S. CANAAN TWP. — Lakeland bounced back from consecutive losses and defeated Western Wayne, 42-14, in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division II game Friday night.
Led by Luke McFarland, who accounted for 300 yards of total offense (180 rushing, 120 receiving), the No. 9 Chiefs overpowered the Wildcats from the start.
After McFarland took a pop pass from quarterback Chase Rosenkrans and bolted 55 yards, Evan Lonzinski capped off the 9-play opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
McFarland padded Lakeland’s lead with a 69-yard touchdown run off a direct snap on the fourth play of the Chiefs’ next possession.
“Our line blocked incredibly the whole time,” McFarland said. “We put in our best effort every play.”
It was nearly a carbon copy on Lakeland’s following possession when McFarland took another direct snap on the fourth play of the drive and scampered 64 yards for a touchdown.
“I couldn’t ask for better blocks and when I see that hole, I just try my best to get in the end zone,” McFarland said.
Lonzinski opened the scoring in the second half with a 21-yard touchdown run with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter
Then, after McFarland recovered a Western Wayne fumble forced by Landon Widzon, Rosenkrans found the end zone on an 11-yard run with 1:49 left in the third. Rosenkrans connected with Lonzinski for the 2-point conversion.
Rosenkrans, the school’s all-time leading receiver, credited the tutelage of Rocco Spartaro, who was the team’s starting quarterback before suffering an injury before the first game, and Jackson Pochas, who switched from wide receiver to quarterback this season before suffering his own injury in Week 6, for helping him adapt to the quarterback position.
“They are mentoring me each practice,” he said. “The game is starting to slow down, so it’s getting a little bit easier back there. I thought all 11 guys on the field played great. It’s nice that these guys have faith in me.”
Western Wayne (4-5 overall, 1-3 division) got on the scoreboard when Jake Grodack found Jason Sparks for a 15-yard touchdown with 10:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Lakeland (7-2, 2-2) quickly answered when Rosenkrans hit McFarland for a 28-yard touchdown, which the junior hauled in despite being interfered with on the play.Rosenkrans connected with Nathan Boyarsky for the 2-point conversion.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” Lakeland head coach Dave Piwowarczyk said of McFarland. “He’s receiving some Division I interest, and you can see why. The sky is still the limit for him.”
Western Wayne added a late touchdown on a 1-yard run by Josh Figueroa.
As Lakeland prepares for the District 2 Class 2A playoffs in a few weeks, following a matchup with Dunmore, Piwowarczyk praised his players for rallying together.
“It started at the beginning of the year when we lost Rocco,” he said. “The team came together and we had a goal in mind to get to where we were last year. Then, losing Jackson kind of took the wind out of our sail. In 2A football, anytime you go through four quarterbacks, that’s going to make a difference, but I said it from the beginning of the year, this team is very resilient. I’ve had these guys since they were in seventh grade and I love them. They’re willing to do anything, every kid is willing to step up.”