Chronicle 2014 by Aaron Carter, Daily News, August 22, 2014

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 by Aaron Carter, Daily News, August 22, 2014

La Salle Focused On Schedule, Not On Revenge The last time La Salle High entered a football season with a title other than "defending Catholic League champions" preceding its name was the start of the 2008 campaign, which sparked the first of five consecutive PCL crowns for the Explorers (Roman Catholic beat St. Joseph's Prep in 2007). Of course, after St. Joseph's Prep unseated La Salle last season, the Explorers are once again title-less. However, revenge isn't their focus, at least not yet. "With our schedule, that's the last thing on our minds right now," La Salle coach Drew Gordon said. "Now, in the playoffs, ask me that question again and I'll tell you a different story." The Explorers start the season with away games against North Penn and Bergen Catholic followed by a home opener with DeMatha (Md.), a visit to Malvern and a final home game with McDonogh (Md.) before PCL play begins (add a nonleague game with Archbishop Wood). So, with a difficult nonleague schedule and the Hawks still circling, maturity at the skill positions could become the key to La Salle's success. Last season, the Explorers' offense was led by talented juniors Kyle Shurmur (quarterback), Jordan Meachum (running back) and Jimmy Herron (wide receiver) with sophomore Nick Rinella (running back) used as a multipurpose threat. Shurmur, who has committed to Vanderbilt, was a Daily News second-team All-City player as a junior, his first season with La Salle after transferring from Ohio. "The main difference from this year to last is that he's now the leader," Gordon said of Shurmur, son of Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. "He didn't have to be asked, he just kind of took it on." Questions about some relative inexperience on the offensive and defensive lines have yet to be answered, said Gordon, but, so far, he sees progress. Undoubtedly, the Explorers will rely heavily on the senior class that tasted disappointment last season. "I think that's going to be a big difference," Gordon said, "the maturity factor of those vets having been there before." by David Mika, EasternPAfootball, August 23, 2014

40 Teams In 40 Days – Day 34 – La Salle College High School Offensive Preview: After transferring from Ohio powerhouse St. Edward’s, senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur passed for almost 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns last year in his first year at LaSalle College High. “He had the fundamentals and all the skills. He was very sure of himself, but extremely humble. You can tell right away that he was a game player and has a very good work ethic.” This summer Kyle committed to Vanderbilt. We have him ranked the number one quarterback in EasternPAFootball.com. “He has a really strong arm, is a very accurate passer and is extremely smart. He’s very good inside the pocket and can escape if he has too. He’s very good on the outside. He has that strong arm and will find the open receiver.” At running back they return one of the versatile runners in Eastern Pennsylvania. Jordan Meachum had nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards from last year.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

“We like to put him in the slot a lot but he could lineup in any position. He has good hands. He’s a strong runner and good at protecting the ball. He’s very quick to the hole and if he can break level two, the linebackers, he’s a threat to go the distance.” Another guy that’s like Jordan is junior Nick Rinella. Nick was the second leading rusher and caught over 25 passes last year. “Another kid that plays the same way is Rinella. He can play all the positions and can run and catch well.” Ryan Brady is back at fullback. “He’s one of our strong leaders and is a tough kid. He’s a smart kid and understands what we’re doing. He can block and does everything very well.” Jared Walls is another runner that will get some reps. They have one guy returning last year that had a lot of experience on the offensive line is. His name is Matt McDermott and he will play either center or guard. “He has a strong football IQ. He recognizes what the defenses are doing.” With only one guy returning with experience who would be the guys battling for the four remaining spots on the offensive line? “We have about five or six guy battling or could rotate in.” The guys battling for playing time on the line are Jim Morrissey, Ryan Schutta, Thomas Garvin, Connor McCracken and Anthony Piscopo. “We will come up with our starting group next week after our second scrimmage.” The Explorers return their top wide receiver from last year. His name is Jimmy Herron. Jimmy is a guy that will play all over the field and could lineup in the backfield, slot or receiver spots. “He’s a very smart player and has great hands. He has the knack to find the open space. He’s a competitor out there and runs smart routes. I think his best position is outside. He is not a big kid, but has good speed and instincts.” At receiver he caught 48 passes for 734 yards and 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 94 yards in the wild cat. “He understands what he is doing out there whether it is at receiver, quarterback or safety. He is a student of the game. One of the things I like about him is even in practice he will lineup against our best player so he can get better.” Another guy that played a lot last year is Charles Headen. Keep an eye on junior receiver Winston Eubanks along with AJ Grezeszak. Defensive Preview: On the defensive line Keith Wagner is returning at defensive tackle. “He’s a real strong kid and works very hard. He played a lot for us last year on the line.” Guys that played a little last year are Sean Collins, Conor McCracken, Isaiah Henrich and Fletcher Grady. Jim Morrissey might see some action. Inside linebacker Aidan Kerrigan played a lot last year at linebacker and Ryan Brady is going to be another linebacker. “Kerrigan and Ryan are the leaders and the both have good knowledge. Kerrigan is the guy calling the plays and he’s always around the ball.” Brian Buckley will play outside and inside and Sam Hardy will play outside linebacker. In the secondary AJ Grezeszak returns with experience as a safety. Jimmy Herron, Jordan Meachum and Nick Rinella will all get some time in the secondary this year. Jimmy and Jordan are leaders in the secondary.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Special Teams Preview: Jordan Meachum, Nick Rinella and Jimmy Herron will do kick and punt returns. They are working some other players out during camp. Matt Savage, Michael Raczak and Michael Wells are competing for the kicking and/or punting duties. Cole Lerch is the long snapper.

Head Coach: Drew Gordon 2013 Record: 8-4 (3-1 Conference) Key Starters Lost: Zaire Franklin, Bill Frusco, Mick Barrett, Steve Hudak, Matt Raczak, Corey Lerch, Tom McClain, Nick Buckley, Dave Geppert, Ryan Coonahan, Tamar Turner, Levi Hardy, Brennan O’Donnell, Raekwon Caswell, Mike Koller and Vince Cicalese Offensive Players Returning (6): QB Kyle Shurmur, ATH Jordan Meachum, RB Nick Rinella, FB Ryan Brady, WR Jimmy Herron Defensive Players Returning (5): DT Keith Wagner, LB Aidan Kerrigan, CB AJ Grezeszak, CB Jordan Meachum, CB Jimmy Herron by Rich Kauffman, GameTimePA.com, August 25, 2014

La Salle QB Kyle Shumur Ready To Step Up And Lead SPRINGFIELD — To the athletic programs at La Salle, Kyle Shurmur has proven to be one thing: a godsend. Heading into his second season as the starting quarterback of Drew Gordon's Explorers, Shurmur, as he was last year, will be the focal point of the perennially Philadelphia Catholic League-favorite. Yet, as a newcomer, Shurmur has yet to hoist the hubcap after falling short to St. Joseph's Prep in the PCL championship last season. "He was in an awkward situation,” Gordon said. "He was new to the school, the kids hadn't dealt with him a lot, I think they recognized his talent level, but if you're not around people, there's trust factors that need to be developed and nourished.” Transferring his junior year from St. Edward High School outside Cleveland, Ohio, after dad, Pat Shurmur, got the offensive coordinator gig with Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles, son Kyle had moved from one stud football program to another. But, in coming to La Salle, he still had a lot to prove. "Leaders don't just stand up and say 'I'm leading.' It takes time,” Gordon said. A loss in the PCL championship spelled the end of five straight championship seasons for the Explorers. Shurmur, as a newcomer to the PCL, simply hadn't experienced the intense rivalry between La Salle and St. Joe's previously. But, in loss, he and the upcoming seniors made a pact. "Right away all of the seniors got together and said 'we got to get this title back,” Shurmur said. In the football offseason, Shurmur joined a team of his other passion, swimming, where as a contributor he grew as a leader. "When he came to us, it was like he fell out of the sky,” said swim coach Frank Lichtner. Shurmur had finished sixth in Ohio at the swimming state championships with a backstroke time of 51.69 seconds, so Lichtner knew he was getting an A-plus transfer to an already stacked team. "He joined a team who just won two consecutive state championships,” Lichtner said. "They were all blue chip swimmers and he fit right in.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Winning the PCL championship in the backstroke, Shurmur then contributed to two state titles in the 200- meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter medley relay, where in leading off he helped break the state record. Yet, the experience being part of another team would prove to be invaluable to Shurmur in terms of growing as a leader, witnessed before the eyes of both Lichtner and Gordon. "He could have come in and been the best swimmer on the team,” Lichtner said. "But, he didn't have to worry about anything, he just proved to be another one of the boys.” In heading into the 2014 pre-season, Gordon saw a maturation in Shurmur into someone who had instead of claiming to be a leader, earned the respect of his teammates through hard work and dedication. "I think the thing that helped him was being on the swim team,” Gordon said. "He wasn't the feature guy like he is on the football team, he was just one of a bunch of really good swimmers.' Allegedly quite the jokester, Shurmur was great for breaking the pressure at practices. Between that and his fierce competitiveness, an exemplary student with over a 4.0 GPA, Shurmur seems to strike gold wherever he goes. Yet, he leads not in front, but side-by-side with the rest of his team. "I just want to be a positive influence around the other guys as they continue to get better,' Shurmur said. "If you're a hard worker and play hard, the guys will follow. You have to be a good teammate.” Given the opportunity to visit the Eagles practice squad, Shurmur was a ball boy and helped some of the receivers warm up before drills. Simply being on the same field as them gave Shurmur insight to being a productive asset to a team. "Going to the Eagles practice was a huge privilege for him,” Shurmur said. "You get to see how professionals operate behind closed doors ... It was special, a blessing, I just saw myself as a bystander.” In June, Shurmur committed to Vanderbilt University, setting up the four years of his football career and beyond. Yet, the elusive PCL championship remains. "I feel like losing last year really struck a lot of players, especially this year's seniors,” Shurmur said. "We're hungry this year.” Throughout the spring and summer, he was back to work — weight room lifts, white board study, working with receivers, running routes. He wants the title as badly as the four-year veterans. "His work ethic rubs off on us,” said tight end Charles Hemcher.” Because the quarterback is always the natural leader, most of the team follows what he does.” "I was so excited to get back to work,” Shurmur said. "I was watching the Eagles, watching professionals work, watching grown men have fun playing football, and I thought 'Wow, this is my last year of high school, I want get after it, I want to play some football with my friends and get better.’ '' With newly found camaraderie, Shurmur aims to prove he is as advertised — a professional-level quarterback. No more a new transfer to the program, Shurmur is as much an Explorer as the rest of his squad and the leader that they need. Also, it isn't too shabby to have a great source for Eagles tickets and some inside information. "If something is going wrong with the Eagles, they'll come up to me and ask 'what's going on?’ '' Shurmur laughed. "Like, how do I know?”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Game 1, August 29, 2014: La Salle 29 – North Penn 7 by Mike Cabrey, GameTimePA.com

Shurmur Throws 4 TD Passes, La Salle Pulls Away To Beat North Penn TOWAMENCIN – Kyle Shurmur completed over 60 percent of his passes and threw four touchdowns to four different receivers Friday night. And while that was good enough to help La Salle continue its dominance over the North Penn football team, the senior quarterback still sees things the Explorers need to improve on after the Week 1 victory. Shurmur, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt, threw for 334 yards on 23-of-36 passing, connecting with Charlie Hemcher and Nick Rinella for scores in the fourth quarter as La Salle pulled away from the host Knights for a 29-7 win at Crawford Stadium. “I feel like we did good things, but a lot of stalling in our drives and I feel like we got to fix that,” Shurmur said. “We left a lot of points on the board. And I think we get that fixed, we'll be a pretty dangerous team.” Jordan Meachum ran 13 times for 86 yards and caught four passes for another 86 and a touchdown while Jimmy Herron had 128 yards and a score on eight receptions for the Explorers (1-0), who have won three straight and six of their past seven against North Penn (0-1). “We've got to play better. I thought at times defensively, we did some nice things, but we're just so bad on offense,” Knights coach Dick Beck said. “We can't move the ball with any consistency.” Meachum scored on a 41-yard pass from Shurmur to give La Salle a 6-0 lead less than two minute into the first quarter, North Penn responded on their opening drive when Nick Isabella broke up the middle for a 56-yard touchdown run at 8:20. Matt Ammendola's extra point gave NP the 7-6 edge. But the Knights' offense struggled from there. North Penn went three-and-out on four of their next six first-half series and turned the ball over three times after halftime. “On offense, you got to put first downs together,” Beck said. “And we just didn't do that. No consistency.“ Isabella paced the Knights with 99 yards rushing on 11 carries. Nyfease West had 22 carries for 73 yards. “Our fullback (Isabella) got shoe-string (tackled) twice on traps or he probably would have scored another one, if not two more,” Beck said. “We're making a couple of mistakes in the backfield with our footwork, our aiming points and we're not blocking anybody in the backfield, meaning our backs aren't blocking anybody. So, that hurts.” North Penn tries to avoid a second-straight 0-2 start when it hosts West Catholic 7:30 p.m. Friday. “We know that they run a spread offense and they have a good quarterback,” Knights senior Michael Liddy said. “We're young and (our) inexperience showed. So, we got to get back at it on Monday.” La Salle heads to New Jersey for a Week 2 matchup against Bergen Catholic Saturday. After scoring on its opening drive, the Explorers were able to move the ball into North Penn territory, but one series was hampered by a bad snap while another ended on a lost fumble. “We left points on the board, drives stalled,” Shurmur said. “I feel like, as a quarterback, I got to get those guys going a little bit. It's nothing on their part, it's just as a group we go to just go to play fundamental football and relax.” La Salle finally found the end zone again with 1:21 left in the second quarter, as a nine-play, 80-yard drive ended with Herron hauling in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Shurmur in the left corner of the end zone for a 13-7 lead. “Jimmy's a playmaker,” Shurmur said. “I basically just threw it up for him, 50/50 ball and he's a great player, he came down with the ball.” 5

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

A hook-and-lateral with a NP facemask penalty on the play gave La Salle a chance for more points in the first half's final seconds, but a 27-yard field goal was no good and the visitors went to intermission up six. The only points of the third came on Matt Savage's 19-yard field goal at 7:37 to make it 16-7. A North Penn fumble recovered by La Salle led to Shurmur's third touchdown pass, as the senior QB connected with Charlie Hemcher on the first play after the giveaway for a 28-yard scoring strike at 10:34 in the fourth. The Explorers went up 29-7 with 7:25 as Shurmur capped a four-play, 40 yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nick Rinella. by Drew Markol, Intelligencer

Knights grounded by La Salle, 29-7 TOWAMENCIN — When you take on a team like La Salle, you’d better bring some offense with you. North Penn had the unenviable task of tangling with the Explorers on Friday night in the opener for both teams and the Knights could get little going whenever they had the ball. “We couldn’t get any push on offense and there was not much we could do,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “We have to put some first downs together and work on some things. We’ll watch the film and try and get it figured out.” The Knights couldn’t figure out La Salle senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur, as the Vanderbilt commit threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns in what was a 29-7 win for La Salle. Shurmur, the son of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, threw TD passes to four different receivers and continually made big play after big play down the field. “I feel like we did some good things,” Shurmur said. “Our receivers are really good and they did a great job of getting open. “We left some points out there that we should have gotten, but it was good to finish the game the way we did.” North Penn trailed 13-7 at halftime and the Explorers didn’t truly put things out of reach until early in the fourth quarter when Shurmur connected with senior Charlie Hemcher on a beautiful 28-yard strike that made it 22-7. Things started well for the Knights as they answered La Salle’s opening-drive touchdown when junior fullback Nick Isabella burst through the middle for 56 yards for a score with just over eight minutes left in the opening quarter. The Knights would hold the lead until right before halftime when Shurmur connected with senior Jimmy Herron (eight catches, 127 yards) from 10 yards away. “We’re a young team and our inexperience showed,” NP senior captain Mike Liddy said. “They run the spread and their quarterback is a really good player. We’ll just keep working hard and get ready for next week.” The Knights entered the game ranked No. 6 in the state in Class AAAA by pafootballnews.com while the Explorers were ranked No. 2 behind defending PIAA state champ Saint Joseph’s Prep. Notes: NP senior kicker Matt Ammendola put both of his kickoffs into the end zone. ... The Knights are sporting new helmets. They’re dark blue with a matte finish with an interlocking NP on both sides. They look pretty sharp. ... NP hosts Class AA power West Catholic Friday (7:30 p.m.). ... Shurmur started the game 7-for-7 before throwing an incompletion.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

Shurmur, La Salle roll Even after a stellar opening performance, La Salle's Kyle Shurmur wanted to talk about the things he needed to improve on as a quarterback moving forward. "Numbers are numbers," the 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior said after throwing for 338 yards and four touchdowns in Friday's night's 29-7 triumph over host North Penn in Lansdale. "We can't stall on drives like we did at times. That's on me." Shurmur, who is ticketed for Vanderbilt, connected on 23 of 36 attempts. In the first half, he was 16 for 22 for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Said Explorers coach Drew Gordon: "He's been on fire all summer. I'm not surprised by that." Last season, after coming over from Ohio powerhouse St. Edward, Shurmur threw for 2,474 yards and 25 TDs. Against North Penn, he impressively spread the ball among Jimmy Herron, Jordan Meachum, Charles Headen, and Charlie Hemcher. "We have great coaches who know how to get the ball to our top playmakers," Shurmur said. "I'm just making what they draw up work." The Explorers, ranked No. 3 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, improved their lead in the head-to-head series against the No. 7 Knights, always a force in the Suburban One League, to 6-1. After fullback Nick Isabella ripped off a 56-yard scoring run early to give North Penn a 7-6 lead, La Salle's defense allowed only 115 yards on the ground the rest of the way. Meachum and Herron made third-quarter interceptions. "It was guys making plays, doing what they're coached to do," said Gordon, whose squad went 8-3 and reached the Catholic League final last year. Early in the fourth quarter, with La Salle ahead by 16-7, Shurmur found Hemcher along the sideline for a 28-yard TD. The tight end neatly stayed in bounds and sidestepped a defender. On the Explorers' next possession, Shurmur found Rinella, a speedy halfback, for his fourth scoring pass, this one covering 17 yards. After connecting with Meachum for a 41-yard tally, Shurmur hooked up with Herron, who will play baseball at Duke, for a 10-yard score that produced a 13-7 advantage in the first half. by Armand Vanore, EasternPAfootball.com

Shurmur And A Stingy D Elevates LaSalle Over North Penn Vanderbilt verbal commit Kyle Shurmur put on an aerial show with four touchdown passes and completing his throws to 5 different receivers and a stout Explorer defense shined in their 29-7 assault on the North Penn Knights last night at Crawford stadium in Lansdale. Offensive coordinator Brett Gordon has the luxury of putting his quarterback in a multitude of offensive scenarios with unquestionably the most skilled player at that position he has ever had plus a plethora of receivers that will make life very very tough for opposing defensive coordinators. Defensively, coordinator John Steinmetz now appears to have a line that may not have to use players to line up on the other side of the ball giving him more time to spend with his players on the sideline. LaSalle scored on its fifth play from scrimmage on a beautifully executed pass from Shurmur to Jordan Meachum to open the scoring. North Penn countered immediately on its first possession when Nick Isabella broke two tackles for a 56 yard TD.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The Explorers held a tight 13-7 lead at the half and Meachum, from his safety position jumped a route intercepting a Knight pass to start the third quarter which appeared to open things up for LaSalle. A 20 yard Matt Savage field goal was followed by the Explorers tenacious defense which held North Penn to four consecutive three and four and outs. Shurmur put an exclamation point on the game to start the 4th stanza after a Nyfease West fumble with his 28 yard strike to TE Charles Hemcher. Both teams have very talented offensive lines which should show as their seasons unwind. LaSalle’s pass protection was spotless and North Penn’s run block scheme should open up things for RB’s West and Isabella. LaSalle has a murderous out of conference schedule from this point then start their conference schedule in the extremely difficult PCL, AAA conference and number one ranked St Joe Prep down the road. North Penn themselves have two more difficult out of conference battles vs. West Catholic and Archbishop Wood before they open conference play in the reformatted Suburban One, National Conference. by Ted Silary

The only bad thing about being Kyle Shurmur is that you're constantly trying to outdo Kyle Shurmur. And that ain't easy, folks. At most schools, a 23-for-36, 345-yard, four-TD effort would be the stuff of legend. But the yardage total left Shurmur 39 yards short of La Salle's school record and the guy who holds that mark (set in 2013) is none other than Kyle Shurmur, and that 384-yard effort is the best ever by a CL quarterback. There is much to love about the son of the Eagles' offensive coordinator, a Vanderbilt commit, and those closest to him rave about his work ethic, for one, and grasp of all things inner football workings, for two. Brett Gordon, La Salle's offensive coordinator under dad Drew, said he sometimes sends in two play possibilities and lets Kyle make the call based on what he feels/knows will work best. Very cool! In this one, Shurmur's most impressive trait was NOT locking in on his receivers. Almost never -- except for quick hitters, of course -- did he show the defense where he'd be throwing pretty much from the snap. His eyes were constantly here, then there, and then the ball was whizzing to somebody else. Tough to defend that, troops! By halftime Shurmur was 18-for-25 for 276 yards and a high-400s, 500- yard night seemed entirely possible. Alas, he added just 11 yards in the third quarter before collecting 58 more in the fourth. Shurmur targeted five receivers and -- very cool! -- four wound up with one TD snag apiece. Sr. RB Jordan Meachum needed just four snags to bag 117 yards and a 41-yard score. Other guys: sr. WR Jimmy Herron (8-108, 10-yard TD; a 58-yard score was erased by a hold), jr. RB Nick Rinella (7-70, 17-yard TD), sr. TE Charlie Hemcher (2-39, 28-yard TD) and jr. WR Charles Headen (2- 11). If you're a parent/friend of a grunt, perhaps you're muttering, "Hey, how 'bout the linemen?!" How 'bout 'em, indeed!! Shurmur received great protection and was sacked just ONCE. The guys, mostly, were soph C Jim Morrissey, jr. G Matt McDermott (along with jr. Conor McCracken), sr. G Rob Skowronski, sr. T Sean Collins and jr. T Ryan Schutta. Tonight those guys formed a perfect protection posse. Early, it appeared we might be in for a serious game of ping-pong. La Salle needed just five plays to open the scoring and NP required just four to answer. Thereafter, however, ping was not matched by pong and La Salle wound up semi-coasting. Prominent on defense were sr. T Keith Wagner, jr. T Anthony Piscopo (one of the hardest hits you could ever hope to see) and sr. SS Ryan Brady. Meachum and Herron posted early-third-quarter interceptions and, in the fourth quarter, sr. DB AJ Grezeszak made a fumble recovery that was immediately followed by Hemcher's TD. The crowd was great, especially since most La Salle people (assumedly, smile) own shore houses and could have easily opted for sand/ocean/boardwalk. It was wonderful to interact again with the Explorer coaches; there is never such a thing as a sour experience with any of these guys. Also had fun during a pregame chat with former

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 website stalwart and La Salle gridder Jack "In the Box" Crouse, who now teaches at Holy Ghost Prep. He loves coming back to watch his ol' school. Howevvvvvver, shortly before kickoff, after disappearing briefly, he came strolling across the field from North Penn's side and said, "I went to the bathroom and missed the Alma Mater. That's my favorite part!" All 'Splorer supporters understand the comment.

