PIAA Class 6A Title Game Preview: La Salle College High School
Tagged under: pfn
Nicholas Mastripolito | December 5, 2025
La Salle College HS VS Pittsburgh Central Catholic
PIAA District 12 – Class AAAAA
League: Philadelphia Catholic League
Head Coach: Brett Gordon
OVERVIEW
The Explorers have made it back to the state championship for the first time since 2010 after finally getting past rivals Saint Joseph’s Prep and cruising their way through the playoffs. La Salle took on their opponent, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, in week 1 of the 2025 year, and they really dominated in a 23-6 victory. Both teams have changed a lot since that week 1 matchup, but La Salle knows how to take them down. The Explorers have a real chance at taking home their first title since 2009.
The offense is fantastic, with QB Gavin Sidwar leading the way, putting points on the board will surely not be an issue for the Explorers. Defensively, the Explorers play well. They have a strong defense that can force turnovers and play at high speed.
How they got to the title game:
2025 schedule
Key Players:
QB Gavin Sidwar: Missouri commit. Great pocket passer, can find anyone on the field, has the arm strength and accuracy to complete deep passes
WR/Safety Joey O’Brien: Notre Dame commit. The team’s leading receiver, will catch anything thrown at him, deflect tons of passes, and plays good coverage.
MLB Cooper Heilig: Ohio State commit (LAX). Leads the team in tackles, can play the entirety of the field.
RB Azhir Nelson: lead rusher, takes the weight off the pass game with his rushing ability.
Look out for:
WR Owen Johnson: #1 option when O’Brien is doubled, has a great connection with Sidwar, turns small receptions into big plays.
ATH JP Oates: Virginia Tech commit. May be a key receiver against PCC, applies pressure on everyone defensively.
Keys to winning-Offense:
Executing your game plan. If the Explorers can utilize their star-studded receiving core, they will be in good shape. Make sure to get your RBs involved, don’t be afraid to take off with the QB, and stay poised.
Keys to winning-Defense:
Applying pressure. Getting to the QB and applying pressure is the main key to winning defense this week. If you can get PCC to turn it over, that would be great, but stick to what you play best.
Roster:
| 1 | Owen Johnson | 10 | 5’11 | 182 | WR/DB | 39 | JP Klock | 12 | 5’8 | 185 | k |
| 2 | JP Oates | 12 | 6’3 | 226 | TE | 40 | Evan Pettine | 10 | 6’1 | 205 | DL |
| 3 | Trey Hopkins | 11 | 6’2 | 185 | DB/WR | 41 | Kevin Merlini | 12 | 5’10 | 206 | LB |
| 4 | Ahzir Nelson | 11 | 5’9 | 191 | RB | 42 | Tommy Watson | 12 | 5’8 | 200 | RB/DB |
| 5 | Desmond Ortiz | 12 | 5’9 | 192 | RB | 43 | Cooper Heilig | 12 | 6’1 | 215 | LB |
| 6 | Joey O’Brien | 12 | 6’5 | 193 | WR/DB | 44 | Ryan Fandozzi | 12 | 6’0 | 232 | DE |
| 7 | Gavin Sidwar | 12 | 6’3 | 193 | QB | 45 | Matt Cantz | 11 | 6’1 | 237 | OL |
