DeSales rolls over Republic

Within the span of three minutes in the second quarter, DeSales turned its B-11 football semifinal against Republic from contest to blowout.

A 20-point Irish spurt sent them on their way to a 48-7 win on a chilly day at Joe Albi Stadium, and their seventh state championship appearance in nine years.

DeSales quarterback Jack Dickson finally got a handle on the Irish timing-based passing offense, throwing three touchdowns to three different receivers during the barrage.

“It really is a rhythm thing,” DeSales head coach Kim Cox said of the Irish offense. “We’ve been that way all year; we stumble, bumble and then click. We got a couple good plays, and he (Dickson) did really well.”

Republic (7-5) played DeSales (12-1) to a standstill early, but with 3:04 left in the first half, Dickson found Nick Conley for an 18-yard score to give the Irish a 14-0 lead.

After a quick Tigers possession, the Irish drove 80 yards in eight plays, with Dickson capping the drive with a 20-yard strike to wideout Michael Richard.

Republic got the ball again, but Cesar Lopez’s second interception of the game gave the Irish another shot before the half. Dickson capitalized, throwing a 39-yard TD to Lopez, and the rout was on.

Dickson finished with 237 yards and four touchdown passes, hitting on 19 of 33 passes. This will be his second state championship appearance, and this one is certain to be a better experience.

“He had to come in last year when (quarterback) T.J. (Conley) broke his leg,” Cox said of last year’s 13-3 state title loss to Reardan. “He did a decent job, but it’s the worst situation you could ever imagine.”

The Tigers had little to hang its heads about, as the fourth-place team out of the Northeast B-11 received a third-place state trophy after the semifinal loss.

“Nobody ever thought we’d be in the semifinals in August,” Republic head coach Chuck Wilson said. “I kept telling the coaches, I think we’ll surprise some people.”

This time, there would be no surprise, as the Irish outgained Republic 364-123, over half of the Tigers’ yards coming against DeSales’ second team.

“DeSales is a very good football team,” Wilson said. “They spanked us six ways from Sunday. I was impressed with their defensive line, their pass coverage and their quarterback throws a good ball.”