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Late rally by Riverside Vikings comes up short in battle of unbeatens

 
Tagged under: District 2, Gameday Hub, News

| October 3, 2026

Down twenty-one points at halftime furious second half comeback comes up just short for Riverside Vikings Friday night

TAYLOR- In a phenomenal game Friday night at Riverside’s Veterans Memorial Stadium, between two undefeated teams, the Lakeland Chiefs outlasted the Riverside Vikings 3320 in a key Lackawanna Football Conference Division 2 contest, before a packed house.

The win though was costly for the Chiefs as their star quarterback Jackson Pochas had to leave the game via an ambulance in the second half with an apparent leg injury. Stepping up was defensive back and wide receiver Chase Rosenkrans to take over as the signal-caller and threw a late 4th quarter touchdown and caught 5 passes for 66 yards and also ran for an additional 63 yards leading the Chiefs to their sixth win in as many games.

Pochas got the scoring scoring started for Lakeland leading his team down field on the Chiefs opening drive capping off the drive with a three yard scoring run with 7:46 left the opening quarter in a n eight pay drive.

Lakeland the grabbed a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter when running back Evan Lonzinski score around left end. After Poaches picked off Riverside quarterback Brayden Rose with an over-the-head catch to set Lakeland up near the 50 yard line.

Luke McFarland was on the receiving end of a Pochas pass for a 24 yard score making the score 21-0 in favor of the visitor. Before leaving the game Pochas was a perfect seven-for-seven passing for 93 yards and the one touchdown, he also scampered for another 79 yards rushing.

Riverside finally got some offense going late in the half but after Rose scrambled around looking for a receiver threw an ill-fated pass that was picked off near the end zone by Rosenkrans that ended the threat as the teams entered intermission with Lakeland leading 21-0.

The Vikings got on the board with just under two minutes left to play in the third quarter after Rose his feet and his arm to move play near the red zone, Rose found Jared Jackson on a slant and Jackson carried a would-be Lakeland tracker into the end zone from 14 yards out to cut the lead to 21-6 as the PAT was no good

Rose the blocked a Lakeland punt on their ensuing drive. After hooking up with Jackson on a big 33 yard completion down the middle, Rose took it in from 14 yards out making a the score 21-13 with 11:36 left in the contest.

Then Lakeland tried to take the momentum back on their next drive facing a fourth-and-six from the Viking 28, Pochas went over his right side for a ten yard run, is when the injury happened and had to be taken from the field in an ambulance.

Lakeland did rally around Pochas and and continued the march to the end zone as McFarland scored from 4 yards out with 5:10 left to play, the PAT was no good leaving score at 27-13.

After a Rose kickoff return set the home team up out past midfield, Rose went back to work connecting with Tyler Grill on a 25 yard touchdown pass to cut the Chiefs lead to 27-20 withs till 4:25 left in the fourth quarter.

With Rosenkrans leading the way he picked 24 yards on a run then after a pair of personal full calls against the Vikings, facing a fourth down McFarland was on the receiving end of Rosenkrans touchdown pass from 20 yards out out-leaping the Viking defender making the score 33-20 with just under three minutes to play in regulation-

“When Jackson went down, he said to coach to win the game, McFarland said. “Once we heard that, we knew we could.t lose.”

Now with Lakeland at (6-0) will host Honesdale next Friday night. The Hornets(5-1) took down Western Wayne Friday 52-7. Riverside (5-1) will travel to Western Wayne, Friday to face the Wildcats.

 
 
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