Bishop McDevitt makes statement by slamming La Salle
LOWER GWYNEDD >> For one team, it was a statement win and for the other, a push to start looking inward.
District 3 powerhouse Bishop McDevitt came east from its stomping grounds in Harrisburg, looking to put the entire state on notice. Consider that done. La Salle was looking to show last week’s setback to Malvern Prep down the shore was a momentary blip. Instead, the Explorers left with the realization only they can save their season.
McDevitt’s skill players put on a show and the defense stifled La Salle as the Crusaders romped over the Explorers 56-7 on Friday at Wissahickon.
“We need to hit the reset, it’s more than X’s and O’s at this point, it’s our identity,” La Salle senior Nole Henry, who had his team’s lone score, said. “Leading up to this, even today (Coach John Steinmetz) said he feared this would happen because we didn’t have a good week of practice and we brought no energy.
“We have to go find our own energy and come out every day wanting to compete.”
McDevitt, which lost in the PIAA 4A title game last year, was looking for some legitimacy. The Crusaders fell to Imhotep Charter in the first week of the season then didn’t get to play last week when their opponent from Canada had to cancel last minute.
Couple in the fact that quite a few players on the Crusaders sideline were on the field in Week 1 last year when La Salle when out to Harrisburg and thumped them, this was a night they had circled.
A team that counts about 100 accumulated Division I football offers amongst its entire roster, Bishop McDevitt showed why it not only has top college programs chasing its players but also why it fancies itself a state title contender. After forcing La Salle into a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, the Crusaders needed just two plays to score with Minnesota recruit Maquese Williams rushing for 11 yards then sophomore quarterback Stone Saunders – already being courted by the Big Ten and SEC among others — hit senior Tyshawn Russell — another D-I target for the remaining 55 yards.
“They said we couldn’t beat the good teams, so we came and proved it today,” Russell, a two-way standout at receiver and defensive back, said. “We came out with momentum and we were ready to go. A lot of people like to talk about us so we had to prove to them we can beat these good teams and that we’re ready to go to the state championship.”
La Salle didn’t even get a chance to respond, with the Explorers fumbling the ensuing kick and McDevitt’s Ty Kephart recovering on the Explorers’ 29-yard line. Williams ended the drive punching in a score from the two-yard line and after the Crusaders’ quick-twitch defense halted La Salle’s next drive, Cyncir Bowers stiff-armed one defender, shook another then ran away from the rest for a 77-yard run and the Explorers trailed 21-0 just a bit more than six minutes into the game.
“They’re big, they’re fast and strong – plus well-coached,” Steinmetz said. “We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to look at right now. It’s two poor games in a row for us.”
La Salle answered on its next drive, using some hard running from Stevie Davis to set up Henry’s score, which came on a 21-yard reception from Gavin Sidwar that ended with the senior wideout powering his way in at the end.
The Explorers’ defense, which had only been on the field for seven snaps at that point, would need to get a stop if La Salle wanted to stem the flooding and start fording back into the game. Instead, it was McDevitt making another statement as the Crusaders drove 70 yards on 12 plays, including a pair of fourth-down conversions before Williams broke loose a 22-yard scoring run to rebuild the three-score lead.
“Honestly, at La Salle, we’re not used to being down like that a lot,” Henry said. “We’ve been punched in the face twice now, we have to get used to that and get used to fighting back. It’s gotta come from the players, we have to be a team, we have to be a family.”
Bowers, who on most other teams would be the primary running back, added a 63-yard score on a catch-and-run from Saunders after the McDevitt defense forced another three-and-out then Dallas Davenport ended the half with a statement for the defense. The Crusaders’ defensive end caused pressure, then all but stepped in front of a short pass at the line of scrimmage and rumbled it back 47 yards for a pick-six that sent the Harrisburg-area power to intermission with a 42-7 lead.
La Salle hosts the Haverford School next Friday, with the game slated to be played at Upper Dublin. The Catholic is approaching fast and while Friday’s loss doesn’t impact the Explorers’ league standings, they aren’t going to get any favors from the PCL either.
“We have to get ourselves together real soon,” Steinmetz said. “Roman and Prep are really good too. We have to go back, look at tape and see what we can do and start getting this together.”
Bishop McDevitt 56, La Salle 7
BISHOP MCDEVITT 21 21 7 7 – 56
LA SALLE 0 7 0 0 – 7
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
BM – Stone Saunders 55 pass to Tyshawn Russell (Dominic Roman kick) 10:47
BM – Marquese Williams 2 run (Roman kick) 9:27
BM – Cyncir Bowers 77 run (Roman kick) 5:44
2nd Quarter
L – Gavin Sidwar 21 pass to Nole Henry (Andrew Park kick) 11:08
BM – Williams 22 run (Roman kick) 5:46
BM – Saunders 63 pass to Bowers (Roman kick) 2:43
BM – Dallas Davenport 47 interception return (Roman kick) 57.9
3rd Quarter
BM – Saunders 57 pass to Russell (Roman kick) 8:44
4th Quarter
BM – Bowers 18 run (Roman kick) 10:38
Team Stats
BM L
First Downs 13 8
Rushing-Yards 18-213 26-65
Passing 9-14-3-0 10-21-1-1
Passing Yards 238 41
Total Yards 451 106
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards 8-69 2-10
Individual Stats
Rushing: BM – Marquese Williams 11-91, Cyncir Bowers 6-118, Stone Saunders 1-4; L – Stevie Davis 13-38, John McSorley 3-12, Colin Dunlap 1-(-1), Gavin Damon 4-6, RJ Duffy 5-10
Passing: BM – Saunders 9-14-3-0-238; L – Gavin Sidwar 8-16-34-1-1, Damon 2-5-7-0-0
Receiving: BM – Tyshawn Russell 2-102, Bowers 4-111, Rico Scott 2-19, Jeff Penn 1-6; L – Dunlap 2-3, James Dolan 3-11, Nole Henry 2-23, Davis 1-(-1), Gavin Muller 2-7