| 8 | Josh Simmons | 11 | 5’10 | 184 | RB/DB | 46 | Khalil Jean | 12 | 5’10 | 235 | DL |
| 9 | Lucas Johnson | 12 | 5’10 | 182 | DB | 47 | Mason Smith | 10 | 6’1 | 208 | LB |
| 10 | Luke Gordon | 10 | 5’10 | 164 | QB | 48 | Syier Baron | 10 | 5’9 | 165 | LB |
| 11 | Nick Neri | 11 | 6’1 | 218 | LB/FB | 49 | Colton McAleer | 12 | 6’0 | 194 | LB |
| 12 | Chima Auguste | 11 | 6’1 | 188 | WR/DB | 50 | Jacob Jackson | 12 | 6’2 | 268 | Center |
| 13 | Bryce Hanton | 10 | 5’10 | 160 | RB/DB | 52 | Kaleb Davidson | 10 | 6’3 | 276 | DL |
| 14 | Jimmy Mahoney | 12 | 5’8 | 160 | DB/WR | 53 | AJ Godfrey | 10 | 5’11 | 265 | OL |
| 15 | Brandon Murray | 10 | 6’1 | 175 | DB | 54 | Colton Kenney | 10 | 6’0 | 205 | OL |
| 16 | Declan Heilig | 12 | 5’8 | 185 | DB | 55 | Chris Bernesky | 11 | 6’3 | 295 | OL |
| 17 | Brayden Rementer | 10 | 5’11 | 150 | QB | 56 | Jemel Williams | 12 | 6’2 | 275 | OL/DL |
| 18 | Santana Swittenburg | 10 | 5’9 | 152 | DB | 57 | Jacob Pasquito | 11 | 6’2 | 225 | DL |
| 19 | Joseph Lawsin | 11 | 5’8 | 158 | QB | 58 | Charlie Pickett | 12 | 6’5 | 238 | OL/DL |
| 20 | Brett Sutter | 10 | 5’11 | 193 | LB/RB | 60 | Keiran Kingsbury | 10 | 6’2 | 215 | OL/DL |
| 21 | Chase Hopkins | 10 | 5’9 | 155 | DB | 61 | Brian Baker Grady | 10 | 5’11 | 265 | OL |
| 23 | Nick Saiber | 10 | 5’11 | 161 | LB | 62 | Nick Stampone | 11 | 5’11 | 242 | OL |
| 22 | Aidan Christy | 12 | 5’11 | 165 | DB | 63 | Cormac Householder | 10 | 6’3 | 272 | OL |
| 24 | Aiden Fenningham | 11 | 5 ‘7 | 165 | RB | 66 | Andrew Sorge | 11 | 6’2 | 292 | OL/DL |
| 25 | Jarae Dial | 9 | 5’10 | 165 | WR/DB | 67 | Jackson Miller | 10 | 6’1 | 265 | OL |
| 26 | Justus Morrison | 10 | 6’2 | 182 | DB | 76 | Danny Lawyer | 12 | 6’3 | 285 | OL |
| 27 | David Guarnaccia | 10 | 5’8 | 145 | DB | 77 | Gabriel Dean | 9 | 6’3 | 292 | OL |
| 28 | Reggie Harris | 12 | 5’11 | 198 | LB | 78 | Grayson McKeough | 10 | 6’8 | 285 | OL/DL |
| 29 | Jordan Reid | 9 | 5’11 | 165 | WR/DB | 79 | U Tuller | 10 | 6’4 | 315 | OL |
| 30 | Titus Cobb | 10 | 5’7 | 150 | DB | 82 | DJ Andrzejewski | 10 | 5’9 | 155 | WR |
| 31 | Sam Digiusseppe | 12 | 5’10 | 205 | LB/FB | 85 | Zahir Henry | 9 | 5’10 | 160 | WR/DB |
| 32 | Brayden Buist | 10 | 5’10 | 192 | FB/LB | 86 | John Dawson | 9 | 6’3 | 205 | TE/DE |
| 33 | Keenan Stahl | 12 | 6’1 | 217 | DE/LB | 87 | Lucas Ferriola | 11 | 5’8 | 160 | DB |
| 34 | Jackson Laufler | 12 | 6’0 | 180 | Punter | 88 | Josiah Jackson | 12 | 6’4 | 205 | TE |
| 35 | Michael Malizia | 12 | 5’8 | 145 | DB | 94 | Chris Heck | 12 | 6’0 | 175 | PK |
| 36 | Chase Voris | 11 | 5’10 | 155 | DB | 95 | Hayden McDonald | 12 | 6’3 | 265 | DL |
| 37 | Cavan Stahl | 10 | 5’11 | 165 | LB | 99 | Kyree Mitchell | 10 | 6’0 | 275 | OL/DL |
| 38 | Rocco Gallo | 11 | 6’0 | 210 | LB |
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
You must be logged in to post a comment.