La Salle 6 7 3 13 29 North Penn 7 0 0 0 7 L — Kyle Shurmur 41 pass to Jordan Meachum (kick failed) NP — Nick Isabella 56 run (Matt Ammendola kick) L —Shurmur 10 pass to Jimmy Herron (Matt Savage kick) L — Savage 20 field goal L — Shurmur 28 pass to Charlie Hemcher (kick failed) L — Shurmur 17 pass to Nick Rinella (Michael Raczak kick)

Team Statistics La Salle North Penn First Downs 21 5 Rushing yards 85 163 Passing yards 345 12 Total yards 430 175 Passing 23-36-4-0 1-9-0-2 Penalties 3-35 5-55 Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1 Punts 3 6

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 23-36, 345, 4 TD. North Penn: Spencer Jones 1-8-2, 12; Jake Bevan 0-1-0, 0. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 12-71; Nick Rinella 5-22; Ryan Brady 1-1; Kyle Shurmur 3-7; center snap 1- (-16) RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 8-108, TD; Jordan Meachum 4-117, TD; Nick Rinella 7-70, TD; Charlie Hemcher 2-39, TD; Charles Headen 2-11. North Penn: Ricky Johns 1-12. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Jordan Meachum, Jimmy Herron. North Penn: None. SACKS La Salle: Ian McIntosh 1.0; Keith Wagner 1.0; Anthony Piscopo 1.0. North Penn: Matt Shearer 1.0.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Game 2, September 6, 2014: Bergen Catholic 42 – La Salle 34 by The Ghost Of Paul Prep

At Vince Lombardi Field in the New Jersey Palisades, against a gray, threatening sky, the Bergen Catholic Crusaders bested the La Salle Explorers, 42-34, in a scintillating affair that gave everyone their money’s worth. La Salle chose to defer to the second half, and kicked with the wind. The choice paid off as a long Bergen pass from their junior QB Jarrett Guarantano was intercepted by center fielder/safety Jimmy Herron. The Blue and Gold marched down the field, with QB Kyle Shurmur finding Herron frequently, culminating in a 33-yard strike down the middle for a touchdown. La Salle missed the extra point, and the missed point would be haunting them all game long. Just into the second quarter, La Salle was driving again, and it was the Shurmur-to-Herron connection from 29 yards that put the Explorers into a 12-0 lead. The try for two points failed, though, and the Crusaders would soon strike. A fumble recovered by La Salle would be erroneously ruled as an incompletion, and Bergen struck quickly after the call, as Guarantano hit Kyle Cook on a short pass for the score. The extra point left La Salle with a 5-point lead at 12-7. Midway through the second stanza, one could notice that the Crusaders were starting to control the line of scrimmage. On a methodical drive down the field, Bergen scored a go-ahead touchdown with 21 seconds to go in the half to take a 14-12 lead. La Salle would receive the opening kickoff to start the second half in an attempt to retake the lead, but a fumble on the kickoff turned the game toward the Red and Gold. A 2-yard run by Corey Russo gave the Crusaders a two-score lead at 21-12, and La Salle would have to retaliate to keep the game from slipping away. And that they did, as a 72-yard drive, featuring more Shurmur-to-Herron aerials, as well as strikes to a new-found receiver, tight end Charlie Hemcher, led to a Jordan Meachum 2-yard run for a touchdown. Michael Raczak’s extra point brought the Explorers to within 21-19, with 7:03 left in the third quarter. But Bergen Catholic struck right back, marching down the field and scoring on an 11-yard pass from Guarantano to Corey Gaarn, and Bergen was back to a 9-point lead. Back came La Salle. After Bergen’s surprise onsides kick did not travel the requisite 10 yards, the Explorers scored quickly as Shurmur scrambled to his left, and found Jordan Meachum at the left flag for a 36-yard touchdown, and again the Explorers trailed by two, 28-26, with 1:32 left in the wild third quarter. AJ Greseszak’s leaping interception gave the Blue and Gold the ball, but they were forced to punt early in the fourth quarter, and the Crusaders mounted a drive that landed in the end zone on a 2-yard run by Russo, and the two-score deficit would make life difficult for the Explorers. Another punt, and another Bergen drive for a touchdown resulted in a seemingly insurmountable 42-26 lead for the Crusaders with 4:30 left, but the Explorers weren’t done just yet. La Salle moved quickly down the field, and on a Shurmur roll-right, throwback left from 5 yards to Charlie Hemcher, the Blue and Gold would line up for a two-point play to bring the game back to one score. And that they did, as an under-duress Shurmur found Winston Eubanks crossing along the back of the end zone to bring the score to 42-34, with 2:01 left, and two timeouts in their pocket. An onsides kick attempt failed, but the Crusaders were greedy, throwing an incomplete pass on second down, and LB Aidan Kerrigan sacked Guarantano on another attempted pass play, and the Explorers got

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 the ball back for one last gasp. Though they moved the ball into Crusader territory, a fourth-down pass from Shurmur to Herron did not connect, and Bergen Catholic would escape victorious, 42-34. This was a wonderfully entertaining game with a lot of offense. Though the Blue and Gold have many things to work on, the emergence of Hemcher as another favorite target of Shurmur was a big plus. And the Shurmur-to-Herron connection ranks with the great duos in La Salle football history, including Loughery-to-Feleccia, Harrison-to-Migliarese, Gordon-to-Mattia, Flannery-to-Mastronardo, and, for you old-timers, Aita to Greco. It should be a wild and crazy season. Next week, Friday night at 7 PM at Plymouth-Whitemarsh against DeMatha Catholic in the “Brothers Forever Classic”. Come out for a great night of football. by JJ Conrad, NorthJersey.com

Bergen Catholic wins opener, 42-34 PALISADES PARK — It was jubilation at Overpeck Park as the final seconds ticked off the clock, with Bergen Catholic players, one by one, joining the postgame celebration with its exuberant and tireless fan base — the Crusader Crazies. Playing in perhaps one of its most important season openers in program history, Bergen Catholic won a shootout thriller, 42-34, over La Salle College High School (Pa.), erasing the sting of last year’s disappointing 2-7 season. "We try not to pay attention to preseason rankings or preseason predictions," said Crusaders linebacker Kyle Cook, who hauled in a pair of key red-zone touchdowns, "but it’s human nature to see what was said about us and not take it personal. "It’s us against the world right now. That’s our mentality." Squaring off with one of the most prolific passing attacks in Pennsylvania, Bergen Catholic fell into an early 12-0 hole, as Vanderbilt-bound quarterback Kyle Shurmur and wide receiver Jimmy Herron were seemingly unstoppable in the first half. The two hooked up for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns of 33 and 29 yards, respectively. After a sluggish start offensively, the much-hyped Bergen Catholic offense got things going in the second quarter. With running back Corey Russo doing a lot of the grunt work and a key 16-yard completion to tight end Mike Aniello on a fourth-and-6, the Crusaders got on the board with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Cook to pull within, 12-7. One possession later, Bergen Catholic would orchestrate a 14-play, 69-yard go-ahead drive, capped by a 5-yard touchdown reception from Guarantano to Corey Gaarn. On the drive, Guarantano — who finished with four touchdown passes — was 7-of-8 for 54 yards, spreading the ball around to the likes of WR Gene Coleman, Gaarn and tight end Aniello. "We always preach balance here," coach Nunzio Campanile said. "And to us, balance isn’t 50-50 [run-to- pass], it’s taking what the defense gives us. I think we did a good job of not being panicked when we were down 12. We kept taking what they were giving us." The Crusaders would take advantage of a fumbled kickoff from La Salle to start the second half, going 21 yards on six plays, capped by Russo’s 2-yard touchdown run. Russo carried four times on the drive, picking up 17 yards and was one of the keys to jump-starting the offense in the first half. "I’ll take 100 carries if they want to give me 100 carries," Russo said.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

"If they want to give me two carries, I’ll take two carries. It’s all about getting the win. That’s all that matters." After La Salle cut the lead to 21-19 in the third, Bergen answered right back with a seven-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Gaarn’s second touchdown reception of the night, to give the Crusaders a 28-19 lead. Russo added his second 2-yard touchdown run to give BC a 35-26 midway through the fourth, and Bergen Catholic’s scoring concluded on Cook’s 8-yard TD reception with 4:30 to go. "Everybody has put us off," Russo said. "People expected us to lose by 21, so this one feels great after seeing how we fought all game long." by Braulio Perez, NJ Advance Media, NJ.com

Bergen Catholic wins offensive battle Before the opening whistle, the battle was lined up: Jarrett Guarantano vs. Kyle Shurmur. And on Saturday evening, the Bergen Catholic junior quarterback did just enough to lead his team to victory over Shurmur, a Vanderbilt verbal commit, and his La Salle College High School teammates. The Crusaders indeed knocked off the team from Pennsylvania 42-34 in an absolute barn burner, which featured two great quarterbacks. Guarantano had the edge, however, throwing for 241 yards, four touchdowns. Shurmur had a big night as well, tossing for 340 yards and four touchdowns. After a sloppy first half, where Bergen Catholic led 14-7, the Crusaders, led by Guarantano, certainly picked up the pace in the second half to help them capture the win. In addition to Guarantano, ranked No. 14 on the NJ.com Top 50 list, wide receiver Gene Coleman also enjoyed a solid evening. The junior wideout hauled in eight catches for 105 yards. Wide receivers Kyle Cook and Corey Gaarn both had two touchdowns on the night. The Crusaders are now 1-0 and enter week two with plenty of confidence. They’ll face No. 1 ranked St. Peter’s Prep next Thursday night at 7 p.m., in a game that will be televised by ESPNU. by Chris Costa, MSGVarsity

Bergen Catholic Wins Shootout Over La Salle (PA.) In a back and forth matchup that saw a combined 76 points scored, the Bergen Catholic Crusaders rallied back from an early 12-0 deficit and defeated Pennsylvania powerhouse LaSalle 42-34. After a disappointing 2013 season, 2-7 record, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano was determined to get his team off to a strong start this year. “We new this was going to be a tough game tonight, and a lot of points were going to be scored, but we didn’t get rattled after going down early and got into an offensive rhythm after the first quarter,” said Guarantano. “Our offensive line did an excellent job and Corey Russo was outstanding down the stretch.” Guarantano completed 18-27 passes for 217 yards with four touchdowns. The 6’4, 200 pound QB, threw an early interception on BC’s opening drive, but was lights out from then on. The junior threw two touchdown passes each to Kyle Cook and Corey Gaarn and rushed for 49 yards on the ground. “Our offense has a bunch of weapons and I know that I can put the ball at any place at any time,” said Guarantano. “It was a complete team effort tonight and it feels great to start the season off with a victory like this.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The Crusaders seemed to have put the game away leading 42-26 with nine minutes remaining, but LaSalle did not go down quietly. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur hooked up with tight end Charlie Hemcher on an 11-yd TD pass and connected with Winston Eubanks on a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 42-34 with 2:01 remaining. After a failed onside kick attempt, LaSalle forced BC to a three and out to give themselves a chance with a minute remaining. The Crusaders defense stood tall however and shutdown the Explorers on a last 4th down pass attempt. “It was awesome to start the season off with a win like this,” said BC running back and MSG Varsity player of the game Corey Russo. “Everybody was writing us of this year and we proved that we could battle with any team out there tonight.” Russo had 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns and wore down the Explorers defense in the fourth quarter. “The whole team did an outstanding job tonight and our offense did a great job to come back after getting down early,” said Russo. “We knew that all the hard work that we put in during the offseason was going to pay off and we are so confident in one another. I trust anybody on this team on and off the field. We have to continue to build off of this performance tonight and we got a good game coming up next week and we will be ready come against St. Peters.” Despite the loss for LaSalle, Shurmur showed why he was so heavily recruited by Vanderbilt University and finished 20 of 33 on the night with 358 yards and four TD passes. Wide receiver Jimmy Herron also had himself a game with 12 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns and running back Jordan Meachum had two touchdowns. The Explorers will look to bounce back against DeMatha next week.

La Salle 6 6 14 8 34 Bergen Catholic 0 14 14 14 42 LS: Jimmy Herron 38 yd pass from Kyle Shurmur (kick failed) LS: Herron 29 yd pass from Shurmur (pass failed) BC: Kyle Cook 5 yd pass from Jarrett Guarantano (Joseph DiFilippo kick) BC: Corey Gaarn 3 yd pass from Guarantano (DiFilippo kick) BC: Corey Russo 2 yd run (DiFilippo kick) LS: Jordan Meachum 3 yd run (Michael Raczak kick) BC: Gaarn 11 yd pass from Guarantano (DiFilippo kick) Jordan Meachum 35 yd pass from Shurmur (Michael Raczak kick) BC: Russo 2 yd run (DiFilippo kick) BC: Cook 8 yd pass from Guarantano (DiFilippo kick) LS: Charlie Hemcher 5 yd pass from Shurmur (Winston Eubanks pass from Shurmur)

Team Statistics La Salle Bergen Catholic First Downs 21 28 Rushing yards 15 174 Passing yards 353 228 Total yards 368 402 Passing 22-34-4-0 20-31-4-2 Penalties 7-65 9-66 13

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0 Punts N/A N/A

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 22-34, 353, 4 TD. Bergen Catholic: Jarrett Guarantano 20-31, 228, 4 TD. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 11-37, TD; Ryan Brady 3-6; Kyle Shurmur 4-(-13); center snap 1-(-15) Bergen Catholic: Corey Russo 26-125, 2 TD; Jarrett Guarantano 11-49. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 12-179, 2 TD; Jordan Meachum 3-60, TD; Charlie Hemcher 5-100, TD; Ryan Brady 1-5; Winston Eubanks 1-9. Bergen Catholic: Gene Coleman 8-103; Mike Aniello 5-92; Corey Gaam 4-8, 2 TD; Kyle Cook 3-15, 2 TD. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: AJ Greseszak, Jimmy Herron. Bergen Catholic: None. SACKS La Salle: Aidan Kerrigan 1.0. Bergen Catholic: Sal Mauro 1.0; Jack Reilly 1.0; Kyle Cook 1.0. by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer, September 12, 2014

'Brothers' to be recognized at La Salle game It was in the mid-1990s when Drew Gordon, then La Salle's offensive coordinator, took notice of a sophomore reserve. "He kind of stood out because he worked so hard and, even as one of the younger guys on the team, was a leader," said Gordon, now the Explorers' head coach. That player was Travis Manion. Later, as a hard-nosed senior fullback and defensive lineman, he played a key role in La Salle's drive to a 12-1 record and the Catholic League title. After making his mark at La Salle, where he also excelled in wrestling and lacrosse, Manion went on to the U.S. Naval Academy and, following in the footsteps of his father, became a Marine Corps officer. Manion's life and distinguished military career came to a tragic but courageous end less than a decade after he left La Salle. In the spring of 2007, at 26 and during a second tour in Iraq, he was killed by an enemy sniper. "He was one of the guys on the front line," his father, Tom, said of the ambush. "That's just the way he was, willing to take on a challenge and be a leader. He didn't know any other way." After his death, Tom and Janet Manion established the Travis Manion Foundation in honor of their fallen son. (Janet Manion was the foundation's chairwoman until she died of lung cancer in 2012.) The response, when the Doylestown family requested donations in lieu of flowers, was overwhelming. "We were kind of shocked," Tom Manion said. "We looked at that and said, 'Maybe we can help military families and others in some way.' "

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The foundation's efforts will be recognized when La Salle hosts DeMatha Catholic (Md.) in a nonleague football game at 7 p.m. Friday at Plymouth Whitemarsh. The contest is being called the Brothers Forever Classic. The "brothers" are Travis Manion and Brendan Looney, who played football and lacrosse at DeMatha. The pair became close friends at the Naval Academy. Looney likewise died in action. In September 2010, on a mission in southern Afghanistan, the 29-year- old Navy SEAL and eight others were killed a helicopter crash. Tom Manion, 60, who retired as a Johnson & Johnson executive in January, saw firsthand the incredible bond shared by his son, a big Eagles fan, and Looney, a native of Owings, Md., and loyal Redskins supporter. "They both had a good sense of humor, a lot of humility," Tom Manion said. "They both had a certain presence in a room full of people, without being loud or trying to be the center of attention." Travis Manion, a five-time Catholic League champion in three sports at La Salle, wrestled at Navy. Looney stood out in lacrosse, helping the Midshipmen reach the national final in 2004. "They pushed each other on and off the athletic field," Tom Manion said. "Nobody worked harder than Brendan. Travis was the same way." In 2007, Travis Manion was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Conshohocken. After Looney's death three years later, Looney's wife, Amy, suggested the former buddies be reunited. Tom and Janet Manion agreed to have Travis's body moved to Arlington National Cemetery. There, the best friends and decorated servicemen were reunited. Said Amy Looney, who runs the Travis Manion Foundation's survivors program: "That's what kind of gets me by, is just knowing that they're going to be together." In May 2011, President Obama singled out the two in his Memorial Day address. "That was certainly special," Tom Manion said. Tom Manion coauthored a book, released in May, about the experiences shared by Travis Manion and Looney. It is titled, appropriately, Brothers Forever. Last Sunday, 2,400 took part in the foundation's 9/11 Heroes Run at Fonthill Park in Doylestown. More than 100 members of the La Salle community, including about 50 football players, attended the event. The 9/11 Heroes Run is held annually in 50-plus communities across the country. Tom Manion was in Phoenix and San Diego for events last weekend. In addition to providing support for families of fallen heroes and returning servicemen, the foundation assists local charities and first responders. It also has a Character Does Matter program, in which veterans and survivors connect with youth to build future leaders. "It's about getting people to step forward, contribute, and be of service," Tom Manion said. "Like Travis said before volunteering for a second tour in Iraq, 'If not me, then who . . .' " For more information or to contribute, go to www.travismanion.org.

Game 3, September 12, 2014: La Salle 41 – DeMatha Catholic 39 by The Ghost Of Paul Prep

Though DeMatha had lost to Archbishop Wood two weeks ago, the Stags were a team with big lines and great skill position players, and would be a difficult matchup for a banged-up Explorer team, missing four key players in Fletcher Grady, Charles Headen, Sam Hardy, and Nick Rinella, among others. La Salle won the toss and deferred, and that decision paid almost instant dividends as DeMatha botched a 15

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 handoff and the ball was recovered by Anthony Piscopo on the Stag 34-yard line. On the first play, a swing pass from Kyle Shurmur to Jordan Meachum got the ball to the shadow of the goal line, and Meachum's 1-yard run, along with Michael Raczak's kick, gave the Blue and Gold a 7-0 lead. The La Salle defense held the Stags to a three-and-out, and the offense marched down the field on a 62- yard drive, capped off by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Shurmur to TE Charlie Hemcher, and Raczak's kick made it 14-0, and the game looked to be an easy one. Not so fast. DeMatha's offense got going early in the second quarter, and QB Beau English hit Tino Ellis with a 38-yard pass and run for a TD. The extra point was botched, but the Stags had some momentum. They struck again halfway through the second period as RB Anthony McFarland broke through some tackles at the line of scrimmage and raced 81 yards for a touchdown. The two-point play failed, but La Salle's lead was down to two at 14-12. But the Explorers struck back on the next drive, highlighted by an improbable 51-yard designed run by QB Shurmur, who ran out of gas (or was just plain caught) at the 1- yard line. Shurmur caught his breath enought to hit Jimmy Herron for a 1-yard touchdown, and Raczak's extra point made it a two-score game at 21-12. Quickly, DeMatha retaliated as Anthony McFarland raced in on a 48-yard pass and run, and the two- point play brought the Stags to withing 21-20 with 2:34 left in the half. It took a while for La Salle to get down the field, but a completion to Jimmy Herron at the 4-yard line, and a spike gave La Salle one last chance to score with 4 seconds left. Eschewing the field goal attempt, Shurmur handed off to Meachum on a sweep to the right. But Meachum stopped in his tracks and threw back across the field to a wide- open Shurmur in the end zone for a thrilling TD to end the half at 27-20, as the extra point was missed. La Salle received the opening kickoff of the second half, and concentrated on its ground game, as FB Ryan Brady and HB Jordan Meachum took turns in pounding through the rugged Stag line. Finally Shurmur hit Herron on a quick look-in, and Jimmy scored from 14 yards. Raczak's kick made the shootout 34-20, La Salle. After an Aidan Kerrigan interception off of a bobbled interception attempt by Jimmy Herron (which reminded this cub reporter of the Bob Boone-Pete Rose bobble/catch in the 1980 World Series), La Salle scored again midway through the third quarter on a Shurmur to Hemcher 15 yard quick post on a third and three, and Raczak's kick made the score 41-20, and the Blue and Gold faithful could breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe not. The Stag offensive line was wearing down the La Salle defense, and QB Beau English was getting more time, and he hit Nadir Mohammed on a 9 yard pass for a score. Mike Crone stopped the two-point attempt, but the margin grew closer at 41-26. La Salle exhibited some ball control late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but could not threaten to put the game away. Finally, after a punt and a long drive, the Stags scored at 4:11 of the fourth quarter on Gavin Lavat's 2-yard run. Keith Wagner and Matt McDermott stopped the two point play to keep it a two-score game at 41-32. The subsequent onsides kick was recovered by the Stags at the La Salle 35, and a cloud of concern covered the home side of the field. With 3:17 left, Anthony McFarland scored again, this time from 5 yards out, and Cary Keith's kick made it a two-point game at 41-39. The Explorers got one first down, but not another, and had to punt with less than 2 minutes to go. The Stags started to move the ball toward midfield, but, with under a minute to go, faced a fourth and 15. The La Salle line had flushed Beau English out of the pocket in the last few plays, and English hurried a throw that missed his mark, and the Explorers were able to kneel and run out the clock to escape with a harrowing victory, 41-39. by Jonathan Vander Lugt, GameTimePA.com 16

