By: John Knebels
FORT WASHINGTON, PA – Implausible. Stunning Classic. Epic.
Call it what you want. At minimum, La Salle’s 35-34 Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division victory over St. Joseph’s Prep Saturday night in front of an undoubtedly fatigued sold-out crowd at Upper Dublin High School forged its way into the annals as one of the most unforgettable events in PCL football history.
The surgical summary of the PCL’s longest-ever football game requires sifting through pages of notes and painstaking film study.
Scalpel, please.
Entering the game, the Prep had defeated the Explorers in 14 of their last 15 meetings dating back to 2016, usually in dominant fashion. Since defeating the Prep, 28-21, on October 2, 2021, La Salle had dropped five straight.
But because the Explorers had appeared so dominant in their six straight wins this year, outscoring their opponents by a collective 224 to 43, while the Prep seemed less than invincible in their four previous games (3 wins, 1 loss), a palpable pre-game anticipation emanated from both fan bases that, if consulted, a bookmaker might have actually favored the Explorers by a point or two.
“The message before the game was all about how we were about to change the tide of high school football in PA,” said junior linebacker Keenan Stahl. “We wanted to show everyone what the new era of La Salle football is going to be like.”
Though both teams periodically flashed some offense, a defensive battle created a scoreless tie heading at halftime.
Little could anyone realize what was in store for later.
Take a deep breath. Here goes . . .
With 6:30 remaining in the third quarter, La Salle brings its crowd to its feet when junior quarterback Gavin Sidwar tosses a nine-yard pass to senior Nick Swanson to break the deadlock.
Undaunted, the Prep answers 4:48 later as sophomore quarterback Charlie Foulke connects with senior Jamir Rowe for a 16-yard score.
Onto the fourth quarter.
The Explorers strike early when Sidwar finds sophomore Josh Simmons for a 10-yard touchdown. The Hawks, however, tie the game with 4:41 left in regulation on a 24-yard dart from Foulke to senior Alijah Turner.
La Salle vs. St. Joseph's Prep. (Photo by Mike Livingston for PSD)
As the game appears destined for overtime, Prep sophomore Brandon Lockley intercepts a pass at the La Salle 39-yard line with 2:58 left. A few plays later, the Hawks stand in perfect position to kick a short field goal and emerge with a gutsy win.
Instead of taking the three, the Prep decides to run a play, and absolute disaster strikes when a pass is deflected by La Salle senior Christian Peterman and lands in the outstretched arms of diving junior Grayson McKeogh with four seconds left.
“We practiced against every scenario, one of which was a rollout pass,” said McKeogh. “If that were to happen, the backside has the quarterback. Christian and I read the bootleg, and as soon as he tipped it, I saw it at the last second and managed to get it. It was a crazy moment and I couldn’t hear anything from how loud it was.”
Instead of tying the game with an extra point, La Salle Defeats St. Joseph's Prep, 35-34, in 4 overtimes on this 2-point conversion from Joey O'Brien to a diving Desmond Ortiz. (video/ John Knebels for PSD)
A gutsy performance had La Salle coach Brett Gordon bursting with pride. (video/ John Knebels)
Peterson echoed his partner in clutch theft – the Explorers’ third of the contest, with seniors Gavin Muller and Justin Hawkins having snuffed out Prep scoring drives earlier.
“We were prepared for whatever they came out in,” said Peterman. “Our whole defense is about trust, and Grayson and I stuck to our jobs. Both of us read the play pretty quickly. Not to mention the great coverage behind us. The way our coaches prepared us put me in the right place at the right time.”
As the Prep sideline looks on in disbelief, McKeogh and Peterman join their ecstatic teammates, coaches, and fans, all of whom cannot believe their fortune.
Facing imminent defeat, a winning lottery ticket had emerged out of nowhere.
Overtime.
La Salle is the first team to take possession at its opponent 10-yard line, and the Explorers move ahead, 21-14, on a Sidwar pass to James Dolan. The Prep responds when senior Jamir Rowe bulls ahead for a 10-yard touchdown run.
Overtime Two.
Prep senior kicker Leo Ricci continues his perfect day when he gives the Hawks their first lead at 24-21 with a 26-yard field goal. La Salle does the same through the right leg of junior Chris Heck.
Overtime Three.
The Explorers again can’t penetrate the Hawks’ rejuvenated defense, so Heck puts them in front with his second field goal. With a chance to win, the Hawks are unable to solve La Salle’s defense, so Ricci ties the game at 27-27.
“It was a great opportunity and experience for me,” said Heck. “I knew I just had to do my job to give our offense the chance to win it, which they did. The atmosphere was electric and it felt great to contribute to our amazing team win. The defense played great all game and made huge plays.”
