Narrative
Year one in the PIAA did not go as planned for the 4A schools in the Philadelphia Catholic League. While the preseason top 10 included three PCL teams, it was a fourth, the LaSalle Explorers, who took the conference crown. But then in what was expected to be a walkover in the first City Championship since 1979, the Explorers were shocked in the cold and wind by Public League Champion George Washington.
LaSalle as a contender was not a surprise. In the state playoff era, the Explorers rose to prominence as a pass happy, cutting edge offense, led by their offensive coordinator, Villanova Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Gordon, and his son Bret, who led LaSalle on a 32 game winning streak and back-to-back PCL titles in 1995 and 1996. Gordon left when his son graduated, though returned to run the offense again in 2005, then took over in 2006 when longtime coach Joe Colistra retired. Gordon immediately added his son, a First Team FCS All American at Villanova, as his offensive coordinator, and the high flying aerial attack was back in Wyndmoor. The Gordon’s combined with the always tough defenses, led by longtime coordinator John Steinmetz (who had been on staff in one capacity or another since 1978 and had been DC since 2001, plus a stint from 1984-1992).
In his first season, Gordon’s squad overcame a late season three game losing streak to roar to a PCL title, avenging a 42-14 loss to St. Josephs’ Prep in the regular season with a 14-7 win the championship game. His 2008 squad took two from teh Hawks, a 31-17 regular season win, then a 31-28 playoff win before avenging a regular season loss to Father Judge for a 28-20 win in the title game. The next week of course, was the George Washington loss, where the passing game never got going in the conditions and the furious, Shariff Floyd led pass rush by the Eagles.
Despite the upset, expectations were sky high entering the 2009 football season. The Philadelphia Inquirer had the Explorers as the #1 team in southeastern PA, and LaSalle found themselves ranked #2 in the preseason AP Poll, behind only perennial power Pittsburgh Central Catholic. LaSalle brought back 18 starters, led by PCL Player of the Year Drew Loughery, who threw for 2,628 yarsd and 25 touchdowns as a junior. Loughery was joined by his favorite target, Sam Feleccia, who just missed a 1,000 yard receiving season as a junior, as well as his other top four receivers from 2008. That included all purpose back Jamal Abdur-Rahman, who burst onto the scene as a sophomore by setting LaSalle’s single season touchdowns record and posting just the second 1,000 yard rushing season in school history. But it wasn’t just the skill guys back, All PCL selections Steve Szostak, a two way tackle, and Steve Sinnott at defensive end gave them muscle up front, and the entire linebacking corps and three fourths of the secondary also returned.
The eastern part of the state was largely an unknown in preseason chatter, with only LaSalle, #6 Liberty (who had to replace most of their state championship team, but did return quarterback Anthony Gonzalez), #8 Downingtown West, and #9 North Penn in the top ten from the eastern half. The west was again expected to be a bloodbath, with Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the top spot, #3 McKeesport, #7 Penn Hills (with a loaded defense featuring Cullen Christian and Aaron Donald) and #10 Woodland Hills all in the WPIAL, with the winner likely having to face #5 State College, then a date with #4 Bishop McDevitt would await in the western final.
Things got off to an inauspicious start, with Sam Feleccia suffering a knee injury in a preseason scrimmage with Pennsbury. But even still, the Explorers crushed Plymouth-Whitemarsh in their opener, 56-0 with Jamal Abdur-Rahman and Tim Wade combining for 249 yards in the rout. One week later, LaSalle faced Malvern Prep, the returning Inter-Ac champions who had beaten the Explorers in 2008 on their way to an undefeated season. The Friars were in the midst of a 37-4 run since 2005. But LaSalle jumped on them early, dominating time of possession in the first half and getting a pair of touchdown runs from Abdur-Rahman after a 10 play, 60 yard drive and an 8 play, 80 yard drive to take a 14-0 lead into the break. Abdur-Rahman’s second touchdown came with just 15 seconds left in the half. Malvern Prep took advantage of a short field after a bad LaSalle punt in the third quarter to cut the lead to 14-7, but LaSalle answered with a 12 play, 80 yard touchdown drive, capped with a TD from sophomore fulback Tim Wade, to regain control. Then on Malvern’s first play of the ensuing drive, Pat Resch picked off a pass and returned it to the three yardline. Wade found the end zone for the second time, and LaSalle had iced it at 28-7. The only thing that went wrong was Abdur-Rahman had to be helped off the field late in the third quarter, ending his 26 carry, 151 yard day.
