Lansdale Catholic’s line, Quigley prove too much for Hatboro-Horsham

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HORSHAM >> As a junior, Ryan Quigley did more than enough to prove his ability.

Now, he might have found himself a wingman. Quigley and fellow senior Marlon Fenstermacher were nearly unstoppable Friday night as Lansdale Catholic throttled host Hatboro-Horsham 45-20.

“I feel like I have the greatest o-line ever,” Quigley said. “Once again, the holes were huge and I couldn’t thank them enough. They did their job and as long as they do their job I promised them I’d do my job.”

Quigley ran for 159 yards and three scores while Fenstermacher had 65 yards and broke the game open with a 90-yard interception return in the second half. As dominant as the backs looked, LC’s line was impressive creating all sorts of lanes to run through.

LC (3-0) simply owned the first half, aside from one big play by the Hatters (0-3). The heavy run approach of the Crusaders controlled both the clock and the field.

Remarkably, just three LC players touched the ball on offense in the first half. But when those three are Ryan Quigley, Marlon Fenstermacher and Michael Basilii, it can be enough.

“You see the talent (Fenstermacher) has in that interception return and the speed that he has,” LC coach Tom Kirk said. “You can’t just ride one horse. Our fullback Timmy Swizerzewski is also doing a phenomenal job blocking.”

Taking the opening kickoff, LC marched right down the field with an eight-play drive capped off by a two-yard TD plunge by Basilii. The Hatters, who have an abundance of talented skill players, went for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 29 and got stuffed for a two-yard loss, giving LC a short field early in the first quarter.

The Crusaders capitalized when Quigley went airborne, stretching the ball over the goal line on a one-yard dive to put LC up 14-0 with 4:11 left in the first quarter. While LC had controlled play for eight minutes, the Hatters quickly put life back in the game.

A 25-yard gain by Jordan Mason put the Hatters in LC territory and two plays later, Casey Walsh hit Calvin Broaddus for 42 yards to cut it to 14-6 with 3:14 left in the opening quarter. The Hatters kept things going their way when Mason jumped on a fumbled snap on the ensuing LC drive, but that was all Hatboro-Horsham could do with the turnover.

The Hatters had an 11-play drive, but an intentional grounding flag backed them up and brought about another turnover on downs.

From there, LC’s running attack just took over. Quigley took over on the next drive, gaining all but five of LC’s 63 yards.

The senior tailback had an 18-yard catch, an 11-yard run and a terrific 24-yard run that got him down to the one. He capped the drive off with a one-yard run by boucing to the outside and slipping just inside the pylon.

“The line, they’re getting force off the ball,” Quigley said. “I’m trying to encourage them as much as I can in the huddle and trying to be a leader and they’re amazing. They’re doing thier job, getting to the right guys and turning people out.”

His 23-yard run with less than a minute left put the Crusaders in position to set up Ryan Carbone’s 25-yard field goal just before the horn. By halftime, Quigley had run the ball 16 times for 137 yards with 18 receiving yards and two scores while Fenstermacher had 10 rushes for 64 yards.

Quigley was effusive in his praise for his offensive line. Indeed, LC’s roadgraders up front, including tight ends Matt Herron and Bob Bausman, left plenty of big holes. Like the backs, linemen Patrick Schwind, Nate Ensanien, Vince Picozzi, David Torri and James Macy are experienced and tough.

“We say you can’t block people, you have to move people,” Kirk said. “Our offensive line has to have the ability to move people. If you’re just blocking people it’s a stalemate and the defense. When they get in the mindset of moving people out of the way, we’re lucky enough to have some guys running the ball that can make some plays behind them.”

“I say it every game but it really feels like I can drive a truck through those holes,” Quigley said. “It’s fantastic.”

LC’s defense turned the game in the third quarter. The Crusaders forced and recovered a fumble on the Hatters’ first play of the second half and got a score two plays later when Quigley sprinted in from 22 yards out.

A big kick return by Broaddus gave the Hatters good position to start the next drive and they got to the 25 before Fenstermacher picked off Casey Walsh at the 10 and found a seam up the left sideline to make it 38-6. Hatboro-Horsham’s next drive also ended in a turnover and a quick response TD from Lansdale Catholic.

The Hatters did comeback to score two fourth quarter touchdowns, a long throw by Chris Edwards to Broaddus and a three-yard run by Edwards.

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Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson
Montgomery Media/Lansdale Reporter sports writer.

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