Wisterian September 2012

The Wisterian September 2012 Vol. LXXIX No. 1 Mr. Mike O’Toole ‘68 Returns to

LSCHS as 4th Lay Principal Brendan Keenan ‘13

This past school year marked the end of era, and the new year will witness the rise of another. Over the summer, Mr. Marchese and Brother Richard both stepped down after seven years in the offices of principal and president, respectively. Mr. Marchese’s successor, Mr. Michael O’Toole, became Principal on July 1st and has spent the weeks since preparing for the new school year. Mr. O’Toole graduated from LaSalle in 1968.

After college, he returned to La Salle and spent twenty-six years in the English department. In 2000, he became the school’s Vice President, which he remained until becoming the principal at Holy Ghost Prep in 2005.

During his seven years at Holy Ghost, Mr. O’Toole gained practical experience and insight which he hopes to apply at LaSalle. For example, Mr. O’Toole stated that one of his primary goals will be building up the Lasallian community. He can look to both La Salle and Holy Ghost and to other independent schools for examples of events to do this.

Additionally, he wants to expand LaSalle’s vision to become more global, bringing in multiple aspects of the Catholic mission.

Mr. O’Toole wants to hear the ideas and opinions from as many students as possible, especially the seniors as their insight as leaders in the school would be invaluable. In addition to building community among classes, Mr. O’Toole hopes to create an even stronger sense of home for Lasallian alumni, one which has served as a beacon which drew him back to his “home” when he received the call with a job offer.

Mr. O’Toole expressed his excitement about being able to return to his alma mater af-

Robert Stratton ‘13

ter his years at Holy Ghost and his amazement at the changes that have occurred since he left.

He states that the room numbers have changed and the buildings have become even more impressive, and he looks forward to learning about the new corridors, rooms, and, most importantly, the people who use these spaces.

An educator at heart, Mr. O’Toole is impatiently waiting for his opportunity to begin teaching English again in one of La Salle’s newly renovated classrooms.

Recognizing La Salle’s standing as an innovator in educational technology among schools, the new administration, led in part

by Mr. O’Toole, wants to make clear its intentions to build on the infrastructure already available at LaSalle and find new ways to use digital technology to better benefit students and teachers.

This includes training teachers to use iPads, a program that is

Photo by Br. James Rieck Mr. Mike O’Toole ‘68 on August 30.

already in place, and continuing to research the possibility of substituting e-textbooks for their traditional print counterparts.

Despite there being some years since he walked the halls as a student, LaSalle is still something more than just a job to Mr. O’Toole. It is a place where he grew up, made friends and found memories. While a faculty member , Mr. O’Toole helped with the swim team in the pre-Lichtner era. Following one of his passions, he staffed many of the school publications, an interest he carried into his time as a teacher at LaSalle. Having spent over half his life as a member of the LaSalle community, Mr. O’Toole is looking forward to his time as principal and all the great jobs and various challenges that come with the position, especially since he will be doing it at his special home.

Photo by Br. James Rieck Br. James Butler greets freshmen Eliezer Velez (left) and Thomas Walton (middle) on August 30.

The Wisterian

Br. James Butler Begins Tenure as School President

Since the conclusion of the 2011-2012 school year, La Salle has experienced some major changes in its administration, one of which is the arrival of its new president, Brother James Butler, FSC. Brother James was selected this past school year when La Salle’s Board of Trustees began its search for a replacement for his predecessor, Brother Richard Kestler, who had just announced his resignation. As a member of the Board himself, Brother James was invited to apply for the position and soon thereafter was selected.

In an effort to familiarize himself even further with La Salle, he spent his summer here preparing for his administrative duties, which will involve overseeing the Lasallian community (in its academic and social facets), fundraising, finances, school facilities, and parent and alumni groups, as well as promoting the Lasallian Mission. As President, Brother James says he hopes to “support Mr. O’Toole, our new principal, as he leads school operations but also to represent the institution and its great spiritual and community tradition to the wider area as well.”