The next week, LaSalle took on returning 2A state finalist West Cathlolic, the premier small school in the Philly Catholic League. The Explorers would come into the game short-handed, with both Feleccia and Abdur-Rahman sitting the game out with injuries. The loss of personnel showed on offense, as LaSalle gained just 25 yards in the first half. But a big punt return by Kevin Forster set up a Drew Loughery to Steve Jones touchdown pass on a tight end throwback that would become a staple of the LaSalle red zone offense. West Catholic answered with a TD drive of their own for a 6-6 halftime score. LaSalle opened the second half with a 54 yard run by Wade, but had to settle for a field goal on the drive. At the start of the fourth quarter, Loughery scored on a three yard bootleg, set up by a long pass to wideout Connor Hoffman, who had taken over as the top receiver in Feleccia’s absence. West Catholic answered with a TD by future NFL first round pick Jaelen Strong with 4:31 left to pull within two points, but that is as close as the Burrs would come. Afterwards, Drew Gordon noted that West Catholic was “much better in person than on tape” and that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Burrs head back to Hershey. Loughery finished 10-18 for 137 yards, throwing for a running for a touchdown. LaSalle gained a season low 182 yards and gave up an uncharacteristic 354, but was able to stuff the Burrs in the red zone, and took advantage of three big plays to set up their scores.
That set up the premier match up of the regular season, LaSalle and St. Joseph’s Prep. The two archrivals had emerged as the premier big school programs in the Catholic League. Prep had one of the marquee wins in the state with a 27-26 victory in week 1 over preseason #3 McKeesport. Prep trailed by 12 in the fourth quarter, but got a huge comeback engineered by sophomores Skyler Mornhingweg and Desmond Peoples. However, Prep was coming off of a 28-14 loss to North Penn in week three, meaning the Hawks were hungry to get back in the win column against their third top 10 opponent in four weeks. LaSalle had ascended to the #1 team in the state, while SJP was slotted 9th in that week’s poll.
LaSalle started strong, scoring on their first three possessions and taking a 17-6 lead. Sam Feleccia was back after missing the first three weeks, and caught the game’s opening touchdown. Momentum turned when LaSalle opted to press for another score before halftime rather than going into the break with an 11 point lead. That turned disasterous when Loughery threw a pass behind Feleccia, which was juggled then intercepted by Steve O’Hara, who returned the pick 49 yards all the way to the LaSalle 9. Mornhinweg his Desmond Peoples for a touchdown with 13 seconds left to cut the lead to 17-12 at the half. That score held for the majority of the second half as both offenses struggled against the big and physical front sevens both sides presented. LaSalle had a nightmare drive, where Loughery was sacked at his 29 after the drive pushed near midfield. A 12 yard punt gave the Hawks a very short field, and Mornhinweg converted a 3rd and 8 with a 22 yard completion, then hit Bobb D’Orazio with an 18 yard fade with 1:30 to play to give Prep their first lead of the day at 18-17. Loughery was strip-sacked on the first play of the next possession, and Prep scored two plays later to take a 24-17 lead that would hold in teh final minute. Loughery struggled, throwing for 190 yards, but on an inefficient 15-34 passing, and threw for just 82 yards in the second half. Feleccia worked his way back into the lineup, but Abdur-Rahman missed the game. In his absence, fullback Tim Wade rushed for 162 yards on 30 carries.
LaSalle bounced back the next week, welcoming Jamal Abdur-Rahman back in a 38-0 win over Archbishop Ryan. Abdur-Rahman carried 11 times for 84 yards and a TD and caught 4 passes for 42 yards in his return. Loughery threw for 223 yards and two TDs in a 28-10 win over Father Judge, then Abdur-Rahman ripped Monsignor Bonner for 143 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Week eight sawy a 201 yard, 2 TD effort from Loughery, where five difference receivers caught passes in a 45-7 win over Roman Catholic.
