Ia Salle makes statement, rolls past Malvern mrep
Before each week’s game, ia Salle eigh football coach arew dordon and his staff attach a theme to the upcoming contest.
fn the week prior to Saturday afternoon’s meeting with highly regarded Malvern mrep, the coaches’ theme was, “Make a statement.”
“We asked them, ‘Are you guys good?’” dordon said. “‘And if so, then play that way.’”
qhe bxplorers made a statement all right. And when their 38-S romp over the Friars was completed with a running clock, no one was asking questions about ia Salle.
ied by a defense that continually handed the bxplorers’ RIIHnsH JRRG fiHOG SRsLWLRn DnG limited the Friars to 158 total yards Eincluding a S7-yard touchdown pass in a meaningless fourth periodF, ia Salle streaked to its fourth straight win to open the season.
“Offensively, we didn’t get going at all,” said Friars head coach hevin mellegrini, “and we had to start scrambling with our game plans.
“But a lot of that was caused by a great football team. And that’s ia Salle.”
ia Salle’s offense did not produce points with the JDPH’s fiUsW SRssHssLRn. BuW Ryan Winslow knocked his punt out at the Malvern 9-yard line. And from there, the bxplorers defense took over.
After the Friars were unDEOH WR JDLn D fiUsW GRZn, LD Salle’s offense got the ball back at the host’s 35. A 24yard pass play from quarterback Chris hane to Sean Coleman got the bxplorers close enough for Winslow’s 33-yDUG fiHOG JRDO, DnG WKH visitors were on the board.
Winslow, as he would do for the majority of the day, then drilled the ensuing kickoff through the end zone. Again, Malvern was unable to move, the bxplorers took over at the Malvern 40 DnG fiYH SODys ODWHU .DnH snuck into the end zone to put ia Salle up 10.
“,W GHfinLWHOy KHOSs ZKHn you don’t have to go very far when you get the ball,” hane said. “vou’re able to take some shots and do some things.
“Our defense gave us good fiHOG SRsLWLRn DOO GDy.”
“Our defense gave us the wind, and the ball early,” dordon said. “We were able WR finLsK sRPH GULYHs, DnG from then on it was our ballgame.”
By the time the Friars got WKHLU fiUsW fiUsW GRZn, IRuU minutes into the second quarter, ia Salle was up, 170, and taking no prisoners.
qhen, at the tail end of the half, the defense began taking the ball away.
With 4:30 left in the half, Andrew bidenshink pounced on a Friars fumble at the Malvern 1S. ft took .DnH WKUHH SODys WR finG WLJKW HnG -Rn 1DML Ln WKH flDW IRU D 4-yard touchdown, and the lead was 24 points.
qwo snaps later, ia Salle’s matrick eoffman forced another fumble which Chris Rocco scooped at the 30 and sashayed home untouched to give ia Salle a 31-0 bulge at the break.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of Wing-q teams lately,” said bxplorers linebacker waire Franklin, part of a linebacking corps that was effectively active throughout the day. “We’re kind of used to them by now, and we were able to stop it.”
“We were able to get them out of the Wing-q early, and they had to throw the ball,” dordon said. “Eaefensive coordinator JohnF Steinmetz has seen a few Wing-q offenses in his time, and he got the defense ready.”
A fake punt, which resulted in a 21-yard gain by Joseph Carlini, gave Malvern some life at the outset of the second half. But a sack by ia Salle’s Ryan Coonahan helped spike that drive. And late in the quarter, when hane rolled out and hit ievi eardy for a 13-yard score, the running clock kicked in.
And a question or two got answered.
“We feel, sometimes, we don’t get the respect we deserve in the area,” Franklin said. “We’re trying to show people we’re the real deal.”
“f can’t say we won anywhere today,” mellegrini said, “but if there was something to build on, we asked the guys to keep playing hard and that’s what they did.
“We can’t wait to get back to practice next week.”