BY FRANK RUBINO
Correspondent

For most 17-year-olds, the boyhood fantasy of attaining stardom in professional sports has just about disappeared. Adulthood is rushing at them, and it's time to get realistic.

That's not the case with Joe Mahoney. The Northeast News Gleaner's Scholar-Athlete of the Year can see himself protecting a quarterback's in the National Football League blind side four or five years from now. And the 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive tackle from Father Judge may well hold the pedigree for that job.

Mahoney and about 32 other area athletes and coaches will be honored May 20 at a the 13th Annual Sports Awards Banquet co-sponsored by the Northeast News Gleaner and Rotary Club of Frankford.

The banquet is open to the public. It will be held at the Chateau Caterers, Bridge St. and Harbison, starting at 6 P.M. Tickets are $16 each and can be purchased by calling 535-4274.

Mahoney has accepted a football scholarship to Villanova University, where he said he is projected to crack the starting lineup next fall. "I'm happy about that," he related last week. "When you start early, you learn early."

He learned enough at Judge to be named to the Philadelphia Inquirer's All-City and All-Area football teams last season. But that's just part of his track record, so to speak and Mahoney is the Catholic League's champion shotputter this spring, with a 53-foot, 10-and-a-half-inch chuck to his credit. He's also ranked among the league's top 10 discuss thrower.

And as the term "scholar-athlete" suggests, he's no slacker in the classroom. "I'm doing well," he said of his schoolwork. "I think I'm a well-balanced student. I like physics and trigonometry a lot."

One might say that this kid has a few things going for him. Mahoney elected to spread the credit around.

"My mom has always been there for me," he said. "After a winning or losing game or meet, she's always there to lift my spirits or say, "Good job.'"

The Rhawnhurst resident also credited Pat Boyle, Father Judge's athletic director, for encouraging him to persevere through adversity. "I threw (the shot) only 30 feet at one meet this year," he recalled, "and I was really down. I was gonna quit the shotput, but Mr. Boyle told me to stick it out, and it's worked out pretty well."

Another facet of his life that Mahoney mentioned is his faith. "When something goes wrong with my body, there's really not much my mom can do for me," he explained. "But I do pray and ask God to help me." He added that he doesn't engage in "promise praying"--promising to do certain things in exchange for divine favors.

Computers are Mahoney's second passion; he's even thinking of designing a computerized football playbook. "I've talked to a few coaches, and they say there really isn't a good one out there," he said. IF his football dreams don't pan out, he said he would pursue a career in computer systems, which he will study at Villanova.

But presently, mahoney, who won't turn 18 until September 1, is focusing on the gridiron. "My main goal right now is to develop myself into a better football player," he said. "I really would like to make the pros. That's what I'm shooting for."

A working stiff can't resist a follow-up question: "What would you do with the first multi-million dollar signing bonus?"

"The first thing I'd do," he answered immediately, "is buy a big house for my mom, and depending on how much I had left, I'd give some money to charity. That's always been a big thing with me, trying to give back and help somebody else."

Let's see, now, the Eagles' offensive line surrendered 64 sacks last season. Mahoney might consider helping Ray Rhodes or whoever is coaching them a few years from now.

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