Box Score 9/16/23

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Georgia Military College kept the normally efficient Lackawanna College offense off balance all day, frustrating the Falcons in a 17-9 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Davenport Field in Milledgeville, GA.
 
The #9 Falcons (2-1) came in averaging over 400 yards of offense per game, including nearly 230 yards per contest on the ground, but the Bulldogs (2-2) held the potent Falcons rushing attack to just 103 all day long, and held Lackawanna to just a 2-for-13 clip on third-downs all day.
 
Hamas Duren (Sophomore; Sicklerville, NJ) was 19-for-34 for 168 yards and a touchdown, but also a pick. Terrez Worthy (Sophomore; Salisbury, MD) had 23 carries for 78 yards as the Bulldog defense kept him under wraps most of the afternoon. Kyree Hinton (Sophomore; Somerville, NJ) had four catches for a team-high 45 yards, while Avohn Cross (Sophomore; Philadelphia, PA) had a team-high five catches for 26 yards. Robert Rossi (Sophomore; Scranton, PA) had two catches for 15 yards.
 
Defensively, the Falcons were stout when they needed to be, but were on the field a lot towards the end of the game, and took a beating against the bruising rushing attack from GMC. Saint McLeod (Sophomore; Philadelphia, PA) led the way with nine total tackles, including four solos, while Kamden Wyatt (First Year; Philadelphia, PA) led the Falcons with five solo tackles. Antonio Alfano (Sophomore; Colonia, NJ) had five tackles, three for loss.
 
Lackawanna intercepted a GMC pass on the second play from scrimmage, setting up shop in Bulldog territory at the 31-yard line, but the offense couldn't get a push, and the Falcons threw an interception of their own on fourth down to waste their chance.
 
Georgia Military managed to take advantage, hitting a 55-yard run for a score to open the game up at 7-0 with 10:52 to go in the opening quarter. An empty Falcons possession resulted in a 53-yard punt return from the Bulldogs to the Lackawanna 15, but the defense held firm, and Military missed a 30-yard field goal to keep it to a seven-point deficit.
 
The Falcons mounted a 13-play, 72-yard drive that saw five different first downs, but Lackawanna stalled at the GMC 8, forcing a Benjamin Paserk (Sophomore; Batavia, NY) 25-yard field goal to get the Falcons on the board at 7-3 with 1:26 to go in the opening quarter.
 
GMC answered with a 14-play drive that went nearly eight minutes, capped with a 37-yard field goal to make it 10-3, Bulldogs. Neither team got much going offensively the rest of the half, as the deficit remained 10-3 at the break.
 
Lackawanna put together a 10-play drive to open the second half, taking five minutes off the clock and capping it with a Hamas Duren (Sophomore; Sicklerville, NJ) pass to Petey Tucker (Sophomore; Baltimore, MD) from 15-yards out for a touchdown. But, the Bulldogs blocked the extra point to remain in front, 10-9, early in the 3^rd.
 
Georgia Military went three-and-out, giving the Falcons the chance to drive and potentially take the lead. Lackawanna marched all the way to the GMC 14 yard-line, but the drive stalled out, and the Falcons sent Paserk out to attempt a 33-yard field goal for the lead. The Bulldogs managed to get a hand on the ball as it sailed towards the line, deflecting the kick to make it no good and keep Military in front with 2:35 to go in the third.
 
Four straight punts ensued, carrying the game into the fourth quarter, still with GMC ahead 10-9, and the Bulldogs managed to break through, putting together a nine-play drive that killed five minutes off the clock and ended in a touchdown run with 3:57 to play to make it 17-9.
 
Lackawanna had a 14-yard pass for a first down out to its own 39, but a short rush, followed by an incompletion and a sack, forced fourth-and-long for Lackawanna with the game on the line. Duren managed to find Hinton on a long pass that at first seemed to get beyond the sticks, but the officials ruled Hinton a yard shy of the line to gain, turning the ball over and downs and giving Military the chance to kneel things out for the win.
 
Lackawanna College will look to bounce back next Saturday, September 23^rd, when the Falcons travel to take on their old rival, Nassau CC, for a 1:00pm ET kick at Mitchel Field in Uniondale, NY.