La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Game 1, September 13, 1998: La Salle 16 – Archbishop Carroll 0 by Ted Silary, Daily News

La Salle's Pennington Passes First Test La Salle High's first play was a pass for 11 yards. The third was a pass for 23 yards and a score. Hey, did coach Joe Colistra somehow talk Catholic League brass into awarding flinger supreme Brett Gordon another season of eligibility? No. He and his assistants did what was necessary. They identified a capable replacement, based partially on intangibles, and made sure the kid received the proper nurturing. The Explorers' new quarterback is Chris Pennington, a 6-2, 200-pound senior who last season was a coaches' All-Catholic selection at the end/outside linebacker position (although he actually played strong safety). Pennington made his debut yesterday, passing 6-for-11 for 65 yards and two touchdowns and adding 44 yards on 11 rushes as the visiting Explorers blanked Archbishop Carroll, 16-0, in a non-league game that marked the schools' first-ever meeting. The amazing part: He had never played QB, at least not in a game. “Before we went out there today, I didn't have much confidence in my passing,'' Pennington said. ``I was anxious to get started, wondering how I'd do. Running the ball, I thought, would go OK. But passing . . . I just didn't know.'' Pennington's first two completions went to Chikwere “Obi'' Amachi, one of Gordon's prime receivers in 1997. He showed good touch on the TD, lofting the ball down the middle over a defender and he did an even better job on a 12-yard, third-quarter TD pass to Mike DeCrescio, putting perfect “air'' under a toss into the left corner of the end zone. DeCrescio did his part with a diving catch behind double coverage. “He's a tough [hombre],'' Colistra said. “He likes to run into you, then jump up. He's a leader. The kids love him. He's got all the qualities.'' As Colistra explained it, Pennington was never a backup to Gordon last season, “but he was an understudy to some degree.'' Said Pennington: “I took some snaps in practice and did drills with Mr. Gordon [Drew, Brett's father and the former offensive coordinator]. How you drop back, set up, throw. Basic stuff.'' After the season, Colistra and Gordon's successor at offensive coordinator, Shawn Neely, outlined their plans to move Pennington to quarterback. “I was inclined to stay on defense,'' he said. ``It was what I was used to, and I liked it. I had a lot of hesitation. It's not easy to just be a quarterback.'' But Pennington, good soldier, decided to try. To that end he participated in a quarterback camp at Rutgers not long after school finished and then he guided the Explorers in a passing league at Germantown Academy. When La Salle opened workouts, Pennington found himself in a five-way war. “Two of those kids gave Chris a good battle,'' Colistra said. “I wouldn't hesitate to put them in if I have to, and with Chris also playing defense [though he didn't yesterday], I might have to. But Chris, he's a senior and a proven-on-the-field player.'' Plus, he displays a swagger. “I don't like that word, swagger,'' Colistra said, smiling. “I hope he doesn't have that. He's got a lot of confidence.''

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Said Pennington: “Quarterback is a position I'm liking more and more. You have control over the entire field. Everything depends on you.'' Brett Gordon, who spent some time on the sideline yesterday, is a freshman at Villanova and already No. 2 on the depth chart behind Chris Boden. But unless Boden suffers an injury, it is likely Gordon will be redshirted. Colistra said he had no conversation with Pennington where the theme was, Don't try to be Brett Gordon. “Brett was a great player and a great person to be around,'' Pennington said. “You can't really replace the best quarterback in the Catholic League, probably ever. All I can do is try my best, take what teams give me and, hopefully, do well.'' Later? Pennington, who maintains a 3.7 grade-point average, has designs on becoming a doctor. “It's basically the control thing,'' he said, simply. “I like being in control of the situation.'' NOTES La Salle's Mike Savage, ignoring a tender foot, boomed a 40-yard field goal, sent kickoffs to the 4, 1, 3 and 13 and averaged 45.3 yards on three punts . . . Kevin Dougherty made two interceptions and Kevin Merlini, shifting between linebacker and nose guard, made several key stops . . . For Carroll, which used seven two-way starters (five sophomores), junior Kevin Waterman passed 8-for-16 for 90 yards. by Joe Santoliquito, Inquirer

Pennington Leads La Salle Past Archbishop Carroll, 16-0 Chris Pennington felt a slight twinge of nerves yesterday when the La Salle senior took the field against Archbishop Carroll in a nonleague game. Who could blame Pennington? It was the first time in three years that someone not named Brett Gordon was the quarterback for the Explorers. The edginess did not take long to disappear after Pennington fired a perfect 23-yard touchdown strike to Chikwere Amachi on La Salle's third play. From there, Pennington had a workmanlike day, completing 6 of 11 passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns in leading La Salle to a 16-0 victory in the season- opening game for both teams at Radnor High. “Our first concern was to improve our offense,'' said the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Pennington, who also rushed for 35 yards. “The biggest question we faced coming into this season was how our offensive line would hold up. I think they played incredible. They gave me time to pass and opened up holes for our running game. It was a good start for us.'' While Pennington was shaking away nerves, Carroll was trying to find some keys to the season ahead. The Patriots started all underclassmen in their backfield, which featured junior quarterback Kevin Waterman and sophomore running backs Drew Shaw and Brian Mattaway. Waterman threw the ball well at times, and he pinpointed passes in between two and sometimes three defenders for completions. He completed 8 of 16 passes for 85 yards and two interceptions. The running game was solid, with Shaw, a bruising 5-10, 195-pound sophomore, running inside, and the 5-9, 150-pound Mattaway getting to the outside. The two combined to rush for 76 yards. “We're trying to figure out what we do best,'' Mattaway said. “We were a little more pass-oriented today, but I don't think it'll be that way all year. We're a young team. I'll take this loss, because we gained a lot from it.'' Carroll got the ball inside the La Salle 30-yard line just once, reaching the Explorers' 24 early in the fourth quarter. But Waterman's pass on fourth and 3 was tipped at the line of scrimmage, and the Patriots' best chance to score was lost.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

La Salle, meanwhile, mixed its offense nicely. The Explorers shuttled in six backs to carry the pigskin, and nine players handled the ball. Pennington finished his varsity debut with a looping 13-yard touchdown pass to Mike DeCrescio, who made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone. Another plus for La Salle was the booming kicks of senior Mike Savage, who nailed a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter with about 10 yards to spare.

Game 2, September 18, 1998: La Salle 17 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh 6 by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

With Pennington, La Salle Controls The Colonials, 17-6 He may not have Brett Gordon's record-breaking throwing arm, but Chris Pennington is quickly becoming a favorite of his La Salle teammates for his versatility. Pennington, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior, did a little bit of everything Friday night as the Explorers humbled host Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 17-6, in a nonleague game that marked the schools' first meeting since 1993. Again proving himself a capable replacement for Gordon, Pennington completed 7 of 18 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and rushed 15 times for a team-high 41 yards. “Their quarterback is outstanding,'' P-W coach Joe Iacovitti said. “He has good speed, a good arm. I was impressed by what he did.'' Pennington also started at cornerback, where he had one solo tackle and intercepted a pass early in the second quarter. “I didn't play on defense against Carroll,'' he said, “so it was nice to step in on that side of the ball and help out.'' La Salle is off to a 2-0 start and has proved it can still win without Gordon, a three-year starter who threw for 84 touchdowns and passed for nearly 7,000 yards. “The kids loved Brett, and they still do,'' coach Joe Colistra said. “They respect everything he's done. But it's a little tiresome to keep hearing, `Can you line up and play football without Brett Gordon?' I think our seniors have used that as a rallying call.'' La Salle's defensive unit also played a huge part in handing the Colonials (2-1) their first loss of the 1998 campaign. Led by two juniors, nose guard Ernie Barile and linebacker Chris Dougherty, the Explorers forced four turnovers and limited P-W to 141 yards' (80 rushing, 61 passing) worth of offense. The Explorers did all of their scoring in the first quarter. Actually, the Colonials provided the first two points when a snap sailed over punter Steve Fulmer's head and he batted it out of the end zone. The visitors went ahead, 9-0, after Pennington hit Mike DeCrescio in the left flat. He escaped a Colonials defender to score a 9-yard touchdown. Pennington had completed passes of 14 and 12 yards to Chikwere “Obi'' Amachi to set up the score. P-W found itself in a 17-0 hole after Amachi accepted a pitch to the right side and raced 19 yards for a score with 1 minute, 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Colonials' only tally came midway through the third quarter. An 18-yard pass from quarterback Paul Kupfer to tight end Jeff Brown (four catches for 56 yards) set up a 1-yard scoring plunge by Tim Fleming.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Game 3, September 26, 1998: La Salle 22 – North Catholic 7 by Jay Nagle, Inquirer