The four game winning streak clinched a PCL playoff spot for LaSalle. Their week 10 opponent, Cardinal O’Hara also had clinched a playoff spot, and the two were guaranteed the 2 and 3 seeds, meaning they would play back-to-back weeks. As such, LaSalle held Abdur-Rahman out of the final regular season game. The win streak had propelled LaSalle up to #5 in the state, while Cardinal O’Hara and star tailback Corey Brown were ranked #9. LaSalle came out firing, scoring on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 lead. Brown did rip off a 73 yard TD, using his elite speed to break away from the laSalle defense, but the Lions could not fully catch the Explorers. Brown scored again late in the fourth quarter, but the early offense would hold in a 24-14 win for LaSalle to clinch the two seed.
The Explorers were ranked 5th in the state in both the final AP poll and the PA Football News Poll. That is about all the two outlets agreed on at the conclusion of the regular season. The AP had District 3’s Bishop McDevitt as the top ranked team. The Crusaders were loaded with Division I recruits, including wideout Salath Williams, quarterback Matt Johnson, tailback Jameel Poteat, and sophomore defensive end Noah Spence. Ranked second was WPIAL power Gateway, led by four year starter quarterback Rob Kalkstein and tons of speed on the outside with Orne Bay, Brandon Felder, and Dondi Kirby. The Gators were the lone undefeated team in teh WPIAL. The only other undefeated in 4A was #3 North Penn, who owned a regular season win over #4 St. Joseph’s Prep. After LaSalle at five was another WPIAL power, Woodland Hills, whose lone loss came to Gateway. Erie McDowell slotted in at #7 and was the favorite in the D6/8/10 region. North Allegheny finished the regular season at #8, while Downingtown West earned the #9 slot, and District 11 regular season champ Easton came in at #10.
The PA Football News poll was a complete shuffle. THey had the three undefeateds in the top three spots, but in a totally different order, with North Penn at #1, Bishop McDevitt #2, and Gateway #3. Woodland Hills was their top one loss team at #4, while LaSalle was #5 (St. JOseph’s Prep and their two losses were unranked). They had Easton all the way up at #6, with Garnet Valley, the Central League Champ, at #7. #8 Wilson West Lawn was a second D3 team in their top ten, while North Allegheny and Erie McDowell rounded out their rankings. It was shaping up to be a wild postseason with no clear favorite.
The Cardinal O’Hara rematch looked a lot like the regular season game. Drew Loughery opened the scoring by hitting Connor Hoffman on a slant route for a 19 yard TD early in the second quarter. Cardinal O’Hara answered with a short touchdown by fullback Dan O’Hara. The teams would trade scores late in the half, with Loughery scrambling in from a yard out and Corey Brown catching a 28 yard TD on a wheel route just before halftime. At the half, Drew Gordon allegedly lost his mind, which got postgame credit for LaSalle’s two touchdown third quarter. They opened the half with a long drive and an Abdur-Rahman touchdown run. Loughery hit Hoffman on the same slant pattern, this time with the senior splitting the O’Hara safeties and racing 74 yards for a touchdown to put the Explorers up two scores. Cardinal O’Hara answered with an 11 play, 82 yard touchdown, with Dan O’Hara scoring for the second time. In the fourth quarter, with Cardinal O’Hara seemingly having one more shot, safety Vinny Migliarese picked off a pass that set up a Mike Bennet field goal for a 31-21 final. In his return, Abdur-Rahman ran for 141 yards on 23 carries, while Loughery threw for 193 yards and the two scores to Hoffman.
Over in the other semi, St. Joseph’s Prep rolled Roman Catholic, getting 142 yars on just 12 carries from budding star Desmond Peoples, while Skyler Mornhinweg threw three touchdowns. The sophomores had led the SJP offense all season, though their development was particularly aided by a massive offensive line led by four star left tackle Seth Betancourt, a Boston College recruit. The playoff match up was the fourth since 2003 between the two archrivals, with LaSalle holding a 2-1 advantage, despite a 1-7 record in regular season games against the Hawks in the same stretch.
