Just didn’t see it coming.
With the graduation of Div. 1 stalwarts like Kyle McCord, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Marvin Harrison Jr., St. Joseph’s Prep would be reloading, not rebuilding. But with the acknowledged strong class being the sophomores, there seemed to be a window of opportunity to unseat the Hawks from their perch, at least for a year. Not dumb enough to consider a changing of the guard, like what occurred back in ’06, but a window nonetheless.
Well, that window was slammed shut at Franklin Field on Saturday, as St. Joseph’s Prep rode a 35-0 halftime mercy-rule lead to win the District XII semifinal game against a shocked Explorer eleven. Here’s how the game went down:
The Prep won the toss, and elected to receive, and La Salle would kick from the west end, with a 17 mph wind at their backs. Santi Sturla booted the ball into the end zone, and St. Joe’s would start from their own 20. Senior QB Dane Picariello got the start, and he handed off to Kahseim Phillips for a 4-yard gain. If there was any turning point in this game, it was this next play. Picariello dropped back, and launched a bomb into the wind on the right side. The pass seemed to be overthrown to wide receiver Mike DiTrolio, but the wind brought it back into his arms as he reached the La Salle 38 for a first down. Picariello tossed a screen pass to the left for 8 yards to David Washington, with tackle by LB Sean McFadden. Blaine Bunch ran a jet sweep to the left for a first down to the La Salle 11 before being brought down by LB Chris Thompson. Phillips tested the middle for 3, as Thompson bearhugged him down. Picariello then fired a slant-in on the right side for an 8-yard touchdown to Washington. The reliable Antonio Chadha added the extra point, and with 9:13 left in the first period, the Prep drew first-blood with a drive into the wind, 7-0.
Chadha’s kickoff into the wind got to the 5, where Amir Anderson returned it to the 32, but La Salle was flagged for holding, returning the ball to the 15. Senior QB Alan Paturzo handed off to soph Stevie Davis for 3 yards up right tackle. La Salle was flagged for procedure prior to the next play. Four-year starting RB Sam Brown tried left tackle, but there was no room, and he gained nothing. On third and 12 at the 13, Paturzo sent a deep pass to WR Ryan Moore down the middle, but the pass, aided by the wind, was too long. Sturla’s punt was almost blocked, and it looked like it was touched by the Prep return man, but he recovered the ball on the Hawk 42, with 7:21 left in the first stanza.
Bunch got 4 yards up right guard, as Abdul Carter and McFadden combined on the tackle. The Explorer defense then sacked Picariello for a 6-yard loss, with soph DL Kieran Campbell and McFadden on the takedown. On third and 12 at the Prep 40, La Salle blitzed, and Picariello scrambled for just a yard, with Tim Fiedler making the hit. Chadha’s punt to the La Salle 25 was returned by Moore to the 29, with 5:22 left in the first, and La Salle looking to shift the momentum away from the Prep.
Brown went off left tackle for 3 yards, and then up left tackle for just a yard. On third and 6 at the 33, Paturzo dropped back, but was sacked on a blitz from the blind side, and he fumbled the ball. DE James Heard scooped up the ball, and went in for a 22-yard return for a touchdown. Chadha added the point, and St. Joe’s now had a two-touchdown lead at 14-0, stunning the Explorers, with 4:12 left in the first.
Chadha’s kickoff got to the 12, where Davis returned it up the middle to the 24. Paturzo’s pass in the flat to WR Nole Henry missed, as the wind benefit seemed to be a detriment to the Blue and Gold. Paturzo tossed a swing pass to Brown that was dropped. On third and 10 at the 24, Paturzo hit Moore with a screen on the left, but the Hawk defense swarmed him for a 2-yard loss. Sturla’s punt was blocked on a big rush, and was recovered and returned by the Prep’s Keenan Nelson to the La Salle 4. Prior to the first play of Prep’s possession, La Salle’s defense was flagged for 12 men on the field, bringing the ball to the 2. Phillips went up left guard and cruised into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown. Chadha’s kick was true, and the well-prepared Prep team now had a commanding 21-0 lead, with still 3:02 left in the opening stanza.
