State finalists Central Catholic and La Salle College already squared off once this season in a game that didn’t go the Vikings’ way.
La Salle College won 23-6 in Week Zero when the Philadelphia Catholic League team traveled west for a showdown at the Wolvarena. The teams will meet again at 7 p.m. Saturday in the PIAA Class 6A final at Cumberland Valley in Mechanicsburg.
The rematch is a “cool coincidence,” said Central Catholic’s Ryan Lehmeier, but the third-year coach downplayed the significance.
“The four quarters we played against them really have no bearing on what’s going to happen (Saturday),” he said. “We have to come out and play our best football. We’re up to the challenge.”
When Central Catholic (13-1) and La Salle College (12-1) played one another in Week Zero, both were already highly ranked statewide, so there was talk even then about a rematch in December. But Lehmeier said the team he’s taking to Mechanicsburg is much more experienced than the group he led to Turtle Creek in August.
“We’re a much different team,” Lehmeier said. “The faces and the names are the same but there’s been a hell of a lot of work that’s gone in since we last played them. These kids are tireless workers and they’re tough and they’re resilient. I think that goes to show you how much we’ve grown in 13 weeks.”
Adding to the Week Zero stress was that a number of Central Catholic players — including sophomore quarterback Owen Herrick — were making their first varsity starts. In fact, Herrick had sat out his freshman year after the WPIAL ruled him ineligible following a transfer from Seneca Valley.
That’s a challenging welcome to high school football.
“You figure (Herrick’s) last football game was in middle school, and then he goes and sees them,” Lehmeier said “He’s had weeks and months to progress along with everyone else. For everyone in our program, it’s about growth.
“I think we’ve grown.”
Central Catholic has reached the state finals for the second year in a row and the ninth time overall. Last year, the Vikings lost 35-6 to PIAA behemoth St. Joseph’s Prep, of the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Thanks to La Salle College, nine-time champion St. Joseph’s Prep won’t be playing in the state finals this weekend for the first time since 2015. La Salle College defeated its rival in the PCL finals.
That matchup was often a road block to states.
As a result, La Salle College is making only its third appearance in the state finals. The Explorers defeated State College, 24-7, in 2009 and lost to North Allegheny, 21-0, in 2010.
Central Catholic has won four state titles, the most recent in 2015.
“It feels great (to go back),” sophomore running back Chris Black said. “Now, we’ve just got to get it. We’ve got to win.”
Both teams have talented rosters. Two La Salle College teammates — offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh and safety/wideout Joey O’Brien — are ranked as the top recruits in Pennsylvania among seniors. Both are committed to Notre Dame. On3.com ranks McKeough first in the state while 247Sports says O’Brien is the best.
In the Week Zero matchup, La Salle College built a 16-0 lead over the first three quarters behind senior quarterback Gavin Sidwar, a Missouri recruit.
The game was scoreless until La Salle kicker Chris Heck made a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter. Explorers running back Ahzir Nelson scored on a 5-yard run later in the second, and Sidwar tossed an 8-yard TD to Virginia Tech-bound tight end John-Patrick Oates in the third.
Central Catholic broke the shutout with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Herrick to senior Maceo Watkins in the fourth. Sidwar later added a 30-yard touchdown pass to Owen Johnson.
Since that loss, Central Catholic has won 13 straight games while outscoring opponents 586-131. In the state playoffs, the Vikings won their first two games by 21 and 18 points.
“We’re better now, so it’s going to be a ball game for sure,” Black said. “I feel like we’re going to take them.”