Conditions don’t slow down La Salle in PCL-6A semifinal rout of Father Judge
WHITEMARSH >> In an extremely wet Philadelphia Catholic League Class 6A semifinal, the La Salle College High School Explorers cruised to a 49-22 victory over Father Judge at Plymouth Meeting High School Friday night despite poor weather conditions.
The Explorers got three quick touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game.
La Salle College got on the board quickly on a drive that ended with a seven-yard run from Liam Tatlonghari to gain a 7-0 lead.
Father Judge later dropped two consecutive kickoffs thanks to the heavy rain with La Salle recovering both fumbles.
The Explorers took advantage of the two turnovers with two touchdowns including a 30-yard run from Samuel Brown and a one-yard run from Tatlonghari to go up 21-0 after the first quarter.
“I feel like we did very well as a team,” said Brown. “Hopefully we can build from this big win next week in the semifinals.
“We just have to keep practicing hard next week and have the right mindset for the next game.”
La Salle now looks forward to the PCL final against St. Joseph’s Prep 7 p.m. Friday at Northeast High School. Prep defeated Roman Catholic 38-0 in the other semifinal.
Father Judge cut the lead in half by outscoring the Explorers 14-7 in the second quarter to hold the score to 28-14 at halftime.
However, the Explorers got two touchdowns in the third quarter to seal the win, including a 40-yard run from Brown and a five-yard run from Abdul Carter.
Overall, it was a total running game for the Explorers as the team totaled 376 rushing yards, 154 more than Father Judge’s entire offense (222 yards).
La Salle head coach John Steinmetz was thrilled with his team’s performance in a tough playoff atmosphere.
“The weather obviously had a big impact on Father Judge,” said Steinmetz. “They’re quarterback is fantastic and he was hard to stop.
“The game plan for us was to control our energy and control our effort. We didn’t worry about the weather, but our big focus was our attitude and our effort this week and to be fundamentally sound and better at our technique.”
With the loss, the Father Judgee football sits at 2-8 overall heading into its Thanksgiving game against Lincoln.
Highlighting Father Judge was quarterback Shane Dooley, who had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
La Salle College 49, Father Judge 22
FJ 0 14 0 8 -22
LS 21 7 14 7 -49
LS- Tatlonghari 7-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
LS- Brown 30-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
LS- Tatlonghari 1-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
FJ- Dooley 33-yard run (PAT blocked)
LS- Carter 68-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
FJ- Dooley 28-yard pass to Foy (Dooley pass to Joseph 2-pt)
LS- Brown 40-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
LS- Carter 46-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
LS- Daly 5-yard run (Gandolfo kick)
FJ- Dooley 48-yard pass to Foy (Mcgovern run 2-pt)
LS FJ
First downs 10 9
Rushing yards376 60
Passing yards44 162
Total yards 420 222
Passing 4-4 11-18
Penalties 4-30 4-35
Fumbles lost 0 2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – La Salle College: Brown 14-160, 2 TD; Carter 7-140, 2 TD; Tatlonghari 2-8, 2 TD; Kennedy 2-25; Mehlmann 6-25; Vespe 2-11; G. Daly 3-6; Hardy 1-5, 1 TD; S. Daly 3-(-4). Father Judge: Dooley 16-30, 1 TD; Joseph 7-30.
PASSING – La Salle College: S. Daly 4-4, 44 yds. Father Judge: Dooley 11-18, 162, 2 TD.
RECEIVING – La Salle College: Tatlonghari 2-13; Diarrah 1-26; Hardy 1-5. Father Judge: Foy 5-116, 2 TD. Mcgovern 2-24; Kelly 2-19; Joseph 2-3.
