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Abdur-Rahman stars as state title game nears

It hasn't seemed to matter on which side of the ball Jamal Abdur-Rahman has lined up for the La Salle football team.

It hasn't seemed to matter on which side of the ball Jamal Abdur-Rahman has lined up for the La Salle football team.

Whether the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder has been carrying the ball on offense or playing cornerback on defense, he has been a key contributor, especially in the postseason.

In four playoff games - the Catholic League championship game, the District 12 title game and two PIAA state playoff games - Abdur-Rahman has excelled.

And coach Drew Gordon will count heavily on him Saturday night when the Explorers play State College for the PIAA Class AAAA title at 7 at HersheyPark Stadium. A win would make the Explorers (13-1) the first District 12 team to win an AAAA state title.

In the state semifinals, a 35-7 romp over District 1 champ Ridley on Saturday, Abdur-Rahman rushed 21 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 20 yards.

Against St. Joseph's Prep in La Salle's 35-28 victory in the the Catholic League championship game Nov. 20, Abdur-Rahman caught two TD passes and a key two-point conversion pass to tie the game 28-28 early in the fourth quarter.

In the District 12 title game against Washington on Nov. 28, he scooped up a fumble and ran 36 yards for a TD, rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries, and caught a 44-yard TD pass as La Salle won, 31-20.

And Abdur-Rahman didn't let a snow-covered field deter him against District 11 champ Easton in the state quarterfinal Dec. 5. In the Explorers' 17-14 win, he rushed for 61 yards on 17 carries and sealed the win with an interception in the fourth quarter.

- Don Beideman