West Catholic Game Summary

PCL 2A FINAL

11-7-09

West Catholic 35, Bishop McDevitt 7

Dominant Second Half Lifts Burrs to Crown

     Behind a dominant second half effort the Burrs captured their fourth straight league title. After falling behind early, West scored the game’s final thirty-five points to win going away over Bishop McDevitt, 35-7.

     This was the second time in three weeks that the Burrs have upended the Lancers. In the regular season finale West walked away with a hard-fought 28-12 victory. Believe it or not, but these teams aren’t finished playing each other yet. In a quirky to say the least set-up, West and McDevitt will meet one more time this coming Saturday in one of the District-1/12 subregional semifinals.

     In this game, the Burrs found themselves in a dogfight late into the second quarter. With the score tied 7-7, McDevitt had a prime opportunity at the Burr 14-yard line after recovering a muffed punt. However, two plays later senior defensive back Ray Manuel made a key interception in the end zone to thwart the chance. Two plays later West made the signature play of the game and would never look back.

     On a play-action pass, senior quarterback Jarred Evans hit speedy junior wide receiver Quran Kent in stride for a crowd-pleasing 80-yard touchdown. This lifted the Burrs to a 14-7 lead with just 2:10 left in the half. They would carry this lead into the locker room.

     In the second half the Burrs would roll off three consecutive drives for scores. These drives covered 67, 70, and 60 yards. West dominated the ball in the second half and this allowed them to have a 220-to-21 yards advantage.

     Scoring touchdowns in the second half were junior running back Brandon Hollomon on a 42-yard pass from Evans, junior running back Joshua Mathis on an 18-yard run, and Jaelen Strong-Ranking on a beautiful diving 22-yard reception from Evans.

     For the game the Burrs compiled 436 yards of offense. Evans finished 7-for-10 for 203 yards and three scoring throws. Mathis, who earlier had an 18-yard rushing score, led the ground attack with 125 yards on 22 totes. Hollomon added 82 yards on the ground on 12 carries and also managed 141 all-purpose yards. Kent turned his two catches into 97 yards and Strong-Rankin made three grabs for 38 yards.

     Senior kicker Tim Carroll nailed all five of his extra-points to tie a city record for PATs in a career with 157.

     The offensive line was terrific after a slow start. This group includes sophomore center Dom DiGalbo, senior guards Jake Zuzek and Marcus Burwell, senior tackle Erik Harper and junior tackle Rodney Linder, and junior tight end Jim Lynch. Fullbacks senior Brian Mosby and junior Albert Campbell did an admirable job as lead blockers.

     Defensively, the Burrs were stingy against the run like they have been all season. They limited McDevitt just 40 yards on 27 carries. Lynch was a force at defensive end, where he racked-up three sacks and six total tackles for losses. Sophomore defensive back Kevin Malone had an active game in the secondary with a pick, three tackles, and two pass defends. Zuzek had five tackles. Senior linebacker Dante Dickens forced a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive back Kaheem Summerville. Junior linebacker Anthony McDonnaugh was active with six stops, including three for losses. McDonnaugh and junior defensive end Kris Padgett each had a half-of-sack.

     As previously mentioned the Burrs will once again take on Bishop McDevitt this coming weekend. The game will be Saturday at 4 o’clock, at the South Philly Super site.