Carbondale Area’s Mason Voglino running back looks for an opening against L:ackawanna Trail on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Lackawanna Trail. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Carbondale Area’s Caedon Voglino heads for the end zone against Lackawanna Trail on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Lackawanna Trail. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna Trail’s Tim Richmond (14) is tackled by several Carbondale Area players Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 at Lackawanna Trail High School. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
L:ackawanna Trail’s Colby Stanton (9) runs against Carbondale Area on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 at Lackawanna Trail High School. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna Trail players huddle during the first half of their game against Carbondale Area on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Carbondale Area’s Caeden Voglino (5) looks for an opening against Lackawanna Trail on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Lackawanna Trail. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna Trail’s Tim Richmond (14) rounds the corner against Carbondale Area on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 at Lackawanna Trail High School. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Carbondale Area’s Caeden Voglino (5) is dragged down by a Lackawanna Trail on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Lackawanna Trail. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
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Carbondale Area’s Mason Voglino running back looks for an opening against L:ackawanna Trail on Friday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Lackawanna Trail. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
CLINTON TWP. – As his players gathered in a postgame huddle, Carbondale Area head coach Jeff Arthur asked them to move the gathering over to the fence area to allow fans to share a long-awaited celebratory speech.
His 10th-ranked Chargers pounded out a 40-21 win over Lackawanna Trail on Friday night at Lion Pride Stadium. The triumph secured Carbondale Area a share of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division III championship, the program’s first since 2005.
Carbondale Area (6-3 overall, 4-0 Division III) can win its first outright championship since 1973 with a win over Old Forge next week.
Lackawanna Trail (3-6, 3-1), which had its 21-game division winning streak snapped, closes out the season against Montrose and is chasing a spot in the District 2-11 Class 1A subregional playoffs.
“This win means a lot,” senior running back Caedon Voglino said. “We haven’t won a division in a long time. This is huge. We practiced hard all week, and I can’t say enough about all of these guys. I love them so much.”
Voglino continued to provide explosive plays, leading the Chargers with 163 rushing yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns. He led Carbondale Area’s potent running game that finished with 324 yards on the ground in 47 carries.
His brother, Mason, contributed 84 yards – 64 in the second half – and a touchdown. Fullback Cole Balderas had 44 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Francisco Roman had 30 rushing yards in the attack.
“All offseason, we practiced the run, and we are a heavy run team,” said Carbondale Area lineman Parker Mursch Davitt, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound junior tackle. “We worked so hard on staying low and moving our feet. We had to push the guy in front of us and let our running backs do their things.”
Among his efforts, Caedon Voglino had a 74-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, added a 17-yard punt return, and ran a 28-yard run.
“It is all about my linemen,” Caedon Voglino said. “I can’t take any of the credit. The linemen worked hard in practice all week.
Carbondale Area’s defense also played a physical game and stymied the Lackawanna Trail running game for all but one play.
Carter Edwards scored on a bruising 29-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that brought Lackawanna Trail within 29-15. Other than that burst, the Lions managed 101 yards on 28 carries.
Baldreas dominated, especially early, recording eight tackles in the first half.
“We had to set the tone early,” Balderas said. “Against a good team like Trail, you have to do that. My guys up front, they were taking up blocks and making crazy lanes for me to fill the holes.”
Carbondale Area jumped out to a 12-0 first-quarter lead. Caedon Voglino returned a punt 17 yards, setting the Chargers up at the Lackawanna Trail 26. Balderas scored the first touchdown on a 4-yard run.
After forcing another punt, Caedon Voglino took a direct snap and sprinted 74 yards on a third-and-6 with 3:18 left in the quarter.
Carbondale Area’s defense forced Lackawanna Trail to punt on its fourth straight drive to end the quarter. Caedon Voglino dashed 28 yards on a reverse, and the Lions were hit with a 15-yard penalty, leading to his 7-yard touchdown and a commanding 19-0 lead.
Lackawanna Trail attempted a fake punt at midfield on its next possession, but the Chargers stuffed the play. Mason Voglino finished the ensuing drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 26-0.
The Lions got on the board late in the first half when Lucas Filipek hit Joey Thomas for a 9-yard touchdown. Things got interesting when Edwards powered in for his 29-yard score in the third and the defense forced a punt.
However, sophomore Caige Nolan intercepted a Lions’ pass, and the Chargers continued dominating up front on both sides of the ball.
“We outpowered them a little bit,” said Carbondale Area two-way lineman Owen Kovaleski, a 6-0, 270-pound sophomore. “Overall, I think that we played a great game.”
Caedon Voglino scored twice more on quarterback sneaks.
Lackawanna Trail’s final touchdown came on a pass from Filipek to Timmy Richmond.
“This win for us is everything,” Balderas said. “We knew it was going to be tough. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We worked so hard for this. We really strapped it up and played hard.”