CARDINALS, EXPLORERS ADVANCE TO FINAL
Outlast Pennridge, NP in semis
And then there were two.
Team of the Decade tournament semifinals wrapped up Saturday and only Upper Dublin 2015 and La Salle 2012 are left standing. The fifthseeded Cardinals and 14th-seeded Explorers will meet for the Team of the Decade title this week. Keep an eye out on Twitter
to vote and help determine the area’s top team of the 2010s.
NO. 5 UPPER DUBLIN 2015 DEF. NO. 16 PENNRIDGE 2012 » The Cardinals edged out the Rams in this semifinal matchup, earning 52.9% of the votes and winning, 24-21.
Upper Dublin, which beat No. 12 Cheltenham 2019 and No. 4 La Salle 2010 in the first two rounds, got off to a slow start but took control in the middle two quarters. Kalief Lee rushed for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 early in the second quarter. Ryan Stover connected with Jack Rapine for a 14-yard touchdown just before halftime to take a 17-10 lead into the locker room. The Cardinals received the second half kickoff and Stover found Michael Sowers for a 22-yard score and 24-10 lead halfway through the third quarter.
Pennridge, which defeated No. 1 Archbishop Wood 2011 and No. 8 North Penn 2011 in the first two rounds, didn’t go down without
a fight. A field goal at the end of the third quarter made it an 11-point game, 24-13. Mike Class powered the ball into the end zone from two yards out, his second score of the day, and added a two-point conversion to get the Rams within three, 24-21, with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
Upper Dublin faced a 3rd-and-12 at its own 30 with two minutes left. Stover was able to avoid the pass rush and use his legs to pick up the first down. Three kneel downs later the Cardinals were celebrating a trip to the championship game.
NO. 14 LA SALLE 2012 DEF.
NO. 10 NORTH PENN 2010 » The Explorers took care of the Knights in the semifinals, advancing with 57.9% of votes and winning, 31-20.
La Salle defeated North Penn after tallying wins over No. 3 Archbishop Wood 2017 and No. 6 North Penn 2016 in the first two rounds. Chris Kane threw a pair of first quarter touchdowns — one to Sean Coleman and another to Jimmy Herron — and the Explorers remained ahead the rest of the game. Kane finished with 277 yards
and three touchdowns, the third coming early in the fourth quarter to extend a 21-17 lead to 28-17.
The Knights, who defeated No. 7 Archbishop Wood 2013 in the first round and No. 15 Pope John Paul II 2019 in the quarterfinals, rallied to within one possession multiple times after falling behind 14-0, but never came all the way back. Craig Needhammer and Dom Taggart each ran for a touchdown while quarterback Corey Ernst piled up 220 yards through the air.