La Salle vs. Roman Catholic D12 Quarterfinal Preview @LaSalle_Sports @_RomanFootball

Tagged under: District 12, Gameday Hub, News

Will Ryan | November 4, 2021

Shot by Christian Daikler, Maurice Veney pressures La Salle QB, Alan Paturzo

La Salle College High School, the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division Champions, will host the Roman Catholic Cahillites, who handed the Explorers their only loss of the season. The two will play at Springfield (Montco) High School on Saturday, November 6th, at 1pm.

The Cahillites had 1 win in Philadelphia Catholic League play this year, and it came against the Explorers on October 9th. Roman put up 27 points on an Explorers defense that had not allowed that many points combined in their first 4 games. The difference maker in that contest was Tyseer Denmark, a superstar sophomore WR who recently picked up a South Carolina offer. Denmark carried the ball 9 times in that game, mostly out of wildcat formations, and scored on 3 of those carries. As a reciver, he was genuinly unstoppable. The Explorers were down their #1 CB, Amir Anderson, and Tyseer Denmark made them pay. Roman’s QB, John Ingram, connected with Denmark 7 times for 198 yards and a touchdown.

Ingram had 4 completions to anyone not named Tyseer Denmark, but I would be remised not to commend his performance on that cool October afternoon. Ingram was 11-17 for 231 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line of Roman Catholic played the game of their lives that day. Abdul Carter, Darold Dengohe, and Sean McFadden usually make themselves at home in opponents backfields. But the Roman O-Line only surrendered one sack all day. (The one sack does not include errant snaps from the center that lead to a loss of yardage.)

The Cahillites played the game of their life that day, and things could look different in this quarterfinal matchup. For starters, Amir Anderson and Chris Thompson will both be active this week for the Explorers. Thompson is a senior captain LB for the Explorers, who led the PCL in tackles his junior year. Amir Anderson is an active corner who has forced 3 turnovers this year, and has deflected over 12 passes this season. Tyseer Denmark still has an advantage over Anderson, but Anderson is more developed than Kelby Hampton, who followed Denmark in their last matchup.

Speaking of Kelby Hampton, he has emerged as a versatile weapon for the Explorers, Hampton was thrown in the battlefield against Roman Catholic after just 1 game at CB this year. Since then, the Explorers have integrated him into some offensive sets, while also getting some CB snaps. With Amir Anderson healthy though, Hampton no longer has the duty of shadowing the opponent’s #1 WR.  Hampton has nicely settled into the role of CB #3 and WR #4. It is important to note that Hampton also picked up his first career interception in La Salle’s game against Archbishop Wood on October 30th.

Cornerback Amir Anderson will be active for the Explorers matchup with the Cahillites. Photo taken by Christian Daikler, a La Salle student.

Generally a key to success for any team is containing Sam Brown. But Brown carried the ball 21 times in their last matchup and accumulated 157 yards. What the Cahillites did so well in their last matchup, and will have to do again, is pressure Alan Paturzo. Paturzo threw the ball 19 times, but only 11 of them were complete. The most important of those pass attempts was intercepted behind the line of scrimmage by edge rusher, Jamieal Lyons. If the Cahillites can, again, get pressure on Paturzo and make him uncomfortable in the pocket, they give themselves a chance.

They will need Ingram to be on his “A Game” though. His 11 completions vs. La Salle was the most he has had all season. His completion percentage this season is a lowly 51.3%, and he has only connected with Denmark twice in their past two contests. On the other hand, Paturzo has been very efficent in the two games following their lone loss. His completion percentage on the year is up to 68.6%, and he has limited his turnovers.

For Roman to win this game and advance to the D12, AAAAAA Semifinals, they will need to sustain long, time consuming drives. If they can limit the number of possessions in this contest, they can be within striking distance in the 4th quarter, and hope for some big plays by Tyseer Denmark. Expect Mao Howell, who had 23 carries in their last contest, to get a lot of touches. If Roman cannot take time of the clock and have even a couple “4 and outs” they are in trouble. Punter Jason Patterson has struggled to flip the field for the Cahillites, and the Explorers can capitalize in short field situations. The special teams advantage for the Explorers is glaring. The Cahillites have not kicked a field goal all year, and Ndori Jeck is just 13-18 on extra point tries. Jeck has also only booted 1 touchback while Santi Sturla has about 20.

If Roman Catholic can control the clock, have long drives, and take care of the ball, they’ve got a shot. In most other situations, the Explorers have a good chance at moving onto the D12 AAAAAA semifinals.

How to Watch the Game:

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All photos in this article were shot by Christian Daikler. Click here for his website.

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