10/2/26

SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College football returns home this weekend for its Homecoming celebration, as the Falcons get set to host the Bloomsburg University Huskies for the first time, ever, on Saturday, October 3^rd. Kickoff is set for 1:07pm ET at PenFed Field at Scranton's Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised locally by WQMY-TV.
 
Game Details
Who: Bloomsburg University Huskies (3-1) at Lackawanna College Falcons (0-4)
When: 1:07pm ET
Where: PenFed Field at Scranton Memorial Stadium; Scranton, PA
 
Tickets | Video | Audio | Live Stats | LC Game Notes | Bloomsburg Game Notes
 
In addition to being on WQMY-TV locally, the game will also be streamed on the WQMY-TV Facebook page, the Fox 56 YouTube Channel, and the PSAC Sports Digital Network. Bob Ide will handle the play-by-play, alongside Josh Pardini and Tom Ferguson on color commentary.
 
The Bloomsburg Athletics Radio Network will have the audio call on Bigfoot Radio 106.5 in Bloomsburg and online. Longtime Huskies' announcer Jim Doyle will have the play-by-lay, and Andy Ulicny will be the color commentator.
 
Live stats: https://lackawannafalcons.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Live stats coverage is available and will be updated as the game goes on.
 
The Falcons
The Falcons (0-4) had just about everything go wrong last weekend, struggling to move the ball on offense and failing to stop their opponents on defense in a 51-0 loss to East Stroudsburg on Saturday night in East Stroudsburg. The Falcons rushed for just 31 yards, most coming in the final series, and were just 2-for-14 on third downs, while ESU posted 476 yards of offense, including 280 on the ground, and scored six touchdowns against the Falcons. ESU kicked a field goal off a Lackawanna turnover on the opening series, and then scored before the quarter ended to go ahead 10-0. They'd drop 21 on the Falcons in the second quarter, helped by Lackawanna's inability to move the ball, and would add ten points in each of the third and fourth quarters. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
On the season, Lackawanna is averaging 8.8 points per game, while giving up 37.5 per contest this year. Opponents are averaging 372 yards per game in offense, including 173 on the ground and 199 through the air, while the Falcons are averaging 231.3 yards of total offense per game, posting 92.8 per game on the ground and 138.5 per game through the air. The Falcons are 27.3% on third downs, while their opponents are 35.6%. Lackawanna has thrown ten interceptions and has lost one fumble, while the opposition has three interceptions and a pair of fumbles this year.
 
Quarterbacks David Naniewicz (Scott Twp., PA) and Laivon Balthazar (Perth Amboy, NJ) have both seen time this year, with Naniewicz starting the last three games. Naniewicz, a first-year player, is 37-for-74 for 361 yards, two touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He's also run 24 times, gaining 62 yards but losing 65 on the year, getting sacked nine times this season, including three times against ESU. Naniewicz was 8-for-17 for 56 yards, one pick, and three sacks against the Warriors on Saturday. Balthazar, a second-year player, started against Monroe and played against both Seton Hill and East Stroudsburg, going 19-for-33 for 193 yards in his three games, with two interceptions. He has 47 net yards rushing on 25 attempts this year, getting sacked five times this season. Balthazar was 4-for-8 for 60 yards and one interception against ESU.
 
Third-year back Jalen Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) has 177 yards on 52 carries and has scored a pair of touchdowns. He ran for a season-best 108 yards against Clarion on September 19^th. Fletch was held to just eleven yards on 13 carries against ESU last weekend. He has eleven catches out of the backfield this season, posting 48 yards receiving. Second-year back Daniel McConomy (Middletown, DE) has 26 carries for 82 yards this season, posting 64 yards and catching a pair of balls against Seton Hill. He was held in check last weekend, rushing for three yards on five carries against ESU.
 
Second-year wideout Khi'Lee Patterson (Fox Chapel, PA) leads the Falcons with a team-high 14 catches for 121 yards this year, averaging 30 yards per game. Khi'Lee has a pair of games with five catches this season, posting five grabs for 39 yards against both Monroe (9/4) and ESU (9/26). Third-year receiver Keaon Jenkins (Wayne, NJ) is one of three Falcons with eleven catches, and he leads the team with 194 yards receiving and a touchdown. Jenkins had 103 yards on five catches against Monroe (9/4), and he had four catches for 50 yards and a one-handed touchdown against Clarion (9/19). He caught one pass for 33 yards against ESU. Third-year receiver Jamal Jefferson, Jr. (Euclid, OH) has eleven grabs for 139 yards and a touchdown this year. Jefferson had a season-best five catches for 77 yards and his touchdown against Clarion (9/19). Jefferson had three grabs for 32 yards against ESU.
 