La Salle Runs Past N. Catholic La Salle, which has been powered by its passing game to a pair of Catholic League titles this decade, showed Saturday that it can strike quickly on the ground, too. The new-look Explorers, fueled by a pair of long touchdown runs by wide receiver Obi Amachi and another by quarterback Chris Pennington, opened their Catholic League season with a 22-7 victory over North Catholic at George Washington High in Philadelphia. Amachi, a slender 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, shook loose for touchdown runs of 67 and 60 yards. Both featured some impressive blocking by the Explorers' offensive line and breathtaking breakaway speed by Amachi. Pennington, a 6-2, 200-pound senior, turned a routine quarterback draw into a 59-yard scoring romp on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. The victory, which raised the Explorers' record to 3-0, showcased an evolving La Salle attack, one offensive coordinator Shawn Neely said he is still fine-tuning. Minus record-setting quarterback Brett Gordon, who graduated last season with 84 career touchdown passes and is now at Villanova, La Salle may run a little more this year, Neely said. But he vowed not to abandon the passing game that served the Explorers so well through the Gordon era. The goal: a nice balance. “Obviously when you lose a player like Brett Gordon, some things are bound to change,'' Neely said. “As coaches, you're always looking to take advantage of the skills of your players. You saw some of that today. Amachi and Pennington are kids that can do a lot of different things. They make things happen.'' La Salle, lethargic through a scoreless first quarter, fell behind, 7-0, when the Falcons' Fred MacConnell scored on a 1-yard run with just 1 minute, 16 seconds left in the half. Fran Semon kicked the extra point. But Amachi helped pull La Salle even one play later when he scooted 67 yards on a wingback counter. Mike Savage added the extra point. Pennington put the Explorers on top, 15-7, when he sped 59 yards on the first play after the second-half kickoff. Gabe Marabella added the two-point conversion on a run. “They made one big play at the end of the first half, another one at the start of the second. That's what killed us,'' said coach Rich Betts of North, which fell to 2-1, 0-1. Amachi's second TD and Savage's second PAT, which came with 4:46 left in the third quarter, gave the Explorers a little cushion. La Salle's hard-hitting defense, which has allowed just 13 points in three games, protected the lead through the final quarter. Amachi, who also caught one pass for 33 yards and returned a kickoff for 16, contributed 157 all-purpose yards. “Wherever coach Neely thinks I can do damage, that's where he's going to put me,'' said Amachi. “Some days it will be running. Some days it will be [receiving]. As long as I can help the team, and we win, that's all that matters.''

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Game 4, October 3, 1998: La Salle 28 – Bishop McDevitt 3 by Bill Iezzi, Inquirer

La Salle Makes Big Plays, Rips McDevitt The Explorers Dominated The Battle Of Unbeaten Teams, 28-3. For Bishop McDevitt, Saturday's football clash with La Salle was an early test for a program on the comeback trail in the Catholic League Northern Division. For the host Explorers, the game was a way to gauge their level of excellence in a division they have dominated for almost three years. For the home crowd, the battle was an enjoyable romp as McDevitt lost its composure and then the game, 28-3. The outcome was somewhat surprising because McDevitt, ranked No. 7 in the area by The Inquirer, and No. 5 La Salle entered the contest with identical records (3-0 overall, 1-0 league) and similar offensive and defensive statistics. However, La Salle was able to erupt with big plays on both sides of the ball, and that was the difference. The Lancers scored first, but the Explorers responded with three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-3 lead into halftime. “We came out ready to play, we did a nice job, they made a big play, and it seemed to take the air out of us,'' McDevitt coach Pat Manzi said of his team's opening series, which stalled on La Salle's 17-yard line as a result of good pass pressure. McDevitt walked away from the drive with three points on a 27-yard field goal by Sean Hughes with 6 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the first period. La Salle's defense walked away with confidence in its ability to stop the white and gold in crucial situations. “That was an uplifting moment for our defense,'' La Salle coach Joe Colistra said. Led by Ernie Barile, who registered three of the five sacks of McDevitt quarterback Mike Hagarty, the Explorers held the opposition to 70 yards net rushing. Hagarty, a junior, completed 10 of 21 passes for 127 yards and an interception. That interception was by Chris Pennington, who, when not playing defensive back, is La Salle's exceptional quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior's statistics did not show it - he completed 5 of 12 passes for 101 yards - but his leadership, elusiveness, and running ability galvanized the offense, which netted 282 yards on the ground. Rich Krauss tallied La Salle's first touchdown on a 10-yard counter play 1:33 into the second period. About five minutes later, Chikwere Amachi burst through a hole on the left side and raced 58 yards to the end zone. And with 2:16 left in the half, Pennington ran 40 yards for a touchdown and 2 yards for the conversion as La Salle took a 21-3 lead. Amachi, the game's leading rusher with 153 yards on 13 carries, added the final score when he ran through a host of tacklers at his own 49-yard line and scampered to the end zone.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Game 5, October 11, 1998: La Salle 24 – Archbishop Wood 7 by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

La Salle Gives Coach His 100th Win; Joe Colistra Stresses Defense. And The Defense Stood Out In The 24-7 Win Over Wood. In his 14 seasons as La Salle football coach, Joe Colistra has developed a reputation for producing suffocating, don't-give-an-inch defenses. So it was fitting that Colistra's 100th career victory - earned yesterday when the Explorers topped host Archbishop Wood, 24-7, at William Tennent High - was punctuated by a fourth-quarter goal-line stand. Trailing by 17-7 midway through the final quarter, the Vikings faced fourth-and-goal from the La Salle 3- yard line. Wood coach Tom Magdelinskas called for a pitch to the left. Tailback Joe Burgy saw daylight for a second but was swallowed up a yard shy of the end zone by linebacker Chris Dougherty and a handful of La Salle defenders. “We were playing a `base' defense, which we're real good at,'' Colistra said. “And we had a feeling they might try the option play and go outside. The kids did a nice job of reading the play and sticking to their assignments.'' With yesterday's victory, Colistra improved his career record to 100-51-1 and became the ninth coach in Catholic League history to reach the century mark. His predecessor at La Salle, John “Tex'' Flannery, won 149 games before retiring after the 1984 season. Under Colistra, the Explorers have qualified for the playoffs every year since 1988. In 1995 and '96, La Salle went 11-2 and 14-0 and claimed back-to-back Catholic championships. A 32-game winning streak was snapped by Archbishop Ryan last November. After yesterday's win, Colistra first was doused with a tub of water. He then accepted a commemorative trophy from La Salle athletic director Joe Parisi and congratulatory wishes from family and friends. “If you look at No. 11 [quarterback Chris Pennington] and No. 15 [running back Chikwere ``Obi'' Amachi], how hard is it to coach?'' Colistra asked rhetorically. “I was more nervous about playing Wood than about this 100-win thing.'' The Explorers, ranked No. 5 in the area by The Inquirer, improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Northern Division. Wood, which was trying to beat La Salle for the first time since 1987, slipped to 2-4 and 1-2. A 37-yard field goal by Mike Savage gave La Salle a 3-0 advantage early in the first quarter. The visitors moved the lead to 10-0 on the third play of the second quarter when Pennington escaped around left end en route to a 30-yard touchdown. Less than two minutes later, Rich Krauss broke several tackles on the way to a 51-yard score. The Vikings woke up shortly after intermission and mounted a 10-play, 55-yard scoring drive. It was capped when Burgy took a pitch to the left side from Brian Hirschmann and scooted 2 yards for a score. Dougherty made a team-high 14 tackles, including seven solo stops, to spark a La Salle defense that forced four interceptions. by Ted Silary, Daily News

