LHU Football Caps Season with Snow-Covered Win at Gannon
ERIE, Pa. – Redshirt-senior quarterback Cameron Tobias (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) saved the best game of his Bald Eagle career for last and his heroics led the offense, as the Lock Haven University football team (2-9) closed the season with a thrilling, 50-48, victory over host Gannon (2-9). Tobias and the Bald Eagles overcame a snow-covered field and a late-Gannon push to secure their season-ending victory, the Bald Eagles’ second win of the 2018 season.
Heavy snow delayed the start of the game an hour and the field remained snow-covered throughout as the snow continued to fall – heavy at times – for much of the game, but it – along with cold and windy temperatures – never slowed either offensive unit. Lock Haven and Gannon combined for 98 points and 1,093 total yards of offense.
Tobias threw for 363 yards and the Bald Eagles rushed for 207. Gannon rushed for 453 yards thanks to 410 yards on the ground from running back Marcus Jones. Jones rushed for seven touchdowns.
Tobias was masterful in his final game as a Bald Eagle. He was 21 of 36 with five TDs and one interception. Tobias’ top-target today was sophomore tight end Jalen Jackson (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport), who had a career-day as well. Jackson finished with eight catches for 136 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite the snow, Haven running back Ralph Hyland (Philadelphia/Frankford) ran for 119 yards on 13 carries and one of his runs went for a 7-yard TD. Both Bryan Greene (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle) and Chantz Swartz (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) hauled in TD-catches. Swartz also rushed for one score.
Much like they’ve done for most of the season, linebacker Obadiah Asare (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) and defensive back Dontae Mason (Philadelphia/Bishop McDevitt) led the way for the Bald Eagles on the defensive side. The duo played a major role in keeping Lock Haven in the game and helped hold off a late Gannon charge, as the Golden Knights scored 12 points, thanks to two Jones TD runs just 1:26 apart late in the fourth quarter.
Asare finished with a game-high 15 tackles. He made 12 solo stops and added two tackles-for-loss. Asare finished the 2018 season with 19.5 tackles-for-loss which established a new record for TFLs in a single-season. The sophomore now has 22.5 tackles-for-loss in just two season, which ranks him in a tie for ninth all-time in school history.
Mason finished with 10 tackles (six solo) and a forced fumble.
Lock Haven took the opening drive right down the field and scored after Greene hauled in a 9-yard TD pass from Tobias to cap a 6-play, 73-yard drive. LHU’s extra point attempt failed and despite the early lead, Gannon went right down the field on its first offensive play and scored. Less than three minutes into the game, which looked to be slowed because of the conditions, host-Gannon led, 7-6.
From there, the offensive units for both teams headlined the show. With Lock Haven trailing 14-6, Jackson caught his first of three TDs and LHU tied the game at 14-14 with 5:23 left in the first period.
Early in the second, Jones scored on a 33-yarder and made it 20-14 Gannon, but it was all Lock Haven for the remainder of the first half, as the Bald Eagles scored three straight touchdowns and took a 35-20 lead into the break.
With 11:48 left in the fourth, Swartz scored on a 7-yard run to extend the Bald Eagles lead to 50-36.Jones and Gannon struck twice in the fourth, but the Bald Eagles held strong and secured the huge season-ending win.
LHU finished the season at 2-9 overall after the Bald Eagles went 1-5 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East action. The win marked head coach Dave Taynor’s first against a PSAC West opponent and Lock Haven’s first win against a Western-Division team since the 2007 season-finale at Clarion.
