Explorers roll over Parkland
While most pundits spent this week praising the highscoring offense of Parkland High, the La Salle coaching staff spent the week dissecting it.
And what the Explorers coaching staff discovered was that it was vulnerable, with more than a few holes to exploit.
Saturday afternoon at Northeast High School, the Trojans got exploited more than Lindsay Lohan after a night in the drunk tank as the Explorers sacked Parkland quarterback Tim Baranek 12 times, Sean Coleman snared a pair of Chris Kane touchdown passes and La Salle shackled Parkland, 28-T, to earn its fourth straight trip to the PIAA Class AAAA EastHRN fiNDOS.
There, either Friday night or Saturday afternoon, the Explorers will face District One champ Coatesville, which dispatched SpringFord Friday night.
“Our coaches are the best in the area, probably the best in the state,” said Explorers defensive end Jon Naji, who OHG WKH SDFN DWWDFN wLWK fivH takedowns of Baranek. “We were so prepared. We knew where the quarterback was going to be and where the holes were going to be to run through to get to him.
“We knew he was a rushing quarterback, so we knew we had to get pressure. We couldn’t let him out of the pocket.”
Baranek not only rarely got out of the pocket, he barely escaped with his life. So intense was the La Salle pressure that the be- leaguered signal-caller was sacked multiple times on the same possession three different times.
“We knew their line couldn’t match up very well with us,” said the other Explorers defensive bookend Ryan Coonahan, who had three pelts on his sack belt. “They’re good, but they weren’t as fast. Plus, we did a lot of shifting and stunting.
“And from what we saw during the week, the plays they ran we’d all seen before. We were used to them and how they’re run.”
Early on, it appeared the pre-game hype surrounding the two high-powered attacks was going to be just that, hype.
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The early offensive frustration seemed more treacherous for La Salle, which WwLFH wDSWHG HxFHOOHNW fiHOG position.
But that changed on La Salle’s third touch when Sean Coleman fair caught a Trojans punt at the Parkland 33.
On the very next snap, Kane found Coleman down the right sideline, and the senior’s skillful juggling catch JDvH WKH (xSORRHRS D fiRSWand-goal at the 1.
Fullback Mike Eife bucked in from there, and with 5:40 left in the quarter, the Explorers were ahead to stay.
7KH SFRLSW IRR WKH fiRSW score was repeated immediately when sacks by Naji and David Losier backed the Trojans up to their own 8.
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