North Penn came up short in a rematch of last year's district title game against La Salle. For the latest SOL football news, follow us on Twitter @SOL1FB..
By Scott Huff
There are no known fantasy leagues for scholastic football players, but if one existed, North Penn head coach Dick Beck would select La Salle senior wide receiver Sean Coleman as his number one pick.
“There is nobody in the area that is any better than Coleman,” said Beck moments after La Salle dealt host North Penn a 20-7 loss at Crawford Stadium. “He is the one guy that I would want on my team – no doubt. He is one scary good player.”
Coleman snared 10 passes for 174 yards that included an electrifying 80-yard scoring reception that gave the Explorers the lead for good in the second period. The elusive 5-foot, 9-inch Division One lacrosse player seemed to run free in the Knight secondary all evening and extended many critical La Salle drives.
“It looked like a simple game of pitch and catch,” said Beck. “We didn’t do a good job of rushing the passer, and our secondary still has a lot to figure out. It was frustrating to watch.
“(La Salle offensive coordinator) Brett Gordon is the best quarterback coach around,” added Beck in reference to the son of La Salle head coach Drew Gordon. “Their quarterback threw strikes all night.”
Explorer senior quarterback Chris Kane did just that as he torched the Knight secondary with 17 completions on 25 attempts for 291 yards and three touchdowns. It was the first varsity start of his career.
“We can’t give up the big play and expect to beat good football teams,” said North Penn senior George Shipp. “They outplayed us from the very beginning of the game, and we have already put this game behind us.
“Playing the great non-league schedule that we play gives us a chance to see exactly where we stand against some of the best teams in the state,” added Shipp – one of four North Penn captains. “We have Archbishop Wood next week, and we have to have a great week of practice.”
Archbishop Wood – the defending PIAA Class AAA state champions – will host the Knights next week. The Vikings home field is William Tennent High School.
“We have to look at this game as a learning experience,” said North Penn senior Kyle Mayfield who rushed for an even 100 yards for the Knights. “We have to come back next week and continue to get better. We had a lot of missed opportunities in this game, and we made some big mistakes.”
Both teams proved to be able to move the football as La Salle accumulated 365 yards of total offense and North Penn countered with 320 yards of total offense. But it was the Explorers who were able to cash in that yardage for points.
La Salle scored the first touchdown of the game in the second period. The Explorers sailed 73 yards on just five plays with the scoring play coming on a 28-yard scoring strike from Kane to sophomore Jimmy Herron. The extra point was blocked, and La Salle settled for a 6-0 lead.
North Penn would actually take the lead in the second period as the Knights marched 80 yards on 10 plays for the touchdown. Junior Luke Berry bulled in from the two-yard line for the score, and senior Brandon Mandes split the uprights for the placement to present the Knights with a 7-6 lead.
The lead lasted just 12 seconds.
Coleman eluded the Knight secondary for his 80-yard touchdown catch, and a second missed placement gave the Explorers a 12-7 lead. It was a lead that would last until the half.
North Penn came out in the second half and put together an impressive drive that covered 13 plays and 67 yards to the Explorer 13-yard line. A fourth down and one play resulted in an incomplete pass, and it proved to be the closest the Knights would get for the remainder of the game.
“It would have been nice if we were able to score there,” said Beck. “I might have out-thought myself there with that fourth down call, but it just didn’t work.”
La Salle scored the only points of the second half in the third period. The Explorers covered 88 yards on 10 plays with the scoring play coming on a five-yard touchdown pass from Kane to Herron. A Kane-to-Coleman connection for the two-point conversion would conclude the scoring at 20-7.
“We learned some good things about our team,” said Beck. “There was no quit in us as a football team, and we learned that we have some tough guys that will battle.
“But there are no excuses,” added Beck. “They were a better football team than us tonight.”
Last season North Penn lost its season opener to La Salle 44-27. The Knights avenged that loss with a 21-14 victory over the Explorers in the PIAA Quad-A Eastern Final and a trip to Hershey for the state title game.
“The season is not over for us,” said Beck. “We had opportunities to win this game, and I am disappointed with the outcome. We still have a long way to go.”
And the best thing about that journey is that Beck will not have to see Sean Coleman again – unless fate brings them back together in the postseason.
La Salle Explorers 0 12 8 0 - 20
North Penn Knights 0 7 0 0 - 7
LaSalle – Jimmy Herron 28 pass from Chris Kane (kick blocked)
North Penn – Luke Berry 2 run (Brandon Mandes kick)
LaSalle – Sean Coleman 80 pass from Kane (kick failed)
LaSalle – Herron 5 pass from Kane (Coleman pass from Kane)
La Salle North Penn
14 First Downs 17
74 Rushing Yards 187
291 Passing Yards 133
365 Total Offense 320
1-36 Punts/Average 4-35
5-37 Penalties/Yds 4-27
La Salle
Rushing: Jared Herrmann 14-65; Jordan Meechum 3-9; Sean Coleman 1-2; Mike Eife 1-0; Chris Kane 5- (minus 2). Totals – 24-74.
Passing: Chris Kane 17-25-291 yards – 3 touchdowns – no interceptions
Receiving: Sean Coleman 10-174 and TD; Jimmy Herron 2-33 and 2 TD; Jared Herrmann 2-38; Mike Eife 2-37; Jon Naji 1-9. Totals – 17-291
Interceptions: None
North Penn
Rushing: Kyle Mayfield 18-100; Luke Berry 9-53 & TD; Steve Gozur 6-48; Nick Wright 1-3; Kris Akins 1-0; Austin Shearer 4-(minus 17). Totals – 39-187
Passing: Austin Shearer 12-30-133
Receiving: Eddie Posavec 4-38; Colton Pyne 3-40; Luke Berry 2-17; Steve Gozur 1-17; Kyle Mayfield 1-11; George Shipp 1-10. Totals 12-133
Interceptions: None
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