The opening drive was a disaster for LaSalle, as Loughery threw an interception that setup a Prep touchdown four plays later. However, the turnover bug bit the Prep later in the first quater, with Desmond Peoples muffing a punt at his own 35. Abdur-Rahman scored to take advantage of the turnover and tie the score at seven. The teams traded long drives, capped by Mike Labor and Abdur-Rahman, respectively. But a third turnover would highlight the end of the half. SJP drew up a perfect gadget play, with Peoples hitting Bobby D’Orazio deep downfield on a halfback pass. But Kevin Forster caught D’Orazio from behind and stripped the ball. That kicked off a ten play, 76 yard drive, highlighted by Forster continuing his heroics by picking up 17 yarsd on a fourth down pass, then Feleccia catching a 16 yard touchdown to give the Explorers a 20-14 lead at the break.
In the second half, the teams opened with three straight turnovers, the third being Loughery fumbling a snap, which set up an 86 yard SJP touchdown drive, capped by a 12 yard screen pass to Peoples. On LaSalle’s first play of the ensuing drive, Abdur-Rahman fumbled at his 28, setting up the Hawks with a short field. They capitalized as Mornhinweg hit Chris Rodgers for a 22 yard touchdown to put Prep up 28-20. LaSalle took over at the beginning of the fourth quarter with their backs against the wall. After struggling through the first half, Connor Hoffman continued his monster season, making a bobbling, circus catch for a 54 yard gain all thew ay to the Prep 12, then finished the drive with a 6 yard touchdown catch. LaSalle went for two and tied it at 28 with ten minutes left in the game. After forcing a three and out, LaSalle took over near midfield, and needed just three plays to take their first lead since 14-7, with Kevin Forster continuing his career night, catching a slant and splitting the safeties for a 37 yard touchdown and a 35-28 lead. On the next drive, defensive tackle Ryan Geiger stopped a promising Prep drive with a third down sack, and SJP elected to kick the ball away with just under six minutes to play. LaSalle did not give the ball back, as Loughery picked up three different first downs, two with scrambles and one on a hitch route to Feleccia to end the game. Loughery had one of the best games of his career, finishing 21 for 31 for 297 yards and four touchdowns and scrambling for 43 yards. Hoffman finished with six catches for 91 yards, while Forster had four grabs for 74 yards and the game winning touchdown. The Explorers had avenged their only regular season loss and got a chance to redeem themselves in a rematch of their most painful loss of 2008.
The second city championship of the modern era was the same as the first: Catholic League champion LaSalle and Public League champion George Washington. The Eagles won their third consecutive Public League title and fourth since District 12 was added to the PIAA with a 40-0 win over Northeast. George Washington had won nine straight since a week one loss to D11 finalist Parkland and had a swarming defense that had not given up more than 16 points in a game. They were led by consensus five star, top defensive tackle in the country Shariff Floyd (who would go on to win AP Player of the Year Honors, star at Florida, then be a first round NFL draft pick). After the 2008 upset, George Washington was thinking big in the rematch, while LaSalle was laser focused on their shot at redemption.
George Washingotn looked like it struck first, when dual threat quarterback Aaron Wilmer ripped off a 47 yard quarterback draw for a touchdown. But the play was called back for a hold, and GW had to punt. LaSalle answered with an 80 yard touchdown drive, with Loughery hitting Feleccia for an early 7-0 lead. GW answered with an 80 yard TD drive of their own, led by Wilmer, who ran for 98 yards in the first half. LaSalle responded by crossing midfield, but had to settle for a 38 yard field goal by Michael Bennett. Two possessions later, Jamal Abdur-Rahman made a monster defensive play, picking up a bobbled handoff and converting a 36 yard scoop and score to take a 17-7 lead. Wilmer put George Washingotn in position to cut into the lead, driving the Eagles all the way down to the 11, but a RYan Otis interception in the end zone ended the threat in the final seconds of the half. On LaSalle’s first drive of the second half, Loughery hit Connor Hoffman for a 40 yard touchdown. AFter forcing a three and out, Loughery found Abdur-Rahman on a wheel route for a 44 yard touchdown, game over. That capped a 31 point run by LaSalle, who gave up two late touchdowns for a 31-20 final. Abdur-Rahman was a star, picking off two passes, scoring a defensive touchdown, plus gaining 132 yards from scrimmage, including the long touchdown catch. Loughery continued his white hot playoffs with 188 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Linebacker Shane Brady made eleven tackles in a masterful defensive effort. The offensive line, led by Steve Szotstak at and Ryan Geiger on the left side, contained Shariff Floyd, who had just one tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Aaron Wilmer was brilliant in teh losing effort, throwing for 166 yards while rushing for 140. Revenge was sweet for the Explorers, as Brady noted in his postgame interview that winning District 12 had been on their mind all year.
