SPRINGFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA – A strong running attack and stout red zone defense helped Archbishop Ryan earn a road victory in Philadelphia Catholic League play Friday.
Cardinal O’Hara trailed 13-7 at halftime Friday against Archbishop Ryan. After the Lions scored the first touchdown of the game, the Raiders kept them off the scoreboard in the second quarter.
O’Hara’s junior quarterback Tommy O’Hara looks for an open receiver during the Lions’ 26-13 loss against Archbishop Ryan Friday. - PSD Photo
Momentum appeared to be shifting in Cardinal O’Hara’s favor to start the third quarter. Ryan’s drive to start the half lasted 41 seconds, as the Lions forced Matt Romano to punt. Cardinal O’Hara started at its own 31-yard line with 11:10 left in the quarter. The Lions slowly moved the ball down field, advancing to Ryan’s 11-yard line after a 10-yard run by junior quarterback Tommy O’Hara.
However, the drive stalled in the red zone.
On fourth and eight, O’Hara dropped back to pass, rolled to his right, stepped up in the pocket and avoided three tacklers before finally being sacked. The Lions turned the ball over on downs after having the ball for over six minutes. The stop was important for Ryan’s confidence.
“It was real big,” head coach Frank McArdle said. “We were struggling. Give them credit, they were doing really well on offense. Then we were able to get a stop so that was huge for us.”
Cardinal O’Hara had success running the quarterback draw in the first half. Tommy O’Hara ran for 53-yards and a touchdown during the first two quarters. For head coach B.J. Hogan, it was a matter of reading the defense and keeping it simple, trying to get four or five yards every play.
“They kind of walked their outside backers,” Hogan said. “It’s real simple. You count the guys they have in the box. They have five with the overhanging outside backer. We have five offensive lineman and we gained an extra guy with the quarterback and the running back. It’s almost like a quarterback [iso] play.”
The Raiders adjusted to the Lion’s rushing attack, limiting Tommy O’Hara to one yard per carry in the second half.
“At halftime we just made a few slight things inside with our linemen, stunting them a little bit more and that helped slow the quarterback draw a little bit,” McArdle said.
O’Hara passed or ran on 55 of the Lions’ 62 offensive plays, producing 208 total yards of offense. Though Hogan is happy with his quarterback’s play, he is unhappy with his team’s play in the red zone.
Raiders defenders converge on Lions quarterback Tommy O’Hara in the open field Friday.- PSD Photo
“There’s no sense in moving the ball 45-yards and then you get stalled in the red zone,” Hogan said. “We have to do a better job and it’s on me as the offensive coordinator to give our kids an opportunity to make some plays.”
The win for the Raiders (5-3. 3-1 Philadelphia Catholic League AAA) was powered by a strong rushing attack. Jaye McNeil had two rushing touchdowns and 208-yards rushing, 152 of which came in the second half. After O’Hara drove down the field and did not score in the third quarter, McNeil’s 27-yard rushing touchdown made it a two-possession game, increasing the score to 19-7. Quarterback Matt Romano accounted for Ryan’s two other touchdowns, throwing a three yard slant to Jeremy Smith to give the Raiders a 13-7 lead in the third quarter and running 16-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The rushing yards come from a team effort, McArdle said.
“I think our offensive line is pretty good,” McArdle said. “Jaye runs really hard. He’s a competitive kid and Matt’s a pretty good runner. He makes smart decisions on when to run the ball. They’re both competitive kids.”
Cardinal O’Hara (1-7, 0-3 Philadelphia Catholic League AAA) faces Monsignor Bonner-Prendergast on the road next week. Coach B.J. Hogan knows it is a rivalry game, but is focused on internal improvement.
“It’s not about Bonner, it’s not about Wood,” Hogan said. “It’s about us and continuing to get better.”
(From left to right) Nick Paquin, Cyrena Murray, Joe Smith, Domenica Agresta, Maddy Festa, Adam Landofi, Homecoming Queen Linda Chen, and Homecoming King Jim Tulskie were part of the Homecoming ceremony at halftime. - PSD Photo