Just wondering about the reason(s) for the relatively low attendance Friday night--on both sides. Two years ago there were many more--same site, also on Friday evening--and last year there were many more on the Saturday afternoon at P-W. Were people not expecting a very competitive game? I know that's not an easy place to get to for a 7:00 start for many supporters for both teams, maybe especially SJP people who live in parts of Delaware County, Chester County or in parts of South Jersey, but, again, the all that applied in 2014.
SJP-LaSalle Attendance
- Thread starter tulla
- Start date
NE needs to be resurfaced. The field is an absolute dump. They have made plenty of money off of that field since 2005. The field is pretty much 95% rubber 5% turf.
You can literally pull up the goal line in front of the scoreboard.
I guess because I'm living over six hours north of Philly, it didn't seem so cold to me. Hoping to get down again over the Thanksgiving weekend when, very possibly, SJP will be playing Parkland--probably at Northeast again.
Tulla,
Not sure?.... Perhaps cancellation of the halftime exorcism and fireworks turned many away.
Honestly, I think LS faithful (outside of the immediate and peripheral player families) have come to the realization under the current administrative posture towards football, that games vs. SJP will be similar to this year's results for the foreseeable future. Yes, they may catch lightning in a bottle on an infrequent occasion, but the competitive balance is so far tilted it's driven interest down.
While LS administration may be proud to claim they provide equal support to all their athletic and academic ventures, thus claiming more PCL/city/state titles along sports lines than probably the remainder of the PCL combined......the fact remains that competing against SJP's all-in approach to FB will probably produce a good dose of misery until further notice.
As for why the SJP faithful weren't there in typical #'s, couldn't tell you??.... perhaps there was a major fundraiser at the Union League that evening?
LaSalle will be better then Prep next season. 17 starters coming back along with Jones, Prep was a better team this year clearly but LaSalle will put them 2 games in there memory come next season. Losing swift opens the door for LaSalle, 10tds in 2 games is crazy.
Could be location , could have been weather probably not result of first game as I believe prep won initial meeting last year only to lose game 2. Maybe some people attended crappy NP/Springford game. JK football fans.
Tulla,
Not sure?.... Perhaps cancellation of the halftime exorcism and fireworks turned many away.
Honestly, I think LS faithful (outside of the immediate and peripheral player families) have come to the realization under the current administrative posture towards football, that games vs. SJP will be similar to this year's results for the foreseeable future. Yes, they may catch lightning in a bottle on an infrequent occasion, but the competitive balance is so far tilted it's driven interest down.
While LS administration may be proud to claim they provide equal support to all their athletic and academic ventures, thus claiming more PCL/city/state titles along sports lines than probably the remainder of the PCL combined......the fact remains that competing against SJP's all-in approach to FB will probably produce a good dose of misery until further notice.
As for why the SJP faithful weren't there in typical #'s, couldn't tell you??.... perhaps there was a major fundraiser at the Union League that evening?
From the Prep people I talked to on Friday night there was a pretty strong sense that the game wasn't likely to be close, so maybe that was a factor. I don't suppose there'll be more than a few hundred on Saturday but, if the Prep wins, bigger crowds after.
As for LaSalle being better than SJP next year ... I don't think so. The Prep doesn't have a weak class, and while they don't have as many starters returning as LaSalle does, they've got some very talented returners next year. And I would pick McCray over Jones in a second--talented as Jones is.
Q for Prep fans.. are they getting the QB from Toms River.. word is he'll be heavily recruited before he takes a varsity snap.. I don't know much about him other then he is supposed to be the real deal..
Games will be closer next year but St. Joe will still be head and shoulders. They took that step to the next level and they aren't looking back. And in response to Green Beans comment about the Toms River kid, if St. Joe's wants him, they will get him. They are a machine when it comes to getting what they want.
I was speaking with a Prep person over the weekend and he is in a position to know what's going on. I brought up the thread that was mentioned here a while back about Infante and where he's going. He said St. Joe has given him everything he wants, but he does feel that Gabe wants a college gig. Can't blame him. He's a great coach the way he practices. He's a great motivator, if you've ever been in a room with him and if coaching is what he wants to do then the next step would be obvious.
Good luck to the Hawks and grab another title!!
