The Seton LaSalle Rebels pulled past North Catholic 23-12 in their season opener on Friday, relying on their grinding ground game to smooth out early wrinkles.
While Seton LaSalle has a trio of offensive contributors with Division 1 offers, tight end Aaron Loritts and receivers Khalil Taylor and Nelson Coleman, it was senior tailback Logan King, an unsung hero in comparison, who proved key in the win.
He surged forward on carry after carry, wearing away at the Trojans’ defense yard after yard and allowing Seton LaSalle to take over the game in the second half. King finished with two rushing touchdowns and well over 100 yards gained on the ground.
Following the win, King praised his offensive line for their gritty play. It took time for the run game to reach full throttle, but they stuck with it regardless.
“I gotta give credit to our o-line, you know they created those gaps for me to run, but we played a lot of hard nosed football tonight and that just wears on a team,” King said. “That [North Catholic] was also a great team, but we just kept playing hard nosed and grinded this one out. That helped us to get this win tonight.”
Those offensive lineman had a lot on their plates.
The Rebels deployed an unorthodox snap count on almost every single play, having the entire offense turn back to look at the coaching staff after each bluffed hard count. When it worked, they drew North Catholic offsides, but all too often the extra moving parts turned into procedural penalties.
Nonetheless, the Rebels’ rushing attack settled in as the game went on, with less penalties and increased chunks of yardage.
Victory Lies in Preparation
King raved over the offseason dedication his team displayed, helping them to settle in after a sporadic first half. He also credited the mental toughness of himself and his teammates.
“That o-line, they’ve been putting work in all offseason. They allowed me to run. But that just became a mental game, just had to grind that one out,” King said. “And heart, deep down, we just had to reach down in there and grab this win.”
North Catholic moved the ball with ease between the 20 yard lines, chipping away at the Rebels’ defense. Seton LaSalle held strong in scoring territory, though, with a red zone interception from sophomore cornerback Richard Littlejohn and a crucial sack before the half that turned into a missed field goal try. Both of North Catholic’s touchdowns came with a caveat: receiver Jack White’s 80-yard touchdown came on a pass into double coverage that he somehow pulled in, while their two-minute drill with the game already out of hand led to another score.
King, slotted in at safety on defensive possessions, said defensive play calling played a huge role in the Rebels’ ability to stand tall when needed.
“Gotta give credit to our d coordinator, he was making some great calls on that. Our guys, linebackers, d-line, safeties, we were getting pressure,” King said. “We were fast into the defensive backfield. That allowed us to get one interception by Littlejohn, a lot of pass breakups, it allowed us to hold them to 12 points.”
