From the Achieves: Originally published on Jeric’s Lackawanna Sports, a website I operated from 2000 to 2005. Written in November 2002.
Written By: Jeric’s Yurkanin
Snow poured down over Lakeland High School Stadium as temperatures continued to fall. Football fans arrived carrying heavy blankets, bundled together in the stands as Friday night in Jermyn began to feel more like a game at Green Bay’s legendary Lambeau Field.
The field was completely covered in white—not a blade of grass could be seen. Players bundled up beneath their helmets and stretched every muscle during pregame warmups, knowing they had a long, bitterly cold night ahead of them.
None of it seemed to bother Lakeland’s Brian Hilling.
The powerful tailback rushed for 216 yards on 27 carries and scored two touchdowns, leading the Chiefs to a 36–16 victory and their third consecutive division championship.
“The linemen made the big holes, and that made my job easy,” Hilling said. “I wanted to succeed.”
Hilling cut left, darted right and used spin moves whenever Montrose defenders closed in on him. When there was nowhere else to run, he lowered his shoulders and fought for every yard he could find.
“He ran really hard, and the offensive line came off the ball,” assistant coach Cavanaugh said. “He has rushed for about 800 yards over the last five games. That’s a great effort by a tailback.”
During the final stretch of the season, Hilling became the engine that powered Lakeland’s offense.
The game opened with an explosion from Montrose. On only the third play, tailback Tom Burge broke free and sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown. Burge stepped into a larger role because Montrose’s leading rusher, Joe Cosmello, was sidelined with an injury.
Burge finished the game with 127 yards on 13 carries.
Despite Montrose striking first, Lakeland quickly took control and carried a 20–8 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Chiefs turned to their ground game—and never looked back. Lakeland did not attempt a single pass, instead pounding the football down the field with a relentless rushing attack. On one possession, the Chiefs controlled the ball for approximately 13 minutes before finally finishing the drive with a touchdown.
Montrose senior Matt Remington knew the final minutes of his high school football career were disappearing from the scoreboard. With 11:13 remaining, he refused to let his final game end without reaching the end zone.
Remington took the ball from 11 yards out and sprinted across the goal line.
“I didn’t leave the game empty,” he said as he returned to the sideline with a smile on his face.
Lakeland’s defense stepped up throughout the second half. With 2:16 remaining, the Chiefs forced a fumble, and Chris Bennett recovered the football at the 30-yard line.
“Everyone came out fired up,” Lakeland linebacker Jimmy Yesalavage said. “Everyone played their own position and didn’t worry about anyone else.”
Jake Rogowski was also proud of how the Chiefs handled the difficult conditions.
“We played very well considering the weather,” Rogowski said. “We held onto the ball well in the second half.”
As the final seconds disappeared from the snow-covered scoreboard, Lakeland walked away with a commanding 36–16 victory over Montrose.
On a frozen Friday night that looked like Lambeau Field, the Chiefs didn’t allow the snow, mud or bitter cold to stop them.
They ran directly through it—and straight into the record books with their third consecutive division championship.
Leave a Reply