Phil Lascuola gets it.
The Hogan Prep coach remembers when his Rams had to fight hard to keep from facing a running clock, so he did everything possible to allow the Van Horn football team to enjoy some dignity on a sunny Saturday homecoming afternoon at Independence All-School Stadium.
After his team took a 47-0 second-quarter lead, Lascuola pulled his starters, refused to go for the extra points on touchdowns and even allowed the Falcons to keep some big, second-half gains that would have been wiped out by penalties.
The end result was a 65-8 Hogan Prep win, but Falcons coach Jeff Tolbert praised the valiant effort by his team and the class shown by Lascuola and his players.
“Phil is a class act – a class act!” Tolbert said, after his team fell to 0-7. “I saw some good things from our kids today. At the half, I told them to look for some good things, and we were certainly proud of the way Terrell Certain ran the ball.
“We have a long way to go, but every week, we are making some progress. I know Coach Lascuola remembers the building days at Hogan Prep, and we appreciate the way he and his team reacted today.”
Lascuola, who spent a long time visiting with the Van Horn staff after the game, saw his Rams, ranked sixth in the Class 2 state poll, improve to 7-0 as Maurice Sneed scored four touchdowns – on runs of 14, 57, 29 and 7 yards – the first four times he touched the ball.
“I told Coach Tolbert that I remember the first three years we were at Hogan, and it seemed like we had turbo clocks every game,” Lascuola said. “I know our starters want to stay in the game, but this is the type of game where you play all your kids. We would never do anything to embarrass another team.
“That’s a class coaching staff and a class team. Give them some time; they’re going to be fine. I speak from experience.”
Certain had one of the finest rushing games this season, carrying the ball 23 times for a season-high 138 yards.
“I did my best out there today, and I am proud of the way my line blocked for me,” said Certain, who scored on a two-point conversion run following a 15-yard touchdown pass from Austin Temple to Brendon Jones in the third quarter.
“Like coach said, we are improving. We are happy to look in the stands and seeing a lot of our fans. We’re working hard for them and for each other.”
Hogan Prep backup running back Phillip Collier scored on 80- and 44-yard runs in the second half. The Rams totaled 401 yards on the ground and Dawon Cummings and B.J. Farrow threw for 97.
The Van Horn Booster Club is meeting at 7 tonight in the high school library.
“We’ve started a booster club and are pleased with the response,” booster club member Jay Fisher said, “but we are always looking for new members, especially parents.”
VAN HORN SUMMARY
HOGAN PREP 65, VAN HORN 8
Hogan Prep Van Horn
18 First Downs 9
26-401 Rushes-yards 31-165
97 Passing yards 51
6 Attempts 13
4 Completions 3
0 Intercepted 2
1-1 Fumbles-lost 1-1
0-0 Punts-average 6-31
5-55 Penalties-yards 3-30
HOGAN PREP 28 25 12 0 — 65
VAN HORN 0 0 8 0 — 8
Scoring
First quarter
HP — Maurice Sneed 14 run (kick failed), 11:12.
HP — Sneed 57 run (Laron Cummings run), 9:29.
HP — Xavier Herring 13 catch from Dawon Cummings (Cummings kick), 5:11
HP — Sneed 29 run (Cummings kick), 3:16.
Second Quarter
HP — Sneed 7 run (kick failed), 11:00.
HP — Markeith Martin 55 run (Cummings kick), 9:23.
HP — Devonte Bausby 69 interception return (run failed), 6:30.
HP — B.J. Farrow 9 run (run failed), 1:11.
Third Quarter
VH — Brendon Jones 15 pass from Austin Temple (Terrell Certain run), 9:04.
HP — Phillip Collier 80 run (run failed), 8:10.
HP — Collier 43 run (run failed), 4:36.
