Two fortnights ago, Roman Catholic upset La Salle, 27-20, at La Salle’s home field at Springfield Montco High. On Saturday, the Explorers more than turned the tables, they spun them into a frenzy in a 45-0 shellacking of the Cahillites. Here’s how the game proceeded:
La Salle won the toss and deferred to the second half. Santi Sturla blooped his kickoff to the 15, where Mao Howell made a nice return to the 30, as Matt Wills brought him down. Soph QB John Ingram handed he ball to Howell on the first play, and he was thrown down by Chris “Tacony” Thompson for a 2-yard loss. But La Salle was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet tackle, and Roman had a first down at their own 43. Howell tested the middle, getting one yard with stops by LBs Abdul Carter and Thompson. Ingram passed on the right side, but LB Sean McFadden made a diving interception for La Salle at the Roman 49, with 10:58 left in the first period.
QB Alan Paturzo handed off to Sam Brown up the middle, who was hit immediately for no gain. Paturzo sent a screen pass to the right to Ryan Moore, but he was tackled for a 2-yard loss. On third and 12 at the La Salle 49, Paturzo’s pass on the right side to Moore was overthrown. After a “12 men on the field” penalty against the Cahillites, Sturla’s punt took a bounce into the end zone, and Roman would get the ball at their own 20, with 9:38 left in the initial stanza.
Howell gained three yards off right tackle, with Del Jackson and Carter combining on the hit. Ingram found Trey Woodley on a look-in on the right side for a 13-yard gain and a first down, with Chris Convey taking down Woodley. Ingram rolled left and hit super soph Tyseer Denmark on the left side for an ii-yard gain and a first down at the Roman 46. Howell got two up right guard, as Carter and DL Darold Dengohe bringing him to the turf. On a low snap, Ingram bent down for the ball, and his knee was down, resulting in a 6-yard loss. On third and 14 at the Cahillite 42, Ingram scrambled to the right and threw out of bounds, with Carter in hot pursuit. Jason Patterson’s punt bounced once, and then into the arms of returner Moore at the La Salle 25. Moore avoided two tackles, and broke into the clear, finally being brought down at the Roman 39, with 6:50 left in the first.
Paturzo took a low snap, and made an awkward pitch to Brown for a 6-yard gain, but La Salle was flagged for another penalty, a block in the back. At the Roman 49, Paturzo hit Moore on a drag pattern on the right side for 6 yards. Brown swept the left side to the Roman 29, but the Explorers, piling up laundry like a college student heading home, were called for an illegal shift. From the Roman 48, on play action, Paturzo, who was extremely accurate this game while exhibiting great footwork, hit Brown on a slant on the right side to the Roman 27 for a first down. Brown was bottled up on a sweep right for no gain. On play action, Paturzo was forced to scramble for a 5-yard gain, and Roman was called for a personal foul, giving La Salle a first down in the red zone at the Roman 11. Brown went left, and juked his way for 2 yards. On a double count, Roman did not jump offsides, but their lineman did not get set when the ball was snapped. Brown and the Blue and Gold blockers took advantage of that, as Brown slanted through right guard for a 9-yard touchdown. Sturla blasted the extra point, and La Salle led, 7-0, with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
Sturla’s boot was returned from the 2 to the 20 by Howell, with McFadden and Colin Dunlap on the tackle. Howell, taking all of the carries so far, gained 4 up right guard, with Thompson and Dengohe doing the tackling honors. Howell got 3 more up the middle, as Thompson and Wills brought him down. On third and 3 at the Roman 27, Howell got 4 yards and first down up right guard, with the trio of Mekhi Johnson, Sam Ross, and Dengohe slamming him down. Ingram rolled left and hit Denmark on the left side again for 10 yards and a first down. Howell was bear-hugged by Thompson for no gain. Ingram scrambled to the right and tossed the ball out of bounds, as Dengohe was chasing him down. On third and 10 at the Roman 41, Ingram rolled right, but his pass was intercepted by Wills, who returned the ball deep into Cahillite territory, refusing to go down until he got to the 18, with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
Moore came in as Wildcat QB, and option-kept the ball for 4 yards, but La Salle was flagged for a holding penalty. With the ball back at the Roman 25, Brown started a sweep to the right, but he stopped, and tossed a pass into the end zone, where WR Ryan Sorge made an alley-oop catch above two Roman defenders. The 25-yard touchdown, and Sturla’s extra point, made the score 14-0 La Salle, with 30 seconds left in the first period.
