La Salle tops rival St. Joe’s Prep in 4OT thriller that was ‘what high school football should be all about’

The parking lots at Upper Dublin High School were full an hour before kickoff. During the first half, fans were being turned away at the door with the game between La Salle College High School and St. Joseph’s Prep sold out. But those who got in were treated to a show.

Five minutes before kickoff, the student sections started up, and they did not stop until the deciding play when Explorers junior Joey O’Brien threw a two-point conversion to fellow junior Desmond Ortiz in the fourth overtime period, giving La Salle the 35-34 win.

La Salle’s victory marked the first time since 2021 that the Explorers had bested the Hawks in their long-standing rivalry, one that first-year coach Brett Gordon had experienced as a player, and now from the sideline.

“As the head coach, it was a little different at the end there. I got to make this call, and if it doesn’t work, I’m shouldering all the blame,” Gordon said. “But it’s just exciting. It’s a great matchup between, historically, two very good programs. They’ve gotten the better of us over the last, you know, five to 10 years, but I’m proud of the way our kids fought, battled, and came out on top.”

La Salle stayed perfect at 7-0 and put an end to a three-game winning streak for nationally ranked St. Joe’s Prep (3-2). While there is a rich history between the rivals, this atmosphere was different. This time, it wasn’t just another Philadelphia Catholic League game, it was a matchup of the top two teams in the state.

“We talked about the electricity and how they’ve played in the La Salle-Prep games before, but they haven’t played in the type of environment that tonight was going to create,” Gordon said. “We just talked about keeping our poise and handling adversity. It’s going to happen, it’s a matter of how you respond to it.”

The Explorers kept their poise throughout a defensive battle that led to a scoreless first half. They responded when the Hawks erased the Explorers’ lead twice in the second half, including when Prep sophomore Charlie Foulke connected with senior Alijah Turner on a 24-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 14-14 with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, sending the whited-out Hawks student section into a frenzy.

Mike Warrick, 41, attended the rivalry game for the first time now that he has a son on St. Joe’s Prep freshman team. Warrick said he was shocked by the crowd for the PCL showdown.

“There’s people from everywhere. I saw a couple other families I know from South Jersey,” the Marlton native said. “A couple of people here were saying they’re from Delaware. It’s people from all over.”

Rebecca Horn, 48, the parent of a player on the Explorers’ freshman team and a University of Michigan alum, said this game served as a “precursor” to what the Big Ten is like.

“It’s so much fun for the kids to be involved in something this big and exciting,” Horn said. “And the schools completely get behind it.”

As loose strands of blue and gold pom-poms littered the bleachers after the game, Gordon said the Saturday night matchup was the perfect experience for his players.

“This is what high school football should be all about. I wanted the kids to experience this type of environment,” Gordon said. “What an environment. What a game.”