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

La Salle Hangs On For Wild Win Over DeMatha Catholic WHITEMARSH — After scoring a pair of touchdowns on Kyle Shurmur's third and fourth TD heaves on the night to open up the third quarter, La Salle looked like it had DeMatha Catholic (Md.) down for the count. Not so. The Stags went on to score 19 unanswered points, but La Salle was able to pull through in the final minute to win a thriller at Plymouth Whitemarsh, 41-39. "We were going to find out what we're made of,” Explorer head coach Drew Gordon said as to what was going through his head on DeMatha's last possessions of the fourth. "I don't know if we found out — we gave up the points and couldn't move the ball on offense.” "We stopped blocking, and it's tough,” Gordon went on. "They're a good team.” La Salle was firing on all cylinders through the first two and a half quarters. Shurmur tossed four TD passes, in addition to Jordan Meachum's 1-yard TD run and pass on a four-yard trick-play pass to Shurmur in the second. That all stopped after Shurmur's TD toss to Charlie Hemcher in the third. DeMatha scored three times on a pass to Beau English's pass to Nadir Mohammed and a pair of runs by Gavin Lavat and Anthony McFarland. After La Salle punted away with about 1:30 left on the clock, the Explorers managed to get the Stags to turn the ball over on downs on Shurmur's incomplete pass on a fourth-and-fifteen from the Stag 40-yard-line to seal the win. "Some of it was fatigue,” Gordon said about his team's second-half woes. "They got excited (late) and kind of got their motor started again.” "Sometimes we get too content with the way things are going,” Shurmur said. "We've just got to finish games better, but a win's a win.” That said, "I'm happy for us,” Gordon said. "We've just got to get back to work tomorrow.” "We can compete with good teams,” Shurmur said. "DeMatha's a really talented team ... I feel like we'll have confidence going into bigger games.” Shurmur had a monster game, finishing the night with 239 yards and four TDs, in addition to his receiving score, on 23-30 passing. Dual-sport star Jimmy Herron (he's committed to Duke to play baseball) led the way receiving with 93 yards and a pair of scores on eight catches. "We've got a lot of good skill guys,” Shurmur said. "Our offensive line, they're all young, but they're starting to play with confidence now and do a really good job.” "It's awesome, I love it,” Shurmur said about what it's like to have the squadron of playmakers around him that La Salle supplied. "It makes my job really easy. I know that they're threats down the field, and if I throw it short, they can make plays.” In a game dubbed the Brothers Forever Classic, honoring a pair of La Salle and DeMatha alums that were roommates at the Naval Academy and passed away overseas, Shurmur took home the MVP award, but was humble about his accolades. "It was a team win,” he said. "It just so happened that I was set up for the most success. Everyone played with compassion and heart.” by Ted Silary

If you watched this game in person or on TV, you're ineligible to answer this opening question: Which player uncorked La Salle's longest run from scrimmage while adding a wide-open TD catch? Don't say Jimmy 17

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Herron. And don't say Jordan Meachum. The answer is . . . ding, ding, ding . . . Kyle Shurmur and we'll wait as you recover from the shock. Aside from showing his usual mastery in the throwing department (23-for-30, 233 yards), the Vanderbilt commit did Cool Thing No. 1 and Cool Thing No. 2 as the Explorers captured this memorable tilt. The run, a 51-yarder to the 2, occurred about 4 minutes prior to halftime and caused coach Drew Gordon to exclaim, "I didn't even know he had it!" As in, the ball. The play, as explained by Brett Gordon, Drew's son and the offensive coordinator, was a read option and Shurmer decided to keep, rather than hand off to Meachum, based on what he saw from the defensive end. With not much opposition, he took off up the middle and motored all the way to the 2 before being tackled. Three plays later, with the ball still on the 2, Shurmur hit Herron, who fought off an interfering defender, for a score at the back of the end zone. Shurmur's TD snag came on the final play of the half, lifting the Explorers' lead to 27-20. The drive, which covered 65 yards in 11 plays, not counting a spike at 0:04 after a 17-yard snag by Herron put the 'Splorers on the doorstep, was quite impressive. Lots of clutch plays and intricate schemes. Then Meachum took a handoff going right and . . . good, ol' Shurmur snuck out of the backfield, leaked out over to the left and the only "defenders" were nearby photographers and ballboys. Touchdown! When La Salle added TDs on its first two possessions of the third quarter, making the score 41-20, it was difficult not to think Comfort Zone was being visited. Uh, uh. The Stags, gigantic with multiple weapons, kept trying hard, and succeeding, and a TD with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter enabled them to creep within 41-32. Thanks to a tackle by jr. DL Matt McDermott on a rushing play, the nine-point lead was still in effect after the conversion. DeMatha then succeeded on an onside kick and the drive for the next score required just four plays and 35 yards. Uh, oh? Kinda, sorta. The onside kick was hammered over the sideline and La Salle garnered a first down to keep the Stags at bay. Another first down was not to be had, however, and DeMatha entered last-gasp mode on its 11 with 1:17 left. The visitors advanced to their own 45 before things went like this: spike at 56.5, incompletion thanks to pressure from sr. DE Sean Collins, incompletion thanks to coverage by jr. DB Jared Walls, and a pass, off a rollout, that was overthrown to the left sideline. The sighs of relief could be heard in Norristown (smile). Overall, this was a nice win for the locals, but there were also some negatives. Specifically, DeMatha twice posted long TDs on plays where there were coulda-been tackles close to the line of scrimmage. The stops weren't givens, mind you, but the defenders were assuredly guilty of not finishing off the play. Shurmur, chosen as La Salle's MVP (soph RB Anthony McFarland captured the Joe Parisi-presented painted football for DeMatha), only had one completion for more than 17 yards (a 33-yard, catch-and-run job with Meachum right out of the chute), but his passes were almost completely right THERE all night. Of his seven non- completions, at least four were touched but not reeled in. He did throw one early pick, but his confidence wasn't shaken in the least. Herron turned eight catches into 88 yards and two TDs while sr. TE Charlie Hemcher had six snags for 65 yards and two more scores. Meachum went 19-52-1 on the ground and exhibited perfect touch on his TD toss. Sr. RB Ryan Brady (he of the good lacrosse feet) added important rushes/catches while making numerous biggies on defense at OLB/SS. The grunts were jr. C James Morrissey, McDermott at one guard, jr. Conor McCracken/sr. Robert Skowronski at the other, and jrs. Ryan Schutta and Tom Garvin at the Ts. Sr. Keith Wagner and soph Anthony Piscopo (early recovery to set up a score) were sturdy at the DT spots while sr. Aidan Kerrigan was a game-long stalwart at MLB. Meachum also impressed while covering much taller wideouts. This game honored Travis Manion (La Salle) and Brendan Looney (DeMatha), who were roommates/best friends at Navy before losing their lives in Iraq (2007) and Afghanistan (2010), respectively. The La Salle side was packed. All kinds of people were standing on the hillside close to the entrance, and along the fence surrounding the field. Great job, La Salle folks! Among those on the field for the halftime ceremony was Collin Giongo, the president of La Salle's student council and a highly entertaining fan at basketball games. His specialty: busting guys' chops in a fun way that doesn't get 18

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 him in trouble. Said Collin, who's looking forward to hoops: "At football you're too far away. I can't target anybody." Ha, ha, ha. Kyle Shurmur can, though. And he can BE the target, as well.

La Salle 14 13 14 0 41 DeMatha Catholic 0 20 6 13 39 LS: Jordan Meachum 1 yd run (Michael Raczak kick) LS: Charlie Hemcher 5 yd pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) DC: Tino Ellis 38 yd pass from Beau English (kick failed) DC: Anthony McFarland 81 yd run (pass failed) LS: Jimmy Herron 1 yd pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) DC: McFarland 48 yd pass from English (JR George run) LS: Shurmur 4 yd pass from Meachum (kick failed) LS: Herron 14 yd pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) LS: Hemcher 15 yd pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) DC: Gavin Lavat 2 yd run (run failed) DC: McFarland 51 run (Cary Keith kick)

Team Statistics La Salle DeMatha Catholic First Downs N/A N/A Rushing yards 142 N/A Passing yards 237 N/A Total yards 379 N/A Passing 24-31-4-1 N/A Penalties N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Punts N/A N/A

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 23-30, 233, 4 TD, 1 INT; Jordan Meachum 1-1, 4, TD. DeMatha Catholic: N/A RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 19-52, TD; Ryan Brady 8-39; Kyle Shurmur 8-48; Jimmy Herron 1-4; Jared Walls 2-(-1). DeMatha Catholic: N/A RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 8-88, 2 TD; Jordan Meachum 5-56; Charlie Hemcher 6-65, 2 TD; Ryan Brady 3- 16; Winston Eubanks 1-8; Kyle Shurmur 1-4, TD. DeMatha Catholic: N/A INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Aidan Kerrigan DeMatha Catholic: N/A. SACKS La Salle: N/A 19

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

DeMatha Catholic: N/A

Game 4, September 20, 2014: La Salle 27 – Malvern Prep 8 by Ed “Huck” Palmer, Ted Silary’s Website

So, how can a quarterback who completes nearly 70% of his passes, throws for 243 yards, and leads his team to an impressive 19-point road win over a quality opponent disappoint? Easy. He only only threw for three touchdowns, instead of the four that he accomplished in each of his team’s first three games. Ok, I’m kidding. Yes, once again, LaSalle sr. QB Kyle Shurmur (Vanderbilt) was very good-to-exceptional in his efforts. But I’m a wacko, who loves those types of stat anomalies, so I was hoping for a fourth just a little. Smile! Through four games Shurmur now has 1,174 passing yards and 15 TDs. Whoa. Project those numbers over just a ten game schedule (LS is a team with a reasonable chance to play anywhere from 11-to-15) and we’re looking at a 2,900-yards, 38-TD campaign. Both would surpass current city records. Stay tuned! And while we’re discussing records, let’s move to sr. WR/DB Jimmy Herron, who today reeled in two of those scoring passes. Herron is as savvy and nifty as any player that I have ever covered. The kid just gets it and gets it done. His second score gave him 28 for his career and allowed him to pass Chris Lorditch (Wood ’06) for the Catholic League all-time record. It also tied him for the city record held by Brad Wilson (Del Val ’10). Hard to imagine that this one won’t get shattered. Also, at Herron’s current pace other receiving marks could fall by the wayside. Again, stay tuned! As for the game, La Salle was efficient and methodical throughout. With the wind at their backs the Explorers took their opening possession 53 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first score. Big plays on the drive were a 18-yard hook-up between Shurmur and jr. WR Winston Eubanks (4-57) on a 3rd-and-6 chance. Then, on 4th-and-6 from the MP 32-yard line, Shurmur found jr. RB/DB Jared Walls for 11 yards. Finally, a 3rd- and-1 saw Shurmur connect with jr. RB/DB Nick Rinella in the flat for a 12-yard score. Early in the second quarter, a promising Malvern drive stalled when sr. RB/DB Dymond Wright came up a yard short at the La Salle 24-yard line on fourth down. From here, LS used 13 plays to travel 76 yards that produced their second score. Sr. RB/LB Jordan Meachum did the honors with a 1-yard run. Earlier in the drive, Herron made a nice 6-yard grab along the sideline on a 4th-and-two chance to keep the drive going. In turn, the Friars would once again mount a drive, but on 4th-and-5 from the LS 18-yard line, sr. QB Alex Hornibrook (Pitt) was combo-sacked by sr. LB Ryan Brady and jr. DE Isaiah Henrich. Going against the wind and understanding that they would receive the second half kickoff, I thought LS might take a conservative approach to close out the half. Not to be. Short completions from Shurmur to Eubanks and Meachum gave LaSalle a first down at their 38-yard line. Next, Shurmur found a WIDE OPEN Herron along the numbers on the right-side of the field. Simply an easy-as-pie score that covered 62 yards with 1:30 left in the half. It’s really hard to imagine how a player of Herron’s caliber is left that open. Anyway, this gave the Explorers a commanding 20-0 lead. To Malvern’s credit they would find the end zone before half. Hornibrook completions to Wright (20 yards) and jr. RB/DB Rashon Lusane (19 yards) sandwiched a 15-yard face mask call on La Salle to bring the ball to the ten-yard line. A Wright 9- yard run brought the ball to the one as time continued to tick off the clock. Malvern got a final play off and Hornibrook scrambled to his left before finding sr. TE/LB Ryan O’Neill for the score. Alas, the Friars were called for a procedure penalty wiping out the score. but since the half can’t end on a penalty they were given another chance from the six. From here, Hornibrook nicely lofted a right-side fade to sr. WR/LB Trevor Morris (Rutgers). Sr. WR/DB James Keating added the conversion run from the holder’s position 20

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 to give the Friars some much needed momentum. However, this momentum would not last long. Going into the wind, the Explorers marched 80 yards in 16 plays to start the second half. They chewed-up nearly seven minutes of game clock in the process. The touchdown was a neat back-shoulder pass from Shurmur-to-Herron in the right-side of the end zone. The chemistry between these two is off-the-charts. Offensively, the Explorers netted 430 yards of offense. Shurmur finished 20-for-29, 243 yards. Herron hauled in 6 catches for 107 yards. Meachum rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries, while Rinella added 45 yards on 12 totes. The grunts up front included: Jr. C Jimmy Morrissey, G’s sr. Robert Skowronski and jr. Matt McDermott, T’s jr. Ryan Schutta and jr. Thomas Garvin, and sr. TE Charlie Hemcher. Defensively, Brady was everywhere. He finished with 15 tackles in the game, including 9 solos. Just an inspiring effort from this lad. Also contributing on that side of the ball were; sr. LB Aidan Kerrigan (six tackles), McDermott (five), jr. Anthony Piscopo (five), sr. DB AJ Greseszak (five), and Rinella (five). Herron added a late-game pick. Jr. K/P Michael Raczak unleashed a beautiful punt that covered 47 yards and settled at the Malvern 4-yard line. For Malvern, Hornibrook finished 15-for-27 for 149 yards. Most of his completions were within five yards of the line of scrimmage and some included solid YAC, but very little downfield action was had for the D-1 signal caller today. Malvern was able to muster 282 yards of offense. Wright (5-55) and Lusane (4-30) were Hornibrook’s most active receivers. Wright also added 70 yards on on 14 carries. Defensively, soph. DB Zac Fernandez made a pick and returned it 59 yards. Lusane (8 tackles; 7 solos) forced a fumble that was recovered by Keating (6 tackles). Other notables on defense were: Morris (six tackles), and jr. DB Phil DiTrolio, jr. S Ryan Murray, and O’Neill who evenly split fifteen stops. Back to Shurmur for a second. Even when he misfires with teammates his passes still get caught. In the second quarter he threw high towards the La Salle sidelines and the ball found ballboy Joe Conner, a freshman at Conwell-Egan. With another ball in his hands he calmly secured Shurmur’s pass for a 12-yard completion. Smile. Sorry, Joe, but we can’t give you credit on the stat page, but a mention in this report isn’t too bad, right? Joe’s dad (I believe same name? Sorry, I forget) was one of the side judges in the game. Oh yeah, good hands, kid! by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

La Salle Downs Malvern Similar to Penn State, with its "Linebacker U" nickname, the Brady family has developed a reputation for developing talent at that marquee football position, with Ryan the latest in the line at La Salle. Ryan Brady's father, John, played linebacker at the old Archbishop Kennedy and Ursinus. His brother, Shane, was a key performer there at La Salle (Class of 2010) and Lafayette. Continuing the tradition in eye-catching fashion, Ryan Brady registered 15 tackles, including 11 in a sensational first half, as the visiting Explorers muffled Malvern Prep, 27-8, Saturday in a nonleague game at Pellegrini Athletic Complex. What sticks out about Brady for La Salle coach Drew Gordon? "He's got the highest energy of any player on the team, for one thing," Gordon said. "He has a great motor. He doesn't know any other way." Helping the visitors build a 20-0 advantage in the opening 22 1/2 minutes, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Brady posted seven solo tackles, assisted on three others, and joined end Isaiah Henrich on a 9-yard sack. Brady, modest and soft-spoken, was quick to credit others for his monster first-half showing. "The defensive line was taking on blocks, freeing me up to make plays," said the 17-year-old, who doubles as a fullback. 21

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Brady and fellow linebackers Aidan Kerrigan, Jordan Meachum, and Kohler Setley helped limit the Friars to 84 yards rushing and 97 passing through three quarters. Meachum previously played in the secondary. On offense for the 3-1 Explorers, who are ranked No. 2 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by the Inquirer, Kyle Shurmur completed 20 of 29 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. As usual, Shurmur's No. 1 target was Jimmy Herron. The speedy receiver made six receptions for 107 yards and two TDs. At safety, he added a fourth-quarter interception. "I'm glad he's on my team," Brady said with a laugh. "I don't know what else to say. He's flat-out good." In the first half, Shurmur's TD passes to halfback Nick Rinella (12 yards) and Herron (62) sandwiched Meachum's 1-yard scoring run. Meachum finished with 84 yards on 15 attempts. The only score for first-year coach Aaron Brady and No. 11 Malvern (2-2) was Alex Hornibrook's 6-yard toss to Trevor Morris just before intermission. Ryan Brady, a defenseman in lacrosse, has drawn interest from schools in Division I-AA (Bucknell and Lafayette) and Division III (Wesleyan, Gettysburg, Dickinson) for football. by Tim Hindin, GameTimePA.com

La Salle Keeps Rolling With Win Over Malvern Prep MALVERN — After narrowly defeating a tough DeMatha Catholic (Md.) team a week ago, La Salle's nonleague meeting with Malvern Prep could have been a perfect set up for a 'let down' game for the Explorers. La Salle had no problems with the Friars as it kept rolling with a 27-8 win. "DeMatha was a good win (and) we really just wanted to keep the momentum rolling,” La Salle wide receiver and safety Jimmy Herron said. Herron ended with a game-high six receptions, 107 yards and two TDs. It looked like the Explorers were primed to run away with the game leading 20-0 in the waning moments of the first half but Malvern was able to put together a drive at the end of half that was capped by a six-yard touchdown toss from Alex Hornibrook to Trevor Morris on an untimed down to end the half. The touchdown drive only delayed the inevitable as La Salle came out of halftime putting together an 18-play 80-yard six minute and 44 second drive ending with tricky five yard catch by Heron. "You're fearful that the other team (is going to) do that to you and when you do it to somebody else I know what they feel but that's huge,” La Salle coach Drew Gordon said. While the offense of La Salle operated efficiently with few exceptions the Explorer defense was able to get key stops consistently as they shut the Friars out in the second half holding them to 227 total yards of offense. "There was a couple times we had drive-stopping penalties,” Hornibrook said. "The biggest thing was converting on third and fourth down and converting on red zone opportunities, but we really didn't do that today.” While it might appear that La Salle is hitting on all cylinders right now, it knows there is still room to improve and the scary part for Explorer opponents is they have yet to hit their peak: not bad for a team that racked up 407 yards of total offense. "The thing we're focusing on in practice is we're not playing good enough yet,” Gordon said. "I think that keeps them on their toes.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 by Kieran McCauley, GameTimePA.com

Shurmur Spurs La Salle Past Malvern MALVERN - It is very rare for a visiting football team to win a game in which the players commit more penalties and turnovers more than their opposition. However, that is exactly what La Salle did on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Malvern Prep, 27-8, in the nonleague contest. When you hear the last name Shurmur, you may think of the Eagles' successful offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. On Saturday, the fans in attendance at Quigley Field learned the apple does not fall far from the tree. His son, Kyle, is the quarterback for the Explorers and showed off his talents for everyone, airing the ball out for 228 yards, and tossing three touchdowns. After Malvern Prep opened the game with a three-and-out, Shurmur marched his team down the field, then connected with Nick Rinella for a 13-yard touchdown pass, giving La Salle an early 6-0 lead. The La Salle offensive onslaught continued in the second quarter. With just under six minutes remaining in the half, halfback Jordan Meachum blasted in from the one. The Explorers struck again with 90 seconds remaining in the quarter, when Shurmur hit his trusty wide receiver, Jimmy Herron, in stride for a 62-yard touchdown. "I thought our offensive did a really good job today. We definitely have things we have to work on, but they (Malvern) are a really good team and we were tested today. It was big for us to have success on them today,” Shurmur said. Malvern broke through on the final play of the first half. QB Alex Hornibrook rolled out to his right and delivered a strike to Trevor Morris in the back corner of the end zone. Morris did an amazing job keeping his feet in bounds and controlling the catch the entire way through. With Malvern Prep trailing 20-8 at halftime, there were hopes among the hometown crowd that a comeback was looming. However, the La Salle offense quickly put those thoughts to rest when they opened up the third quarter with an 18-play, 80-yard drive that concluded with another Shurmur to Herron touchdown connection, this time from six-yards out. The drive lasted just under eight minutes, included two fourth-down conversions. "It really just comes down to doing our job,” Herron said. "I just try and make sure I am always in the right spot and Kyle is so good he will get me the ball. Today was just a matter of executing, and I thought our offense as a whole did that this afternoon.” Malvern Prep moved the ball well, but was unable to reach the end zone. "I am really proud of all my players. That team we just played is one of the best in the state and we gave it our all the entire game,” Malvern coach Aaron Brady said. "Our defense did a lot of great things this afternoon. If you told me we were going to hold Shurmur and that offense to under 30 points, I would have honestly thought we would come out on top. That just shows you how good of a team they have over there. The difference in today's game was that when they had third or fourth and short situations, they converted. We weren't able to do that. It is the little things like that, that change games. But I cannot stress enough how proud I am of our kids fighting all game.” The win boosts La Salle's record to 3-1, while Malvern Prep drops to 2-2. Up next, the Explorers will play a home game versus McDonogh of Owings Mills, MD. As for the Friars, they will face-off against rival St. Joseph's Prep, in two weeks at Villanova University.