Immediately prior to arriving at La Salle, Brother James served as the principal of Christian Brothers Academy in Monmouth County New Jersey, where he also taught senior World Literature. Working closely with that school’s president is another major factor that Brother James says helped to prepare him for his current position. Before serving at Christian Brothers Academy, Brother James worked at various academic institutions as an administrator and as a teacher. His past experiences include working at Calvert Hall College, Bethlehem University, La Salle University, and even the University of Tasmania in Australia.

He also worked at several local Catholic high schools, including La Salle College High School in the early 1980s and Archbishop Carroll High School, his first full time teaching assignment.

Preceding his religious and scholastic work, he graduated from La Salle University with a bachelor’s degree in English and religion. He admits that he always enjoyed and planned to pursue an occupation involving writing and talking, but that be-

fore joining the Christian Brothers, he never felt certain about a career. In response to the question of what compelled him to enter religious life, Brother James replied, “It was nothing big, just the example of the Brothers who taught me – they were very interested and involved in their teaching and with their students.”

Brother James was born in New York, but during his middle school years moved to Florida where he attended Bishop Moore High School. After college he continued his graduate studies at such institutions as The Catholic University of America and The University of Pennsylvania.

Regarding his current ministry here at La Salle, Brother James said that he is excited and ambitious to lead the school in the right direction. Brother James said, “My long term hopes for La Salle are that ten years from now people will still be saying that this is the best Catholic high school in the state of Pennsylvania. To accomplish this we must continue to grow our programs and challenge our students.” Although already a trustee of this school, Brother James was able to learn a great deal about our core foundation of beliefs and practices over the summer, especially our service opportunities such as the summer travel programs whose journal entries provided him great insight into the members’ experiences. He noted that he was particularly struck by the “reflectiveness of the students as they continued along in their engagements.” He also emphasized “how La Salle, while it is large for a prep school, still feels so much like a spiritual and service-oriented family.”

What is most impressive for him about La Salle, however, is that “nothing is missing, whether it is the challenging curriculum, the strong athletics, the cutting edge technology and facilities, the caring faculty, the service programs, or the strong religious life…It’s so impressive that nothing has been overlooked or neglected.”

To the students here, Brother James advises them to “realize and appreciate how fortunate we are to be part of this type of community. Without attending any other high school, students often fail to realize the difference between an ordinary high school and La Salle...the difference between having classmates and having brothers for life.”

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La Salle Students Hit the Road over the Summer

Class of ‘13 Helps St. Lucia Chris Endrigian ‘13

To say what I experienced in St. Lucia was a once in a lifetime experience, just would not cut it. I knew right from the get-go that I was in for a unique service trip, but ultimately I had no idea what was in store for me.

This Caribbean Mission was a fairly new service trip as it was done once before, about seven years ago; therefore, this trip was quite unique due to the fact that we are the first group to hopefully bring such a special trip back to the summer service programs.

The idea first sprang up very early in the year. I remember one day a group of us were sitting in the campus ministry lounge blabbering about such and such.

Then the topic rose to Father Kevin, the operator of the Sarnelli House. As a quick side note, the Sarnelli House is a weekly service project on Thursdays, where about 6-8 of us go and serve meals to the less fortunate people of West Kensington. Every time we would go there, Father Kevin would be there to greet us and help us get started. We eventually caught word that he was going to leave his duties in West Kensington to help the small island of St. Lucia. Serious or not, during one of our early visits, he told us to visit him down there where he would put us to work. Well, when we came back from that one visit, we discussed the possibility of actually going to St. Lucia. At first, we thought it be best to visit during Christmas break, but due to the lack of time, that idea was quickly dumped in the trash. Due to Mr. Clark’s hard work and coordination with Father Kevin, however, they were able to conjure up a whole plan to send twelve lucky kids to St. Lucia. Fortunately, I happened to be one of those kids.

3:00 o’clock am. Usually a time where almost all of the East Coast is asleep; however, on the morning of June 14, rather than being asleep at 3 am, we had to be at the Philadelphia Airport. Personally, it felt like the afternoon due to how eager I was to get this trip started.

