Nazareth looks to knock off Eastern 4A kingpin

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Drew Gordon noticed a difference in his La Salle College High School football players after their Philadelphia Catholic League and District 12 Class 4A championship-game wins.

The Explorers still celebrated their wins, but they did so in a toned-down manner.

District championships, after all, have become the norm for La Salle in the four years since the PIAA admitted the Philadelphia Catholic League. With their third straight District 12 title, the Explorers (11-1 overall) are again in the PIAA 4A quarterfinals as they pursue a third straight trip to the state final. They won the state championship in 2009 before losing to North Allegheny in last year's title game.

"That's not to diminish winning the Catholic League or the city championship game that we have to win to get here," Gordon, La Salle's sixth-year coach, said earlier this week. "Up to three years ago, that's all there was for us. The expectations of the coaches, and from the players I'm sure, is they kind of want to meet the expectations of the last couple of years.


Nazareth (12-1) will head to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium Saturday seeking to do what no District 11 Class 4A champion has done since Liberty won a state title in 2008 — reach the state semifinals. Easton lost to La Salle in the state quarterfinals in 2009 and 2010.

This year's version of the Explorers does not have the quantity of playmakers last year's team did, but the quality remains. Senior running back Tim Wade has run for 1,365 yards and 19 touchdowns despite sitting out one game while banged up and not playing the second half in two others.

Senior quarterback Matt Magarity is a threat with his arm (1,391 yards passing, 21 TDs) and legs (407 rushing yards) and has talented receivers in juniors Sean Coleman and Colin Buckley. The Blue Eagles' biggest concern with La Salle, however, is matching its play in the trenches. All five of the Explorers' offensive linemen are at least 6-1, and four of the five weigh at least 245 pounds.

Coleman also will turn around and play safety for the Explorers as they try to match Nazareth's perimeter skill. The Blue Eagles have four receivers with at least 36 catches and 440 receiving yards. Quarterback Dan Harding has no trouble going to any of them or giving the ball to freshman running back Jordan Gray, who has run for more than 100 yards in five straight games.

"From a skill standpoint, I feel real good about our matchups with La Salle," Nazareth coach Rob Melosky said. "It's going to come down to up front with how well we sustain blocks and how well we tackle and get off blocks, because they're big. They're tall. But Liberty High School is as big as anyone. Parkland is as big as anyone."

Gordon also believes La Salle has seen enough teams similar to Nazareth in style that it will be prepared to defend the Blue Eagles. That doesn't mean he thinks it will be easy.

"There's two ways of stopping an offense," Gordon said. "One is keeping them off the field with our offense, which is kind of our game plan every week anyway. The other thing is stopping them from having those 10-, 12-, 13-play drives. They're good enough to strike very quickly."

Nazareth went through a couple of good defenses to win the District 11 4A title, downing Parkland and Easton to reach this point. The Blue Eagles won't find it easy to wear down La Salle, though. The Explorers only have three players who start both ways.

La Salle's defense has held eight opponents under 20 points during its current 10-game winning streak. The Blue Eagles are ready to try to end that trend.

"I like the way our league helps us prepare for this," Melosky said. "There's no better league than the Lehigh Valley Conference to prepare you for a run because of the physical nature of the league and the talent in it. That's something that's going to help us for this opponent."

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PIAA CLASS 4A QUARTERFINAL

District 12 champion La Salle College High (11-1) vs. District 11 champion Nazareth (12-1)

• Where/when: Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, 1 p.m. today.

• At stake: A spot in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals against the winner of Friday's District 1 final between Council Rock South (12-1) and North Penn (11-2).

La Salle

• Coach: Drew Gordon (sixth year, 62-17)

• Key players: Sr. RB-LB Tim Wade (233 carries, 1,365 yards, 19 TDs); Sr. QB-DB Matt Magarity (98-for-187, 1,391 yards, 21 TDs; 78 carries, 407 yards); jr. WR-DB Sean Coleman (36 catches, 584 yards, 7 TDs; 5 INTs); jr. WR Colin Buckley (37 catches, 524 yards, 10 TDs).

• About the Explorers: Making their third straight trip to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals after beating George Washington 41-7 in the District 12 title game. … Have reached the state final each of the last two seasons, winning the 4A championship in 2009. … Average 31.1 points per game and allow 15.4. … Enter quarterfinals on a 10-game winning streak since suffering their lone loss, a 41-17 setback against New Jersey power Bergen Catholic. … Own wins over fellow 4A state quarterfinalist North Penn and 2A state quarterfinalist West Catholic. … Have won four straight Philadelphia Catholic League Class 4A titles and three straight District 12 4A championships. … Have not played since Nov. 19, when they beat George Washington. … Have held opponent to 11.7 points per game during their 10-game winning streak, allowing 20-plus points just two times.

Nazareth

• Coach: Rob Melosky (fourth year, 30-16; ninth year overall, 70-35)

• Key players: Sr. QB Daniel Harding (229-337, 3,448 yards, 31 TDs, 8 INTs); fr. RB Jordan Gray (244 carries, 1,529 yards, 20 TDs); sr. WR/DB Adam Bridgeforth (75 catches, 1,135 yards, 8 TDs; 51 tackles); sr. WR/LB Dan Shepherd (36 catches, 449 yards, 8 TDs; 75 tackles, 3 INTs, 1.5 sacks); jr. WR Alex Tonnies (37 catches, 590 yards, 6 TDs; 4 INTs); sr. WR/DB Andrew Bridgeforth (55 catches, 956 yards, 8 TDs; 2 INTs); jr. OL/DL Aaron Bradley (64 tackles, 3 sacks); sr. OL/DL Dave Wilke (63 tackles, 2 sacks).

• About the Blue Eagles: Won the first District 11 Class 4A title in program history to reach the state quarterfinals, beating Easton 28-21. … Average 40.5 points per game and allow 25.5. … Have a plus-seven turnover margin. … Their 527 points scored is a single-season school record, surpassing the 473 they scored last year. … Gray has eight 100-yard rushing games this season, including five in a row. … Harding has thrown 51 career touchdown passes, including a single-season school record 31 this year. … Adam Bridgeforth needs one more catch for 100 in his career. … Have won five straight games since their lone loss, to Parkland in Week 8.

• The matchup: After reaching the PIAA Class 4A final each of the past two seasons, La Salle knows all about what it takes to win in the postseason. The Explorers' size up front could cause trouble for Nazareth, and they will look to use that size to control the ball and limit Nazareth's offensive touches. … The Blue Eagles figure to score points no matter how many possessions they have. Four touchdowns could be the magic number for them to end La Salle's run of state-final appearances

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