The Wisterian November 2012
Freshmen “Branch Out” Angelo Giuliano ‘16
Annually, for eleven years, La Salle College High School has held Freshman Branch-Out Day, which is a full day of service performed by the freshmen, many of their fathers, and some of the faculty. This year, they went to more than 16 key locations where the lives of both the populace of the greater Philadelphia area and the community of La Salle College High School benefited rather dramatically by the events taking place on October 18. The Class of 2016 and their fathers provided over 1200 hours of service, and having the opportunity to be a part of what took place on that day truly was an experience like no other. Andrew Capone, a student here at La Salle, visited Saint Ignatius Church and describes his experience and the benefits of branch-out day. He states, “The kids from the school were really nice, and I really felt that we helped out the community.” Branch-out day, being the only mandatory service here at La Salle, is only one of many service activities that take place and truly give students, teachers, faculty, parents, and the less fortunate a life changing experience. Eleven years ago, Mr. Clark, a teacher here at La Salle involved in both Campus Ministry and the religion department, developed the idea of having Freshman Branch-Out Day. While he certainly hoped that the event would be successful, he did
Vol. LXXIX No. 3 Kestler Hall Formally Dedicated Brendan Keenan ‘14
Photo by Mr. Thomas Devlin ‘00
Sam Hardy ‘16 and his father take a picure break at SHARE. not anticipate the considerable fered through Campus Ministry.” impact that it has had. The day With 272 students and has provided over12,000 hours over half of their fathers particiof service to the Philadelphia pating in Freshman Branch-Out area since the program started. Day, the members of the Class Mr. Dominick, also of 2016 have begun to learn the from Campus Ministry states his true importance of serving oththoughts on Freshman Branch ers. The history of Freshman Out Day. He states, “I think the Branch-Out Day and the meantrue impact of the Freshman ing and values it offers demonBranch-Out Day is better mea- strate that the Lasallian commusured in terms of the dividends nity has truly made a difference. that it pays in the latter years of As Mr. Dominick points out, not the Lasallian education, and as ev- only have students progressed idenced by the over 18,000 hours to go on voluntary service trips, of service that La Salle students but many are also devoting their contributed last year through time more and more each year all of the many programs of- to service and helping others.
On October 10, over three hundred members of the Lasallian community gathered together to formally dedicate Kestler Hall. The building was named in honor of Brother Richard Kestler, the former President of LaSalle, who was also a member of the class of 1960. After serving a seven year term, Brother Richard stepped down at the end of the 2011-2012 school year in order to become president at West Catholic High School. During his tenure, Brother Richard oversaw Fulfilling the Promise, a capital campaign which raised over twentyfive million dollars for the school and added thirty-four acres to the campus, as well as forty thousand square feet of additional academic space. Mr. Christopher Carabello ’82, La Salle’s Director of Communications and Public Relations, noted how Brother Richard energized the Lasallian community and how his charisma helped position LaSalle as one of the top independent secondary schools in the Delaware Valley. To honor Brother Richard’s accomplishments, the Board of Trustees, during its meeting in May 2012, passed a resolution dedicating the new building to
Brother Richard, which will allow him to be forever associated with his accomplishments. The forty thousand square feet which constitutes Kestler Hall consists of the new academic wing and includes the Marian Chapel; the offices for Campus Ministry, College Counseling, and the Guidance Center; the Board Room; and the Study Commons. In addition, two new science labs, various classrooms and offices, and two new computer labs were built in Kestler Hall during the expansion. The dedication ceremony for the building was attended by members of the extended Lasallian community, including the major donors to the capital campaign, Brother Richard’s family, members of the class of 1960, as well as presidents and principals from local feeder schools. Both Mr. MichaelO’Toole ’68, La Salle’s principal, and Brother James Butler, La Salle’s president, spoke, offering their thoughts on the dedication. The night’s keynote speakers, however, were Brother Richard himself and his sister, Alice Casey, who spoke about the honor and the pride the dedication brings to Brother Richard personally and to his family at large.
Photo by Mr. Thomas Devlin ‘00
Don Furmanski ‘16 and Patrick Hwang ‘16 shovel away at SHARE on October 18..
Inside this month’s issue of The Wisterian P.2--Honors Convocation/New Teacher Profile P.3--Star Wars/Barefoot in the Park P.4--Football Playoffs P. 5-- Football Regular Season P. 6-- Soccer/Water Polo/Cross Country
The Wisterian
Photo by Br. James Rieck ‘57
Br. Richard Kestler ‘60 ( second from left),stands outside the newly dedicated Kestler Hall with (from right) La Salle’s principal, Mr. Michael O’Toole ‘68; board chair, Mr. Ben Ventresca ‘70; and president, Br. James Butler .
