GREEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — La Salle quarterback Patrick McLaughlin won’t soon forget the final regular-season game of his senior year.
The Lancers defeated host Elder 35-24 Oct. 25 as the La Salle earned its first Greater Catholic League South division win since October 2020.
“I feel like that was our best game of the season,” McLaughlin said. “Going out there at ‘The Pit’ – a great environment, great fan base. To go out there and get the win – it means everything to us.”
McLaughlin, the eldest son of La Salle coach Pat McLaughlin, was 19 of 21 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns at Elder. He also rushed for a touchdown.
“To have a game like that – kind of saving the best for last so to speak – as we get to the playoffs – it was a really great night,” La Salle coach Pat McLaughlin said.
That performance earns McLaughlin the WCPO 9 Gold Star Athlete of the Week. He is the season’s 10th recipient of the weekly award.
“It’s a tribute to him,” Coach McLaughlin said. “His hard work – putting the time in film study. He’s playing well with his eyes right now. And I really see him improve over the course of the season.”
The victory earned the Lancers the No. 2 seed in Division II, Region 8. La Salle (8-2) plays host to Monroe (4-6) in a first-round game Friday night. It is the first meeting between the two programs.
Patrick McLaughlin and the other seniors want to earn a playoff win after earning last week’s goal of a GCL victory.
“They want to keep playing,” Coach McLaughlin said. “I told them – it’s up to them. How long do they want to play, how long do they want to keep practicing because we’ve got the team to hopefully make a good run.”
Patrick, who is in his third year of taking snaps at La Salle, is committed to play football at the University of Dayton. But, he doesn’t want the high school journey to conclude anytime soon.
Patrick has started 24 varsity games but has played in 28 games. He has thrown for 4,042 passing yards with 32 passing touchdowns in his career. He also has 946 rushing yards with 10 career rushing touchdowns, according to La Salle football broadcaster Jeff Bosse.
A playoff win would be a significant accomplishment for the Lancers this season.
“We got a lot of seniors on this team,” Patrick said. “We’ve struggled the past two years so this means everything to us. We don’t care who we’re playing. We’ll play anybody.”
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