Big night for Brown, La Salle against rival North Penn

TOWAMENCIN >> The lumber is piling up.

“One of our sayings is to just keep chopping wood,” La Salle coach John Steinmetz said after Friday night’s non-league clash with rival North Penn. “We kind of had the guys focused on that all week. We actually had some bad practices early in the week but the good news is, each day we got a little bit better.”

Two big opponents so far this year for the Explorers, and so far two big victories.

“We’re happy. Our kids played hard,” Steinmetz said after the 42-6 win over the Knights. “That’s a tough, fundamentally-sound team, so it felt pretty good. We did some really good stuff. We talked to the kids all week about momentum, and it’s only good if you keep rolling.”

La Salle (2-0) never stopped rolling in this one.

The Explorers built a 28-0 lead by halftime and extended to 35-0 in the third quarter to enforce the mercy rule and running clock. As smooth and flowing as the offense was, the defense was just as overpowering.

The Explorers held the Knights (1-1) to just 33 rushing yards in the first half while forcing three turnovers.

“We like our front seven. They play pretty well,” Steinmetz said. “You got (6-foot-2, 230-pound Ryan) Savage there and with (6-1, 224-pound) Dillon Trainer, it’s a good night. They play well.”

Sam, I Am

Sam Brown said he never had a game like this.

“It felt really good,” the running back said of his five-touchdown performance, “but I couldn’t have done it without my offensive line. They had a really good game.

“And my receivers, getting the ball in the open field.”

Brown, a former offensive lineman himself, rumbled through holes and into the secondary all evening. He picked up 63 yards and scored twice on nine carries, but was also the Explorers’ leading receiver, with 164 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions.

“That was unbelievable,” quarterback Jack Machita said of Brown’s performance. “Obviously, he’s just a beast. That’s why he’s got those offers (from D-1 programs). If we get the ball in his hands, he’s gonna make a play.”

Brown capped a seven-play drive with his four-yard run to open the scoring, and after a turnover on downs by the Knights, Machita hit Brown wide open down the seam for a 67-yard score and a 14-0, first-quarter advantage.

Brown scored on a one-yard plunge and got free for a nine-yard TD reception to double the lead to 28-0 by the break.

Another sustained drive by the visitors led to Brown’s 30-yard touchdown reception that made it 35-0 in the third.

“We just gotta take advantage — he’s a good running back and receiver so you get him the ball, he’s gonna make a play,” Machita said. “That’s the way we have to do it.”

“He can do a lot of things,” Steinmetz said of Brown, “and the good news with our offense is we have a lot of ways to get him the ball. Five touchdowns is a pretty good day for him.”

Kolby Barrow’s one-yard sneak for NP and Mao Howell’s 47-yard burst accounted for the other points on the evening.

Jack is Back

Machita got injured in last year’s 21-13 loss to North Penn, making Friday night’s victory that much sweeter.

He completed 15 of 18 passes for 261 yards and the three touchdowns to Brown.

The injury last year — a broken thumb suffered on the final play of the game — caused Machita to miss the remainder of the season.

“It was frustrating, but I knew I couldn’t do anything about it,” he said. “I just wanted to come back a better teammate for this year and learn more about the offense.”

Machita picked out five different receivers throughout the evening, consistently moving the offense.

His pinpoint pass to Liam Kennedy — good for nine yards on a 3rd-and-8 — helped set up La Salle’s game-clinching touchdown.

“He threw some good balls,” Steinmetz said. “He threw some good balls.”