I think you're referring to CJ Duell, who is already a freshman at SJP and who has played in at least a few varsity games already. Some "highlights" are already posted on YouTube.
oppss.. that's the kid.. I thought the person I was talking to was talking about an incoming fresh.. when he said freshman so I thought he meant new kid.. my mistake
Hmmm.... guess idle rumor wasn't so idle. Opens up debate again for who might replace Infante if he leaves. Would love to hear opinions, none being beck!
This may be a dumb question and NOT meant as a recruiting debate, but when ST Joes gets a kid like this from Toms River . what kind of accommodations are given? Toms River is about 90 minutes away tnd the kid is likely 14-15 yrs old, thus not driving. Its also not an area where he could hitch a ride home with other kids in the area. So does he actually commute the 3 hours each day with family, does he stay local with a family during the week, etc/
I'd still say Infante will likely be back at SJP next year, but nothing is for sure. A couple of years ago I thought a Gordon would be coaching LaSalle for a long time. Anyway, whenever Infante leaves I suspect a member of his staff will succeed him.
Agree with Yesman, Prep and LS going in different directions, 7 of last 8 in Prep's favor including 4-4, with Infante beating Shurmur and Herron teams.
Just because a team is young, does not necessarily mean they will be better. Prep has youth and will continue to invest to attract and close talent.
Just because a team is young, does not necessarily mean they will be better. Prep has youth and will continue to invest to attract and close talent.
Tulla,
Not sure?.... Perhaps cancellation of the halftime exorcism and fireworks turned many away.
Honestly, I think LS faithful (outside of the immediate and peripheral player families) have come to the realization under the current administrative posture towards football, that games vs. SJP will be similar to this year's results for the foreseeable future. Yes, they may catch lightning in a bottle on an infrequent occasion, but the competitive balance is so far tilted it's driven interest down.
While LS administration may be proud to claim they provide equal support to all their athletic and academic ventures, thus claiming more PCL/city/state titles along sports lines than probably the remainder of the PCL combined......the fact remains that competing against SJP's all-in approach to FB will probably produce a good dose of misery until further notice.
As for why the SJP faithful weren't there in typical #'s, couldn't tell you??.... perhaps there was a major fundraiser at the Union League that evening?
The results of LaSalle's "equal support" during the 15-16 school year were 10 PCL sport championships vs 0 for the Prep. LS also had multiple State championship teams (Rugby 7s, Ice Hockey, Swimming) and one national championship team (Swimming). Not a bad trade-off, I'd say!
2015-16 Boys Champions
Boys Cross Country: La Salle
Boys Soccer: Roman
Boys Golf: La Salle
Football: Bishop McDevitt (A); West Catholic (AA) Archbishop Wood (AAA); La Salle (AAAA)
Boys Swimming: La Salle
Boys Indoor Track & Field: La Salle
Boys Bowling: La Salle
Boys Basketball: Roman
Wrestling: Father Judge
Boys Crew: Roman
Boys Tennis: La Salle
Boys Outdoor Track & Field: La Salle
Boys Volleyball: La Salle
Boys Lacrosse: La Salle
Baseball: Neumann-Goretti
Are you related to JBIN? Whenever the Prep beat LaSalle in football, he used to come on here and boast about LaSalle's swimming team. Nice guy, though.
No question that LaSalle has an excellent athletic program, but to draw the contrast you draw between LaSalle and SJP (10-0) is over-the-top. Golf and tennis: how may play? How many schools have teams? This fall LaSalle won the PCL golf championship and the Prep won the District 12 championship. Shoot me if next year I make anything of this Prep championship on a football board. Crew? Roman's winning the PCL championship (four or five schools competing?) was a fluke of scoring. The Prep, as it has for decades, won the City Championship and did much better than any other area school in the regattas that mattered: Stotesbury and Nationals. (Crew--especially if you have a number of 8s--may involve more students than any other sport, including football.) The Prep has had one of the premier rowing programs in the country for decades, but this is the one and only time I'll mention rowing on here.
So ... I'd agree that if you take all sports into account, LaSalle has an edge over SJP, but to say it's so lopsided is to mislead. Roxy would have a explanation for your list.
Look at LaSalle's facilities. Oh and they're adding a stadium on campus in the next couple of years. Please explain "administration is not willing to cooperate with football".
There are schools like Roman that would kill for their facilities perhaps even just a practice field that has grass.
There are schools like Roman that would kill for their facilities perhaps even just a practice field that has grass.
Sure beats driving to PW, but parking is going to be a biotch unless more spots are added.
