10/8/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The #11 Lackawanna College Falcons (3-1) are set to host the #12 Monroe College Mustangs in a pivotal match-up between two nationally-ranked opponents from the Northeast Football Conference. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm on Saturday October 9^th at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Tickets are five dollars to the public, and three dollars for students, and will be sold at the gates.
 
About the Falcons
Lackawanna College was victorious in their last game on Saturday, October 2^nd, when they opened their home slate this season with an impressive 53-13 win over McDougle Technical Institute.
 
The Falcons scored on their first two offensive possessions en route to 467 yards of total offense. At one point, Lackawanna College scored points on seven straight offensive drives. After giving up a long touchdown drive on their opening possession, the Falcon defense settled in, forcing seven punts, an interception, and a safety, along with twelve tackles-for-loss and seven sacks on the day.
 
Barry Brown led the way through the air once again for Lackawanna College, finishing an efficient 7-for-12 for 153 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, which included a 73-yard touchdown to Delvin Palmer. Brayden Hawkins saw his first extended run of play on the year in the second half, and went 8-for-15 for 104 yards. Brown has thrown for 1014 yards and twelve touchdowns, while completing 60.2% of his passes. Brown is averaging 9.8 yds per pass attempt this season.
 
The ground game finally kicked on for the Falcons, as Lackawanna College piled up 211 yards rushing on the day against the MTI defense. Antwan Squire led the way with 78 yards on nine carries, including a touchdown. Squire was one of three Falcons to score on the ground, as Isaiah Edwards finished with 54 yards rushing and a touchdown, and X'Zavion Evans had a touchdown to go with his 35 yards rushing. In all, five different backs carried the ball for the Falcons in the game. Squire leads the team with 214 yards on 46 carries this year. Edwards has 131 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns. Evans has 16 carries for 56 yards on the season.
 
Delvin Palmer had a team-high four catches for 112 yards, with 73 of those yards coming on a long touchdown pass from Barry Brown. Cohen Russell finished with three catches for 44 yards. Including those two receivers, eleven different Falcons caught a pass on Saturday. Russell leads the Falcons with 18 catches on the season. He has 238 yards and a touchdown receiving this year. Palmer has 15 catches for a team-high 364 yards and three TDs. Jasiah Purdie has nine catches for 84 yards and a score, while Colbie Young has five catches for 102 yards and three TDs on the year.
 
Cam Ceccotti had a busy Saturday, with three made field goals, six extra points, nine kickoffs (including two touchbacks) and three punts, two going for over 50 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 55.0 yards per kickoff, and has three touchbacks on the season.
 
In the return game on Saturday, both Cohen Russell and Delvin Palmer were close to breaking free, with Palmer taking a kick return for 63 yards, and Russell taking one for 55 yards. Russell is the top punt returner, averaging 26 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 30.8 (Russell) and 33.8 (Palmer) yards per return, respectively. Neither has scored a touchdown, yet, but both have year-long returns over 60 yards this season.
 
Defensively, the Falcons sacked MTI eight times, and had twelve tackles for loss. Lackwanna College held the Bison to just 54 yards rushing, and 218 total yards on offense. Linebacker Jahman McNeil led the effort with 8 tackles, six solos, and 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Avanti Lockhart had six tackles, and a team-high 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Lockhart also had the sack that resulted in a safety early in the 2^nd quarter for the Falcons. Brian Dallas had a team-high two sacks on the day.  Tyrece Mills is the team-leader in tackles, with 24 total tackles on the season. Mills has two interceptions, to go with 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Harold O'Neal is second on the team with 22 total tackles, and is the team-leader with 17 solo tackles, and 5.5 tackles-for-loss. Lackawanna College has 31.5 tackles-for-loss and 15 sacks on the season.
 
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 25-3 since the 2018 season.
 
 
About The Opponent
The #12 Monroe College Mustangs (3-0) have had a season that has come in fits and starts, but are now finally starting to get rolling, having played the last two weekends. The Mustangs opened the season with a massive 34-16 win over then #12 Georgia Military College, then had to wait three weeks through a COVID situation before posting a 35-3 win over Hudson Valley CC on 9/25. Their latest win was a dominant 56-15 thumping of Post University. The Mustangs piled up 490 yards of total offense and never punted. Of their seven scoring drives, six of them lasted just four plays or less.
 
