SPRINGFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA – While the outcome was what he expected, the score was much closer than what West Catholic’s Joshua Evans anticipated. Responding to a poll tweeted by Eastern PA Football asking who would win the game, the senior quarterback replied, “It’s not even going be close.”
The West Catholic Burrs defeated Lansdale Catholic 7-6 Saturday afternoon at Lions Stadium to win the Philadelphia Catholic League Class AA Football championship. - Evan Easterling
The score could not be any closer than a one-point differential, with West Catholic defeating Lansdale Catholic 7-6 at Cardinal O’Hara’s Lions Stadium Saturday. The Burrs focused on starting strong.
“Everybody knows we’re going to come out here with some fire,” said Evans, who connected with senior receiver Craig Jones for his twentieth passing touchdown of the season. “We expected to beat them,” Evans said, adding that Lansdale Catholic played a good game.
This was the second time these teams met, as West Catholic prevailed 18-2 on Oct. 3. The Crusaders forced three turnovers and a safety but could not score a touchdown. While two-time Catholic League MVP Ryan Quigley sat out with an injury in October, he suited up for Lansdale Catholic Saturday. Game planning for him was important for the Burrs.
“They run the ball very well, so we needed to hit every gap and make sure he [Quigley] doesn’t get any cutback lanes,” head coach and athletic director Brian Fluck said. “He’s a very good shifty runner so we made sure everyone stays in their gaps and stay on the line of scrimmage.”
The Burrs defense limited the Crusaders to two field goals. Trailing 7-3, Lansdale Catholic stopped West Catholic’s drive to open the second half, forcing an incomplete pass by Evans on third down and seven in the red zone. The Crusaders began their own drive down the field, aided by a personal foul penalty and a 24-yard run by Quigley on an option play. However, a false start on third down and seven moved the ball back to the Burrs’ 20-yard line, which stalled the drive and forced the Crusaders to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Ryan Carbone.
First-team All-Catholic League defensive lineman Vincent Picozzi tackles Burrs running back Supreme Kemp in the open field. - Evan Easterling
Even though West Catholic, whose offense was averaging 27.6 points per game coming into play, did not play up to par, the defense, led by senior captain Amir Postley’s 12 tackles was key in the victory.
“Our defense played incredible all day, giving up the two field goals,” Fluck said. “Our defense played big all game and then two key stops, especially the one down there when they had a real chance to score and take the lead. They just came up big, every one of them.”
The title is the ninth Catholic League Championship in ten years for West Catholic, who won eight consecutive titles before losing to Neumann-Goretti last year. While Fluck is happy with his defense’s play, the offense has room for improvement before its upcoming matchup against Delaware Valley Charter Nov. 21.
“We were playing well offensively the past couple weeks,” Fluck said. “Today we weren’t in sync. We need to correct that at practice and make sure everyone’s lined up right, make sure we get the right snaps, and take care of the ball. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
