Roman Catholic’s Jordan Montgomery and Jameial Lyons bought in and helped rebuild the Cahillites program
Roman's football team had nine seniors sign national letters of intent. Head coach Rick Prete said this is one of the most special groups he has had.
Roman Catholic football coach Rick Prete reflected on this year’s senior class and there were two moments that stood out: getting the team to trust him, then seeing that same belief within one another.
“Last year showed us that talent isn’t the only thing that it will take to get the job done,” Prete said. “Watching them mature and become cohesive and build chemistry, they were willing to do things for the team. Put the team in front of themselves: That helped spark our culture here.”
That culture led nine seniors to be celebrated at a signing day event Wednesday. Gathered inside the school’s Howard Center, underclassmen and parents showed their support toward the class of 2023 recruits who put pen to paper.
Jameial Lyons, one of the top edge rushers in the state, is heading to Penn State. Austin Ramsey, a three-star offensive tackle, signed with the University of Kentucky, and linebacker Jordan Montgomery is staying local at Temple.
The rest of the Cahillites’ signees include Jason Patterson (Duquesne), Mao Howell (Lock Haven), Richard Mosley (Stonehill College), Zahir Harris (Eastern University), Rakeem Refile (Lock Haven), and Jamir Robertson (Central Connecticut State).
“It’s a very gratifying moment, but it’s difficult because this is a great group that we’re losing this year,” Prete told the seniors and the audience. “We are a very tight-knit football family here. I’ll miss just seeing these guys walk around the school and it’s going to be tough.”
» READ MORE: Jameial Lyons committed to a position switch and becoming Penn State’s edge rusher of the future
For a team that finished 3-7 in 2021 and 9-3 this season, Prete couldn’t help but credit a few leaders in Lyons and Montgomery, who both joined the program during their junior years following the closure of Bishop McDevitt.
The two were among others who transferred to Roman, looking to extend their football careers to the next level. But the hardest part, Prete said, was building a new culture that started with trust — and Lyons and Montgomery.
“It was just total buy-in from them,” Prete said. “When the freshmen see guys like Lyons or Montgomery, willing to go play an offensive position or to run harder in practice, they know that if these guys have to do it, I have to do it. Their influence is what helped us the most.”
Whether it’s encouraging the team at practice or staying later to work on drills, the two laid a foundation and standard for the program.
Prete, who met Lyons in the winter of his sophomore year when he weighed about 220 pounds, knew then that the now 6-foot-4, 255 pounder would have a bright future as an edge rusher. Besides size, Lyons encapsulated a high motor and IQ early on.
“He’s a first-round pick,” Prete said. “He’ll be one of the best defensive players in the country. I think he’s such a unique talent. I’ve never seen anything like that, a kid of that physical stature that can do anything.”
» READ MORE: Jameial Lyons committed to a position switch and becoming Penn State’s edge rusher of the future
Montgomery told the crowd he wants to be a “hometown hero” at Temple and set an example.
“I’m trying to change Temple,” Montgomery said. “Trying to turn the whole program around. I want to take it back to where it was winning bowl games and getting recruits to come. I want to do more.”
The 6-2, 220-pound unranked prospect, who had offers from Maryland and Syracuse, originally played on the interior of the defensive line at McDevitt, but Prete noticed with his smaller frame, Montgomery would be better suited as a linebacker in a hybrid role.
“Temple got such a steal of a player,” Prete said. “With his size and his speed and his physicality, I think he offers so much versatility. He can go from that linebacker position to the edge and rush the quarterback. He’s going to be a huge impact player.”
The turnaround that made Roman a playoff team this season stemmed from commitment, time, and a willingness to connect.
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Prete saw that on display for the first time at midseason last year. The McDevitt and Roman kids came together and built chemistry of their own when they took home a 27-20 victory against La Salle, which Roman had not beaten in a number of years.
“It had a lot to do with that group right there,” Prete said, pointing to the nine seniors. “Watching them grow, and when we beat La Salle, they all looked at each other like, ‘We could do this.’”