Page 1
Wisterian News
La Salle Holds Honors Convocation Brendan Keenan ‘14 On October 11, La Salle held its annual Honors Convocation to honor students who had exceptional academic achievement during the previous school year. At the ceremony, which was held in the evening, students and their families gathered together in order to celebrate individual scholastic achievement. Over two hundred students received the scholastic ‘L’ award by attaining a final grade point average of 3.75 or better. Other students received an ‘L’ pin if they had a final grade point average that met or exceeded 4.0 at the end of last year. In the spirit of acknowledging academic accomplishments, the officers of the La Salle chapter of the National Honor Society were publicly introduced and inducted to their positions. In addition, seventeen seniors were recognized for attaining either semifinalist or commended status in the National Merit Scholarship competition, and students who became AP Scholars were also recognized. The convocation’s keynote speaker was Ms. Mary Kay Meeks-Hank, the first woman to deliver the speech in school history. Ms. Meeks-Hank runs Face to Face, a communityservice organization in G e r -
mantown, and has a strong history as a teacher and worker with community organizations. She spoke to the audience about the importance of receiving a good academic background, which trains a student’s mind to think well, and then using that training to make a difference in the world. Mr. Michael O’Toole, La Salle’s principal and the board chairman at Face to Face, summarized Ms. Meeks-Hank’s speech as having brought together academic excellence, leadership and service. For the first time in seven years, a different principal presided over the Honors Convocation. With Mr. Marchese’s retirement last year, Mr. O’Toole participated in his first Honors Convocation as principal, although during his time at La Salle in the English department he was involved in many of these events. According to Mr. O’Toole, the Honors Convocation is a beneficial school function because it applauds academic achievement, something held in high regard at La Salle. Speaking of the freshman class in particular, Mr. O’Toole says that he “hopes our newest Explorers would see the recognition given to academic excellence at La Salle and try their best to follow in the footsteps of the sophomores, juniors and seniors.”
Photo by Br. James Rieck ‘57 Ricky Sanchez ‘14 receives his scholastic “L” from La Salle’s principal, Mr. Michael O’Toole ‘68.
New to La Salle: Mr. Jason Eisele Nicholas Camusi ‘16
La Salle College High School underwent several changes in its faculty staff this year, a wave of new faces eager to make a splash in La Salle life. In this wave, including the new president, Brother James Butler, and the new principal Mr. Michael O’Toole ‘68, La Salle welcomes Mr. Jason Eisele, the newest addition to the Social Studies Department of La Salle. A native Californian, Mr. Eisele was born and raised in Sierra Madre. A graduate of St. Mary’s College, which is a Lasallian school, Mr. Eisele studied Race Relations and History and graduated in 1996. After graduating from St. Mary’s, Mr. Eisele went on to work at La Salle High School in Pasadena for nine years and then later moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to his family. Having previously lived in California, Mr. Eisele was unfamiliar with the East Coast. He was, however, familiar with the atmosphere of a Lasallian school. Mr. Eisele was drawn to La Salle by the respectful young men and caring teachers. “I haven’t had a bad day yet,” says Mr. Eisele, which is remarkable for a working period of two months. He has grown used to the mutual respect between
Page 2
students and faculty that is ever present in Lasallian schools. Just like an incoming freshman, Mr. Eisele hopes to involve himself in the abundant extracurricular activities that La Salle has to offer, in addition to volunteering for Plymouth Emergency Medical Services. As a former athletic director and coach, Mr. Eisele hopes to involve himself in the outstanding athletics program. He hopes to help coach both strength training and soccer. Also, he is helping others to persuade the Athletic Department to begin a volleyball team. In addition to athletics, Mr. Eisele is drawn toward the service aspects of La Salle. Having already participated in Freshman Branch-Out Day, he hopes to also get involved in diversity and the Kairos retreats. Mr. Eisele’s experience as a coach has helped him equally in the classroom. Having to adjust from 95 minute periods to 40 minute periods was a very sizable transition. “I like to teach as a coach,” says Mr. Eisele. He compares coaching to teaching, where coaching is providing knowledge in a form that is useful to the player, and teaching is the same, except it takes place in a classroom. Mr. Eisele prefers to really work through the material, confirming that it is under-
stood by all the students, before moving on to the next topic. Mr. Eisele is certainly fitting in quite well with his new environment. Mostly, this
is because of the welcoming atmosphere provided by the other teachers and the young men he teaches. The fact that Mr. Eisele “hasn’t had a bad day yet” is
attributed to the hospitable attitudes of La Salle’s students and faculty, which will continue to be demonstrated to new teachers for years to come.
Photo by Jimmy Princivalle ‘13 Mr. Jason Eisele, the newest member of La Salle’s Social Studies Department.
