La Salle-Peru debuts new offense with success in win over United Township

EAST MOLINE – During the offseason, La Salle-Peru football coach Jose Medina decided to take over as the team’s offensive coordinator and change the scheme.

Over the summer, the Cavaliers installed a gap-scheme offense that runs out of the shotgun in an effort to be more balanced after running the triple option for the past six seasons.

Its debut was successful.

The Cavs ran for 307 yards and threw for 159 as they opened the season with a 34-14 victory over United Township in a nonconference game at the Soule Bowl.

“For the first time putting that offense out there, we did some good things,” Medina said. “There are a couple things that we need to correct, but ultimately, I think the kids ran it well, and they played hard. We had some success running the ball and throwing the ball, too.”

While the new offense was the storyline of the night, it was the L-P defense that made the first big play of the season.

With the Panthers facing fourth-and-inches on their opening drive, L-P linebacker Andy Medina burst through the line for to stop UT running back Isaiah Navarrete for a 5-yard loss to give the Cavs the ball at the UT 32-yard line.

The Cavs drove into the red zone but settled for a 37-yard field goal by Seth Adams.

After punting on its second drive, the Cavs began to get the new offense rolling.

Senior Brady Romagnoli broke away for a 51-yard touchdown run to put L-P up 10-0 with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

On their next possession, the Cavs marched 70 yards on 12 plays with Romagnoli punching it in from 5 yards out for a 17-6 lead.

Romagnoli had four carries on the drive, quarterback Brendan Boudreau ran the ball four times and completed 2 of 3 passes.

“He started a little slow, but then all of a sudden he got going,” Jose Medina said. “He’s feisty. He’s a tough kid. He did some good things. He made some people miss, he made some good cuts and made some big plays. Once he gets outside, he has the speed to break it for a touchdown.”

Romagnoli finished with 157 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in his debut as the team’s feature back.

“I think we did pretty good,” Romagnoli said about the offense. “There were a few mistakes here and there, but that’s going to happen with any offense, but especially with a new one.

“I think I did pretty well, but I always have to give my blockers credit. I broke some tackles, but that’s not what matters. The blockers help.”

Boudreau finished 11 of 19 for 159 yards and a 26-yard TD pass to Cordell Wheatly, while the second-year starting QB also ran for 103 yards and a 3-yard touchdown on 12 carries.

“I think he did a great job managing the offense,” Jose Medina said. “I have a lot of confidence in that kid. He’s a two-year starter for us. He made some good passes. I think he did a good job of managing the team and doing what we asked him to do.”

The Cavs scored on their first possession of the second half on Boudreau’s run to go up 24-6.

After the Panthers closed it to 24-12, Boudreau threw a TD pass, Kaleb Kennedy intercepted the ball on UT’s first play, Adams connected on a 39-yard field goal and Kennedy picked off another pass to help L-P seal the win.

“The defense played tough,” Jose Medina said. “Kaleb Kennedy having two picks really helped us out a lot. It really helped us continue the momentum.”

The Cavs face Metamora (1-0) in their home opener at 7 p.m. Friday.