10/9/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College football has a mountain to climb this weekend, as the Falcons travel down the road to take on the #3/4 Kutztown University Golden Bears in a first-ever match-up on Saturday, October 10^th, at 12:00pm ET at Andre Reed Stadium on Kutztown's campus in Kutztown, PA.
 
Game Details
Who: Lackawanna College Falcons (0-5) at #3/4 Kutztown University Golden Bears (5-0)
When: 12pm ET
Where: Andre Reed Stadium, Kutztown University; Kutztown, PA
 
Tickets | Video | Audio | Live Stats | LC Game Notes
 
Saturday's contest will have a video livestream available via the PSAC Digital Network and the Kutztown Athletics Network. Tyler Trumbauer will handle the play-by-play duties, while Mike Iannacci will provide color commentary.
 
Additionally, Kutztown's student radio station will provide audio commentary via KUR's website at https://kutztown.edu/kurlive. Kutztown students will handle the play-by-play and color commentary.
 
Live stats: https://kubears.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Live stats coverage is available and will be updated as the game goes on.
 
The Falcons
Lackawanna College (0-5) allowed Bloomsburg to have 403 yards of total offense and the Huskies had three first-half touchdown drives that were under a minute, as Bloomsburg won 42-10 last Saturday afternoon at PenFed Field at Scranton's Memorial Stadium. The Huskies had a touchdown drive that went under a minute, and two more drives that lasted less than 20 seconds, building a 28-0 lead on the Falcons in the first half. Lackawanna, which was limited to just 70 yards rushing against one of the top defenses in the PSAC, had two interceptions and gave up eleven tackles-for-loss on the day. The Falcons added a 33-yard field goal at the end of the first half, then scored a touchdown to make it 35-10 early in the fourth quarter. Lackawanna had three drives stall deep in Bloomsburg territory, two in a turnover on downs and one on an interception in the end zone. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
On the season, Lackawanna is averaging 9.0 points per game, while giving up 38.4 per contest this year. Opponents are averaging 378 yards per game in offense, including 177 on the ground and 201 through the air, while the Falcons are averaging 232 yards of total offense per game, posting 88 per game on the ground and 144 per game through the air. The Falcons are 24.7% on third downs, while their opponents are 39.6%. Lackawanna has thrown 12 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 four games. Naniewicz, a first-year player, is 61-for-114 for 526 yards, two touchdowns, and ten interceptions. He's also run 34 times, gaining 83 yards but losing 92 on the year, getting sacked 12 times this season, including three times against Bloomsburg. Naniewicz was 24-for-40 for 165 yards, two interceptions, and three sacks against the Huskies 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 four games, with two interceptions. He has 45 net yards rushing on 26 attempts this year, getting sacked five times this season. Balthazar had one rush and lost two yards in his time against Bloomsburg last weekend.
 
Third-year back Jalen Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) has 209 yards on 66 carries and has scored three touchdowns. He ran for a season-best 108 yards against Clarion on September 19^th. Fletch was held to 32 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown against Bloomsburg. He has 14 catches out of the backfield this season, posting 74 yards receiving. Second-year back Daniel McConomy (Middletown, DE) has 30 carries for 82 yards this season, posting 64 yards and catching a pair of balls against Seton Hill. He had four rushes without gaining any net yardage, and had four catches for nine yards against Bloomsburg.
 
Second-year wideout Khi'Lee Patterson (Fox Chapel, PA) leads the Falcons with a team-high 18 catches for 132 yards this year, averaging 26 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). He had four catches for eleven yards on Saturday against Bloomsburg. Third-year receiver Keaon Jenkins (Wayne, NJ) is one of three Falcons with 14 catches, and he leads the team with 216 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 three balls for 22 yards against Bloomsburg. Third-year receiver Jamal Jefferson, Jr. (Euclid, OH) also has 14 grabs for 145 yards and a touchdown this year. Jefferson had a season-best five catches for 77 yards and his touchdown against Clarion (9/19). Jefferson was held to just three catches for six yards against Bloomsburg on Saturday.
 
Defensively, second-year linebacker Brodie Daugherty (Manheim, PA) leads the team with 12 solo tackles and 29 total stops this year, posting 3.0 TFLs and one sack this year. Daugherty had seven solo stops against Monroe (9/4). He had five total tackles against Bloomsburg on Saturday. Fellow linebacker Rashon Giddens (Norristown, PA) has 19 total stops, on eight solo tackles and eleven assists, and he leads the team with 4.0 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 against Clarion and East Stroudsburg, but had three total tackles and 0.5 TFLs against Bloomsburg on Saturday. Second-year defensive back Keyonte Davis (Washington, D.C.) has 18 total tackles, third on the team, with ten solo stops and eight assists, while posting four pass break-ups. Davis had a season-best six tackles against East Stroudsburg. He had four total tackles and two pass break-ups against Bloomsburg on Saturday.
 
Second-year defensive lineman Nickolas Logan (Fredericksburg, VA) has nine total tackles, including four solos, and he has three tackles-for-loss, tied for 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 17 total tackles, ten solos, this season. Maloney had a breakout performance against East Stroudsburg, posting four solo stops and six total tackles in the loss. He had five total tackles in the loss to Bloomsburg.
 
