By John Knebels
PHILADELPHIA – Though St. Joseph’s Prep and LaSalle have been the two most successful Philadelphia Catholic League football programs over the past decade, the former has dominated the latter.
Heading into Saturday’s PCL battle 7:00 at Upper Dublin High School, the Hawks have defeated the Explorers in 14 of their last 15 meetings dating back to 2016. Since defeating the Prep, 28-21, on October 2, 2021, La Salle has dropped five straight.
History, however, will take a backseat once the season’s most anticipated contest kicks off.
“For years it has been one of the biggest games in the state and even in the country,” said Prep senior receiver Jah Turner. “So I think there will always be some rich history between us.”
Both teams are coming off one-sided wins in their respective Red Division openers.
Fueled by junior quarterback Gavin Sidwar’s three touchdown passes, giving him 18 for the season, the Explorers overwhelmed Cardinal O’Hara, 48-0. Seven different players scored for LaSalle, including junior receiver Joey O’Brien, who has reached the end zone in every game this year.
At 6-0 overall, the Explorers have outscored their competition by 224-43.
Sidwar complimented La Salle coach Brett Gordon and the entire staff for keeping the players focused.
“They have preached to us to just take the season week by week,” said Sidwar. “Worry about our opponent on our schedule that week, and no game is bigger than the next game.”
La Salle vs. O'Hara (Photo Gallery by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
La Salle vs. Cardinal O'Hara - PSD Highlights by Lennie Malmgren
St. Joseph’s Prep has preached the same message year after year.
So although this game with La Salle will undoubtedly attract more fans, objective observers, and media than usual, the Hawks (3-1 overall) are taking the same approach that they did in their 42-13 Red Division win over Father Judge in which five different players scored, sophomore quarterback Charlie Foulke tossed two TDs to freshman Jett Harrison, senior Isaiah West gained 138 yards on seven carries, and junior Simaj Hill returned an interception for a touchdown.
“It’s very exciting to be playing in such a great atmosphere,” said senior receiver Chris Steinmetz. “But at the end of the day, once the ball gets kicked off, it’s just football.”
St. Joseph's Prep vs. Father Judge. (Photo gallery by Kathy Leister for PSD)
The other Red Division contest proved to be a classic.
Participating in their first-ever Red Division game after moving from the Blue, Bonner-Prendergast rode a torrid effort by Mick Johnson in a stunning 38-30 win over a very tough Roman Catholic squad. The senior two-way standout collected 136 yards rushing and four TDs on 23 carries – the second time this year he’s reached four scores.
Teammate Saleem Frink added 111 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Robert Nettles-Carter’s interception was the Friars’ sixth of the season, helping the Friars stay undefeated through four games.
“It was a very nice win for us,” said Friars coach Jack Muldoon. “Great game, awesome atmosphere. I think there was a thought among some people before the game that we weren’t on the ‘level’ of them.
“We respect all of our opponents, but I think we deserve some respect for how we have played and prepared.”
In the Blue Division, three different teams remained undefeated, setting the stage for what should be a ton of fun over the next month.
Archbishop Ryan (3-0) defeated Conwell-Egan, 34-27, as senior quarterback Frankie Mawson continued to post outstanding numbers through the air. His three touchdown passes (he also added one on the ground) gave him eight in three division games.
Senior Christon Mitchell-Brown rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries for the Raiders, who have scored 105 points in the Blue. For Conwell-Egan, quarterback Aubrey Kimbrough fired three touchdowns, a pair to Chris Toombs. Monty Zoryea’s 148 yards paced the Eagles’ rushing attack.
Bonner-Prendie vs. Roman. (Video/ Jahmir Dunbar for PSD)
Bonner-Prendie vs. Roman. (Photo gallery by Jahmir Dunbar for PSD)
“Our offensive line was great,” said Mitchell-Brown. “We possessed the ball most of the second half just running constantly.”
In defending champion Neumann-Goretti’s 26-13 win over West Catholic, quarterback Deante Ruffin rushed for two scores and threw for another while Kyreese Bradley contributed 69 yards and a TD on 13 carries as the Saints improved to 2-0.
Saints coach Albie Crosby gave kudos to his opponent.
“We won a tough game against a really good West Catholic football team,” said Crosby. “West Catholic forced us into a lot of mistakes, but our big plays got us over at the end.”
Crosby offered particularly effusive praise for senior linebacker DJ Clark for his ability to contain the running of West signal caller Kal-El Durham.
Coming into the game, Durham had accrued 631 yards and seven touchdowns on 67 carries. Although he did throw two TD passes, Durham he was held to 51 yards and no scores on 16 carries.
“Our defense played outstanding,” said Clark. “Spying the quarterback was something we needed to do to help us succeed. We held him to short yardage and he really didn’t get no big runs on us like he did to other teams. We disrupted their offense a lot, we forced a fumble, and we were in the backfield all game.”
Despite Archbishop Wood senior Yasin Lowry’s 173 yards and two TDs on 29 carries, an all-around effort carried Lansdale Catholic to a 22-14 win over the much-improved Vikings.
While Nick O’Brien gained 117 yards and scored a touchdown on 20 carries, the Crusader defense picked off three passes.
“The offensive line led the way for us, and (quarterback Yeboa Cobbold) played great,” said senior lineman Chris Umer. “The defense came up big at the end of the game.
Ulmer is looking forward to Friday’s 7:00 clash versus visiting Archbishop Ryan.
“This game is huge, a must win for us,” said Ulmer. “We’ve treated this game like every other game all week, high intensity/focus week. We want to put points on the board and play nasty defense. The guys are locked in and ready to go.”
(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.)