The soothsayer who coined the phrase "It's Time," the motto for the 1993 Bishop McDevitt Crusaders season, hit the proverbial nail on the head. The Crusaders, building on their first winning season since 1988 (8-3 in 1992), held high expectations for the 1993 campaign. With 9 returning starters, the Crusaders appeared poised to take on the best the Harrisburg area had to offer.
On a sunny, warm Labor Day morning, the Crusaders opened
the season with a bang against rival Middletown. Led by senior quarterback
Pete Susi and senior tailback Wes Davenport, McDevitt racked up 21 points
in the first 8 minutes of the game and rolled to a 49-7 triumph before
an overflow crowd of 5,500 sun drenched fans at McDevitt field.
The Trinity Shamrocks were next on the McDevitt hit list
The Crusaders wasted little time in disposing the Shamrocks by a count
of 42-0 at City Island.
Week 3 brought the Central Dauphin Rams and with it, the Crusader's first Mid-Penn Division I clash. The 4,200 people who braved the steady rain that Friday night at Landis Field witnessed McDevitt's defense posting it's 2nd consecutive shutout in a 10-0 victory.
The Crusaders third consecutive road game brought a new
challenge and with that challenge, the Solanco Golden Mules. A ninety minute
bus ride to the Southeastern Lancaster County school coupled with a quick,
scrappy Solanco squad gave the Crusaders fits in the 1st half as McDevitt
clung to a 21 - 14 lead. Adjustments made by Defensive Coordinator Scott
Feldman coupled with an intense defensive effort enabled the Crusaders
to shut out the Golden Mules the final twenty-four minutes, while the offense
shifted into high gear. Sophomore flanker Raki Nelson grabbed a Susi pass
and rambled 62 yards for a key score. In addition, senior split end Kevin
DeSanto hauled in 8 Susi passes for 2 touchdowns as the Crusaders broke
the Mules' back in a 42-14 victory.
Returning home with a perfect record intact, the Crusaders
faced their stiffest challenge to date, the undefeated Chambersburg Trojans.
Another sunny day and a crowd of 6,000 greeted both squads with excitement.
Following a lightening quick Trojan score on their initial drive, McDevitt
controlled the ball and the tempo the remainder of the first half. The
Crusaders, led by touchdown passes from Susi to DeSanto and Nelson, ran
into the locker room with a 14-7 lead. McDevitt increased their lead on
their first possession of the second half with a 53 yard Susi to Nelson
touchdown connection. At this point, the wheels nearly came off the cart
as Chambersburg scored 3 unanswered touchdowns in a span of less that 3
minutes to take a 28-20 fourth quarter lead. The Crusaders were down but
definitely not out. Following a big defensive hit by junior linebacker
Jemar Coles, the Crusaders marched down the field and scored on senior
tailback Wes Davenport's 1 yard plunge. With 5:35 remaining, Davenport
completed the two point conversion off a swing pass from Susi as the Crusaders
knotted the game at 28. Another electrifying kickoff return by Mic Jones
put the Trojans in position for John Barton to kick a 39 yard field goal
with just under 2 minutes to play. The stage was set for one of the most
fantastic finishes in Mid-Penn history. The Crusaders quickly marched 50
yards in a span of 80 seconds on several huge completions from Susi to
Nelson and DeSanto. With the Crusaders out of timeouts and the clock ticking
in single digits, Susi calmly stepped up in the pocket and hit DeSanto
for a 23 yard game winning score. Bedlam engulfed McDevitt Field as the
Crusaders won their 5th straight game 34-31.
Injuries and a lackluster effort by the Crusaders kept week six's contest interesting. McDevitt's defense did manage to stop a winless, but determined Red Land squad repeatedly. The Crusaders emerged with a 28-7 triumph as Kevin DeSanto and Julio Scherrer each had 2 touchdowns.
