Last-second heroics lift Lock Haven Football to thrilling win at Clarion

COMEBACK COMPLETE: A flea flicker Hail Mary with seconds left lifted Lock Haven to a thrilling, stunning and remarkable 21-20 victory over Clarion on the road. The Bald Eagles are now 2-1 on the season, the program’s first 2-1 start since 2013.

CLARION, PA – With seven seconds left in the game, Lock Haven quarterback Danny Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Lehman (Stony Brook)) connected with tight end Chris Hicks (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) for a 31-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass off a reverse flea flicker, and the late-game heroics lifted the Bald Eagles to a stunning, 21-20, victory on the road Saturday at Clarion (1-2) in Pennsylvania State Athletic (PSAC) East-West crossover action.

The Sanchez-to-Hicks touchdown tied the game at 20-20 and kicker Brett Zachman (Leesburg, Fla./Eustis (Dordt)) booted the all-important extra point which helped seal the victory for the Bald Eagles who rallied for 14 fourth-quarter points.

With the win, the Bald Eagles improved to 2-1 on the season. It marks Lock Haven’s first 2-1 start since 2013 and just the second 2-1 start since 1992.

It’s Lock Haven’s first win over Clarion since 2007 and the victory snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Golden Eagles.

The victory also marked the Bald Eagles first versus a PSAC West team since the 2019 season-finale and the first PSAC West win on the road since the final game of the 2018 season.

Host Clarion took a 20-7 lead with 10:09 left in the game, but the Bald Eagles soared in the final stages of the contest, scoring 14 points in the final nine minutes of action.

Chris Collier (Lawrence, N.Y./Lawrence (Wagner College)) busted off a 62-yard touchdown run with 8:43 to play and cut Clarion’s lead to 20-14.

Sanchez’s game-winning Hail Mary strike came with just seven seconds to play. The reverse flea flicker was almost broken up just behind the line of scrimmage, but the Bald Eagles stayed with the play, and with the ball back in his hands, Sanchez calmly delivered it on target – between two Clarion defensive backs – to Hicks.

Clarion did however get the ball back on their own 46-yard line with seconds left, but a Michael Dixon (Kennesaw, Ga./Tennessee Tech) sack ended Clarion’s chances, and iced the road-win for The Haven.

Sanchez threw for 260 total yards and two TDs (20-38, 1 INT.). Collier finished with 169 rushing yards on 20 carries (1 TD). T’iar Young (Philadelphia/Northeast (Millersville)) made four catches for 99 yards. Hicks finished with the one touchdown to go along with five catches for 59 yards. Chase Holmes (Easton, Pa./Easton) had four catches including a 23-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Davien Vernon (Florence, N.J./Bergen Catholic) and Raymell Hester (Cleveland/Bedford) each finished with nine tackles to lead the defense. Cody Romano (Newton, N.J./Blair Academy (Penn State)) was all over the field and finished with eight tackles (6 solo), three tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Dixon finished with two of Lock Haven’s four sacks and defensive back Darryl Pollard (Philadelphia/Upper Darby) had two important pass breakups.

The Bald Eagles will return to action next week (Week 4) at home as they open PSAC East play vs. East Stroudsburg at 1 p.m. Next week marks Lock Haven’s 2023 Homecoming game and The Haven’s Hall of Fame game.