Roman was hit for a personal foul on the PAT, and Sturla’s kickoff from the Roman 45 almost hit the snack stand. Howell gained two up the middle, with Dan Ford on the stop, as the first quarter ended with La Salle on top, 14-0. Ingram threw deep down the right side, overthrowing his receiver, but La Salle was ruled for interference on the play. With the ball on Roman’s 37, Howell gained a yard up left tackle, as Tim Fiedler made the stop. Ingram’s slant pass to Woodley was dropped. On third and 9 at the 38, Ingram had to scramble to the right again, and was stopped for no gain by DL Kieran Campbell and Thompson. Patterson’s punt went out of bounds on the La Salle 37, but, you guessed it, the Explorers were hit with a roughing the kicker penalty, and Roman had new life on the La Salle 47. Ingram scrambled to the right, with Fiedler on his tail, and his pass was almost intercepted. Howell gained a yard up right guard, as Dengohe and Campbell made the tackle, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Johnson at the La Salle 41, with 10:12 left in the half. Roman was shooting themselves in the foot with their turnovers.
On play action, Paturzo hit Moore on a slant in the middle to the Roman 44 for a first down. Paturzo threw to Nole Henry on the right side, but the pass was just off his fingertips. Brown had no room up right guard for no gain. On third and 10 at the Roman 44, with an empty backfield, Paturzo hit Moore on a drag pattern across the middle to the right. Moore avoided a couple of tacklers and got to the Cahillite 111 for a first down. Brown swept the left side for 4 yards. Brown the tried the left side for one yard. On third and 5 at the Roman 6, Paturzo tossed a little swing pass to Brown on the left side that was smelled out by Roman for a 5-yard loss. Sturla came on and converted a 29-yard field goal to make the score 17-0, with 6:48 left in the half, and La Salle with now a 3-score lead.
Sturla kicked to the 9, and Howell found a hole up the left side to the La Salle 41, as Convey and Dom Martin made the saving tackle. Ingram was forced to scramble again, and threw incomplete. Roman was flagged for motion before the next snap. Howell gained 4 up left tackle, with Ford on the takedown. On third and 11 at the La Salle 42, a screen pass from Ingram to Eddie Figueroa was dropped. Patterson made a rugby-style punt that went out of bounds on the La Salle 13, with 5:25 left in the second stanza.
Roman was offsides before the first snap of the drive. Brown powered his way up left tackle for 4 yards. Sorge went in motion, and Paturzo found him in the right slot for a first down at the La Salle 34. Brown found a hole up the middle for 8 yards. Brown gained 6 more up right guard for a first down to the La Salle 48. Brown then took a pitch left, and got the edge on the outside, speeding down the sideline to the Roman 14 before he was taken down. Wildcat Moore, on a great fake, ran an option keeper up the middle for 7 yards. Moore ran another option, and got to the 1-yard line for a first and goal. Brown coasted into the end zone up left guard for a 1-yard touchdown. Sturla did his PAT thing, and La Salle had a commanding 24-0 lead, with 1:42 left in the half.
Sturla tried a pooch kick, which was caught for a fair catch by Ronnell Davis, who was knocked down by his own man at the 35. A screen from Ingram to Figueroa gained 4, as Wills made the hit. Howell hit the middle, and broke a tackle to get a first down at the Roman 38, with Ford and Dengohe on the tackle. Ingram threw to Woodley on the left side, and the pass was dropped, as it may have been deflected. Ingram threw complete to Mekhi Watson on the right side for three yards, as Kelby Hampton made a fine tackle. On third and 7 at midfield, Ingram was caught scrambling again, and he tossed the ball out of bounds. Patterson dropped the snap on the punt, but got the kick off that was downed on the La Salle 25, as the half ended, with La Salle holding a 24-0 lead over the Cahillites.