The Wisterian
Wisterian Features Star Wars :Bought by Disney
Jimmy Princivalle ‘13
On October 30, 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas for 4 billion dollars, but more importantly, Disney purchased STAR WARS for 4 billion dollars and has moved forward plans to put STAR WARS EPISODE VII into production for a 2015 release. Now, at the time that I am writing this article, this news broke about twelve hours ago, and in that twelve hours I’ve heard a lot of negative feedback with regards to this development. Hearing a lot of things like, “Hasn’t it been desecrated enough? When will it end?!?!” and “Why, God, why must they continue to destroy my childhood?!” I’m not even kidding; these are actual things that people I know have said; I won’t say who to spare them embarrassment. Honestly, I think this is exactly why this is something to be excited about. The way I see it, Disney is going into this deal with the mindset of “Ok, let’s save STAR WARS.” Because, let’s be real here, it needs to be saved. In 1999, George Lucas took everything that was awesome about Star Wars, made a list, and said to himself, “Ok we don’t need any of this.” The interesting, intricate story; well-written fleshedout characters; and adventurous atmosphere of the original three movies were nowhere to be found in the prequels. It’s almost as if they were made by a different person. What a lot of people don’t realize is, they kind of were. In 1977, when George Lucas was making A NEW HOPE, he was 33 years old and had only made two movies. Fox
Studios was not about to let him make this huge production and allow him complete creative control. The studio reigned in some of his ideas and that really did shape STAR WARS into what it was. As a writer and a director, Lucas really is someone who shouldn’t be allowed to do whatever he wants because, and the proof speaks for itself, he has a lot of bad ideas. He was going to make INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE to be about a Haunted Castle, but Steven Spielberg wouldn’t let him because he knew that was a stupid idea. Then, when you look at EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI, Lucas didn’t really have anything to do creatively with either of those movies. He stepped back and produced while he allowed others to write and direct. Fast forward to 1999. George Lucas is directing not only his his first STAR WARS film since 1977, but his first film in general since 1977. The difference is, now, he’s been attributed with creating the STAR WARS TRILOGY; which, at the time, was the highest grossing film franchise ever. So who was Fox Studios to step in and tell him how to make his movies? Lucas had made them so much money, why should they step in and hinder his creative process? So they didn’t. Now here was George Lucas stepping back into a franchise which hadn’t really been his for over twenty years and trying to figure out what was what again. The finished product we wound up with was a set of three truly awful movies that make Oscar winning and nominated actors
(Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman) look like some of the worst actors ever. I really think that what happened was somewhere along the line, he forgot how to make movies. You can really see how blatantly this is the case simply by pulling any scene out of the prequels and looking at, not only the writing and acting, but also even the staging of the shots, as well as the exorbitant use of CGI. It’s “How Not to Make Movies 101 with George Lucas.” Through this he was able to make ridiculous amounts of mone, and make a lot of men living in their mother’s basements very, very unhappy. Now there is talk of a seventh, a further continuation of the STAR WARS SAGA. This is different though, because George Lucas is stepping aside; he is allowing someone else to take his franchise and continue it without
Barefoot
Josh Graham ‘13
November 2012
Image courtesy of Google Images him. I don’t know why people aren’t seeing the opportunity here. If this franchise was to be given to someone who is not only an adept film maker, but also someone who loves STAR WARS, we could be seeing the best STAR WARS movie since the Empire struck back. I know people are turned off by the fact that Disney is the company that now owns the rights, worried that it’s going to be even more kid-friendly than it was in the prequels, and that it’s going to be lame. To those people all I have to say is go watch THE AVENGERS. Disney bought Marvel, and that relationship seems to be working out just fine for all parties involved. All Disney’s involvement is going to mean is a virtually unlimited budget and endorsements, as well as a shelf in the Disney Store.
Personally, I staunchly believe that the perfect candidate to direct this new movie would be JJ Abrams, only because of how well he handled STAR TREK. He took a series that was dead, and made it accessible to everyone, had it get great reviews, and made a lot of money to boot. Handing the reigns of STAR WARS over to him would be the equivalent of handing Marvel over to Joss Whedon, and we all know how well that worked out. Anyway, I really do think this is something to be looked at positively. It means that our last memories of STAR WARS aren’t going to involve Hayden Christiansen, and if the movie sucks… then at least George Lucas will have someone to share the blame with.
