Roman runs by Judge, 35-14
Marcus Kelly scored on runs of 1 and 87 yards, and the Cahillites were off to the races.
From the stands, the play looked like a nice, 20-yard rush. For a split second, the play also looked over.
But through two would-be tacklers, Roman Catholic running back Marcus Kelly emerged, as if he were covered in motor oil, and raced untouched to the end zone.
The 87-yard touchdown symbolized the Cahillites' performance. For four quarters Friday night at Northeast High, Roman Catholic overwhelmed Father Judge, rolling to a 35-14, Catholic League victory.
"I thought I was down myself on that play," Kelly said. "But I just kept running hard. I kept myself up and escaped. We just kept playing hard all game and came out with the win."
Kelly's run was his second touchdown of the first half. It sent Roman Catholic, ranked sixth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, into the locker room with a 28-7 lead.
Kelly finished the game with 28 carries for 218 yards. Quarterback Michael Keir also had a big day, completing 14 of 23 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
"Judge is a good football team," Roman Catholic coach Joe McCourt said. "I was a little bit worried because this was our first Friday night game. And I was worried about us having a letdown after a disappointing loss to La Salle.
"But I was happy with the way we came out. . . . We did a good job today. And I was happy with our effort."
The Cahillites were spurred by their offense in the first half, but the defense ensured the win in the second half.
Roman recorded two of its three interceptions in the second half. William Fuller had the Cahillites' first two picks. With 2 minutes, 41 seconds left in the game, Christopher Cruz returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown to ice the game for Roman Catholic (4-2 overall, 1-1 league).
"It was good that our defensive players were flying around the field making plays," McCourt said. "We were able to stop their inside zone, which they've been killing teams with, and force them to pass a little bit."
Raul Quinones was a bright spot for seventh-ranked Father Judge, rushing 16 times for 58 yards. The senior carried the load on the ground with running mate Matt Smalley limited because of an ankle injury.
Quinones also returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown with 10:11 left in the third quarter, making the score 28-14.
The play opened the door for Father Judge (4-2, 1-1) to make a comeback. But it turned out to be the Crusaders' only points of the second half, thanks to a smothering defensive performance by Roman Catholic.
"This was a big win," Kelly said. "We had great blocking up front. The defense played great tonight. We practiced hard, came out to play, and executed today."
Roman Catholic 7 14 7 7 – 35
Father Judge 0 7 7 0 – 14
RC: Kelly 1 run (Phillip kick)
RC: Kelly 87 run (Phillip kick)
FJ: Mills 22 pass from Daniels (Foley kick)
RC: Tucker 5 pass from Keir (Phillip kick)
RC: Fuller 7 pass from Keir (Phillip kick)
FJ: Quinones 91 kickoff return (Foley kick)
RC: Cruz 32 interception return (Phillip kick)