La Salle secured a 34-7 victory over Chatham/Ichabod Crane in their Section 2 Class B football clash on Friday night at La Salle Institute in Troy. The Cadets combined a sharp passing attack, an effective running game, and opportunistic special teams to extend their winning momentum ahead of the playoffs.
Quarterback Jason Poremba was at the centre of La Salle’s offence, throwing three touchdown passes while avoiding mistakes in the pocket. He completed seven passes for 139 yards, connecting with three different receivers for scores. On the opening play of the second quarter, Poremba found Cam Zillgitt for a 25-yard touchdown that gave La Salle a 20-7 lead. Later, Poremba caught a 51-yard touchdown pass and run from Anthony Catricala.
The game was tied at 7-7 late in the first quarter when Poremba hit Zillgitt on a 27-yard pass to the Chatham/Ichabod Crane six-yard line. Three plays later, Emmett Mahar caught a middle screen from Poremba and broke through the defence to put La Salle ahead for good with 2:31 left in the first quarter. Mahar had earlier scored on a 16-yard touchdown run on La Salle’s second possession.
La Salle’s special teams also made a decisive impact. In the third quarter, Zach Pelkey blocked a Chatham/Ichabod Crane punt near the goal line, and John Mullinio recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 27-7. The Cadets capitalised on turnovers, converting 14 points off mistakes by their opponents, including a first-quarter fumble recovery that set up the opening touchdown.
Chatham/Ichabod Crane’s lone touchdown came from running back Sam Antalek, who rushed for 106 yards and broke free for a 67-yard score in the first quarter. Despite his efforts, the team struggled to contain La Salle’s balanced attack and failed to match their opponent’s intensity.
La Salle coach Mark Galuski praised the team’s overall performance but acknowledged some physical lapses. “I think we are playing pretty good, we have some spots where we are loose physically but it is high school football,” he said. Galuski noted that Chatham/Ichabod Crane’s man-to-man defence forced his team to adjust their strategy, leading to quicker passes mixed with the run game.
Poremba credited the offensive line for their work against a blitz-heavy defence. “Our O-line played great, we knew they were going to blitz all game, playing man to man,” he said. “We had their secondary coming up so we ran play action and double moves and they were wide open.” Galuski added that Poremba’s development as a quarterback was evident, with both player and coach holding high expectations.
La Salle (5-2, 3-1 Section 2 Class B) will face Averill Park on the road next Friday, a game that will test their readiness ahead of the playoffs. Chatham/Ichabod Crane (2-5, 0-4) will close the regular season by hosting Green Tech next Friday.
According to Yahoo Sports.