The Explorers were firing on all cylinders offensively, as Paturzo’s passing and Brown’s running were leading the surges downfield. Outside of a couple of short passes, the Roman super soph Denmark was not getting many touches. He was the difference-maker in the Roman victory 4 weeks ago.
La Salle would receive the second-half kickoff, seeking to increase their lead. Ndori Jeack kicked the ball to the La Salle 18, and Amir Anderson made a nice return to the La Salle 42. On play action, Paturzo rolled right, went through his progressions, and spotted Ryan Sorge heading deep down the middle. Paturzo’s pass was just slightly underthrown, but Sorge came back, caught the ball, and headed into the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown that broke the backs of the Cahillites. Sturla made it 31-0 with his PAT, with 11:41 to go in the third period.
Sturla boomed the kickoff into the end zone. Roman came out with Denmark as the Wildcat quarterback. Denmark kept the ball up the middle for 5, with Thompson and Campbell on the tackle. Howell went off left tackle for 4, as Hampton made the hit. On third and 1 at the 29, Howell gained two yards and a first down up right guard, with Ford on the takedown. Denmark ran an option keeper on the right side, had some room, and went out of bounds on the La Salle 43 for a first down. Howell gained a yard up left guard, with Ford and McFadden taking him to the turf. Denmark ran another option keeper for two yards up left guard, with Wills doing the tackling honors. On third and 7 at the La Salle 40, Howell gained just a yard up right guard, with Wills on another tackle. With fourth and 6 at the La Salle 39, Denmark rolled right, and threw to the right side, but McFadden broke up the play, and La Salle would take over, with 8:34 left in the third stanza.
Dom Martin gained a yard off the right side. Martin got two more up the middle, breaking a tackle. On third and 7 at the 42, on play action, Paturzo rolled right, and threw deep to Nole Henry for a first down at the Roman 17. Brown swept the right side, and cut up for 2 yards. Martin swept the right side, and got a good edge to the Roman 5 for a first and goal. On play action, Paturzo rolled right, and threw to TE Collin Wade at the flag, but the pass was overthrown. Martin went off right tackle, following good blocks, and he scored a 5-yard touchdown. Sturla made his extra point, and La Salle initiated the mercy rule with their 38-0 lead, with 4:43 left in the third.
Sturla again found the end zone with his kickoff. Howell got 13 and a first down off right tackle, as McFadden tackled him down. Denmark, still in as wildcat QB, kept the ball for 5 yards up right tackle, with Ford and LB Kevin Hawley on the tackle. Denmark ran an option keeper up the middle for one, with Dengohe taking him to the turf. On third and 4 at the 39, La Salle jumped offsides, giving the Cahillites a first down. Howell got 4 up the middle, with Ross and Wills combining on the hit. Denmark threw a slant to Woodley for a first down to the La Salle 40. Denmark kept the ball for 3 up the middle, as McFadden and Campbell made the takedown. Denmark scrambled out of bounds on the right side for 3 yards. On third and 4 at the La Salle 34, Howell gained just a yard up the middle, with Dengohe and McFadden doing the tackling honors. On fourth a 3, Denmark hit the middle, but was stopped for just 2 yards, as Dengohe, Johnson, and McFadden prevented the first down, and La Salle took over, as the third quarter ended with La Salle coasting, 38-0.
Senior Connor Mehlmann came in as QB for the Explorers, and he handed off to Colin Dunlap for a 3-yard gains up right guard. Stevie Davis powered his way up left guard for a first down to the La Salle 46. More power from Davis, as he got another first down at the Roman 43. Davis was then stopped for a 1-yard loss up the middle. Dom Martin came in at wildcat, and ran an option-keeper for 2 yards. On third and 9 at the Roman 41, Martin swept the right side for 3 yards. On fourth and 5 at the 38, Mehlmann tossed to Dunlap in the left flat, and Dunlap bulled his way to the Cahillite 23, but La Salle was hit with a personal foul, setting them back to midfield. Sturla’s punt was downed on the Roman 20, with 6:57 left in the game.
