Michael Cahill, Brennen Rutledge combine to lead East Allegheny over Freeport

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 11:59 PM

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Michael Cahill threw high-arching spirals, and Brennen Rutledge was there to make over-the-shoulder catches.

They were quite the dynamic duo who helped East Allegheny secure an important Allegheny 6 Conference win.

Cahill threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, and Rutledge had 173 yards receiving and three scores in a 28-7 win over Freeport on homecoming Friday night at Churchman Field.

Cahill and Rutledge connected twice on touchdowns. Rutledge was also on the receiving end of a trick play in the second quarter that went for another touchdown.

“Those two are as good of players I’ve ever had as a combination,” East Allegheny coach Dom Pecora said. “They’re electric, and if they get going like they did tonight, we’re tough to stop. If we can protect up front, we’re pretty good, and we got enough blocking up front tonight to do well.”

The Wildcats improved to 5-2 and 2-0 in conference play. Freeport fell to 2-5 and 0-2 in the conference.

Cahill was one of the most dominant pitchers in the WPIAL for the Wildcats last spring, carrying them to the semifinals. His athletic future could end up being in baseball, but he showed he’s tough to solve on a football field as well.

He used his right arm on a couple occasions to make big plays.

The first came on the opening drive. After a sack and a penalty set up a third-and-25, Cahill launched a pass to Rutledge, who caught it, broke a tackle and kept his balance along the sideline to break free to the end zone.

Then, on the first play of the second quarter, Cahill tossed a screen pass to Amir Rollins, who used his speed to run past the Freeport defense and into the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.

Following a fourth-down stop on Freeport’s next drive, East Allegheny dug into its bag of tricks.

Cahill threw a pass behind the line to backup quarterback Cedric Mack, who heaved a ball down the field to Rutledge, and he caught it in stride for a 56-yard score.

“That’s one when you hear the play call come in you think, ‘Oh no,’ and then it works and you’re as happy as can be,” Pecora said. “Cedric is going to be a really good quarterback. I don’t think Rutledge was that open, but Cedric threw an unbelievable ball to him.”

Cahill took some hard, clean shots from the Freeport defense. The Yellowjackets sacked him twice and tackled him with big hits after a couple of scrambles, but he brushed each one off.

“He’s a very good athlete,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “(Rutledge), (Rollins), (Kam Marshall), (Steve Yusko) … there’s a bunch of them that are very athletic.”

One of those sacks came on fourth down in the first quarter. Freeport looked to gain momentum as it navigated to East Allegheny’s 21, but sacks on consecutive plays quashed the drive and forced a punt.

Freeport got down to East Allegheny’s 13 on the opening possession of the second half, but the drive stalled.

After the turnover on downs, Cahill promptly moved East Allegheny down the field and connected with Rutledge for a 5-yard touchdown to put the game away.

A blocked punt gave Freeport a short field late in the third quarter, and Drew Ross scored on a 1-yard run for the Yellowjackets’ lone touchdown.

Freeport likely won’t defend as conference champs but still has a chance over the final three weeks to get into the postseason.

“We just have to get better,” Gaillot said. “We have to quit making mistakes, and I have to do a better job getting them prepared.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: East Allegheny, Freeport