CONSHOHOCKEN, PA – Friday night marked the commencement of league play for Archbishop Carroll and La Salle, who are now in the same division due to the Philadelphia Catholic league’s realignment.
“We haven’t played Carroll in a long time so we didn’t know that much about them, like the teams we play every year. So this was a little new for us,” said La Salle’s head coach John Steinmetz.
Despite the unfamiliarity, the Explorers started out strong. Senior running back, Syaire Madden ran in for a touchdown just five minutes into the game. Sophomore, Manuel Quiles, followed Madden’s lead and found the end zone for himself to put La Salle up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
(14 Photos)
Tides turned in the second quarter, as Archbishop Carroll’s defense picked three interceptions off of La Salle’s starting quarterback Tommy LaMorte. One interception was caught by Carroll junior, Greg Natale, who took it 75-yds to the house. The Patriots offense ignited and managed to enter halftime leading 18-14 after scoring three consecutive touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Patriots failed to convert three two-point conversion attempts.
First Quarter Highlights:
La Salle’s Syaire Madden runs 20-yds for a touchdown
La Salle’s Manuel Quiles spins his way into the end zone
Second Quarter Highlights:
Arch. Carroll’s Mattew Martillotti intercepts Tommy LaMorte
Archbishop Carroll fails to complete a 2-point conversion
Arch. Carroll’s Khadir Roberts scores a touchdown
Arch. Carroll's Greg Natale returns a fumble for a 75-yd TD
During halftime, coach Steinmetz expressed his disappointment to the Explorers and challenged them to simply play a little better.
“I reminded them that they had ‘La Salle’ on their chest and that there is a level of play that we expect them to play at,” said Steinmetz. “So they kind of woke up coming out of halftime.”
“Woke up,” in this case, would an understatement. The Explorers silenced the Patriots, scoring 32 unanswered points. La Salle’s Quiles totaled four touchdowns in the contest with three coming from the Explorers second half domination. La Salle’s defensive lineman, Chris Maloney, stood out on defense totaling two sacks in the third quarter. Maloney explained that La Salle’s second half boost was an entire team effort.
“We just said that the way we were playing was not the way we should be playing. We are the defending PCL champions and we had to start playing like it,” said Maloney, who was named first-team All Catholic last year. “The first half wasn’t so good but the second half was better. So we need to play all of our games like we did in the second half. When the whole team executes it’s a big success.”
Third Quarter Highlights:
La Salle's student section
La Salle’s Joseph Burnham scores a TD
Fourth Quarter Highlights:
Final: La Salle 46 - Archbishop Carroll 18
La Salle Alma Mater
The New Face of Carroll Football
For Archbishop Carroll, the switch in PCL division is not the only new adjustment made to their football program this season - the other is the hiring of their new head coach, Dan Connor. The Penn State alum was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2008 and played six years in the NFL before landing at West Chester University as the Golden Rams linebackers coach. Connor is excited about this new opportunity and is looking forward to building upon the Patriot’s notable football program.
“The job opened up at Carroll, I took a visit and talked to the president and it’s an unbelievable place. It has a great family atmosphere and it’s on the rise,” said Connor. “I knew I could get on the ground floor of a program while playing in the best league in the state and turn it around to try and make it a powerhouse, which it had been in the past.”
As a new coach, Connor knows change cannot happen overnight. Although the Patriots were unable to pull off their first division win, the team is heading in the right direction.
“We showed some good signs but we have to learn to finish. A lot about building a new team and building a program is the culture,” said Connor. “In the second half, one or two plays went bad and we fell back into our old ways. Earlier in the season that was happening in the first quarter and now it’s moved to the second half. I hope by the end of the season as we keep building and getting better that we can push it longer and longer until we can put a complete game together.”
One of Carroll’s standout stars in the game was wide receiver Khadir Roberts, who scored a touchdown in the second quarter. Connor noted that Roberts not only shines on the field but is also a dedicated student in the classroom.
“He is a really talented player and not only that, but he’s the whole package as a kid. He has a 4.0 GPA, he’s fourth in his class and he has interest from a lot of colleges in the area, from Villanova, to the Ivy League to the Patriot League, they are all after him,” said Connor. “Games like this for a kid like that is huge and he rose to the occasion. You play some of the best teams in the state in this division and it’s a big stage to play on. You know college coaches are watching. Some guys give up and some guys show up, and he showed up. He’s been doing it all offseason and he’s been doing it his entire career at Carroll. I’m about as happy as I could possibly be seeing the good guys, the guys who believe, the guys who bought-in, to see them work and do well.”
Looking ahead the division battles continue for both teams. This Saturday, Carroll will play away at Widener University vs. St. Joe’s Prep at 7:30PM. La Salle will also play away on Saturday vs. Archbishop Ryan at Northeast HS at 7PM.