St. Joe's Prep posterizes La Salle

It was during practice Tuesday when Gabe Infante realized that standout D'Andre Swift was nearly or fully recovered from his ankle injury.

"He made a play on defense where he reacted to a throw and closed very quickly on the ball," the St. Joseph's Prep coach said. "That was telling."

After sitting out a game and not getting a single handoff in the last two games, Swift was set free in the showdown Saturday afternoon against archrival La Salle. And, boy, did the Georgia recruit look like his old self.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound senior dynamo carried 19 times for 275 yards and scored seven touchdowns as the Hawks blasted the host Explorers, 63-35, before a packed house at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

"I did a lot of rehab and physical therapy to get to where I'm at," Swift said. "I don't think I'm 100 percent yet, but I'm getting there. I'm trying to be patient with the process."

Swift, with his explosiveness and cutback ability, scored on bursts of 33, 21, and 11 yards as the Prep (7-0 overall, 5-0 division) built a 35-7 advantage in a drizzly first half.

After La Salle (5-3, 4-1) responded with a pair of scores early in the third quarter, Swift found a seam and darted 75 yards to make it 42-21.

"I couldn't have done any of this without the play of my offensive linemen," he said. "That's where it all starts."

The Hawks' mammoth unit featured center Mack Grey, guards Jackson Evans and Carter Lynch, tackles Sal Cinaglia and Taron Hampton, and tight end Jack Crossed.

Late in the third quarter, Swift, who added two receptions for 9 yards, escaped for a 62-yard tally to increase the Prep's advantage to 49-21.

"He's been resting up the last couple of weeks," Evans said. "We wanted him out there, but we didn't want him to rush things and maybe reinjure himself."

Swift added two more scores, on a 4-yard run and 12-yard catch, in the fourth stanza.

"He's a freak," Infante said. "You're going to see him play on Sundays."

The Hawks, who totaled 420 rushing yards on 44 attempts, clinched the Red Division crown. La Salle and Archbishop Wood (5-2-1, 4-1 division) will meet Saturday night to decide second place.

Prep quarterback Marquez McCray hit on 10 of 19 passes for 172 yards and two scores.

The Explorers' Syaire Madden carried 29 times for 202 yards and three scores.

St. Joseph's Prep 21 14 14 14 - 63

La Salle 0 7 21 7 -35

SJP: Rayshad Wallace 46 fumble return (Anthony Tigano kick)

SJP: D'Andre Swift 33 run (Tigano kick)

SJP: Swift 21 run (Tigano kick)

LS: Syaire Madden 13 run (Mike Wells kick)

SJP: Swift 11 run (Tigano kick)

SJP: Terrance Greene 51 pass from Marquez McCray (Tigano kick)

LS: Madden 13 run (Wells kick)

LS: Joey Burnham 1 run (Wells kick)

SJP: Swift 75 run (Tigano kick)

SJP: Swift 62 run (Tigano kick)

LS: Brett Mallee 15 pass from Tom LaMorte (Wells kick)

SJP: Swift 33 run (Tigano kick)

LS: Madden 13 run (Wells kick)

SJP: Swift 7 pass from McCray (Tigano kick)