Chatham QB Allen Throws TDs to Lagunowich, Bigham & MacAniff, Sneaks for Score in 41-0 Win vs. Morris Hills; McWilliams 2 TDs

CHATHAM, NJ – There will definitely be some turbulence to absorb along the way in the 2024 season, but the Chatham football team couldn't have had a smoother takeoff in its season opener.

The Cougars were flying high from the start, scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter of their 41-0 win vs. Morris Hills to the delight of the home crowd on Saturday at Cougar Field.

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“We got off to a great start and we did what we needed to do,” Evan Picariello , Chatham coach, said.

In the game, senior quarterback Will Allen threw touchdown passes to Nick Lagunowich, Hunter Bigham and Michael MacAniff and also sneaked in for a TD. Cougar senior running back Alex McWilliams carried in for two touchdowns and kicked five extra points.

Will Allen, Alex McWilliams, Hunter Bigham, Michael MacAniff and Nick Lagunowich talk about the win

Chatham has been building for the season opener since June 17th and it appeared that practice made perfect in the first quarter when Allen threw for 151 yards and two TDs and scored on a sneak. Sophomore slot receiver Lagunowich had three catches for 74 yards and a TD and also ran for an 11-yard gain in the opening period.

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After forcing Morris Hills (0-2) to punt on its first possession, Chatham opened with favorable field position at the Scarlet Knights' 48 and scored just 50 seconds into its first possession. Lagunowich ran for 11 yards on an end-around before, two plays later, he caught a pass over the middle from Allen, avoided a tackle and bolted into the end zone for a 38-yard TD play (see below).

Chatham got the ball back again after a short Morris Hills punt and Allen connected with Lagunowich again for a 28-yard gain to the one. Allen then scored on a QB sneak to make it 14-0 with 5:28 left in the first.

The Cougars continued to attack after sophomore Ryan Hogan intercepted a Morris Hills pass (see below) on third down and returned it to the Scarlet Knights 30.

On second down, Allen tossed to tight end Tommy Douglas over the middle for a 29-yard advance (see below) to the Morris Hills one. McWilliams carried in for his first TD to make ti 21-0 with 3:52 left in the quarter.

Chatham got the ball back after a punt with 1:46 left in the first and covered 64 yards in three plays, capped by Allen's pass to Bigham, who received block from MacAniff on his way to a 48-yard touchdown play (see below), making it 28-0 with 13 seconds showing in the period.

In the second quarter, Morris Hills nearly broke through for a score and Chatham's offense stalled a bit, with a bid for a fifth touchdown foiled when Allen's pass into the end zone for Lagunowich fell incomplete on the final play of the half.

“I was a little disappointed in the second quarter,” Picariello said. “I told these guys at halftime, it should have been a running clock (35-point lead) at the half, but we came out in the third and we took care of business.”

Chatham put the “dagger” in by scoring on its first possession of the third quarter, highlighted by a fourth-down pass play to MacAniff for a first down, followed by MacAniff's 14-yard TD catch on Allen's lofted pass into the end zone (see below) with 9:42 left in the period.

The rain started to come down soon after Chatham had taken a 35-0 lead and McWilliams closed out the scoring with his TD run in the fourth quarter.

“I told these guys to enjoy this one and not think about Montville over the weekend,” Picariello said. “When we come back Monday, we'll get back to work.”

COUGAR NOTES : Senior running back/place kicker Alex McWilliams rushed for touchdowns of four and nine yards to give him three career TDs - all against Morris Hills. He made five of five PATs in the game, but never attempted the sixth as the ball slipped loose before it could be placed down during the heavy rain in the fourth quarter after he rushed for his second score. McWilliams has now made 52 of 53 PATs in his career … Chatham forced two turnovers with sophomore Ryan Hogan making an interception and Will Colvin recovering the fumble forced by Eric Riso's hit … sophomore Nick Lagunowich and juniors Hunter Bigham and Michael MaAniff all scored their first career touchdowns with TD receptions from Will Allen …Chatham QB Will Allen threw for 151 yards and two TDs in the first quarter with Nick Lagunowich making three catches for 74 of those yards. Lagunowich also had an 11-yard run to give him 85 yards in the opening quarter … the shutout was Chatham's first since Sept. 17, 2022, a 35-0 win at Morris Hills … Chatham head coach Evan Picariello improved his record at Cougar Field to 11-4 in his fourth season as the Cougar head coach … Chatham travels to meet Montville (2-0) and senior standout receiver/running back/safety Anthony Feaster on Friday night. Feaster has scored four touchdowns so far this season in wins vs. Warren Hills and Sparta. He comes into the game with career totals of 26 rushing touchdowns and 1,640 running yards. As a receiver, he has 13 TDs and 1,382 yards in receptions. Last year, Feaster scored on an 80-yard run and returned an interception 70 yards for a TD in the first quarter, finishing with three TDs in Montville's 24-14 win vs. Chatham on Oct. 20.

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