Defensively, second-year linebacker Brodie Daugherty (Manheim, PA) leads the team with 12 solo tackles and 24 total stops this year, posting 3.0 TFLs and one sack this year. Daugherty had seven solo stops against Monroe (9/4). He had four stops, two solos, and one TFL against East Stroudsburg. Fellow linebacker Rashon Giddens (Norristown, PA) has 16 total stops, on seven solo tackles and nine assists, and he leads the team with 3.5 TFLs and a sack, while also recovering a pair of fumbles, including one on a blocked kick that he returned for a touchdown against Monroe. He did not play in the last two games against Clarion and East Stroudsburg. Second-year defensive back Keyonte Davis (Washington, D.C.) has 14 total tackles, third on the team, with seven solo stops and seven assists, while collecting a pair of pass break-ups. Davis had a season-best six tackles against East Stroudsburg.
 
Second-year defensive lineman Nickolas Logan (Fredericksburg, VA) has nine total tackles, including four solos, and he has three tackles-for-loss, second on the team. Logan also has a fumble recovery this season, coming against Seton Hill, where he had a season-high four tackles and 1.5 TFLs. He had three tackles and a TFL against East Stroudsburg. Third-year safety Billy Maloney (Scranton, PA) has 12 total tackles, six solos, this season. Maloney had a breakout performance against East Stroudsburg, posting four solo stops and six total tackles in the loss.
 
Second-year kicker Isiah Rodriguez (Old Forge, PA) is 1-for-1 on field goals this year, hitting a 26-yarder against Seton Hill, and is 2-for-3 on extra points. Second-year punter Samuel Magnotta (Roaring Brook Twp., PA) averages 35.5 yards per punt and has a long of 52 yards this season, with five punts placed inside the opponents' 20-yard line this season.
 
Lackawanna is led by veteran leader Mark Ross, who was named as the next head football coach at Lackawanna College, the third in program history, in December 2025. Ross has been coaching since pursuing his master's degree at East Stroudsburg in the 1990's, going from coaching defensive ends with the Warriors to working at Ithaca for eleven seasons at the Division III level, becoming Defensive Coordinator for his final four seasons with the Bombers. Ross then moved on to Misericordia University, where he became a head coach for the brand-new program in 2011. He spent nine seasons as the head coach at Misericordia, winning eight games and getting the Cougars to a postseason bowl for the first time in history in 2018. When the COVID-19 pandemic took out the 2020 season, Ross left Misericordia to be the defensive coordinator at Bloomsburg for three seasons in the PSAC. After that, he went to Cornell to serve as Director of Football Operations for a year with the Big Red, and then eventually made his way to Lackawanna.
 
 
The Huskies
Bloomsburg (3-1) enters the contest on a two-game winning streak and after a stunning 33-31 win last weekend at home against Shippensburg. The Huskies overcame a 21-0 first half deficit, and then rallied from a 24-17 hole in the fourth quarter, thanks to a wild 12-second sequence. It started after the Huskies turned the ball over deep in Shippensburg territory, with the game tied, and six minutes remaining. Shippensburg was called for a hold in the end zone on a pass attempt, giving Bloom its first lead of the contest. On the free kick, Bloomsburg's Eli Zimmerman took the ball at his own 24-yard line and raced 76 yards to the house, putting the Huskies up 33-24 with 5:05 to play. Shippensburg punched a score in with 23 seconds remaining, but the onside kick went out of bounds and Bloomsburg knelt out the victory. The Huskies had ten TFLs, three sacks, and held Shippensburg to just 30 yards rushing. Bloomsburg turned the ball over four times, but still outgained Ship at 332-to-305.
 
So far this season, Bloomsburg has been carried by their defense. The Huskies are tied for second in the PSAC in points allowed per game (20.0) and they are tops in total yardage, giving up 258.8 yards per contest this season. Bloomsburg surrenders just 65 yards per game on the ground, and 193.5 yards per game through the air. Offensive, Bloom averages a modest 307 yards per game, posting 157 yards on the ground and 150 yards through the air. The Huskies convert third downs at a 41.1% clip, while their opponents are around 38.9% for the season. Bloomsburg has thrown a pair of interceptions and fumbled four times, while the opposition has thrown four picks and fumbled three times. Bloomsburg's defense has 29 TFLs on the year and eleven sacks.
 