in the Park
Photos by Br. James Rieck ‘57
John Schoenwald ‘14
Page 3
Wisterian Sports Dan Spinelli ‘14
La Salle Football PCL Semi-Final Recap
The score was a bit misleading in La Salle’s 42-13 triumph over Roman Catholic in the PCL semifinals. A game that was very close broke away from Roman in the fourth quarter. A scoreless third quarter left La Salle’s lead at 8pts. (21-13), but the Explorers soon went on a scoring splurge. A definitive win for La Salle restored some confidence after a close win over West last week, but now La Salle must prepare for a brutal game against St. Joe’s Prep this Saturday in the PCL Final. The game began a bit delayed as players rushed back from the SATs earlier in the day. A surprisingly windy and frigid day at William Tennent High brought the gloves and earmuffs out early. Explorer senior captain, DL Andrew Carlone, again sat out with an injury, while QB Chris Kane did return from the ankle sprain he suffered in La Salle’s regular season game against Roman. Throughout the game, Kane would shuffle quarterback duties with sophomore Jimmy Herron, with Kane usually lining up as a wideout whenever Herron took the snap. Explorer coach Drew Gordon never did utilize Kane as a WR; Herron only threw one pass all game (a 68 yard TD to senior FB Mike Eife). Let’s now get into the nittygritty of this PCL matchup: Some early defensive stops produced two straight punts. The Explorers began their first scoring drive at their own 41 yard line. A sequence of “QB shuffle” began as Kane alternated passes with Herron runs out of the wildcat. Two first downs, one on a Herron run, the other a 21 yard catch by senior WR/DB Sean Coleman, brought the Explorers to
the Roman 12 yard line. Kane took the snap and tossed a TD pass to Coleman, putting La Salle up 7-0 with 4:21 left in the 1Q. The Cahillites, to their credit, responded with a very nice drive. Senior QB Michael Keir threw a series of passes to frosh WR Fred BlowTydings, sophomore RB/DB Dmetri Kelly, and junior FB Pat McCourt. On the first play of the second quarter, Keir completed a 29 yard TD pass to McCourt on fourth down, tying the game up at 7-7. The Cahillites would have some early luck on fourth-down, going 2 for 3 on fourth-down opportunities. The Explorers responded to this Roman power play like any good team should, with a power play of their own. Senior DB Chris Rocco got the ball rolling with a sterling kickoff return, bringing the ball almost 60 yards from the Explorer 20 yard line deep into Roman territory. On the ensuing play from the Cahillite 25, Kane passed to Herron for a TD. The ‘Splorers took a 14-7 lead with 11:35 remaining in the half. The Roman offense would just not quit though, and endured another long drive spanning nearly the length of the field. Starting from the Roman 17, Keir made it all the way to the La Salle 8, eating over 5 minutes of clock time. He converted another fourth-down on a 22 yard pass to star senior WR/DB Will Fuller during the drive. The efforts of the La Salle defense on this drive (two batted passes and a sack by senior TE/DE Jon Naji) finally paid off as Roman’s fourth-down luck ran out, and they turned the ball over on downs. At this juncture, the game really became interesting. With La Salle up by a TD and holding possession, Ro-
man really needed a big play. Luckily for Cahillite coach Joe McCourt, the defense obliged. On the La Salle O’s first play of the drive, Roman sophomore WR/DB Marques Wright intercepted Kane. Keir immediately rushed from 8 yards in to seal six points for his team. The Explorers came up huge on the PAT, where Eife blocked the extra point, preserving La Salle’s 14-13 lead with 5:56 left in the half. The Explorers barely held an advantage, but the Cahillites had played strong all half and had made their presence known. The question was now if the Roman defense could hold before halftime. If you remember our first half score (21-13), it becomes obvious that the Cahillite defense did not in fact hold the Explorers, but they showed heart and passion in a way few high-school football teams can. On 1st &
10 from the La Salle 38, Herron rushed out of the wildcat, found an open hole, and galloped toward the end zone. With a good four-to-five yard lead on the nearest defender, the play looked clearly over. But out of nowhere came #17 of Roman, who rushed down Herron and caught him at the Roman 3 yard line. While #17 was unlisted on the Cahillite roster, RomanFootball.com tells me that he is Manny Taylor, a sophomore TE/DE. I sincerely hope that I am praising the right kid, because Taylor’s work on this play was excellent. Even after this short moral victory, La Salle scored again on a 1yd. run by Eife. We now head into the 4Q with the score still 2113 Explorers. The barrage of scoring happened first on Eife’s TD catch. Herron tossed his first pass of the game on 3rd and 10 at the La Salle 32, shocking the Roman D who
had only seen wildcat runs from the young QB all day. After Eife sacked Keir on fourth-down, Herron scored on a wildcat run, putting La Salle now up 35-13 with 3:37 left in the game. At this point in the game, Fuller only had 3 catches, while Herron had gone 1-1 for 68 yards and a TD, while running 20 times for 152 yards and a TD. The Explorers ended the day beautifully with a 62 yard pick-six of Keir by La Salle star linebacker Zaire Franklin. Zaire and his partner in crime, senior LB Trent Simmons, highlighted another great day for the La Salle D. Mike Eife also had a sterling day, scoring 2 TDs, blocking a PAT, and recording numerous tackles on defense. Herron again wowed the crowd with his remarkable ability to move the ball. On Saturday in the PCL Final, the Explorers will meet their date with destiny, or St. Joe’s Prep for that matter.
