Who: Neumann-Goretti Saints (6) vs. Archbishop Carroll Patriots (3)
Records: Neumann-Goretti (4-6 overall, 2-5 league);
Carroll (6-4 overall, 5-2 league)
Place: Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School,
201 E. Germantown Pike
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
At-stake: A spot in next weekend’s
Catholic League Blue semifinals
The Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti football team needed two things to happen last weekend to claim the Catholic League Blue’s final playoff spot. The first was beating Cardinal Dougherty, which it did, 27-18. The second was for Bishop McDevitt to sideline Kennedy-Kenrick, which it did, 20-15. The result: The Saints clinched the sixth and final placement.
This means the South Philly squad gets a chance to avenge last month’s 38-22 loss to Archbishop Carroll. It was a game where Neumann-Goretti only trailed by three points late in the third quarter before Carroll capitalized on the mistakes.
Neumann-Goretti football coach Steve Smith is confident his team will make a better showing the second time around.
"I think we showed that we can play with them," Smith said. "We made some costly mistakes that ended up costing us the game. When we have opportunities to score, we have to score."
The Saints will look for another big game from quarterback Mark Hatty. In last week’s contest against Dougherty, Hatty completed five of seven passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Two of those passes went to Hiram Bowman, who also scored on a six-yard run.
The Saints defense will need to do a better job of containing Patriot Josh Halladay, who scored four touchdowns in the regular-season contest. Quarterback Matt Cantafio also passed for two touchdowns.
The Saints are taking tomorrow night’s game very seriously. Despite only winning two league matches and missing the cut last season, all six Catholic League Blue teams get a fresh start this weekend. It’s one the Saints are looking forward to taking advantage of.
"We’re not just happy to be in the playoffs," Smith said, "we are going to try and win a championship. We are coming there to beat them, it’s as simple as that."
If Neumann-Goretti wins, it will advance to next weekend’s semifinal game against defending Catholic League Blue champs Archbishop Wood.
Final Catholic League Blue Standings
Wood 7-0
West Catholic 6-1
Carroll 5-2
Conwell-Egan 4-3
McDevitt 3-4
Neumann-Goretti 2-5
Kennedy-Kenrick 1-6
Cardinal Dougherty 0-7
