Carroll’s Lamey does it all as Patriots move in state playoffs

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MARPLE — The connection between a quarterback and wide receiver, when fully realized, isn’t just knowing where each other is on the field. It goes deeper, to what happens in huddles, in meetings, to setting the emotional temperature of a sideline.

So Friday night, after Archbishop Carroll’s thrilling 34-28 win over New Hope-Solebury in a District 1-12 Class 3A sub-regional, the Patriots weren’t just powered by what Nick Lamey and Malachi Hansen physically did on the field. They were sustained by how the quarterback and his top target produced the perfect plays at the perfect times to keep Carroll ahead in a seesaw battle.

The proof, as much as the stats – Lamey’s three passing touchdowns, rushing score and two interceptions at cornerback; Hansen’s nine catches for 190 yards including a touchdown, plus a kick return TD – was the way they linked up to toss credit back and forth.

To Hansen, the turning point came in the second quarter, Carroll (2-2) trailing for the only time at 7-6. That’s when Lamey, facing third and 11, was flushed from the pocket, shoulder-shook a pair of defenders, ran through two arm tackles and dove into the end zone on a sensational 53-yard dash.

“It was unbelievable,” Hansen said. “I was running right behind him and I couldn’t’ really believe what I was watching him do. Last year, we had Russ (Russel Minor-Shaw) at QB and I saw Russ in that run. And it’s good to have a QB that can run like that.”

Archbishop Carroll’s Malachi Hansen looks for running room in the second quarter against New Hope-Solebury in district playoff action Friday night at Cardinal O’Hara. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)

Lamey, as he did with the ball, went the other way after the game. The senior quarterback pointed to what Hansen did in the third quarter.

Carroll threatened to run away and hide. Lamey’s rushing touchdown put them up 13-6, then Carroll got down to the 7-yard line before the end of the second quarter. A three-play scoring drive in 66 seconds out of halftime, Lamey hitting Hansen for 40 yards then Brennan Robinson for a 17-yard score, making it 20-7.

But New Hope-Solebury (2-4), representing District 1, wouldn’t go quietly, Phil Weinseimer hitting Ben Garritano for a 38-yard score to make it 20-14.

The momentum lasted 19 seconds, or how long it took Hansen to take the kickoff back 81 yards, running through a crowd of tacklers and coming out clean on the other side to dash down Carroll’s sideline.

“That changed the momentum completely,” Lamey said. “That’s the best individual effort I’ve ever seen. He can return a kick, he can pretty much do anything in this league.”

Given the week each team had, it fits that neither would stand down. Carroll was to play Pennsbury Friday. It practiced under that impression Monday, until coach Kyle Detweiler got word late that night that Neumann-Goretti had a positive COVID-19 test. The district berth that the Saints had earned in a 28-21 win over Carroll last week vanished, and Carroll was in, with little time to prepare, much less savor.

“Coach texted us like, ‘Here’s new film, study it,’” Lamey said. “I was like, ‘alright.’”

It didn’t affect performance much. In a pass-happy battle, Carroll tallied 388 yards of offense. The quarterback numbers were eerily similar: Lamey was 16-for-29 for 264 yards, with three TDs and one interception, plus 10 carries for 69 yards; Weinseimer was 16-for-30 for 268 with a TD, two picks, and 67 yards on 17 carriers plus two rushing TDs.

Lamey hit tight end Darryl Simpson Jr. for a six-yard score in the first quarter and clinched the game by finding, on another third-and-11, Hansen for a 63-yard score with 2:38 to play to make it 34-21. Lamey’s 20-yard scamper on fourth-and-14 preceded Simpson’s score. And for good measure, he punted twice for an average of 44.5 yards, including a 50-yard boot from under the goalposts.

“You can’t say enough things about Nick Lamey,” Detweiler said. “Playing quarterback, unbelievable punt, interceptions. He was gassed at the end and hands on hips, but he never quits, keeps going and just an incredible effort individually from him tonight.”

There was no quit in New Hope-Solebury either, playing the role of underdog against a Carroll team that had been in Class 5A as recently as 2017. Weinseimer came up gimpy with a foot injury on the first drive of the third quarter. He gamely played through, as did receiver Dylan Hildebrandt with a leg issue. Weinseimer’s connection with Garritano was the first successful deep ball after lots of trying against the active Carroll secondary of Lamey, Hansen and Robinson.

Archbishop Carroll’s Malachi Hansen, left, congratulates Brennan Robinson after he defended a New Hope-Solebury pass in the first half Friday night at Cardinal O’Hara. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)

“I kept overthrowing them the first half,” Weinseimer said. “Credit to them, their DBs were good. There wasn’t a lot of separation there. But second half, the o-line definitely stepped up, I had a lot more time, especially toward the end and that’s the key to completing those passes, the o-line’s protection.”

Weinseimer’s 25-yard hookup with Hildebrandt on fourth-and-8 set up a two-yard touchdown run by Joey Capriotti to make it 27-20 with 8:51 left. Weinseimer ran the last yard on the following drive, highlighted by a 40-yard connection with Garritano.

The Lions took over at the 13 with 1:50 to play and no timeouts left after Sean Cooney picked off Lamey on fourth-and-6. Weinseimer went to work – 11 yards to Garritano, 21 to Cooney, a 29-yard keeper to the 26. But looking for Cooney on a deep post, Lamey jumped the route and secured his second INT of the game, and another playoff game for his Patriots.

“I saw the quarterback rolling out to the left,” Lamey said. “I knew that they were looking my way every single time. On defense, I was winded coming off the field from offense and I knew they were going to target me. So I knew the ball was going to come relatively near me. I didn’t think it was going to be directly thrown at me. But I tried to make the best play on it, save the game.”

It keeps Carroll marching on. Next week’s scheduled game against Conwell-Egan will turn into a trip to the District 4 champion.

“God works in mysterious ways, and our coaches preach that,” Lamey said. “The fact that we can be out here playing for a state championship is really surreal.”

Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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