Assistant Editors Robert V. Straton ’13 Brendan Keenan ‘14 Danny Spinelli ‘14
November 2012
The saga of one of Philly high school football’s bitterest rivalries added a new chapter tonight with the stunning return of St. Joseph’s Prep. La Salle’s 21-game Catholic League winning streak became an anachronism as Prep coach Gabe Infante earned his first win against the Explorers. Sophomore RB Olamide “O” Zaccheaus rushed 22 times for 198 yards and 1 TD in an eviscerating performance. Zaccheaus looked especially strong for his age, and he surely will be a force in the Catholic League in the years to come. Both quarterbacks struggled, with La Salle senior QB Chris Kane tossing his first three INTs of the year. Prep junior QB Chris Martin reciprocated with three picks as well; both QBs also fell victim to the “pick 6.” Martin’s occurred in the second quarter on a 79 yard TD return by Explorer senior FB/LB Mike Eife. Kane’s unlucky play happened in the third quarter where senior Todd Jones burned him for a 50yd. score. Overall, both teams were hit hard with turnovers: La Salle coughing the ball up 7 times and the Prep 5 times. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty now of what was at times a stellar defensive game and a messy performance. Both teams started out stiff, trading turnovers in the first couple possessions. The capstone of this back-and-forth
turnover sequence was an interception by La Salle sophomore everyman Jimmy Herron. The teams followed up with three straight punts. Prep showed strength early in the running game of junior Vince Moffett and Zaccheaus. I was also intrigued by Martin’s running game: he looked for creases in the defense constantly to run through. I like seeing QBs run, so props to Chris Martin! Really though, credit has to be given to both teams’ defenses who mucked it out through the first quarter as the score stayed 0-0. Fifty-nine seconds into the second quarter, Prep took the lead on a 35 yard FG by senior K Kyle Battin. La Salle followed with a promising drive, highlighted by some nice runs by sophomore RB Jordan Meachum, but they were unable to capitalize. Senior P/K Ryan Winslow’s punt was downed on the Prep 5yd. line, an eerie omen for a drive not destined to succeed. Eife’s awesome INT followed to give the Explorers a 7-3 lead with 7:26 left in the second quarter. Prep continued to use its infamous (at least in La Salle circles) nohuddle offense, facilitated by an Oregon-like system of holding up signs from the sidelines to communicate the plays to the guys on the field. The Hawks failed to respond on their next drive, going 55 yards, but failing to capitalize when Battin missed a 32yd. FG. On the FG
attempt, La Salle junior LB Zaire Franklin went down, and appeared shaken up. Franklin has been a strong player for the Explorers all year, and flashed his strength earlier in the drive with a strong sack of Martin. In a weird development, Franklin would go down with an injury, get up, and then return to the game in a consistent cycle. After about the fourth time this happened, I voted Zaire this column’s “Player of the Game” award (I didn’t know I had a POG award…) for his sheer perseverance. The kid had to be reeling with at least some type of injury, yet he continued to return to the game. We entered halftime as La Salle attempted to get into field goal position, but could not stop the clock with no timeouts and a tough time getting out-of-bounds. The intermission score was 7-3 La Salle. Two more punts to begin the second half…then things got interesting. La Salle senior captain, LB Trent Simmons, picked off Martin. On the following play, Todd Jones picked off Kane and ran it in for a TD. Up until this point, La Salle defensive players were going down like trees in a fire. First, Franklin, then senior WR/DB Sean Coleman and senior DL/ SS Andrew Eidenshink all were shaken up on the field of play. The La Salle D was really pushing their effort to the limit, but ultimately it was not their night. So at 5:43 in the 3Q, St.
Joseph’s Prep had a 10-7 lead. The Explorers D responded in typical fashion: forcing a fumble. After Zaire “Iron Man” Franklin returned from injuryland to force a fumble, fellow junior Mike Koller recovered it. Ryan Winslow converted a 27 yard FG to tie the game again at 10-10. The cycle of turnovers continued as Zaccheaus coughed the ball up after a big run. This fumble was recovered by another La Salle junior (Go Class of 2014!), Ryan Coonahan. The Explorers then scored their first offensive TD of the game on a 29 yard pass from Kane to senior Jared Herrmann. The PAT failed and La Salle held the lead for the final time: 16-10. Prep decisively came down the field now on a 42 yard pass to junior WR Jawan McAllister, followed by a series of runs courtesy of Martin and Zaccheaus. A 2 yard plunge by Martin put St. Joseph’s Prep up 17-16. La Salle continued to struggle with turnovers as St. Joseph’s Prep scored again. Martin found paydirt this time on a 38 yard keeper. The game was officially sealed as a St. Joseph’s Prep kick went awry, causing a La Salle player to come up and attempt to pick up the ball. Amidst confusion, the ball was fumbled and St. Joseph’s Prep again regained possession. In its final possession, the Explorers could not rally together a drive and a final fumble, this time recovered by
St. Joseph’s Prep senior DB Pat McCabe, ended the game. McCabe had also recovered another fumble earlier in the game. As in most tight games, turnovers were La Salle’s fatal flaw. As Drew Gordon definitely knows, his team performed well but just made some mistakes. Surely, these two teams will meet again in the Catholic League Final (knock on wood), but St. Joe’s Prep is definitely no pushover for La Salle. I know this statement is obvious— St. Joe’s Prep just beat the Explorers—but the Hawks really have assembled a nice squad. Martin runs the offense well, Zaccheaus and Moffett are tough to stop, and the defense is full of playmakers. Besides McCabe, fellow seniors Paul Johnson and Todd Jones had strong days for the Hawks on D. So where does this leave us? Yes, the Explorers lost but by no means is their season over, and by no means are their playoff hopes evaporated. I can still remember standing at PlymouthWhitemarsh four years ago, as an eighth grader, watching La Salle lose to its hated rival 2417. That last Catholic League loss led to the Explorers winning out the season for a Class AAAA State Title. Former Explorer coach Joe Colistra would argue that, “history never repeats itself,” but here’s hoping that it does!
