Menges comes through, boots Lansdale Catholic to win over Bishop McDevitt

LOWER GWYNEDD >> Brendan Menges said he knew it was good the second it left his foot.

“I knew it was going right down the middle,” the Lansdale Catholic kicker said of his game-winning kick as time expired. “Right after I kicked it, I just took off running, right down the field…”

Redemption sailed through the uprights for Menges, who booted a 33-yard field goal to lift the Crusaders to a 23-20 win over Bishop McDevitt in a Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division contest at Wissahickon.

Menges had missed two earlier field-goal attempts and an extra point, and his day got worse when he dropped the snap on a punt attempt. But with the game on the line, he came through.

“He’s a mentally-tough kid,” coach Dominic D’Addona said. “He could have sulked after the second (miss). He could have went into a shell after the dropped punt. He didn’t.

“I said, ‘look, buddy. It’s just like practice. Just put it through the uprights.'”

The Crusaders raised their record to 5-3 overall and improved to 3-2 in the PCL Blue.

In a back-and-forth contest that saw five lead changes, LC came out on top.

“They played every play,” D’Addona said. “We try to tell them, it’s gonna come down to one or two plays a game.”

Lansdale Catholic pounded away early with the run, gains by Eddie Quinn (45 yds) and Danny Dutkiewicz (129 yds, 2 TD) moving the ball into scoring position.

A rumbling, 14-yard run by Dutkiewicz set up a 1st-and-Goal at the nine, but penalties contributed to the drive stalling. Two drives ended with missed field goals for the Crusaders.

The Crusaders found their way midway through the second quarter, however, using a combination of runs plus an 18-yard outlet pass from L.J. Phillips to Evan Hannings to set up a 1st-and-Goal at the six.

Dutkiewicz charged into the end zone, putting LC in front, 6-0. The extra-point attempt by Menges sailed wide.

McDevitt came right back though, using a nine-play, 76-yard drive to take the lead. A 45-yard run by Corey Wright-Downing was the pivotal play for the Lancers.

Akrie Lilley blasted in from three yards out and kicker Eric Wilson conquered the tricky cross wind, booting the extra point to put the Lancers in front for the first time, 7-6, at the half.

A four-yard TD run put LC up 13-7 and then McDevitt regained the lead with a seven-yard run by quarterback Lonnie Rice.

On the very next play, however, Phillips took off running for a 65-yard touchdown run and a 20-14 LC advantage late in the third quarter. A little improv went a long way.

“That was a missed handoff,” D’Addona said smiling. “That’s not in the playbook.”

The Lancers (3-5, 2-3 PCL Blue) surged back one last time, tying the game at 20 all when Rice found Emmanuel Sia for a 35-yard score. But LC rushed in on the extra-point attempt, and Rice pulled the ball up and tried to pass for the conversion, but it fell incomplete.

The Lancers would not get the ball back.

“We fell short in the end. We didn’t make enough plays,” Lancers coach Mike Watkins said. “It’s a tough one to swallow.

“(LC) is a well-coached team. They execute well. They’re really sound and good up front. Danny is one of the top two or three players in the league and when they’re in a situation like that (with the game on the line), it’s tough to get them down.”

LC’s final drive started on its own 24.

The key play came when Jimmy Casey caught a pass from Phillips and then broke two tacklers and dragged another, gaining 35 yards to move it to McDevitt’s 30-yard-line.

Dutkiewicz gained 10, then another 10, and his four-yard run would set up a 33-yard field goal attempt for Menges.

“I was shaking, especially when (McDevitt) called a timeout,” Menges said. “I just focused on what I had to do…”