PHILADELPHIA – Roman Catholic needed a victory. There is no other way to say it.
After losing each of their five games while scoring a touchdown or less in four of them, the Cahillites were in desperation mode.
The bad news about their game versus Archbishop Carroll on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Germantown’s Northwest Supersite was that the Cahillites once again could only muster one touchdown. The good news is that it was just enough to defeat the Patriots, 6-0.
“It’s a huge relief,” said coach Jim Murphy. “It’s massive. I’m so happy for these guys. They kept working hard through the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s always good to see hard work pay off. This is a tough league. Every game is a big challenge.”
Roman vs. Carroll Game & Fan Photos
(Gallery contains 50 Game & Fan photos taken by John Knebels)
Depending on what type of football game one enjoys, the first three quarters were either thoroughly enjoyable or a cure for insomnia. Outside of Carroll (2-4 overall, 0-3 league) surprising Roman (1-5, 1-1) by taking the first 7:06 of the third quarter to drive to the Cahillites’ 28-yard line before being stopped on downs, neither squad threatened to change the zeroes on the scoreboard.
Finally, with 5:41 remaining in regulation, senior Marquise Cooper broke through for a 13-yard touchdown run down the right side. The likeable senior finished with 88 yards rushing on 16 carries.
“They made blocks, and I saw the hole,” said Cooper, who ironically finished with the same exact rushing numbers in a 20-7 win over Carroll last year. “I knew we had to get it.”
In the final minute, Carroll was able to advance to midfield. But on fourth and four, sophomore linebacker Kienan Pope busted through from behind for a game-clinching sack, and the Roman band started playing a victory tune to coincide with a loud, appreciative cheer from its crowd.
“It was a big play and it needed to happen,” said senior Mike Leyland, who earlier in the final quarter had contributed a key fourth-down sack after Carroll had advanced to the 21-yard line. “Somebody had to make a stop, so different players stepped up. It was a great defensive effort. We had a shutout today. Can’t ask for anything more than that. It was a back and forth battle.”
Senior defensive end teammate Fred Palumbo also contributed several standout plays that thwarted Carroll’s attempts.
“Before the game even started, we wanted a shutout,” said Palumbo. “You start it and finish it, just like we did.”
Palumbo said the defense was not satisfied after the offense supplied the lead.
“You have to keep moving,” he said. “Don’t change a thing. Don’t let up.”
Senior defensive back Rodney Michel said that Roman’s own fans even doubted them in the week leading up to kickoff.
“Most of the people from our school said that Carroll is gonna win,” he said. “In this game, our mindset was not just that we were going to win, but that we had to win.”
Outside the boisterous locker room, Cooper summarized the triumph.
“Defense wins games, but we had to help the defense out,” said Cooper, who also spearheaded a secondary that allowed a miserly 36 yards passing. “It was up to the offensive line (to score some points), and we came out with the ‘W’. We just wanted it more.”
Perhaps Palumbo summarized the win best.
“It’s great to get it off our chest,” he said.
Marquise Cooper scores the only points of the game for RC.
Kienan Pope sacks the quarterback to clinch the win
Marquise Cooper compliments the offense and defense
Fred Palumbo helped the Roman defense forge a shutout
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)
Looking Ahead: On Saturday, Roman Catholic will play St. Joseph’s Prep at 7PM at Widener University. Archbishiop Carroll will play on the road again vs. Archbishop Ryan at Northeast HS also at 7PM.