Howell lost a yard up the middle, with tackles by Brendan O’Connor and senior Declan Smith, back in the lineup after missing several games with an injury. Denmark wildcatted for two yards, as Ford made the stop. On third and 9 at the 21, Howell gained 3 yards up left tackle, with Wills taking him down. Patterson’s punt went out of bounds at midfield, with 4:21 left in the contest.
Stevie Davis took a pitch left, and went untouched into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown. Sturla did it again, and La Salle’s lead ballooned to 45-0, with 3:38 left.
Davis handled the kickoff chores, and his boot to the 7 was returned by Figueroa to the 30, tackled by Martin. Dazhaun Hopkins came in as wildcat QB, and he ran up the middle to the Roman 42 for a first down, with tackle by soph LB Kevin Schmidt. On a high snap, Hopkins had to fall on the ball for a 10-yard loss. Figueroa came in as wildcat, and swept the left side for 5, tackled by Schmidt. Jah-Jah Boyd ran a jet sweep to the La Salle 47, with tackles by Mason Lange and Schmidt, as the clock ran out. La Salle took care of business and blanked the Cahillites of Roman Catholic, 45-0, to move on to the next round of the PIAA playoffs.
Notes
Not counting the many penalties, La Salle otherwise played an almost flawless game, mixing in passes and runs, and some new wrinkles on offense that fooled the Cahillites. Paturzo had great success with his two junior wide receivers, Nole Henry and Ryan Sorge. Sam Brown and Stevie Davis benefited from the great blocking of the offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the defense bottled up Mao Howell and Tyseer Denmark, keeping the big play from happening, and they forced several third and longs and harassed the soph QB John Ingram into several throwaways as well as a couple of INTs.
This was the 13th consecutive victory for La Salle in first-round playoff games. Their next opponent will be their ancient adversary, St. Joseph’s Prep, who eked out a 17-14 victory over Archbishop Wood on Friday night, after trailing by 14-6 after three quarters. The game will be played on Saturday, November 13, with time and place yet to be determined at this writing. This will be another great chapter in the playoff story between the two schools.
La Salle won the toss and deferred to the second half. Santi Sturla blooped his kickoff to the 15, where Mao Howell made a nice return to the 30, as Matt Wills brought him down. Soph QB John Ingram handed he ball to Howell on the first play, and he was thrown down by Chris “Tacony” Thompson for a 2-yard loss. But La Salle was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet tackle, and Roman had a first down at their own 43. Howell tested the middle, getting one yard with stops by LBs Abdul Carter and Thompson. Ingram passed on the right side, but LB Sean McFadden made a diving interception for La Salle at the Roman 49, with 10:58 left in the first period.
QB Alan Paturzo handed off to Sam Brown up the middle, who was hit immediately for no gain. Paturzo sent a screen pass to the right to Ryan Moore, but he was tackled for a 2-yard loss. On third and 12 at the La Salle 49, Paturzo’s pass on the right side to Moore was overthrown. After a “12 men on the field” penalty against the Cahillites, Sturla’s punt took a bounce into the end zone, and Roman would get the ball at their own 20, with 9:38 left in the initial stanza.
Howell gained three yards off right tackle, with Del Jackson and Carter combining on the hit. Ingram found Trey Woodley on a look-in on the right side for a 13-yard gain and a first down, with Chris Convey taking down Woodley. Ingram rolled left and hit super soph Tyseer Denmark on the left side for an ii-yard gain and a first down at the Roman 46. Howell got two up right guard, as Carter and DL Darold Dengohe bringing him to the turf. On a low snap, Ingram bent down for the ball, and his knee was down, resulting in a 6-yard loss. On third and 14 at the Cahillite 42, Ingram scrambled to the right and threw out of bounds, with Carter in hot pursuit. Jason Patterson’s punt bounced once, and then into the arms of returner Moore at the La Salle 25. Moore avoided two tackles, and broke into the clear, finally being brought down at the Roman 39, with 6:50 left in the first.
