Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10
1. La Salle (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 3.)
2. Ridley (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 1.)
3. St. Joseph’s Prep (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 6.)
4. Archbishop Wood (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 7.)
5. Roman Catholic (1-0: Weeks rated: 1. Last Week: Unrated.)
6. Pottsgrove (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 5.)
7. North Penn (0-1: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 2.)
8. Interboro (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 8.)
9. Cardinal O’Hara (1-0: Weeks rated: 2. Last week: 9.)
10. West Catholic (0-1: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 4.)
Traditionally throughout the state of Pennsylvania, the Class AAAA (large school) category has always possessed the best of the best when it came to high school football. Simple logic was always able to be applied: The large schools have the most to choose from and the deepest talent.
Not so this year. Talent and depth say otherwise.
Archbishop McDevitt's Jameel Poteat.
File photo by Richard Rector
One look across Pennsylvania and this year could be an anomaly, because it seems the best teams in the state could come from the Class AAA bracket, which now possesses state powerhouses
Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg),
Allentown Central Catholic,
West Allegheny, and from the Southeastern section of the state,
Archbishop Wood,
West Catholic,
Pottsgrove,
Interboro,
Cardinal O'Hara and
Monsignor Bonner.
By the end of the season, McDevitt, Wood or West Catholic could be the class of the state, regardless of their classification. A strong argument of the power of the Class AAA schools came last weekend, when
Jameel Poteat and his Crusaders romped past Western Pennsylvania power
Gateway (Monroeville), a Class AAAA finalist the last three years in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL).
The Gators did a decent job in curtailing the Pitt-bound Poteat, holding him to 73 yards rushing in 23 carries and a TD, but they couldn’t restrain McDevitt senior quarterback Matt Johnson, who completed 11-20 passes for 141 yards, plus added a 10-yard TD run.
What it could all mean in late November and early December is a fantastic Class AAA state tournament, with the best team in the state not coming from the Class AAAA classification but from the Class AAA.
Don’t count out the state champs
La Salle lost a lot to graduation. The Explorers rolled over practically everyone in their way to a 14-1 record in capturing the Philadelphia Catholic League’s first PIAA championship in football, easily beating State College, 24-7, in the 2009 Class AAAA state championship game.
The Explorers were supposed to be taking a step back, losing some valuable leaders from that state title team. And they weren’t going to get any breaks in opening with North Penn, though by many to be one of the premier Class AAAA teams in the state, and the top Class AAAA in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
It’s not good to doubt the Explorers.
Rebounding from a 14-6 halftime deficit, La Salle, buoyed by the strong, accurate arm of junior quarterback Matt Magarity, the Explorers came charging back to beat the Knights, 27-14, scoring on three successive drives to begin the second half. Magarity, a 6-foot, 180-pound first-year starter who’s stepping into the steep shoes of La Salle’s departed all-everything quarterback Drew Loughery, tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 150 yards.
It doesn’t get any easier for La Salle, however. The Explorers will travel to North Jersey to take on another traditional power at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday when take on Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.). The Explorers’ sophomore receiver Sean Coleman will be counted on again, after hauling in five passes for 123 yards and two scores in La Salle’s opening-game victory over North Penn.
No breaks for St. Joseph’s Prep
St. Joseph's Prep new coach Gabe Infante got a chance to celebrate last Saturday night when his team charged out and beat Philadelphia Public League power George Washington, 36-25, in the first game between the two Philadelphia-area teams.
But Infante had little time to bask in the victory. The first-year coach is going back to his old stomping grounds up in North Jersey when the Hawks take on Jersey power St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) in a special game at Rutgers Stadium at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
It gets no easier after that. The Hawks will visit North Penn on Sept. 18, with the Knights no doubt looking to eradicate their season-opening loss to La Salle, and then the Hawks will host Archbishop Wood, which could arguably be the best team in the state by December, on September 25 at 1 p.m., Plymouth Whitemarsh, where the Hawks play their home games.
“If you want to be the best, you play the best, no, we’ll get no breaks on the schedule this year,” said Infante before the season. “If you can survive these first four games we play, I have a feeling we’ll have a confident team that can pretty much survive anything. We’ll know a lot more about what we have after the first month of the season, I’ll tell you that.”
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
