CATHOLIC LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK:
Who: Lansdale Catholic at Conwell-Egan
When: 7:00 PM Friday, September 23
Where: Harry S. Truman High School
Records: Lansdale Catholic 3-1, 0-1; Conwell-Egan 2-2, 1-0
Most Recent Performance: Lansdale Catholic lost to Neumann-Goretti, 26-7; Conwell-Egan defeated Archbishop Ryan, 20-0.
Importance: In addition to being a must-win for Lansdale Catholic if the Crusaders plan to challenge for a Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division title, both teams are members of Class 3A. Depending on what occurs in the postseason, this game could help decide who goes . . . and who doesn’t.
All-Time Record: Lansdale Catholic leads the series, 8-7.
Lansdale Catholic Notes: Junior quarterback Cole Meehan can be lethal, as evidenced by his 40 of 59 passing for 561 yards and eight touchdown passes, as well as three on the ground ... Sophomore running back Jacahi Streeter has rushed for 171 yards against Boys Latin and caught four passes for 154 vs. New Hope-Solebury . . . Senior Efrain Quiles stands out on both offense (one touchdown in each of LC’s four games) and defense, where he has been involved in 16 tackles, forced two fumbles, garnered 2.5 sacks, and tackled six runners for a loss . . . Senior Jon Dang has added 12 solo tackles, seven for a loss, and three sacks.
Conwell-Egan Notes: Senior Colin Majors has amassed 392 yards and five touchdowns on 52 carries . . . Junior Sam Cooper has contributed two receiving TDs and added one on the ground. Along with nine solo tackles, he and junior Tim Gipli have also both grabbed an interception . . . A slew of outstanding defenders also includes junior Gavin Pond (23 solo tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery), senior Luke Trunell (23 combined tackles, six of them for a loss), and sophomore Sincere Fairey (20 combined tackles, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble).
CRUSADER CHAT:
“Well, this game is a must win,” said senior tackle/end Evan Lojewski. “Losing this game could potentially wipe out our chances at the playoffs. We like to think of every game as important, but coming off a loss, we really need this one.
“For our football team, having a sense of urgency is doing everything to the best of your ability. We run in and out of the huddle, play every play full speed and, most importantly, have a desire to win.”
EAGLE CHAT:
“This game definitely is one we all circle on the calendar before the season,” said senior inside linebacker Luke Trunell. “Lansdale usually plays us hard every year, and they are also a 3A team, so we have to beat them to get into the playoffs. Our mindset is to just execute the coaches’ game plan.
“We believe we are the better team, and we need to prove it on Friday night. We need to focus on our keys on defense and play aggressive, and on offense we need positive yardage plays without having any turnovers.”
Lansdale Catholic vs. Mastbaum - PSD Gallery by Kathy Leister
Conwell-Egan vs. Archbishop Ryan - PSD Photos by Krystal Williams
Prediction: This could truly go one way or another. If this were part of a gambling site, it would go down as a “pick’em.” Though Lansdale Catholic lost to Neumann-Goretti, it stayed on the field with the defending division champs – at least defensively. Meanwhile, Conwell-Egan took care of Archbishop Ryan – on the Raiders’ turf –in dominant fashion . . . In a battle that will be decided in the fourth quarter, Conwell-Egan is aided by its home turf and emerges with a 20-13 victory.
*** Individual statistics courtesy of Ed “Huck” Powers.
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)