Paturzo took a low snap, and made an awkward pitch to Brown for a 6-yard gain, but La Salle was flagged for another penalty, a block in the back. At the Roman 49, Paturzo hit Moore on a drag pattern on the right side for 6 yards. Brown swept the left side to the Roman 29, but the Explorers, piling up laundry like a college student heading home, were called for an illegal shift. From the Roman 48, on play action, Paturzo, who was extremely accurate this game while exhibiting great footwork, hit Brown on a slant on the right side to the Roman 27 for a first down. Brown was bottled up on a sweep right for no gain. On play action, Paturzo was forced to scramble for a 5-yard gain, and Roman was called for a personal foul, giving La Salle a first down in the red zone at the Roman 11. Brown went left, and juked his way for 2 yards. On a double count, Roman did not jump offsides, but their lineman did not get set when the ball was snapped. Brown and the Blue and Gold blockers took advantage of that, as Brown slanted through right guard for a 9-yard touchdown. Sturla blasted the extra point, and La Salle led, 7-0, with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
Sturla’s boot was returned from the 2 to the 20 by Howell, with McFadden and Colin Dunlap on the tackle. Howell, taking all of the carries so far, gained 4 up right guard, with Thompson and Dengohe doing the tackling honors. Howell got 3 more up the middle, as Thompson and Wills brought him down. On third and 3 at the Roman 27, Howell got 4 yards and first down up right guard, with the trio of Mekhi Johnson, Sam Ross, and Dengohe slamming him down. Ingram rolled left and hit Denmark on the left side again for 10 yards and a first down. Howell was bear-hugged by Thompson for no gain. Ingram scrambled to the right and tossed the ball out of bounds, as Dengohe was chasing him down. On third and 10 at the Roman 41, Ingram rolled right, but his pass was intercepted by Wills, who returned the ball deep into Cahillite territory, refusing to go down until he got to the 18, with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
Moore came in as Wildcat QB, and option-kept the ball for 4 yards, but La Salle was flagged for a holding penalty. With the ball back at the Roman 25, Brown started a sweep to the right, but he stopped, and tossed a pass into the end zone, where WR Ryan Sorge made an alley-oop catch above two Roman defenders. The 25-yard touchdown, and Sturla’s extra point, made the score 14-0 La Salle, with 30 seconds left in the first period.
Roman was hit for a personal foul on the PAT, and Sturla’s kickoff from the Roman 45 almost hit the snack stand. Howell gained two up the middle, with Dan Ford on the stop, as the first quarter ended with La Salle on top, 14-0. Ingram threw deep down the right side, overthrowing his receiver, but La Salle was ruled for interference on the play. With the ball on Roman’s 37, Howell gained a yard up left tackle, as Tim Fiedler made the stop. Ingram’s slant pass to Woodley was dropped. On third and 9 at the 38, Ingram had to scramble to the right again, and was stopped for no gain by DL Kieran Campbell and Thompson. Patterson’s punt went out of bounds on the La Salle 37, but, you guessed it, the Explorers were hit with a roughing the kicker penalty, and Roman had new life on the La Salle 47. Ingram scrambled to the right, with Fiedler on his tail, and his pass was almost intercepted. Howell gained a yard up right guard, as Dengohe and Campbell made the tackle, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Johnson at the La Salle 41, with 10:12 left in the half. Roman was shooting themselves in the foot with their turnovers.
On play action, Paturzo hit Moore on a slant in the middle to the Roman 44 for a first down. Paturzo threw to Nole Henry on the right side, but the pass was just off his fingertips. Brown had no room up right guard for no gain. On third and 10 at the Roman 44, with an empty backfield, Paturzo hit Moore on a drag pattern across the middle to the right. Moore avoided a couple of tacklers and got to the Cahillite 111 for a first down. Brown swept the left side for 4 yards. Brown the tried the left side for one yard. On third and 5 at the Roman 6, Paturzo tossed a little swing pass to Brown on the left side that was smelled out by Roman for a 5-yard loss. Sturla came on and converted a 29-yard field goal to make the score 17-0, with 6:48 left in the half, and La Salle with now a 3-score lead.