Chadha’s boot to the 10 was returned by a determined Davis up the left side to the La Salle 35, where they would enjoy their best field position of the first quarter. But Paturzo was sacked for a 5-yard loss on the first play, as the Hawks were swarming in the La Salle backfield all game long. Paturzo then sent a long pass down the left side for Brown, but the wind took it beyond his reach. On third and 15 at the 28, Paturzo scrambled down the left side and went out of bounds at the La Salle 46, and St. Joe’s was called for a late hit, and La Salle had a first down at the Prep 39, with chance to start crawling back into this game. Paturzo ran a QB draw up the middle for a first down to the 28. FB E.J. Wentz gained 4 up right guard. Paturzo gained a yard on a keeper up left guard, setting up a third and 5 at the 23. Paturzo swung a pass to Brown on the right side for 8 yards and a first down to the 15. Brown ran a jet sweep to right for a 1-yard loss, as the quick Prep defense was stopping any east-west plays. The quarter ended with the Hawks on top, 21-0. Now heading into the wind, Paturzo threw a pass into the left flat, but the ball was intercepted on a dive by DB Anthony Sacca, and the Hawks would take over on their own 7, with 11:52 left, puncturing any chance of La Salle getting back into this game.
Phillips went up left tackle, and he fumbled the ball. La Salle came out of the pile with the ball, but the officials ruled that a Prep player had recovered the ball while on the ground, ending the play on the 19-yard line. Picariello kept the ball for 2 up the middle, as Thompson administered another bear hug. Bunch swept the left side, but Carter stopped him for a 2-yard loss. On third and 10 at the 19, Phillips swept the left side, as the Hawk blockers created a seal, and gained 12 yards for a first down, with tackle by Anderson. Heard went off left tackle for 5, as McFadden and Campbell brought him to the turf. Josh Barlow swept the right side, and cut back for 2 yards, with Thompson on the stop. On third and 3 at the Prep 38, Phillips went untouched up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown. Chadha made the boot, and St. Joe’s now led, 28-0, with 8:31 left in the half, and the mercy-rule was now in the on-deck circle.
Chadha’s kickoff with the wind sailed into the end zone. Brown swept the left side for 5 yards. On a delay, Brown got just a yard up the middle, setting up a third and 4 at the 26. Paturzo, dropping back and looking, was sacked for a 14-yard loss, as the Prep line and their blitzing linebackers were overwhelming the La Salle blockers. Sturla’s punt was fair-caught by Omillio Agard on the La Salle 31. The Prep was called for holding on the return, and would start their drive on the La Salle 43, with 6:50 left in the half.
Bunch shot through a big hole up the middle for 7 yards, with McFadden on the tackle. Picariello ran an option keeper up the middle for a first down to the La Salle 29. Barlow then blasted through a hole up left guard, and Carter made a touchdown-saving tackle on the La Salle 5 for a first and goal. Barlow gained a yard up left guard, with tackle by Darold Dengohe. On play action, Picariello tossed to a wide-open Josiah Trotter on the right side for a 4-yard touchdown. Chadha made the extra point, and the 35-0 Prep lead would initiate the mercy-rule running clock in the third period, if La Salle did not score in the remaining 4:51 of the first half.
Chadha popped his kickoff to the La Salle 14, where Anderson returned it to the 39. Moore came in as the wildcat QB, and kept the ball up the middle for 4 yards. Moore then found a hole up the middle for a first down to the Prep 39. Moore kept the ball up left guard for 8, as the quick hitters seemed to be working against the Prep defense. Moore ran an option keeper up left tackle and powered his way to the Hawk 24 for another first down. Brown then swept the right side for 3 yards. Moore went up left guard for 4. On third and 3 at the 17, the Prep called a time out with 1:24 left in the half. Moore then swept the left side on a keeper, following a good block by Brown, to the 11, but La Salle was hit for holding, sending the ball back to the 30. On third and 16, Moore ran an option keeper to the left side to the Prep 11 for a first down. Moore gained 4 up right tackle, and La Salle called a time out with 46 seconds left. Brown went up the middle for 2, but La Salle was flagged for an illegal shift. With second and 11 at the 12, La Salle burned another time out with 41 seconds left. On play action, Moore swung a pass to Wentz, who went out of bounds after a 4-yard gain. On third and 7 at the 8, Paturzo was back in at QB, and he threw a pass over the middle to Henry, which was broken up, but the Hawks were flagged for a penalty that moved the ball to the 4, where it became third and 3. Paturzo snuck to the two-yard line, setting up a fourth and one, and La Salle used their last time out, with 20 seconds remaining.
