10/22/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Falcons (3-2) are back in action this weekend, gearing up for the second half of the regular season. The Falcons are set to take on the Hocking College Hawks (4-2) in a neutral site matchup, happening Sunday, October 24^th at 3:00pm at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  
 
About the Falcons
When Lackawanna College was last in action, the Falcons fell in a heartbreaking 49-48 overtime loss to Monroe College on Saturday, October 9^th at Scranton's Memorial Stadium.
 
The game saw a combined 97 points, 47 first downs, and 919 total offensive yards. The Falcons and Mustangs traded the lead three separate times, all in the second half, and were tied four different times throughout the game. When the Falcons scored with 1:14 to go in the game to make it 42-35, it seemed like Lackawanna College had delivered a sixth straight loss to Monroe, but the Mustangs responded and tied the game with 19 seconds remaining. In overtime, Monroe scored almost immediately, but the Falcons answered with a third down completion from Barry Brown to Cohen Russell. Lackawanna College went for two on the extra point attempt, but were stopped one-yard shy of the end zone, sealing the first win for Monroe over Lackawanna College since 2014.
 
Offensively, Lackawanna College was hard to slow down. The Falcons had 26 first downs and averaged 7.7 yards per play on their way to 519 total yards. Barry Brown was sensational once again for Lackawanna College, going 20-for-30 for 340 yards and six touchdowns, including a 50-yard touchdown pass to Colbie Young. Brown has now thrown for 1354 yards and 18 touchdowns on the season. He's hitting on 61.6% of his passes, and is averaging 16.5 yards per completion, and 10.2 yards per attempt.
 
The Falcons ran for 179 yards in the game, but really kicked on in the second half thanks to Isaiah Edwards, who carried the ball for 97 yards on 14 carries, all in the second half. X'Zavion Evans had the lone rushing touchdown, a one-yard carry in the first half. Evans finished with 33 yards rushing on six carries. Edwards leads the Falcons with 228 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the season. Antwan Squire leads the team in carries with 51, and has 223 yards and one touchdown so far this season.  Evans is third on the team with 22 carries for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
 
Delvin Palmer had a team-high eight catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns, including the 28-yard touchdown catch that put the Falcons up 42-35 with 1:14 to go in the fourth quarter. Cohen Russell finished with four catches for 56 yards and that 27-yard touchdown in overtime. Colbie Young continued his run of form, catching a pair of passes for 83 yards, both for touchdowns. Young has caught five touchdown passes in his last three games. Palmer leads the Falcons in catches (23) and yards (497) and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns (5, Colbie Young) so far this year. "DP" is averaging 21.6 yards per catch, and 99.4 yards receiving per game this year. Russell is second on the team with 22 catches for 294 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jasiah Purdie is third on the team with ten catches for 89 yards and a score. Young has seven catches, five of which are touchdowns, for 185 yards this season.
 
Cam Ceccotti was busy with extra points, making four of his attempts. His fifth and final attempt was blocked by Monroe in the fourth quarter, preserving a 35-34 lead for the Mustangs. Ceccotti had six kickoffs, averaging 60.3 yards per kick, and was not called upon to punt. In fact, the only punt for the Falcons came off the foot of Barry Brown, when he pooched a kick for 30 yards. On the year, Ceccotti is four-for-five on field goals, having made his last four in a row. His long is 36 yards. He's also averaging 56.1 yards per kickoff, and has four touchbacks on the season.
 
The kick and punt return tandem of Russell and Palmer were kept relatively quiet against Monroe, with Russell only getting a nine-yard return on a punt, and neither player really getting the chance to break big on a kick return. Russell is the top punt returner, averaging 21.8 yards per return, including his 78-yard TD from the first game of the season. Both Russell and Palmer are dangerous on kick returns, as well, averaging 31.4 (Palmer) and 27.1 (Russell) yards per return, respectively. Neither has scored a touchdown, yet, but both have year-long returns over 60 yards this season.
 