La Salle 6 14 7 0 27 Malvern Prep 0 8 0 0 8 LS: Nick Rinella 12 pass from Kyle Shurmur (kick failed) 23

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

LS: Jordan Meachum 1 run (Mike Raczak kick) LS: Jimmy Herron 62 pass from Kyle Shurmur (Raczak kick) MP: Trevor Morris 6 pass from Alex Hornibrook (James Keating run) LS: Herron 5 pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick)

Team Statistics La Salle Malvern Prep First Downs 22 14 Rushing yards 170 138 Passing yards 237 139 Total yards 407 277 Passing 20-27-3-1 15-25-1-1 Penalties N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0 Punts N/A N/A

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 20-27, 3 TD, 1 INT. Malvern Prep: Alex Hornibrook 15-24, TD, 1 INT; Ian Murray 0-1. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 15-80, TD; Ryan Brady 2-12; Kyle Shurmur 5-25; Nick Rinella 8-44; Corbin Melle 3-10; Chris Ferguson 1-(-1). Malvern Prep: Rashon Lusane 8-46; Dymond Wright 13-65; Anthony Pacitti 1-13; Alex Hornibrook 3-2; Brian Boyle 2-12. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 6-107, 2 TD; Jordan Meachum 1-6; Nick Rinella 3-22, TD; Charlie Hemcher 3- 21; Winston Eubanks 5-62; Jared Walls 2-24. Malvern Prep: Chris Brown 3-31; Trevor Morris 2-18, TD; Dymond Wright 5-55; Ryan O’Neill 1-6; Rashon Lusane 4-29. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Jimmy Herron Malvern Prep: Zac Fernandez SACKS La Salle: Ryan Brady 0.5, Isaiah Henrich 0.5. Malvern Prep: N/A

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Game 5, September 27, 2014: La Salle 31 – McDonogh (MD) 20 by Andrew Marcus, GameTimePA.com

La Salle shows mettle in win over McDonogh

WHITEMARSH — Another week, another powerhouse program the La Salle football team had to prepare to play. This Saturday brought the top-ranked team in the state of Maryland, the McDonogh Eagles up to Plymouth Whitemarsh High's Colonial Stadium. With goals set as high as Hershey and the state title game, there is no sense for the Explorers not to experience the top-notch competition they will see along the road toward gold. The Eagles forced many compromising positions and it was up to the Philadelphia Catholic League group to respond and react when the pressure was in its face. The Explorers did not always have an answer for the school out of Owing Mills, but it had the final solution. The 31-20 win was not always pretty, but against the Eagles aggressive attack, they certainly will take and feel very good about the win. Kyle Shurmur pushed the ball over the goal line for the go ahead score in the fourth quarter. "This is the best win we had, maybe in a couple years,” Explorers coach Drew Gordon said. "The way we came together, the way we fought. There were a lot mistakes, and I said at halftime we were going to find out in the second half if we are real.” Shurmur's QB sneak gave the Explorers (4-1) the late lead, but it was Jordan Meachum's 73-yard run that set up the score. Meachum recorded his first 100-yard game of his senior season, rushing for 123 yards in the win. His effectiveness kept the Eagles (3-2) guessing all game if they were going to stay on the ground or go to the air with Shurmur. "I was a little tired at the end, but the (73-yard run) felt amazing,” Meachum said. "The line worked really hard tonight. We may have been a little smaller than the other team, but we battled. We wanted to represent the state.” Shurmur stood tall in the pocket, remained confident with pressure breathing down his neck, and threw 15-for- 31 for 168 yards, with two touchdown pass — a 33-yard strike to Jimmy Herron sealed the win. The score by Herron set the new city record for touchdowns. "I told Jimmy I would get him the ball,” Shurmur said. "He is a phenomenal player and a great friend of mine. This win is good for our confidence. We keep getting better each week. The line gave us the opportunity to put up 31 points, which is a lot.” Shurmur was picked off twice in the contest to keep the game close, but four sacks on the Eagles quarterback Jansen Durham shut down the passing game and made the Maryland bunch one dimensional for the majority of the second half. While the running back Mylique McGriff had 133 yards rushing, it was not enough to erase the Explorers ability to answer back. "This was probably the best team we played so far this year.” Gordon said. "I think next week will then be the best team we play all year.” The Explorers will stay in state next week, but the challenging schedule continues. In what might be billed as they two best teams in the state, PCL-AAA powerhouse Archbishop Wood awaits. "Tomorrow we will get our bodies right and Monday start practicing for Wood,” Shurmur said. "We know Wood is a good team with a lot of good players.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The Baltimore Sun

Scott MacDonald kicked a field goal to give the visiting Eagles (2-2) a 20-17 lead with 7:50 left in a game played at Plymouth Whitemarsh. But the Explorers (4-1) answered when Kyle Shurmur rushed for one touchdown and threw for another. In the second quarter, McDonogh's Eric Burrell caught a touchdown pass and had an interception that set up a field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead. La Salle is a 14-time Philadelphia Catholic League champion. by Tim McManus, philly.com

Kyle Shurmur threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and No. 2 La Salle rallied in the fourth quarter to beat McDonogh School (Md.), 31-20. The Explorers went ahead late in the fourth on a Shurmur keeper set up by a 73-yard pass to Jordan Meachum. The pair connected again on the touchdown that put the game away. Jimmy Herron also had a touchdown reception, the 29th of his career.

McDonough 7 10 0 3 20 La Salle 7 7 3 14 31 M - Kareem Montgomery 64 yd punt return (Mike Shinsky kick) L - Jordan Meachum 1 yd run (Michael Raczak kick) L - Kyle Shurmur 7 yd pass to Nick Rinella (Raczak kick) M - Jansen Durham 22 yd pass to Eric Burrell (Shinsky kick) M - Shinsky 24 yd field goal L - Raczak 26 yd field goal M - Shinsky 38 yd field goal L - Shurmur 1 yd run (Raczak kick) L - Shurmur 33 yd pass to Jimmy Herron (Raczak kick)

Team Statistics La Salle McDonogh First Downs 20 13 Rushing yards 161 130 Passing yards 168 200 Total yards 329 330 Passing 15-31-2-2 12-23-1-1 Penalties 3-35 8-45 Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0 Punts 2-40 2-29

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 15-31-168, 2 TD, 2 INT. McDonogh: Durham 12-22-200, TD, INT; Burrell 0-1-0. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 13-123, TD; Nick Rinella 6-39; Kyle Shurmur 9-(-1), TD McDonogh: Rashon Lusane 8-46; Dymond Wright 13-65; Anthony Pacitti 1-13; Alex Hornibrook 3-2; Brian Boyle 2-12. 26

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 7-69, TD; Charlie Hemcher 4-23; Jordan Meachum 2-55; Winston Eubanks 2-20; Nick Rinella 1-7, TD McDonogh: Cronwell 4-83; Montgomery 3-60; Burrell 3-38; McGriff 1-14; Thornes 1-5 INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Mike Crone McDonough - Montgomery, Burrell SACKS La Salle: Ryan Brady (2), Sean Collins, Keith Wagner. McDonough - C. Young (2), Richardson, Cornwell.

Game 6, October, 2014: La Salle 35 – Archbishop Wood 31 by the Ghost of Paul Prep

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Shurmur to Herron, Shurmur to Herron. They formed the crest of the Wyndmoor cyclone before which another fighting Wood football team was swept over the precipice at William Tennent tonight as 5,000 spectators peered down on the bewildering panorama spread on the green plain below." With apologies to the great sportswriter Grantland Rice, who wrote the above introduction to his newspaper article describing Notre Dame's upset victory over Army on October 18, 1924, nearly 90 years ago. The Notre Dame 4 Horsemen were Elmer Layden, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Harry Stuhldreher. But nothing that the Fighting Irish did that day could be better than what happened tonight in Warminster. All week long, all we heard was how the Vikings of Archbishop Wood would run all over La Salle, how every prognosticator picked Wood by more than a touchdown, and somehow, somehow, you just felt that Coach Gordon and the Explorers had them right where they wanted them. But it really wasn't that easy, or expected. Here's how the great victory unfolded: La Salle kicked off to start the game, and Michael Raczak's kick was bobbled out of bounds inside Wood's own 1-yard line. But the Vikings snagged a few first downs to get out to midfield, and then Jarrett McClenton, a lightning-fast running back with great vision and seemingly coated in 10W-30 motor oil, slipped through some tackles and slashed into the end zone from 50 yards out. Dan McDonald's extra point gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the first period. But the Explorers counter-punched right back, as they mixed passes and runs to get down to the Wood 3-yard line, where Jordan Meachum slashed off-tackle and into the end zone. Michael Raczak's PAT tied the score at 7-7 with 3:08 left in the first quarter. Archbishop Wood set sail again, and McClenton led a drive inside the red zone. On a key fourth down and two, Coach Devlin dialed up a pass, and Viking quarterback Anthony Russo missed his target in the end zone. La Salle was unable to mount an offensive, and the Vikings struck again, as McClenton raced through the La Salle defense on a 31-yard run to give Wood a 14-7 lead with 3:06 left in the half. Plenty of time, though, for La Salle to move down the field. And that they did; with 24 seconds left in the half, and the ball at the Wood 8, Kyle Shurmur rolled out to his right. Jimmy Herron was lined up as the lonesome flanker on the left at the start of the play, but moved in motion to the right before the ball was snapped. Herron slanted quickly to the middle, but then put on the brakes and headed back toward the left. Shurmur, throwing off his back foot, led Herron into a diving catch for a touchdown, and Raczak's extra point tied the score at 14-14 to go into the halftime break.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

But it wasn't over yet!! McClenton had a great return, and then ran the ball on a winding run down to the La Salle 31-yard line, where, with 1.5 seconds left, Coach Devlin called his last time out. He sent the field goal unit on, and McDonald lined up for a 49-yard field goal attempt, with the wind at his back. His kick had "wings", and landed on top of the crossbar, and over, as the Vikings merrily raced up the hill to their locker room with a 17-14 halftime lead, and momentum was now on their side. That momentum continued into the third period, as they stopped La Salle and forced a punt after the kickoff. The Vikings moved to the La Salle 29, as it seemed difficult to stop their strong running game. But Russo surprised everyone with play action, and he hit Jake Cooper slanting deep in the end zone for a touchdown and a 24-14 Wood lead with 8:33 left in the third period. La Salle was stymied again going into the wind, and a short punt set the Vikings up again. McClenton raced into the end zone from 8 yards out for his third touchdown, and Wood led, 31-14, with 3:08 left in the third stanza. Again, Wood stops the La Salle offense, and forces the Explorers to punt. Enter the luck of the Fighting Irish, borrowed from South Bend. Michael Raczak's punt to midfield "doinks" off of a Wood blocker, and the Explorers recover. That rejuvenated the offense, and La Salle moved the ball to the Viking 8-yard line as the third quarter ended with the Explorers down by 17. Hold tight, folks. On the first play of the 4th, Kyle Shurmur hits Jimmy Herron on the left side on a bubble screen, and Herron followed a key block by Jordan Meachum to get into the end zone. Raczak's kick made it 31-21, but a lot of work left to do to stop the vaunted Viking attack. Wood moved the ball out to about their own 40, and on a fourth and 2, Coach Devlin eschewed the opportunity for a first down, and the ensuing punt rolled out of bounds on La Salle's 35. The offense was now in high gear, and with 5:41 left, the Explorers closed to within a field goal as Shurmur and Herron hooked up for their third touchdown, this time from 5 yards. Wood turned to their running game again, and McClenton broke free up the right side as he crossed midfield. Suddenly, a La Salle defender popped the ball free, and Jimmy Herron cradled the ball before he or the ball went out of bounds, and the Explorers now had a chance to take the lead for the first time!! And they did!! But maybe too soon. Kyle Shurmur hit Jimmy Herron on a slant-in, and Herron changed directions as he dove inside the left pylon for a 45-yard touchdown, his fourth hookup with Shurmur, and Raczak's extra point gave La Salle an improbable 35-31 lead with 4:50 left in the game. Wood moved the ball out to just beyond midfield, but they were consuming the clock, which read under 2 minutes. They went to the pass, and Russo was off his mark, one on a near-interception of a deep pass by Nick Rinella. Coach Devlin had consumed two of his timeouts, and with a fourth down ensuing with about a minute to go, everyone knew that this was it. Russo's pass over the middle missed its mark, and La Salle just had to kill off 54 seconds to win this game. Shurmur went into the victory formation twice, and that was all that was required. La Salle stormed back to score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stun Archbishop Wood, 35-31. Editorial note: this 2014 team is so resilient. There are times when they are frustrating to watch, but somehow they right the ship and get back into the game. They are now 5-1, and entering their league play next week against their ancient foe, St. Joseph's Prep, on Friday night at 7 PM at Plymouth-Whitemarsh. They are now certainly battle-tested to start their PCL regular season. Hats off to the players and coaches for this great win. Hail La Salle!! by Dan Dunkin, Intelligencer

La Salle Comes Back To Beat Archbishop Wood WARMINSTER — The showdown lived up to the hype. Meeting for the first time in 16 years, powerhouses Archbishop Wood and La Salle College put on an unbelievable show Friday night at William Tennent's packed Claude Lodge Field.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The late twist in the plot lines was like a knife in the gut to Archbishop Wood. The Vikings blow teams out; they do not, under any circumstances, blow leads. But it happened, quickly and stunningly in the fourth quarter, as La Salle overcame a 17-point deficit, scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and won, 35-31. In a battle of heavyweights — Class AAAA La Salle has been ranked No. 1 or 2 in the state all season, Wood No. 1 in Class AAA — the Explorers' pedal-to-the-metal passing attack led by quarterback Kyle Shurmur and receiver Jimmy Herron ultimately proved as hard to stop as Wood's have-no-mercy running game, spearheaded by the spectacular Jarrett McClenton, had been in the first half. McClenton rushed for 293 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns. He had 228 on 16 attempts in the first half. Shurmur completed 19 of 30 for 263 yards, while Herron caught four TD passes — all three of La Salle's touchdowns in the fourth quarter — among his nine receptions for 137 yards. "They made some plays," Wood coach Steve Devlin said. "We'll just have to regroup. It was a good football game, two good teams." Wood held a 17-point advantage, 31-14, with 4:05 left in the third quarter when quarterback Anthony Russo's second passing attempt of the game was a 30-yard beauty to a diving Jake Cooper in the end zone. The Vikings (5-1), who had won 12 straight going back to last season's state title run, seemed to be imposing their will as they always do. But a couple of turnovers helped open the door for La Salle, as Shurmur (a Vanderbilt commit) and his receivers kept finding open spots. Limited by Wood's defense much of the third quarter, the Explorers started rolling after the Vikings muffed a punt at midfield. Shurmur found Herron for a 12-yard TD with 11:53 left in the fourth. Wood had to punt on its next possession, and the Explorers, getting a 49-yard Shurmur-to-Herron completion, cut it to 31-28 on a short Herron TD grab with 5:41 remaining. Then Wood, which had capitalized on great starting field position twice in Explorer territory in the third after poor La Salle punts, again gave the Explorers a nice start-up spot near midfield when McClenton fumbled after a 21-yard run. Two La Salle plays later, Herron was racing to the end zone on a 45-yard pass play, putting the Explorers up 35-31 with 4:50 left. "That kind of cost us the game," a disconsolate McClendon said of the fumble. "It gave them great field position and they scored." Wood's offense went from its own 32 to the Explorers' 45 in the final minutes. With La Salle's defense playing well when it had to, Russo couldn't connect on three pass attempts, and the Vikings faced a fourth-and-15 they couldn't convert with 54 seconds left. "We'll have to watch the film, make the corrections and learn from it," Devlin said. "We'll get ready for (Cardinal) O'Hara next week; that's a big league game for us." Notes: The final minute of the first half was crazy. La Salle ran a hook-and-ladder play for a 25-yard gain that set up Herron's diving 8-yard TD catch with 24.2 seconds left, tying the game at 14. Then McClenton reeled off a 39-yard run, and Dan McDonald's 49-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar and bounced over for a 17-14 lead with 1.5 seconds left. ... McClenton also had two 51-yard runs in the first half. ... Wood's ball-control running game in the first half at times effectively kept the ball away from Shurmur. The Vikings' first scoring drive was a 99-yarder consuming 5:51.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

Stunning Rally Lifts La Salle Archbishop Wood, with 333 rushing yards, led comfortably by 17 points late in the third quarter Friday night in its showdown against La Salle. That's when a near-certain win began to evaporate. The resilient Explorers, fueled by the spectacular play of Jimmy Herron and two turnovers, flipped the switch, scored three times in the final 12 minutes, and emerged with a 35-31 victory before an overflow crowd at William Tennent. "It's just great," La Salle coach Drew Gordon said while his players celebrated the improbable triumph. "The best thing is the comeback. There was every reason for the kids to give up, but they didn't." All Herron did was make a career-high four touchdown receptions, including three in the last period, and recover the fumble that set up his winning 45-yard grab with 4 minutes, 50 seconds to play. Then, on Wood's final series, Herron sealed the victory by breaking up a pass from midfield that was intended for Vikings wideout Mark Webb. "It's pretty special," said Herron, a senior wide receiver and defensive back. "We just kept battling, even though it looked bleak. We believed in ourselves." In stunning previously undefeated Wood, which came in ranked No. 1 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, No. 2 La Salle (5-1) overcame the 380 rushing yards totaled by the Vikings on 45 attempts. With 273 yards on the ground, including 228 by fleet tailback Jarrett McClenton, Wood (5-1) took a 17-14 advantage into the locker room at halftime. "They would get 5 to 8 yards at a pop," Herron said. "They kept coming at us. McClenton is a real good runner and works well with their offensive line." Herron, who will play baseball at Duke, finished with eight catches for 111 yards. Kyle Shurmur connected on 19 of 31 passes for 273 yards. On a 30-yard reception by tight end Jake Cooper and an 8-yard burst by McClenton, the Vikings went ahead, 31-14, in the third quarter. A fumble recovery on Mike Raczak's punt, with the ball hitting a Wood player in the back, set the stage for Herron's 12-yard TD catch. Soon after, Herron's 49-yard reception paved the way for his 5-yard score that trimmed the gap to 31-28. Herron's heroics continued when, on the next play from scrimmage, he scooped up McClenton's fumble, after a 20-yard gain, at the La Salle 44. by Aaron Carter, Daily News

Herron adds to TD mark at La Salle rallies to beat Wood The City’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns was busy last night. La Salle High senior Jimmy Herron caught four more touchdowns as the Explorers overcame a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to stun previously unbeaten Archbishop Wood, 35-31, before an overflow crowd at William Tennent High. He now has 33 career receiving TDs. However, Herron isn't an all-he-does-is-catch-touchdowns wideout. The 6-1, 185-pound defensive back also recovered a late fumble and broke up Wood's last gasp on a fourth-and-15 from the 50 with under a minute remaining.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

At his day job, Herron snagged eight passes for 130 yards, including the go-ahead score on a right-to- middle slant that went for a 45-yard score and erased what had once been a 31-14 Wood advantage. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur tossed for 274 yards on 19-for-30, with all four Herron scores. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said we weren't down a little," Herron said. "But we always believe that we're going to catch a break, make play and get back in the game and we did that." La Salle (5-1) played catch-up because Wood senior Jarrett McClenton had his way early, finishing with 291 yards on 27 carries. McClenton also added three touchdowns and had 228 yards on 16 totes at halftime with Wood leading, 17-14. Wood even stole late momentum on a 49-yard field goal by Dan McDonald that bounced off the crossbar and through. McDonald's boot was setup by a 39-yard McClenton burst that could have demoralized the Explorers. "This is something special," Herron said. "I think this is the best game I've ever been a part of. One of our mottos is that we just don't stop. We just keep coming back. We showed a lot of heart tonight and it just feels awesome to win a game coming back like that." Led by senior linebacker Aidan Kerrigan and Co., the Explorers defense found feistiness in the final frame. With under 6 minutes remaining, senior Jordan Meachum forced a McClenton fumble, which was scooped by Herron on the La Salle sideline. "I saw sweep, so I was just following the play when he kind of squirted through and somebody poked the ball out," Herron said. "I got a nice little bounce, picked it up and tried to keep my feet inbounds." Anthony Russo (2-for-8, 38 yards, TD) tried to author his own comeback for the Vikings (5-1), connecting with a juggling Justin Rubin on a third down and then sneaking on a fourth-and-1 after fumbling the snap. However, a 5-yard penalty plundered the Vikings and Herron, a centerfielder headed to Duke next season, finished them off. "It was the tight end and I had half the field," he said. "I just backpedaled; he gave me a little move across the middle and I just drove on it and broke it up." Wood fans will tell you Herron arrived too soon, while Explorers nation will say he was right on time. Whatever the case, Herron, who will lead La Salle into Catholic League AAAA play next week against St. Joseph's Prep, has the last word. "There's some momentum," he said. "We'll obviously enjoy this win, but we have Prep next week, and that's what really matters because it's a league game and they're a very good team." by Dennis C. Way, GameTimePA.com

La Salle rallies from behind, tops Archbishop Wood WARMINSTER — It was unbelievable, incredible and just plain fun to watch. Left for dead, and trailing host Archbishop Wood High by 17 points entering the fourth quarter, La Salle scored 21 points in a 7:03 span of the fourth quarter to pull out a 35-31 victory in a Philadelphia Catholic League non-league gem at William Tennent High School. The two top-ranked teams in the state — La Salle in Class AAAA and Wood in Class AAA — produced one for the ages, as the Explorers, bullied, bashed and battered by Wood”s running game for three quarters, rallied when no one even considered that they might. Jimmy Herron scored on a 45-yard crossing pattern, his fourth touchdown pass of the game from quarterback Kyle Shurmur with 4:50 left on the fourth-quarter clock, then the La Salle defense pulled together and stopped Wood at midfield, the final stop coming with 48 seconds to play, to preserve the win.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