Fast forward the eight hours of traveling to where all our excitement can finally be let out as we finally step on St. Lucia ground. Awaiting us at the very small Lucia airport was Father Kevin with a cab driver to drive us to the building where we would be sleeping. As we were driving through these small windy roads, I was quite anxious to see the type of village we would be staying in.

At a quick first glance, I actually thought the village looked beautiful. By no means was it luxury, but I could clearly tell that the people all worked together to make it a peaceful living environment which is what caught my eye. As we pulled into the driveway, volunteers named Cuthbirt, Zelka, and Denrick greeted us at the door. Before even settling in all the way, due to St. Lucian kindness, Zelka along with some other volunteers, were preparing

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a huge meal for us. In St. Lucia, people eat a very small breakfast, followed by a huge lunch, and finally finish the night off with a very light dinner. Therefore, Zelka suggested we fill up on the delicious burgers and hot dogs she prepared for us. Right away, St. Lucia was off to a great start.

From that moment on, so many experiences took place that I, along with the other eleven students, will always cherish. Rather than go day-by-day on the events that took place (which would take up twenty pages), it would probably be easier to talk about some main points. Our first work experience in St. Lucia was to assist a local woman on her broken down wall. Little did we know, she was the nicest and most appreciative lady any of us had ever met and she went by the name of Miss Ann. For months, rain would always come into her house, obviously affecting her belongings.

With the help of Denrick and Cuthbirt, a new, more sturdy wall was put into place. The funny part about this experience was that the wall took several days to put up and paint, which even then was not fully finished. The reason you might ask? St. Lucia time. We all quickly learned that in St. Lucia people love to take their time.

Not because they are lazy or unwilling, but they are so peaceful and relaxing. They enjoy life for what it’s really worth. Why rush?

It will eventually get done. Other examples included certain masses that we would attend. One time we attended a six o’clock mass, and let’s just say it did not start at six o’clock. Another time, on a Sunday afternoon, we were supposed to have a barbeque with Father Kevin and all the volunteers that had been helping us out the past week. Instead of starting at the scheduled twelve o’clock time, we started grilling at four o’clock. It’s just the way things are done down there, and I could not complain one bit. That Sunday was truly special. Imagine eating grilled chicken right on the beach in front of a beautiful ocean and mountains. I feel like that image will be stuck in my head forever. Not to mention the fact tha,t before dinner, we competed against the locals in a beach soccer match. Shockingly we only lost by one goal, but by the end of the game, we were much more exhausted than they were.

They seemed to have exerted no

energy. Regardless, they gave us an experience to remember. The sports were not done for the week though. Later on, about six of us challenged the locals to a basketball game, where we were much more successful. In my opinion, playing in a little park basketball game with them was one of the coolest things I have ever done.

Playing on a court overshadowed by the mountains and beautiful St. Lucia atmosphere was incredible.

What made it even better was the fact that the twenty to thirty locals watching on the sideline were pulling for us to win. But by the end of the game, regardless of who won or lost, everyone was laughing and making jokes.

But probably the most memorable experience I will take from this whole trip is simply the people I encountered. As mentioned before, working with Cuthbirt was truly unique. With the limited resources he has, he makes things work. His hands-on intelligence is something that I greatly appreciated, as I seemed to learn so much from him. Our group bonded so well with him that we were invited to his very small, but meaningful wedding.

Although Cuthbesirt’s wedding consisted of his immediate family and us, it carried out the true meaning of a wedding. They did not need the glamor or exposure that Americans need during their weddings. All they needed was the love and people that keep them going every day, which is why we felt so honored to be there on such a special day. In addition, we became so close with two kids from the neighborhood, Kareem and Kurven. They joined us in everything we did. They were such great people to have around us because they knew the town like the back of their hand. When it came time to say goodbye, Kareem called it, “the worst day of his life.” To see the impact we had on his life was remarkable. Little did he know the impact that he made on our lives.

Leaving St. Lucia was extremely tough. We were leaving such a peaceful and calming area, but we came back with tons of memories and new friends. To this day, we still keep in touch with Kareem and Kurven, as we hope to bring them to Philadelphia to stay with us.

But a part of us will always remain in St. Lucia, where we hope to revisit again next year.

