Marauders Bonk LHU Football, 48-23
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Lock Haven University football team (1-5, 0-3 PSAC East) fell to host Millersville University (2-4, 1-2 PSAC East), 48-23, Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action, as each team entered the contest looking for its first divisional win of the season.
Chantz Swartz (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata) led the Bald Eagle offense with 149 rushing yards and Dante Graham (Glen Mills, Pa./Unionville) ran for two touchdowns to lead the way on offense. Jalen Jackson (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) hauled in one TD-catch and Christan Drayton III (Allentown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) finished with 183 yards on eight catches.
Quarterback Kyle Knight (Myerstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon) threw for 293 yards, which was just shy of his career-high. He was 18 of 28 passing.
For Drayton, the 183 receiving yards marked the most by a Bald Eagle in a single game since the 2016 season.
On defense, Alex Welch (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) led the way with seven tackles and Levi Engle (Williamstown, Pa./Williams Valley) recorded his second interception of the season.
Engle had five tackles and two other breakups to go along with his important interception in the second quarter. Five of Welch’s seven tackles were solo stops.
Both Lock Haven and Millersville entered the game riding four game losing skids as neither team had won since Week 1 action.
Leading the way for Millersville was quarterback Collin Shank who threw for 420 yards and five touchdowns.
The host-Marauders raced out to a 21-0 lead after scoring touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions of the game. All three scores came by way of Shank TD-passes.
With 8:46 left in the first half, Graham put the Bald Eagles on the board with 1-yard touchdown run. The TD cut the Millersville lead to 21-7 early in the second quarter.
The Engle-interception late in the first half set up another Lock Haven score. This time, Knight hit his All-American tight end – Jackson – on a 7-yard pass. The LHU-TD cut the Millersville lead to 21-14 with 3:44 left in the first half.
With just 13 second left in the first half, Millersville extended the lead to 27-14 with another touchdown. Millersville led 27-14 at halftime.
In the second half, the Marauders struck quickly, again, and made it 34-14 after Shank threw his fourth TD-pass of the game.
Kicker Charles Hayes (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield (Erie C.C.)) connected from 40-yards early in the third, but halfway through the third quarter, it was 41-17 Millersville after Shank threw his fifth TD pass of the contest.
With 2:25 left in the third quarter Graham capped an impressive 12-play, 70-yard drive with his second rushing TD of the game. For the second time on the day, he darted in from one yard out for a score. After Graham’s touchdown, MU led 41-23.
Lock Haven trailed by 18 heading into the final quarter, as Millersville held its 41-23 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, the
Marauders forced a pair of key turnovers, which stalled the Bald Eagles comeback rally.
Millersville added a fourth-quarter TD to seal the 48-23 victory.
The Bald Eagles will host nationally-ranked Kutztown University on Saturday, Oct. 19 (Week 7) at 3 p.m. Kutztown was ranked No. 21 in the most recent edition of the American Football Coaches’ Association (AFCA) national rankings.
