St. Joseph's Prep beats La Salle in a playoff classic: Live updates recap

St. Joe's grinds out a win to avenge earlier loss and advance in the PIAA high school football postseason

St. Joseph's Prep will try to avenge its regular-season loss to La Salle College on Saturday in the Pennsylvania high school football playoffs. / Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports

La Salle College plays St. Joseph's Prep on Saturday in a Pennsylvania (PIAA) high school football playoff game that feels worthy of the state championship game.

But we're only in Round 2.

La Salle beat St. Joseph's Prep by one point during the regular season in one of the best high school football games in the nation in 2024.

The Explorers prevailed 35-34 after four overtimes when star junior Joey O'Brien completed the winning two-point conversion to Des Ortiz on a trick play to end the game.

So Round 2 of 2024 in Round 2 of the playoffs is sure to be full of fireworks.

The Explorers and Hawks are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET Saturday. Tickets are sold out.

Follow along here for live updates from pregame until the final whistle.

FINAL: St. Joseph's Prep 21, La Salle 14

4TH QUARTER

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Sidwar's fourth-down pass falls incomplete, and barring a miracle, this one will end 21-14.

La Salle has 1:46 to go 73 yards with no timeouts, trailing 21-14.

St. Joe's punting from its own 31 with two minutes left. Another overtime game?

Big first-down run for Khyan Billups, and La Salle will have to start using its timeouts. Less than three minutes left.

TOUCHDOWN LA SALLE! Joey O'Brien catches a bomb from Gavin Sidwar and cruises into the end zone for a 66-yard touchdown. It's 21-14 St. Joe's with 4:47 left.

TOUCHDOWN ST. JOE'S! Khyan Billups bullies his way into the end zone from 10 yards out to complete a long drive. It's 21-7 Hawks with 6:45 left.

St. Joe's starts the quarter with a first down, as the Hawks advance into La Salle territory, leading 14-7.

3RD QUARTER

END OF 3RD QUARTER: St. Joe's 14, La Salle 7

INTERCEPTION! Masiia Acrey gets a pick in the end zone on fourth down, and St. Joe's takes over on its own 20 with 33 seconds left, leading 14-7.

FIELD GOAL NO GOOD! A weird drive full of penalties and drops ends with a 41-yard Leo Ricci field goal into the wind that falls short. It's 14-7 St. Joe's with 4:58 left, La Salle ball on the 20.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Bad snap on fourth down and St. Joe's takes over on the La Salle 38, leading 14-7 with 8:39 left.

La Salle starts with the ball on its own 21, trailing 14-7. We'll see if the two offenses explode in the second half like they did in the regular-season meeting.

2ND QUARTER

HALFTIME: St. Joe's 14, La Salle 7

Sidwar with another punt, but La Salle is furious no roughing-the-punter penalty was called. St. Joe's Prep ball on its own 10 with two minutes left, leading 14-7.

INTERCEPTION! Joey O'Brien grabs a pick on fourth down that he would have been better off letting drop. La Salle ball on its own 17 with 4:38 left, trailing 14-7.

Cam Smith with a big sack on third and 3 and La Salle has to punt from its own 45. Another great kick by QB Gavin Sidwar, and the Hawks take over on their own 4 with 9:19 left, leading 14-7.

TOUCHDOWN ST. JOE'S! That was quick. Rameir Hardy makes a 59-yard touchdown catch from Charlie Foulke and it's 14-7 Hawks with 11:21 left.

TOUCHDOWN LA SALLE! Joey O'Brien makes an incredible catch and sprints for the corner of the end zone from 30 yards out. It's 7-7 with 11:35 left.

1ST QUARTER

END OF 1ST QUARTER: St. Joe's 7, La Salle 0

Justin Hawkins destroys Charlie Foulke on a blitz to force a St. Joe's punt. La Salle ball on the Hawks' 40, 1:20 left, trailing 7-0.

Explorers line up like they're going for it on fourth down, but QB Gavin Sidwar punts to the St. Joe's 11. It's 7-0 St. Joe's with 5:25 left.

Julian McFadden is playing for La Salle, and he gets his first catch early. Joey O'Brien follows that up with a first-down grab and the Explorers are nearing St. Joe's territory.

TOUCHDOWN ST. JOE'S! Khyan Billups plunges in from a yard out on fourth and goal to make it 7-0 Hawks with 8:27 left.

The rematch is underway! Huge kickoff return for St. Joe's Prep to start the game, and the Hawks start with the ball on the La Salle 20.

PREGAME

La Salle and St. Joe's Prep finished No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in the final regular-season SBLive/SI Pennsylvania Top 25.

The game will be loaded with Power 4 talent, including 6-foot-3 La Salle WR/DB Joey O'Brien — the top-ranked junior prospect in the state — and freshman Hawks WR Jett Harrison, one of the best Class of 2028 prospects in the nation.

O'Brien covered Harrison all game when these two teams met in October.

St. Joe's Prep has two senior Ohio State commits in running back Isaiah West and Maxwell Roy, but both are out for the season with injuries.

The Hawks' defense is led by senior linebackers Cam Smith (Penn State commit) and Anthony Sacca (Notre Dame commit).

Junior La Salle quarterback Gavin Sidwar has had a phenomenal season spreading the ball around, and he'll hope to have WR Julian McFadden (Syracuse commit) available, who's questionable with an injury he suffered in the third game of the season.

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports