‘Perfect storm’ sends Saints’ expected showdown vs. Crusaders off course
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Dave Stahler didn’t believe the score when he heard it Friday night. He overheard one of his Berks Catholic players say that Lancaster Catholic had lost to Columbia 43-0 but figured the actual result from the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 opener was lost in translation.
“There’s no way that’s right,” the Saints coach thought to himself.
The score was correct, though it did not seem based in reality.
Lancaster Catholic was considered by many a slight favorite in what’s expected to be a tight Section 5 race. Columbia was coming off an 0-10 season and had lost 19-of-20 before a Week 3 win over struggling York Tech (which hasn’t won in over a year).
Stahler and the Saints were expecting Friday’s meeting against the Crusaders to be a showdown of sorts, a game that would go a long way in determining the Section 5 championship.
It’s also a game the Saints (1-0, 2-2) have been pointing to for months; they let one slip away at Lancaster Catholic last year when they fumbled in the red zone in the final minute of a 30-28 loss. They were looking for payback.
They still will be Friday when they meet the Crusaders (0-1, 2-2) at Forino Sports Complex, though the temperature seems to have been taken down a few degrees after what happened last week.
And that concerns Stahler.
“I thought we’d be foaming at the mouth and ready to go,” he said of the awaited rematch with their top section rival, “and now we just have a different perspective on it. Lancaster Catholic’s still a pretty good football team. I think they had a perfect storm (where) everything that could go wrong went wrong.”
So, what did go wrong for the Crusaders?
Well, they limped into last week’s game with several players banged up from a 28-14 loss to Elco in Week 3. Quarterback J.J. Boas, who led the league in passing efficiency after leading the Crusaders to a 2-0 start, was injured at Elco and didn’t finish that game.
He was back behind center last week but late in the first half, his team down a touchdown, he took a big hit. He had to be removed by stretcher after suffering a neck injury that ended his season.
Anyone associated with sports at this level knows how devastating it can be to see a teammate taken away in an ambulance; that, Stahler believes, affected the Crusaders the rest of the way.
(Mark Palczewski/LNP photo)
“From that point on it wasn’t the same team that I had watched for (the first) four weeks,” Stahler said.
Lancaster Catholic coach Chris Maiorino isn’t making excuses; he knows injuries are part of the game and that they take an even larger toll on small schools such as his. Lancaster Catholic is the third-smallest school by enrollment in the 37-team league and classified 2A.
“You lose a couple guys (during a game), guys get injured, a guy gets ejected . . . That’s our battle,” Maiorino said. “With a small roster, one injury is amplified. We had a bunch the week before at Elco and suffered that hangover (against Columbia). We’ve just gotta find a way to battle through injuries.”
With the Crusaders down two quarterbacks (backup Rowan DeMarco is also out), Maiorino plans to make some major changes to his offense. They might go to a Wildcat set, with wide receiver Colton Hegener, a jack-of-all-trades type, and tailback Brandon Way taking direct snaps from center.
Way is the centerpiece of the team, a Villanova commit and the Section 5 Back of the Year as a junior. Still, without a passing threat Columbia was effectively able to take him out of the game last week, holding him to 18 yards on 11 carries. (His 63-yard touchdown was nullified by penalty.)
“We have to re-establish our identity,” Maiorino said. “J.J. could chuck it a little bit. We just don’t have a quarterback with a lot of experience chucking the ball around (right now). We’re going to turn to our best skill position kids and try to re-establish running the football.”
| SECTION 5 | League | Overall | PF | PA | Up next |
| Ann.-Cleona | 1-0 | 3-1 | 83 | 37 | @ Columbia |
| Berks Cath. | 1-0 | 2-2 | 146 | 113 | Lanc.Cath. |
| Sch. Valley | 1-0 | 2-2 | 115 | 104 | Pequea Valley |
| Columbia | 1-0 | 2-2 | 92 | 75 | Ann.-Cleona |
| Lanc. Cath. | 0-1 | 2-2 | 104 | 98 | @ Berks Cath. |
| Pequea Valley | 0-1 | 2-2 | 36 | 65 | @ Sch. Valley |
| Hamburg | 0-1 | 1-3 | 42 | 132 | @ Kutztown |
| Kutztown | 0-1 | 1-3 | 143 | 143 | Hamburg |
The Saints are going through quarterback issues of their own. Starter Kole Harter was injured in the first half of a Week 3 loss to Bethlehem Catholic and didn’t play last week in a 41-0 win over Pequea Valley. Stahler said early in the week he might not be able to go this week, either.
That means Johnny Sauppee, who led a spirited comeback attempt in the 48-41 loss to Bethlehem Catholic and went the whole way last week, remains at quarterback.
With their strong lines, on both defense and offense, and a bevy of skilled backs they should still be in good shape against Lancaster Catholic.
The Saints got a boost last from week Jeremiah Camara, who celebrated his season debut by rushing for a game-high 120 yards. He also split time at cornerback; he’s expected to be more involved in the kick return game going forward. Camara had to sit out the first three games, due to PIAA rules, after transferring from Reading High.
Among Stahler’s concerns this week is that his players might look past Lancaster Catholic and ahead a week to a trip to Schuylkill Valley, a team that beat them with a last-minute touchdown pass a year ago and went on to win the Section 5 title.
As for Maiorino, he sounded like a coach just trying to piece things together; his focus right now is not on a section title or returning to the district playoffs.
“We know this one’s gonna be tough,” he said, “but it’s a great opportunity for us to get better at some things and find our way throughout the rest of the year.”