Then, the unthinkable happened. The offense lined up in position, and Moore was the wildcat QB in the pistol formation. He looked to the sideline to check-down the play, and while he looked, the ball was snapped, and shot past him. The ball was recovered on the La Salle 42, and was turned over on downs. Picariello knelt down to end the half, and the mercy rule would take effect, with St. Joe’s blanking the Explorers, 35-0.
The game was effectively over, but the La Salle seniors still had a half to play in their high school career, albeit an abridged one. Playing for pride was all that was left.
Chadha, kicking with the wind, boomed his second-half kickoff into the end zone. Paturzo found Moore on the right sideline for a first down to the 40. Paturzo, under a rush, threw past Ryan Sorge on the left side. Paturzo, rushed again, threw the ball away on the right side, and the pass was almost intercepted. On third and 10 at the 40, with a running clock, La Salle was flagged for a false start. Paturzo then scrambled to the right and got a first down at the Prep 49. Paturzo threw in the left flat over Brown, as it seemed like the wind was affecting his throws. Paturzo was then blitzed and sacked for an 8-yard loss, and it seemed like the Prep knew where to blitz from based on the La Salle formations. On third and 18 at the La Salle 43, Paturzo threw deep down the left side to Brown, who looked like he was interfered with, but no flag was dropped. Sturla’s punt to the Prep 23 ware returned by Agard to the 45, as Sam Ross made the tackle. Both teams were assessed offsetting personal fouls, and St. Joe’s would take over, with 7:09 left in the third.
Phillips gained 3 up the middle, with Dan Ford and Fiedler on the stop. Phillips swept the left side for 6 yards, with Anderson on the tackle, but the Hawks were called for holding, setting them back to the 36. Bunch swept the left side for 6 yards, and was bumped out of bounds by McFadden, and La Salle was hit with a personal foul, taking the ball to the Explorer 44. Bunch again went off the left side, as the Hawks sealed the pursuit, and he gained 11 for a first down to the 33, with Thompson on the tackle. Barlow went off right tackle for 6, with McFadden and Thompson on the takedown. Barlow was stopped for no gain up the middle, as Dengohe and Ford combined to bring him to the turf. On third and 4 at the 27, Bunch was stopped in the middle, bounced to the right, and got a first down to the La Salle 19, with Carter on the tackle. Picariello was stopped for no gain on a keeper on the right side, with McFadden making another tackle. Bunch gained 2 up right guard, as Thompson brought him down. On third and 8 at the 17, Barlow gained 3 up the middle, with Fiedler and Ford stopping him. On fourth and 5 at the 14, Chadha lined up for a field goal attempt. But La Salle jumped offsides, giving the Prep a first and goal at the 9, as the third quarter running clock ran out, with the Hawks maintaining their 35-0 lead. Phillips gained 2 up the middle, Ford making the tackle. Phillips tested left guard, and got to the two, with Carter stopping him. On third and goal at the 2, Phillips tried left guard again, but gained nothing, as Thompson bearhugged him down. On fourth and goal at the two, Phillips tried right guard, but Kelby Hampton and Thompson stopped him at the one, and the ball would turn over to La Salle, with 10:18 left in the game.
The Prep jumped offsides before the first play of the La Salle drive. Brown went up left tackle for two yards. La Salle then was hit for a false start, setting them back to the 4. Brown went off right tackle for six yards. On third and one at the 10, Paturzo ran an option keeper, but lost 2 yards. On fourth down, Sturla’s punt was fair-caught by Agard on the La Salle 46, with 7:54 left in the game.
Barlow gained two up the middle, with Ford and Dengohe combining for the tackle. Barlow bounced out to the right side, and got 12 yards and a first down, with Matt Wills stopping him. Bunch swept the right side, but McFadden made a great tackle for a 5-yard loss. Bunch got one up the middle, as McFadden, blitzing unabated from the right side of the defense, made another tackle. On third and 14 at the 36, Isaiah West was hit immediately by a rampaging Thompson for no gain. The Prep took a delay of game penalty prior to the next snap, and then called a time out, with 2:49 left in the game and La Salle’s season. Chadha’s punt bounced to the 7, and Moore returned it to the 15, with 2:38 left.
Sam Brown has provided La Salle fans with so many great plays during his stellar 4-year career as an Explorer running back, joining some of the great backs in La Salle history such as Johnny Herrera, Jim Maxwell, Gerry Tate, Eddie Meehan, Jamal Abdur-Rahman, Tim Wade, Sy Madden, and others. In his last play as a La Salle running back, Brown swept the right side, got the edge, and broke away from his pursuers, going down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown jaunt. Sturla’s PAT made the score 35-7, with 2:17 left in the game.
