La Salle stormed to a decisive 34-7 victory over Chatham/Ichabod Crane on Friday night, a win built on a smooth, efficient offense, a stout defense, and an opportunistic special teams unit. The Cadets, already locked into a postseason spot, were clearly looking to build some serious October momentum as the regular season winds down, and they absolutely delivered.
Jason Poremba Is Dialed In
Quarterback Jason Poremba put on a clinic, throwing for three touchdowns and playing mistake-free football. He was super efficient, completing seven passes for 139 yards. That kind of clean play is exactly what you want from your signal-caller heading into the playoffs. He hit Cam Zillgitt for a 25-yard score right at the top of the second quarter, pushing the lead to 20-7. Later, Poremba found Anthony Catricola for a huge 51-yard touchdown catch and run. Coach Mark Galuski even said, “Jason is getting a lot better, we started slow but our expectations of him are very high.” Poremba himself knew what was up, crediting the O-line saying, “Our O-line played great, we knew they were going to blitz all game, playing man-to-man.” He added they “ran play action and double moves and they were wide open.” When your QB sees the field like that, good things happen.
Defense & Special Teams Are Making Teams Pay
While Poremba was slinging it, the defense and special teams were out there making game-changing plays. La Salle’s special teams unit absolutely got in on the scoring in the third quarter when Zach Pelkey blocked a Chatham/Ichabod Crane punt near the goal line, and then teammate John Mullinio scooped it up right on the goal line for another touchdown. That play pushed the lead to 27-7, and it was electric. But that wasn’t the only time they capitalized on an opponent’s mistake. La Salle scored 14 points directly off turnovers! A first-quarter fumble recovery on a muffed punt led to the game’s opening touchdown. Earlier, when the game was tied 7-7 late in the first quarter, Poremba connected with Zillgitt for a 27-yard pass. Three plays later, Emmett Mahar caught a middle screen from Poremba and found a lane to the end zone from the 15-yard line, putting La Salle ahead for good with 2:31 left in the first. That go-ahead score was actually Mahar’s second touchdown of the quarter, after his 16-yard run on their second possession.
Emmett Mahar knows what’s up, saying, “We played very well, our linemen have really improved since June and July.” He’s not wrong. That kind of improvement from the big guys upfront is huge. As a team, they are definitely “very excited for next week” against Averill Park. Chatham/Ichabod Crane’s Sam Antalek did break free for a 67-yard scamper and their only touchdown, rushing for 106 yards total, but La Salle’s defense otherwise shut things down.
The Cadets are playing good football, mixing their running game effectively with the passing attack. They’re clicking right now, and that’s the kind of momentum you want to carry into the postseason. Heading into next week’s game at Averill Park, these guys are showing everyone they mean business. What can they pull off next?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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