15 Rising Seniors Serve Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana Robert Stratton ‘13

Service is a major aspect of La Salle’s mission, and almost every student here partakes in it in some way. One of the most featured and anticipated of the school’s service programs is the annual summer service trips for juniors to visit camps or reservations in various parts of the United States.

One of these sites is the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. This past summer, fifteen rising seniors, along with faculty members Mr. Bielecki and Mr. Devlin, traveled to this reservation and the Lasallian grade school that provides education to its children. The school, small, rundown, and maintained

ture and history as a people and even exhibited artifacts dating back to the eighteenth century.

On a few mornings, members woke up early to climb the “buffalo jumps” at early dawn and were able to view the sunrise.

Each day ended with a group reflection on the events of the day and the guest speakers’ forum.

Tom Coyle, one of the members on the trip, said, “Our guest speakers left us in awe, and our whole week was just unforgettable.” One of the most memorable moments for him was the group’s excursion to Glacier National Park, which involved hiking on a trail through the mountains which afforded the group many fantastic natural vistas. Tom described

La Salle students in Montana in August 2012.

92% by donations, was in dire need of care, which is where the volunteers came in. Most of their weeklong visit they spent at the school, painting walls, moving supplies or equipment, and cleaning the grounds in preparation for the upcoming school year.

The students maintained a tight schedule, rising at seven o’clock in the morning and soon thereafter taking a van to the school where they immediately started their chores.

The group even cooked dinner for itself, which, considering the lack of culinary skills and staple ingredients, made for unique but palatable meals.

In addition to the work, the group managed to find time for learning and reflection. After working for the day, the students had a chance to listen to guest speakers from the reservation who discussed current life on the reservations and what it entails, including their daily customs and occupational habits.

They also spoke on their cul-

one location on the trail that the hikers could overlook to see a 200-foot drop to the bottom of the mountain. Later along, there was also a water hole available to cool off and go swimming.

The entire park would remain in their heads as a recollection of its breathtaking scenery.

In his reflection in the various guest speakers’ messages, Tom also recalled what one speaker said: “That we and the Native Americans are 99% alike… and that, despite where or how we live, we are all made very similarly. This changed my view on all different cultures and was definitely the most meaningful experience of the trip.” Overall, the summer service trip provided its members with the unique experience of living a different culture and lifestyle and enabled them to see the impact they had made on the school and people by the end of the week. Ultimately, they were able to give of themselves but also take away a lot in knowledge and perspective.

Daniel Spinelli ‘14

The 2012 La Salle football team will begin its quest for redemption where the 2011 team left off—on the field against North Penn. The Explorers will get their chance at revenge on Labor Day weekend as they face off for the fifth time in three years against the Suburban 1 powerhouse North Penn Knights.

The Explorers feature a redesigned scoring attack on offense with some familiar faces on the offensive/defensive line.

This is a team that has the potential to continue in the tradition of the four-time defending PCL champions—but as we all know, potential never assures results.

For this team to reach the pantheon of the 2009 Explorers they

La Salle Football 2012 Preview

have to win…but they already know that.

Enter Chris Kane, La Salle’s senior quarterback. Following in the tradition of Drew Loughery and Matt Magarity, Kane will be expected to lead La Salle’s pass-heavy offense as he deals with the loss of superstar running back Tim Wade. Wade, who broke La Salle’s singlegame rushing record with a 300 yard performance in a playoff game against Father Judge last year, finished the 2011 season with a remarkable 1,574 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. Kane received some game time last year, but rarely at quarterback.

Fans of La Salle football last remember Kane being

Photo by Mr. Lew Clark

the playoffs.

On the defensive side, senior Chris Rocco will lead the secondary in place of the departed Otis. The linebacking corps will be revived by senior Mike Eife with expected help from juniors Zaire Franklin (whose promising sophomore season was cut short due to an injury during a regular season game against Judge) and Trent Simmons. Spiteri will also lend his talents to the defensive line.

Longtime defensive coordinator John Steinmetz will once again preside over a strong unit that is the fear of most teams in the Catholic League.

