Explorers Ground and Pound

Written by: Marcus Wright on Monday, September 14th, 2009. Follow Marcus Wright on Twitter.

Lasalle uses a potent run game to defeat Malvern Prep
by Marcus Wright of Varsity 365

Quick Snap: With the winds slightly swirling and the rain falling, the Lasalle Explorers improved their record to 2-0 with a 28-7 victory over Malvern Prep (0-1). Lasalle was led by running back Jamal Abdur-Rahman(Jr., 5-10 170), who had 26 carries for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Tim Wade (So., 5-7 165) also scored two touchdowns for the Explorers. Lasalle goes on to face West Catholic next week, while Malvern Prep will look to rebound against Hudson Catholic (N.J).

Highlights
Photos
Stars of the Show

Four Downs:

1st Down: There was a constant mist of rain throughout the evening, so this of course put an emphasis on the running game. Lasalle, known for their dynamic aerial attack, showed they could pound the ball as well. Wade added 27 yards on the ground (to Abdur-Rahman’s 151), giving Lasalle just under 200 yards rushing in the game. Wade became the primary back after Rahman suffered an injury to his left knee and left the game in the 3rd quarter. Hopefully the injury is not serious. Before leaving the game, Rahman displayed his great ability to squeeze through holes and use good timing to gain extra yards on his carries.

2nd Down: This is a brand new year for Malvern Prep -a program that went undefeated last year -and they face some brand new challenges. This is the program’s first year in a long time without the legendary Gamp Pelligrini as head coach. His son Kevin has taken over the reigns of a young team that lost a lot of the stars from last year’s dominant squad. They took their lumps in this one, but Malvern Prep has always had a lot of class and pride, and I’m sure they’ll bounce back.

3rd Down: They key play in this one was an interception in Malvern territory by Lasalle defensive back Pat Resch (Sr., 6-0 185) in the *edit* fourth quarter. He returned the ball inside the 5, and Wade got his second TD of the game shortly afterwards. This made it a 28-7 score and pretty much put the game away.

4th Down: Once again, because of the rain, the teams held back in the passing department. Lasalle QB Drew Loughery (Sr., 6-1 205) passed for 120 yards, and we only saw a couple of those rollout passes that the offense does so well. The Explorers played without one of their key receiving weapons, senior wide receiver Sam Feleccia, who was out with an injury.

Xtra Point: FB Bob Scaramuzza (Jr., 5-9 215) scored the lone touchdown for Malvern Prep in the 3rd quarter, which made it 14-7 at the time….

Out of Bounds: Even though it was raining, there were a lot of people at this game; I’m sure the place would have been full if it was nicer… It will be interesting to see how both of these teams progress as the season goes on…

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