Last year's playoff encounter was one for the ages. Seven lead changes. A combined 11 scores and 775 yards of offense.
In the end, thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Matt Magarity to Sean Coleman and an interception by beefy tackle Ryan Geiger, La Salle escaped with a 38-35 victory and earned the right to represent the East in the PIAA Class AAAA final.
Several key contributors for those Knights, including quarterback Corey Ernst and fullback-tight end-linebacker Ralph Reeves, return to PW's field intent on gaining a measure of revenge.
The Explorers, 13-2 last season, are ranked No. 2 in the area by The Inquirer. While they lost 1,700-yard rusher Jamal Abdur-Rahman to graduation, Magarity has Coleman and Colin Buckley back as passing targets.
Tim Wade, who spent the last two seasons blocking for Abdur-Rahman, now at Villanova, finally gets his chance at tailback.
But La Salle is inexperienced in the trenches. And Matt Maginnis, a two-way tackle and the lone returning starter on the offensive line, is recovering from the effects of mononucleosis and will miss the opener.
The No. 3-ranked Knights, also 13-2 last year, bring back four starters on offense and five on defense. They will rely heavily in the early going on Ernst, Reeves, two-way end Shayne Watson, linemen T.J. Smink and John Garland, and multipurpose threat Dan Gevirtz.
Don't expect a crisply played opener. But look for La Salle, with a Magarity-to-Buckley hookup being the difference, to thwart North Penn's bid for revenge.
Pick: La Salle, 21-17.
We didn't set the prognosticating world on fire last season, posting a mediocre 136-62 record (.687 winning percentage). Over the last four years, we are 507-184 (.734).