A last point of the note is the schedule. Bergen Catholic, a NJ powerhouse that had faced

La Salle for the past two years, is no longer on the schedule. When I asked head coach Drew Gordon why the scheduling shift had occurred, his response was earnest, “We were supposed to continue the game with Bergen Catholic but they found other out-ofleague opponents they found more meaningful. When they called to schedule a game for 2012 we had assumed we would play on the same date and they had already scheduled another opponent for the second week and gave us dates that conflicted with our league games.” Even if Bergen could not schedule us, it is sad to see this rival go away.

But the main rival still remains… the hated North Penn Knights.

Wisterian Features The Summer of Batman

Jimmy Princivalle ‘13

When I started writing this article a couple weeks ago, I was going to write a review of all of the movies that came out this summer, but then Dark Knight Rises happened.

Honestly, talking about any other movie that came out this summer would be pointless and counterproductive. So I guess I’ll briefly just go over my thoughts on the other movies of the summer just so I can devote the rest of this to the awesome that is The Dark Knight Rises.

It was kind of an interesting summer; there were a lot of really distinctive movies that a lot of people were looking forward to. However, now that summer’s over, with the exception of The Avengers, which I already talked about at length at the beginning of the summer, none of them really seem worth talking about. For example, Prometheus was a very good movie, but I don’t think it was nearly as good as people expected it to be.

Despite my liking it very much, I was really surprised by how hit or miss it was with a lot of people.

The Amazing Spiderman is another interesting ex-

ample because, I really wanted for this to be a good movie.

All I wanted was for this to be a successful movie, and I saw it and liked it, but it’s one of those movies where the more I think about it by comparison to movies like Iron Man, or Thor, or Captain America, or even the original Spiderman movies, I don’t think it even comes close to being as good as any of these.

It is not by any means a bad movie, it is a very well made, well-acted movie. I just don’t think the movie itself is on par with the superhero movies of the past four years or with the trilogy it’s trying to reinvent, which is unfortunate.

I’m definitely in the minority here because everyone who I’ve talked to has liked this movie a lot and don’t understand why I don’t like it, and I think what it comes down to is that while I was watching it, most of it felt very corporate. I know that all of these movies only exist to turn a profit, but while watching Spiderman I was constantly aware the entire time that the only purpose for this movie’s existence is the fact that Sony Pictures knows for a fact this it will make them millions

of dollars, and that bothered me.

I could seriously write a lot about the things I didn’t like about this movie, despite it not being a bad movie, but no one wants to read that because everyone else liked it.

However, like I said, it’s almost like those movies don’t even matter now, to the extent where in writing this article those are the only two other movies I remember seeing this summer, because all of them have been eclipsed by Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises, for the three people left on the planet that aren’t aware, is the third and final installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and it is (almost) without doubt, the best movie I’ve seen in the past year. Christopher Nolan takes the some of the best aspects of his previous two Batman movies, and creates what can only be called the most satisfied conclusion to a Batman series that anyone could hope for.

All of the actors are at the tops of their games, and all of the new faces are more than welcome, Anne Hathaway being arguably the best part of the

movie, and Tom Hardy’s Bane is one of the most terrifying villains to be on the big screen in years, though not as scary as Heath Ledger’s Joker.

The scope of the movie is huge and grand and whenever you think it can’t get bigger, the stakes and the scope just keep on increasing. I was really worried going into this movie, because I didn’t think it could

ever manage to be as good as The Dark Knight, and despite The Dark Knight being the better movie still, I cannot deny that this was one of the most memorably enjoyable movie going experiences I’ve ever had.

Prometheus: * * * (out of 4) The Amazing Spider-Man: * * The Dark Knight Rises: * * * ½

Knighty Knight

Chris Jastrzembski ‘14

Meeting for the fifth time in three years, and the third time both teams face each other in the regular season opener, La Salle defeated North Penn Friday night at Crawford Stadium 20-7.

At first, the entire offense, led by senior quarterback Chris Kane, stumbled out of the gate early in the game with a touchdown called back for holding, a failed 4th and 1 conversion, and a fumble. But after that, Kane put up an air-show, completing 16 of his 24 attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns.

