Cream Rises to Top in DPL Football
Despite one of the most balanced years in memory, the top seeds in all three DPL football divisions have advanced to this weekend’s finals. Those who picked the “chalk” have not been disappointed, but the selections get tougher along with the games come Saturday and Sunday. For those pigskin lovers who aren’t quite ready to surrender their time to the hardwood, here’s a preview of what’s to come.
Varsity
The top-seeded St Paul Packers seem to be everyone’s pick to win their 2nd title in 3 years, but it won’t be easy. Coach Chris Sanders must find a way to keep his talented eighth grade-laden team focused after breezing through the regular season in a Kansas City Chief-like 9-0. They’ll have all they can handle with their semi-final opponent, the St Patrick Panthers. The Panthers have been slowed by key injuries, but they still possess plenty of firepower, as displayed in their quarter-final win over
CKS. Coach Pat Mitchell no doubt went to school in the Panthers loss to the Packers’ hands a month ago, and should be ready for the Sugar Bear Express this time around. Game time is 7:15 pm at Jesuit Sunday night.
The other Varsity semi-final finds defending champion, St Pius X taking to the road in a Saturday matinee to take on the Spartans of St Rita. These teams met in Week 3 with the Spartans winning 22-0. The surprising score came after Coach Terry Tausch scrapped a failing passing attack in favor of a punishing ground game. St Rita has never looked back winning seven straight, beginning with the win over the Tigers. However, it would be foolish to think it will be easy again as Frank Puskarich’s Tigers are a proud bunch that will not defend their title lightly. They possess enough talent to score from anywhere on the field at any time. This, like the other semi-final, could go right down to the wire. Kickoff is Saturday at 3:00 pm at St. Rita’s Maher Field.
Junior Varsity D1:
The top-seeded and undefeated Wildcats of STA will host the upstart St Paul Packers at 3:00 pm Sunday at Bishop Lynch. The Wildcats have been incredibly effective all season despite not having a lot of flash. What they do possess is an extremely punishing football team that doesn’t shy away from a good old-fashioned street fight. They pound the football, ala Woody Hayes, and play great defense. The Pack rebounded from a tough 1-4 start to win it’s last four games. Their quarter-final win over CKS was a thriller which was won on a 70 yard reverse with less than a minute to play. They’ll need some more big plays like that to keep their streak alive at five.
Fans will be seeing “Green” in Sunday’s semi-final as the Panthers of St Pat’s travel to Maher Field to play the St Rita Spartans. The Spartans currently possess an eight game winning streak after dropping their opening contest to STA. St Rita probably throws the ball more than any other junior varsity team and relies on the big play to get them through. Opponents are often times left starting sentences with “If” after seeing one, two, or three plays do them in. The Panthers are a tenacious, defensive club that enjoy playing low scoring affairs. They’ll try to steal one on the road this weekend by employing the same hard-nosed style that got them this far. Kickoff is at 3:00 pm Sunday at Maher Field.
Junior Varsity D2:
The young Bearcats of St Monica are the remaining torchbearers of a proud football school that suffered a tough season. These young Cats have yet to suffer, but rather roll to numerous convincing wins week after week, leaving much hope for the future in Bearcat Land. They have steamrolled their opposition on the way to an undefeated mark of 8-0, and are the closest thing to a lock in any division of the DPL. But wait just a second, the Highlands are the defending champs and know the road to title-town. They surprised everyone in last year’s tourney to come from a lower seed and take the trophy. This could be a much closer game than predicted by the Vegas
oddsmakers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm at St Monica although the site could change due to massive construction on the SMS campus.
East Side Cat Fight is on the playbill here. SPX vs. STA !!! These teams played a triple OT thriller a month back. The Tigers prevailed in that one so they’ll sport the home blue while the Wildcats adorn themselves in white. Take the “under” in this one as both defenses could dominate the proceedings. Should both teams score, extra points will be at a premium as neither team has fared well in that department this season. If Bill Parcells did not have to be in the Boston area, he love this battle as field position will also be on the minds of the coaches….or should be anyway. Not sure who will prevail here, but you can bet it will be the last of nine lives for one of these felines….while the other lives to scratch another day. Kickoff at Roffino Stadium on the campus of Bishop Lynch is at 1:00 pm Sunday. |
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