Sturla kicked to the 9, and Howell found a hole up the left side to the La Salle 41, as Convey and Dom Martin made the saving tackle. Ingram was forced to scramble again, and threw incomplete. Roman was flagged for motion before the next snap. Howell gained 4 up left tackle, with Ford on the takedown. On third and 11 at the La Salle 42, a screen pass from Ingram to Eddie Figueroa was dropped. Patterson made a rugby-style punt that went out of bounds on the La Salle 13, with 5:25 left in the second stanza.
Roman was offsides before the first snap of the drive. Brown powered his way up left tackle for 4 yards. Sorge went in motion, and Paturzo found him in the right slot for a first down at the La Salle 34. Brown found a hole up the middle for 8 yards. Brown gained 6 more up right guard for a first down to the La Salle 48. Brown then took a pitch left, and got the edge on the outside, speeding down the sideline to the Roman 14 before he was taken down. Wildcat Moore, on a great fake, ran an option keeper up the middle for 7 yards. Moore ran another option, and got to the 1-yard line for a first and goal. Brown coasted into the end zone up left guard for a 1-yard touchdown. Sturla did his PAT thing, and La Salle had a commanding 24-0 lead, with 1:42 left in the half.
Sturla tried a pooch kick, which was caught for a fair catch by Ronnell Davis, who was knocked down by his own man at the 35. A screen from Ingram to Figueroa gained 4, as Wills made the hit. Howell hit the middle, and broke a tackle to get a first down at the Roman 38, with Ford and Dengohe on the tackle. Ingram threw to Woodley on the left side, and the pass was dropped, as it may have been deflected. Ingram threw complete to Mekhi Watson on the right side for three yards, as Kelby Hampton made a fine tackle. On third and 7 at midfield, Ingram was caught scrambling again, and he tossed the ball out of bounds. Patterson dropped the snap on the punt, but got the kick off that was downed on the La Salle 25, as the half ended, with La Salle holding a 24-0 lead over the Cahillites.
The Explorers were firing on all cylinders offensively, as Paturzo’s passing and Brown’s running were leading the surges downfield. Outside of a couple of short passes, the Roman super soph Denmark was not getting many touches. He was the difference-maker in the Roman victory 4 weeks ago.
La Salle would receive the second-half kickoff, seeking to increase their lead. Ndori Jeack kicked the ball to the La Salle 18, and Amir Anderson made a nice return to the La Salle 42. On play action, Paturzo rolled right, went through his progressions, and spotted Ryan Sorge heading deep down the middle. Paturzo’s pass was just slightly underthrown, but Sorge came back, caught the ball, and headed into the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown that broke the backs of the Cahillites. Sturla made it 31-0 with his PAT, with 11:41 to go in the third period.
Sturla boomed the kickoff into the end zone. Roman came out with Denmark as the Wildcat quarterback. Denmark kept the ball up the middle for 5, with Thompson and Campbell on the tackle. Howell went off left tackle for 4, as Hampton made the hit. On third and 1 at the 29, Howell gained two yards and a first down up right guard, with Ford on the takedown. Denmark ran an option keeper on the right side, had some room, and went out of bounds on the La Salle 43 for a first down. Howell gained a yard up left guard, with Ford and McFadden taking him to the turf. Denmark ran another option keeper for two yards up left guard, with Wills doing the tackling honors. On third and 7 at the La Salle 40, Howell gained just a yard up right guard, with Wills on another tackle. With fourth and 6 at the La Salle 39, Denmark rolled right, and threw to the right side, but McFadden broke up the play, and La Salle would take over, with 8:34 left in the third stanza.
Dom Martin gained a yard off the right side. Martin got two more up the middle, breaking a tackle. On third and 7 at the 42, on play action, Paturzo rolled right, and threw deep to Nole Henry for a first down at the Roman 17. Brown swept the right side, and cut up for 2 yards. Martin swept the right side, and got a good edge to the Roman 5 for a first and goal. On play action, Paturzo rolled right, and threw to TE Collin Wade at the flag, but the pass was overthrown. Martin went off right tackle, following good blocks, and he scored a 5-yard touchdown. Sturla made his extra point, and La Salle initiated the mercy rule with their 38-0 lead, with 4:43 left in the third.