La Salle's Colistra Takes A Bath Explorers' Coach Gets Doused After Posting 100th Win It was one of those rare occasions when a football star truly did everything, even going so far as to serve as a waterboy.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

After running for one touchdown, passing for another, grabbing an interception and combining with a teammate to make the game's key tackle, Chris Pennington had to perform one last duty as the final seconds melted away at William Tennent High. It involved a heavy bucket filled with ice water. And turning it over on the head of his coach. Joe Colistra collected his 100th career victory yesterday as La Salle downed Archbishop Wood, 24-7, in a closer-than-that Catholic North game. He also collected a keepsake. After the postgame handshakes, the Explorers grouped near the stands to listen to the band play the alma mater. Athletic director Joe Parisi then served as emcee of a quick ceremony in which Colistra - accompanied by his wife, Pat, and son, Paul, a junior starter at defensive back - was presented a handsome trophy featuring a gold football. (Also in the family are Amy, a graduate student at Beaver College, and Joe, a senior at Dickinson College.) Colistra is 100-51-1 in 14 seasons with three Catholic League titles (1989, '95, '96). Along the way, he has steered the Explorers to the longest winning streak in city-leagues history (32 games, 1995-97), the only 14-0 record in city-leagues history (in '96) and the best record for a 10-year period in Catholic League history (89-28-1, 1988-97). At age 52, he intends to remain in coaching indefinitely. “Why not?'' he asked, smiling. “It's not as though I do this for the money. I do it because I love it. It's still as much fun as ever. Anyway, I still don't know what I want to do with my life.'' Colistra began his coaching career three months after graduating from Villanova in 1968. He spent 17 seasons as an assistant to John “Tex'' Flannery and was named head coach after Flannery retired. In the classroom, he teaches history and economics. Colistra, a lineman under Flannery, said he was inspired to go into coaching by Flannery and Dave Diehl, then an assistant and now La Salle's principal. “As a young person, I was very impressed just being around them,'' Colistra said. “They taught me and my friends self-discipline through football and they got us excited about the sport. They had a presence. “Until Tex retired, I never allowed myself to talk or think about being his successor. He was such a fierce competitor right up to the moment he left. I knew I wanted to coach football, period. I was sure I wanted to be the head coach. But I'm sure I would have been an assistant under someone else, too.'' Under Flannery, Colistra earned a reputation as a solid defensive coordinator. Even as Brett Gordon's passing caused nonstop point explosions from '95 to '97, he continued to care most about defense. La Salle's best athletes almost always play defense and Colistra likes to joke that he still thinks his offense is doing super if it doesn't go backward. At the Colistra household in Elkins Park yesterday morning, Joe did not look nervous. “He wouldn't have shown it, even if he was,'' Paul said. “That's not like him.'' He continued: “It feels good to be a part of this. I've seen the hard work he's put in all these years. I'm happy for him. And proud. I was always hoping he'd still be coaching when I got to varsity. Being here together makes it extra special.'' La Salle scored second-quarter touchdowns on runs of 30 and 51 yards by Pennington and Rich “Moose'' Krauss, and a clinching TD on a 24-yard pass from Pennington to Matt Chapman with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining. With eight minutes left, Wood was down, 17-7, and had a chance to draw close after putting itself in a second-and-goal situation at the 6. Then, Ben Bailey held QB Brian Hirschmann to 2 yards, Chris Kerns held fullback Sean Murphy to 1, and Pennington and Chris Dougherty combined to stop halfback Joe Burgy just short of the end zone.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

After Wood's defense stiffened, Mike Savage boomed a 60-yard punt to complement a 34-yard, first- quarter field goal. Recordwise, Colistra was not an instant success as a head coach. He went 6-23 in his first three seasons - though the Explorers rarely were blitzed - and did not gain his first win until his eighth game. On Nov. 17, 1985, the Explorers beat the old Bishop Kenrick, 20-6, thanks to touchdowns by Doug Ward, Emmett Harkins and John McGowan. “I have that ball at home with my name on it,'' Colistra said.

COLISTRA'S RECORD

14 seasons: 100-51-1 Catholic League titles - '89, '95, '96.

Season W-L-T 1985 2-7-0 1986 1-9-0 1987 3-7-0 1988 10-1-0 1989 10-2-0 1990 8-4-0 1991 10-1-1 1992 7-4-0 1993 4-7-0 1994 7-4-2 1995 11-2-0 1996 14-0-0 1997 8-3-0 1998 5-0-0

Game 6, October 17, 1998: La Salle 31 – Father Judge 7 by Bill Iezzi, Inquirer

With 2 Quarterbacks, La Salle Rolls Past Father Judge, 31-7; Chris Pennington Hurt His Finger, But Sophomore Backup Gabe Marabella Stepped In For The Catholic League Northern Division Victory. La Salle reserve quarterback Gabe Marabella was sitting on the bench Saturday, staring at the turf, when the call came 2 minutes, 52 seconds into the third period. Father Judge had just driven down the field and scored for the first time, and even though the visiting Explorers had a 24-7 lead, the momentum seemed to have shifted to the opposition rapidly. Marabella took over the controls for starter Chris Pennington, who moved to tailback, and the sophomore proved not only that he was ready, but that La Salle seems to have an unending supply of capable quarterbacks.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

He exhibited poise, made a big play that recaptured the momentum, and led La Salle, ranked ninth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, to a 31-7 Catholic League Northern Division victory at Northeast High. “All week they were telling me to be ready to go in,'' Marabella said. Early in the fourth quarter, Marabella connected with senior Chikwere “Obi'' Amachi for 42-yard gain. Four plays later, Pennington burst 1 yard for a touchdown and La Salle surged to a 31-7 lead that held. “That was a big play,'' Marabella said of his pass to Amachi, who caught four for 60 yards. “My coaches told me that play would be open, so I just looked at him the whole way and he caught it.'' La Salle coach Joe Colistra said he made the quarterback change because Pennington injured a finger on this throwing hand at the end of the first half. The senior signal-caller, who had completed 5 of 10 throws for 44 yards and a touchdown in the first half, was too talented a football player to sit on the bench, so he ran the ball. In all, he had a game-high 67 yards on 20 carries. La Salle's defense made big plays, too. Junior linebacker Kevin Dougherty intercepted Judge quarterback Pete Gabriele late in the first quarter to set up Amachi's 26-yard run to the end zone for the first score of the game. The Explorers (6-0 overall, 4-0 league) made it 14-0 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to Mike DeCrescio at the top of the second period. Then La Salle broke open the game by scoring after two fumble recoveries. Junior defensive lineman Ernie Barile recovered the first fumble in midair as he rumbled 14 yards to pay dirt. And Mike Savage, who kicked all of La Salle's extra points, delivered a 36-yard field goal after Ben Bailey recovered a Gabriele fumble on Judge's 38-yard line eight plays earlier. La Salle took a 24-0 lead into the locker room. Gabriele, who completed only 1 of 11 passes in the first half for 8 yards and two interceptions, suddenly got hot in the beginning of the third period. He completed two of two passes while engineering a 63-yard touchdown drive, which was capped by a 5-yard run by Al Glackin. Unfortunately for Judge (4-2, 2-2), that was only drive in which Gabriele showed his passing ability. He finished 5 of 23 throws for 77 yards and 3 interceptions. “He [Gabriele] had a bad game,'' said Judge coach John “Whitey'' Sullivan. “He's got to learn from it.''