Junior quarterback Zayd Etheridge is the starter, going 40-for-68 for 499 yards in three games this year, starting the last two for the Huskies. He has two touchdowns and two interceptions on the year. Etheridge was 20-for-37 for a season-best 240 yards and a touchdown in the overtime win against Gannon on 9/19. He was 16-for-26 for 179 yards and two INTs against Shippensburg last weekend. The other quarterback is junior Cowan Ruhland, who saw time against Fairmont State and started against Edinboro this season. Ruhland is 11-for-25 for 102 yards this season in his two games.
 
Sophomore back Declan Clancy leads the attack on the ground for the Huskies, rushing for 379 yards on 70 carries for four touchdowns. Clancy had a season-high 135 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Fairmont State (9/3). He had 16 carries for 72 yards and a score against Shippensburg. He has scored at least a touchdown in his last two games. Zimmerman, listed as a slot but used as an athlete, has 27 carries for 162 yards and a score this season, averaging six yards per carry. Zimmerman had a season-best 84 yards on nine carries against Shippensburg. He handles kick and punt returns for Bloomsburg, and his touchdown against Shippensburg was his first of the season.
 
Junior Alex Achenbach is listed as a running back, but he leads the team as a receiver this season, catching a team-best 20 balls for 187 yards. Achenbeach averages 47 yards per game this year, and just over nine yards per catch. He has 15 catches in his last two games, including a season-best eight grabs for 89 yards against Gannon. He caught seven balls for 77 yards against Shippensburg last weekend. Redshirt junior Justin Wolfe is second on the team with 13 grabs for a team-best 220 yards and two touchdowns. Wolfe averages 55 yards per game and just under 17 yards per catch. Wolfe had a season-best four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown against Gannon (9/19). He had a season-high 95 yards on three catches against Fairmont State (9/3), with his other touchdown. He ran for a touchdown on a 20-yard rush, while catching three balls for 33 yards, against Shippensburg last week.
 
Junior linebacker Nahzier Booker is a terror on defense, posting 34 total tackles, 20 solos, and a best-in-the-PSAC 7.5 TFLs this season, including 4.5 sacks. Booker has recorded at least eight tackles in every game this season, and he had 3.5 TFLs and two sacks in the win against Fairmont State (9/3). Against Shippensburg, he posted a season-high six solo tackles and 1.5 TFLs last weekend. Junior linebacker Garrett Garcia is second on the team with 32 total tackles, eight solo stops, along with two TFLs and an interception this year. Garcia posted his season-high eleven tackles in the loss to Edinboro (9/12). He had eight tackles and a TFL against Shippensburg last weekend. Senior backer Brady Thompson is third on the team with 28 total tackles, ten solo stops, this season. Thompson had 12 total tackles in the loss to Edinboro on 9/12, and he had a season-high five solo tackles against Shippensburg last week. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Ian Donohue has 6.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks this season, tied with Booker for the team-high. Donohue has two forced fumbles and 15 total tackles this season. He had a season-high 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble against Fairmont State (9/3) earlier this season, and he posted a season-best six total stops against Shippensburg, collecting 3.0 TFLs and two more sacks, along with another forced fumble.
 
Sophomore Peter Kashynski is the kicker this season, going 5-for-8 on field goal attempts, with a long of 41 coming against Edinboro, and going 12-for-12 on extra points. Kashynski has made at least a field goal in his last three games. Junior Danen Lorusso is the punter, averaging 34.6 yards per punt, with a long of 44 this season. He has three punts inside the 20-yard line, and has forced five fair catches. First-year kicker Reagan Decker handles kickoffs, averaging 59.4 yards per kickoff and posting a pair of touchbacks.
 
The head coach for Bloomsburg is Frank Sheptock, now in his seventh season in charge of the Huskies. A Bloomsburg alum who set several defensive school-records under head coach George Landis, Sheptock is well-known to local college football fans as the all-time winningest coach in Wilkes University football history, picking up 107 wins in his career from 1996 through 2014. After leaving the Colonels, Sheptock spent one season as a defensive line coach with the Huskies in 2015, before working as the Athletic Director and head football coach at Berwick HS for three seasons, where he went to the District 2 4A championship twice. He then went to work as defensive coordinator under then-head coach at Misericordia University, Mark Ross, before hopping back to Bloomsburg to be the head coach for the Huskies, eventually bringing Ross on as his DC for his first three seasons. Sheptock is 22-37 in his time at Bloomsburg.
 
Next
Lackawanna College football will get back on the road next weekend, as the Falcons head south to Berks County to take on #3/4 Kutztown University in a first-ever match-up. The Bears were in the national semi-finals last season, and are one of the favorites to return this year. Kickoff is set for 12:00pm ET at Andre Reed Stadium on Saturday, October 10^th, on campus at Kutztown.