Originally written November 4, 2002, for Jeric’s Lackawanna Sports
By Jeric Yurkanin
Snow poured beneath the lights at Lakeland High School Stadium on Friday night.
The temperature continued falling as football fans wrapped themselves in blankets and crowded together in the stands. For one frozen evening in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the stadium looked and felt more like Green Bay’s legendary Lambeau Field.
The grass had completely disappeared beneath a thick blanket of snow.
Players wore extra layers and hoods beneath their helmets. During pregame warmups, they stretched every muscle in their bodies, knowing the snow, wind and cold would become another opponent.
None of it seemed to bother Lakeland running back Brian Hilling.
Hilling cut, spun and powered his way across the snow-covered field for 216 yards on 27 carries. He scored two touchdowns and carried the Chiefs to a 36–16 victory over Montrose—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 did more than succeed.
He made cuts to the left and right. He spun away whenever Montrose’s defense closed around him. When there was no opening, he lowered his shoulders and fought for every yard the Meteors would allow him to take.
“He ran really hard when the offensive line came off the ball,” Lakeland assistant coach Cavanaugh said. “He rushed for about 800 yards in the last five games. That’s a great effort by a tailback.
“In the last couple of games, he has really carried this team on offense.”
Before Hilling could take control, Montrose delivered the game’s first big strike.
On only the third play, Meteors running back Tom Burge burst through Lakeland’s defense and sprinted 80 yards for a touchdown.
Montrose was playing without leading rusher Joe Cosmello, who watched from the sideline because of an injury. Burge accepted the responsibility and finished with 127 yards on only 13 carries.
His early touchdown briefly stunned the Chiefs.
Lakeland quickly recovered.
The Chiefs answered by controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing Hilling to take over the game. By halftime, Lakeland had built a 20–8 advantage.
During the second half, the Chiefs didn’t attempt a single pass.
They didn’t need to.
Lakeland placed the game—and the division championship—into the hands of its offensive line and running backs. The Chiefs pounded the football through the snow, kept the clock moving and consumed nearly 13 minutes on one punishing touchdown drive.
Montrose understood its season was slipping away.
With 11 minutes and 13 seconds remaining, senior Matt Remington knew his high school football career was nearing its end. He refused to walk away without one final memory.
Remington broke free and sprinted 11 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.
“I didn’t leave the game empty,” he said.
Then he returned to the Montrose sideline with a smile on his face.
The Meteors continued fighting, but Lakeland’s defense refused to allow the game to become any closer.
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. “They played their own positions and didn’t worry about anyone else.”
That discipline made the difference.
The snow made it difficult to run, cut or hold onto the football, but Lakeland adjusted to the conditions. The Chiefs protected the ball, controlled the line of scrimmage and allowed their ground game to wear down Montrose.
“We played very well in the weather conditions,” Jake Rogowski said. “We held onto the ball well in the second half.”
As the final seconds disappeared, the snow continued falling.
Lakeland’s players began celebrating on a field where no grass could be seen. The scoreboard provided the final result:
Lakeland 36, Montrose 16.
The Chiefs had survived the cold.
They had survived Burge’s 80-yard touchdown.
They had ridden Hilling’s 216 rushing yards to another victory.
Most importantly, Lakeland had captured its third consecutive division championship.
The snow covered every blade of grass inside the stadium—but it couldn’t hide the path Hilling had carved through the Montrose defense.
His footprints were everywhere.
And they led Lakeland directly to another championship.
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