Game 7, October 24, 1998: La Salle 45 – Cardinal Dougherty 6 by Mike Gibson, Inquirer

La Salle Continues Streak With 45-6 Victory Over Dougherty; The Unbeaten Explorers Have Their Sights Set On Ryan And The Catholic League North Crown. It figured that when unbeaten La Salle met winless Cardinal Dougherty on Saturday, the outcome would reflect those two realities. And it did. The Explorers turned the scoreboard into an adding machine early and coasted to a 45-6 Catholic League Northern Division victory at Lincoln High. It could have been even worse if Explorers head coach Joe Colistra had not cleared his bench in the early moments of the third quarter. The Explorers (7-0 overall, 5-0 division) now can set their sights on Archbishop Ryan, which also is unbeaten in the division. That game will be played Sunday afternoon at Springfield High. “I'm sure when they put their heads on the pillow last week, they might have been thinking Ryan, but they certainly weren't thinking Ryan during the week leading up to Dougherty,'' Colistra said.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

That focus showed as the visiting Explorers established control early, scoring on their first drive. Ed Cattie ended the eight-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Mike Savage added the extra point. A short punt set up La Salle's other first-quarter touchdown. The key play in that 46-yard drive was a 26- yard bootleg by quarterback Chris Pennington that put the ball on the Dougherty 3. From there, Pennington found Obi Amachi for a 3-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead with 2 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter. A 14-yard pass from Pennington to Matt Chapman was the big play in La Salle's 10-play drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by Rich Krauss that, along with Savage's third extra point, made it 21-0. Savage contributed a 26-yard field goal and Krauss posted another 2-yard TD run, combined with a Savage kick, made it 31-0 with 58 seconds left in the half. Dougherty (0-7, 0-5) scored its only touchdown as a result of a 65-yard kickoff return by Corey Sutton that put the Cardinals on the Explorers' 26. Quarterback Ben Dever found Sutton standing all alone in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the half. A pass for a two-point conversion failed, and the Explorers had a 31-6 lead at the half. Pennington, who rushed for 67 yards on eight carries and threw for 83 yards on 6 of 11 passes, was pulled after the first half. “We had to win this to go into the Ryan game,'' Pennington said. “That's going to be the biggest game of the season.'' The Explorers went to backup quarterback Gabe Marabella in the third quarter and didn't miss a beat, scoring on their first offensive possession on a 5-yard run by Amachi. They made it 45-6 on John Poley's 38-yard interception return with 5:04 left in the third quarter.

Game 8, November 1, 1998: Archbishop Ryan 14 – La Salle 7 (OT) by Ted Silary, Daily News

Ryan Works Overtime To Beat La Salle After spending a long, grueling, exhausting afternoon playing quarterback and defensive back in a football game that meant the world (for now), John Price had energy only for talking. When he opened his mouth, he spit out a snappy comment about tailback Joe O'Connell. “Joe has a way of being able to step in a pile,'' Price said, ``and come out smelling like roses.'' Ultimately, the last and best thing O'Connell stepped in yesterday was an end zone. As a large, energetic crowd at Springfield Montco High watched in amazement, O'Connell ran 10 yards for a touchdown on the first play of overtime and Archbishop Ryan held on to best La Salle, 14-7, and clinch first place in the Catholic League Northern Division. You're probably wondering, What's so amazing about a 10-yard scoring run? Two things, in this case: First, though the game was characterized by ferocious gang-tackling, O'Connell was barely touched after taking a toss to the left side and then making a cutback move up the middle. Second, only once in 14 carries to that point had he gained more than 8 yards. “That's Joe - spurty,'' Price said, smiling. “The whole game, he'll have his head down and he'll be crying, ‘C'mon, man, block for me.' But then, big moment, he comes through. He's unbelievable that way.'' Ryan threatened hard to win late in regulation, marching from its 38 to La Salle's 21 as Nick Pinto (two) and Jim Walsh combined for three clutch receptions. But on third-and-10, Price threw behind fullback 10

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Neal Regan on a crossing pattern and Kevin Dougherty intercepted at the 7 with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining. The overtime session was played at the Paper Mill Road end of the field, with La Salle choosing to play defense first. Ryan coach Glen Galeone opted to begin with a toss sweep to the side where his best lineman, 6-3, 285- pound guard Vince Weber, was stationed. “It's supposed to go outside,'' O'Connell said. “But when a chance for a cutback is there, I take it. I saw a lot of room. I only felt one hand on me going through the line and [wingback] Frank McArdle told me he got a nice block on [a defensive back].'' Said Price: “To score so fast was great. All the pressure came off.'' La Salle's possession included a 1-yard run up the middle by tailback Chris Pennington, a 5-yard loss for Pennington on a delay (tackle by Tom Rowan), a too-short flip by alternate quarterback Gabe Marabella to Ed Cattie along the left sideline and a too-high pass to Pennington at the rear, left-middle portion of the end zone. Anyway, Pennington was just beyond the back line. As the Raiders exploded in celebration, he slumped to the turf behind the goal post and remained face-down for maybe 15 seconds. Pennington had a busy, variety-filled afternoon. He spent all but the last series of the first half at quarterback, and then flip-flopped between tailback and wideout. He rushed 18 times for 47 yards, passed 2-for-5 for 10 yards and notched three receptions for 81 yards. With 1:55 left in the third quarter, Pennington caught a 70-yard pass from Marabella to put La Salle ahead. Thanks to Tim Bandish's 53-yard kickoff return and two penalties totaling 25 yards, Ryan quickly found itself with first-and-10 at La Salle's 12. Bill Crowley bulled for 2 yards and Price dashed 10 yards into the left corner after turning to hand off and discovering, Hey, no one's here to take it! For Regan, a 6-1, 210-pound junior, the day was also taxing. At fullback, he rushed 14 times for 45 yards and did major blocking for O'Connell. At linebacker, he involved himself in 11 tackles, never failing to deliver pad-popping blows, and also assisted in pass coverage. “It was such a tough game. Lots of hitting back and forth,'' Regan said. “We're all pretty tired. That overtime thing is pretty scary. But Joey's run made for a great start and we were confident about stopping them. “It's nice to get a little glory from running the ball, but defense has always been my love. Coach Marvel [Lee, the defensive coordinator] did a great job switching things from play to play. La Salle doesn't really drive the ball down the field too much, but they can kill you with big plays. Except that one time, we didn't let them.'' Said Galeone: “If Neal's a senior, he might be the league MVP. He plays two ways the whole game, and does everything well.''

Game 9, November 8, 1998: La Salle 45 – Conwell-Egan 17 by Joe Fite, Inquirer

Marabella Does Job For La Salle In 45-17 Romp Over Conwell-Egan Chris Pennington, Gabe Marabella. Gabe Marabella, Chris Pennington. The two appear to be interchangeable when it comes to playing quarterback for La Salle.

