LEVITTOWN, PA – Friday night at Harry Truman High School, Conwell-Egan Catholic and Cardinal O’Hara High School matched up to claim the number one spot in the Catholic League Blue Division and to put an end to the others undefeated season.
Cardinal O’Hara’s defense held Egan’s offense to less than 100 yards gained during the first half and forced three second-quarter turnovers. Despite the dominance set in the beginning of the game, the Lions would escape the game with the win, but only by three points.
O’Hara scored first with just 1:38 left in the first quarter on a pass from Josh McCalister-Afflick to Justin Santilla to put the Lions up 7-0. Before the end of the half, Cardinal O’Hara would strike again on a long run by Nick Kutufaris after a turnover by Egan to make the game 14-0.
The second half started, and the Conwell-Egan defense held O’Hara off the board throughout the third quarter. Midway through the quarter, sophomore Patrick Garwo ran the ball into the end zone for Egan to cut O’Hara’s lead in half.
That wouldn’t be the only time Garwo added to the scorecard. With 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Garwo ran for a 30-yard touchdown, making the score 14-13. The conversion kick, however, was no good, possibly due to a deflect by Cardinal O’Hara’s defense.
With under a minute left to play, Egan gained possession of the ball hoping to score at least a field goal to put them ahead of the Lions. But, O’Hara sacked quarterback Kendall Jones in the end zone, giving them a 2-point safety and the 16-13 victory.
Although Egan’s offense performed much better in the second half, O’Hara still finished ahead of them in yards 325-254. O’Hara completed 9 passes, compared to Egan’s 6. Ultimately, Egan’s 65 yards lost from penalties may have contributed to the loss.
Conwell-Egan will now prepare to face Monsignor Bonner this coming Saturday at home at 1:00pm while O’Hara will visit Neumann-Goretti on Saturday at 6:00pm.