When Roman Catholic and St. Joseph's Prep met two weeks ago, the Hawks, aided by seven turnovers, cruised to a 42-20 triumph.
With Roman likely to take much better care of the ball, the rematch, in a Catholic League Class AAAA playoff semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday at William Tennent, could very well be a back-and-forth thriller.
Roman's Mike Keir and the Prep's Skyler Mornhinweg are two of the area's better quarterbacks, each capable of throwing for 200-plus yards.
Here is a closer look at the intriguing playoff:
Quick fact. The Cahillites and Hawks also met in the semifinals last year, with Roman posting a 27-19 victory and advancing to the final against La Salle.
Looking to rebound. Last week, the Prep jumped out to a 17-0 lead on La Salle before allowing four unanswered touchdowns and bowing, 28-17.
Seeking redemption. Keir, a junior who has thrown for 1,469 yards and 11 TDs, has to push aside a five-interception showing against the Hawks and do a better job of locating speedy wideouts William Fuller and Taishan Tucker.
In a hurry. Mornhinweg (1,291 yards passing, 17 TDs) directs a hurry-up offense averaging 33.4 points. The Hawks have scored 40 or more points five times.
Balanced. Roman also has a dangerous rushing attack. Senior tailback Marcus Kelly has netted 1,411 yards and 12 TDs.
Bigger role. The Prep turned more to junior tailback Joe Lavalle last week against La Salle. He carried a season-high 16 times for 63 yards, including an early 4-yard TD.
Breakaway threats. Fuller, an athletic junior who is being recruited by Penn State and others, and Tucker have combined for nearly 1,000 yards receiving on 62 catches.
Anchors. The leaders of Prep's defense are tackles Paul Johnson and Pete DellaPorta, end Todd Jones, linebackers Eric Medes and Dan Mancini, and strong safety Dan Sherry.
Now or never. Roman needs a solid effort from a defense headed by 6-1, 265-pound tackle Tyrone Brown, middle linebacker Brett Pellicciotti, cornerbacks Fuller and Darryl Mintz, and free safety Tucker.
Analysis. Are we going to get the Roman team that took La Salle to the wire in Week 5 or the turnover-marred squad from two weeks ago? We're guessing it's closer to the former, and that spells a taut win.
Pick: Roman, 28-24.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com, or @ozoneinq on Twitter. Read his blog, "The O'Zone," at www.philly.com/ozone
