La Salle routs Roman, Prep up next

WHITEMARSH >> La Salle football coach John Steinmetz was tired of expanded playbooks and gadget defenses.
So Friday night, when his Explorers took on Roman Catholic in the semifinals of the PIAA District 12 Class 6A playoffs, the veteran coach kept everything basic.
His plan worked to perfection.
Using a basic offense and a basic defense, the Explorers mauled Roman Catholic, 45-0, setting up a meeting with Saint Joseph’s Prep next Friday at Northeast High for the PCL 6A crown.
Filling in for injured quarterback Dan Soleski, Isaiah Jones ran for 73 yards and passed for another 52 as the Explorers had their way with the Cahillites’ defense, although it was the Explorers’ defense that did a lot of the damage.
The Explorers did little on their first two drives of the evening, but the La Salle defense created two consecutive scoring chances when it sacked Roman quarterback Jeffrey Grosso, who fumbled the ball away at the Roman 11-yard line.
Two plays later, Joey Burnham found the end zone from a yard away and the Explorers had a lead they’d not lose.
On the Cahillites ensuing possesson, La Salle blocked a punt, Devon Smith recovered in the end zone and the Explorers were up by two scores.
It didn’t get much better for Roman, which watched La Salle score on each of its next three possessions to build a 35-0 lead by halftime.
Quiles had two of those touchdowns, while Jones added a third.
After halftime, the Explorers eased off the pedal and cruised to the victory.
“Our defense played well,” Steinmetz said. “We stayed in base all night and let our guys just run to the football.
“Our offensive line played really well, too, which was good to see.”