The first touchdown was a 28-yard pass to sophomore Jimmy Herron, followed by an 80-yard bomb to senior Sean Coleman on the first play of La

Salle’s next drive. Herron would later catch a 5-yard touchdown in the third, which was followed by a Kane pass to Coleman for a 2-point conversion. Coleman was very impressive as well, catching 9 balls for 164 yards including the touchdown and the 2-point conversion.

The defense also had a good night, holding North Penn senior running back Kyle Mayfield to less than 100 yards (19 carries for 98 yards). Senior linebacker Mike Eife also registered a sack against junior quarterback Austin Shearer in the fourth quarter.

La Salle’s next game is Friday afternoon at 5:00 at Rutgers Stadium against Monsignor Farrel.

Who is the Wisterian?

Editors-in-Chief Chris Endrigian ‘13 Jimmy Princivalle ‘13 Assitant Editors Robert V. Straton ’13 Brendan Keenan ‘14 Danny Spinelli ‘14

La Salle service trip members, all from the Class of 2013 pose with (left to right) Denrick, Zelka, and Fr. Kevin in St. Lucia.

groomed at QB during his sophomore season where he received significant backup time. While the transition to starting QB will be tough, Kane has been Magarity’s expected successor for two years now—he will be ready to perform. And with proven players like senior WR/DB Sean Coleman to throw passes to, and state-recognized OL Tom Spiteri blocking for him, Kane should be feeling quite content.

In addition, do not be surprised to see sophomore Jimmy Herron getting reps at QB during some blowouts. Herron has already adjusted to the varsity atmosphere where he starred as a safety last year—covering for an injured Ryan Otis, even catching a crucial interception in

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 Paul Curcillo ‘13 Chris Jastrzembski ‘14 Mike Mullin ‘14 Sean Princivalle ‘15

Advisors

Mr. Chris Holwick Mr. John Janda

A mural at De La Salle Blackfeet School.

Montana photos courtesy of lschs.org

The Wisterian

September 2012

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Wisterian Sports Christian Endrigian ‘13

From “Buy-In” to “Together” to all other team slogans, La Salle baseball had a certain message they wanted everyone in Pennsylvania to hear. From day one this group of teammates, who became brothers, knew they had built something special over the past couple of years.

Head Coach Mr. Parisi could even tell this was a different group of guys, a group of guys who also played in Mr. Parisi’s 400th career win. Following the milestone, the head coach had this to say, “400 wins reflect the wonderful opportunity I was given way back in 1986 when I was named head coach.

During my tenure, I have had the opportunity to coach many excellent players and even more fine young men. In addition, I have been surrounded by some great assistant coaches who have shared equally in every one of the 400 wins.” He also added this achievement was not his main goal. He wanted more, and with that type of hungry attitude the Explorers finished an amazing regular season.

Following a historic 12-0 league record and a strong 20-3 overall record, the 2012 high school baseball postseason rolled around. The Explorers would finally get to flash their hard work and talent on a much larger scale, essentially telling the state of Pennsylvania to take notice on what was occurring on 8605 Cheltenham Avenue.

If this type of team, with its unique personalities, confident attitude, and close camaraderie did not have you totally invested into what it

A Team to be Remembered was trying to accomplish, then shame on you. Even after a gut wrenching last inning loss to Neumann Goretti in the PCL championship by a score of 5-4, each and every single one of the Explorers had their eyes glued to a state championship and made the community around them believe they could get it done.

Let me remind you that a state championship has never been achieved before

by La Salle baseball, or any Catholic League team for that matter. “You could tell after the Neumann Goretti loss that all the seniors were locked in. This group of guys was not going to let another dream be shattered during their last year together,” said junior pitcher Nick Paglione.

