Late-game Heroics Lead LHU to Season-ending Win
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Kyle Knight (Myerstown, Pa./Eastern Lebanon) was one of several players who stood out and his late-game heroics were that of game-changing perspective as he helped spark the Lock Haven University football team (2-9) to a thrilling, 28-27, win over visiting Gannon University (2-9) in a Saturday, Week 11 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest that came down to the final play.
With the Bald Eagles trailing Gannon, 21-20 and the LHU offense facing a 2nd and 12, Knight broke off a 31-yard run for a score. Knight made several strong moves at the line of scrimmage and he was off to the races. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Knight hung in the pocket despite heavy Gannon defensive pressure and rifled a pass right into the arms of Christan Drayton III (Allentown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) for two points, and the 28-20 lead.
The touchdown capped a late-game, 6-play, 80-yard drive.
Gannon responded however in a big way and Joey Cox scampered into the end zone from 1-yard out with just two seconds left in regulation. The Golden Knight TD made it 28-27 Lock Haven and the visitors went for two and the win, but the Bald Eagle defense got the pressure it needed and stood tall, giving the Bald Eagles a thrilling season-ending win.
The win snapped a nine-game losing streak and gave Lock Haven its first win since Week 1. Both wins in 2019 came at home as the Bald Eagles finished the season at 2-9 overall. LHU went 0-7 in PSAC East action. The loss marked Gannon’s seventh straight as the Golden Knights finished the season at 2-9 after going 1-6 in PSAC West action.
It marked the second straight season where LHU and Gannon wrapped up their respective seasons vs. each other. Last season, in blizzard-like conditions, the two teams combined for 1,093 total yards of offense and 98 points in an epic, 50-48, Lock Haven road-win.
On Saturday, despite the lack of snow, the game proved to be just as dramatic.
LHU led 13-0 after the opening quarter, thanks to a pair of TD-passes from Knight who finished with 242 yards passing.
Standout running back Chantz Swartz (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata), one of the PSAC’s top rushers, returned after missing the last two games and looked impressive. He ran for 125 yards on 15 carries and put Lock Haven up 20-7 with a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:50 left in the half.
Gannon scored late in the first half and the Bald Eagles led 20-14 at halftime.
Cox’s second of three touchdowns in the game put Gannon up 21-20 early in the fourth quarter, but the game came down to the final four minutes and the Bald Eagles made more game-changing plays down the stretch.
Defensively, Alex Welch (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) was all over the field and the senior finished with a game-high 16 tackles.
Shane Scott (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) also put up monster numbers, finishing with 14 stops. Austin Barber (Johnstown, Pa./Greater Johnstown) and Levi Engle (Williamstown, Pa./Williams Valley) both had momentum changing and important interceptions.
The Bald Eagles recorded a huge fourth-down stand at their own 1-yard line midway through the third. It proved monumental in the outcome as Gannon was set up with 1st and goal from the Lock Haven 3-yard line.
Knight finished 17 of 21 (no INTs) passing with 242 total yards through the air and two-passing TDs. He also ran for 56 yards and a score. Swartz had 125 yards and one touchdown on 15 total carries.
Jalen Jackson (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) and Alex Lantz (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff) each hauled in TD catches. Lantz had four catches for 69 yards and Bryan Greene (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle) made six catches for 104 yards in another strong effort.
Prior to the start of the game, the Bald Eagles honored their four graduating seniors in Welch, Stevie Pugh (Coatesville, Pa/Coatesville), Christian Rumery (Woodland, Pa./Clearfield) and Ryan Herrera (Ozone Park, N.Y./West Virginia).
Despite the 2-9 record, the 2019 LHU offensive unit recorded a major milestone as it became the first offense in school history to finish the season with over 2,000 yards rushing (2,175 yds.) and passing (2,165 yds.).
Swartz powered that run game all season and despite playing in only nine games, he ran for 926 yards. Swartz averaged PSAC East leading 102.9 yards in his bid to become Lock Haven’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 1981. He finished the season No. 2 overall in the PSAC in rushing yards per game.