"We always believe we’re going to catch a break and somehow get back in a game,” said Herron, whose fumble recovery of a Jarrett McClenton fumble set up the game-winning drive. The crazed Wood faithful were in full voice and taps appeared certain to be tooted when the host Vikings took a 31-14 lead with 4:05 left in the third quarter. The host Vikings had dominated the Explorers entirely in the third period and for large parts of the first two quarters. Their weapon of choice was a punishing running game, that would ultimately help produce rushing 392 yards, led by an offensive line that is as mammoth as it is efficient. Wood gave an ample sampling of what was to come when it began the game”s initial drive at its own 1- yard line following a fumble and rolled 99 yards on 10 running plays, the final 51 yards coming on a bolt off the right side by McClenton, who had the home crowd rocking and onlookers blinking at their stopwatches. But the Explorers were equal to the initial salvo out of the Wood cannon, and roared right back with a nine-play, 66-yard response. The bulk of the yardage came from the right arm of Shurmur, but Jordan Meachum finished it off with a 4-yard run that tied the game with 3:08 left in the quarter. Both sides came up empty on their respective second drives, but there was more excitement on tap for the final 7:00 of the half. It began with another Wood run-apalozza, a 50-yard, 7-play bulldozing that McClenton capped with a 31- yard dash that pushed the Vikings in front, 14-7, with 3:08 left in the half. But before you could whistle Beethoven’s Ninth, the Explorers composed an answer, an 80-yard drive that featured a nifty hook-and-lateral pass from Shurmur to Herron, who caught the ball at the Wood 31 and lateraled to Meachum who carried to the Vikings 8-yard line. Shurmur then tied the game on the next play when he rolled right and threw back across his body to Herron, who made a diving catch in the end zone. The scoring play happened with 25 seconds left in the half, and everything screamed for Wood to be content to return the kickoff and take a knee. Instead, after McClenton returned the boot to the Wood 29, then on the next snap broke off a 39-yard gain to the Explorers 32. And as time expired, placekicker Dan McDonald booted a 49-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through. At the break, the Explorers had been gouged by the Wood running attack, and head coach Drew Gordon knew why. "At halftime, I told our guys I don”t care what defense is called, the only thing that was bothering me was that we weren’t tackling.” Perhaps buoyed by McDonald’s kick, Wood threatened to make a mockery of the remainder of the game. After forcing a La Salle three-and-out, the Vikings went 42 yards on just four snaps, with quarterback Anthony Russo finding Jake Cooper behind the Explorers defense for a 30-yard touchdown. After another La Salle three-and-out and a 6-yard punt, Wood stuck in what appeared to be the game- over dagger when McClenton scored from the 8-yard line with 4:05 left in the third quarter. To the overflow crowd in attendance, it appeared it was lights out, bon voyage and arrivederci for the visitors. But somehow, La Salle wasn’t in a packing mood. The comeback began innocently enough when an Explorer punt late in the third period bounced off a Wood blocker Dan Freeman and was recovered by the Explorers at midfield. La Salle scored 10 plays later when Shurmur and Herron combined on a 12-yard scoring pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

After forcing a Wood punt on the ensuing series, La Salle went right back to work, scoring in six plays, the final one a 5-yard pass play from Shurmur to Herron with 6:05 left. And suddenly, the Wood victory dance was stalled in mid-butt shake. The coup de grace came one snap later, when McClenton (300 rushing yards) fumbled the ball away, recovered by Herron. "They ran trap and I was over top,” Herron said. "Somebody made a hit and the ball came right to me.” Immediately, Shurmur hit Meachum for 11 yards, then delivered the game-winner on the next snap when he hit Herron over the middle. "I had a 10 and in,” Herron said, "so I was able to get my man off me. Jordan made a great block, and I was able to get in.” The Vikings got the ball back with time to rally themselves, but could only get as far as the Explorers 46. After a penalty moved them back to their own 49, Russo threw four straight incompletions. The final one was broken up by Herron. "Jimmy had gotten beat on their (third) touchdown,” said La Salle head coach Drew Gordon. "But how do you get mad at him? "He winds up making five plays in the fourth quarter that win the game for us.” As for Shurmur, Gordon was no less effusive with praise. "He’s a little bit special,” Gordon said. "He’s a money guy. When he has to, he puts the ball there.” by Ed “Huck Palmer”, Ted Silary’s website

Man, what a game! Playing before a massive crowd at William Tennent High School in Warminster, the Explorers and Vikings gave all in attendance a whale of contest. Quite frankly, it was simply a fantastic game and for my money one of the best these eyes have ever witnessed. For recap purposes let’s fast forward to the last play of the first half. Moments earlier the Explorers had deadlocked things (14-14) on a sr. QB Kyle Shurmur to sr. WR/DB Jimmy Herron 8-yard scoring pass. Ahem, these two were just getting started. Anyhow, only 24.2 seconds remained in the half. Soon after, Wood speedy sr. RB/DB Jarrett McClenton returned the ensuing kickoff to the 29-yard line. Then, he took a hand-off and zipped, bobbed, weaved, and dashed his way to the La Salle 32-yard line with a 39-yard run. This gave him 229 rushing yards to this point. Just over a second remained on the game clock, so Wood Head Coach Steve Devlin summoned sr. K/P Dan McDonald onto the field for a field goal attempt of 49 yards. McDonald struck the ball well and somehow it found its way to the crossbar, where it clanged upward, and calmly toppled over the right side. Extremely cool moment. As you would suspect the Wood faithful erupted and one could sense that momentum was once again snatched by the home team. Guess what? This momentum thought was indeed correct. La Salle ran just nine plays (0-for-3 via pass; 6 rushes for 9 yards) on three possessions to begin the second half. The first two ended with short punts and with Wood having possession on the La Salle side of the field. Both times they capitalized by finding the end zone. First, the Vikings needed just four plays to cover 42 yards on a 30-yard pass play from jr. QB Anthony Russo to sr. TE/LB Jake Cooper. Next, they needed just four plays to cover 43 yards; capped by a McClenton 8-yard dash. This made the score 31-14 Vikings with 4:05 left in the third. So, when La Salle’s third possession ended with them in punt formation, one had to believe that Wood would ease into a convincing victory. But not so fast, for at this time the drama police entered the stadium. La Salle’s jr. P/K Mike Raczak lofted a punt down the middle of the field and when it landed it hit an unsuspecting Wood player, who had his back to the play. Jr. LB Sam Hardy pounced quickly and the Explorers were given new life. And boy did they seize the opportunity. First, they needed ten plays to cover 50 yards to

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 make the score 31-21 on the first play of the fourth quarter. The scoring play featured Shurmur-to-Herron for 12 yards on a left-side WR screen. The Vikings did manage one first down when they took over, but a mishandle on a center exchange stymied the drive and soon they were forced to punt; their only of the game. Taking over at their 34-yard line, Shurmur found Herron going left-to-right, and the nifty Herron sped down the sidelines for a 49-yard gain to the Wood 17-yard line. A few plays later, the Vikings were called for a pass interference call on a right-side fade to Herron. Then, on third down, Shurmur hit Herron on a well-timed slant from the five to make it, 31-28, with 5:41 left. More good fortune would go LaSalle’s way on Wood’s first play of their subsequent possession. McClenton scampered down field for a gain of 20 yards, but at the end of the play fumbled on a hit by sr. RB/LB Jordan Meachum. Tough break for the talented McClenton, as he was otherwise brilliant throughout. I was situated on the Wood sideline at the time, so I have no idea how close the ball came to going out of bounds, or who made the recovery. All you saw was an erupting La Salle sideline. The officials huddled briefly, but promptly awarded LS the ball with 5:19 left. Guess who did the recovering? Yep, it was Herron. How many game-changing moments does this kid have in career? Good buddy, Matt “Cauls” McCauley was on hand taking clutch photos and offered to walk over to retrieve the recovering info. Good hustle, Cauls. Ok, so La Salle resumed play with the ball at their 44-yard line. It took them just two plays to snatch their first lead of the game. First, Shurmur connected with Meachum for 11 yards in the left-side flat. Then, he found a streaking Herron going from left-to-right across the middle. The picture perfect toss allowed Herron to get wide and down the sidelines thanks to some solid down-the-field blocking by teammates. The play covered 45 yards and LS led with 4:50 left. Wood started their final gasp at their 32-yard line. They reached La Salle’s 45-yard line after a pair for first downs. However, they missed a golden opportunity to get even closer, if not score. On a third-and-inches chance from LS’ 47-yard line, a play-action pass saw Cooper streak wide open across the field, and roughly at the LaSalle 25-yard line. Alas, Russo’s pass was off the mark and a few yards too long. They did manage to get a new set of downs on a Russo sneak on fourth down, but their last four plays were all misfires on passes. The sequence went like this. Jr. RB/DB Nick Rinella snuffed out a left-side wheel route intended for jr. WR/DB Gianna Cruel. Then, Herron and sr. DB Mike Crone tagged-teamed a post pass meant for soph. WR/DB Mark Webb. Next, a screen pass for McClenton fell harmlessly to the ground. Finally, a deep slant to sr. WR/LB Justin Rubin was broken up by Herron with 54 seconds left. Again, who else??? A couple of knees ended it. Shurmur finished 19-for- 31, for 274 yards and four scores. He was 9-for-13, for 154 yards on La Salle’s final three scoring drives. Herron made 8 catches for 132 yards. Meachum combined for 70 yards of rushing/receiving and added a 4-yard rushing TD. Jr. WR Winston Eubanks was active with 4 grabs for 50 yards. Shurmur now has 4,088 career yards in just 17 games played. Herron became the 15th city player to catch four touchdowns in a game and is now just the 6th receiver to eclipse 2,000 yards (2,087) in a career. La Salle managed 317 yards of offense. Defensively, sr. LB Aidan Kerrigan made a game-high 10 tackles (8 solos) and was rock solid throughout. Meachum added eight stops (6 solos), while jr. DL Anthony Piscopo (six), sr. DL Fletcher Grady (five), and sr. LB Ryan Brady (four) were active. For Wood, McClenton finished with 293 yards on 27 carries. Last week, he eclipsed the 3,000-yard barrier. Amazingly, he is averaging 10.2 yards per carry for his career (330 rushes for 3,380 yards). Wow! Sr. FB Alex Arcangeli chipped in with 60 yards on 10 totes. Cooper turned his four touches into 61 yards and a TD. Defensively, Cooper was impressive with a team-high 8 tackles (two TFLs). Jr. LB Mack Schwartz notched a sack. Soph. DB Dan Freeman hustled for six stops, while Rubin and jr. LB Ryan Barrett evenly split eight tackles. Wood’s talented sr. C Ryan Neher was out with a break in the wrist area. Earlier today website leader Ted Silary posted one of his cool Tedbits. This was the first meeting by these teams since 1998. La Salle has now won 13 straight meetings between the teams. Also, he included yardage

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 highs in the series since 1984. Tonight, new high marks were set in all three categories: passing, rushing, and receiving. by Willie McGonigle, EasternPAFootball.com

LaSalle Rallies from 3rd quarter deficit take battle of Catholic League Powers WARMINSTER: Prior to realignment of the Philadelphia Catholic League in 1999 from geographic division to enrollment-based divisions, the La Salle Explorers and Archbishop Wood Vikings were Northern Division rivals. Since going their separate ways both programs went on to be among the best teams in the state. On Friday night in front of capacity crowd and then some at William Tennent High School the Explorers and Vikings renew their rivalry. And boy did both teams make up for lost time and gave the fans their money’s worth and then some with the Explorers rallying from a 31-14 third quarter deficit to stun the Vikings 35-31 in a battle of Catholic League Heavyweights. “It was great especially the comeback,” Explorers Coach Drew Gordon said, adding there was every reason to get down but his kids didn’t. After muffing the opening kickoff and pinning themselves at the 1 the Vikings showed that one of the best ways to contain the explosive Explorer attack is by keeping on the sideline. They certainly did by driving 99 yards on 10 plays before Jarrett McClenton raced for a 51-yard score. The Explorers responded on the ensuing drive marching 66 yards on nine plays before Jordan Meachum powered his way in from five yards out. After both teams traded 3 and outs, the Vikings and McClenton took the lead with a six-play, 50-yard drive that was capped a 31-yard touchdown run. But the Explorers responded with a familiar connection as QB Kyle Shurmur found his favorite target Jimmy Herron for an 8-yard strike to tie things up with 17 seconds left in the half. Following a 38 yard scamper by McClenton, Sr Kicker Dan McDonald was called upon to attempt to give the Vikings a halftime lead with a 49 yard field goal that bounced off the upright before falling through to put them ahead 17-14 heading into intermission. Shawn Scroger, Kurt Stengel, Tom Cardozo, Jack Kenney, Ryan Bates, Ian Frasca, and Jake Cooper paved the way for McClenton to rack up 228 of his 293 rushing yards in the first half. The Vikings used the momentum they took into the locker room at half to force the Explorers to a three and out on the opening series of the second half, which turn into a 10 point lead when QB Anthony Russo connected with a wide open Cooper for a 30 yard touchdown. On the ensuing drive McClenton appeared to put the game out of reach of the Explorers with his 3rd rushing touchdown of the day, this one from 8 yards out. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Shurmur-Herron connection struck for the second time, this one covering 12 yards. On the next Explorer drive, the duo again cut into the lead with a 5 yard strike that made it 31-28. On the ensuing Viking drive Meachum caused McClenton to fumble along the Explorer sideline which was recovered by Herron at the Explorer 44. Following an 11-yard Shurmur pass to Meachum who else but Herron would haul in his fourth TD of the game from 45 yards out and suddenly the Explorers had their first lead game at 35-31. The ensuing Vikings drive saw them to get to midfield before turning the ball over on downs to seal the win for the Explorers. Herron credited the toughness of schedule thus far this season with helping the Explorers on their comeback. “We got a bunch of playmakers on offense and the guys remain resilient the whole time and played tough the whole team played tough.” Shurmur said, adding that “He’s proud to be a part of La Salle.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

When asked about his chemistry with Herron, Shurmur responded, “Jimmy makes me look good all the time …. he’s very smart and trustworthy.” The Vikings (5-1) will look to rebound next Friday night when they travel down to Springfield to take the Lions of Cardinal O’Hara. The Explorers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier, as they will meet arch-rival and defending PIAA AAAA Champion, the Hawks of St. Joseph’s Prep.

A. Wood 7 10 14 0 31 La Salle 7 7 0 21 35 AW — Jarrett McClenton 51 run (Dan McDonald kick) L — Jordan Meachum 4 run (Michael Raczak kick) AW — McClenton 31 run (McDonald kick) L — Jimmy Herron 8 pass from Kyle Shurmur (Raczak kick) AW — McDonald 49 FG AW — Jake Cooper 30 pass from Anthony Russo (McDonald kick) AW — McClenton 8 run (McDonald kick) L - Herron 12 pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) L - Herron 5 pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick) L - Herron 45 pass from Shurmur (Raczak kick)

Team Statistics La Salle Wood First Downs 17 18 Rushing yards 43 392 Passing yards 274 30 Total yards 319 422 Passing 19-31-4-0 1-7-1-0 Penalties 3-10 7-34 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 6-2 Punts 4-22 1-29

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 19-31-274, 4 TD. Wood: Anthony Russo 1-7-30, TD. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 12-35, TD; Nick Rinella 2-4; Kyle Shurmur 3-4. Wood: Jarrett McClenton 28-300, 3 TDs; Alex Arcangeli 9-52; Jake Cooper 3-31; Anthony Russo 5-7; Ryan Barrett 1-2. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 8-132, 4 TDs; Charlie Hemcher 1-21; Jordan Meachum 3-35; Winston Eubanks 4-50; Nick Rinella 3-36. Wood: Jake Cooper 1-30, TD. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: None. Wood – None. SACKS 36

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

La Salle: None. Wood- Mack Schwartz.

Game 7, October 10, 2014: St. Joseph’s Prep 35 – La Salle 31 by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer

St. Joseph’s Prep Outlasts La Salle St. Joseph's Prep quarterback Jack Clements, who worked at ironing out the kinks in his game during the team's disappointing 1-3 start, earned his stripes in a big way Friday night against bitter rival La Salle. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior, who filled in at times down the stretch last year, completed 15 of 19 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown as the No. 7-ranked Hawks rallied late for a 35-31 triumph over the No. 1 Explorers. "I was proud of him," Prep coach Gabe Infante said. "I thought he came into his own tonight. He had a really good week of practice and was ready to go." The difference in the thrilling Catholic League Class AAAA opener played before an overflow crowd at Plymouth Whitemarsh was Clements' 1-yard sneak with 4 minutes, 13 seconds to play. In the winning drive, Clements connected with D'Andre Swift for gains of 24 and 37 yards. That was followed by his 13-yard pass to John Reid. The Prep, which lost three of its first four games to out-of-state powers, totaled 207 rushing yards on 42 attempts in evening its record at 3-3. The contest was tied at 21 at intermission. With back-to-back scores (field goal, touchdown) to start the second half, La Salle (5-2) was suddenly in front, 31-21. The Hawks responded with a 10-play, 73-yard march. Two plays after Clements hooked up with Olamide Zaccheaus for a 43-yard gain, hard-nosed fullback Joe DuMond barreled in from the 2. Clements rushed 10 times for 56 yards. Three plays before his deciding keeper, he ran 9 yards to the 6. The Prep built a 21-7 advantage in the opening 13 minutes. James Bell scored on a 14-yard dive play; Zaccheaus found the end zone from 5 yards; and DuMond turned a right-side screen pass from Clements into a 13-yard TD. La Salle jumped back in with an 11-play, 80-yard series capped by Kyle Shurmur's 2-yard TD toss to Jordan Meachum. Late in the second quarter, Shurmur's 10-yard throw to Nick Rinella evened the contest. In the third quarter, Matt Savage's 18-yard field goal and Meachum's 6-yard TD dart put the Explorers ahead by 10. Shurmur completed 21 of 33 passes for 203 yards and two scores. Meachum netted 93 yards on 15 attempts. by Aaron Carter, Daily News

St. Joseph’s Prep Rallies To Upset La Salle With the Plymouth-Whitemarsh stadium filled, D'Andre Swift heard nothing but silence as he soared in the air for the football. "I was just blanking out," the sophomore running back and defensive back said. "I was just worried about the ball." 37

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Swift leaped in front of the St. Joseph's Prep sideline with defenders all around and the ball perilously close to being too high. The catch helped his trailing Hawks convert a key third down from their 16 late in the fourth. The Hawks, ranked No. 2 by the Daily News, rode that momentum to a 35-31 Catholic League win over top-ranked La Salle last night. "Coach [Gabe Infante] believed in me, Swift said. "He said, 'Throw the ball to 'Dre,' and when I saw the ball, I had to come down with it." Next, Swift jetted after a deep slant and sped to the La Salle 23. Jack Clements gave SJP the go-ahead score with a 1-yard sneak with 4:13 left. The Explorers (5-2, 0-1), who trailed 21-7, in the first half, were led offensively by seniors Jordan Meachum and Kyle Shurmur. Shurmur sneaked in from a yard out, Meachum caught a 2-yarder, Nick Rinella caught a 10-yarder. The first-half scoring for SJP (3-3, 1-1) came from junior Joe DuMond (13-yard catch); senior running back James Bell added a 14-yard scoring tote, while Olamide Zaccheaus scored on the ground from 6 yards out. Meachum added a 6-yarder in the second half after a strip-sack-fumble by Isaiah Henrich was recovered by Sean Collins with around 5 minutes left in the third. Prep cut a 31-21 La Salle advantage with a DuMond score from the 2 out that was set up by a long reception by Olamide Zaccheaus. by Rick Kauffman, GameTimePA.com

St. Joseph’s Prep Slays La Salle Again WHITEMARSH — It was the game the players of La Salle had been looking forward to all year — sweet, sweet revenge on the St. Joseph's Prep. A year earlier at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, St. Joseph's Prep defeated the Explorers in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship; Friday night, before a packed house, they reconvened on the same turf. From the beginning of the season, the sting of that loss resonated with the seniors in particular, chomping at the bit to upset their storied rivals. But, unfortunately for the Explorers, the results were much the same, as the offensive prowess of the Hawks with some help by defensive errors by La Salle helped the Prep to a 35-31 victory. "They were able to run, they were able to throw, we couldn't stop anybody,” said La Salle coach Drew Gordon. "They've got good players, but we're not playing against Walter Payton, O.J. Simpson and Gale Sayers.” Gordon's frustrations stemmed from the fact that the Explorers allowed over 400 yards of offense from the Hawks — 240 rushing, 232 passing. On the first drive by the Prep — a six-play, 90-yard drive — they used five different rushers, capped by a 16-yard touchdown run by James Bell. La Salle responded with an 11-play, 69-yard drive that concluded with a quarterback-keeper Vanderbilt- bound Kyle Shurmur, but the Explorers soon fell behind as the Prep would score again in the first quarter and then less than a minute into the second. However, La Salle seemed to wake up after St. Joe's took the 21-7 lead — their third TD on a two-play 54-yard drive after the Explorers gave up a short field after a six-yard punt. They went 12-plays and 80 yards, capped by a three-yard TD catch by Jordan Meachum, who had two scores on the day. La Salle scored again with less than a minute left in the half. With possession to start the second half, they furthered their lead with two more scores to take a 31-21 lead — scoring 24 unanswered points.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

"We come out in the second half and jump to a 10-point-lead, but when you can't stop anybody it's very difficult,” Gordon said. And therein lied the issue: the Prep kept coming. Converting on two 3rd-and-13s in one drive, the Hawks pulled within three points after Olamide Zaccheaus reeling in a 43-yard throw from quarterback Jack Clements, and Joe Dumond scored on the two-yard touchdown run. "We knew this was going to be a heavyweight fight,” said Prep coach Gabe Infante. "We had to be able to take some punches without losing our cool.” The next Explorer possession, La Salle was just a few yards shy, but fell well behind and were forced to punt after Jake Strain sacked Shurmur for a loss of eight yards. Prep responded with another touchdown drive of 88 yards, with Clements keeping the football on a one- yard rush to take the 35-31 lead. "We had too many mistakes ... and they had too many third down conversions,” Meachum said. "We just can't let that happen.” La Salle went three-and-out on their final possession with two dropped passes and third that found the receiver on a skip. St. Joe's Prep was able to run down the clock on the ground and solidify the slim victory. "This was a great chess match, it's a great tribute to their staff,” Infante said. "You always need to have one more move to outlast them, but there's really no recipe.” by Ted Silary