Through three games, Monroe has been carried by some impressive defensive numbers. The Mustangs are only surrendering around 185 yards per game, including just 43.7 yards on the ground. They have six sacks on the season, and have held their opposition to just 7-for-34 on 3^rd Downs, a 20.6% conversation rate. The Mustangs have forced eight turnovers, including six fumbles, and are only giving up 11.3 points-per-game.
 
On offense, Monroe has been equally impressive, holding the ball for an average of 36:14 per game (1^st in NJCAA), and converting on 53% of their 3^rd Downs (1^st NJCAA). The Mustangs are averaging nearly 8 yards per play, and have gobbled up 427 yards per game of total offense. They're averaging 12.0 yards per pass attempt (1^st NJCAA), and are scoring nearly 42 points per game so far this season.
 
Shelton Applewhite, Jr. has been the leader under center for Monroe. The quarterback was a perfect 13-for-13 for 286 yards and four touchdowns in the win against Post. On the year, Applewhite has completed 73% of his passes for 824 yards and ten touchdowns. Applewhite is 1^st in the NJCAA in yards per attempt (12.1), 1^st in passing efficiency (233.2), 2^nd in completion percentage, and 3^rd in yards per game (274.7). The Mustangs are the best team in the country in yards per attempt (12.0), and they're second in the country in yards per completion (17.2).
 
Troy Booker, who didn't register a carry against Post, leads the team with 28 rushes on the season, but is second on the team with 142 yards rushing and a touchdown this year. Roman Purcell exploded against Post, where he rushed just five times for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the year, Purcell leads the Mustangs with 157 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Idrissa Nikiema had an impressive four catches for 144 yards against Post, scoring twice for the Mustangs. On the season, he's got 14 catches for 271 yards, leading the team in both categories. He's got four touchdowns, which ties him for the team-lead with Halim Dixon-King. Dixon-King had four catches for 85 yards and a pair of TDs against Post, and has ten receptions for 243 yards on the year. Nikiema is 6^th in the NJCAA in receiving yards per game (90.3), while his teammate Dixon-King is tied for 1^st (with Delvin Palmer) in the NJCAA for yards per catch (24.3).
 
Nikiema is also the placekicker for Monroe College, and he's 2-for-4 on the season, with a long of 27-yards. He's averaging around 57 yards per kickoff on the season, and has three touchbacks on the year. Bailey Marzola, on the rare occasions he's been called upon to punt, is averaging around 36.6 yards per punt, and has a long punt of 62 yards on the season.
 
Dixon-King, Nikiema, and sometimes even Cade White will split the punt return duties, while Jamarii Robinson and Wayne Davenport have been the main kick returners.
 
Zharell Walker leads the Mustangs with 16 total tackles, 12 solos, and three forced fumbles on the year. Douglas Blue-Eli is second on the team with 10 total tackles, while Michel Lucien also has ten and a team-high 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Jonah Kurker, who has only played in the Post game this year, already leads the team with 3.0 sacks on the season. The Mustangs have forced nine fumbles, recovering six of them, so far this year.
 
The Mustangs are led by coach Terry Karg, who is in his tenth season as head football coach, and eleventh year with Monroe College. Karg has been the architect behind the program, as the first and only head coach in their short history. The Mustangs are 49-27 with Karg in charge, and have been to two bowl games in back-to-back season in 2018 (Graphic Edge Bowl) and 2019 (Salt City Bowl). Football fans in Northeast PA will recognize Karg's name, as he was the offensive coordinator for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers in 2007, when the Pioneers led the AF2 in scoring and set multiple offensive records on their way to an Arena Cup appearance. Karg was also the head football coach at Wyoming Seminary from 2006 to 2009, where he won more games in a single season than the program had won in two decades. He ended up with three season of seven or more wins.
 
Game Notes

• The Falcons re-entered the NJCAA DI Top 15 rankings thanks to their wins over Army JV and MTI last week, landing them at #11 on the rankings list. 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 (#12 DI; Will play on October 9^th)
  • Snow College (#1 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 5)