Defensively, the Falcons struggled to slow down the Mustangs, as Monroe had 400 yards of offense, including 324 yards passing from Shelton Applewhite, Jr. The Falcons managed seven tackles-for-loss and a pair of sacks, but couldn't quite find their typical turnover to turn the tide of the game. Defensive lineman Cottrell Hatchett was tied for the team-lead in tackles with linebacker Avanti Lockhart, as both had seven total tackles, apiece.  All of Lockhart's tackles were solo, while Hatchett also had the team-lead in tackles-for-loss (2.5) and sacks (1.5). Linebackers Harold O'Neal and Dewayne Grantham each had six and five tackles, respectively, and each recorded a tackle-for-loss. O'Neal leads the team with 28 total tackles on the season, and has the team-lead in solo tackles with 21. O'Neal also leads the team in tackles-for-loss, with 6.5 so far this year. Tyrece Mills is second on the team with 24 total tackles, and has two interceptions, to go with 3.5 tackles-for-loss this year. William Hackett has 18 total tackles, 15 solo, and a half tackle-for-loss this year. Brian Dallas is the team-leader with two sacks on the season. The Falcons, as a team, have 38.5 tackles-for-loss and 17.0 sacks this year, but have only managed four takeaways.
 
Coach Mark Duda is in his 28^th season as head football coach at Lackawanna College, and his 29^th with the program. After one year as the defensive coordinator in the inaugural season in 1993, coach Duda took over as head coach, and has won 181 career games, the most among active coaches in the NJCAA. The Falcons were 1-1 in the spring of 2021, which was their first football action since a 2019 NJCAA National Championship appearance against Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. Coach Duda and the Falcons are 25-4 since the 2018 season.
 
 
About The Opponent
Hocking College comes into the contest at 4-2 on the year, but have not played since a 33-7 win over Gordon State College on October 3^rd. The last two weeks, they won by forfeit over ALN Prep on October 9^th, and had a game against Erie CC canceled for October 16^th. Apart from the Gordon State win, the Hawks have wins over Erie (60-14 on 9/4) and Sussex County (38-2 on 9/11) so far this year, with losses to DuPage (14-13 on 9/18) and #1 D3 Nassau CC (17-3 on 9/25).
 
Hocking's bread-and-butter has been their defense so far this year. The Hawks are third in the NJCAA in total defense, giving up just 185 yards of offense per game. They're also third in points allowed per game, surrendering just 10.8 ppg. They've been stingy against the run, giving up just 34.2 yards per game on the ground (2^nd NJCAA), and they have 23 takeaways (2^nd NJCAA) with 10 INTs and 13 fumble recoveries (T-1^st NJCAA). Hocking has scored five defensive touchdowns this season.
 
On offense, the Hawks have been in the bottom half of most of the major NJCAA categories. Hocking averages around 29 points per game, and around 260.4 offensive yards per game. They average around 166 of those yards per game through the air. When they can connect on their passes, they've averaging 15.7 yards per completion (6^th NJCAA), so they have shown some big play ability.
 
While Ditannon Otis is the team leader in passing yards this year, he did not play in the last game for Hocking against Gordon State College. The quarterback for that game was Alex Short, who went 15-for-24 for 166 yards and a touchdown and an interception. Otis was last in action against Nassau CC on September 25^th, when he went 0-for-2 before exiting the game early. Otis has thrown for 605 yards and five touchdowns on 30-for-54 this season, along with four interceptions. Tommy Colbert, who relieved Otis in the Nassau game, was 8-for-24 for 62 yards and a pair of picks in relief.  
 
Kevin Howard is the main feature back for Hocking, rushing 47 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Howard wasn't needed much against Gordon State, running for 14 yards on just seven carries. Jaden Blackman is second on the team with 12 carries for 94 yards, but did not register a carry against Gordon State.  Dae'Mon Cherry, who also didn't register a carry against Gordon State, has 15 carries for 64 yards.
 
