BY: JOHN KNEBELS 

Team pride. Improving individual statistics. Playing a season finale. Working on the final details as the postseason beckons.

Regardless of the objective, the final week of the regular season in the Catholic League will not include a championship game, because the team with the best record during the regular season takes home the plaque. St. Joseph’s Prep and Conwell-Egan already took care of that. 

The PIAA playoffs are a different matter entirely, of course, but first things first.

Predicting the final seven Catholic League games and hoping to improve on last week’s 6-1 record . . .

Red Division:

Friday: Archbishop Wood vs. Father Judge at Ramp Athletic Complex, 6:00 – The Vikings (3-1) are coming off a 31-12 win over La Salle in which they surrendered 169 yards of offense. Take away the disappointment against St. Joseph’s Prep and Wood has allowed 26 points in four games. QB Jake Ross and RB Tom Santiago keep the Viking train rolling against the 1-3 Crusaders, 34-13.

Friday:  Roman Catholic vs. La Salle at Plymouth-Whitemarsh H.S., 7:00 – After losing so badly against Archbishop Wood, LaSalle (2-2) is looking to unleash some fury. QB Sean Daly will get it done with both his arm and legs to the tune of four combined touchdowns in a 40-7 win, keeping the outmanned Cahillites (0-4) winless with one final shot at victory looming on Thanksgiving Day against neighborhood rival Roxborough (which the Cahillites will win by double digits, thanks in part to playing in such a competitive division like the PCL Red).

Friday: Archbishop Ryan vs. St. Joseph’s Prep at Widener University, 8:00 – Division game of he week. There was a time this looked like a potential championship game, but Ryan (2-2) lost its way, scoring a combined seven points in two losses before winning last week. Prep coach Gabe Infante was asked about the PIAA playoffs yesterday.

“I’m only thinking about Archbishop Ryan right now,” he said.

That wasn’t just coach-speak; he meant it. The Hawks (4-0) have scored 49, 48, 49, and 69 points, respectively, against the Red. That comes out to an average of almost 54 points per game. Prep won’t reach that, but it’ll come close, 47-14.

Friday: West Catholic at Bonner-Prendergast, 7:00 – The Burrs (5-1) struggled, but barely survived, against what appeared to be an overmatched Neumann-Goretti team last week. The Saints (1-5) get West Catholic at an inopportune time. The running back combo of Jacir Savoy and Zahir Booker has combined for 1,260 yards rushing and 15 total touchdowns. They will both find the end zone as the Burrs prevail, 26-6. 

Friday: Bishop McDevitt at Archbishop Carroll, 7:00 – Carroll’s offense is coming together behind QB Russell Minor-Shaw, who gained 134 yards rushing and fired two touchdowns in an impressive win over Lansdale Catholic. As for McDevitt, well, not sure which team will show up. The top two toughies – West Catholic and Conwell-Egan – drubbed the Lancers (4-2) by an aggregate 83-14. Carroll (2-4) hasn’t enjoyed a surprising victory yet – until now. Decided in the fourth quarter or overtime, Archbishop Carroll triumphs, 31-18. 

Saturday: Cardinal O’Hara vs. Conwell-Egan at Truman H.S., 7:00 – Division game of the week. Cardinal O’Hara is a terrific team. One of the best, in fact. The Lions (4-2) have won three in a row while allowing only 21 composite points. They have surrendered single digits in six of their eight contests. But Conwell-Egan (6-0) is not about to lose a division game, especially at home. Star RB Patrick Garwo’s stats (1,372 yards rushing and 22 combined TDs) are off the charts. Heck, he turned two catches into 102 yards last week. Teammate Terome Mitchell has scored 12 touchdowns. The Lions will hold the Eagles in check, but not enough to smile when the clock turns zeroes. Conwell-Egan finishes a perfect regular season at 10-0 with a hard-fought 20-13 win.

Saturday: Neumann-Goretti vs. Lansdale Catholic at Wissahickon H.S., 5:00 – The two Class AAA foes – both with records of 1-5 – are particularly eager for a reason to celebrate. N-G almost had a season-making win over heavily favored West Catholic last week, but lost, 23-20. Lansdale Catholic has lost five of its last six and three straight. As prognosticated last week, LC standout rusher Danny Dutkiewicz reached quadruple figures last week, though that was hardly a risky forecast. Defending champion N-G will lead early, but the Crusaders will sever their winless streak, 27-12.

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