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Last week in a 14-7 overtime loss to Archbishop Ryan, Pennington got the start and performed well, as did Marabella, who played the second half. Yesterday, in the Explorers' 45-17 Catholic League Northern Division win over a feisty Conwell-Egan team at Springfield, Marabella got the start and was outstanding. So no matter which of the two players coach Joe Colistra calls on for La Salle's first-round playoff game against Archbishop Wood at Northeast on Friday night at 7, he has confidence that the job is going to get done. “He threw the ball very well,'' Colistra said of Marabella. “But we're not evaluating our quarterback as just completing passes. We want to see how our team moves the ball, and that's what we have to do. We have to sit down as a staff, look at the film and go with some gut instinct.'' When Colistra looks at the film, he will see that his sophomore quarterback completed 10 of 20 passes for 143 yards. During a stretch in the first half, he connected on 7 of 9 tosses for 105 yards. One of the passes was a pretty 27-yard scoring strike down the left sideline to Obi Amachi that gave La Salle a 21- 10 lead with 4 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the half, taking the wind out of the Eagles' sails. Conwell-Egan had its moments and gave the Explorers pause as it pulled to within 14-10 in the second quarter. Pennington and Amachi had given La Salle a 14-0 lead with rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, but Conwell-Egan rallied on a Bruce Reiprich keeper and Mike Lamina's 37-yard field goal in the second quarter. Lamina's field goal was a school record, breaking Drew Nick's mark of 35 yards set against La Salle in 1983. The Eagles also scored on a 69-yard halfback pass from Tom Smith to Tom Terry late in the third quarter. “They came to play,'' Colistra said. “We scored two touchdowns right away, and I think there was sort of a natural letdown, which I didn't want to see, but I understand that that happens.'' Pennington had a big hand in the Explorers' resurgence after Conwell-Egan got close. He had four huge runs leading to Amachi's touchdown catch, then after moving to quarterback in the fourth quarter, tucked the ball and raced 83 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. He ended the game with 168 yards rushing on 13 carries.

Game 10, November 13, 1998: La Salle 28 – Archbishop Wood 0 (PCL Qfinal) by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

Explorers' Offense Flattens Vikings; Chris Pennington Had A Role In 174 Yards Gained And Kept Archbishop Wood Off Balance. If Archbishop Wood coach Tom Magdelinskas had a sophisticated tracking device available to him, he would have secretly placed it inside Chris Pennington's helmet. As it was, the Vikings had difficulty keeping tabs of the many movements Pennington made while playing offense for La Salle. The versatile senior, used in just about every way possible, sparked the Explorers in a 28-0 romp in a Catholic League quarterfinal playoff game Friday night at Northeast High. Pennington kept Wood's defensive unit guessing for most of the game. Before settling in as run-at-will quarterback in the second half, the 6-foot-2 200-pounder made significant first-half contributions as a running back and receiver. One could only wonder whether La Salle coach Joe Colistra had also considered using No. 11 on the offensive line or to return kickoffs and punts. “We really didn't have any set plan going into the game,'' Pennington said.

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Pennington played a part in 174 of the 261 yards the Explorers gained on offense. He rushed 22 times for 51 yards and one touchdown, completed six of eight passes for 73 yards, and caught four passes for 50 yards. The senior also was a leading special-teams performer, and one of the first La Salle players down the field on kick coverage. “I'm just thrilled that the coaches have used me in a lot of ways,'' Pennington said modestly. “I have to give the coaching staff a lot of credit. They're the ones who have made all this possible.'' The Explorers (9-1) will face unbeaten Cardinal O'Hara (10-0) in a league semifinal on Friday night at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High. Wood (5-6), which made its first appearance in the playoffs since 1986, will prepare for its Thanksgiving matchup against neighboring William Tennent. La Salle led, 10-0, at the end of the opening quarter, thanks to the first of two 41-yard field goals by Mike Savage and a 6-yard touchdown scamper by Chikwere “Obi'' Amachi. Amachi's run capped a 10-play, 58-yard drive on which Pennington made catches of 11, 13, 6 and 20 yards. “He's a big-time player,'' Magdelinskas said of Pennington. “He found a way to get open, and they found a way to get him the ball. He's a tough kid.'' Trailing by 13-0, the Vikings reached the La Salle 16-yard line in the last minute of the first half. But quarterback Brian Hirschmann's pass over the middle was intercepted by senior linebacker Kevin Merlini. Any chance of a Wood comeback was killed when the Explorers took the second-half kickoff and marched 91 yards on 13 plays.

November 18, 1998 by Ted Silary, Daily News

A Football Star, And So Much More Chikwere “Obi'' Amachi lost his father to a heart attack in the summer after finishing first grade, so the memories are not as crisp as he'd prefer. But as Amachi approaches manhood - many would say he's already there - he has reached a crystal- clear conclusion. “Everything I do is partly for him,'' he said. “I didn't see that until later, until I was older,'' he added. “Everything I do scholastically, athletically, socially - it's all to make him proud. My mom says she sees parts of my dad in me, like my work ethic and doing things to the best of my ability.'' One of the things Amachi, a 5-11, 175-pound senior, does well is play football for La Salle High as a wideout, slotback and tailback. Amachi's grid talents will be on display when the Explorers (9-1) battle Cardinal O'Hara (10-0) in a Catholic League semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High. Not to minimize the game's importance, but football is only a blip on his radar screen. For one thing, Amachi, one of only a dozen or so African-Americans at La Salle, is the president of the student body. For another, he maintains a 4.0 grade-point average and has scored 1,210 on the Scholastic Assessment Test (with results of his latest attempt still not back). Want more? Amachi sings baritone in the school choir, is active in the drama club, is on the Spanish Club's executive council, puts in time with the multicultural corps and stars for the track team. In summers, for multiple organizations, he gives motivational and instructional speeches for middle- school students preparing for high school - both those on and not on student councils. While Amachi was outlining his activities yesterday in the office of athletic director Joe Parisi, Parisi stopped in briefly and heard maybe a minute of conversation.

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“Hey, Obi,'' he said, finally. “I knew you were into almost everything, but you just mentioned four things I didn't even know.'' He chuckled and added, “You have to talk more. Let me know what's going on in your life.'' When would Amachi find time? “I've had to drop some things and scale back on others,'' he said. “But in general, I try to excel in as many things as possible. A person needs to be well-rounded, to show diversity.'' Amachi's complete name is Chikwere (chick-whir) Nduagbaghi La Ahia Obiudojindu Chintua Amachi. “My mom didn't tell me all my names until I was in ninth grade,'' he said. Amachi's ancestors are Ibo, from the Ngwa region (southeast) of Nigeria. His father, Akarue, came to Philadelphia for veterinary school in the early 1970s and later brought over his wife, Gloria. Obi's brother, Ahamefula ``Ace,'' 29, was a starting running back for the Explorers in 1986 and '87 and is now a chef at a restaurant in Jenkintown. One sister, Ndidi, 30, is a fashion designer living in Raleigh, N.C. The other, Udochi, 27, teaches elementary school and lives in Laurel, Md. Gloria is an area sales manager for Strawbridge & Clothier in Willow Grove Park Mall. Amachi, a first-team coaches' All-Catholic pick at wide receiver, so far has applied to Princeton, Stanford, Duke, North Carolina State, Boston University and Haverford. Though he is leaning toward a biochemistry major with an eye on a research career, he admits to being intrigued by public policy. Could La Salle coach Joe Colistra, for one, picture Amachi as the mayor of Philadelphia? “Absolutely,'' he beamed. Colistra and the Amachis go way back. Udochi formerly was a counselor at La Salle's summer day camp and Obi attended from roughly 5 to 12 years of age. “He used to come to our house for milk and cookies,'' Colistra said. “In school and in sports, Obi's really a treasure,'' he said. “He has a presence. He's self-confident. To me, that's the basic ingredient shared by successful people. As a leader, he has a way to get people to feel good about themselves and what they're doing. Sometimes it's not even his words. It's just his body language. He's at ease with himself, which makes those around him at ease with themselves.'' In La Salle's 28-0 quarterfinal waltz past Archbishop Wood, Amachi went low for a pass in the end zone. The official ruled no catch. “I asked Obi if he caught it,'' Colistra said. “His one-word answer was, `Yes.' I told the referee, `Obi told me he caught it. Obi doesn't lie.' '' When Amachi and two associates ran for office at La Salle, their slogan was ``Unity Is Strength.'' Already this school year, they have improved school spirit by coming up with clever names for student rooting sections, and have instituted a program where top students and athletes in each grade, as well as a deserving teacher, are given T-shirts as honorees of the month. “La Salle is a place where a lot of people do a lot of things well. Everyone should get notice for that,'' said Amachi, who lives on Old York Road in East Oak Lane. “Football shouldn't be the only thing in the forefront. If a student does something noteworthy on the stage or in the Boy Scouts, he should receive credit.'' These days, Amachi said thoughts of his father “come into my mind in spurts. I think mostly about the loss.'' He paused and continued. “I've been fortunate,'' he said. “I've met people in the same predicament, or worse. In working with the Association of Catholic Student Councils, I met a girl who lost both her parents. She's a senior now at BU. She's like my third older sister. Meeting her helped me open up, helped me to connect with others. It gave me a different perspective.''

