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Defense Has Been Key For Seton-LaSalle's Strong Start As Rebels Begin Conference Play This Weekend

The Rebels will host the Washington Prexies on Friday.

Winning has become a commonality for the .  Coming off a 9-3 record in 2010, including a 6-1 mark in the WPIAL AA Century League, the Rebels have put themselves in familiar territory so far this season with a 2-0 record as they open up conference-play this weekend.

The Rebels won two big games on the road to begin their 2011 season, including a 30-0 shutout over Shady Side Academy, much to the satisfaction of head coach Greg Perry.

“Getting two wins early brings some confidence to our team.  Shady Side is going to be a playoff team, so playing well against them was solid.  So far, so good.”

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The story so far has been the defense, which controlled both games this season.  Led by Jamie Miller, the Rebels have used their size and physicality to dominate opposing offenses.  With eight returning starters on the defensive side, the Rebels have the experience advantage on most teams, and it’s shown so far this season.

“Our first team defense hasn’t yielded a point yet.  We’re big and physical and get to the ball quick.  We have a lot of guys who have played real well for us so far, and our secondary is getting better and better every day.  We’re encouraged by our early performance.”

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They’ll need to continue their improvement as they open up conference play this weekend against a Washington Prexies team who is coming off a 44-13 win over Apollo Ridge last week.  They return plenty of skill players and athletes, including junior quarterback Josh Wise, junior tailback Jaylin Kelly, senior tailback Jordan Thomas, and senior tight ends Joe Phillips and Eric Ellis.

Though certainly talented, the Prexies are relatively inexperienced at the offensive and defensive lines, something that could prove detrimental to their success in the Century Conference, beginning with this Friday’s matchup against Seton LaSalle, which was the preseason favorite by most to win the conference.

Despite the Prexies’ lack of experience in some areas, Perry is aware of the talent that Washington’s coach Mike Bosnic has in his corner.

“We’re definitely going to have to bring our best game against Washington this week.  They’re a good, solid team with great team speed.”

In addition to defense, the Rebels will continue to look for leadership, both on and off the field, from senior outside linebacker/running back Kevin Hart.  As a junior last season, Hart finished seventh in the WPIAL on the ground with 1,335 yards and scored 26 touchdowns (second most in the district).

Friday night’s game against Washington will be Seton LaSalle’s home-opener.  The Rebels were 4-1 at Rebel Athletic Field last season.

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