In the western half of the state, the first of the three remaining undefeateds fell when Gateway lost to Woodland Hills in the WPIAL finals. After averaging 45 points per game during the season, the Gators were completely bottled up by the Wolverine defense, getting shut out for the first time since 2006 and losing in teh WPIAL finals for the third year in a row and fourht time in six years. The Wolverine defense harassed All State quarterback Rob Kalkstein into a 9 for 30 night and sacked him five times and picked him off twice. State College beat Erie McDowell in 16-7 defensive struggle. The Little Lions scored nine points in the second half and forced five Erie McDowell turnovers in the win. In District 3, Bishop McDevitt broke a 21-21 tie and ran away from Penn Manor in a 49-21 win. Junior tailback Jameal Poteat ran for 208 yards, while junior QB Matt Johnson threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns. In the other D3 semi, Cumberland Valley outlasted longtime rival Wilson West Lawn when Trevor Harman caught a 49 yard touchdown with six seconds left to break a 21-21 tie. Harman also picked off two passes, as CV built a 21-0 lead before needing the final second heroics.
In District 1, North Penn continued their monster season with a 42-7 mercy ruling of Avon Grove, getting 150 yards and four touchdowns from tailback Craig Needhammer as their rushing attack dominated once again. Ridley won the other semi with a 28-7 win over Downingtown East. Running back Jalen Randolph slashed for 132 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown, and bottled up Drew Harris for 42 yards on 20 carries.
LaSalle’s state quarterfinal opponent was the Easton Red Rovers. Easton beat Phillipsburg, who won the Group 4 North 2 championship in New Jersey, 26-10 on Thanksgiving Day, then two days later beat Parkland 21-14 for their first District 11 championship since 2004. Easton roared out to a 21-7 halftime lead, then played keep away on tired legs in the second half, and held future Heisman Trophy finalist Andre Williams, who led 4A in rushing, to 96 yards on 32 carries. Easton junior quarterback Justin Pacchioli threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns, plus ran for a TD in the win, two days after earned MVP honors against Phillipsburg where he threw for 147 and ran for 82 yards in the win.
The Red Rovers defense gave up just 8.2 points per game, despite only having two players over 200 pounds. However, those were defensive tackle and LVC MVP David Caldwell, and All State middle linebacker Patrick Murphy, who had 18 tackles against Parkland in the D11 final. They relied on their rushing attack early in the season, with Quron Hughes and Jashaad Gaddy combining for 1,911 yards headed into the state quarterfinal. But the offense really began to click through the maturation of Pacchioli in the passing game, particularly when wideout Kadeem Pankey returned from injury and the 6’2 190 pound basketball standout presented real mismatches on the edge. Pacchioli was also a threat with his legs (he would go on to be a San Diego Padres draft pick as a center fielder) and added 9 rushing touchdowns to the 16 he had thrown.
LaSalle’s first state playoff game was at BASD Stadium in Bethlehem under the threat of a snowstorm. Flakes were lightly falling under grey skies when the game kicked off at noon. It also was the worst start imaginable for the Explorers. On the third play of the game, Loughery threw a pass behind Feleccia that was tipped up and intercepted by All State cornerback Jashaad Gaddy, who returned the ball all the way to the 21. On the first play, Pankey got a free release and sprinted right past Abdur-Rahman and under a fade from Pacchioli to give Easton a 7-0 lead. LaSalle went three and out on their next drive, as Loughery struggled to get in rhythm, but a punt pinned Easton at the 15. On the first play of the drive, Gaddy lined up in the slot and took an end around, made one cut, and burst 85 yards for a touchdown. After two offensive plays, Easton held a 14-0 lead. However, what had started as light flakes had turned into a drive snow that began to accumulate on the field.
