LHU football downed by Shippensburg

SHIPPENSBURG, PA – The Lock Haven University football team (1-9, 0-7 PSAC East) fell to host Shippensburg University (8-2, 5-2 PASC East) 52-14 Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division action. The loss was the ninth in a row for the Bald Eagles after winning their season opener.

Despite the loss, quarterback Ethan Persa (Schnecksville, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) turned in a solid outing. He threw for 297 yards after going 21-for-38 with a touchdown and one interception.

Jadan Goodman (Brooklyn, N.Y./Curtis) hauled in six catches for 116 yards and Chase Holmes (Easton, Pa./Easton) made five catches for 61 yards.

Defensively, Kahari Kirklin-Whitfield (Reading, Pa./Reading) led Lock Haven with a game-high 12 tackles and Shane Scott (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) added nine stops.

Chris Hicks (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) put Lock Haven on the board late in the first half when he returned a blocked punt 14 yards. Tyrese Dore (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) came up big and was credited with the block on the huge special teams play.

Hicks capped the game’s scoring late after he hauled in a 2-yard pass from Persa.

Of note, Samuel Hershey (Lancaster, Pa./McCaskey), the leading scorer on the postseason-bound LHU men’s soccer team, connected on both extra-point attempts after the two Lock Haven TDs.

Shippensburg jumped out to a 17-0 lead after the opening quarter and the Red Raiders led 31-0 before taking a 38-7 lead into halftime.

The Bald Eagles will close the 2021 season next Saturday, Nov. 13 at home vs. Seton Hill. The Week-11 PSAC East-West crossover is set for a 1 p.m. start and it will mark Lock Haven’s 2021 Senior Day. The game will also mark the Bald Eagles’ annual Veterans Appreciation game and all veterans will be admitted free.