St. Joe’s Prep routes La Salle 35-7, @LaSalle_Sports @SJPrep_Football

Tagged under: District 12, Gameday Hub, News

Will Ryan | November 14, 2021

Keenan Nelson almost blocks Santi Sturla’s punt. Photo: Christian Daikler

Revenge is a dish best served cold. The temperature at Franklin Field dropped from a mild 62° all the way down to 44° during the St. Joe’s Prep vs La Salle rematch. In their last outing, the game was close for all 48 minutes and ended in La Salle winning, 28-21. But Saturday’s matchup was all Prep, as the Hawks moved onto the District 12 6A Championship after routing the Explorers, 35-7.

The Hawks starting the game strong. An eight play, eighty yard TD drive was the best start imaginable for the Hawks. Dane Picariello, Prep’s senior QB, was 3/3 on the drive for 53 yards and a TD. That positive momentum never stopped for the Hawks. They forced a 3 and out on the Explorer’s first drive and almost got home on Santiago Sturla’s punt.

La Salle’s next drive, Prep held Sam Brown to two short carries, forcing a 3rd and 6. Alan Paturzo dropped back and looked to his right. What Paturzo did not see was Rocco Nicholl storming off the far edge, unblocked. Nicholl popped Paturzo and the ball came loose. James Heard, another Prep D-Lineman scooped up the ball and scored easily.

The next Explorers drive was no better. They went three and out and sent punter and Penn Commit, Santiago Sturla on the field. But the ensuing play proved to be a momentum swing for the Hawks. Junior WR Owen Garwood was lined up on the left side and was able to block Sturla’s punt and prep recovered it at the 4 yard.  “I was lined up on the left side and the previous time we had called for a rush off the right side. I had just stepped up into this position on the punt block team, and when they called the block on the left side I knew I needed to make a play. My teammates to my left and right did their jobs so that I could succeed.” Garwood’s attitude is a great example of Prep’s attitude as a whole on Saturday.

The Explorers, on the ensuing play, had 12 men in the huddle. Mental mistakes like that plus an abundance of penalties were killers for the Explorers all day. On one kickoff, they even had 10 men on the field.

Kahseim Phillips, on the play after the 12 men on the field penalty, ran in for a 2 yard TD to make the score 21-0. The Explorers on the next drive, methodically drove the ball down into the Prep redzone. Finally, things started to look good for the Explorers. But on the very first play of the second quarter, from the SJP 16 yard line, Paturzo dropped back, was pressured and underthrew his receiver by 7 yards. Anthony Sacca made a diving interception and if the game was out of reach before, it was over now.

Kahseim Phillips was the star of the ensuing drive as well. He capped of the drive with a 59 yard rushing touchdown. There was a gap so big that you could have driven a semi through it. Phillips hit the gap and went untouched to the house. 28-0 Prep.

La Salle went 3 and out AGAIN on the next drive, and Prep started their next drive at the LS 43. That field possession improved greatly thanks to a Josh Barlow 24 yard carry to the LS 5. From the 5, Dane was able to run a play action boot to the near side and hit Josiah Trotter in the end zone without a man without 5 yards of him. 35-0 Prep.

The cherry on top of this dominant first half was Ryan Moore leading the Explorers to the SJP 4 yard line thanks to a lot of Wildcat runs. Moore then yelled an audible to the right side of his offensive line, but his center snapped the ball. The ball went rolling back 20+ yards where Prep recovered. An apropos ending the first half.

The second half moved quickly due to a running clock. Sam Brown, toward the end of the 4th quarter, was able to break to the outside for an 85 yard TD rush. That rush put him over 1k rushing yards on the season, an outstanding achievement. Brown, a Rutgers commit, became the 5th player in the storied history of La Salle football to eclipse 1k rushing yards in one season.

To conclude, St. Joe’s Prep dominated in every facet of the game. They came in with a great game plan, and they executed flawlessly. Prep will face Northeast High School on Saturday night, at 6pm. The game will be played @ Cardinal O’Hara High School. The winner will represent D12 in the PIAA 6A playoffs.

Note: The game is being played outside of the city due to the spectator limit being enforced by the School District of Philadelphia.

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