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November 20, 1998 by Chris Mokrides, Inquirer

O'Hara And Kevin Jones Face A Top Defense; La Salle Gives Up Few TDs. The Teams Play Tonight In A Catholic League Semifinal Game. Something has to give. La Salle High has six all-Catholic League North players on a rock-ribbed defense that surrendered a touchdown or less in nine of its 10 games. Cardinal O'Hara has Kevin Jones. The teams meet in the Catholic League semifinals at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High tonight at 7:30. In other playoff action tonight, Strath Haven guns for its third straight District 1 Class AAA title when it hosts Perkiomen Valley at 7:30. O'Hara's Jones, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound sophomore, needs 90 yards to reach 2,000 for the season. No running back has rushed for 100 yards in a game against the Explorers all year. “Our kids are fast and strong enough to run with anybody,'' La Salle coach Joe Colistra said of a defense that has propelled the Explorers to a 9-1 record. “We can't allow seams and creases. We have to stay disciplined.'' Colistra, whose team won league titles in 1995 and 1996, lost seven starters from last year's defense. But La Salle's head coach knew this season's defense, bolstered by additions from a junior varsity team that was undefeated from 1995 through 1997, would be strong. Senior defensive end Tim McDonald was the strongest. The 6-0, 185-pounder was La Salle's only first- team all-league selection. But the Explorers placed five defensive players on the second team: defensive tackle Chris Kerns, linebacker Kevin Merlini, free safety Kevin Dougherty, defensive back Sean Kent, and the coach's son, strong safety Paul Colistra. La Salle's defense was at its best in league quarterfinal action last week, limiting Archbishop Wood to 82 total yards in a 28-0 Explorers win. Jones and O'Hara (10-0) should provide a stiffer challenge. Jones surpassed Wood's offense on one play alone, racing 89 yards to score in the third quarter of a 42-0 rout of Monsignor Bonner last Saturday. The O'Hara star finished with 221 yards on 22 carries. Backup running back Greg Watson rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. The Lions aren't a one-dimensional team, however. A cat-quick defense, led by all-league linebackers Matt Clancy and Larry Moore, has given up an average of eight points a game. “The key is speed,'' O'Hara coach George Stratts said after the win over Bonner. “We don't have the biggest guys. We have a lot of kids who are 195 [pounds]. But they all can run.'' So can La Salle's defenders, who must stop the seemingly unstoppable Jones to advance to the Catholic League final. Something has to give.

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Game 11, November 20, 1998: La Salle 17 – Cardinal O’Hara 10 (PCL Semi) by Joe Fite, Inquirer

La Salle's Defense Foils O'Hara In Semifinal; The Explorers' 17-10 Win Put Them In The Catholic League Title Game. With less than a minute remaining before La Salle's 17-10 win over Cardinal O'Hara in a Catholic League semifinal Friday night, Lions sophomore Kevin Jones threw his helmet to the turf in disgust. The Explorers' defense has a way of doing that to players. Jones, who carried the ball 33 times for 161 yards and who finished his season with 2,071 yards, gained a lot of yards but was largely neutralized by the La Salle defense when it counted. During crunch time in the fourth quarter, Jones was held to 9 yards on seven carries at Plymouth- Whitemarsh High. The Explorers (10-1) were able to run out the clock, hand O'Hara (10-1) its first loss of the season, and earn a berth in the Catholic League championship game Dec. 5 at Northeast High. “The idea was to shut off any running lanes, so we played our most basic defense and tried to close off his outside with the blitz, but always keep two linebackers in so they could find out where he was going,'' Explorers coach Joe Colistra said. “So we always had somebody in his running lanes. That was the key. Not as though somebody was mirroring him, just the running lanes. Basic defense.'' Basic defense was what caused Jones, the only sophomore named the Southern Division's most valuable player, to fumble the ball away in the first quarter, when the Lions threatened to take a 7-3 lead. Jones coughed up the ball at the La Salle 4-yard line and Chris Dougherty recovered to end the threat. It was defense that made O'Hara coach George Stratts decide to go for a 23-yard Nick Civitella field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the half instead of a touchdown after the Explorers held the Lions at the La Salle 6-yard line. That cut the Explorers' lead to 10-3 instead of 10-7. And it was La Salle's pass defense that killed any chance by the Lions in the fourth quarter. O'Hara had a fourth-and-12 play at the Explorers' 37 when Lions quarterback Jim Clary was flushed out of the pocket. He threw on the run and was picked off by Chris Pennington with 7 minutes, 42 seconds to play in the game. Later, Sean Kent ran stride for stride alongside Jones on the left sideline and threw him off just enough to miss a fourth-down pass from Clary near the end zone with 3:22 left in the game. It was the last time O'Hara saw the ball. “I think when anybody throws the ball on us, it's to our advantage,'' Colistra said. “The athleticism of our secondary is just amazing.'' “The idea was to shut off any running lanes, so we played our most basic defense and tried to close off his outside with the blitz, but always keep two linebackers in so they could find out where he was going,'' Explorers coach Joe Colistra said. “So we always had somebody in his running lanes. That was the key. Not as though somebody was mirroring him, just the running lanes. Basic defense.'' Basic defense was what caused Jones, the only sophomore named the Southern Division's most valuable player, to fumble the ball away in the first quarter, when the Lions threatened to take a 7-3 lead. Jones coughed up the ball at the La Salle 4-yard line and Chris Dougherty recovered to end the threat. It was defense that made O'Hara coach George Stratts decide to go for a 23-yard Nick Civitella field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the half instead of a touchdown after the Explorers held the Lions at the La Salle 6-yard line. That cut the Explorers' lead to 10-3 instead of 10-7. And it was La Salle's pass defense that killed any chance by the Lions in the fourth quarter. O'Hara had a fourth-and-12 play at the Explorers' 37 when Lions quarterback Jim Clary was flushed out of the pocket. 16

