Crusaders’ two-way standout puts a cap on Catholic’s sensational season

Lancaster Catholic featured one of the top defensive units in the L-L League this season.

The Crusaders were consistently ranked first or second in the league in total team D practically the entire season.

They took the league’s second-ranked D into last Friday’s PIAA Double-A state semifinal game against West Catholic in arctic Northeast Philly.

But the Crusaders picked a bad night to have perhaps their worst tackling game of the season.

For whatever reason, Lancaster Catholic just couldn’t lock guys up and bring backs down on first contact. West Catholic’s speed probably had a lot to do with that. But even when the Crusaders strung out a ball-carrier, it seemed like he was still able to shake free and get positive yardage.

West Catholic piled up 424 yards – easily the most Lancaster Catholic allowed in a game this season.

Still, the Crusaders had an outstanding run, with 13 wins, a Section 3 title and a District 3 championship. And it was the first time Lancaster Catholic appeared in a state semifinal game.

So there was still much to celebrate after the game – despite the loss.

I caught up with Lancaster Catholic senior two-way terror Nick Schmalhofer when it was all over. In fact, the bleachers were empty and pretty much everyone had cleared out of the place when I was chatting with Nick. We were basically the last ones out of the stadium.

So thanks for sticking around Nick.

In this audio Podcast interview, Schmalhofer puts a wrap on Lancaster Catholic’s great ride and he gives us a recruiting update, which is mighty interesting. So make sure you listen to that.

You can play the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.