West Catholic Burrs
Lansdale Catholic Crusaders
CATHOLIC LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK (9/21)
Who: West Catholic vs. Lansdale Catholic
When: 5:00 PM Saturday, September 21, 2019
Where: Wissahickon High School
Records: West Catholic 2-2; 0-1; Lansdale Catholic 3-1; 1-0
Most Recent Performance: West Catholic dropped a 29-14 decision to Archbishop Carroll at Villanova University; Lansdale Catholic stunned defending Catholic League Blue Division champion Conwell-Egan, 14-9.
Importance: Lansdale Catholic will be trying to beat West Catholic for the first time ever . . . The Crusaders are trying to seize a 2-0 start in their division for the first time since joining the Catholic League in 2008 . . . The Crusaders have emerged as leading contenders to challenge for a Blue Division crown. A victory would maintain momentum while celebrating the defeat of two of the division’s traditionally strong programs . . . West Catholic looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Carroll and create optimism with much of the regular season still to be played.
All-Time Record: West Catholic leads Lansdale Catholic, 8-0.
West Catholic Notes: Under new coach Brian Wood, the Burrs have resembled an elevator. A 24-point win was followed by a 27-point loss, then a 21-point win, and, alas, a 15-point defeat. The one that matters most is the latter because it came against division foe Archbishop Carroll. . . An opportunistic defense has enveloped a collective six interceptions by five different players; senior Carl Smith has two. The “dee” has also scored three touchdowns – two by senior Julio DaSilva (interception and fumble recovery).
Lansdale Catholic Notes: After surrendering 83 points in their first two games, the Crusaders have allowed a miniscule nine in their last two . . . The offense centers around senior running back/linebacker Dan Dutkiewicz, a career 3,000-yard contributor. Dutkiewicz has reached triple digits in each of LC’s four games for a total of 573 yards – and at a scary per-carry clip of 8.2 yards. He has also scored eight touchdowns . . . Opponents can’t overlook LC’s passing game. Junior Jeron Philips has completed 41 of 62 passes for 672 yards and seven touchdowns to five different receivers . . . Seniors Kevin Gianoni(center and second-team All-Catholic linebacker) and Mike Evangelista (two-way lineman) are forces.
BURR CHAT: “Everyone must do their job and give 125% effort until the final whistle,” said senior quarterback Zaire Hart-Hawkins. “We need to take advantage of the opportunities we come across.”
“After a tough last week, we feel that this week’s game is a must win in order to re-establish ourselves in the Catholic League,” said senior receiver/free safety Carl Smith. “This win could be the big momentum builder we need to carry us throughout the rest of the season.”
West Catholic Highlights
“We are going to have to stop their running game and stop number five (Dutkiewicz) from getting momentum,” said senior offensive tackle and defensive end Will Tallington. “Our offense will have to put points on the board. We will also have to dominate on all three sides of the ball.”
CRUSADER CHAT: “This is a very important game to us because we lost to them last year and we don’t want to lose again,” said senior running back and linebacker Dan Dutkiewicz.“I know we have what it takes to be the best team in the league, and we have to show it this week.”
“We have a very tough opponent coming to our home turf,” said senior defensive back/wide receiver Evan Hannings. “This is a very important game to prove that we are a different team this year. Each year that I have been at LC we have come up short, and this year we are hoping to change that.”
Lansdale Catholic Highlights:
“This is a tough opponent,” said senior linebacker/center/long snapper Kevin Gianoni. “They are one of the teams that we have played hard and close games with in the past, but came up short. This game is a game we have to win to prove ourselves. We have a chip on our shoulder coming into this game and want to win.”
Prediction: Several interesting angles here. West Catholic is in desperation mode and aching to wash away the taste of last week’s loss. Lansdale Catholic is off to its best start since finishing 8-3 in 2015 and has displayed toughness on both sides of the ball. In a bruising battle, Lansdale Catholic will finally defeat West Catholic, 27-18.
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)