Spataro leads Chiefs to a dominating win over Chargers in Week 2 LFC showdown
CHAPMAN LAKE − Carbondale Area’s Jeff Arthur had this Week 2 Lackawanna Football Conference battle with Lakeland circled on the calendar before the season even began.
In his second year as head coach, he knew that his Chargers would learn a great deal about themselves by their performance on the road against the high-flying Chiefs.
“It’s going to be a really good barometer for us,” Coach Arthur said. “Lakeland has a very good team. They’re well-coached and they have have some outstanding football players.”
Unfortunately for Carbondale fans, one of those players is quarterback Dominico Spataro. The senior signal caller was just about unstoppable Friday night before a big crowd at Chapman Lake.
Spataro shredded the young Chargers defense, throwing for more than 200 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. He also broke loose on a scintillating, highlight reel scramble that covered 60 yards.
Tight end Lacota Dippre was on the receiving end of three scoring tosses. Riley Rovinski and Jon Seamans snagged one each.
“Dominico is the best quarterback in the entire league,” Lakeland skipper Dave Piwowarczyk said. “He can make every throw plus beat you with his legs.”
Staked to an eye-popping 44-0 lead at intermission, Lakeland cruised to an eventual 52-7 victory.
What it Means
Lakeland passed its second big test of the young LFC season with flying colors.
Last week, the Chiefs hammered pre-season favorite Scranton Prep, 41-14, in a shockingly lopsided contest. This week, Coach Piwowarczyk's lads made mincemeat of their oldest rival ... and they did so in brutally efficient fashion using a deadly aerial assault and a stingy defense.
Spataro received outstanding protection from his line, enabling him to sit calmly in the pocket and wait for routes to develop. And when they did, his throws resembled laser-guided missiles. His first touchdown was lofted beautifully along the home sideline to Rovinsky. The second was a dart right down the middle of the field to Seamans. Then came three straight to his favorite target, Dippre, who's already receiving overtures from multiple NCAA Division I schools.
Defensively, Lakeland hassled Carbondale quarterback Darryl Bennett from the very first snap. Every time he dropped back to pass, the southpaw signal caller was chased from the pocket and forced to throw on the run. Bennett did receive help from the likes of tailback Jonathan Orta and wideout Malachi DeBarry, but the positive plays were few and far between.
So, what does it all mean?
Well, for Lakeland Friday night's performance serves notice to the rest of the LFC (and District 2) that this team is already hitting on all cylinders. Barring injuries to key players or an upset of monumental proportions, the Chiefs are officially odds-on favorites to claim Division II title.
For Carbondale, this loss means that Coach Arthur's squad still has quite a bit of ground to cover before it can truly compete with the "big boys." The Chargers are young, enthusiastic and athletic. However, they're also raw, inexperienced and inconsistent. With eight more games to play this fall, a .500 finish is probably their most realistic goal.
Key Plays
Where to begin?
Lakeland scored less than a minute into Friday's game from 35 yards out. The Chiefs then tallied on their second possession following a Charger punt. After forcing a fumble deep in their own territory, they made it 21-0 with 1:01 left in the opening stanza.
The Chiefs upped their advantage to 23-0 when senior captain Adam Wormuth sacked Bennett in his own endzone for a safety. Senior running back Evan Pochas then got into the act, bulling his way across the goal line from a yard out. From that point on it was the Spataro-to-Dippre show as Lakeland took a 44-0 lead at halftime.
For Carbondale, Orta notched his team's lone score via a six-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the second half. DeBarry brought a roar from the visitors' sideline with a nifty 35-yard scamper off a reverse. Sadly for the Pioneer City faithful, though, the drive fizzled when Lakeland held on fourth down.
What's Next?
Lakeland (2-0) travels to Taylor next Friday for a divisional clash with Riverside. The Vikings (1-1) is coming off its first win of the season, a 30-8 thrashing of Mid Valley.
Carbondale Area (0-2) puts out the proverbial welcome mat for Hanover Area in a non-conference game. The Hawkeyes (1-1) suffered a 49-14 beatdown at the hands of Tunkhannock Friday night.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Carbondale Area football falls to Lakeland in annual rivalry game
