Roman Catholic Knocks Off La Salle as Ash Roberts Goes Off

Despite playing one class smaller than their opponents, the Roman Catholic Cahillites knocked off 6A La Salle College High School 39-36 at Widener’s Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium behind a three touchdown game from Ash Roberts and a massive fourth quarter from Eyan Steady Jr.

La Salle raced out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a Power Four connection, quarterback and Mizzou commit Gavin Sidwar lofting a 48-yard touchdown pass to receiver and five-star Notre Dame commit Joey O’Brien, who stepped out of a tackle on his way to the house.

Roman Catholic quarterback Semaj Beals, an Akron commit, responded with a sharp drive of his own. The Cahillites stalled out in the red zone as a result of dropped passes, but a pass interference penalty on fourth down gave the drive new life. Beals found Power Four recruit Ash Roberts for a five-yard touchdown pass on the following play.

La Salle marched down the field under Sidwar’s guidance on the ensuing drive, ending in a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jimmy Mahoney. Roberts didn’t waste any time pulling the Cahillites even, ripping off a return touchdown on the kickoff, but a missed extra point kept the score at 14-13.

Roman Catholic Takes Command

Roman Catholic took their first lead of the game late in the second quarter on a 56-yard touchdown connection from Beals to Roberts, then Beals took it himself around the left end for a two-point conversion. The Explorers rattled off a game tying drive on a touchdown carry from Ahzir Nelson, but they left enough time on the clock for Roman Catholic to sneak in another touchdown — a screen pass to Syracuse target Tre Montgomery — that made it 27-21 after another failed kick.

The Cahillites took possession to begin the third quarter and slowed the developing shootout, burning more than six minutes off the clock before Beals found tight end Kaylin Bass for an 18-yard touchdown.

The drive nearly died outside of field goal range, but Beals scrambled for 18 yards on third-and-20 in order to set up a short fourth down try. Bass ripped his touchdown away from an Explorers defender in order to establish a 33-21 lead.

La Salle Stays in it

A shanked punt set La Salle up with a short field late in the third, and a touchdown run closed them within five points on the last scrimmage play of the quarter.

Beals lost his helmet on second-and-five at midfield early in the fourth quarter, forcing the Cahillites’ backup to enter for a play. A competed shovel pass set Roman Catholic up with fourth-and-two, and Beals found Eyan Stead over the middle for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown, the senior playmaker managing to keep his feet and turn around after a tricky snag.

Stead kept the Explorers out of the end zone on their next drive, picking off a pass to preserve the two score lead, but La Salle got the ball back in time for Sidwar to engineer a scoring drive, tossing a 12-yard touchdown pass off a fade pattern. A two-point conversion closed the gap to a field goal, 39-36, and the Explorers broke up two passes to force a three-and-out and get the ball back with 1:30 to play… but defensive back Haamir Lowry called game with an interception.