CATHOLIC LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK
Who: Roman Catholic vs. St. Joseph’s Prep
When: 7:00 PM Friday, October 28, 2022
Where: Cardinal O’Hara High School
Records: Roman Catholic 7-1, 3-0; St. Joseph’s Prep 6-1, 3-0
Most Recent Performance: Roman Catholic defeated LaSalle, 31-14; St. Joseph’s Prep overwhelmed Father Judge, 48-14.
Importance: Fittingly, this regular-season finale will decide the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division championship.
All-Time Record: St. Joseph’s Prep leads the series, 87-40-2.
Roman Catholic Notes: Have allowed only four touchdowns to PCL opponents and have not surrendered more than 15 points in any of their eight games overall . . . Have scored more than 30 points on five occasions . . . Last title was in 2007 when they defeated the Prep in the PCL championship, 10-9, after having been drubbed by 36-7 during the regular season . . . Freshman QB Semaj Beals has thrown for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns, eight of them to junior standout Tyseer Denmark (42 catches, 746 yards) and four to junior Trey Woodley (15 for 235) . . . Strong two-headed backfield comprised of seniors Jamir Robertson (122 carries, 783 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Mao Howell (105-542-7) . . . Defense has thieved 14 interceptions by 11 different players . . . Statistical leaders on defense include seniors Jordan Montgomery (44 combined tackles, two interceptions), Penn State University commit Jameial Lyons (44 tackles), and Jason Patterson (35 tackles, 7.5 sacks).
St. Joseph’s Prep Notes: Outscored PCL foes by 123-31, with most opponent points scored against reserves . . . Have only lost three regular-season league games since 2010 . . . Attempting to secure their 23rd PCL title . . . Junior QB Samaj Jones has tossed 17 touchdowns and run for eight more . . . Junior David Washington, junior Brandon Rehmann, and Owen Garwood have combined for 59 receptions and 12 scores . . . With the linebacker crew of senior Cole Nilles (42 combined tackles), returned-from-injury senior Josiah Trotter, and junior Nick McGlynn (19 combined tackles) joining forces with the secondary of sophomore Anthony Sacca (35 combined tackles, interception, fumble recovery), junior Omillio Agard, and senior Andrew Bachman (two interceptions), throwing short or long against the Hawks has been an effort in futility.
CAHILLITE CHAT: “For the team this means everything,” said senior receiver/running back Eddie Figueroa. “This is four years of hard work finally paying off. Coach (Rick) Prete had a plan and it wasn’t going to happen overnight, but we’re finally here. And I think this won’t be the last time you see Roman Catholic competing for a championship. We’re here to stay.”
St. Joseph's Prep vs. Father Judge - PSD Gallery by Krystal Williams
Roman Catholic Football - PSD Gallery by Lou Rabito & Krystal Williams
HAWK CHAT: “Every game is always important,” said Prep junior quarterback Samaj Jones. “We’re going up against a good team with some really good talent at Roman Catholic. Their team is growing pretty well and you can tell by their progress by seasons.”
Prediction: It would be foolish to pick against a program that has dominated every team in the PCL for most of the past two decades. Always a threat to win a state title, Prep is accustomed to competing in must-win games like this. Though they have the quarterback and skill players to put points on the board, the Cahillites haven’t encountered this strong a defense. The Prep scores twice early and emerges with their 23rd PCL championship, 33-7.
*** Individual statistics courtesy of Ed “Huck” Powers.***
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)