Sturla pooch-kicked to the Prep 17, where Nelson fell on the ball for the Hawks, but La Salle was called for a procedure penalty, probably for too many defenders on one side of the ball for the kickoff. Sturla tried an onsides kick, but Josiah Trotter recovered it on the Prep 48. Picariello knelt down twice, and the clock ran out on the game and La Salle’s season. St. Joseph’s Prep won the District XII semifinal game with a convincing 35-7 victory over La Salle, and will go on to play Northeast High School in the final.
Notes
Again, just didn’t see this coming, and I’m sure that the La Salle players and coaches didn’t either. Credit must be given to the St. Joseph’s Prep coaching staff for having an answer to everything that La Salle did on both sides of the ball. Credit also has to be given to Prep seniors Picariello, Barlow, Chadha, and Bunch, who provided the leadership that guided the soph-heavy team to a convincing victory. And, yeah, the window may be closing again.
La Salle had a great senior class, featuring Paturzo, Moore, Thompson, Sturla, and their two Div. 1 commits Carter and Brown. The 2021 team, led by the seniors, created such great energy, electricity, enthusiasm, and enjoyment for the La Salle parents, alums, and faithful this season. Many La Salle fans at Franklin Field on Saturday were at their first La Salle game in many years, and you players were the reason for it. Don’t let one game define your legacy at La Salle.
Seniors, you will think about this game for years to come, but trust that this game will fade back into the background compared to the great experience that you’ve had with La Salle football for the last 4 years. You have made unbreakable bonds with your fellow teammates/classmates. A few years from now, you will gather when a classmate at a distant college is home for a weekend. Ten years from now, you will gather at a wedding of a teammate, with some of you as groomsmen. Twenty years from now, you will celebrate at a La Salle reunion, and talk about your sons who may be entering La Salle soon. Fifty years from now, that loss to the Prep on November 13, 2021 will be just a distant memory, replaced by a lifetime of bonding with the brothers you acquired from the La Salle Class of 2022. Live Jesus in your hearts, forever.
With the graduation of Div. 1 stalwarts like Kyle McCord, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Marvin Harrison Jr., St. Joseph’s Prep would be reloading, not rebuilding. But with the acknowledged strong class being the sophomores, there seemed to be a window of opportunity to unseat the Hawks from their perch, at least for a year. Not dumb enough to consider a changing of the guard, like what occurred back in ’06, but a window nonetheless.
Well, that window was slammed shut at Franklin Field on Saturday, as St. Joseph’s Prep rode a 35-0 halftime mercy-rule lead to win the District XII semifinal game against a shocked Explorer eleven. Here’s how the game went down:
The Prep won the toss, and elected to receive, and La Salle would kick from the west end, with a 17 mph wind at their backs. Santi Sturla booted the ball into the end zone, and St. Joe’s would start from their own 20. Senior QB Dane Picariello got the start, and he handed off to Kahseim Phillips for a 4-yard gain. If there was any turning point in this game, it was this next play. Picariello dropped back, and launched a bomb into the wind on the right side. The pass seemed to be overthrown to wide receiver Mike DiTrolio, but the wind brought it back into his arms as he reached the La Salle 38 for a first down. Picariello tossed a screen pass to the left for 8 yards to David Washington, with tackle by LB Sean McFadden. Blaine Bunch ran a jet sweep to the left for a first down to the La Salle 11 before being brought down by LB Chris Thompson. Phillips tested the middle for 3, as Thompson bearhugged him down. Picariello then fired a slant-in on the right side for an 8-yard touchdown to Washington. The reliable Antonio Chadha added the extra point, and with 9:13 left in the first period, the Prep drew first-blood with a drive into the wind, 7-0.
Chadha’s kickoff into the wind got to the 5, where Amir Anderson returned it to the 32, but La Salle was flagged for holding, returning the ball to the 15. Senior QB Alan Paturzo handed off to soph Stevie Davis for 3 yards up right tackle. La Salle was flagged for procedure prior to the next play. Four-year starting RB Sam Brown tried left tackle, but there was no room, and he gained nothing. On third and 12 at the 13, Paturzo sent a deep pass to WR Ryan Moore down the middle, but the pass, aided by the wind, was too long. Sturla’s punt was almost blocked, and it looked like it was touched by the Prep return man, but he recovered the ball on the Hawk 42, with 7:21 left in the first stanza.
