Grab the Rope: Lakeland Outlasts Riverside 33-20 in Emotional Battle of Unbeatens
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | October 3, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
TAYLOR — Two unbeaten teams walked into Riverside on Friday night. Only one was leaving that way.
Sportzwire No. 3 Lakeland and No. 4 Riverside brought matching 5-0 records into one of the biggest games of the District 2 weekend, and for much of the night, the Chiefs looked firmly in control.
Then came a fourth quarter that tested Lakeland in ways that had little to do with the scoreboard.
The Chiefs emerged with a 33-20 victory, moving to 6-0 after holding off a Riverside comeback and rallying around senior Jackson Pochas, who suffered a significant leg injury late in the game.
Before the emotion of the fourth quarter took over, Pochas had been at the center of Lakeland’s fast start.
He opened the scoring on a 3-yard run before Evan Lonzinski punched in a 6-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Pochas then connected with Luke McFarland for a 24-yard score, sending Lakeland into halftime with a commanding 21-0 advantage.
Riverside had an answer after the break.
Quarterback Brayden Rose found Jared Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Rose then scored from 16 yards out early in the fourth, and suddenly the Vikings had trimmed a three-touchdown deficit to 21-13.
The momentum had shifted.
Then the atmosphere changed entirely.
Pochas went down with a leg injury midway through the fourth quarter, bringing an extended stoppage and an emotional scene as players and coaches from both sidelines gathered nearby in support.
Before leaving the field, Pochas had a message for his teammates.
“Jackson had a little message for the team, and it kind of fired them up,” Lakeland coach David Piwowarczyk said. “It was awesome to see, as coaches, that they weren’t gonna just quit.”
The Chiefs responded immediately.
McFarland scored on an 8-yard run with 5:10 remaining, stretching Lakeland’s lead to 27-13.
Riverside still wasn’t finished.
Rose connected with Tyler Grill for a 25-yard touchdown less than a minute later, making it 27-20 and giving the Vikings one more opportunity to turn the game.
Lakeland answered one final time.
With Chase Rosenkrans taking on an expanded role, the Chiefs went back on the attack. Rosenkrans found McFarland for a 27-yard touchdown with 2:55 remaining, delivering the final blow in a 33-20 victory.
McFarland finished with three touchdowns, catching three passes for 68 yards and two scores while rushing six times for 33 yards and another touchdown. His performance earned him HYDRABATHS Swing Salt Player of the Game honors.
Afterward, the individual numbers weren’t what mattered most to him.
“Riverside, they’re a very physical team. Someone always has to step up,” McFarland said. “Especially when I seen Jackson go down, I knew we had to win it for him.”
Piwowarczyk described it through a phrase the Chiefs have carried with them.
“We have this motto that we call grabbing the rope - GTR,” he said. “We grabbed that rope today, and we weren’t gonna let it go.”
Rosenkrans rushed for 57 yards, caught five passes for 40 yards and threw the late touchdown to McFarland. Pochas was 7-for-7 passing for 81 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game while adding 78 yards and a score on the ground.
Pochas and Rosenkrans also each intercepted a pass defensively.
Rose led Riverside’s second-half charge, finishing with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown along with 107 passing yards and two scores. Jackson caught four passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Grill added three receptions for 37 yards and a score.
Lakeland finished with 302 yards of offense, including 194 on the ground. Riverside totaled 204.
Following the game, Piwowarczyk shared an update from Pochas’ father indicating Jackson suffered a tibiofibular dislocation. The injury was put back into place at the hospital, and the initial indication was that surgery might not be necessary. He was expected to remain overnight while doctors continued evaluating him and worked to rule out vascular damage.
His family also expressed its appreciation for the support already pouring in from teammates, coaches, fans and the surrounding football community.
Lakeland now stands at 6-0, while Riverside drops to 5-1 after its first loss of the season.
The road doesn’t get much easier for either team. Lakeland returns home next Friday for another major matchup against Honesdale (5-1), while Riverside heads to Mid Valley (3-3) looking to rebound.
Friday started as a showdown between two undefeated rivals.
It ended as a test of Lakeland’s ability to finish when the game and the night itself suddenly became much more difficult.
The Chiefs answered both.
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