Teams win championships. Sounds obvious, right?
Focus on the word “team.” A team is a group of people linked by a common purpose, a unit that relies on each and every one of its members to create a smoothly running machine. Teams do not consist of selfishness, egotism, or, most importantly, a single individual. Teams are multifaceted, drawing on a diverse range of talents to succeed. Teams are organized. Teams are poised for success.
Thus, it is only fitting to agree that teams win championships; take the core elements of a team away, and you’ve got failure waiting in the wings. LaSalle College High School is a true football team, and that is why you saw them hoisting the state championship trophy Saturday.
While sitting in class, standout senior DL/OL Steven Szostak told me, “When we play together, we are an incredibly good football team.” While the statement at the time seemed to be a means of keeping our conversation flowing, I have come to understand that it clarifies what LaSalle football is all about: playing together.
Having watched nearly a dozen games this year, it is difficult to describe just how well LaSalle plays when they shift into team mode. Things seem to slow down. My friends and I would stand there frozen as QB Drew Loughery gradually became locked in with receivers Hoffman and Feleccia, calmly whipping the ball downfield, or when the offensive line would form a wall, allowing RB Jamal Abdur-Rahman to scamper through and then rely on his amazing shiftiness to do the rest.
And when the defense dominates, it dominates. They swarm to the ball, together, delivering vicious hits and exhibiting a resiliency that few teams right now have. LaSalle players know each other, they know how to draw upon each of their talents to control the flow of the game.
And probably the most overlooked aspect of La Salle football is the time each of the players take to legitimately know each other that well, how they go on service trips together, walk in the halls together, or hang out outside of school together. You have an offense and defense heavily featuring seniors, seniors who have played alongside each other since the first practice of freshman year, four years ago. In short, LaSalle epitomizes the word “team,” fusing its camaraderie with playmaking to win games.
During this season, there was one specific instance that made nearly everyone realize just how connected the LaSalle football team actually was — the Philadelphia Catholic League championship game.
Archrival St. Joseph’s Prep was surging, having just come off a score in the final minutes of the third quarter to go up 28-20, and LaSalle was looking more and more deflated by the minute. In response, Loughery turned to Connor Hoffman, who had dropped several potentially huge passes earlier in the game. The wide receiver, however, replied to his quarterback’s unwavering certainty by essentially taking over the drive.
After catching a 6-yd pass on the first play, Hoffman jetted down the left side two plays later to haul in a bomb from Loughery for a total of 58 yards. The WR then completed his domination of the Hawk secondary by catching a 6-yard slant for the TD in the first play of the fourth quarter, and the newly motivated Explorers went on to win the game.
When asked why he had decided to go to the struggling Hoffman in such a crucial moment of the game, Loughery made the simple statement that Connor was one of his best friends, and that he wanted to revitalize his teammate’s confidence.
If that doesn’t display the inner workings of a true team, I don’t know what does. There are bonds within the LaSalle locker room that have existed for years now, and these bonds are too strong, too solidified, and too tested to be broken. These bonds are responsible for La Salle’s rumbling into the state championship, and these bonds were the team’s backbone in defeating State College.
In conclusion, when I mentioned to Loughery that I’d be doing a column on the championship game, the composed quarterback made it clear that he didn’t want me to just whip up something that would make fun of State College players or say ridiculous things like “we’re gonna crush you, we’re the coolest, etc., etc.”
Holding true to the respect that defines a team, Loughery wanted LaSalle’s play to do the talking on Saturday. In the end, La Salle went to Hershey, along with a wave of very supportive fans, with the intention of demonstrating who the better team is.
And I have the feeling that the Explorers are more aware of what a team actually is than any of us could ever imagine.