Bunch got 4 yards up right guard, as Abdul Carter and McFadden combined on the tackle. The Explorer defense then sacked Picariello for a 6-yard loss, with soph DL Kieran Campbell and McFadden on the takedown. On third and 12 at the Prep 40, La Salle blitzed, and Picariello scrambled for just a yard, with Tim Fiedler making the hit. Chadha’s punt to the La Salle 25 was returned by Moore to the 29, with 5:22 left in the first, and La Salle looking to shift the momentum away from the Prep.
Brown went off left tackle for 3 yards, and then up left tackle for just a yard. On third and 6 at the 33, Paturzo dropped back, but was sacked on a blitz from the blind side, and he fumbled the ball. DE James Heard scooped up the ball, and went in for a 22-yard return for a touchdown. Chadha added the point, and St. Joe’s now had a two-touchdown lead at 14-0, stunning the Explorers, with 4:12 left in the first.
Chadha’s kickoff got to the 12, where Davis returned it up the middle to the 24. Paturzo’s pass in the flat to WR Nole Henry missed, as the wind benefit seemed to be a detriment to the Blue and Gold. Paturzo tossed a swing pass to Brown that was dropped. On third and 10 at the 24, Paturzo hit Moore with a screen on the left, but the Hawk defense swarmed him for a 2-yard loss. Sturla’s punt was blocked on a big rush, and was recovered and returned by the Prep’s Keenan Nelson to the La Salle 4. Prior to the first play of Prep’s possession, La Salle’s defense was flagged for 12 men on the field, bringing the ball to the 2. Phillips went up left guard and cruised into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown. Chadha’s kick was true, and the well-prepared Prep team now had a commanding 21-0 lead, with still 3:02 left in the opening stanza.
Chadha’s boot to the 10 was returned by a determined Davis up the left side to the La Salle 35, where they would enjoy their best field position of the first quarter. But Paturzo was sacked for a 5-yard loss on the first play, as the Hawks were swarming in the La Salle backfield all game long. Paturzo then sent a long pass down the left side for Brown, but the wind took it beyond his reach. On third and 15 at the 28, Paturzo scrambled down the left side and went out of bounds at the La Salle 46, and St. Joe’s was called for a late hit, and La Salle had a first down at the Prep 39, with chance to start crawling back into this game. Paturzo ran a QB draw up the middle for a first down to the 28. FB E.J. Wentz gained 4 up right guard. Paturzo gained a yard on a keeper up left guard, setting up a third and 5 at the 23. Paturzo swung a pass to Brown on the right side for 8 yards and a first down to the 15. Brown ran a jet sweep to right for a 1-yard loss, as the quick Prep defense was stopping any east-west plays. The quarter ended with the Hawks on top, 21-0. Now heading into the wind, Paturzo threw a pass into the left flat, but the ball was intercepted on a dive by DB Anthony Sacca, and the Hawks would take over on their own 7, with 11:52 left, puncturing any chance of La Salle getting back into this game.
Phillips went up left tackle, and he fumbled the ball. La Salle came out of the pile with the ball, but the officials ruled that a Prep player had recovered the ball while on the ground, ending the play on the 19-yard line. Picariello kept the ball for 2 up the middle, as Thompson administered another bear hug. Bunch swept the left side, but Carter stopped him for a 2-yard loss. On third and 10 at the 19, Phillips swept the left side, as the Hawk blockers created a seal, and gained 12 yards for a first down, with tackle by Anderson. Heard went off left tackle for 5, as McFadden and Campbell brought him to the turf. Josh Barlow swept the right side, and cut back for 2 yards, with Thompson on the stop. On third and 3 at the Prep 38, Phillips went untouched up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown. Chadha made the boot, and St. Joe’s now led, 28-0, with 8:31 left in the half, and the mercy-rule was now in the on-deck circle.
Chadha’s kickoff with the wind sailed into the end zone. Brown swept the left side for 5 yards. On a delay, Brown got just a yard up the middle, setting up a third and 4 at the 26. Paturzo, dropping back and looking, was sacked for a 14-yard loss, as the Prep line and their blitzing linebackers were overwhelming the La Salle blockers. Sturla’s punt was fair-caught by Omillio Agard on the La Salle 31. The Prep was called for holding on the return, and would start their drive on the La Salle 43, with 6:50 left in the half.