Imagine standing at this goal line, then running to that goal line . . . And then imagine doing it 10 more times. In all, before a now-commonplace throng-and-then-some at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, these heated rivals combined for 1,097 yards, thanks to 814 from scrimmage and 283 on returns. And you'll likely find it tough to believe what eventually happened: La Salle got La Salled. Yes, the Explorers, who almost have a patent on late, clutch drives, were victimized by one tonight after staging a great rally from a 21-7 deficit. (And then, their own last chance went like this: drop, procedure, drop, underthrown incompletion under pressure.) One of the Hawks' prime heroes was sr. QB Jack Clements and if ever someone needed some quick redemption, it was this guy. In the third quarter, Clements dropped the ball for a 3- yard loss and then lost it on the next snap after sub DE Isaiah Henrich used a come-from-behind slap to dislodge the pigskin (recovery to sr. DL Sean Collins at the Prep's 25). Five plays were needed to get the ball into the end zone and the score, a 6-yard run by sr. RB-DB Jordan Meachum, provided a 31-21 lead. The Hawks responded with a 10-play, 73-yard drive and jr. FB Joe DuMond did the scoring honors with a 2-yard run. The big play was a 43-yard connection from Clements to sr. RB Olamide Zaccheaus. La Salle managed one first down on its next possession, but the drive never really became a "drive" and an 8-yard sack by sr. DE Jake Strain made sure of that. Eighty-seven yards to go to retake the lead . . . coming right up! Clements went 3-for-3 on this thrust, accounting for 74 of 'em. His completions went to soph RB D'Andre Swift (outSTANDing leaping catch for 24; he was up high enough to dunk), to Swift again (for 37 on a crossing pattern) and to sr. WR-CB John Reid for 13. That third snag placed the ball at the 15. Three runs got the job done: 9 yards for Clements, 5 for jr. RB Benny Walls and 1 for Clements on a sneak. Sr. T Jon Daniel Runyan then hammered his fifth PAT of the drizzle-less evening and La Salle's last possession left the aforementioned void. Clements has been through so much. A shade more than a month ago, jr. QB Tom Garlick, already a two-year starter at Wood, transferred into the Prep after losing his job with the Vikings. No doubt Clements had to be wondering if he was ticketed to become a spectator. Then, almost as quickly as he appeared, Garlick was gone, having transferred to his

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 neighborhood high school, Quakertown. Though there are times when Clements does not look completely comfortable, he deserves major praise for how he fared tonight during crunch time. Aside from his passing -- in all, he went 14-for-19 for 232 yards and a 13-yard TD to DuMond -- he turned QB draws/scrambles into 59 yards on 12 totes. His primary pass-catchers were Zaccheaus (5-84) and Swift (5-76), and they led the rushing parade as well (10-52 and 10-89, respectively). The grunts were jr. C Ed Mooney, sr. G Mark Ehrlich, sr. G Shane Davis, jr. T Charlie Holsopple and Runyan. The most productive Explorer was Meachum, who notched 104 yards and one TD on 15 carries while adding six receptions for 48 yards; he had one TD in each category. Sr. QB Kyle Shurmur went 21-for-32 for 188 yards and two scores. Though the completion percentage was impressive, the yards-per-attempt number (5.9) was not. The Hawks did a terrific job (mostly) of preventing YACs and that was a key factor in the win. While the Prep posted five completions worth at least 20 yards, La Salle had just one. And when does that scenario ever occur? The Prep totaled 476 scrimmage yards and 160 on returns. La Salle had 338/123. The Prep honored its seniors beforehand. AD Joe Parisi said La Salle, at school this week, sold 2,469 tickets out of 2,500. "We could have sold the rest," he added, "but we had to get the check to the Prep." At one point, I mentioned to Joe that Franklin had bested Washington in double OT. He said, "Changing of the guard, eh?" Followed by, as a whistle blew, "Speaking of guards, one of ours just went offside." Also on La Salle's sideline was '14 grad Ryan Coonahan, a star DE. He was still itchin' to play. "I almost ran out there and tripped a guy," he cracked. Meanwhile . . . A suggestion for CL brass (and this is no slap at the other schools): Create a two-team Prep/La Salle division and let them play every damn week. (smile) The entertainment would be top notch and the cash cow could be milked again and again.

La Salle 7 14 10 0 31 St. Joseph's Prep 14 7 0 14 35

SJP: James Bell 14 run (Jon Runyan kick) LS: Kyle Shurmur 1 run (Matt Savage kick) SJP: Olamide Zaccheaus 5 run (Runyan kick) SJP: Joe DuMond 13 pass from Jack Clements (Runyan kick) LS: Jordan Meachum 2 pass from Shurmur (Savage kick) LS: Nick Rinella 10 pass from Shurmur (Savage kick) LS: FG Savage 18 LS: Meachum 6 run (Savage kick) SJP: DuMond 2 run (Runyan kick) SJP: Clements 1 run (Runyan kick)

Team Statistics La Salle SJP First Downs N/A N/A Rushing yards 150 244 Passing yards 188 232 Total yards 333 476 Passing 21-32-2-0 14-19-1-1 Penalties N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1 Punts N/A N/A

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 21-32-188, 2 TD. SJP: Jack Clements 14-19-232, TD. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 15-104, TD; Nick Rinella 4-19; Ryan Brady 5-13; Kyle Shurmur 6-9, TD; Jimmy Herron 1-5. SJP: Olamide Zaccheaus 10-52, TD; D’Andre Swift 10-89; James Bell 3-22, TD; Jack Clements 12-59, TD; John Reid 2-10; Benny Walls 3-11; Davion Kidd-Jackson 1-(-3); Terrence Green 1-2; Joe DuMond 1- 2, TD. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 4-41; Charlie Hemcher 4-62; Jordan Meachum 6-48, TD; Winston Eubanks 1-7; Nick Rinella 4-16, TD, AJ Greseszak 1-11, Ryan Brady 1-3 SJP: John Reid 2-50; D’Andre Swift 5-76; Olamide Zaccheaus 5-84; Joe DuMond 2-22, TD. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Jared Walls. SJP – None. SACKS La Salle: Isaiah Henrich. SJP- N/A by Tim McManus, Inquirer, October 18, 2014

The Accidental Archivist Bill Wasylenko never set out to become the archivist for the La Salle football team. He never expected to have much to do with La Salle at all after graduating in 1969. When he went to a football game at Plymouth Whitemarsh with his two young sons on Labor Day weekend of 2001, it was the first time he had seen the Explorers play in more than 30 years. He was almost fearful he'd run into some of his old classmates. Then the team came to the sidelines, the band played the alma mater, and "all of a sudden, warm feelings came back," Wasylenko said. "That propelled all of us, my boys and me, getting back into La Salle." Back doesn't seem adequate to capture Wasylenko's relationship to the school. Both of his sons graduated from there. The youngest, Dan, was an all-Catholic lineman in 2011. Bill Wasylenko joined the parents' football group, the Touchdown Club. He was surfing eBay in January 2010, when he came across a 1944 yearbook for 10 bucks. He bought that and a bundle of school papers from the same era. Wasylenko found his old high school baseball coach, Ned Kearney, staring back at him from a page as quarterback of the 1943 football team. "All of these little things get woven out of a La Salle spider web," Wasylenko said. "I wanted to find out more about it, and once I found out more, I wanted to tell people." Almost five years later, Wasylenko has filled a third of a 2-terabyte hard drive with video of more than 300 games, thousands of pictures, programs, rosters, and his own exhaustive research. He culled many of his favorite items into a recently released book, La Salle College High School: 100 Years of Football History. 41

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

"It went from a curiosity to a hobby to a passion to an obsession," Wasylenko said. "There isn't an hour that goes by that I'm not thinking something about La Salle." The publication coincides with the 100th season of La Salle football. The Explorers will celebrate that milestone Saturday with a 2 p.m. homecoming game against Roman Catholic at Plymouth Whitemarsh. The timing and the opponent aren't coincidence. La Salle played its first game on Oct. 13, 1903 against Catholic High, a forerunner to Roman. (The Explorers sat out the 1904-14 and 1918 seasons.) Wasylenko will give the keynote speech at a centennial celebration Saturday night at La Salle. Almost 300 people are expected, including representatives from the current team all the way back to 1945. Wasylenko could have filled the book - or two books - with his authoritative, season-by-season chronicles. But he chose a more whimsical, nonlinear approach. The contents include a list of great player nicknames, every La Salle All-Catholic, the best of his photo and program collection, and anything else that struck Wasylenko's fancy. The book reflects how Wasylenko sees his work as a historian: He's not hunting for keepsakes to lock away in a filing cabinet. He's at the helm of a living, shareable archive. A chemical engineer by trade, Wasylenko, 61, spends about 20 hours a week - his wife, Cathie, would say it's more - working late at night in the library of his Montgomeryville home. Page at a time, he scans newspaper clippings, programs, and photos into his digital archive. His treasures are then instantly shareable with the more than 600 people on his e-mail list. Much is available on the La Salle website. Wasylenko created mash-up highlight reels of big plays from across the years and reams of customizable football cards. When a former player dies, Wasylenko adds to his obituary with a photo or anecdote from his La Salle career. "I didn't want to just possess this stuff and hoard it," Wasylenko said. "Digitizing it and getting it out is the greatest thing in the world." That's why it pained Wasylenko so much when he made his greatest discovery in the attic of the Dunleavy Center on campus. Boxes of VHS tapes and canisters of 8-millimeter film that contained most of the games from 1952 to 2004 were turning to dust. The cost of converting the old film to DVD is high, and Wasylenko has done as many as he can manage. Former players will ask for a copy of a certain game, and it's the first time they've seen themselves on the field in decades. More than any artifact he has uncovered, it's those conversations that he holds dear. "These guys are remembering something from 55 years ago, but with a passion as if it just happened," Wasylenko said. "Unearthing that passion and making it flame up again is really exciting for me." Wasylenko was a year young for his grade, and his mother wouldn't let him play football. He never got the chance to have his own La Salle football story. Instead, he has become the keeper of everyone else's.

Game 8, October 18, 2014: La Salle 38 – Roman Catholic 8 by Andrew Robinson, GameTimePA.com

La Salle Grounds Out Win Over Roman PLYMOUTH MEETING — With Kyle Shurmur under center, the La Salle College High School football team has one of the best passing attacks around. But the Explorers' ground game is pretty potent as well. That proved itself Saturday afternoon. 42

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

With a strong wind at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, La Salle's running game paved the way for a 38-8 win over visiting Roman Catholic. "It was the game plan coming in,” senior running back Jordan Meachum said. "It was pretty windy out here so it would a little tough throwing the ball. We knew we had to buckle down and get it done with the run.” Shurmur didn't take the day off, but his stable of backs helped set up the passing game. Perhaps just as importantly, the Explorers defense stepped up in a big way. Aside from one big play, La Salle held Roman in check. Meachum ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns while junior Nick Rinella went for 120 yards and two scores. Senior tight end Charlie Hemcher led the receivers with six grabs for 97 yard and a score. La Salle received the opening kick and moved to its own 44 before stalling out. The Explorers punted, and got a big break when the Roman returner fumbled and LaSalle recovered at the visitor's 22-yard line. Shurmur found Rinella for a 14-yard gain on first down to move to the eight. Meachum ran for five yards on first-and-goal, then ran the final three for a touchdown on second down to open the scoring with 7:32 left in the first quarter. "I think our line was better than their defensive line and they proved it,” Rinella said. "We just bullied them, which is exactly what we wanted to do.” Senior Ryan Brady came up big on third down on Roman's first drive, sacking quarterback Anthony Butler for a seven-yard loss. Brady was a force on defense all afternoon, constantly getting into the backfield or meeting Roman runners right at the line. The senior gave his defensive line credit for eating up blockers and allowing him to get in and make plays. "Our coaches have been pressuring us and we needed to come out and set the tone early,” Brady said. "Especially in this game, it was important. I thought we did that.” La Salle got the ball back and used a balanced drive to move to the Roman 11 before stalling. But, Matt Savage salvaged the drive with a 27-yard field goal with 2:02 left in the opening quarter. The defense forced another quick three-and-out and the offense moved quickly. Shurmur hit senior tight end Charlie Hemcher for a 39-yard completion to move the Explorers to the Roman 10-yard line. A penalty moved La Salle five yards closer and on the first-and-goal snap, Meachum went in for his second TD and the hosts led 17-0 with 11 seconds left in the first. "You could tell they were really wearing down,” Rinella said. "They weren't wrapping up, they weren't tackling us.” La Salle kept it up after halftime, using an extremely run-heavy drive to go 91 yards, ending in a 10-yard Rinella touchdown. Rinella hit the drive's big play, a 29-yard run to move into Roman territory. Down 24-0, Roman found a spark to restore some life to the game. Back A. J. Frazier had been splicing in as a Wildcat back and on a 2nd-and-4 from the Roman 22, ripped off a 78-yard touchdown. A two- point conversion made it 24-8 with 4:28 left in the third. La Salle responded by scoring touchdowns on its next two drives. Another balanced drive ended when Shurmur hit Hemcher and the senior juked out a defender before gliding into the end zone with 41 seconds left in the third quarter. Needing something to stay in the game, Roman went for it on fourth down the next drive and couldn't convert. With the passing game mostly neutralized, Roman had to resort to a run-heavy attack. But the La Salle defenders still had to get the Roman backs down, which wasn't always easy. "That's everybody flying to the ball,” Brady said. "They weren't ready to go down with one hit, so we had to make sure to wrap up.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

After the stop, La Salle only needed three plays to score again. Rinella ripped off a 37-yard run to end the drive with a touchdown and capitalizing on the short field. The junior's powerful run was the game's final score. From there, the Explorers rotated in plenty of backups and seniors playing their final home game. The win could be the boost the Explorers need rolling into playoffs, especially when they got it done on both sides of the ball. Plus, it's always a bonus to have a dangerous ground game ready to go for the postseason. "We usually go into the game and we like to have a balanced offense,” Rinella said. "But, me and Meach know we can get the job done. We're comfortable running the ball at any time.” by Carter Fillman ‘15, Whizwitsports.com

Explorers Handle Roman Catholic, 38-8 In the Explorers' homecoming game, alumni from far ago packed into Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School to watch the Explorers flex their offensive muscles against an injury-depleted Roman Catholic team. If you have been following the Explorers throughout the season you would probably think that senior QB Kyle Shurmur had a huge game. Well he did great, but the eyes really should be turned towards the running backs: senior Jordan Meachum and junior Nick Rinella. The tandem ran for a total of 227 yards and four touchdowns. Meachum ran for 107 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns, while Rinella ran for 120 yards on only 10 carries and also added in two touchdowns. The props of the two's success should be directed towards the offensive line consisting of juniors Jimmy Morrissey, Ryan Schutta, Matt McDermott, Thomas Garvin, and senior Rob Skowronski. The group easily handled Roman defensive line and gave the backs plenty of space to make plays. With the wind whipping like it was at game time, throwing the ball was not the ideal plan. Kyle Shurmur still did throw for 160 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-19 passing. The touchdown pass went to senior TE Charlie Hemcher who made a nice move to open a clear path to the end zone. Hemcher was the Explorers' leading receiver catching six passes for 97 yards. Jimmy Herron had another quiet outing only catching three passes for 27 yards. Throughout the game, the Explorer defense absolutely shut down the Cahillites. La Salle limited Roman to 174 total yards. 72 of those yards did come on one play as senior WR/RB/QB AJ Frazier broke free for the lone Roman touchdown. Senior DBs Ryan Brady and Aidan Kerrigan seemed to be in on every tackle and made some great stops on fourth down. Credit goes to the whole defense though for shutting down an offense that did have a lot of potential. Coming into the game, Roman was missing big names on offense and defense. Starting QB Phil DiWilliams was out with a shoulder injury. Sophomore Anthony Butler filled in for him, but Roman opted for a wildcat formation for a majority of the game with Frazier and RB Dimetri Kelly in the backfield. Kelly finished with 51 yards on 15 carries while Frazier ran for a team high 91 yards on seven carries, including a 78 yard breakout run down the sideline. On defense, Roman was without starting DB Kenny Avalon with a broken arm. Avalon leads the PCL with four interceptions on the season. Explorers started the scoring early after taking advantage of a muffed punt by Roman. The muff gave the Explorers a short field starting at the Roman 22 and Meachum ran it in from three yards out for his first of the day a few plays later putting the Explorers up 7-0. The next points came on a 28 yard field goal from junior K Matt Savage putting the Explorers up 10-0. After Meachum's second of the day on a five yard run, the Explorers were up 17-0 nearing the end of the first quarter. The score stayed that way into halftime. The methodical Explorer offensive ways really showed on a 91 yard drive mid-way through the

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 third quarter ending in 10 yard run from Rinella. Roman put up their only points on the 72 yard run from AJ Frazier and converted the two point conversion cutting the deficit to 24-8. A 24 yard pass from Shurmur to Hemcher on the next drive showed that the Explorers still held the game in their hand. To drive the nail in the coffin, Rinella added his second of the day on a 32 yard run to put the end to scoring for both teams. Explorers win 38-8 final showing that when their offense runs, it runs well. The Explorers record improves to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in the PCL. Roman drops to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the PCL. The Explorers move on to play Father Judge next week while Roman will take on St. Joe's Prep.

Roman Catholic 0 0 8 0 8 LaSalle 17 0 14 7 38 L – Jordan Meachum 3 run (Matt Savage kick) L – Savage 27 FG L – Meachum 5 run (Savage kick) L – Nick RInella 10 run (Savage kick) R – AJ Frazier 78 run (Butler run) L – Charlie Hemcher 24 pass from Kyle Shurmur (Savage kick) L – Rinella 37 run (Savage kick)

Team Statistics La Salle Roman First Downs 16 6 Rushing yards 272 165 Passing yards 160 9 Total yards 432 174 Passing 14-19-1-0 4-9-0-0 Penalties 4-20 3-25 Fumbles-Lost 3-2 2-2 Punts 2-40.5 6-33.2

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 14-19-160, TD. Roman: Anthony Butler 4-9-9. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 14-107, 2 TDs; Nick Rinella 10-120, 2 TDs; Ryan Brady 2-5; Kyle Shurmur 2-(- 3); Jared Walls 4-20; Austin Lemke 2-7; Mario Varani 2-1; Joe Caponi 2-7; Corbin Melle 3-8. Roman: Dimetri Kelly 15-51; Anthony Butler 7-12; Humza Basil 3-11; AJ Frazier 7-91, TD; John Chaney 2-0. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 3-27; Charlie Hemcher 6-97, TD; Jordan Meachum 2-7; Nick Rinella 3-29. Roman: John Chaney 3-7; AJ Frazier 1-(-3); Humza Basil 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: None. Roman: None.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

SACKS La Salle: N/A. Roman: N/A. by Carter Fillman ’15, whizwitsports.com

In what has become a classic PCL matchup, the Explorers will take on the Crusaders in each team's last regular season game. Last season the Explorers were 2-0 against the Judge team, including a dominant win in the PCL semi-finals. The Explorers are coming off a dominating win over Roman Catholic, while the Crusaders fell to St. Joseph's Prep 35-14. Both teams will look to get one last win before entering the PCL playoffs. Looking At The Explorers During last week's win over Roman, everything clicked for the Explorer offense. Shurmur completed his passes, both running backs ran for over 100 yards, and the defense stone walled the Roman offense. The Explorers will look to repeat that performance against a Judge team that has had its ups and downs, just like Roman. The Explorer offense improves in some aspect every week. Last week just happened to be the run game as senior Jordan Meachum ran for 125 yards and junior Nick Rinella ran for 118 yards. The two combined for four touchdowns in the game. Kyle Shurmur continued his consistency throwing for 185 yards on 14-of-21 passing for a touchdown. TE Charlie Hemcher had his biggest game of the season catching six passes for 102 yards for a touchdown. Shurmur distributed the ball to four different receivers and also targeted at least five. One thing that will be interesting to see is junior Charles Headen making his return after being injured since the beginning of the season. The junior will most likely line up as a wideout throughout the game adding another offensive selection to the Explorers' offense. Senior WR Jimmy Herron has taken a step back in the offense the past two games only catching a combined six catches for 58 yards. Of course, he was lined up against John Reid one game and double coverage in the Roman game. With the focus being put on Herron, it has allowed other receivers like Hemcher and junior Winston Eubanks to get some more attention. Focusing on only Herron just doesn't really work against an offense that has so much depth and potential. It will be interesting to see how Judge approaches this issue. The Explorers' defense was as flawless as it could get against Roman. Besides a 77 yard breakout run, the Explorers only allowed 90 yard of total offense to the Roman Cahillites. The whole defense was shut down. From the line to the secondary, everything was lock down. Going into a game against another run heavy team, expect seniors Aidan Kerrigan and Ryan Brady to have big impacts during the game. The secondary only allowed 8 total passing yards to Roman. The defense as a whole will look to repeat their performance against the Crusaders and carry that momentum into the PCL playoffs. Looking At The Crusaders Father Judge probably isn't having the season they were hoping to after a surprisingly successful last season finishing 7-3. This season could be wound up in one word, "Fight". Two of their games this season have been lost by one point, against Archbishop Ryan and Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy. They lost to Roman by six. They held a competitive game against Prep only losing 35-14. The Crusaders are a couple of big plays from being 7-1 team, but it's a little late for those plays to come now. The Crusader offense is led by a three pronged attack. Whoever is starting at QB, RB Yeedee Thaenrat, and WR Prince Smith. Senior Zack Carroll has started most of the season up until the Roman game where he was replaced by fellow senior Robert King. Carroll had thrown for 908 yards on 43-of-83

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 passing for 9 touchdowns. King has thrown for 258 yards over the past two game for two touchdowns on 17-of-38 passing. Those two aren't really going to be the focus of the offense though. Junior RB Yeedee Thaenrat is explosive and quick. Over the past two season he has rushed for a total of 2,141 yards on 256 carries and 28 touchdowns, including 19 this season. Thaenrat ran for a school record 377 yards on 20 carries in a loss to Sprinside-Chestnut Hill early in the season as well. The junior back currently holds an offer from Rutgers, but has interest from many other schools as well. Junior WR Prince Smith is the main receiver for the Crusaders. The 5'11 junior has caught for 653 yards for 7 touchdowns on only 28 catches this season. He has stepped up big time in place of the departing seniors from last season. Sophomore Raheem Blackshear has also caught for 308 yards on 17 catches for 2 touchdowns. The Explorers will look to shut down a relatively young Judge team up front and in their passing game. The Crusaders' defense is led by their secondary. In total this season, the group has combined for 14 total interceptions including 3 returned for touchdowns. Junior Tom Penko leads the team with four picks so far. Prince Smith and Yeedee Thaenrat play both sides of the ball and each have three and two interceptions respectively. The Crusaders have plenty of experience up front with seniors Tim Burke, Damien Lynch, and Tim Breslin leading the way there. The Father Judge defense has been mildly inconsistent in letting up points. Though they have 14 interceptions on the season, the Crusaders allow a shade under 24 points per game. The Explorers should have no problem putting up the points they have all season against the aggressive Crusader defense. The Prediction All things considered, Father Judge is a young team. Next year they will end up being a very competitive team as their young players gain more experience. Sadly, that means putting up with a tough season like this one. The inexperience has shown in the tight games thus far. Explorers on the other hand are primed and ready to fight for a PCL championship. Their diverse offense and shut down defense shouldn't have an issue putting up with the Crusaders. The only thing not to sleep on is the power of Yeedee. Explorers will end up winning their final game of the regular season 35-13.

