1 week Ago
Going up against a Philadelphia powerhouse like Roman Catholic, which boasts at least six Division I prospects, East Stroudsburg South coach Matt Walters knew his team needed to try to level the playing field any way it could. In a first half that featured 18 penalties for a combined 141 yards, with the Cahillites racking up the vast majority in both categories, Walters’ group gave themselves opportunities to hang in and potentially pull off a shocker. But three turnovers on downs in the opening 24 minutes, including two inside the Roman Catholic 7-yard line, were too much to overcome as the Cavaliers fell to Roman Catholic 41-13 in Friday night’s PIAA 5A tournament first round matchup at East Stroudsburg South High School.
The Cavaliers ended up with seven total turnovers on downs, with four in opposing territory, which was the biggest difference in the game with a Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse in Roman Catholic. Big plays were another key factor and junior quarterback Semaj Beals, who holds offers from 22 Division I programs including Alabama and Penn State, was the catalyst behind many of them. Beals completed seven passes of 20 yards or more, including an 83-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Rayshawn Scott, which came on a drive where the junior threw for over 100 yards on just two completions due to penalties.
He finished the night with 312 yards through the air and three touchdowns, while tacking on a 16-yard rushing touchdown, in just three quarters before the Cahillites pulled their starters with a 41-0 lead. The Cavaliers only trailed 20-0 at halftime, and if it wasn’t for a pair of failed fourth-down conversions inside the Roman Catholic 7-yard line, an onside kick recovery to start the second half might have provided the spark they needed to pull off the upset. Instead, the Cahillites pulled away with three touchdowns in the third quarter and finished the night with a dominant victory to advance to the PIAA 5A quarterfinals next week.
Star seniors Xzavier Pusateri and Charles Capers, who exited the game in the first quarter but returned in the second half, went out with a bang by causing fits for a Roman Catholic defense littered with talent and athleticism. Pusateri drew a handful of pass interference penalties on the night and still tallied 142 yards receiving on seven catches to lead the Cavaliers. Capers finished just over 100 yards shy of 2,000 for the season but still managed 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground in limited action.
He also intercepted a pass to set up the team’s second score of the night to make it 41-13. The class of 17 seniors leaves a legendary mark on the program with one division championship, two district championships and two state tournament appearances. Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast.
He can be reached by email at [email protected]. ROMAN CATHOLIC 41, EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH 13 Roman Catholic: 14; 6; 21; 0 — 41 ES South: 0; 0; 0; 13 — 13 ORDER OF SCORING First quarter RC: JoJo Delecce 8 run (Eli Pollack kick); 4:34 RC: Mykell Ford 26 run (Pollack kick); 1:03 Second quarter RC: Rayshawn Scott 83 pass from Semaj Beals (Pollack kick failed); 8:14 Third quarter RC: Eisa Nealy 14 pass from Beals (Pollack kick); 6:37 RC: Beals 16 run (Pollack kick); 4:49 RC: Malik Williams 14 pass from Beals (Pollack kick); 3:32 Fourth quarter ESS: Charles Capers 3 run (Harrison Aillet kick failed); 10:43 ESS: Matthew Mercado 6 run (Aillet kick); 7:52.