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He threw on the run and was picked off by Chris Pennington with 7 minutes, 42 seconds to play in the game. Later, Sean Kent ran stride for stride alongside Jones on the left sideline and threw him off just enough to miss a fourth-down pass from Clary near the end zone with 3:22 left in the game. It was the last time O'Hara saw the ball. “I think when anybody throws the ball on us, it's to our advantage,'' Colistra said. “The athleticism of our secondary is just amazing.'' Offensively, La Salle was outgained in total yards, 276-178, but did enough to win. Mike Savage opened the scoring in the first quarter when he boomed a no-doubt-about-it 42-yard field goal. With 4:43 remaining in the half, Pennington caught Mike DeCrescio streaking across the end zone on a slant pattern for a 9-yard scoring toss and a 10-0 lead. In the third quarter, Jones muffed a punt, giving the Explorers a first down at the O'Hara 24. Rich Krauss, who led La Salle in rushing with 63 yards on 18 carries, wasted no time capitalizing. He took a toss from Pennington on the right side and went the distance for a touchdown with 10:18 remaining in the third quarter to give the Explorers a 17-3 lead. “They decided to keep me at tailback full-time tonight,'' Krauss said. “We moved the ball very well with Pennington at quarterback [he also doubles as a tailback]. He's a great leader. [Ed] Cattie's been playing great at fullback. They decided to keep him there full-time. It just worked out really well.'' by Joe Santoliquito, Inquirer

O'Hara Ousted By La Salle, 17-10; The Catholic League Semifinal Setback Was The Lions' Only Defeat. For the first time this season, Cardinal O'Hara star running back Kevin Jones was visibly upset. He kicked over a trash can after his second fumble of the game set up a La Salle touchdown Friday night in the Catholic League semifinal game at Plymouth-Whitemarsh that put the Lions in a precarious position. O'Hara trailed by 17-3 early in the third quarter and time was running thin in the Lions' undefeated season. But Jones showed something that bodes well for the future. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore did not sulk. Instead, he almost literally carried the Lions on a touchdown drive that made the game competitive again. Unfortunately, two O'Hara drives in the fourth quarter failed, and a costly late penalty crushed any opportunity for the Lions, who lost to La Salle, 17-10, ending a successful season with a 10-1 record. Jones finished with a game-high 161 yards on 33 carries. He totaled a school-record 2,071 yards rushing for the season. He fumbled the ball twice, once inside the La Salle 5-yard line, and dropped what could have been a touchdown pass in the first half. Jones was shaken after the game. “I blamed myself for the loss,'' Jones said. “I shouldn't have fumbled, I should have caught that touchdown pass and everything. I did blame myself,'' he said. “I thought I lost the game for us. Nothing was going right in the beginning and I got angry. It's rare I get that way. . . . Our season's over now, but we're starting again on Monday.'' Sensing it could not completely stop Jones, La Salle's game plan defensively was to frustrate him, and for almost the entire game the Explorers did. Every time Jones touched the ball, it seemed that four La Salle players were there to greet him.

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The victory sent the Explorers (10-1) to the Catholic League championship game for the third time in the last four years. They will play Archbishop Ryan, which shut out St. Joseph's Prep, 14-0, in a semifinal game on Saturday night. Jones, the only sophomore ever to be selected MVP of the Catholic League Southern Division, came into the game with 1,910 yards rushing in 10 games this season. Trailing by 17-3 in the third quarter, Jones wanted to erase some of the anxiety growing on the O'Hara sideline that he felt was his fault. The Lions embarked on a 12-play, 70-yard, 5-minute, 48-second scoring drive that ended with Jones' 2- yard touchdown burst. Jones gained 61 of those 70 yards, 20 on a quick burst up the sideline, an area La Salle worked to take away from the O'Hara speedster. “We worked all week on taking out O'Hara's perimeter game and tried to keep Jones inside,'' La Salle linebacker Paul Colistra said. “We knew they were a great team, but we felt we were a great team, too.'' Taking a 10-3 lead into halftime, the La Salle defense did a good job keeping Jones contained. Jones had 83 yards on 15 carries in the first two quarters, but much of that came on a 42-yard run down the sideline that Jones broke midway into the first quarter. Much of the half, the Explorers strung out the field and kept Jones from turning up the sideline. La Salle also crowded the line of scrimmage, throwing eight defenders in the box, daring the Lions to throw the ball. Offensively, the Explorers - who wanted to control the clock - did little. O'Hara actually outgained La Salle in total offense, 282 yards to 175. The Explorers had a conservative attack, spiced with a few big plays. La Salle's first-half score was made possible when quarterback Chris Pennington hit Chikwere Amachi with a 37-yard pass that placed the ball at the O'Hara 12. “It hurts, I thought we would come back and win somehow,'' Jones said. “I never lost a [playoff] game like this. I never felt like this before. I don't want to feel like this again.''

Game 12, Nov 25, 1998: La Salle 13 – St. Joseph’s Prep 9 (Thanksgiving) by Jay Nagle, Inquirer

La Salle, In Title Tune-up, Downs St. Joe's Prep La Salle's Mike Savage kicked a pair of field goals and Rich Krauss scored on a 1-yard fourth-quarter run as the Explorers outlasted defending PCL champion St. Joseph's Prep, 13-9, before a crowd of about 5,000 at La Salle University. Defense and special teams, key ingredients in late-November football, carried La Salle yesterday in its 23d annual Thanksgiving meeting with St. Joseph's Prep. That was good news for Explorers head coach Joe Colistra, who may need them again next weekend when the Explorers play for the Philadelphia Catholic League championship. The victory, which gave La Salle an 18-5 edge in the series, was the final tune-up for La Salle before it meets Archbishop Ryan for the league title on Dec. 5. The Prep, which fell to Ryan, 14-0, last weekend in the PCL semifinals, finished its season 9-3. “I wish we had our offense going a little better, but sure, you love to have the defense and special teams working whether it's now or earlier in the year,'' Colistra said after the Explorers raised their record to 11- 1. “But it's nice to know you can count on them.''

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The Explorers' defense, which has allowed just 86 points this season, survived a big afternoon by SJP quarterback Steve Comly, who completed 15 of 39 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Jim Jankiewicz caught 10 of those passes for 130 yards. But La Salle recorded three interceptions, including one in the end zone by defensive back Sean Kent with 3 minutes, 15 seconds left. Chris Pennington made the other two interceptions for La Salle, which also batted down four of Comly's passes. Savage, meanwhile, drilled field goals of 41 and 26 yards, giving him 10 for the season. He also punted six times for a 40.1-yard average and sent one of his kickoffs into the end zone. La Salle's only touchdown came with10:25 to go, after the Prep fumbled a Savage punt on its own 23. A 20-yard run by Ed Cattie moved the ball to the 3; Krauss went in three plays later. When the Prep fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Savage followed with his second field goal, with 8:52 left. Comly found Keith Olkowski with a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:49 to go before La Salle ran out the clock. The Hawklets' remaining points came on a 32-yard first-quarter field goal by Jim DiGiulio. “Bottom line, you can't turn the ball over like that, especially deep in their territory,'' St. Joseph's head coach Gil Brooks said. “Not and expect to beat a good team like La Salle.'' Both schools said they would like to continue with the Thanksgiving rivalry, which could be placed in jeopardy if the PCL votes for realignment this week. La Salle, which currently competes in the North, and the Prep, which competes in the South, would be relocated in a new large-school division.