yards, but was forced to punt from the Explorer 36 yard line. Two first downs occurred on the drive due to a 14 yard pass from senior QB/P Mike Keir to senior WR/DB Will Fuller, and a 25 yard pass from Keir to sophomore Kenny Avallon. The Cahillites would get the ball back soon after, when sophomore Dimetri Kelly intercepted a Kane pass. A 36 yard pass from Keir to frosh wideout Fred Blow-Tydings brought the Cahillites to the La Salle 33 yard line. From there, Keir rushed the ball all the way to the end zone, tying the game up with 2:44 left in the 1Q. Now the game would remain tied into halftime but the 2Q still had widespread implications for both teams in this game. On the first play of the Explorers’ next drive, Jordan Meachum was called for a run to the left side. The Cahillites’ strong DL, junior Hezekiah Tran, came charging through the line and dropped Meachum. A facemask was called on the play; anyways, Meachum did have to leave the game. His injury would fore-
shadow an unfortunate trend in this game. La Salle soon punted, putting Roman on their best drive to date. The Cahillites charged from their own 23 yard line, moving the chains three times. A 17 yard pass from Keir to junior Pat McCourt in the endzone looked like a sure TD, but McCourt’s fumble, recovered by Explorer senior DB Chris Rocco, erased Roman’s progress. The game really got messy with just under eight minutes remaining in the 2Q. On the play, sophomore RB Ryan Brady was tackled for a 1yd. loss, but Roman sophomore AJ Frazier went down with an injury. After Frazier was helped out, Kane went in the pocket on a 3 & 7 play at the Explorer 47yd. line. He left his feet attempting to throw and was hit by Cahillite senior Chris Cruz. Kane went down with what looked like an ankle injury. What was particularly jarring about Kane’s injury was the fact that, after first attempting to walk to the sidelines under his own power, he had to be helped by juniors Levi Hardy and Dave Geppert.
Along with the other players who suffered injuries during this game, I hope Kane recovers healthily and quickly. The second half was where the game took its positive spin. Herron stepped up in the QB role, immediately transforming La Salle into a run-heavy offense. The strategy worked and the Roman defense had difficulty responding. The first score of the 3Q began with the La Salle defense though, as Eife intercepted Keir and rushed the pick-six into the endzone for a 20 yard score. After Roman’s next punt went awry, Herron easily rushed for a 16 yard score. With La Salle now up 21-7 with 9:23 left in the 3Q, the Cahillites began to pick up steam. After recovering an Explorer fumble on a run by Herron with 6:45 left in the quarter, Roman reached paydirt again. A 4 yard run by Dimetri Kelly tightened the score to 21-14 with 11:22 left in the game. Here is where Herron came up clutch. The Explorers needed a TD. They could not give the ball back to a hot Cahillite offense with
only a 7pt. lead. So not only did Herron extend La Salle’s lead, but he also wasted about 7min. of clock time in the process. It is only fitting that after driving with 11 straight run plays, the Explorers scored on a pass. With 3rd and goal from the Cahillite 6, Herron tossed a TD pass to senior TE/DE Jon Naji. Roman could not recover on their next drive, with Keir tossing an interception to Explorer junior LB Zaire Franklin. Franklin’s INT epitomized a strong performance by the D, highlighted by Eife’s pick-six, a total of four/five sacks on Keir, and a plethora of tackles by junior DB Steve Hudak. Another Explorer score could have occurred near the game’s end, but a fumble in the end zone kept the score at 28-14 for a La Salle win. The Explorers are now finished divisional play; they will end the regular season next week at Widener vs. AA team West Catholic. They will likely play Roman again in the first-round of the playoffs with the winner playing the victor of the likely game between Ryan and St. Joseph’s Prep on November 9.
La Salle Vs Roman Catholic Regular Season Game Recap Dan Spinelli ‘14
The La Salle defense awaits the snap from Roman Catholic in the PCL Semi-final Photo by Br. James Rieck ‘57
Follow @LaSalle_Sports on Twitter
Who is the Wisterian? Editors-in-Chief Christian Endrigian ‘13 Jimmy Princivialle ‘13
Dan Spinelli ‘14
La Salle Vs. St. Joseph’s Prep Regular Season Game Recap
The Purpose of The Wisterian is to inform the student body of news and opinions of relevance to the school community.
