9/23/22

SCRANTON, Pa. -- For the third straight week, Lackawanna College football hits the road, this time for a short drive over to neighboring New Jersey to take on the Sussex County CC Skylanders. Kickoff is set for a 4:00pm ET start at Newton HS in Newton, NJ. There is a live video stream available via the Cutting Edge Sports Network HERE.

The Falcons (2-1) are ranked #14 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll. Lackawanna comes into the game after dropping their first loss of the year, 34-12, on the road at nationally ranked Georgia Military College. The Falcons struggled to move the ball, mustering just 241 yards of offense and 12 first downs. GMC scored the game's first 27 points, and the Falcons didn't convert a third down until the fourth quarter, going 2-for-13 for the game. Hamas Duren (Sicklerville, NJ) came off the bench to play quarterback mid-way through the third quarter, and tossed his first career touchdown pass, when he hit Justin Thompson (Ambridge, PA) early in the fourth. Avanti Lockhart (Sinking Spring, PA) and Keeno Arrington (Pittsburgh, PA) led the Falcon defense, with Lockhart invovled in six total tackles, while Arrington had five total tackles, including a team-high four solo stops and three pass break-ups. 

The Skylanders (0-2) come into the game after dropping a 33-6 decision on the road against Army Prep in West Point, NY. Prep grounded the Skylander offense early, and scored on three of its first four possessions to take a 19-0 halftime lead. On the first possession of the second half, Sussex moved the ball to midfield, but the Black Knights picked off a subsequent pass and returned it for a score to essentially put the game well out of reach.  

Lackawanna College is still chasing history in this, its 30th season of competition. The Falcons have 198 program victories, and head coach Mark Duda, the man in charge for 29 of those seasons, sits at 194 career victories, the most among active coaches in the NJCAA.

The Falcons are undefeated against the Skylanders in the brief history of the series between the two. Lackawanna won the first match-up back in March 2021 by a 37-7 scoreline, and then shut out Sussex last year, 52-0, in Scranton. 

Lackawanna College and Sussex County CC are the only two NJCAA Region 19 schools that sponsor varsity football, so this marks a rare "Region" football game for the Falcons.  

For more in-depth analysis on the Falcons ahead of their match-up with Sussex County CC, click on the link below to this week's game notes.

GAME NOTES: CLICK HERE

For those fans who cannot attend Saturday's game in New Jersey, there is a video livestream available for free via the Cutting Edge Sports Network on YouTube. You can access the game's YouTube link HERE. Please note that this is the ONLY LINK to watch the game. Please avoid any other links shared by users that are not affiliated with the college, as they may be spam links designed to grab your personal information. Only click on links shared by Lackawanna College.

The next match-up for Lackawanna College is one more road trip down south, when they travel for a neutral site contest against ASA Miami on Saturday, October 1st. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm ET at Northwest Guilford HS in Greensboro, North Carolina.