1. Snow College (UT); 4-0 [Next game: vs. #4 Iowa Western CC (IA) 10/9]
2. Jones College (MS); 5-0 [Next game: vs. Southwest Mississippi (MS) 10/9]
3. Independence CC (KS); 5-0 [Next game: at #13 Hutchinson CC (KS) 10/9]
4. Iowa Western CC (IA); 4-0 [Next game: at Snow College (UT) 10/9]
5. Trinity Valley CC (TX); 5-0 [Next game: at Blinn (TX) 10/16]
6. East Mississippi CC (MS); 5-0 [Next game: vs. Northeast Mississippi (MS) 10/9]
7. New Mexico Military Institute (NM); 5-0 [Next game: vs. Tyler (TX) 10/16]
8. Coffeyville CC (KS); 4-0 [Next game: at Fort Scott (KS) 10/16]
9. Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (MS); 5-1 [Won 31-13 vs. East Central (MS) 10/7]
10. Iowa Central CC (IA); 4-1 [Next game: at Ellsworth (IA) 10/9]
11. Lackawanna College (PA); 3-1 [Next game: vs. #12 Monroe College (NY) 10/9]
12. Monroe College (NY); 3-0 [Next game: at #11 Lackawanna College (PA) 10/9]
13. Hutchinson CC (KS); 2-2 [Next game: vs. #3 Independence CC (KS) 10/9]
14. Coahoma CC (MS); 4-2 [Lost 42-12 vs. Northwest Mississippi (MS) 10/7]
15. Kilgore College (TX); 3-2 [Next game: at Cisco (TX) 10/9]

Receiving Votes: Northwest Mississippi (MS), Hinds CC (MS), Garden City CC (KS)
Bold and Italics: Opponent on Lackawanna College's schedule
 
 

• Lackawanna College leads the all-time series with Monroe College at 6-2. The Falcons have won five straight meetings, including the last match-up in 2019, when Lackawanna won at Monroe, 30-17. The Mustangs have not beaten Lackawanna College since 2014.

 

• Saturday's game will decide the winner of the NEFC, as both Monroe College and Lackawanna College are the only members this season. ASA College New York is not participating in football for the 2021 fall season.

 

• Saturday's match-up is one of three games being played in the NJCAA Division I schedule that features two ranked teams. The other two games are between #3 Independence CC at #13 Hutchinson at 1pm ET, and #4 Iowa Western CC at #1 Snow College at 3pm ET.

 

• Saturday's game between Monroe College (#12) and Lackawanna College (#11) is the fourth straight game where both teams enter with national rankings attached:
  • 2017: #19 Lackawanna at #15 Monroe (LC 19-0)
  • 2018: #12 Monroe at #6 Lackawanna (LC 21-7)
  • 2019: #3 Lackawanna at #7 Monroe (LC 30-17)
  • 2021: #12 Monroe at #11 Lackawanna

 

• Lackawanna College is 25-1 in home games since the 2015 season. Their only loss is to Snow College in the lone home game they played in the 2021 Spring season (27-7).

 

• Lackawanna College quarterback Barry Brown is among the nation's best in passing so far this season. Brown is 6^th in the NJCAA in passing yards per game (253.5), 3^rd in passing efficiency (175.5), 5^th in yds/attempt (9.8), 6^th in passing TDs (12), and 12^th in completion percentage (60.2%).

 

• Falcons wide receiver Delvin Palmer is tied-for-first in the NJCAA in yds/reception (24.3) and 4^th in the country in yds/game (91.0). Palmer also ranks 3^rd in the NJCAA in total yards per game (155.5), while his fellow receiver Cohen Russel comes in at 7^th in the country (141.0).

 

• Palmer and Russell are the most potent one-two special teams punch in the nation, both averaging 33.8 (Palmer) and 30.8 (Russell) yards per kick return this year. As a team, Lackawanna College averages 32.1 yards per return, good enough for 3^rd in the NJCAA.

 

• The Lackawanna Falcons are 11^th in the NJCAA in time-of-possession, averaging around 28:54 minutes with the ball, per game.

 

• Lackawanna College is 9^th in the country in passing yards this year (1145) through four games. The Falcons average 286 yards/game through the air, and average 9.1 yards/attempt, good for 2^nd in the NJCAA.

 

• This Saturday's game is open to the public. Tickets will be on-sale at the main entrance points to Scranton's Memorial Stadium ($3 for students, $5 for adults). If you cannot attend the football game, you can catch the action on the official Lackawanna College YouTube Channel. Go to YouTube.com/LackawannaCollegeFalcons. Our video livestream will start at 6:45pm. John Mendola will have the play-by-play duties, joined by Sports Information Director Tom Ferguson.

 

• Next Up: The Falcons will get a bye week next weekend before hitting the road to face Hocking College on Sunday, October 24^th at 3:00pm in Shepherdstown, WV at Shepherd University.