LaSalle rallied on the sideline and after a good kick return by Jamal Abdur-Rahman, put together a 61 yard touchdown drive, keyed by a 33 yard pass from Loughery to Connor Hoffman, which seemed to shake the cobwebs out of the LaSalle offense. With Easton blitzing and playing man behind it, offensive coordinator Drew Gordon saw an opportunity in the red zone and called a QB draw for Loughery, who sprinted 17 yards for a TD as the Easton secondary turned around to cover. The game really turned two plays later. After a deep LaSalle kickoff, Quron Hughes fumbled the handoff on the first play from scrimmage at his own 21. It took LaSalle eight plays, but they used short runs from Tim Wade, and the now patented throwback drag to tight end Steve Jones on third and goal to tie the game at 14. By now, it was impossible to see the yard lines and players were slipping and sliding everywhere in the driving snow. Disaster nearly struck the Explorers again before halftime, as Easton flipped a shovel pass to Hughes, who found daylight and rumbled 64 yards. But Easton’s tight end whiffed on what could have been a touchdown springing block on Ryan Otis, who caught Hughes from behind and pushed him out at the 11. That would prove massive, because Easton’s offensive line was getting killed by the two headed monster of Steve Sinnott and Steve Szostak, and they could not roll Pacchioli at all in the passing game. A sack from Sinnott put Easton out of tenuous field goal range, then Szostak knocked down a fourth down pass at the line to end the threat and take a 14-14 tie into halftime.
When the teams came out for the second half, blizzard conditions had taken over. Neither offense could move the ball at all in the third quarter, and no team gained a first down in the first five drives of the second half. But Michael Bennett etched his name in PIAA playoff lore in the back half of the quarter. First, Bennett boomed a 43 yards punt inside the Easton ten that flipped the field and pinned the Rovers deep. A short Easton punt gave LaSalle the ball at the Easton 42 yard line following the change of possession. Recognizing their bulk advantage up front and the futility of trying to throw the football in the weather, LaSalle lined up Sam Feleccia as a wildcat quarterback and essentially ran single wing, using Szostak and left guard Ryan Geiger to lean on the left side of the Rover line and pick up yards with the 225 pound Feleccia. They bulled their way to two first downs, but got stuff on third and three from the eighteen. Out trotted Bennett, the All City kicker that season. He lined up for a 35 yard field goal in the drive snow, where he had to scratch out where he thought his plant leg would go on the attempt. The snap was good and Bennett knocked the ball true from 35, sliding after he made contact, but then he popped up to celebrate the 17-14 lead with 52 seconds left in the third quarter. Adam Vinateri eat your heart out.
Easton advanced past midfield on the ensuing drive, but Steve Sinnott swallowed Hughes on a third and one at the LaSalle 47 and forced a punt. Easton stuffed the single wing three straight plays on the next drive and forced a LaSalle punt. Again, the Rovers crossed midfield, but Sinnott played the hero with his third sack of the day at the 39 to force a punt. With Easton trying to pin LaSalle deep, disaster struck and the snap flew over punter Jay Bisci’s head. Bisci corralled the football, then rolled to get his footing before kicking it away. The punt was nearly blocked, but the LaSalle special teamer drilled Bisci’s back leg while he was still in the air, flipping the punter over and picking up a controversial roughing the punter call (the LaSalle sideline insisted once he moved forward, roughing him was not possible). The penalty extended the drive, which pushed into the red zone two plays later when Bisci made a diving catch on a slant pass at the 15. That’s when Steve Sinnott made his final monster play of the day. On second down, Sinnott beat the left tackle and caught Pacchioli rolling out for his fourth sack of the day. That set up an Abdur-Rahman interception at the goal line to end the threat. On the following drive, Feleccia lined up at wildcat quarterback and picked up a first down on third and three, allowing LaSalle to kneel out the ballgame.
LaSalle’s defense was the star, allowing 217 yards, 149 of which came on two plays. Sinnott finished with eight tackles and four sacks and the Explorers dropped the quarterback seven times on the day. Feleccia only ran for 40 yards, but picked up first downs on four of his six carries. Loughery threw for a season low 74 yards on 6-17 passing, but made two of the biggest plays of the day with his touchdown scamper and the throw to Jones. And of course, Michael Bennett’s 35 yard field goal is arguably the greatest in PIAA postseason history given the field conditions and degree of difficulty. The Explorers had fully erased the ugly posteseason memories of 2008 and were headed to the Eastern Final.
