La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.) vs. North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.), SaturdayLa Salle went down to the wire to defeat North Penn, 38-35, last week to earn the right to defend its 4A state championship this Saturday at Hershey Park. The Explorers got 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns from senior
Jamal Abdur-rahman and a huge interception of a North Penn screen pass by lineman
Ryan Geiger in the closing minutes of the game to clinch the win. It was the 24th win over a Pennsylvania opponent for La Salle, whose only loss this season was to Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.).
WPIAL 4A champion North Allegheny advanced to the state title game for the first time in 20 years. The Tigers (14-1) had little trouble dispatching Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg), 35-17, in the semifinals. Senior
Alex Papson – a 2,000-yard rusher this season – is lost for the rest of the year with a dislocated collarbone. But senior
Matt Steinbeck picked up the slack last week, running for 161 yards against Cumberland Valley.
Mitch Stephens: North Allegheny 17, La Salle 16
Steve Montoya: La Salle 30, North Allegheny 28
Stephen Spiewak: La Salle 31, North Allegheny 20
Kevin Askeland: La Salle 14, North Allegheny 12
Jamie DeMoney: La Salle 21, North Allegheny 7
MaxPreps Projection: La Salle 21, North Allegheny 20
MaxPreps contributor Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.