Game 12, December 5, 1998: La Salle 17 – Archbishop Ryan 3 (PCL Champ) by Mike Gibson, Inquirer

La Salle Takes Title In Catholic League; Chris Pennington Scored 2 Second-half Touchdowns In The 17-3 Win Over Archbishop Ryan. Chris Pennington's finish was more productive than his start, and the La Salle High football team has a Catholic League championship trophy as a result. Switched to tailback from quarterback shortly before the half, Pennington gained 147 yards on 16 carries to lift the Explorers over Archbishop Ryan, 17-3, last night before a crowd of 10,000 at Northeast High. It was the third title in four years for the Explorers (12-1), and they did it against a school that was playing for its fifth league crown in the 1990s. Ryan (10-3) got on the scoreboard first when, with 1 second left in the first quarter, Nick Colaccio booted a 34-yard field goal. La Salle got its offense going in the third quarter, after coach Joe Colistra had inserted backup quarterback Gabe Marabella and moved Pennington to tailback. “Our offense was really stagnant in the first half,'' Colistra said. “I'm glad we did it just before the second half because we wanted to look at it before halftime.'' It worked. Mike Savage tied the game on the Explorers' first drive of the second half with a 38-yard field goal. Then, after the La Salle defense forced Ryan to give up the ball on four downs, the Explorers put together a nine-play, 88-yard drive, ending with a 1-yard run by Pennington. La Salle iced the game with 1 minute, 45 seconds to play when Pennington broke free on a 47-yard run. “Either quarterback or tailback, I really don't mind where they put me,'' Pennington said. “I just wanted to help the team. We lost to them earlier this year, and this really felt good to come through when it counted.'' 19

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Ryan won the first meeting between the teams, 14-7 in overtime on Nov. 1. “Both teams really have done it the same way - with defense,'' Colistra said. “Both coaches really pride themselves on defense.'' The only offense in the first half was from Ryan quarterback John Price, who connected with Glen Galeone Jr. - son of Ryan coach Glen Galeone Sr. - on a 33-yard pass that put the ball on the La Salle 20. Three plays later, Colaccio found the range with plenty to spare on his field goal. Ryan's defense dominated the rest of the half. by Ted Silary, Daily News

La Salle Shuffles Quarterbacks, Wins Title So, how has your last calendar year unfolded? Perhaps not as well as Gabe Marabella's. In the fall of last year, Marabella was one of three guys sharing time at quarterback on La Salle High's freshman football team. Saturday night, in a relief role, with 7,000 fans bearing witness at balmy Northeast High, he helped guide the Explorers to a 17-3 win over Archbishop Ryan and the Catholic League title, their third in four seasons and fourth in 10. With La Salle's offense experiencing, as coach Joe Colistra called it, “a constipation problem,'' Marabella came off the bench late in the first half. Ryan's 3-0 lead held until intermission, but Marabella completed his first pass for an 18-yard gain to Matt Chapman, then Mr. Versatility, Chris Pennington - having moved from QB to running back - motored for 27 yards on the final play of the half. The good vibrations felt like an earthquake. “We talked about it all week - don't be afraid to make the move,'' Colistra said of switching Pennington to running back. “We couldn't fret. It would be, `Do it. Move on.' “We decided to do it then because it gave us a chance to get a feel for what would happen before we went into the locker room. We looked more fluid. Putting Chris in another position spread out the defense.'' The 5-11, 150-pound Marabella finished 6-for-9 for 117 yards. He hit Chapman for 17 yards on the first possession of the second half, which yielded Mike Savage's 39-yard field goal. Next time around, he was dead on target with a 51-yard, up-the-sideline bomb to Mike Cattie and Pennington ran 1 yard for the decisive TD three plays later. And not to overlook . . . After La Salle's Tim McDonald recovered a fumble on his 23 midway through the fourth quarter, Marabella converted two gigantic third-down plays - picking up 6 yards on a draw and showing nice touch on an 18-yard pass to tight end Mike DeCrescio (he displayed great concentration while jumping) - and then watched in glee as Pennington (17 carries, 135 yards) cruised 47 yards for a clinching TD at 1:45. Marabella first saw significant, non-mopup playing time Oct. 17 in a win over Father Judge. Thereafter, La Salle's coaches vacillated on whether the offense would fare better with Pennington or Marabella at QB. During the semifinal win over Cardinal O'Hara, for instance, Marabella was only a spectator.

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

“I was thinking that they might not use me tonight,'' Marabella said. “But the coaches had said, `You could go in at any given time, so be ready.' I watched what was going on, tried to stay ready. “I was a little nervous at first. After the first play, I felt great. It helped greatly being out there with Chris. Whatever you ask him to do, he does it. He's been helping me all year with quarterbacking.'' Marabella had always played quarterback in youth football, so he was thrown for something of a loop on the freshman team when he wound up playing QB and running back and wideout. “When he came back this fall, Gabe separated himself from the other two quarterbacks from that freshman team,'' Colistra said. “I'm comfortable with him because of his personality. He doesn't fluster. We tell him to do this or do that and he just says, `OK.' “We put pressure on him. He responded. We scrimmage full-bore every Tuesday or Wednesday. Sometimes both days. If you want to be physical, you have to practice physical. We do.'' While Marabella and Pennington were leading the offense, the defense was making sure Ryan would go without a touchdown in the title game for the second straight year. The starters were ends John Poley and McDonald, tackles Chris Kerns and Joe Dillon, nose guard Ernie Barile, linebackers Chris Dougherty and Kevin Merlini, cornerbacks Sean Kent and Jordan Mulrain and safeties Kevin Dougherty (Chris's twin) and Paul Colistra (Joe's son). Subs Travis Manion and Ben Bailey helped on the line while Pennington made several big plays at cornerback. On Thanksgiving, the Explorers surrendered 300-plus yards to St. Joseph's Prep, but eked out a 13-9 victory. “Just being able to win that game gave us confidence,'' Kerns said. “Before that, being able to stop [rusher supreme] Kevin Jones and O'Hara gave us the feeling, `If we can beat them, we can beat anybody.' We had to stand our ground tonight. We did it pretty well.'' TITLE TIDBITS: Mike Savage's field goal was his 11th of the season, tying a Catholic League mark set in 1990 by Ryan's Brian Hamill. Savage finished the season with 65 points . . . Joe Colistra is 4-0 in title games . . . Ryan defenders Jim Hughes and John Brightcliffe both went out with knee injuries. by Mike Gibson, Inquirer

La Salle Is King Of Catholic League Football By Beating Ryan To Avenge Their Only Defeat; The Explorers Took Their Third Title In Four Years. There is no special trophy for being the team of the 1990s in Catholic League football. If there were one, though, it would be hard to argue with the case being presented by La Salle High. La Salle made its latest statement by beating Archbishop Ryan, 17-3, Saturday night to win its third title in the last four years. The Explorers (12-1) could not have picked a better opponent to do it against. The Raiders (10-3) had handed them their only loss, a 14-7 defeat in the regular-season meeting between the teams. In addition, Ryan and La Salle own the two most impressive streaks in league history - both accomplished in this decade. Ryan went 47 games without a loss in league play to start the decade, winning four consecutive titles in the process. La Salle built a 32-game unbeaten streak that was ended by none other than Ryan last season. Together, the two teams have won seven of the nine championships in the '90s. “Ryan played a tough game,'' La Salle's Chris Pennington, a quarterback and tailback, said Saturday. “They're a really tough opponent for us. It's a tough win for us. Their defense is really good. It's really hard to beat teams like that.''

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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 1998

Pennington completed only 1 of 7 passes in the first half as the Explorers' starting quarterback. Switched to tailback, he punished the Ryan defense, gaining 147 yards on 16 carries. Pennington scored the second of his two touchdowns on a third-and-9 play with less than two minutes remaining, when La Salle was merely trying to run out the clock. “I knew Ryan was overpursuing at that point, and I thought if I cut it back up the middle, I might have some room,'' he said. He bounced off a Ryan linebacker and took it the rest of the way. La Salle coach Joe Colistra said he knows why his team and Ryan have dominated the Catholic League. “It's really defense and ball control,'' Colistra said. “We have two coaches who really stress that, and that's really what wins championships.'' The teams could well meet again for the title next year. Gabe Marabella, La Salle's quarterback during Saturday's second half, is only a sophomore. Ryan will have its starting offensive backfield intact. “We're already thinking about next year,'' Colistra said before adding: “No, just kidding.'' He wanted at least 15 minutes to celebrate this championship.

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