MUCH NEEDED BOUNCE BACK
La Salle misses chance to regroup from Troy loss
TROY, NY » La Salle Institute Football found out Wednesday that their Friday night matchup with Columbia would be postponed due to COVID-19 protocol; a disappointment to the coaching staff and players who only have three games left of the Fall II season now.
“It’s tough, it’s been tough. Even when we were out of the loop and watching the other sports, professional, and college playing. COVID is going to
be an issue and it is an issue,” said La Salle Institute Football Head Coach John Audino. “There’s not a whole lot we can do other than try and make the best of it.”
“A lot of us are good friends with people at Columbia so it is somewhat like a rivalry game,” said junior quarterback Eddie Yamin. “You lose a week out of your five games and you feel for the seniors who just wanted to play.”
La Salle was able to recover and schedule a scrimmage with Glens Falls for Saturday so the team did not go too long without a game.
“We felt fortunate that the schedule came out with seven games, which I think is outstanding,” said Audino. “We lose one and I know others
have and a couple have even lost two games. We have to be on call and be ready for whatever can possibly happen and if we play, we play. If we don’t, let’s try and make the best of it. So we are going to go up to scrimmage Glens Falls.”
“I was pretty upset,” said junior Daniel Amasha about finding out about the cancellation. “Last year we played well against them and won the game, 27-6. That was going to be our bounce back and help us get our heads in the game for next week and get some redemption.”
The Cadets will not get a chance to play a pretty important game on their schedule. After falling to Troy 42-12 last week, La Salle saw the chance to play Columbia, who lost to Averill Park 34-8 in week one, as a chance to rebound and level the playing fields early.
“Coming into this week everything got a lot more serious. That was one of the games against Troy that punches you in the mouth,” said Yamin. “We were looking for that first win and having to bounce back and hopefully go 1-1 and go into the Amsterdam game with some more confidence. It’s unfortunate that the Columbia thing happened but we hope everyone is healthy and safe over there and move on.”
“Hard work every single quarter, every single play,” said Amasha on what the Cadets can take away from the loss.
“I like to put things in the past and not worry about it and succeed in the future and learn from my mistakes. If we do that we will do better next game.”
Missing a game for the Cadets also puts a strain on the team, and not just from a sheer number of games perspective. La Salle has only had a few weeks of practice in preparation for Fall II. With limited communication and work out sessions over the last year and a half (certainly less than ever before) the team now needs to figure out how to build a team relationship and bond quickly.
“A lot of it is leadership, we have fantastic leadership. A lot of it is coaching. Obviously we had limited interaction with COVID,” said Audino. “We met once a week with our positions and we met as a team as much as we possibly could without having the weight room open, without the OTA’s over the summer. Football, and any sport that you play, is different because you have to get out on the field and do the skill work. We didn’t have those opportunities so now we are trying to play catch up.”
La Salle’s talent is undeniable and it starts from under center. Yamin gets more time as QB1 and has certainly grown into that position. The skilled passer has gained a lot of confidence not only as a quarterback but as someone that Audino can work off of and build a team around.
“He’s completely different than he was last year just in terms of his maturity as a person let alone as a football player,” said Audino. “He’s 6’4. He’s 205 pounds. He’s really worked hard — His hard work has paid off. His arm strength is unbelievable. As a former college coach that recruited and coached at that position, he has legit arm strength and what we have to do is, he is still very raw. Unfortunately, he didn’t have camps over the summer to go to. If he goes to a camp and the coaches evaluate him on his size, his foot speed in the pocket, and his arm strength, he will be recruited by a lot of people.”
Audino thinks, without question, Yamin can be a college football quarterback.
Along with Yamin, La Salle has Bo Catherwood. A two sport varsity athlete coming off of a great senior basketball season, Catherwood is grateful for the opportunity to have a senior football season and make the most of it.
“It’s tough. I am counting down the days at this point for me as a senior,” said Catherwood. “All of this is making me work harder. I am staying up late nights, I’m going to the gym, I am doing whatever I can to make myself better so that my last chance goes out as good as i can. I am doing all I can to insure I leave it all out there and make sure I am happy with every game that I put out.”
Catherwood, a former standout at Tamarac before transferring for his junior year to La Salle, had 83 yards in the loss to Troy.
“It’s a shame that’s how it had to go down this being my last chance to play against Troy,” said Catherwood. “I only had four practices before that game so that was probably the toughest part about it.”
Looking at the La Salle team, Catherwood didn’t have to think hard about other standouts that he thought deserved as much attention (in his words, more) than himself.
“My line. My line doesn’t get as much attention as the skill guys but they do a hell of a job every single night,” said Catherwood. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything if it wasn’t for my center, Eddie McDonough. He’s a great defender too. I think he is the best defensive player in the league too, if I am being honest. I’ve never seen anyone like him.”
Fall II is a strange situation for student-athletes. Their already limited time in high school athletics has now been trimmed even more. Now, in many ways Fall II can feel like an extended spring football season for some players. For others, it’s a clock ticking to their final moments on the football field.
“I don’t want it to be that, for my seniors,” said Audino on treating Fall II as a prep for the actual fall season. “This is our Fall 2020 season, just in 2021. I think the seniors deserve every single chance they can get. I know they feel blessed that they are getting a season because they certainly didn’t think we were getting a season. We are playing it one week at a time, one game at a time. This is our fall season, in the spring.”
Audio did acknowledge how great a chance Fall
II is, however, for his returners to do things they wouldn’t have been doing in a normal spring.
“For the younger guys coming back and the young guys on JV, they benefit the most from it,” said Audino. “We are starting to see some really good things from our participation in regards to numbers from that group and hopefully it can carry over to the fall.”
The La Salle team may have missed the chance to play a Friday night game, but they still have high expectations for this season, for Fall II, and for some, for the legacy they leave behind and the future of the program.
“I had a lot of doubters and I want to be known as the guy who puts his time in and pays his dues and works for everything he got,” said Catherwood. “I put in the time. I put in the work. I put in the effort. It’s been paying off so far so as long as I can see that and go on after high school and college and I have moved on I have left a name for myself to be remembered.”
“This team can be amazing,” said Amasha. “This team has a lot of potential and in the future can be amazing. There is so much potential in the returning players and on the JV team as well.”