Come on Tulla you bring up golf and crew? Soccer, lacrosse, hockey, baseball, basketball are all higher profile sports and you pick golf and crew?? Please!! Sorry to bring up the swimming but even that is more high profile then golf or crew. La Salle has a huge edge. But that's beside the point.
Roman and Prep should be commended for staying in the city but by doing so they remain land locked with no real chance for facility expansion. Unless the subject was brought up, I never understood why the Catholic league never looked into a local stadium. Or why McCarthy stadium on La Salle U's campus was not put to use. It's location is pretty good for all league members (Prep, Roman, Judge, Ryan, La Salle, etc.) Granted the area is a bit sketchy.
Paul, I didn't bring up golf and crew. They were among the sports listed by the LaSalle guy. My point if simply that while everyone would agree that LaSalle has achieved more all-around success in the whole gamut of sports, the figures cited for 15-16 (LaSalle over Prep 10-0) were misleading in light of the big picture. Show me any other year where the Prep doesn't have a PCL championship. (I'd also say that crew, where both SJP and LaSalle have teams with at least 75 students, is in a different category altogether from golf or tennis.)
I agee about the local stadium. I always hoped that a location not far from a subway stop in a reasonably safe neighborhood with seating for 2-3k could be used at least by SJP, Roman, and West.
PCL championships?? I was talking State Championships!! Basketball is the only one they haven't won (with Dempsey as coach no wonder) along with crew.
Head Coach stated that they will not be playing home games there. It will be used for other varsity sports. Home games will remain at PW.
This is a football board, so I don't want to get all revved up about the golf, tennis or water polo teams at any respective school. Here is what I will say. SJP has advanced the ball far up the field, and it will be some time before Lasalle catches up. Prep is loaded for the next few years, with a soph, jr, and frosh class that is stacked. The kids are the best kids from all over the map. When you view the data, it isn't a fair fight, and currently the kids are waiting their turn to play, which is even more dangerous when you think about it. LS has a sweet deal, beat judge and roman and get a district final. Find lightning in a bottle every 5 years or so and you are legend. Considering injuries LS had a fine year, and next year I would expect them in a district final again, and then who knows what could happen.
If they're in the district final next year, then they will have beaten SJP. Always possible, but as you yourself said, SJP looks stronger for the next few years.
Too soon to say for sure who will be better, but I'm confident in saying that the teams will definitely be closer.
Keep in mind that losing and replacing Madden can't be discounted.
SJP loses a lot on offense, including all of a terrific OL. This is where LS might have an advantage. I do like the kids that SJP returns on defense -- Bryce, O'Connor, Cobaugh, DeIluis, Talley, Dandridge, Feehery, Wallace...
Tulla -
There's no logic with the elitist inferioritites.
The attendance was down slightly due the weather, expected outcome and Friday night at NE stadium is logistic challenge.
Sadly, you're getting a dose of the passive aggressiveness that is all too familiar in Sallieland. Just like last thread, it's the slippery slope, 'we're better in all the other sports'.... 'venture to say more championships than all others combined'!? Now that's a slap across the whole PCL.
How did we get from attendance to this? A loss brings on the inferior superiority complex. The fields are nice but in reality, very few colleges have fields directly outside of the dorms and therefore, it's reasonable to suggest that fields on a separate area or campus suit a player better for next level if that's what they choose. Fundamentally, it involves time management and adaptation, two things among others that you don't learn in the classroom and suggests that there are more lessons outside the classroom in SJP's environment.
Perhaps LaSalle can get some of Trump's infrastructure $'s for a parking garage and a retractable dome. Only seems fair
Back to the original intent of this thread...
Several good reasons were given for the relatively low attendance last Friday night, and I want to add another: this game used to be for the Catholic League Championship. Due to the re-structuring of the PIAA into 6 classifications, and the re-organization of the Catholic League back to a Red and Blue Division, with a mixture of PIAA classifications in each division, it became necessary to divorce this game from the Catholic League Championship, and declare the regular-season leader of each division as the PCL Champ.
From the formation of the Catholic League in 1920 through 1937, the league operated with rules like the Interac currently does, with co- or tri-champions if the teams were tied at the end of the season, and no playoff. In 1938, the City Title game commenced, and now there needed to be a clear Catholic League champion. Between 1938 and 1962, about half of the PCL champions were crowned at the end of the regular season with the singular best record, and the other years required a playoff game. In the heyday of the Catholic League, the mid to late 40's, over 40,000 people would crowd sites like Franklin Field to witness these playoff games. The subsequent City Title game also drew big crowds.