Brayden O'Dell is the team-leader with 15 catches for 313 yards and three touchdowns on the year. O'Dell had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown against Gordon State. Ni-Keese Hodges-Demery and Dae'Mon Cherry are each tied for second on the team with six catches, apiece. Hodges-Demery has 154 yards receiving and a touchdown, while Cherry has 89 yards receiving this year. Hodges-Demery had three catches for 24 yards against Gordon State.  
 
Jeri Valesquez has been great for the Hawks on field goals, going a perfect 8-for-8, with a long of 47-yards this year. Valesquez is also 14-for-14 on extra points. On top of placekicking, Valesquez is also the main kickoff specialist, averaging 47.6 yards per kick, as well as the punter, averaging 34.3 yards per punt this season, with a long of 60 yards.
 
The Hawks are dangerous in the return game, thanks to Izayah Aekins, who is averaging 39.3 yards per kick return (1^st NJCAA) and has a 74-yard kick return touchdown already this season. The Hawks are 3^rd in the NJCAA with 31.7 yards per kick return this year.
 
On a defense that has been, statistically, as good as it gets, Shaun Myers has been the standout Hawk. Myers has 29 total tackles to lead the team, along with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. He also has three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble on the year. Jarod Washington is second on the team with 25 total tackles, while Syncere Jones leads the team with 16 solo tackles. Malik Denkins leads the Hawks with eight tackles-for-loss, and a team-high seven sacks on the year. Denkins has forced two fumbles this season. Izayah Aekins has forced three fumbles and is tied for the team-lead with three interceptions. Josiah Price is the other man with three picks on the year. The Hawks have forced 14 fumbles, recovering 13 of them, and have 10 interceptions so far this season.  
 
Hocking College is coached by Ted Egger, who is entering his second season at the helm of a Hawks program started in 2015. Coach Egger was hired in April 2020, and navigated the Hawks through the pandemic-shortened spring 2021 season with a 2-1 record and a strong defensive performance, giving up just 12 points in the three games they played. Before coming to Hocking, Egger was a part of the Pearl River Community College football program, serving as head coach for three seasons after one year as their defensive and special teams coordinator. Egger has spent time in the NCAA ranks, coaching at Concordia University, Adams State University, Ferris State, Northwood University, and his alma mater, Lock Haven University. Egger is a 2000 graduate from LHU and played for the Bald Eagles as a defensive back. He holds a bachelor's degree from LHU and a master's from Adams State. Egger, for his career as a head coach, is 16-20.
 
Game Notes

• The Falcons are currently receiving votes, but are not ranked in the NJCAA Division I Top 15 rankings. There are still five teams that are currently or have received rankings on the Falcons' schedule this year:

 

• Iowa Central (#10 DI; Lost 28-21)
• Monroe College (#11 DI; Lost 49-48, OT)
• Snow College (#7 DI; Will play on November 6^th)
• Nassau Community College (#1 DIII; Will play on November 13^th)
• Georgia Military (#12 DI Preseason; Will play November 20^th)

 

• NJCAA Division I Top 15 Rankings (Week 7)

1. Jones College (MS); 7-1 [Lost 27-23 vs. #13 Mississippi Gulf Coast (MS) 10/21]
2. Iowa Western (IA); 5-0 [Next game: at Ellsworth (IA) 10/23]
3. East Mississippi CC (MS); 8-0 [Won 31-7 at Copiah-Lincoln (MS) 10/21]
4. Independence CC (KS); 6-0 [Next game: vs. Coffeyville CC (KS) 10/31]
5. Nex Mexico Military Institute (NM); 6-0 [Next game: vs. Cisco (TX) 10/23]
6. Coffeyville CC (KS); 5-0 [Next game: vs. #14 Garden City (CC) 10/23]
7. Snow College (UT); 5-1 [Next game: at Kilgore College (TX) 10/23]
8. Trinity Valley CC (TX); 5-1 [Next game: vs. Navarro (TX) 10/23]
9. Northwest Mississippi CC (MS); 6-2 [Won 41-13 vs. Itawamba (MS) 10/21]
10. Iowa Central CC (IA); 5-1 [Next game: at Highland (KS) 10/23]
11. Monroe College (NY); 5-0 [Next game: at Cornell JV (NY) 10/24]
12. Hinds CC (MS); 6-2 [Won 52-14 vs. East Central CC (MS) 10/21]
13. Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (MS); 6-2 [Won 27-23 at #1 Jones College (MS) 10/21]
14. Garden City (KS); 3-2 [Next game: at #6 Coffeyville CC (KS) 10/23]
15. Blinn College (TX); 4-2 [Next game: at Tyler (TX) 10/23]

