North Catholic holds on to beat Deer Lakes in 1st round

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, November 1, 2024 | 10:30 PM

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Listed at 5-foot-4, Will Waskiewicz is the smallest player on North Catholic’s roster, but he made the biggest play of the night.

With less than 15 seconds remaining, Waskiewicz leaped high in the air to intercept a pass in the end zone and preserve a 21-14 upset victory for No. 11 North Catholic over No. 6 Deer Lakes in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs Friday night.

“I saw the quarterback (Jake Fleischer) turn my way and pump the ball, and I said to myself, ‘All right this is my moment,’ ” Waskiewicz said. “Once I saw the ball in the air, I knew it was overthrown, so I went up and made a play.”

The Trojans (5-6) advanced to play at No. 3 Elizabeth Forward next Friday in the quarterfinals. Deer Lakes finished 8-3.

Deer Lakes got the football near midfield with more than a minute remaining and drove down to the North Catholic 12 prior to the game-ending turnover.

Waskiewicz’s interception finished off an exceptional second half for the North Catholic defense. The Trojans trailed 14-6 at halftime but forced three turnovers and did not allow a point over the final two quarters.

Louie Iaquinta had an interception on Deer Lakes’ first possession in the first half, and the Trojans recovered a fumble on a backwards pass late in the third quarter.

“We had opportunities throughout the night, but we just didn’t take advantage of them,” Deer Lakes coach Tim Burk said. “It’s tough to lose like this, but (North Catholic) is a good football team that did some things at the right moments. My kids battled. They never quit, and that’s all I can ask. I’m going to miss these seniors.”

North Catholic scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead.

Logan Schade scored from 4 yards, and Joey Felitsky connected with Jack White on a 2-point conversion to tie the score. Schade also had a 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

On North Catholic’s next possession after tying the game, Felitsky found Tom Arth for a 10-yard touchdown, which proved to be the winning score.

“You don’t love to admit this, but we’ve been playing from behind more than we’d care to this year, so it is a position our guys are familiar with,” North Catholic coach Chris Rizzo said. “We just had an added emphasis to eliminate the mistakes that we could control. That group in that locker room has been waiting for this. We’ve been hardened by a very tough schedule, and that showed up tonight in the final stretch.”

The Lancers scored twice in the span of 10 seconds early in the second quarter.

Evan Grant scored on a run from 4 yards, and Noah Shurina’s extra point gave the Lancers a 7-6 lead.

The score was set up by Evan Moore, who intercepted a Felitsky pass near midfield with less than five seconds remaining in the first.

On the kickoff after the Grant touchdown, North Catholic returner Ryan Snyder ran into a pile of Lancers and Nathaniel Moore took the ball away from him, then ran into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.

The two Lancers scores came within 10 seconds of each other.

Friday’s win was North Catholic’s first postseason triumph since a WPIAL runner-up finish in 2021.

“It feels amazing,” Waskiewicz said. “Last year we got killed (49-0 by Trinity) in the first round, and that was a horrible feeling. I never wanted to feel that way again. To do what we did today is awesome, and it just makes you want to do it again.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect North Catholic’s trip to the WPIAL finals in 2021.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Deer Lakes, North Catholic