Margaretta starts Poggiali era with win By YANEEK SMITH Special to the Weekender Aug 21, 2026 10:00 PM CASTALIA — Margaretta coach Lucas Poggiali’s first game as the head coach of the Polar Bears went quite well. Though his team experienced its share of ups and downs, Margaretta picked up a 30-20 non-league win Friday against Mohawk. Poggiali, who served as an assistant under Gary Quisno for two seasons before taking over, talked about what it meant to win the opener. “It’s great to get the win. I’m connected to this group,” he said. “These seniors were sophomores when I came here, and it’s special.” The key drive of the second half, and perhaps the game, saw Margaretta (1-0) go 67 yards in 11 plays with running back Carter Luzader running four times for 33 yards. That included an 11-yard scamper on third-and-6 at the Mohawk 30-yard-line and an eight-yard touchdown run off a sweep to the right with 2:35 to play in the third quarter. On the conversion attempt, Luzader connected with Kale Bailey for the score after nearly getting sacked, pushing the Bears’ lead to 23-7. Like the first successful conversion, the score came out of a strange formation with the offensive linemen lined up out to the left hashmark, something that’s been going on in high school and college for about 15 years. But the Warriors (0-1) answered, driving 56 yards and scoring when Levi Tiell caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Andon Clouse on a skinny post over the middle. The conversion attempt failed, leaving Margaretta with a 10-point lead, 23-13, at 11:07 remaining in the game. The Bears took over at their 20 and faced a second-and-20 before Luzader ran for 16 yards on third-and-9 at the 21, giving Margaretta a fresh set of downs. Bears quarterback Robbie LaCourse then hit Bailey on an 11-yard slant on second down to make third down more manageable. Three plays later, on third-and-8 at the 39, LaCourse dropped back and couldn’t find anyone, so he decided to dart to the right and got the edge before gaining 21 yards and going down at the Mohawk 40. On second-and-4 from the 34, LaCourse ran a bootleg to the left and gained 17 yards for another first down. But two plays later, a fumble was recovered by Warriors defensive back Chance Collene at the 12. However, Mohawk could not get anything going and was forced to punt, giving Margaretta the ball at the Warrior 48 with 6:04 to play, essentially ending the game with Bears up 10. It was a game between two good teams who went punch-for-punch, but Margaretta made several more plays than Mohawk did, and that turned out to be the difference. “I thought both teams played incredibly hard. Our turnovers led to immediate touchdowns,” Poggiali said. “Mason Kromer was unbelievable on offense and defense. He made a great read and a great play on both of those interceptions. “Our seniors and captains made big plays when they needed to.” On the ensuing drive, Tiell intercepted LaCourse, giving Mohawk the ball at its 19. But Kromer, a senior linebacker, intercepted Clouse again in nearly an identical play to his first pick in the first quarter, catching the quick slant at the 21 before getting tackled at the 2. Luzader punched it in on the next play for the touchdown and the extra point gave the Bears a comfortable 30-13 lead with just under four minutes to play. “We knew we’d be in a slugfest in the second half, so we wanted to establish the run (in the final two quarters),” Poggiali said. “We knew Carter might be the difference-maker at running back, quarterback or wide receiver.” After the Bears punted to end the game’s opening drive, the Warriors took over at their 9. Two plays later, Kromer intercepted Clouse’s pass on a slant route at the 26 and returned it 24 yards to the 2. That set up LaCourse for a two-yard touchdown run on the next play. Jaxon Shearn’s extra point made it 7-0 with 7:11 to play in the first quarter. The teams traded possessions and Mohawk drove 66 yards in 13 plays, converting on fourth-and-2 at the Margaretta 32 on a three-yard run by Clouse. Five plays later, Clouse scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 10:59 to play in the first half and Aden Patrizi kicked the extra point to tie the score, 7-7. Clouse rushed seven times for 24 yards and completed 2-of-3 passes for 18 yards on the drive. Patrizi then attempted a surprise onside kick that was touched by one of his teammates after nine yards, giving the Bears the ball at the Warriors 49. Margaretta made Mohawk pay when LaCourse, just before getting hit, threw deep for Mason Reinbolt, who was covered closely but came back for the ball, catching it around the 15 and keeping his feet underneath him before running the rest of the way for the touchdown. On the two-point conversion, with the offensive line again near the left hashmark, Luzader hit a wide-open Bailey for the score, giving the Bears a 15-7 lead with 9:16 to play in the first half. Four possessions later, Margaretta drove to the Mohawk 37 and had a first-and-10, but LaCourse was intercepted by Clouse at the 10. The Warriors started the drive with 2:54 to play, but it stalled. However, Mohawk recovered a muffed punt at the Bear 48 with 57.3 seconds left, but couldn’t get anything going on the drive, and went into the half trailing by eight points. Luzader threw for a touchdown and ran for another in his first start under center. “He operated the offense well,” Poggiali said. “He did a really good job of making some nice reads. I’m seeing what (Mohawk) is doing on offense, and Robbie is, too, and it’s like he’s reading my mind. He can be really good for us on offense if he continues to operate that way." Mohawk 0 7 0 13 — 13 Margaretta 7 8 8 7 — 30 Ma — Robbie LaCourse 2 run (Jaxon Shearn kick) Mo — Andon Clouse 4 run (Aden Patrizi kick) Ma — Mason Reinbolt 46 pass from LaCourse (Kale Bailey pass from Carter Luzader) Ma — Luzader 8 run (Bailey pass from Luzader) Mo — Levi Tiell 24 pass from Clouse (pass failed) Ma — Luzader 2 run (Shearn kick) Mo — Tiell 41 pass from Clouse (Patrizi kick) Full Article Click Here: Click Here/