11/13/25

SCRANTON, Pa. – #15 Snow College spoiled the junior college finale for Lackawanna College football, as the Badgers smothered the Falcons, 37-0, on a cold, windy, and occasionally rainy Thursday evening at Scranton Memorial Stadium.
 
The Falcons (4-6) knew a tall task lay ahead, down their top three receivers, but the offense was anemic, posting just 257 yards of offense, including only 71 yards passing, while the Badgers (6-4) leaned on running back Matt Wilson, who tuned up the Falcons for 303 yards rushing on 28 carries, scoring two touchdowns and catching another.
 
After a quiet first quarter, Wilson got the Badgers on the board midway through the second with a 39-yard burst through the middle of the Lackawanna defense. Later, after Joshua Baskerville (West Point, NY) intercepted a pass deep in Lackawanna territory, the Falcons had the ball on their own five-yard line. Try as they might, Lackawanna couldn't get the ball away from its goal line, and the fourth down punt was blocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving Snow an 8-0 lead.
 
That lead grew to 14-0 on a four-yard rush by quarterback Jace Welsch with 13 seconds remaining in the quarter. A two-point conversion then made it 16-0 heading into halftime.
 
In the second half, Lackawanna took the kickoff, but a mistake on the return placed the Falcons at the two-yard line. Lackawanna moved the ball out to the 30, but the offense stalled and a botched fake punt gave Snow the ball at the Lackawanna 23-yard line. Snow six plays later, taking advantage of an illegal hands to the face penalty that wiped out a fourth down stand by the Lackawanna defense. Wilson eventually ran it in from 16 yards out to get the Badgers up 23-0.
 
The skies opened up as the second half crawled on, and the Falcons continued to struggle. After another Lackawanna drive stalled, this time at the Snow 11-yard line, the Badgers marched down the field, helped out by a long 34-yard run by Wilson, then cashed in on a 26-yard pass to Wilson that made it 30-0.
 
Quezon Villa added a 17-yard touchdown run to make it 37-0, Snow, with 11:39 to play. Lackawanna had a drive stall at the Snow 19-yard line, giving the ball back to Snow with under four to play. The Falcons got the ball back with under two minutes remaining, but Lackawanna College kept it on the ground, and the clock eventually ran out.
 
Quarterback Jacob Tiberi (Smyrna, DE) finished 83 yards shy of a setting a school-record for most passing yards in one season. He was 8-for-23 for 71 yards and two interceptions. Running back Jalen Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) finished with 115 yards on 16 carries, while Jiri Mills (Lorton, VA) had 59 yards on 13 carries. Zyier Hines (Garner, NC) had two grabs for 27 yards, while Jamal Jefferson Jr. (Euclid, OH) had another pair of grabs. Linebacker Michael Johnson (Windsor, Ontario) had eight solo stops, a sack, and two TFLs on the night.
 
The loss sends Lackawanna to its first losing season since 2014. It's also the first time since 2017 that the Falcons have been shut out in a game.
 
More importantly, it also marks the end of junior college competition for Lackawanna College. Next year, the Falcons will be competing as a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, on their way to becoming an NCAA Division II institution.
 
The loss also signifies the end of Mark Duda's historic career. The NJCAA Hall of Famer finishes with 217 victories, third all-time in NJCAA history. Duda's 32-year head coaching career started in the fall of 1994, when he was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach at Lackawanna College. Duda immediately took the Falcons to a postseason bowl that year and began churning out championship-caliber teams with top talent.
 
After the game ended, a special commemorative video played over the big screen at Memorial Stadium, flashing pictures of Duda's career as both a player and a coach, as well as cycling through videos of well-wishes from former players, faculty members, and others connected to coach Duda.
 
Duda, surrounded by friends, family, and his players, watched on through the rain near the south end zone. Former Falcons like Kevin Walker (1995), LeMarcus Newman (1999) Chris Yanik (1999), Pheldarius Payne (2019), Matt Cavallaro (2019), Trevon Wesco (2015), Kyzir White (2015), and others were included in the tribute. Also featured in there were the past three Presidents from Lackawanna College, as well as former NFL player OJ Anderson, a teammate of Duda's on the St. Louis Cardinals. Afterwards, he'd stay on the field, talking, taking pictures, and lingering.
 
The close of the 2025 season means the sun sets on the career of Mark Duda at Lackawanna College. It also means that the sun now will rise on the next era of Lackawanna College, as the Falcons prepare for NCAA Division II and PSAC competition.