By: John Knebels

Two weeks remaining. Though upsets could occur during the final two regular-season football games, it would appear that the Catholic League championships will be captured by St. Joseph’s Prep in the Red Division and Conwell-Egan in the Blue.

Of course, thanks to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), every team remains alive for a postseason berth.

Heading into the penultimate regular season-scheduled contests, here are the match-ups. For the first time, we will predict the outcome of each game. It’s all for fun, so hey, be kind when you tweet . . .

Friday: Archbishop Wood vs. La Salle at Upper Dublin High School, 7:00 – This is the game of the week in this division. . . Both squads have lost to St. Joseph’s Prep but have had their way with the rest . . . La Salle (3-4 overall, 2-1 division) has dropped three straight to Wood by a collective score of 62-25, and the players, especially the seniors, have admitted their angst about it openly . . . Wood (4-3, 2-1) is coming off a forgettable 49-14 loss to the Prep and is undoubtedly hoping to right the ship. Conversely, La Salle just walloped Archbishop Ryan, 35-0, and held their formidable offense to 34 yards rushing while not allowing a single passing completion . . . La Salle quarterback Sean Daly is improving every week, both with his arm and legs . . . This one should remain undecided until the fourth quarter, but the host Explorers will prevail, 28-26.   

Saturday: Archbishop Ryan at Roman Catholic at Northwest Super Site, 1:00 – Oh my gosh. The Cahillites (0-7, 0-3) get Ryan at the wrong time. After dominating every phase of the game – especially on offense to the tune of better than 41 points per game – through their first six wins, the Raiders (6-2, 1-2) scored only seven against Wood and were blanked by La Salle, 35-0 . . . Super soph Tyreek Chappell has scored 15 touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 570 yards. Chappell will collect more than 200 yards combined as the Raiders best Roman, 36-7.

Saturday: Father Judge vs. St. Joseph’s Prep at Widener University, 7:00 – The Prep (8-0, 3-0) will win this game. It’s only a matter of the final score . . . Thanks to lopsided victories, the Hawks have benefited from numerous underclassmen receiving quality minutes and contributing significantly on both sides of the ball . . . Sophomore QB Kyle McCord has thrown 13 touchdown passes on 84 completions, but most games, he stops airing it out right after halftime . . . Father Judge (1-5, 1-2), which severed a five-game losing streak with a 21-7 win over Roman Catholic last week, has rushed for a little over 100 yards per game . . . The Prep will forge ahead by double digits early in a 42-10 win.  

Saturday: Conwell-Egan vs. Bishop McDevitt at Springfield Montco, 1:00 – Division game of the week . . .A win by C-E (8-0, 5-0) clinches the crown, and the undefeated Eagles are not about to lose after stopping West Catholic last week, despite McDevitt 6-2, 4-1) being in the middle of an excellent season . . . Star running back Patrick Garwo has gained 1,236 yards and scored 18 touchdowns, but last week he was held to 73 yards and a TD on 20 carries . . . Garwo will approach 200 yards – might even eclipse it – as the Eagles upend the Lancers, 37-13.

Friday: Bonner-Prendergast at Cardinal O’Hara, 7:00 – B-P just notched its first division win, 21-20, over Archbishop Carroll. But the Friars (3-5, 1-4) are facing an O’Hara team that is better than its record (5-2, 3-2) indicates . . . The Lions lost to West Catholic and Bishop McDevitt by a combined 17 points . . . O’Hara’s strong running game and very competent passing component leads the Lions to a 28-7 win.

Friday: Neumann-Goretti vs. West Catholic at Widener University, 7:30 – West Catholic (6-2, 4-1) just lost a 21-13 decision to Conwell-Egan, which realistically cost the Burrs any chance at a league title . . . So unfortunately for the Saints (1-4, 1-4), West is in a foul mood, and adding to the equation the revenge factor – N-G defeated West twice last year – this one is a no-brainer as the Burrs blank the Saints, 34-0.

Saturday: Archbishop Carroll vs. Lansdale Catholic at Wissahickon, 1:00 – How Carroll lost to Bonner-Prendergast after having won an emotional game the previous week is a head scratcher . . . The Pats (3-4, 1-4) appear much better on paper, having accrued 1,351 yards rushing and 15 touchdown passes . . . Lansdale Catholic (2-5, 1-4), which has only thrown 49 passes all season, relies most on Danny Dutkiewicz, a workhorse who needs 85 yards to reach 1,000 . . . Double D will reach quadruple figures, but Carroll will triumph, 24-18.

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