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La Salle surges past North Penn

No Drew Loughery. No problem.

Matt Magarity evades a tackle from Shayne Watson in the closing minutes of the first half. (David M Warren / Staff Photographer)
Matt Magarity evades a tackle from Shayne Watson in the closing minutes of the first half. (David M Warren / Staff Photographer)Read more

No Drew Loughery. No problem.

With wide-eyed Matt Magarity taking over at quarterback for the three-year throwing sensation, La Salle by no means shied away from the pass in Friday night's much-anticipated opener versus fellow PIAA Class AAAA powerhouse North Penn.

And the 6-foot, 180-pound junior delivered in a huge way, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another as the Explorers, ranked No. 3 in The Inquirer's preseason top-10 poll, surprised the No. 1 Knights, 27-14, at beyond-humid Crawford Stadium.

"It's a great feeling," Magarity said. "I've been looking forward to this my whole life. I played OK, with some mistakes thrown in. I just hope I can somewhat fill Drew Loughery's shoes."

Looking nothing like a rookie starter, Magarity delivered two TD passes, of 23 and 37 yards, to sophomore wideout Sean Coleman.

His third TD strike, a 20-yarder to junior end Colin Buckley midway through the third quarter, was the go-ahead score. Magarity added a 1-yard TD sneak.

Said La Salle coach Drew Gordon: "If Kevin Kolb can do as good a job for the Eagles in his first game, Andy Reid will be a happy guy."

Magarity completed 13 of 21 attempts for 140 yards, with one interception. As backup to Loughery last season, he threw just seven times.

Down by 14-6 at intermission, the defending Class AAAA state champions took command, scoring three straight times, with their aerial assault. It was North Penn's first defeat at home since it lost to Archbishop Wood, 28-15, in the 2006 opener.

The Explorers' defense, stifling after intermission, was sparked by, among others, linemen Cameron Cappo, Ryan Geiger and Ted Marino; linebackers Connor Daly and Connor Reilly; cornerback Ryan Otis; and free safety Ryan Forster.

North Penn fullback Dom Taggart, a nice complement to quick-footed tailback Craig Needhammer, scored on first-half bursts of 14 and 2 yards to provide the hosts the lead at halftime.

Needhammer, a 1,500-yard rusher last season, finished with 116 yards on 19 carries.

Early in the third quarter, La Salle made it 14-13 on the second Magarity-to-Coleman touchdown and Ryan Winslow's conversion kick.

La Salle   0 6 21 0 – 27

North Penn   0 14 0 0 – 14

NP: Taggart 14 run (Mandes kick)

LS: Coleman 23 pass from Magarity (kick failed)

NP: Taggart 2 run (Mandes kick)

LS: Coleman 37 pass from Magarity (Winslow kick)

LS: Buckley 20 pass from Magarity (Winslow kick)

LS: Magarity 1 run (Winslow kick)