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La Salle takes shootout with E.P. |
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Friday, 27 November 2009 |
By TERRY NAU
Sports editor
EAST PROVIDENCE – La Salle Academy quarterback Corey Fossa proved to be the difference-maker on Thursday morning when the defending state champions battled a tenacious East Providence team in a game that did nothing more than settle the pairings for Tuesday night’s Division I playoff semifinals.
Fossa completed 18 of 31 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns during a 48-34 victory over the Townies. The rangy senior connected on a 69-yard TD pass to Kadeem Kushimo on La Salle’s first play from scrimmage and maintained his accuracy throughout the game.
“He was great,” E.P. coach Sandy Gorham said after the game was over. “We played hard. I was a little disappointed in our pass defense at times.”
The Townies, who will visit Barrington on Tuesday night in the playoff semifinals, remained competitive by making five big plays that accounted for all of their scoring. Quarterback Rob Delgado hit halfback Emerson Perez with TD passes of 48 and 17 yards. Delgado also scored on a 33-yard run. Perez scored on a 29-yard run late in the first quarter to tie the game at 14-14 and Alex Therrian returned a Luke Francis fumble 48 yards early in the second half as the Townies pulled within 24-21.
“East Providence never gives up,” La Salle coach Geoff Marcone decided. “That’s the way this game is every year. It’s a great rivalry.”
With the weather virtually perfect for throwing the ball, La Salle tested East Providence’s pass defense early and often.
“We wanted to throw the ball a little,” Marcone conceded, “but things sort of opened up for us and we kept throwing it.”
Fossa’s early TD to Kushimo gave La Salle a 6-0 lead at the 9:48 mark of the first quarter. The Townies then lost the ball on a high snap from center at their own 39-yard line. Right away, Fossa hit Brandon Gomes for 33 yards. On third-and-goal, Fossa pitched the ball to trailing halfback Josh Rodin but the football deflected off Rodin and bounced ahead three yards into the end zone where Luke Francis picked it out of the air for a fortunate Ram touchdown.
Trailing 14-0 after 6 minutes had elapsed, East Providence got back into the game when wide receiver Tyler Jackson made a leaping catch of a 32-yard pass from Delgado. Three plays later, Delgado found Perez running alone down the right side of the field and hit him in stride. Perez cut back into the middle of the field and scored on a 48-yard pitch-and-run play.
Perhaps a little rattled, Fossa fumbled on first down and E.P.’s Aaron Chartier recovered at the Rams’ 36-yard line. On fourth-and-three from the 29, Perez took a pitch, cut back against the grain and scored untouched to tie the game.
Aaron Spivey’s extra point tied the game at 14 with 28 seconds still remaining in the first quarter.
The two teams actually exchanged punts before La Salle went on a 77-yard scoring drive highlighted by Fossa’s downfield lateral to Lenny Solitro for a 24-yard gain. On the next play, Fossa found Solitro open in the middle of E.P.’s defense for a 15-yard gain. A 27-yard pass to Gomes got the ball down to E.P.’s six-yard line and Fossa found P.J. Ashby for a two-yard score on third down.
E.P. fumbled away the ensuing kickoff but its defense held. When the Townies got the ball back, Delgado broke free for a 26-yard gain, then turned the ball over on a fumbled snap from center. La Salle converted that miscue into a 25-yard field goal off the foot of Peter Picerelli.
The Rams took a 24-14 lead into halftime and seemed to have the game under control again. But Marcone decided to utilize his Wildcat offense with Luke Francis taking the snaps and handing off to Rodin for three good gains. On first down from near midfield, Francis dropped the ball in his backfield and E.P.’s Alex Therrian scooped it up, running 48 yards for a score that made it a game again at 24-21.
This is where La Salle proved unstoppable. The Townies couldn’t prevent Fossa or Rodin from breaking free, several times in crucial third-down situations. La Salle converted six of its nine third-down opportunities during the first three quarters.
Fossa capped a 7-play, 63-yard drive with a two-yard run to make it 31-21 midway through the third quarter. After E.P. went three-and-out, Fossa found Bill Deffley open on a third-down screen pass. Deffley stepped out of two tackles and made 10 yards, one more than needed for a first down. Picerelli hit a 30-yard field goal to cap this drive and make it 34-21 with 11:05 left in the game.
E.P.’s offense finally awakened when Delgado hit Richard Haley for a 25-yard pass completion to La Salle’s 40-yard line. On third down, Delgado tried to find Victor Adewusi deep down the right sideline at the 20-yard line. Two La Salle defenders backed into the Townie receiver and impeded his ability to catch the ball but no penalty flags were thrown.
“That was a horrible non-call,” Gorham said tersely after the game. “If we get that call, who knows what might have happened?”
La Salle took advantage when Fossa found Solitro open for a 61-yard touchdown pass with 5:40 left in the game. The Townies were now down 41-21. Delgado’s 33-yard TD run at the 4:20 made it 41-28 but La Salle quickly went down the field, scoring on a 15-yard run by Rodin with 67 seconds left in the game.
Perez broke free for a 53-yard run and then Delgado found his favorite back open in the front of the end zone for a 17-yard scoring hookup on the final play of the game.
La Salle will host Bishop Hendricken in Tuesday’s other Division I semifinal.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 13 December 2009 )
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