Game 9, October 25, 2014: La Salle 31 – Father Judge 7 by Tim McManus, Inquirer

Defense carries La Salle With its Division I quarterback, record-setting wide receiver, and stalwart tailback, the offense of the La Salle football team is a headline-generating machine. Maybe it's time to hear it for the defense, too. The Explorers kept Father Judge's potent offense under wraps in a 31-7 Catholic League AAAA victory at Northeast. La Salle's defense held Father Judge to 226 yards of total offense and no points after a first-quarter touchdown run by Zack Carroll. Isaiah Henrich, Sean Collins, Anthony Piscopo, and Garrett Zobel had sacks. La Salle, ranked second in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, also scored on special teams. Dan Martino recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. Kyle Shurmur threw touchdown passes to Winston Eubanks and Charlie Hemcher. Shurmur was 13 for 20 for 247 yards. He was picked off twice. Nick Rinella rushed for a touchdown. Father Judge's Yeedee Thaenrat gained 97 yards on 17 carries.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 by Rick Kauffman, GameTimePA.com

Defense carries La Salle PHILADELPHIA — A three-and-out to start the game was anything but indicative of the Explorers' rout of Father Judge on Saturday night. The punt to the Crusaders not only gave the home team good field position, but the team went 11 plays and 60 yards for the first score of the game. Yet, La Salle in no way laid down in the 31-7 victory over Judge, but the win was certainly not pretty as the visitors wavered between blundering and brilliance. With a bye-week ahead in advance of the first round of the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs quickly approaching, the Explorers had certainly hoped to end the regular season on a high note. "I wanted to see offensively and defensively that we could execute well and I don't think we accomplished that,” said La Salle coach Drew Gordon. "Now it's zero-zero, everybody is dead even and I just hope we get into the bye week with some more confidence.” Settling for a field goal on their second drive of the game, the Explorers took the lead when Winston Eubanks reeled in a 30-yard touchdown catch to make the score 10-7. After a quick possession and punt by the Crusaders, the Explorers struck again after a 57-yard return by AJ Greseszak set up a 25-yard reception by Charlie Hemcher. "I ran the wrong pattern, but the line blocked long enough for me to make the play and Shurm got the ball to me,” Hemcher laughed. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur had a day, 15-for-22 passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns. "I think we underachieved tonight,” Shurmur said. "We played alright, but a win is a win.” Defensively, the Explorers had trouble containing Crusaders' running back Yeedee Thaenrat, who amassed much of their yardage. Plagued by missed tackles and missed assignments, the Explorers' defense was on their heels, but players always seemed to shine in big moments. Late in the second half, Mike Crone snagged a tipped ball for an interception at the 10-yard-line, effectively stopped a Judge drive at the goal line. After going three-and-out, the Explorers punted and regained possession on the first Crusaders play from scrimmage with a Aiden Kerrigan interception, which too the Explorers were unable to turn into points. However, the highlight of the game came when Dan Martino blocked a Crusaders punt at and fell on the ball in the end zone for a defensive touchdown. With a playoff game set against Roman Catholic approaching, the Explorers packed the bus smiling to have some time to relax, heal and prepare. "It's very crucial, the first half of this game we were a little iffy, but the second half we came out to play,” Hemcher said. "Going into the bye week after taking care of business is huge.” by Brent Baum, Daily News

Shurmur stars as La Salle rolls into playoffs When you have a high-octane, fast-paced team with a pro-style spread offense and a strong-armed quarterback like La Salle College High features, it can translate to many points on the scoreboard. That was the case Saturday night, when Kyle Shurmur completed 14 of 19 passes for 229 yards and two scores in a 31-7 rout of Father Judge in the Catholic League AAAA contest at Northeast High. "We certainly wanted to finish this regular season strong and carry it into the [Catholic League] playoffs," said Shurmur, the son of Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. "We got a solid win and feel like we can do a few things better."

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

The 6-4, 225-pound senior has garnered a lot of media attention and pressure since he arrived at La Salle after transferring a year ago from St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio. He has completed 171 of 263 passes (65 percent) for 2,218 yards and 26 touchdowns in his two seasons. "I think a year of experience in this offense has really helped me, I worked on my feet [footwork] and feel like I can get better," said Shurmur, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt. "Last year I was a new kid, so I never met these guys and being around them for a year has really helped me a lot." Shurmur was a state champion in team swimming with the Explorers last spring. His mother was a swimmer at Michigan State. "It keeps me in great shape in the offseason, where kids usually bulk up and lift," Shurmur said. "Swimming really helps cardiowise and with arm strength." Judge capitalized on its first possession with strong runs from junior Yeedee Thaenrat (100 yards on 18 carries), and senior Zack Carroll's 26-yard strike to sophomore Rasheem Blackshear. Carroll's 1-yard keeper gave the Crusaders a 7-0 lead with 4:17 left in the first quarter. La Salle quickly countered as Shurmur zipped in a 25-yard laser through a tight window to junior Winston Eubanks for a score. Shurmur connected with senior tight end Charlie Hemcher (114 yards on four catches) who made a one-handed catch in traffic for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Explorers a 17-7 lead with 3:09 left in the second quarter. The Explorers nearly scored on the final play before halftime as Shurmur connected with Hemcher on a 61-yard pass; Hemcher was stopped at the 3. "We have six great playmakers around the perimeter, and five guys [offensive line] that play really hard up front," Shurmur said. "We can really spread the ball around." A 4.2 GPA student, Shurmur learned about the importance of being a student-athlete from his parents and wants to major in either business or economics at Vanderbilt. "School is always first; my mom and dad make sure I have good grades before I play football," Shurmur said. "I am very fortunate for football to get me into a good academic school." In the second half, Judge had two opportunities to score from the Explorers' 16 and 20. However, La Salle's defense stopped Judge with two sacks and two interceptions (by seniors Aidan Kerrigan and Mike Crone). La Salle finished the regular season 7-2, while Judge fell to 4-5. Shurmur is now focused on the playoffs as the Explorers have 2 weeks to prepare for Roman Catholic, a team they beat last week, 38-8. "This bye week will be huge for us to get rest, recover, and we'll be ready to get after it," Shurmur said. "We can't overlook Roman, they are very good. We have to think we're 0-0 going into the playoffs and we just have to play our game." by Ted Silary

It's pretty cool to be the No. 1 receiver, in terms of career yardage, in your school's storied football history. La Salle's Jimmy Herron can now say he is! . . . Not that Mr. Humble Beyond Belief would ever do so. Coming into tonight's tilt, played at Northeast, the sr. WR needed 57 yards to wrest the Explorers' top spot from 2013 grad Sean Coleman, who's now focused on lacrosse at Harvard. In the first quarter, Herron hauled in a right-streak streak from sr. QB Kyle Shurmur (Vanderbilt) for a 43-yard gain that placed the rock at Judge's 8. After a pair of procedure penalties, mixed with a short run, placed the ball at the 15, Shurmur lofted a left-corner fade to Herron. Oh, baby. Would this be the record-breaker? Nope. The connection did not happen and two plays later jr. K Matt Savage blasted a 32-yard field goal,

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 drawing the 'Splorers within 7-3. The squad's next two series also produced scores, but only five plays were required and Herron's talents weren't needed. Luck played a role in TD No. 1. As Shurmur tried to find jr. WR Winston Eubanks, the ball, Eubanks and a defender all arrived simultaneously at roughly the 15. The ball popped slightly into the air, Eubanks gathered it in and continued to the end zone for six. After sr. handyman AJ Greseszak uncorked a 56-yard punt return, the ball was at Judge's 25. Sr. TE Charlie Hemcher was sent down the middle and, whoa!, he snatched the ball one-handed out of the air, while stretching, and pulled it into his body. Mighty impressive! Herron notched exactly the 14 yards he needed on play No. 3 of the next series. La Salle was headed to the scoreboard end of the field and the catch, off a hook/curl/whatever, was made not too far from La Salle's sideline. The gain? Exactly the necessary 14 yards. On a similar play, he followed with a 13-yard pickup and the half ended in dramatic fashion as Hemcher posted a 61-yard gain all the way down to the 3. The clock showed 0:00, however, so the count remained 17-7. In the second half, Herron added three more catches for 21 yards, finalizing his numbers for the night at 6-91. Thus, he now owns 2,236 yards, 35 in front of Coleman (2,201) and six behind 1990 SJ Prep grad John Laumakis (2,242). A shade more down the catch-happy road is 2013 Roman grad William Fuller (2,380), who is already making noise at Notre Dame. Jimmy's college noise, meanwhile, is slated to come in baseball at Duke, though if he does somehow wind up on the football field I will not be surprised in the least. Congrats on this record, young man, and what makes it extra special is the fact that Jimmy/Sean are pretty much mirror images as athletes-people. In all, Shurmur went 13-for-20 for 249 yards and the two aforementioned scores while Hemcher turned four snags into 116. The Explorers' second half TDs were offered by jr. handyman Nick Rinella (7-yard run) and sr. Dan Martino, who burst through the line to block a punt and then recovered the ball in the end zone. Sr. DB Mike "Google" Crone (popup off a deflection; my new laptop keeps begging me to use Google Chrome) and sr. LB Aidan Kerrigan had fourth quarter interceptions while subs Kohler Setley (jr. DB) and Garrett Zobel (frosh DL) created quite the late-game stir by combining for a sack. Earlier sacks went to jr. DL Isaiah Henrich, sr. DL Sean Collins and jr. DL Anthony Piscopo. Despite the score, Judge had a respectable outing. Sr. QB Zack Carroll stood tall in his first post-concussion outing and jr. RB Yeedee Thaenrat delivered some teeth-rattling blows while running (18-96). Plus, it was not as if the Explorers had their way offensively. On seven plays, Judge made tackles behind the line. In the third quarter, there were two losses in a three-play sequence -- stops by jr. LB Robert Taggart, then a combo by sr. LB Eric Petroski/sr. DL Tim Breslin -- and then back-to-backers in the fourth quarter thanks to sr. DL Kevin McCue and Taggart. In the first quarter, after an umpire got trapped in the action on a middle screen, a Judge fan bellowed, "Get out of the way, or block somebody!!" In the third quarter, after the Explorers were hit with a penalty, a La Salle fan cracked, "Where you meeting their coach after the game!?" In the second quarter, one of Thaenrat's cleats got slightly shredded. First he wound up in a black high-top supplied by soph WR Kevin Schmitt. Nope, didn't feel right. Yeedee then bummed a blue low-top from soph LB Sean Coyle.

Father Judge 7 0 0 0 7 LaSalle 3 14 7 7 31 J – Zach Carroll 1 run (Joe Gallagher kick) L – Savage 32 FG L – Winston Eubanks 29 pass from Kyle Shurmur (Savage kick) L – Charlie Hemcher 25 pass from Shurmur (Savage kick) L – Nick RInella 7 run (Savage kick) L – Dan Martino blocked punt for TD (Savage kick)

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Team Statistics La Salle Judge First Downs N/A N/A Rushing yards 70 78 Passing yards 249 161 Total yards 319 239 Passing 13-20-2-0 13-28-0-2 Penalties N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Punts N/A N/A

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 13-20-249, 2 TDs. Judge: Zach Carroll, 13-28-161, 2 INT. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 10-23; Nick Rinella 9-45; Ryan Brady 2-5; Kyle Shurmur 4-(-2). Judge: Yeedee Thaenrat 18-96; Zach Carroll 8-(-19), TD; Raheem Blackshear 3-1. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 6-91; Charlie Hemcher 4-116, TD; Winston Eubanks 1-29, TD; Nick Rinella 2-13. Judge: Raheem Blackshear 3-41; Prince Smith 5-41; Yeedee Thaenrat 2-22; Matt Harrigan 3-57. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: Mike Crone, Aidan Kerrigan. Judge: None. SACKS La Salle: Isaiah Henrich, Sean Collins, Anthony Piscopo, Kohler Setley (0.5), Garrett Zobel (0.5). Judge: N/A by Carter Fillman ‘15, Whizwitsports.com, November 8, 2014

Playoff Preview: La Salle (7-2) vs. Roman Catholic (4-5) After a week's hiatus, it's time to get back to La Salle football. What better way to get back into it with the first round of the PCL AAAA playoffs? With only four teams in the division, the winner will go straight to the championship game to face St. Joseph's Prep who beat Father Judge on Friday night. In the two team's last meeting, the Explorers easily handled the Cahillites 38-8. The Explorers will look to repeat that performance and take a step closer to taking home the championship. LOOKING AT THE EXPLORERS The Explorers finished their season with a throttling of Father Judge 31-7. Senior QB Kyle Shurmur threw for 249 yards on 13-of-20 passing for two touchdowns. Senior TE Charlie Hemcher made a fantastic one handed catch in the end zone for his only touchdown of the game, but he did catch four catches for 119 yards. The Explorers will look to quickly dispose of Roman Catholic in an attempt to move on to the PCL championship game. The offense remained the threat and played consistently like they have throughout the season. Five players from the offense were named First Team All-Catholic. Senior QB Kyle Shurmur was one of those players, finishing the regular season 2,238 passing yards on 170-of-264 passing and 26 touchdowns. Shurmur led the

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

PCL in all areas of passing including yards, yards/game, touchdowns, completions, attempts, and completion percentage. Another All-Catholic was senior WR Jimmy Herron. Herron finished the season with 834 yards on 61 catches for 12 touchdowns. Senior TE Charlie Hemcher also was a first teamer, finishing with 549 yards on 35 catches for six touchdowns. Junior L Matt McDermott and junior punter Michael Raczak also received first team bids. Junior linemen Jimmy Morrissey and Ryan Schutta were elected to second team. These players are only the beginning of a high powered Explorer offense. Senior RB Jordan Meachum finished with 1066 all-purpose yards (655 rushing and 410 receiving) for 11 touchdowns. Junior Nick Rinella was a force on offense as well when coming back from an early season injury. If the Explorers' offense can play like they have all season, they will be one of the biggest threats in PA. The defense finished their season on two high notes letting up only 15 total points to Father Judge and Roman Catholic. Three Explorers were named to First Team All-Catholic, while three more were added to the Second Team. The First Team included senior LBs Ryan Brady and Jordan Meachum and senior DB Jimmy Herron. Herron finished with three interceptions on the season, Meachum also had one. Brady proved to be a force throughout the season seeming to always be in the backfield applying pressure. The Second Team included junior DL Anthony Piscopo and senior DLs Keith Wagner and Sean Collins. The line has done a great job all season putting pressure on the opposing QB and making the Explorers one of the best pass defenses in the league. Not included in the selection was senior LB Aidan Kerrigan who was another crucial part of the defense. The defense finished the season giving up an average of 21.3 points/game and 148.9 passing yards/game. When the offense is averaging 33.0 points/game, those numbers will do just fine. LOOKING AT THE CAHILLITES The Cahillites finished their season in disappointing fashion. They lost two straight to La Salle and St. Joe's Prep only scoring one touchdown and letting up 81 points. Roman Catholic will look to avenge their season and upset the Explorers with a high potential offense. Two Cahillites were named offensive First Team All-Catholics. Those two were seniors Gavin Wiggins, a Youngstown State bound lineman, and RB Dimetri Kelly. Kelly finished the season with 890 yards on 209 carries for 10 total touchdowns. Three more were added to the second team in junior L Jake Doyle, junior FB Ryan Schmidt, and senior WR AJ Frazier. Frazier finished the season with 594 receiving yards on 37 catches for five total touchdowns. Senior QB Phil DiWilliams has been injured since the Father Judge game and it is unsure if he will play in this game. Sophomore Anthony Butler has stepped into his place, but has yet to make an impact throwing for only 87 yards through three games on 12-of-26 passing and one touchdown. The Cahillites will look to lean on Kelly and fellow senior John Chaney for a majority of their offense. Things have looked bleak for the Roman defense the last two weeks, but they will look to turn it around in the playoffs. Three members were named defensive First Team All-Catholics in senior DL Gavin Wiggins, senior LB Sam Payne, and senior DB John Chaney. The three have done a great job of pressuring the opposing QB throughout the season. Three more players were added to the Second Team in senior DL Kabir Basil, senior LB Marques Wright, and senior DB AJ Frazier. Roman was one of the few teams in the Catholic League who's defense allowed more points than their offense did. The defense has let up 27.8 points/game, while the offense has only averaged 24.3 points/game. The playoffs, of course, is like new life. None of these stats matter as the teams look to keep their seasons alive. THE PREDICTION Stats don't matter in the playoffs, but the do tell a story of the regular season. The Explorers' story has been a consistent one. The offense pumps out points while the defense stonewalls opponents. The Cahillites have showed to struggle to adapt to injuries. They have the individual talent to succeed as a team, but lack the team play they want to make it work. The Explorers should have no problem handling the Cahillites. I predict a 35-0 win for the Explorers.

Game 10, November 8, 2014: La Salle 49 – Roman Catholic 0 (PCL Semi)

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

by Carter Fillman ‘15, Whizwitsports.com

La Salle Easily Handles Roman Catholic, 49-0 What other way would you want to open up the playoffs? The Explorers put on an absolute clinic against the visiting Cahillites. Just like last time, the Explorers' backs absolutely took over the game. Junior Nick Rinella led the way for the Explorers rushing for 145 yards on only eight carries for four total touchdowns. One included a 69 yard scamper for the score. Not only was he solid on offense, he also had an interception late in the fourth quarter. Senior Jordan Meachum ran for 138 yards on nine carries for two more touchdowns as well. Meachum scored the first touchdown of the game when he broke through the middle and up the sidelines from 66 yards out. Senior QB Kyle Shurmur continued to shine as he went for 173 yards on 15-of-22 passing for two touchdowns. Shurmur did give up one of his few interceptions on the season early in the game. Senior wideout led the way for the Explorers' receiving core catching five passes for 53 yards. According to tedsilary.com, Herron only needs two more receptions and 92 yards to own the city records in each category. Major credit to the defense as a whole. Shutting out an offense as capable as the Roman offense was is no easy task, but they got it done in amazing fashion. The defense limited the Roman offense to only 184 yards total(97 passing and 87 rushing). Senior AJ Greseszak and junior Nick Rinella both had interceptions for the Explorers as well. Seniors Ryan Brady, Aidan Kerrigan, and junior Matt McDermott were really all over the place on defense. The crew was constantly applying pressure on Roman QB Phil DiWilliams and put a stop to any run threat Roman attempted to have. This was probably one of the best games played overall by the Explorers, who will go on to play St. Joseph's Prep in the PCL Championship game. The game is set for Friday, November 14th at Northeast High School with kickoff at 7:00pm. I would try to get there as early as possible because there is no parking and traffic will be backed up all the way down Cottman. If the Explorers play like the way they did in this game, the championship game should be quite the show. by Rick Kauffman, GameTimePA.com

La Salle Cruises Past Roman Catholic, 49-0 WHITEMARSH — The ground and pound attack from La Salle set the tempo early as the Explorers cruised to a 49-0 victory over Roman Catholic in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Wasting no time getting on the board, the Explorers needed just three plays to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Jordan Meachum went 66 yards for his first touchdown of the game. "I was looking forward to this game, it's Saturday night and I was really excited to get out here and play,” Meachum said. Between Meachum and Nick Rinella, who put up 140 total yards in the first half with three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving — the two Explorer backs did the lion's share of the work for La Salle. Roman Catholic struggled to contain their run, with the two finding their share of space up the middle, and it was almost guaranteed that a sweeping hook around the outside would gain yardage. "The offensive line was opening up holes everywhere,” Meachum said. "Without them we wouldn't be able to run like that.”