Week seven arrived with the backward rival Harrisburg
Cougars as 8,000 fans jammed McDevitt field. The Crusaders took the opening
kickoff and marched 80 yards, scoring on a Davenport I yard run around
left end. Harrisburg came right back to score on their initial drive to
make the score 7-6 McDevitt. It looked as if the Crusaders, held on 4th
and four at the Cougars' 12 yard line in the second quarter, were going
to take a 1 point lead into the locker room. However, McDevitt mistakenly
intercepted a fourth down Brian Lemelle pass at its own 7 yard line rather
than batting it down and taking possession at the line of scrimmage, which
was the 35 yard line. The Cougars, then forcing McDevitt to punt out of
its own end zone, were able to add a late score and two point conversion
for a 14-7 halftime lead. The momentum stayed with Harrisburg in the 2nd
half as they took the kickoff and marched in for a 2 touchdown lead. The
Cougars speed overwhelmed the Crusaders in the second half as McDevitt
fell to defeat for the first time 48-7, leaving a 4-way tie for the lead
in Mid-Penn Division I.
The Crusaders rebounded nicely the following week at Cottage Hill against the Steel-High Rollers. Wes Davenport sparked the McDevitt offense, scoring four touchdowns in a 35-12 win. The victory did however, prove costly for McDevitt. Kevin DeSanto, the area's leader in receptions, suffered a season ending broken jaw. The Crusaders did receive some good news on the bus ride home when they passed Severance Field, the site of the just finished Harrisburg-Chambersburg contest. The scoreboard read 13-13, which meant that McDevitt and Cumberland Valley were headed on a collision course for the Mid-Penn title the final game of the season.
Week nine brought rain and lots of it. The Carlisle Thundering Herd showed up, but the Crusaders came to play. A 33-0 demolition of the Herd seemed to signal the Crusaders were back in mid-season form. The McDevitt defense limited the Herd to 29 total offensive yards in the contest.
McDevitt's last road game was a return trip to West Shore
Stadium to take on the Cedar Cliff Colts. The defense, led by linebacker
Mike Thornton and a front four that was second to none in Mid-Penn Division
I, shut out the vaunted Colt offense as McDevitt soared to a 25-0 victory.
For the second time in 3 weeks, the Crusaders lost the area's leader in
receptions. This time Raki Nelson went down with a broken ankle after making
a tremendous catch and run of a Susi pass.
The table was now set for the Mid-Penn Championship game against defending champion Cumberland Valley. All 8,000 fans surrounding McDevitt Field realized that for McDevitt to win the title, their defense was going to have to rise to the occasion. The high-powered area-leading McDevitt offense was missing some explosive weapons. Not only were the two top receivers in the league out of uniform, all 3 McDevitt tailbacks were injured. Wes Davenport and sophomore Jordan Scott both saw limited action due to leg injuries, while junior Julio Scherrer's neck injury was given clearance. Likewise, Cumberland Valley's quarterback & safety Askari Adams was coming off an injured leg, which forced him to miss the previous week's game.
The Crusaders came to play, capping off a 1 st quarter
drive with a Pete Susi touchdown for 7-0 lead. The drive was highlighted
by receiver Pat McEIwee's four catches for 45 yards. Cumberland Valley
put together a long drive of their own late in the 2nd quarter, to forge
a 7-7 halftime tie. Typical of a great championship game, the hitting was
fierce throughout. McDevitt took the 2nd half kickoff and marched for the
leading score, a 2 yard touchdown rollout keeper by Susi. The Eagles struck
back quickly to tie it at 14-14 with a two play touchdown drive, highlighted
by a 73 yard pass from Adams to Mic Sadler. McDevitt came right back, driving
inside the ten on another Susi keeper, but a holding call forced a field
goal attempt that went wide. Midway through the 4th quarter, the Crusaders
put together what looked to be a championship drive. On 4th and goal at
the three, Coach Four Chapman elected for a 21 yard Susi field goal and
a 17-14 lead with 5:18 remaining. Once again, the Eagles clawed back. On
the first play from scrimmage following a Chad Brenneman kickoff return
past midfield, Scott Robertson put the Eagles back in front 21 - 17 with
a 44 yard buck sweep around right end. The Crusaders fought back, driving
to midfield before a Susi slant pass caromed off the hands of junior receiver
Toronto Dykes and into the hands of the Eagles' Sadlet, who returned the
theft to the 15 yard line. The interception sealed the Crusaders' fate
as McDevitt's hopes of its first Mid-Penn title since 1985 vanished in
the lightly falling rain.
The 1993 Bishop McDevitt Football Team equaled their best regular season record (9-2) since 1985. The campaign was indeed a memorable one. This team's accomplishments provided a measuring stick for the future teams and a stepping stone for the 1994 squad.
-Coach Rick Pierce
Mid-Penn Division I 1st Team