9/23/23

UNIONDALE, NY -- In a swirling, driving rain storm, Lackawanna College ran roughshod over the Lions from Nassau Community College with a 49-0 shutout victory on Saturday afternoon at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, NY.
 
The Falcons (3-1) ran for a school-record 496 yards, getting 10.6 yards a clip, and had 709 yards of total offense, scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions in the first half on their way to building a 35-0 halftime lead. Terrez Worthy (Sophomore; Salisbury, MD) ran for 342 yards on 19 carries, an 18 yards per carry clip, and had three touchdowns, two for 65+ yards on the day.
 
Lackawanna got the ball first, but was forced to punt from its own 33-yard line. Nassau (1-3) moved the ball into Lackawanna territory on its subsequent possession, but the Falcons managed to hold firm and forced a punt. Taking over at their own 27, the Falcons scored in just two plays, when Worthy exploded for a 73-yard run down the right sideline for the first score of the game. A fumbled snap on the extra point was picked up by Hamas Duren (Sophomore; Sicklerville, NJ), who fired into the endzone to connect with Avohn Cross (Sophomore; Philadelphia, PA) for the two-point conversion.
 
That started the Falcons on a tear, as every subsequent possession for the half ended in a touchdown. After a turnover on downs from Nassau, the Falcons drove down the field and scored on the first play of the second quarter, when Wyatt Hagan (Sophomore; Chantilly, VA) threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Cross to put the Falcons ahead 15-0.
 
Worthy added a 42-yard touchdown score on the next possession, and Markell Holman (First Year; Philadelphia, PA) finished off a 92-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run that made it 29-0 Falcons with 7:44 to go in the second. Hagan then threw another score on the next possession, connecting with Maxwell James (Sophomore; Burke, VA) on an eleven-yard toss to the corner of the endzone that pushed the Lackawanna lead to 35-0.
 
In the second half, the Falcons forced a punt on the opening drive, then got a 66-yard touchdown run from Worthy on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession, his last carry of the contest, making it 42-0. The Falcons added one more score early in the fourth quarter, when Duren spotted Jaehlan Joyner (First Year; Burlington, NJ) open in the flat, and tossed the ball to the fullback. Joyner caught the pass, spun off a defender, and raced the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown strike to make it 49-0 and close out the scoring.
 
Wyatt Hagan was 7-for-14 for 115 yards and two scores, and Avohn Cross had a team-high three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. Holman had 49 yards rushing and a score, while Edward Sirleaf (First Year; Gaithersburg, MD) had eight carries for 49 yards. Defensively, the Falcons were led by Devin Harper (Sophomore; Fort Mill, SC) with eight total tackles, four solos, and 1.5 TFLs, while Maleek Robinson (Sophomore; Wilkes-Barre, PA) had a team-high five solo tackles, including two TFLs and a sack. Preston Green (Sophomore; Long Pond, PA) had six tackles, four solos, a sack, a TFL, and two forced fumbles, as well as a fumble recovery on the final possession of the game when Nassau fumbled on 4^th-and-goal at the Falcons 1-yard line.
 
Lackawanna College is next in action on Saturday, September 30^th, when the Falcons are finally back home, hosting the Sussex County CC Skylanders. Kickoff is set for a 1:00pm ET start at PenFed field at Scranton's Memorial Stadium. It's a contest between the only two NJCAA Region XIX football teams.