Lackawanna College

10/10/26
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The ruthlessly efficient #3/4 Kutztown Golden Bears could not be denied through the first half, running off 42 first-half points and shutting out Lackawanna College football for the game, 56-0, on Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium in a first-ever match-up between the two squads.
 
Lackawanna College (0-6) knew it would be up against it with the Bears, a national semi-finalist in two of the last three seasons and a team that has been ranked #3 in the AFCA national polls essentially since the middle of the 2025 season. And, from the opening kick, the Golden Bears showed that ruthless efficiency that has them so highly-regarded to challenge for a national championship.
 
Kutztown scored on all six possessions in the first half, racking up 325 yards of offense, including 195 yards rushing, and scoring six touchdowns, all on the ground. Jaedyn Stewart had 109 yards rushing in the first half and three rushing touchdowns, and the Bears averaged over eight yards per play on offense, while also converting 4-for-4 on third downs.
 
For the game, Kutztown had 458 yards of total offense, including a punishing 316 on the ground, and the Golden Bears forced two interceptions and a fumble, while going 5-for-8 on third downs. The only things that seemed to slow down Kutztown on the afternoon were penalties, as the Bears committed eleven infractions for 95 yards.
 
Meanwhile, Lackawanna finished with 144 yards of total offense against the strong KU defense. The Falcons had 73 yards rushing and 71 yards passing, averaging under three yards per play, and finished 4-for-14 on third downs for the day.
 
David Naniewicz (Scott Twp., PA) was 7-for-14 for 31 yards through the air, while Laivon Balthazar (Perth Amboy, NJ) went 6-for-9 for 40 yards and two interceptions. Jalen Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) had 58 yards rushing on 20 carries for the day, and Daniel McConomy (Middletown, DE) added eight yards on five carries against the rugged defense from Kutztown.
 
Jamal Jefferson, Jr. (Euclid, OH) added four catches for 30 yards, while Fletcher had three grabs for 12 yards out of the backfield.
 
Defensively, Jaerone Parker (Pittsburgh, PA) led the Falcons with seven total tackles, five solos, and Rashon Giddens (Norristown, PA) added seven total stops, with five solo tackles, as well. Billy Maloney (Scranton, PA) had three tackles, while both Keith Melton (Petersburg, VA) and Giovanni Allison (Norristown, PA) added tackles-for-loss.
 
The Golden Bears had three rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, using a short field on two of the drives to punish the Falcons. After a squib kick started the game, Kutztown's first possession started at its own 44, and the Bears took just five plays to get on the board with 12:34 to play. Lackawanna College had its opening drive stall out at its own 44-yard line, then got hit with a holding penalty on the punt to push itself back. The subsequent return gave Kutztown the ball at the Lackawanna 32-yard line to start the next drive, and the bears were in the end zone six plays later to go ahead 14-0 with 6:39 to go in the first.
 
Another Lackawanna drive stalled near midfield, and the Bears drove from their 23-ayrd line in just six plays to go up 21-0 with 2:27 to play in the quarter. Kutztown started its next drive near the end of the opening frame, then drove down the field and scored another rushing TD to go ahead 28-0 with 12:41 to go before the half. The Falcons punted, and Kutztown drove from its own 35, converting a 3^rd-and-15 at the Lackawanna 32-yard line on a 19-yard pass in the process, and scored on another run to go ahead 35-0 with 6:16 to play. The Bears added one more score, scoring on a second-and-goal rush from the four-yard line to make it 42-0 at the half.
 
Balthazar started the second half for the Falcons, but a third-down pass floated on the quarterback and was intercepted by Kutztown at the Lackawanna 32-yard line and returned for the pick six score to make it 49-0 just over a minute into the third quarter. Balthazar had another pass picked off, this time on a great defensive effort to track underneath the intended receiver, but Kutztown was forced to punt on its first possession of the second half to keep the score the same.
 
Lackawanna pushed the ball out to midfield and got into Kutztown territory at the 42 after a 13-yard pickup from Balthazar to Jefferson, Jr. early in the fourth, but the drive ended abruptly when the Falcons fumbled inside the Kutztown 40.
 
The Golden Bears cashed in just four plays later, keeping the ball on the ground to cover the 62 yards and scored on a nine-yard touchdown to make it 56-0 with 11:35 to play in the contest.
 
Kutztown had a drive that nearly ended in disaster at midfield, when Marcus Battles (Pittsburgh, PA) forced a fumble and recovered the loose ball, but his helmet was knocked off in the process of the play, and he was called for an unsportsmanlike for continuing the play despite losing his helmet, giving Kutztown the ball back. The Bears marched down to the Lackawanna four-yard line for a 1^st and goal, but the Falcons held firm, helped by a holding penalty that wiped off a Kutztown touchdown, and the Bears missed a 29-yard field goal to come away empty on the possession.
 
Lackawanna would keep the ball for the final three minutes, putting together a drive that would finish at mid-field as time expired.
 
The 56-point loss is the biggest margin of defeat for the Falcons across both their NJCAA and young NCAA histories. Lackawanna College will look to bounce back in its next contest, a night game on the road at West Chester University on Saturday, October 17^th. Kick is set for 6:00pm ET at Tomlinson-Fillippo Field at Farrell Stadium in West Chester, PA.