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

La Salle scored on four of their six possessions — one cut short when Shurmur threw an interception deep in the Explorer's zone, the other ended with the conclusion of the half with La Salle at first and goal. That interception was quarterback Kyle Shurmur's only glaring mistake. "We felt like we had a pretty good game plan coming into tonight and the run just opened up for us, so we just stuck with it,” Rinella said. The Cahillites' kickoff to La Salle at the start of the second half was the only time their special times lined up to kick all night. However, the onside kick only served to help the Explorers in the onslaught. Wasting no time in the second half, La Salle had put another touchdown on the board in just a minute- and-a-half's time. Roman started with an onside kick that gave the Explorers good field position, taking six plays to move 54 yards, punctuated by two big gains on receptions by Brendan Meeks — a 19-yarder to begin the drive and then a 21-yard touchdown catch to cap it. Two minutes into the second half did La Salle put the mercy rule on Roman Catholic, and with ease tacked on two more scores while keeping the Cahillites well away from any scoring opportunities. Rinella essentially sealed the game with a leaping interception late in the fourth quarter that enabled the Explorers to run the clock dry. "I shaded over to cover a good receiver and I saw their quarterback look that way and I just broke for it,” Rinella said. With the victory, the Explorers set up their PCL championship rematch against St. Joe's Prep, set to be played next Friday. Both Rinella and Meachum expressed their excitement to both get the job done against Roman and gain some momentum heading towards the league final. "We want to come out here, relax and have fun and get the win, but this week we're going to have to practice hard to get ready,” Meachum said. by Ted Silary

This game was much like last night's. In fact, it could have been charged with copyright infringement (smile). As did Judge vs. SJ Prep, Roman had a decent chance to slap early points on the scoreboard. Didn't happen. And then off to the races were the Explorers. Tonight's headliner was jr. RB Nick Rinella, who defines feisty and energetic. He generated 145 yards and three TDs on eight carries (18.1 average) while adding four catches for 37 yards and another six-pointer. To complete his performance, he soared for an early-fourth- quarter interception. Oh, and throughout the evening, he probably participated in at least a dozen celebratory chest bumps (smile). Roman began the game with the ball and used a steady march to advance from its 30 to La Salle's 26. Sr. RB Dimetri Kelly had the big play, a 22-yard run. The drive fizzled, however, and following a pair of incompletions, the Explorers took over at their 22. Rinella ran for 12, sr. QB Kyle Shurmur (15-for-22, 173) threw a rare incompletion and -- see ya -- sr. RB Jordan Meachum scampered up the middle for a 66- yard TD. Rinella's first, a 21-yard run, also right up the middle, came with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. That drive was preceded by a three-and-out. The highlights were a 2-yard TFL by sr. LB Ryan Brady and a 10-yard sack by jr. DL Isaiah Henrich. By halftime the score was 28-0 thanks to two more scores by Rinella (69 run, 16 catch). On those two preceding drives, Brady was involved in three total stops behind the line. Jr. DL Matt McDermott shared one of the sacks. The final three TDs came in the third quarter and, honestly, it was quite surprising to see the first-team offense still on the field throughout that session. Coach Drew Gordon confirmed my suspicion -- he wanted his first-liners to see at least three quarters of action since this game had been preceded by a bye. Only one pass was thrown after the score reached 35-0 and it wasn't as if the Explorers were scorching second-liners. Roman's starters also were on the field and remained in action through the fourth quarter. After back-to-back completions to Kelly (15 yards, then 10) placed Roman at La Salle's 33, it was impossible not to think the shutout was in danger. But on second-and-5, jr. LB Nick Piscopo

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

(his twin, Anthony, starts on the DL) stormed across the line to record a 4-yard TFL and the drive then fizzled. Another sub, soph RB Corbin Melle, also created a stir among his teammates by reeling off a 12-yard gain on the game's final play. Sr. WR Jimmy Herron totaled 53 yards on five receptions. He now owns 151 snags for 2,289 yards and 33 TDs. He needs TWO catches to claim that city record (1990 SJ Prep grad John Laumakis had 152) and 92 yards to supplant 2012 Roman grad William Fuller (2,380) as the leader in that category. Jimmy already owns the TD mark with 33.

Roman Catholic 0 0 0 0 0 LaSalle 14 14 21 0 49 L – Jordan Meachum 66 run (Matt Savage kick) L – Nick Rinella 20 run (Savage kick) L – Rinella 70 run (Savage kick) L –RInella 15 pass from Kyle Shurmur (Savage kick) L – Winston Eubanks 21 pass from Shurmur (Savage kick) L – Rinella 30 run (Savage kick) L – Meachum 13 run (Savage kick)

Team Statistics La Salle Roman First Downs N/A N/A Rushing yards 312 24 Passing yards 173 97 Total yards 485 121 Passing 14-23-2-1 9-18-0-2 Penalties N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Punts N/A N/A

Individual Statistics PASSING La Salle: Kyle Shurmur 15-22-173, 2 TDs; Chris Ferguson 0-1-0. Roman: Phil DiWilliams 9-18-97. RUSHING La Salle: Jordan Meachum 9-138, 2 TDs; Nick Rinella 8-145, 3 TDs; Kyle Shurmur 2-(-8); Jared Walls 5-25; Corbin Melle 1-12. Roman: Dimetri Kelly 20-65; Humza Basil 2-1; AJ Frazier 1-(-2); John Chaney 5-50. RECEIVING La Salle: Jimmy Herron 5-53; Jordan Meachum 2-31; Nick Rinella 4-37, TD; Ryan Brady 1-8; Winston Eubanks 3-44, TD. Roman: John Chaney 3-12; AJ Frazier 3-50; Dimetri Kelly 3-35. INTERCEPTIONS La Salle: AJ Greseszak, Nick Rinella. Roman: Matt Galasso. SACKS La Salle: N/A. Roman: N/A. 55

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

by Rick O’Brien, Inquirer, November 10, 2014

Kerrigan, La Salle get rematch vs. St. Joe's After his two brothers attended and played football at La Salle, Aidan Kerrigan says it was pretty much a no-brainer to follow in their footsteps. "I got a good feel for all the school had to offer," the 18-year-old said. "I knew it would be the perfect place for me academically and athletically." Connor Kerrigan (Class of 2012) was a second-team all-Catholic League center for the Explorers; John Kerrigan (2009) played linebacker. This season, as a ball-hawking inside linebacker and senior captain, Aidan Kerrigan has played a key role in La Salle's drive to the Catholic League Class AAAA championship game. In a rematch of last year's final, the Explorers (8-2) will take on archrival St. Joseph's Prep (6-3) for top honors at 7 p.m. Friday at Northeast's Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium. The victor will advance to the District 12 final. Last season, the Hawks defeated Kerrigan and company, 30-20, for the program's first Catholic League title since 2005. "That was a terrible feeling," Kerrigan said. "It was a big disappointment. We're happy to have a second chance against them." The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Kerrigan is part of a rock-solid linebacking corps that also includes Ryan Brady and Jordan Meachum. Meachum, who has rushed for nearly 800 yards and 12 touchdowns at tailback, has been solid in his first year at outside linebacker. "He's a great athlete, so it was a pretty easy transition for him," said Kerrigan, who played youth football for the Horsham Hawks and continued at St. Genevieve in Flourtown. Since a 35-31 loss to St. Joe's Prep, La Salle's defense has yielded only 15 points in three outings. The second-seeded Explorers thumped third-seeded Roman Catholic, 49-0, in a semifinal Saturday night. "We've been getting better each week," said Kerrigan, an erstwhile offensive lineman. "We're going to practice hard this week, watch film, and be as prepared as we can be for the Prep." Kerrigan is an attackman in lacrosse. In the spring, he produced 46 goals as La Salle won its third straight Catholic League title and advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing to Penncrest. The Maple Glen resident plans to major in engineering in college. He is considering Delaware, Drexel, Penn State, and Syracuse.

Game 11, Nov 14, 2014: St. Joseph’s Prep 46 – La Salle 13 (PCL Final) by Rick O’Brien, Philadelphia Inquirer

St. Joe’s Prep Coasts To Title When he lines up at defensive end for St. Joseph's Prep, Jake Strain always keeps in mind the pass- rushing approach of Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin. "He always says, 'If you can't get there before the quarterback gets the pass off, make sure you put your hands up,' " the senior said.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

Friday night at chilly Northeast, Strain's active hands and interior toughness helped the Hawks surprisingly blast archrival La Salle, 46-13, for their second straight Catholic League Class AAAA championship. In the first half, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Strain batted away four of Kyle Shurmur's passes and sacked the Vanderbilt recruit for a 9-yard loss. "He was a force on the edge," Prep coach Gabe Infante said. In winning their sixth straight game, the 7-3 Hawks, ranked No. 1 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, sacked Shurmur six times and limited the second-ranked Explorers (8-3) to 28 yards rushing on 24 attempts. "We wanted to put pressure on [Shurmur] and make things tough for him," Strain said. "We wanted to move him around a little bit, keep him from getting comfortable in the pocket." Next Saturday back at Northeast, the Prep will try to defend its District 12 title against the winner of Saturday's Public League final between Simon Gratz and Ben Franklin. After Jimmy Herron's 63-yard punt return gave La Salle a 6-0 advantage, the Prep responded with scoring bursts by fleet halfbacks Olamide Zaccheaus and D'Andre Swift. Swift's 3-yard dash was set up by linebacker Nick Vandevere's interception. After Herron's 27-yard interception return early in the second stanza trimmed the Prep's lead to 14-13, the Hawks went right back to work. Swift's 36-yard kickoff return was immediately followed by Zaccheaus' 40-yard TD burst. Soon after, Swift's 36-yard punt return paved the way for Zaccheaus' third score of the night and a 27-13 cushion. Late in the second quarter, John Reid blocked a punt and, two plays later, hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Jack Clements. That made it 33-13 at the break. Zaccheaus, Swift, and James Bell accounted for the bulk of the Prep's 315 rushing yards. "The kids did a great job of executing," Infante said. Shurmur connected on only 12 of 26 passes for 97 yards. In addition to Strain, the Hawks' stalwart defensive line featured Joe DuMond, Alec Dirks, Armen Ware, and Jon Runyan. Strain, a top student and erstwhile lacrosse player, has scholarship offers from Central Connecticut and Rhode Island. Army, Cornell, Lehigh, and Yale are also possibilities. by Andrew Marcus, GameTimePA.com

St. Joseph's Prep overpowers La Salle in PCL Class AAAA championship PHILADELPHIA — It is a deadly combination. Any day of the week the dynamic duo of Kyle Shurmur and Jimmy Herron can rescue the La Salle football team from the largest holes. Their quick-strike ability helped the Explorers ease into the Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAAA championship game. However, a familiar foe was there waiting at Northeast High, ready to cause havoc on Herron and his partner in crime. Concentration centered around press coverage on Shurmur's go-to target and with him invisible for the majority of the first half on offense, the Hawks soared to a commanding lead and held on for a 46-13 victory, "I thought we could handle them,” Explorers coach Drew Gordon said. "We couldn't.” By the time the senior wide receiver brought in his first reception of the evening with four minutes remaining in the second half, Prep and senior running back Olamide Zaccheaus had left their mark. Zaccheaus bursted through the typically stout Explorer (8-3 overall) defense to the tune of three

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 touchdowns — two from over 35 yards out. Zaccheaus finished with 10 carries for 134 rushing yards as the ground game could not be stopped. Jimmy Bell added 88 yards in mop-up duty and the Hawks had 285 total rushing yards to the Explorers 42 yards. "We were going to come out and run our plays,” Herron said. "I don't know what happen. Sometimes it goes your way sometimes it doesn't.” While Herron has two of his five grabs — for 44 yards — in the first half, he was not completely stopped. The Duke baseball commit showed up early on special teams, opening the scoring with a 60-yard punt return. He also made a statement on defense, taking a Jack Clements interception into the end zone. Herron accounted for both of La Salle's first half scores. "That's our normal punt return,” Heron said. "It's a good punt return. I had a lot of blocks. I thought we had a shot at them. I thought we were evenly matched, but they played a good game tonight.” With Herron being blanketed by the Prep secondary consisting of Justin Montague, John Reid, D'Andre Swift and Zaccheaus, Shurmur had to look elsewhere for opportunity. Shurmur, the Vanderbilt commit, did his best but the Hawks were better on Friday night. They batted balls down, came up with one interception, three fumbles — two lost — and kept the Explorers offense under 150 total yards. Shurmur finished 11-for-23 for 80 yards and zero touchdowns. He was sacked five times. "We prepared for the pressure and could not handle it,” Gordon said. "There are no excuses. They are a better team.” The unfamiliar double-digit deficit forced the Explorers to extend themselves too far, and fight for that extra yard when it was not there. Shurmur forced the ball into tight coverage and fumbled during an attempt to escape pressure. The Hawks took advantage of the short field, whether it was off turnovers or big special team kick and punt returns, the entire night. "I have no clue,” Gordon said. "Practice was fine, there was about 10 big plays. You have to play the whole game and we did not.” Every season it seems the PCL AAAA championship game is represented by two teams with realistic state title goals. However, only one team was able to leave Charles Martin Memorial Stadium with the state title hopes more than dream. The Explorers are going to have trouble sleeping tonight. Their dreams, sadly, are over. "We never got into a groove,” Herron said. "I am going to miss playing with these guys. It was a fun year.” by Aaron Carter, Daily News

St. Joe's Prep takes AAAA Catholic League title AT FIRST GLANCE, the scoreboard at the Charles Martin Memorial field screamed the offensive prowess of St. Joseph's Prep. In last night's AAAA Catholic League championship bout, members of the Hawks' offense gallivanted into the end zone early and often en route to a rousing 46-13 victory against La Salle. However, the Prep penny-pinchers on defense dominated all night and helped the Hawks defend last season's crown. "Defense is key for us," Prep quarterback Jack Clements said. "We're a defensive team first. It's pretty much their team, and we follow their lead." Senior two-way lineman Jack Strain was the early catalyst. In the first half, the 6-3, 235-pounder stuffed a few ballcarriers for losses, added a sack, and batted down three balls at the line of scrimmage. And with the Explorers' quick-strike offense, those rejections were key to disrupting offensive timing.

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

"We worked on it all week," Strain said. "We knew they got it out pretty fast and if you can't get there get your hands up. It worked out for us." Well, with Strain and Co. shackling the Explorers on defense, Olamide Zaccheaus supplied the "O." The senior University of Virginia commit ran around, over and through La Salle for 145 yards and three scores on only 11 totes. His most impressive, without doubt, was a 40-yard run around the right edge after he knocked a would- be tackle on his back and ran for glory. "I mean, one second you're sitting there waiting to go back in on defense and the next we're scoring, so that's pretty nice!" Strain joked. Superb sophomore D'Andre Swift also carved up yardage on the ground. Swift scored twice from 3 and 5 yards out, but finished with 61 yards on 10 carries and was electric in the return game. John Reid, a senior headed to Penn State, also hauled in a 13-yard score from Clements, despite breaking late off the line because he was taking instructions from coaches when the ball was snapped. La Salle's offense was similarly out of sync, but wasn't able to recover as well. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur was harried in the backfield all night, and when he wasn't, the Prep coverage was pasty down field. "We just played together," said junior Benny Walls, who led Prep (7-3, 3-0) with 10 tackles, two solos and a forced fumble. "Everybody did their part and we got the job done." Senior wideout Jimmy Herron willed the Explorers (8-3, 2-1) to first-half points, returning a punt 63 yards for the game's first score and then returning an interception for a 29-yard score later. That second score pulled La Salle within 14-13 with 11:18 left in the half. Unfortunately for La Salle, Zaccheaus "turtled" a tackler a few plays later on his way to that 40-yard score. Zaccheaus, whom teammates call "O," added a 38-yard burst to make it 27-13 with 6:24 left in the half. Reid followed with a blocked punt, which led to his 13-yard catch from Clements. Before the half ended, the Prep defense forced a turnover on downs, stopping La Salle with 27 seconds left at the Prep 17. "All I was worried about was doing my part and filling my portion of the defense," said Walls, a Camden Catholic transfer this season. "This is a good team," he grinned widely. "Everything is different. It's a big change for me, but everyone's been welcoming so I feel really comfortable with them." Shurmur (Vanderbilt) finished with 97 yards passing and a pair of fumbles. Jordan Meachum added 67 rushing yards. Herron added 42 yards on five catches. For the Prep, Justin Montague, Armen Ware, Jon Daniel Runyan (Michigan) and Strain each had a sack. Senior running back James Bell added 97 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. It was an impressive effort, to be sure, from the Hawks. However, as has been their mantra all season, they are focused where their feet are - meaning in the moment. Not even after winning back-to-back titles would Strain break that mindset. "It feels great," he said. "It's just another step in the process. Just come back to work on Monday and get ready for the next game." by Ted Silary

Eight minutes and 8 seconds were showing on the scoreboard clock when the Prep students began bellowing the "I Believe" chant. Not in the fourth quarter. Not in the third quarter. Not in the . . . That was how much time was left BEFORE the start of the game. Getting a little ahead of themselves? Not even

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014 close. Just like the game. In a dominating performance filled with special moments, the Hawks came within a failed conversion pass of forcing the final 7:22 to be played with a running clock, and here's guessing no one would have predicted such a circumstance. In this century, the Hawks and La Salle have almost always given us classic battles that have been undecided deep into the fourth quarter, at a minimum. Tonight, early in that fourth stanza, the full house at Northeast was gradually becoming a half house, if that, and that sight was quite the shock. Certain members of the Prep's squad were showing they meant business long before the opening kickoff. When I walked into the stadium at maybe 5:40, the Hawks' special teams guys were already on the field. And there, wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, was sr. T- DT-K Jon Daniel Runyan. Not sure if the temps were yet in freezing territory, but they were on the doorstep. Later, other grunts could be spotted in the same pregame attire. If the guys' teeth were ch-ch- chattering, they hid it well. The message: We're not here to worry about weather conditions. We're here to kick butt and not even take names. The five grunts were jr. C Ed Mooney, sr. LG Shane Davis, Runyan at LT, sr. Mark Ehrlich at RG and jr. Charlie Holsopple at RT. All they did through the first 33:18 was pace the offense to six TDs and 259 yards on 36 plays (7.2 average). Those six scoring drives required just 26 plays and three, posted within a 6:12 span in the second quarter, required just SIX. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks ran clock like crazy. They stayed in their huddle until the back judge raised his hand to indicate that a delay-of-game penalty was only five ticks away. Then they dashed to the line and quickly ran vanilla rushing plays. Headliners were numerous for coach Gabe Infante. Sr. RB Olamide Zaccheaus rushed 12 times for 146 yards and TDs of 4, 40 and 38 yards. Soph RB D'Andre Swift turned nine totes into 56 yards and two more scores while adding a 23-yard catch and four returns for 127. (His one punt return would have stood as an 89-yard TD if not for a needless hold that helped him not in the least). And sr. WR John Reid notched a six-pointer on a 13-yard slant-pattern pass from sr. QB Jack Clements. If you watched that play closely, you just KNEW the Hawks' stars were aligned. As the ball was snapped, Reid and a nearby receiving partner were looking over their shoulders back toward the sideline, presumably awaiting another play call. John quickly realized what happened, recovered nicely, thank you, and easily beat the defense for the score. Just as important to this triumph, and maybe even a shade more impressive, were the Hawks' defenders. La Salle's offense rang up NO points, as the scores came on a 63-yard punt return (by sr. WR-DB Jimmy Herron) and a 29-yard interception return (also by Herron). The offense was held to 141 yards on 50 plays and sr. Kyle Shurmur experienced his roughest outing, by far, in two wonderful seasons as the Explorers' QB. Under relentless pressure (did he get to throw one pass all night in anything remotely resembling a comfortable situation?), Shurmur went 14-for- 26 for 107 yards, 36 under his previous career low. In his 22 games, this was his first without a TD pass. Also, this was only the second time his rushing total was worse than minus-12. Sr. DE Jake Strain recorded one sack and batted down four passes. Other sacks went to sr. DB Justin Montague, sr. DT Alec Dirks, jr. DB Shaun Harris, Runyan and sr. DL Armen Ware. Harris and jr. DB Benny Walls halved 18 stops while Montague and jr. LB Nick Vandevere halved 14. Thanks to Huck for those numbers.Walls and Vandevere combined for a biggie. With the Prep ahead, 7-6, Shurmur connected on a pass to sr. TE Charlie Hemcher. Walls' hit popped the ball out of Hemcher's clutches and Vandevere returned it 11 yards to the 34. TD No. 2 for the Hawks, Swift's 3-yard run, followed six plays later. Herron's INT score came on the second play of the second quarter and, not surprisingly, the Duke baseball signee showed his ever-crafty footwork to make it to the end zone. Down by 13-12, the Hawks wasted little time in seizing command. Swift returned the kickoff 36 yards to the La Salle 40 and, zoom, Zaccheaus immediately sprinted to the end zone. La Salle did manage two first downs on its next possession, but Strain's sack helped to make the drive peter out and Swift dashed for his momentary, 89-yard, punt- return TD. The ball was placed at SJP's 38. Three-yard carry for Reid. Six-yard pass to Zaccheaus (plus

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

15 for a personal foul). Thirty-yard scoring run for Zaccheaus. A batdown for Strain and sack for Montague assured more frustration for La Salle, then Reid exploded through to block the punt, with the recovery going to sr. DB Dillon DeIuliis. From the 16, Walls ran three yards and Clements hit Reid for the aforementioned 13-yard score. The count became 40-13 on Swift's 5-yard run with 2:32 left in the third quarter, causing the Prep kids to chirp, "It's too easy! It's too easy!" Sr. RB James Bell got most of the work in the toned-down, work-the-clock fourth quarter and his score was a 10-yard run. The Prep's 46 points are the most scored in a CL final above the AA level; as in overall, AAAA and AAA. In the '03 Red championship game, the Hawks scorched O'Hara, 45-7. Jimmy Herron made five catches for 44 yards. He now owns the city mark for career catches with 156 ('90 Prep grad John Laumakis had 152) and his 2,333 yards leave him 47 short of '13 Roman grad William Fuller, now at Notre Dame. Herron already owned the career TD catches mark with 33. Congrats to the Explorers on another strong season and good luck to the Hawks as they move onward in pursuit of a second consecutive state championship. Their next game will take place next Saturday against the winner of the Gratz-Franklin Pub clash.

La Salle 6 7 0 0 13 St. Joe's Prep 14 19 7 6 46

LS: Herron 63 punt return (kick failed) SJP: Olamide Zaccheaus 4 run (Jon Runyan kick) SJP: D'Andre Swift 3 run (Runyan kick) LS: Herron 27 interception return (Matt Savage kick) SJP: Zaccheaus 40 run (kick failed) SJP: Zaccheaus 38 run (Nick Bill kick) SJP: John Reid 13 pass from Jack Clements (pass failed) SJP: Swift 5 run (Bill kick) SJP: James Bell 5 run (pass failed)

Team Statistics La Salle St. Joseph’s Prep First downs 8 18 Rushing yards 34 313 Passing yards 107 51 Total yards 141 364 Passing 14-26-1 4-6-1 Fumbles-lost 3-2 0-0 Punts-avg. 3-20 3-35 Penalties 3-30 4-30

Individual Statistics RUSHING La Salle- Meachum 11-64; Rinella 2-5; Shurmur 11-(-35) St. Joe's Prep - Zaccheaus 12-146, 3 TDs; Bell 15-97, TD; Swift 9-56, 2 TDs; Reid 2-5; Walls 1-3; Clements 5-8; Waller 1-(-1); Shaw 1-(-1) PASSING La Salle - Shurmur 14-26-1 -107 St. Joe's Prep - Clements 4-6-1 - 51, TD 61

La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2014

RECEIVING La Salle - Herron 5-44; Meachum 2-9; Hemcher 4-37; Walls 1-3; Rinella 2-14 St. Joe's Prep - Swift 1-23; Reid 2-22, TD; Zaccheaus 1-6 SACKS La Salle - Brady, Schutta St. Joe's Prep - Dirks (2), Strain, Johnson, Runyan INTERCEPTIONS La Salle - Herron St. Joe's Prep – Vandevere