Lansdale Catholic can’t slow down Saydee, Penn Charter in Ocean City

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OCEAN CITY, N.J. >> Two things were unrelenting in the first half Saturday morning – the heavy winds of approaching Tropical Storm Hermine and the running of Penn Charter’s Edward Saydee.

Lansdale Catholic’s defense could not figure out a ways to slow down the Quakers sophomore, who eclipsed the century mark and collected a pair of touchdowns before the first quarter had even finished at Ocean City High School’s Carey Stadium.

“I think we were in position a lot of times to make tackles, but early on I don’t think we were in the best position to do so. You’re kind of grabbing at him or diving at his feet,” Crusaders coach Tom Kirk said. “He’s too good of back that you’re going to bring him down that way.”

Saydee finished with 153 yards on 14 carries while quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky threw three TD passes as Penn Charter built a 35-0 advantage early in the third quarter and handed Lansdale Catholic a 35-14 loss in the season opener for both teams.

“When knew that they had a good running back and we needed to shut him down. We just needed to wrap up,” LC senior quarterback Mike Basilii said. “And on offense we were hoping for a good gain on the runs and isos and we did. We just needed come out and fix what didn’t work out.”

The Crusaders (0-1) twice drove into Penn Charter territory in the first half but both ended with LC turning the ball over on down. The second empty trip ended a yard short of the end zone The Quakers proceeded to drive 99 yards for a 21-point advantage when Hnatkowsky hit Chris Tucker for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

“That hurts, but it’s a good learning experience,” Basilii said. “You can’t let those kind of things happen. If we get stuffed on the goal line we have to come out make them go three-and-out and get the ball back.”

Hnatkowsky connected with Luke Stansfield on a 10-yard touchdown pass with just four seconds left before halftime for a 28-0 lead.

The Quakers made it 35-0 – and enacted the running-clock mercy rule – less than two minutes into the third. Two players after a Stansfield interception, Hnatkowsky and Tucker hooked up for their second TD, this one from 32 yards out.

While a second straight win over PC at the shore was out of reach – LC won 21-6 in the 2015 season opener – the Crusaders did avoid being shut out for the first time since 2012 with a five-yard touchdown run by Basilii then added seven more on Mike Dutkiewicz 27-yard TD pass to PJ O’Connor.

“As I said to our kids whether we could have been on the other side of a mercy-ruled game, but it’s still one game,” Kirk said. “And I can’t do anything about it today, we can certain make some adjustments, but still you’re season isn’t made in one game and we certainly would have liked to have been on the other side of that.

We weren’t. It’s humbling. It’s one that I told them not to forget about. Normally after a loss you say forget about, but this is a loss that you want them to remember. Just remember what this feels like.”

The winds were strongest during the opening half – making kickoffs a bit tricky – but dissipated somewhat after intermission with only a few raindrops falling in the game’s later stages.

“The ball sailed a lot, but they played in the same conditions,” Kirk said. “They made some plays that we didn’t so it’s part of it the elements are part of it. Does it affect you, yeah it does, but it affects both teams.”

Hnatkowsky went 6-of-10 for 150 yards and three scores – two going to Tucker, who finished with three catches for 60 yards. Stansfield caught two passes for 70 yards, 60 coming on a wide-open reception on Penn Charter’s 99-yard second-quarter TD drive.

Matt Casee paced Lansdale Catholic with 70 yards on eight carries. Basilii ran 11 times for 43 yards and a touchdown and went 5-of-11 passing for 33 yards and an interception.

“We had the ability in the past that maybe you would have a play that went, maybe it’s designed to go for six or eight (yards) and you have somebody that’s good enough to turn it into a 60-yard touchdown,” Kirk said. “We can’t make people who they are not. We have a couple of good backs in Dave Saulino and Matt Casee and really liked the way that they played today but big plays have to be part of your offense.”

Lansdale Catholic is back on the gridiron Saturday as it takes on Archbishop Ryan in Philadelphia Catholic League non-division contest at George Washington High School.

The Crusaders appeared to have forced a Penn Charter 3-and-out on the contest’s opening series, but a Quakers fake punt pass and facemask penalty on LC kept the drive going. Saydee finished it with a touchdown at 7:47 in the first quarter – cutting away from traffic into open space and into the end zone from 32 yards out.

LC drove down the Penn Charter 27 on the next series, but incompletions on third and fourth down gave the ball back to the Quakers. Saydee capped a six-play, 73-yard drive with a 5-yard TD with 29 seconds left in the quarter. Hnatkowsky’s found Denarii Beard on the two-point conversion for a 14-0 lead.

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Mike Cabrey

Mike Cabrey
Mike Cabrey is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Reporter and Montgomery News. Email him at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com.

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