Bunch shot through a big hole up the middle for 7 yards, with McFadden on the tackle. Picariello ran an option keeper up the middle for a first down to the La Salle 29. Barlow then blasted through a hole up left guard, and Carter made a touchdown-saving tackle on the La Salle 5 for a first and goal. Barlow gained a yard up left guard, with tackle by Darold Dengohe. On play action, Picariello tossed to a wide-open Josiah Trotter on the right side for a 4-yard touchdown. Chadha made the extra point, and the 35-0 Prep lead would initiate the mercy-rule running clock in the third period, if La Salle did not score in the remaining 4:51 of the first half.
Chadha popped his kickoff to the La Salle 14, where Anderson returned it to the 39. Moore came in as the wildcat QB, and kept the ball up the middle for 4 yards. Moore then found a hole up the middle for a first down to the Prep 39. Moore kept the ball up left guard for 8, as the quick hitters seemed to be working against the Prep defense. Moore ran an option keeper up left tackle and powered his way to the Hawk 24 for another first down. Brown then swept the right side for 3 yards. Moore went up left guard for 4. On third and 3 at the 17, the Prep called a time out with 1:24 left in the half. Moore then swept the left side on a keeper, following a good block by Brown, to the 11, but La Salle was hit for holding, sending the ball back to the 30. On third and 16, Moore ran an option keeper to the left side to the Prep 11 for a first down. Moore gained 4 up right tackle, and La Salle called a time out with 46 seconds left. Brown went up the middle for 2, but La Salle was flagged for an illegal shift. With second and 11 at the 12, La Salle burned another time out with 41 seconds left. On play action, Moore swung a pass to Wentz, who went out of bounds after a 4-yard gain. On third and 7 at the 8, Paturzo was back in at QB, and he threw a pass over the middle to Henry, which was broken up, but the Hawks were flagged for a penalty that moved the ball to the 4, where it became third and 3. Paturzo snuck to the two-yard line, setting up a fourth and one, and La Salle used their last time out, with 20 seconds remaining.
Then, the unthinkable happened. The offense lined up in position, and Moore was the wildcat QB in the pistol formation. He looked to the sideline to check-down the play, and while he looked, the ball was snapped, and shot past him. The ball was recovered on the La Salle 42, and was turned over on downs. Picariello knelt down to end the half, and the mercy rule would take effect, with St. Joe’s blanking the Explorers, 35-0.
The game was effectively over, but the La Salle seniors still had a half to play in their high school career, albeit an abridged one. Playing for pride was all that was left.
Chadha, kicking with the wind, boomed his second-half kickoff into the end zone. Paturzo found Moore on the right sideline for a first down to the 40. Paturzo, under a rush, threw past Ryan Sorge on the left side. Paturzo, rushed again, threw the ball away on the right side, and the pass was almost intercepted. On third and 10 at the 40, with a running clock, La Salle was flagged for a false start. Paturzo then scrambled to the right and got a first down at the Prep 49. Paturzo threw in the left flat over Brown, as it seemed like the wind was affecting his throws. Paturzo was then blitzed and sacked for an 8-yard loss, and it seemed like the Prep knew where to blitz from based on the La Salle formations. On third and 18 at the La Salle 43, Paturzo threw deep down the left side to Brown, who looked like he was interfered with, but no flag was dropped. Sturla’s punt to the Prep 23 ware returned by Agard to the 45, as Sam Ross made the tackle. Both teams were assessed offsetting personal fouls, and St. Joe’s would take over, with 7:09 left in the third.