In 1963, the one-division Catholic League would expand with the "3 Bishops" (Egan, McDevitt, and Kenrick) entering the league, forcing a split into two divisions (North and South), and a playoff game between the division leaders was built into each season. These game also drew great crowds, though not as was seen in the 40's. In the 1970's, additional Catholic League playoff games were added, with the eventual champ still taking on the Public League for the City crown. From 1980 through 2007, the City Title game was not played, so winning the Catholic League championship was the pinnacle of achievement for any Catholic school. There were two champions from 1999 to 2007, as the Divisions went to Red and Blue, splitting between enrollment levels.
In 2008, the PIAA beckoned, and the Catholic League broke into divisions to coincide with the PIAA divisions. Each division had a Catholic League championship game, followed by an ersatz "City Title" game, or District XII championship.
The Catholic League Championship games, whether on occasions between 1938 and 1962, or built into the seasons between 1963 and 2015, were really a big deal to the participating schools, as well as the casual Catholic League fan, who would go to that particular game, though maybe not attending any other game that year.
In 2016, there were no Catholic League championship games. I believe the lack of a hubcap up for grabs had a significant impact on the lack of a packed house Friday night at Northeast High School. That's a big void that is not necessarily replaceable by a run for a State title. Something maybe only an old PCLer would understand.
Several good reasons were given for the relatively low attendance last Friday night, and I want to add another: this game used to be for the Catholic League Championship. Due to the re-structuring of the PIAA into 6 classifications, and the re-organization of the Catholic League back to a Red and Blue Division, with a mixture of PIAA classifications in each division, it became necessary to divorce this game from the Catholic League Championship, and declare the regular-season leader of each division as the PCL Champ.
From the formation of the Catholic League in 1920 through 1937, the league operated with rules like the Interac currently does, with co- or tri-champions if the teams were tied at the end of the season, and no playoff. In 1938, the City Title game commenced, and now there needed to be a clear Catholic League champion. Between 1938 and 1962, about half of the PCL champions were crowned at the end of the regular season with the singular best record, and the other years required a playoff game. In the heyday of the Catholic League, the mid to late 40's, over 40,000 people would crowd sites like Franklin Field to witness these playoff games. The subsequent City Title game also drew big crowds.
In 1963, the one-division Catholic League would expand with the "3 Bishops" (Egan, McDevitt, and Kenrick) entering the league, forcing a split into two divisions (North and South), and a playoff game between the division leaders was built into each season. These game also drew great crowds, though not as was seen in the 40's. In the 1970's, additional Catholic League playoff games were added, with the eventual champ still taking on the Public League for the City crown. From 1980 through 2007, the City Title game was not played, so winning the Catholic League championship was the pinnacle of achievement for any Catholic school. There were two champions from 1999 to 2007, as the Divisions went to Red and Blue, splitting between enrollment levels.
In 2008, the PIAA beckoned, and the Catholic League broke into divisions to coincide with the PIAA divisions. Each division had a Catholic League championship game, followed by an ersatz "City Title" game, or District XII championship.
The Catholic League Championship games, whether on occasions between 1938 and 1962, or built into the seasons between 1963 and 2015, were really a big deal to the participating schools, as well as the casual Catholic League fan, who would go to that particular game, though maybe not attending any other game that year.
In 2016, there were no Catholic League championship games. I believe the lack of a hubcap up for grabs had a significant impact on the lack of a packed house Friday night at Northeast High School. That's a big void that is not necessarily replaceable by a run for a State title. Something maybe only an old PCLer would understand.
Huck, Why not the South Philly Super Site, what we used to call the 12th and Bigler field? Doesn't it have a better surface than Northeast? It's certainly easier to get to for people from every part of the city other than the northeast, all of Delaware and Chester County, and most of South Jersey.
I'm old enough to remember much of that history--my first PCL game was watiching SJP play a Tommy DeFelice-led West Catholic in, I think, '63. BUT I don't think many of today's students and recent alumni would see any major difference between what was at stake Friday night and what was at stake in the game last year at P-W.
I do think the South Philly site is under-utilized. The big reason is neighbors, parking, and it doesn't hold as much as NE. However, it's not tony either and the Stella Maris parking lot is a nice sized lot.