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FOOTBALL: Philadelphia Catholic League District Round-Up & Weekend Preview

By John Knebels - Photos by Zamani Feelings & Aaron Mitchell, 11/09/17, 11:30PM EST

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Philadelphia Catholic League Football Round-Up

   Catholic League football has long been considered a major lynchpin in the tri-state area. One glance at the number of Catholic League PIAA state qualifiers, not to mention an abundance of champions, and it’s easy to sympathize with programs throughout Pennsylvania that hope to avoid meeting the likes of St. Joseph’s Prep, or La Salle, or Archbishop Wood, or Neumann-Goretti, etc. 

This weekend will determine at least three Catholic League teams that will move on to states.

   At 7 PM Friday at Northeast High School, St. Joseph’s Prep (9-0) will face La Salle (7-3) in the Class 6A championship. In winning their 23rd straight game, the Hawks accrued 252 yards on the ground, led by sophomore Kolbe Burrell’s 100 yards on only six carries, in a 41-7 semifinal win over Father Judge. 

   La Salle, which lost to the Prep, 28-14, during the regular season, ended a two-game losing streak by blanking Roman Catholic, 45-0, behind senior quarterback and defensive back Isaiah Jones. Replacing injured senior QB Danny Solecki early in the game, Jones, who had been replaced at QB by Solecki after suffering an injury in Week Two, rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown. In his only full-game performance this year, a 41-28 victory Week One against North Penn, Jones threw two touchdown passes and also rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown.

   “We just gotta play our brand of football,” said St. Joseph’s Prep senior linebacker Phil O’Connor.

   La Salle is thinking in similar veins.

  “We have to win the battle in the trenches,” said senior two-way lineman Dan Kuznetsov.

   Added Jones: “Me being the quarterback is no different than Danny.”

Prediction: St. Joseph’s Prep 27, La Salle 14   

In the Class 5A championship 7 PM Friday at William Tennent High School, Archbishop Wood (7-2) takes on Archbishop Ryan (5-6). Wood, 42-7 victors over Ryan during the regular season, was on a bye week while Ryan nipped Archbishop Carroll, 21-20, in its semifinal. Senior Jason Jefferson’s 72 yards rushing and two touchdowns (giving him six in two games against Carroll) led the way, but technically speaking, it was three extra points by junior kicker Gavin Dionisio that ultimately made the difference. 

   “We have to limit big plays,” said Ryan coach Frank McArdle. “We cannot turn the ball over or hurt ourselves. We have to match their physicality up front.”

Prediction: Archbishop Wood 34, Archbishop Ryan 7 

Perhaps the best price of admission will be the District 1/12 Class 2A sub-regional final between West Catholic (8-3) and Neumann-Goretti (9-0). Both teams had no problems in the semifinals. While whipping Bristol, 50-6, and winning its fifth straight since a 20-16 regular-season loss to N-G, West Catholic intercepted four passes, junior Jacir Savoy rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, senior quarterback Da-Vion Kidd-Jackson tossed a perfect 6 for 6 for 156 yards and three scores, and junior Seth Degree turned two of his three receptions into TDs. 

   Neumann-Goretti walloped Strawberry Mansion, 54-6, by gaining 255 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Charles Britt added two scoring throws.

   “The key factor for us to win this week is to play aggressive and smart, and execute,” said West Catholic senior fullback/defensive end Keith Jenkins. “We do those things – I think we’ll win comfortably.” 

   According to Neumann-Goretti senior linebacker/tight end Jayvonne Campfield, the team that most believes in itself should prevail.

   “The key is confidence,” said Campfield. “We know that we are going up against a good team and that there is pressure to beat them. But we must have confidence in ourselves that we will play our best and work our hardest without mercy, but with fairness.”

  Prediction: West Catholic 28, Neumann-Goretti 27  


Lansdale Catholic Football - Photo Courtesy of @LCCrusaders

   In the District 1/12 Class 3A sub-regional semifinal, Lansdale Catholic (4-6) takes on School of the Future 1 PM Saturday at the South Philadelphia Supersite. The Crusaders defeated Future, 42-12, in last week’s District 12 final as senior running back/defensive end Matt Casee collected 173 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, and sophomore Danny Dutkiewicz turned 15 carries into 138 yards and two TDs. 

   “The key for us this weekend is to stay focused and not let last week affect how we play,” said Casee. “We need to come out and do the same thing because this time the season is on the line.”

Prediction: Lansdale Catholic 34, School of the Future 18 

   In the other District 1/12 Class 3A sub-regional semifinal, Conwell-Egan (4-6) meets New Hope-Solebury 7 PM Friday at New Hope-Solebury. The Eagles rely mostly on Blue Division Most Valuable Player Patrick Garwo, a supremely talented running back/linebacker who has contributed 20 total touchdowns (17 rushes, two receiving, one interception return). Junior quarterback Alex Goldsby has rushed for eight touchdowns. 

  “The key factor for success is to just treat this as another week and get better each and every day leading up to the game,” said Garwo. “It’s a new season. It’s playoff time, so we just need to limit our mistakes and play how we play.”

Prediction: Conwell-Egan 20, New Hope-Solebury 16. 

(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)