North Catholic High School closed nearly fifteen years ago, but the bonds that formed among its alumni, especially among the boys’ soccer team members, remain strong to this day, writes Matt Breen for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Graduates of the all-boys school on Torresdale Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia still wear North shirts and have Falcons license plates. They sport North hats on the beach and fly red flags from their balconies.

They also reunite every summer to raise scholarship money for students to attend other Catholic schools they considered rivals years ago.

“They closed North and somebody forgot to tell us,” said Jerry Brindisi, who was North’s last soccer coach. “And we’re like, ‘We’re not going away on this.’”

After the school closed, Brindisi helped launch the Norphans alumni group. The Norphans provide tuition assistance to children or grandchildren of former Falcon players who are enrolled in Catholic schools like Father Judge and Archbishop Ryan.

“We try to spread the umbrella wide and help as many people as we can help,” said Mike McBride, a member of the Norphans board.

Read more about North Catholic in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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