Pochas Kick Return Leads Cheifs To 25-18 Win Over West Scranton

By: Jared Samuel  |  October 19, 2024

Lakeland got a much needed win as they held off a late rally to defeat West Scranton 25-18 in Lackawanna Conference play.

Senior K Ryan Bianchi got the Chiefs on the board first with a 29-yard field goal in the 1st quarter, and the Chiefs defense added a safety early in the 2nd quarter to make it 5-0 for Lakeland. Junior QB David Naniewicz also scored on a 1-yard run to give Lakeland an 11-0 lead at the half.

West Scranton made a determined 3rd quarter effort to get back in the game, scoring 2 TD's to take a 12-11 lead. The 4th quarter was a wild one. Naniewicz hit Sophomore WR Chase Rosenkrans for a 25-yard score as Lakeland took the lead 18-12, but the Invaders roared back to tie the game at 18 with 6:36 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Lakeland Freshman WR Jackson Pochas returned the kick 84 yards for the winning score as the Chiefs held on for the victory.