As LaSalle and Easton were engaged in an instant classic, the rest of the state brakcet was blowing up. One undefeated was toppled when Bishop McDevitt lost to Cumberland Valley 34-27 in overtime of the District 3 finals. The Crusaders gained 470 yards of offense, but turned it over five times, including Matt Johnson’s fourth interception of the day in the second OT to end the ballgame. The teams traded touchdowns before Jameel Poteat scored with 53 seconds left in the game to tie things at 21. Poteet scored in the first overtime, but CV answered with a ten yard pass. In the second OT, Travis Friend bulled in from a yard out on fourth and goal, then Johnson threw the pick to Kevin Snyder to end the game. Snyder also finished with 131 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, the WPIAL champion lost before the state finals for the first time since 2000 and only the fourth time ever when State College upset Woodland Hills in the other quarterfinal. Four star running back/receiver/cornerback/track star Alex Kenney gained 251 yards of total offense, intercepted two passes, caught a TD, and made a touchdown saving tackle at halftime in the 14-3 win.
The last of the unbeatens also fell in the District 1 finals. Ridley’s defense suffocated North Penn in a 19-10 win, using a late first half kickoff return for a touchdown by Alex Nicolino to give the Green Raiders a lead, then stuffing Craig Needlehammer on fourth down and goal from the six in the fourth quarter. Ridley held North Penn’s offense nearly 30 points below its per game average in the win.
Ridley, led by 1990 Big School Player of the Year Dennis Decker, came in with a balanced offense and a tough defense. Quarterback Collin Masterson was the Delco Player of the Year after throwing for 2,280 yards and 24 TDs going into the Eastern Final. Three different backs had over 600 yard rushing for the Green Raiders, who were the seven seed in the District 1 tournament. And the defense, which had barely been tested all year, really turned heads in the win over North Penn.
LaSalle started slow before blasting off in the second half against Ridley. Abdur-Rahman opened the game with a touchdown, but that was all the points LaSalle could muster in the first half despite three Ridley fumbles. The Explorers were driving in the second quarter, but a Loughery picked turned into a 73 yards touchdown drive by Ridley to make things 7-7 at halftime. That’s when the wheels fell off for the Green Raiders. The LaSalle defense only allowed four first downs in the second half, while forcing another two turnovers. And the offense got heated up, opening the half with a 42 yard touchdown drive and a 52 yard TD drive, both capped by Loughery runs, to open up a two score cushion. Anthony Cognetti returned a fumble 36 yards into the rd zone, and Tim Wade found paydirt and Abdur-Rahman added a fourth quarter touchdown to make sure the route was complete. He finished with 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Loughery threw for 102 on 10-13 passing. The dominant effort put LaSalle in the state finals in their second year of eligibility.
District 12 would not be the only part of the state entering the final for the first time in 4A. State College punched District 6’s first ticket with a 35-13 thrashing of Cumberland Valley. The Little Lions piled up 400 yards of total offense, while completely shutting down the Eagles Wing-T, to the tune of 113 yards in the win. State College returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back. Alex Kenney finished with 182 yards of total offense (132 receiving, 50 rushing) and scored twice, while quarterback Dom Mills was a perfect 6-6 for 166 yards and a TD.
State College was a triple option team that was led by Kenney. The Penn State bound athlete had rushed for 1,175 yards, caught 475 yards worth of passes, and picked off 12 passes in one of the great individual seasons of the decade. He was also a track star, who went on to set the PIAA state record in the 60 that winter, and was a state runner up in the 100 and third in the 200. His 29 total touchdowns were second in the state in 2009.
In a sign for the snow warrior Explorers, the game had to be moved from 7 PM to 2 PM due to heavy snow predictions. It was already coming down hard when the game kicked off. LaSalle went to work right away with a 12 play scoring drive, kept alive by Loughery hitting Feleccia for 17 yards on a third and 19, then picking up the first down with his feet. When the drive stalled at the 20, Mike Bennett again was unphased by the weather, as he ripped a 37 yard field goal (which bounced in off of the crossbar) on teh first drive to put LaSalle on the board. The field goal also set the Philadelphia city single season record. The LaSalle defense swallowed the State College option for most of the first half, and Loughery would put the game out of reach given teh defensive performance in the second quarter. He fired strikes to Feleccia and Hoffman, before a 22 yard Abdur-Rahman touchdown run capped a three play, 70 yard touchdown drive to go up two scores. After the defense forced a three and out, LaSalle took over near midfield and ripped back down the field, with Tim Wade scoring from nine yards out to go up 17-0 at halftime. The Explorers had outgained the Little Lions 213-60 in the first half. HOwever, Abdur-Rahman sprained his MCL blocking on Wade’s touchdown run, and would miss the entire second half.