From an outside standpoint, I felt bad for whatever team came in the path of the enraged Explorers. That first team happened to be Frankford High School in the District 12 city championship, and what do you know? The Explorers rebounded with a 14-1 victory over the public league champions. In response to how La Salle would bounce back following the PCL championship senior shortstop/ leftfielder P.J. Acierno had this to say, “We were really upset after that loss. A bunch of the seniors, we’ve been going at it for 4 years with the goal of winning a CL title. It was tough to lose that game that way, first giving up a lead in the sixth inning and then losing on the error. But we bounced back today. We have three losses this year and after all of them we’ve come back with fire and passion. We work

hard every day in practice and we’re resilient.” They would continue to ride this train all the way through the state playoffs.

Their first opponent seemed to be no match for them as well as the Explorer bats remained hot putting up ten runs to claim a safe and sound 10-1 victory. With the type of contact the Explorers were making with the ball in addition to Kevin Long’s outstanding pitching, it would be difficult for any team to battle La Salle a whole game through. Once the Lehigh recruit settled in after giving up the game’s first run, he could not be stopped. Mentally, he seemed zoned in like never before.

Following this win was the dramatic walk off win against Central Dauphin by a score of 7-6. Early on, this blood battle between two distinguished baseball programs was so back and forth. Once Central Dauphin took the lead, the Explorer bats would come right back to punch in runs.

Then came the final inning of the PIAA baseball quarterfinals, and La Salle wanted to finish it out then and there and keep their dreams alive.

First up was pitcher Kevin Long, who drew a walk allowing the faster Marcus Sistrum to pinch run for Long.

Sistrum then reached second on a sacrifice bunt. He didn’t stop there as Sistrum ended up reaching third on a passed ball.

After freshman Jimmy Herron drew another walk, senior Bucknell recruit Ryan Otis hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Marcus Sistrum giving the Explorers the 7-6 win.

With the Explorers still rolling,

they faced a very tough Hatboro Horsham team in the state semifinals. Surrounded by media and excitement, the Explorers managed to maintain control and composure to come out with a 7-5 win. Hatboro Horsham gave La Salle all they could handle as the Explorers found themselves down early in the game. “There was no panic whatsoever when we were down,” Mr. Parisi said.

“The confidence level for this group is extremely high.” Once the bats got hot for Mr. Parisi’s squad, it was a whole different ballgame. With a five run third inning, the Explorers never looked back. Remembering last year’s loss to Neumann Goretti where they blew an eleven run lead was the key to this moment.

They did not want to blow another huge opportunity that was right in front of them, which was to advance to the PIAA state championship. Due to how much this team has matured over the years, the Explorers capitalized and seized this moment. They held off Hatboro Horsham the rest of the way to advance to La Salle’s first ever baseball state championship.

June 15th, 2012 will certainly be a day to remember for all the players of La Salle’s baseball team. The sun was out, the breeze was present, and seats were filled with screaming parents and fans. The PIAA baseball state championship was set to take place on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. It was a beautiful day to make history and that’s exactly what La Salle did. In his final start in a La Salle uniform, the anchor of a resilient La Salle team, Kevin Long, pitched a complete game

The 2012 Baseball Team Celebrates its State Championship

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three hitter, which essentially propelled his team to victory with a very strong 3-1 victory over Council Rock South. As Long struck out the last batter of the game, the crowd burst into cheers, players dog piled each other, and coaches hugged each other in happiness. It was truly a remarkable sight to enjoy seeing as how this group of kids worked so hard for one goal, even following a disappointing loss to Neumann Goretti.

They were able to bounce back and capture the most prestigious trophy in the state of Pennsylvania. Best of all, they did it as a team. Senior Co-Captain Mike Piscopo stated in regards to his experience, “I am so proud of the team and the entire La Salle community.

Even when things got tough, we always had support and fought through it. I couldn’t imagine taking the field with anyone else. I’m exceptionally proud of what we accomplished.” Ryan Otis also offered his words describing his experience, “As the offseason progressed, we came together and said we would win states, we bought into the team concept from day one. We dreamed of it, and made our dreams come true. We never gave up, even after the heart wrenching loss to Neumann.”

It was truly a remarkable experience to be a part of for the entire La Salle community to see a team come together and make a lasting impression on this program. We want to wish the graduated seniors good luck with their future duties and thank them for bringing a first ever baseball state championship to La Salle!

Photo by Br. James Rieck

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