 5-10, 186), Jeff Davis (5-10, 175), junior tackle Justin Johnson (6-5, 335) and combo receiver/running back Dedrick Parsons (5-7, 170). Defensively, Imhotep returns senior middle linebacker Amir Black (5-11, 220) and senior defensive back Mike Crawford (6-0, 185). Watch for transfer Omar Speights, a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore linebacker/defensive end who transferred in from St. Joseph’s Prep.
“What I feel good about is Nasir Boykin,” Schmidt said. “Last year, Nasir was more a facilitator, where he didn’t have to be the guy. In high school football, having a solid quarterback and having guys that can establish the line of scrimmage is a key factor. We’re asking Nasir to do more and he wants to do more. He’s added 15 to 20 pounds and he’s a step faster. He has a good arm and his foot speed has improved. We have back-ups that have a chance to be players. This is their turn and they have four or five games under their belts, because they took advantage of their opportunities last year.”
As for the pressure of continuing the Philadelphia area’s longest current winning streak, Schmidt says his team is ready for that.
“Our guys really like the fact that they did something special last year and everyone has our game circled on the schedule this year,” Schmidt said. “We play the winner of each Public League division this year. We picked up Malvern Prep in Week Five. Our kids are excited about that. We’re looking at the game as a mid-term exam. We have the same staff as last year. We’re all working on staying in the same lane and the same path. I’ve always liked a challenge. I’m even in the weight room and having fun. It’s still the same game. Our practice field is a baseball field and we go and play. Everything started with Albie and we’re staying with it. Our guys learn to appreciate things. We made due and make it work.”