 
Receiving Votes: Georgia Military College (GA), Butler (KS), Coahoma CC (MS), Lackawanna College (PA)
Bold and Italics: Opponent on Lackawanna College's schedule
 
 

• Lackawanna College leads the all-time series with Hocking College at 4-0. The teams last played in 2019, when the then #3 ranked Falcons scored 62 points in the first half on their way to a 69-6 victory over the Hawks. Lackawanna College has been impressive against Hocking over the years:

 

• 2016: Lackawanna College 55 – 12 Hocking College
• 2017: Lackawanna College 35 – 12 Hocking College
• 2018: Lackawanna College 62 – 6 Hocking College
• 2019: Lackawanna College 69 – 6 Hocking College
• 2021: Lackawanna College ?? - ?? Hocking College

 
The Falcons have outscored the Hawks by a total of 221-to-36 in the four games they've played. Lackawanna College is averaging 55.3 points per game against Hocking, and has beaten the Hawks by an average margin of 46 points.
 
 

• Sunday's game is the second time this year that Lackawanna College is playing on a Sunday. The Falcons opened the season on Sunday, September 5^th, when they played Iowa Central in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

 

• One has to go back to 2017 for the last time the Falcons had more than one loss in a season. After each of those losses that year, the Falcons bounced back with victories.

 

• Lackawanna College is 6-3 in neutral site games dating back to 2016. They are 1-1 so far this year, with a loss to Iowa Central and a win over ASA Miami. This is the last neutral site game on the regular season schedule for the Falcons.

 

• Lackawanna College quarterback Barry Brown is among the nation's best in several passing categories this season. Brown is 2^nd in the NJCAA in passing efficiency (184.3), 3^rd in passing yards per game (270.8), 4^th in passing touchdowns (18), 7^th in yds/attempt (10.2), 7^th in total passing yards (1354), and 10^th in completion percentage (61.7%).

 

• Falcons wide receiver Delvin Palmer is 1^st in the NJCAA in yards receiving per game (99.4) and 2^nd in the country in yards per reception (21.6). Palmer also ranks 4^th in the NJCAA in total yards per game (156.2), while his fellow receiver Cohen Russel comes in at 5^th in the country (136.2).

 

• Palmer and Russell are the most potent one-two special teams punch in the nation, both averaging 31.4 (Palmer) and 27.2 (Russell) yards per kick return this year. As a team, Lackawanna College averages 27.3 yards per return, good enough for 5^th in the NJCAA.

 

• The Lackawanna Falcons are 4^th in the NJCAA in time-of-possession, averaging around 32:34 minutes with the ball, per game.

 

• Lackawanna College has one of the most potent passing attacks in the NJCAA. Lackawanna is 4^th in the NJCAA in passing yards per game (297.0). The Falcons are also 4^th in yards per attempt (9.5) and 5^th in yards per completion (15.8). Their 18 passing touchdowns is good enough for 6^th in the country.

 

• This Sunday's game will be played at Ram Stadium at Shepherd University in Sheperdstown, West Virginia. The game is open to the public.

 

• Next Up: The Falcons are back at home on Saturday, October 30^th for homecoming against Sussex County CC. The game is set for a 1:00pm kickoff at Scranton's Memorial Stadium. Tickets will be $3.00 for students and $5.00 for adults, and will be sold at the gates.