Phillips gained 3 up the middle, with Dan Ford and Fiedler on the stop. Phillips swept the left side for 6 yards, with Anderson on the tackle, but the Hawks were called for holding, setting them back to the 36. Bunch swept the left side for 6 yards, and was bumped out of bounds by McFadden, and La Salle was hit with a personal foul, taking the ball to the Explorer 44. Bunch again went off the left side, as the Hawks sealed the pursuit, and he gained 11 for a first down to the 33, with Thompson on the tackle. Barlow went off right tackle for 6, with McFadden and Thompson on the takedown. Barlow was stopped for no gain up the middle, as Dengohe and Ford combined to bring him to the turf. On third and 4 at the 27, Bunch was stopped in the middle, bounced to the right, and got a first down to the La Salle 19, with Carter on the tackle. Picariello was stopped for no gain on a keeper on the right side, with McFadden making another tackle. Bunch gained 2 up right guard, as Thompson brought him down. On third and 8 at the 17, Barlow gained 3 up the middle, with Fiedler and Ford stopping him. On fourth and 5 at the 14, Chadha lined up for a field goal attempt. But La Salle jumped offsides, giving the Prep a first and goal at the 9, as the third quarter running clock ran out, with the Hawks maintaining their 35-0 lead. Phillips gained 2 up the middle, Ford making the tackle. Phillips tested left guard, and got to the two, with Carter stopping him. On third and goal at the 2, Phillips tried left guard again, but gained nothing, as Thompson bearhugged him down. On fourth and goal at the two, Phillips tried right guard, but Kelby Hampton and Thompson stopped him at the one, and the ball would turn over to La Salle, with 10:18 left in the game.
The Prep jumped offsides before the first play of the La Salle drive. Brown went up left tackle for two yards. La Salle then was hit for a false start, setting them back to the 4. Brown went off right tackle for six yards. On third and one at the 10, Paturzo ran an option keeper, but lost 2 yards. On fourth down, Sturla’s punt was fair-caught by Agard on the La Salle 46, with 7:54 left in the game.
Barlow gained two up the middle, with Ford and Dengohe combining for the tackle. Barlow bounced out to the right side, and got 12 yards and a first down, with Matt Wills stopping him. Bunch swept the right side, but McFadden made a great tackle for a 5-yard loss. Bunch got one up the middle, as McFadden, blitzing unabated from the right side of the defense, made another tackle. On third and 14 at the 36, Isaiah West was hit immediately by a rampaging Thompson for no gain. The Prep took a delay of game penalty prior to the next snap, and then called a time out, with 2:49 left in the game and La Salle’s season. Chadha’s punt bounced to the 7, and Moore returned it to the 15, with 2:38 left.
Sam Brown has provided La Salle fans with so many great plays during his stellar 4-year career as an Explorer running back, joining some of the great backs in La Salle history such as Johnny Herrera, Jim Maxwell, Gerry Tate, Eddie Meehan, Jamal Abdur-Rahman, Tim Wade, Sy Madden, and others. In his last play as a La Salle running back, Brown swept the right side, got the edge, and broke away from his pursuers, going down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown jaunt. Sturla’s PAT made the score 35-7, with 2:17 left in the game.
Sturla pooch-kicked to the Prep 17, where Nelson fell on the ball for the Hawks, but La Salle was called for a procedure penalty, probably for too many defenders on one side of the ball for the kickoff. Sturla tried an onsides kick, but Josiah Trotter recovered it on the Prep 48. Picariello knelt down twice, and the clock ran out on the game and La Salle’s season. St. Joseph’s Prep won the District XII semifinal game with a convincing 35-7 victory over La Salle, and will go on to play Northeast High School in the final.
Notes
Again, just didn’t see this coming, and I’m sure that the La Salle players and coaches didn’t either. Credit must be given to the St. Joseph’s Prep coaching staff for having an answer to everything that La Salle did on both sides of the ball. Credit also has to be given to Prep seniors Picariello, Barlow, Chadha, and Bunch, who provided the leadership that guided the soph-heavy team to a convincing victory. And, yeah, the window may be closing again.
La Salle had a great senior class, featuring Paturzo, Moore, Thompson, Sturla, and their two Div. 1 commits Carter and Brown. The 2021 team, led by the seniors, created such great energy, electricity, enthusiasm, and enjoyment for the La Salle parents, alums, and faithful this season. Many La Salle fans at Franklin Field on Saturday were at their first La Salle game in many years, and you players were the reason for it. Don’t let one game define your legacy at La Salle.
Seniors, you will think about this game for years to come, but trust that this game will fade back into the background compared to the great experience that you’ve had with La Salle football for the last 4 years. You have made unbreakable bonds with your fellow teammates/classmates. A few years from now, you will gather when a classmate at a distant college is home for a weekend. Ten years from now, you will gather at a wedding of a teammate, with some of you as groomsmen. Twenty years from now, you will celebrate at a La Salle reunion, and talk about your sons who may be entering La Salle soon. Fifty years from now, that loss to the Prep on November 13, 2021 will be just a distant memory, replaced by a lifetime of bonding with the brothers you acquired from the La Salle Class of 2022. Live Jesus in your hearts, forever.