The views expressed are those
of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect official school policy. The Wisterian welcomes all comments, suggestions, and Letters to the Editor. Please keep all letters to 600 words or less. Letters may be submitted to thewisterian@gmail.com.
Contributors
Evan Walsh ‘13 James Foley ‘14 Chris Jastrzemski ‘14 Mike Mullin ‘14 Nicholas Camusi ‘16 Angelo Giuliano ‘16
Advisors
Mr. Chris Holwick Mr. John Janda
Page 4
This game produced a desirable outcome with a high cost. Due to a stellar secondhalf, La Salle beat Roman 28-14, but a string of injuries seemed like too much of a price to pay. Sophomore Jimmy Herron’s second-half performance will definitely make for a lot of talking points, as will the La Salle D’s big day. All in all, it was a good day for the Explorers, which could have been better—minus the visit to InjuryLand. The game began with something all La Salle fans love to see—an opening drive score by the Explorers. A sixplay drive starting from the La Salle 35 yard line was capped off with a 37 yard TD run by sophomore RB Jordan Meachum. A stellar 13 yard catch by senior FB Mike Eife gave Meachum the first-down that set up his TD. Eife elevated himself for the catch and came down really hard, having to exit the field of play right after. The Explorers took a quick 7-0 lead only 2:15 into the 1Q. Roman then drove 45
November 2012
Page 5
Wisterian Sports Higgins Leads the Explorers to States Christian Endrigian ‘13 Talk about a roller coaster ride for now senior goalie, Nick Higgins. When the season got underway, Higgins started out at as a left midfielder. In goal at the time was junior Antony D’ Angelo, with Higgins serving in a backup role. Throughout the year, D’Angelo proved his talent as he posted an 11-2 record with losses only to Holy Ghost Prep and Archbishop Ryan. Midway through the season came, and Higgins was taken out of the starting lineup for returning varsity starter Andrew Schieve. “It was tough, but whatever worked for the team the most was what I wanted. I understood that I had to just contribute quality minutes off the bench, and I was ok with that,” Higgins stated. Game after game went by and Higgins still did not return as a starter. Then came the Explorers game vs. West Chester Rustin, where Higgins got the call to start in net. To describe this moment he said graciously, “Nothing should be taken away from Ant. He is a great goalie. I
was just happy to finally get my chance.” In Higgins first game as the starting goalkeeper, he posted six saves, allowing in only one goal to end his first game in a tie 1-1. Starting center midfielder, Jack Dusing, stated, “Higgins played with a lot of emotion that game. At that time, I was confident that we had two goalies that could get the job done.” As three more games remained in the season, the coaches decided to keep Higgins in net and he never looked back. To end the season, he posted three shutouts verse Catholic league opponents such as Bonner-Prendergast, Lansdale Catholic, and Archbishop Carroll. Riding this momentum, the Explorers looked strong to start the Catholic League playoffs. Playing in his first Catholic League playoff game, Higgins described this time as, “Surreal. Last year I was on the bench when we won. This year I have a chance to help bring the team home a Catholic League Title.” He took advantage of his first playoff game as he again posted another shutout against Arch-
Water Polo Update Christian Endrigian ‘13 The fall sports season is usually dominated by the successes of the football, soccer, and golf teams, but this year a newcomer has made its way to center-stage: water polo. The little-understood sport has been thriving at La Salle under head coach Steve Duncheskie, and this year has produced one of the team’s best seasons. The players especially have highlighted a watershed year for the water polo team. Coach Duncheskie said of his team, “This team has one of the best senior cores I have ever coached. They are smart, fast, and tough young men. With that, the captains, Brendan Koch and Dan Fleck, have led the team in and out of the pool this year.” Indeed they have, as this year’s squad has brought the team to places never seen before. The Beast of the East tournament is one of the largest high school water polo tournaments in the Northeast, featuring seventy-four teams from five states. The Explorers’ victory in this year’s tournament marked an important milestone in this season as well as in Duncheskie’s career as coach. He said, “The Beast of the East is where we came together as a team and figured out our true strengths and weaknesses.” The Beast of the East victory alone would have defined a terrific season, but the 2012 water polo team did not stop there. The Eastern Conference Championship was the next hurdle for the team to jump, so to speak, and they were up for
Page 6
the challenge. The name “Thomas Mifflin” is probably unknown to anyone besides an expert in Pennsylvanian history, but he was actually the first governor of the state. His namesake high-school, Governor Mifflin High, is well-known to Coach Duncheskie and the rest of the water polo team. Governor Mifflin has been the bane of the La Salle water polo team for most of recent memory. Each year, the Mifflin water polo squad etches out a win against the Explorers, or so it seems. In the regular season, the Explorers earned a solid win against Mifflin—beating them 13-8 at nearby Springfield High School. The Explorers now needed a repeat win in the playoffs. In the Eastern conference championship at Souderton High, the Explorers emerged victorious: first beating Souderton 10-9 and then Governor Mifflin 14-7. With that, La Salle had earned its first Eastern conference title in team history. Duncheskie aptly summed up the feelings of the team: “The Beast of the East was special, but the true defining moment came with winning the Eastern conference championship. Hopefully we have one more championship waiting for us at States.” The water polo team is currently participating in the PIAA State Championships at North Penn. Coach Duncheskie’s squad looks as ready as ever for their first state title. After one of the strongest regular seasons in La Salle history, no one doubts that they can finish the job.
