Imhotep Charter’s fourth quarter finish downs La Salle

UPPER DUBLIN >> For three quarters, new-look La Salle went toe to toe with state power Imhotep Charter.

Still, there’s no substitute for experience and the fourth quarter on Friday proved to be the difference. A big play from the Panthers led to them putting up 20 unanswered points in the frame as this group of Explorers got its first real lesson of the season.

The Panthers finished strong, topping La Salle 34-20 in both teams’ season opener played at Upper Dublin High School.

“We’re a young team, we started great and got the momentum but we were supposed to wear them out and I feel we got worn out,” La Salle senior co-captain linebacker Brendan Frusco said. “That includes myself, I got worn out and I have to cut that out. I’m a leader on this team and I have to lead these guys, so I can’t be the one who’s worn out.”

Frusco and the rest of the Explorers defense played a solid game and for the most part kept Imhotep’s explosive threats in check. There were still a few big plays however, including one that started Imhotep’s finishing slate.

With just four offensive starters back and three on the defensive side of the ball, La Salle was putting a lot of guys in unfamiliar spots on Friday. Chief among them was quarterback Jack Machita, who made his first start on varsity.

Machita threw for 121 yards and a touchdown but also took a couple of costly sacks against an athletic and aggressive pass rush.

“I thought Jack threw some really great balls but he also threw some that showed he’s a first-year player,” Explorers coach John Steinmetz said. “He played well and threw the ball well. I saw what I needed to from him, he did a good job leading.”

Machita, a junior, led the Explorers down the field on the opening drive and capped it with a  two-yard TD pass to fullback Liam Tatlonghari and also engineered a nice drive that ended in Jake Gandolfo’s 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. His receivers did drop a few balls, but Machita said there were some throws he knew he needed to make.

FOOTBALL 6:04 Q4: Imhotep 28, La Salle 10
Jalen Sutton-Christian 7yd TD run on keep. Two point run stuffed pic.twitter.com/gRNDia54Vr

— Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3) August 25, 2018

The offense, which was also without last season’s top rusher in Manny Quiles due to injury, is still developing chemistry.

“I think I would rate it a C,” Machita said. “There’s a lot of things we still need to improve on together. Tomorrow, we’ll just hit the film and see what we can improve. We have chemistry, but it will only get better as the season progresses and I think it will go uphill from here.”

After La Salle’s opening drive, Imhotep came back and scored on its first drive with Steve DePaul, who played quarterback for North Penn last season, throwing a 43-yard score to Baylor recruit Yusuf Terry. Linebacker Dillon Trainer blew up the two-point conversion, leaving the Explorers with a 7-6 lead they would take into halftime.

After the break, Imhotep’s other big threat weapon took over. Tykee Smith, who just announced he would continue his career at West Virginia, capped the Panthers’ drive to open the third quarter with an 18-yard touchdown run out of a Wildcat formation that gave Imhotep the lead for good.

Once La Salle had cut the lead to 14-10 with 10:07 to play, Smith took a handoff and altered the game. Breaking through a small hole in the line, the speedster back got to the right sideline, shook of a tackler and went 73 yards for a touchdown.

“We knew before the game they could score from wherever on the field, we gameplanned for him but they got the best of us,” Frusco said. “They’re a really good team. They just have explosive players all over the field and I think that’s what beat us.”

Frusco added that a big play like Smith’s run is going to happen to the Explorers again and it’s up to them to find ways to come back from them.

“We’re going to have plenty of games against teams that have players like Imhotep,” Frusco said. “We’re going to learn from it. We have to bounce back right after it happens, you can’t stay down in the dirt after a big play like that.”

Likewise for the offense, Machita said the only focus should be on scoring more points. Putting just 10 on the board isn’t going to cut it against the tough nonleague foes or PCL opponents still coming, but the season also isn’t decided after one game.

Each of the Explorers’ nonleague contests are going to teach them something and Friday was a hands-on demonstration of the speed a varsity defense plays with.

“When we didn’t execute, it hurt us,” Machita said. “I learned I have to move more in the pocket and be more aware of who’s around me in the pocket while also keeping track of my receivers. Pocket awareness is my biggest focus for this week.”

Imhotep added two more touchdown runs after Smith’s 73-yard sprint in the fourth quarter. Smith finished with 124 yards on eight carries while DePaul threw for 177 yards.

Up next for La Salle is a trip to North Penn on Friday. Aside from a test against one of District 1’s usual postseason contenders, the trip to Crawford Stadium is a homecoming of sorts for a lot of the La Salle players who live in the North Penn area.

“We just have to learn how to play under fire a little bit,” Steinmetz said. “We want to win them all and we have a lot of kids who live in the North Penn area, so it’s a big game for us.”