Desmond Ortiz’s diving catch in the end zone ended La Salle’s epic 4-overtime victory over PCL Red Rival St. Joseph's Prep. (Video/ John Knebels)
Joey O’Brien did pretty much everything in immense La Salle win, including an impromptu winning conversion pass. (video/ John Knebels)
Overtime Four.
St. Joseph’s Prep breaks the field goal trend via a third-down, 10-yard strike from Foulke to Rowe, giving the Hawks a 34-27 lead. Ignoring the pressure of the moment, Sidwar deals his fifth touchdown and 23rd of the season, a 10-yarder to two-way junior standout Joey O’Brien, who collects his eighth of the campaign while keeping his scoring streak alive at seven games.
With the score now 34-33 in favor of the Prep, a buzz begins to ascend. La Salle first-year head coach and 1998 alum, Brett Gordon, arguably the best quarterback in his alma mater’s history before an outstanding career at Villanova, keeps his offense on the field.
With the noise having risen to deafening decibels, La Salle resorts to a trick play in which O’Brien lines up as a wide receiver, sprints to his right toward Sidwar, takes a handoff, and steps back to pass. The Hawks respond masterfully, and the Explorers face distress.
With Prep junior Alex Haskell in pursuit, O’Brien takes advantage of blocks by sophomore teammate Andrew Sorge and senior running back Brian Christy and starts running forward. Clearly aware that he won’t be able to reach the end zone, but still well behind the line of scrimmage, O’Brien flicks a pass from the seven-yard line toward the end zone.
Prep senior Anthony Sacca reaches up and taps the ball, which changes the directory north rather than south. The extra few inches allow La Salle junior Desmond Ortiz to dive and snare the ball inches from the ground. The official raises his arms high in the air.
La Salle 35, St. Joseph’s Prep 34.
La Salle vs. St. Joseph's Prep - Game Highlights by John Knebels for PSD:
“I thought we had the momentum,” said Gordon. “It certainly wasn’t the way we drew the play up, but our best player Joey makes a play, and what can you say? It was a great hard-fought game.
“At the end of the day, it’s a regular-season game. It was just gonna come down to who could make a play, and we made one more. We’ve worked really hard this offseason. We talk about resiliency all the time, so the kids were really resilient in all three phases.
“I’m just really proud of the kids. We’ve come a long way. We still have a long way to go, but I’m really happy for them to experience something like tonight. I’m proud of the staff and we have another game next week that we have to get ready for.”
As La Salle’s players raced toward the stands to join their raucous supporters, the vast majority could celebrate key individual contributions to a monumental win.
La Salle’s Keenan Stahl appreciated his team’s grittiness.(video/ John Knebels)
La Salle QB Gavin Sidwar contributed numerous key throws in win over the Prep.
That’s why some wins feel so much better than others.
“When Coach Gordon called the play in the huddle, I had a gut feeling that we were going to get in the end zone somehow,” said Ortiz. “We’ve worked that play for weeks for moments like that, and even though the play broke down, we made something of it.
“When I lined up before the snap, I was just focused on doing my job and making a play if needed. The catch was just instinct to go get the ball out of the air. When I saw the touchdown signal, it was a great feeling.”
Sidwar, who has emerged as one of Pennsylvania’s most polished signal callers, talked about the pressure of remaining consistent regardless of the stakes.
His approach to playing the most scrutinized position in all of sports provided an insight to his maturity.
“As overtime went on, it just felt like a football game,” he said. “Every time I went out in the field, I thought to myself, ‘No turnovers,’ and to just go out and make a play. Don’t play scared, but don’t play dumb. No added pressure. Just playing football and make a play to win the game.”
Stahl, drenched in dirt and sweat but never feeling better, couldn’t help but feel team and school pride.
“The last two quarters and overtime really showed how hard both teams fought,” said Stahl. “The rankings that had La Salle and Prep as the number one and number two were proven right there during the second half. How the offense and defense both showed up at different times just shows how well rounded our team is.
“Overall, the last two quarters and the four overtimes expressed how much our team has matured over the course of the season and the whole offseason. It starts up top with the best coaching staff in the state and all the way down to the scout team during the preparation for our games on Friday and Saturday nights.
“The La Salle brotherhood is unlike anything you will ever find. I am so grateful to be surrounded by the players on the 2024 Explorers that make this team so special. I will remember for this game for the rest of my life.”
Matters don’t get too much easier for La Salle. On Friday, the Explorers travel to Bonner-Prendergast to take on an undefeated Friars team that, two weeks ago, stunned Roman Catholic, 38-30, and has averaged 40 points in their five wins.
“We know Bonner is a great team,” said Sidwar. “Last week was no different than other weeks. We have been concerned with going 1-0 each week no matter our opponent, and to just go play our best game. So we are focused on Bonner now, and coach Gordon has done a good job of stressing that to us.”
(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.)