bishop Carroll, and the Explorers would now advance to the Catholic League Semi-Finals. In what can be described as one of the most nerve racking games to this day, the Explorers took on Archbishop Ryan in the PCL semi-finals. Earlier in the season, the Explorers lost by a score of 2-1 off a free kick in the last couple of minutes. They knew they had to prove themselves. All throughout the game, both defenses stayed stout, not allowing a single goal for all of regulation. A strong defense consisting of seniors Billy Lucas, Ben Wild, Sean Cincotta, Jack Dusing, Frankie Russomano, and Mark Grasela have been outstanding all throughout the year. With experience and hard-nosed play, the Explorers would end up taking Archbishop Ryan into a shootout. Without feeling any pressure of the environment or stakes, the Explorers won the shootout by a score of 4-2 with goals coming from Ben Wild, Mark Grasela, Jack Dusing, and Frankie Russomano. The even bigger story of this all was the goalkeeper change. Higgins posted a shutout
all throughout regulation and overtime, but once the shootout came, D’Angelo was inserted in front of the net. Higgins said, “It was the right call. Ant has more experience than me. Of course I would have loved to have stayed in, but I knew Ant would get it done. And he did.” D’ Angelo, who had not played for about three weeks, was asked to come in and deliver. Out of the four shots that were attempted, D’Angelo saved two of them. The first one to run and hug him as they celebrated their berth in the Catholic League finals: Nick Higgins. The Explorers would take on Father Judge in the PCL finals, a team they had beaten in overtime earlier in the year. In front of a huge crowd, the Explorers came out firing. To get on the board early, junior striker Matt Lucas put one away to lead the Crusaders 1-0 at halftime. La Salle never looked back as strong play all around propelled the Explorers to a 3-0 victory to win the Catholic League Title for the second consecutive year. Second half goals were contributed by Chris McCrea and Jack Dusing,
while Higgins posted his sixth straight shutout. “I can’t believe we did it. Everyone doubted us, but we came together as a team and showed the Catholic League what we could do. I wouldn’t have done it with a better group of guys. My shutouts are a testimony of how strong our defense is. I owe those guys everything.” With not even a day off, the Explorers had to travel to Northeast High School for the District 12 City Championship against Northeast. With such great momentum, the Explorers cruised past Northeast. Seniors Andrew Schieve and Mark Grasela both tallied in two goals apiece. With another Higgins shutout, the Explorers won 4-0 to win their second consecutive District 12 title. With the Explorers proving their talent on the field, they have become the number one seed from District 12 in the AAA State Playoffs. This entire journey the Explorers have grown as a team on and off the field, but they know how much more work needs to be done. To finish off my interview with Higgins, he stated, “We ain’t done yet.”
Follow @LaSalle_Sports on Twitter
Nick Higgins ‘13 makes a key save en route to a La Salle victory Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Running All the Way to States Christian Endrigian ‘13 Coming into this season, the Explorers knew they had something special with top notch runners in Tom Coyle ’13 and Andrew Stone ’13. Therefore, reaching states was no surprise, but certainly not something the runners took for granted. All runners knew this was going to be the last cross country race they ran in their high school careers, so they had to make it count. With this type of pressure surrounding the event, La Salle managed to place 5th overall, capping off an incredible season for the blue and gold.
In the five year history of the PIAA cross country state championship at Hershey Parkview Course, La Salle has placed top five in three of those years. Most notably, Tom Coyle set a school record for the fastest 5K time at Hershey by running a 16:12 to finish 11th overall, giving his team 6 overall points. Running a 16:28, while placing 23rd overall, Andrew Stone ran his best high school cross country race of his career. Following behind Andrew Stone, was another senior, Jack Magee, who recorded a 17:00 5k to place 67th overall giving the Explorers 36 overall team points. Coming
in fourth for the Explorers was Evan Quain with a time of 17:11 placing him at the 84th overall spot. Last but not least was junior Brendan Bilotta who ran a 17:49 to place 161st overall and score 84 team points. Overall, the Explorers displayed an unbelievable amount of grit and resilience through this entire race. Their grit and determination during the offseason are what led them to be so successful at Hershey. A big congratulations goes out to all of the runners on an unbelievable season that will go down in the books.
The Wisterian