As the field became unplayable due to snow in teh second half, LaSalle went back to the single wing offense that was so successful against Easton in the snow two weeks earlier. Feleccia lined up at quarterback and pummeld into the line for six and seven yard gains nearly every snap. Then, in the middle of the third quarter, State College’s defense broke, and Feleccia ripped a 55 yard TD run to put LaSalle up 24-0. Kenney would electrify the STate College crowd for a moment when he exploded for a 93 yard kick return TD following the Feleccia run, but that was the only State College highlight of the day. LaSalle used Feleccia as a battering ram for the rest of the game as they bled clock towards their first state title.
Feleccia ran 13 times for 114 yards in the second half, giving him 160 yards on 21 carries for the day. The Explorers outgained State College 361-123, and most impressively, held Kenney to a career low 15 yards. The Little Lions averaged just 2.8 yards per play. After the game, the LaSalle sideline rushed the field and celebrated with wild snow angles at midfield. The victory marked the first PIAA championship in football by a school in the Philadelphia Catholic League, or District 12 as a whole. Drew Gordon, despite his reputation as an offensive mastermind, chalked the win up to the defense, noting they had been “nothing short of fabulous” during the title run.
After the season, Drew Loughery earned PA Football News Offensive Player of the Year Honors, and finished as the runner up to Shariff Floyd for the AP Player of the Year Award. He was also selected as the Philadelphia Inquirer Southeast POY and MVP of the Catholic League. Loughery, Steve Szostak, and linebacker Ryan Saraceni all earned first team All State honors from the Associated Press, while Feleccia, Abdur-Rahman, and Sinnott all were second team picks. The six players on the AP teams tied 1995 Penn Hills for the most ever All State players on a 4A state champion. Feleccia and Sinnott were both first team picks by PAFBN, who also honored Steve Jones at tight end, Kevin Forster at safety, and Connor Hoffman at wideout on their third team. Drew Gordon was picked as the AP Coach of the Year for leading his team to a title.
Loughery passed up football offers from UMass and Lehigh to head to West Chester as a regular student, done with football. However, he would get the itch and join the Rams football team for his junior and senior seasons. Feleccia signed with Delaware, and was on the team that played for an FCS title in 2010. But major knee injuries stunted his career with the Blue Hens. Jamal Abdur-Rahman returned to lead LaSalle back to the state finals in 2010, as he rushed for 1,766 yards and was a First Team All State pick. He had a promising freshman season for the Wildcats, but two different off the field disciplinary issues led to his dismissal from the Villanova program. He played his final year of eligibility at Kutztown.
The grunts had great college careers. Steve Sinnott was a four year starter and team captain at William & Mary. Steve Szostak was a two year starter at guard and won a pair of Ivy League titles at Penn. Ryan Geiger was an All American guard at Bloomsburg, while Steve Jones was a two-time All PSAC pick at East Stroudsburg who earned All American honors at tight end as a junior. Shane Brady played safety at Lafayette, then was a member of the Villanova coaching staff, and is currently the linebackers coach at Muhlenberg. Tim Wade was a 1,000 yard rusher as a senior, then played at Susquehanna. Kevin Forester, Anthony Cognetti, and Ryan Sareceni all led LaSalle to a state championship in lacrosse that spring as one of the best teams in the country. Forster was a top ten national recruit, who signed to play with Maryland. He won a national title as a freshman, then transferred to St. Joe’s after his sophomore year, and was a two time all league pick for the Hawks.
Drew Gordon coached at LaSalle through the 2014 football season. He took the Explorers back to the state finals in 2010, and won Philadelphia Catholic League and District 12 titles in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He finished his career at LaSalle with a record of 91-26 and six PCL championships. One month after resigning at LaSalle, Gordon was hired by his alma mater, Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote, to be their offensive coordinator. In 2015, McDevitt won their first city title and only their fourth championship of any kind in school history.