Sturla again found the end zone with his kickoff. Howell got 13 and a first down off right tackle, as McFadden tackled him down. Denmark, still in as wildcat QB, kept the ball for 5 yards up right tackle, with Ford and LB Kevin Hawley on the tackle. Denmark ran an option keeper up the middle for one, with Dengohe taking him to the turf. On third and 4 at the 39, La Salle jumped offsides, giving the Cahillites a first down. Howell got 4 up the middle, with Ross and Wills combining on the hit. Denmark threw a slant to Woodley for a first down to the La Salle 40. Denmark kept the ball for 3 up the middle, as McFadden and Campbell made the takedown. Denmark scrambled out of bounds on the right side for 3 yards. On third and 4 at the La Salle 34, Howell gained just a yard up the middle, with Dengohe and McFadden doing the tackling honors. On fourth a 3, Denmark hit the middle, but was stopped for just 2 yards, as Dengohe, Johnson, and McFadden prevented the first down, and La Salle took over, as the third quarter ended with La Salle coasting, 38-0.
Senior Connor Mehlmann came in as QB for the Explorers, and he handed off to Colin Dunlap for a 3-yard gains up right guard. Stevie Davis powered his way up left guard for a first down to the La Salle 46. More power from Davis, as he got another first down at the Roman 43. Davis was then stopped for a 1-yard loss up the middle. Dom Martin came in at wildcat, and ran an option-keeper for 2 yards. On third and 9 at the Roman 41, Martin swept the right side for 3 yards. On fourth and 5 at the 38, Mehlmann tossed to Dunlap in the left flat, and Dunlap bulled his way to the Cahillite 23, but La Salle was hit with a personal foul, setting them back to midfield. Sturla’s punt was downed on the Roman 20, with 6:57 left in the game.
Howell lost a yard up the middle, with tackles by Brendan O’Connor and senior Declan Smith, back in the lineup after missing several games with an injury. Denmark wildcatted for two yards, as Ford made the stop. On third and 9 at the 21, Howell gained 3 yards up left tackle, with Wills taking him down. Patterson’s punt went out of bounds at midfield, with 4:21 left in the contest.
Stevie Davis took a pitch left, and went untouched into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown. Sturla did it again, and La Salle’s lead ballooned to 45-0, with 3:38 left.
Davis handled the kickoff chores, and his boot to the 7 was returned by Figueroa to the 30, tackled by Martin. Dazhaun Hopkins came in as wildcat QB, and he ran up the middle to the Roman 42 for a first down, with tackle by soph LB Kevin Schmidt. On a high snap, Hopkins had to fall on the ball for a 10-yard loss. Figueroa came in as wildcat, and swept the left side for 5, tackled by Schmidt. Jah-Jah Boyd ran a jet sweep to the La Salle 47, with tackles by Mason Lange and Schmidt, as the clock ran out. La Salle took care of business and blanked the Cahillites of Roman Catholic, 45-0, to move on to the next round of the PIAA playoffs.
Notes
Not counting the many penalties, La Salle otherwise played an almost flawless game, mixing in passes and runs, and some new wrinkles on offense that fooled the Cahillites. Paturzo had great success with his two junior wide receivers, Nole Henry and Ryan Sorge. Sam Brown and Stevie Davis benefited from the great blocking of the offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the defense bottled up Mao Howell and Tyseer Denmark, keeping the big play from happening, and they forced several third and longs and harassed the soph QB John Ingram into several throwaways as well as a couple of INTs.
This was the 13th consecutive victory for La Salle in first-round playoff games. Their next opponent will be their ancient adversary, St. Joseph’s Prep, who eked out a 17-14 victory over Archbishop Wood on Friday night, after trailing by 14-6 after three quarters. The game will be played on Saturday, November 13, with time and place yet to be determined at this writing. This will be another great chapter in the playoff story between the two schools.