Second-year kicker Isiah Rodriguez (Old Forge, PA) is 2-for-3 on field goals this year, hitting a 26-yarder against Seton Hill and a 33-yarder against Bloomsburg, with the other kick getting blocked. I-Rod is 3-for-4 on extra points. Second-year punter Samuel Magnotta (Roaring Brook Twp., PA) averages 35.1 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 Golden Bears
The #3/4 Kutztown squad (5-0) comes into the contest after an impressive 59-7 win on the road against a feisty Shippensburg University squad last weekend. The Bears scored the first 45 points of the game on the road, rushing for five touchdowns and piling up 464 yards of total offense, while holding the Raiders without a touchdown until the fourth quarter and forcing nine punts, three sacks, and allowing just 71 yards rushing on the day. The Bears have been the #3 team in the American Football Coaches Association poll since the beginning of the season, and they have hovered between #3 and #4 in the D2Football.com poll. Kutztown has not lost a regular season game since 2023, a streak of 36-straight regular season victories, including three-straight PSAC championship victories. The Bears have made the NCAA tournament in three-straight seasons, including a pair of runs to the semi-finals in 2023 and 2025. Last year's team won 14 games, the most in program history, and lost in the semi-final round to Harding.
 
The 2026 edition of the Golden Bears continues to operate with ruthless efficiency, averaging 44.6 points per game and giving up around 18.8 points per contest. KU averages around 192 yards per game on the ground, 235 through the air, and 427 all together on offense this year, while giving up a conference-best 53.8 yards per game on the ground and 292 yards of total offense per game this season. The offense converts at a 68.5% clip on third downs, far and away the best percentage in the country, while their opponents are around 40% this season. Kutztown has eleven sacks on the year, defensively, and the team has 29 tackles-for-loss, while blocking three kicks.
 
Fifth-year senior quarterback Judd Novak runs the show for the Bears on offense, going 84-for-123, a 68.3% completion percentage, for 1157 yards in five games this year. Novak has 12 touchdown passes and two interceptions, averaging 13.8 yards per completion and 231 yards passing through the air this year. Novak is one of the top players in the country, finishing fifth last year in the Harlon Hill race and earning a D2CCA Second-Team All-America nod. He's a three-time All-PSAC East recipient, named to the first team last year, and was the PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year in 2025, throwing for 3,070 yards and 31 touchdowns to lead the Bears to the semi-finals. Novak has thrown for 8,470 yards in his career coming into the weekend, throwing for 84 career touchdowns and rushing for another 18 rushing scores. Novak has twice thrown for a season-high four touchdowns this season against Assumption (9/3) and Lock Haven (9/19). He had 243 yards and one touchdown pass in the win against Shippensburg last week.
 
Fifth-year senior Jaedyn Stewart is the main feature back for KU, posting a team-best 70 carries for 260 yards, a 3.7 yards per rush average, and three touchdowns on the year. Stewart had a season-high 82 yards rushing on 20 carries and two rushing touchdowns, while also catching two more scores, in the win against Assumption on September 3^rd. He has not rushed over 60 yards in one game since then, and had 41 yards on a season-low nine carries against Shippensburg last week. Stewart is a two-time All-PSAC East Second Team selection, and has run for 1,846 yards and 20 TDs in his career. KU has paired him with junior running back Craig Miller, who has 310 yards on just 30 carries in four games, averaging 10.3 yards per rush. Miller has three rushing touchdowns, scoring two against Shepherd (9/26), which was also where he rushed for a season-best 136 yards on eleven carries. He had nine carries for 62 yards against Shippensburg last week. Interesting to note that senior tight end Luke Maxwell leads the Bears with six rushing touchdowns on just eight carries this season.
 
Senior wideout Lenniek Preston leads KU with 17 grabs for 196 yards, averaging 11.5 yards per catch on the year. Preston set a season-high with six grabs for 74 yards against Clarion (9/12). He had five catches for 37 yards in the win against Shippensburg last week. Preston also returns kicks, with a long of 53 yards coming against Shippensburg lats weekend.
 
Second to Preston in receptions is senior Noah Kracyla, who has 16 receptions for 175 yards and one touchdown this season. Kracyla was an All-PSAC East second-teamer last year, and has 102 receptions for 1,490 yards and five touchdowns in his career at Kutztown. Kracyla set a season-high with five catches twice this season against Clarion (9/12) and Shepherd (9/26). He had his touchdown against Clarion, while setting a season-high for yards with 57 on one pass play against Lock Haven (9/19). Kracyla had three catches for 24 yards against Shippensburg.
 
Fifth-year senior Jaimen Bryant leads KU with 297 yards on 15 receptions this season, averaging 19.8 yards per catch and pulling in three touchdowns on the year. Bryant had a season-high five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the win against Lock Haven on September 19^th. He had a season-high 107 yards on just three catches against Shippensburg.
 
Defensively, three players for the Bears have 20+ tackles this season. Fifth-year senior linebacker Eden Johnson,  two-time All-PSAC East selection, has 28 total tackles, including 15 solo stops, on the season. Johnson has 3.5 TFLs, third on the team, and a pair of pass break-ups. His season-best nine tackles, with five solo stops, came against Lock Haven (9/19). He had five total tackles, one TFL, and a half-a-sack against Shippensburg last week. Fifth-year senior Mike Fayemi is tied for second on the team with 21 total tackles, posting seven solos and 14 assists, while also collecting an interception this year. Fayemi had five total tackles and his pick against Clarion on 9/19. He had three total tackles against Shippensburg last week. Tied with Fayemi is sophomore linebacker LJ Smith, who also has 21 total tackles and a team-best 16 solo stops, along with 4.0 TFLs, tied for first on the team. Smith had a season-best five solo tackles and two TFLs in the win against Clarion (9/19). He had a season-high six total tackles, including four solos, and one TFL against Shippensburg last weekend.
 
First-year kicker Peter Fiorello has been lights out so far, going 2-for-2 on field goals and knocking down 28 extra points, compiling 34 points on the year. He set a season-high with seven made PATs in the win against Assumption this season, and has twice had games where he had six made PATs and a field goal. One of those games was last week against Shippensburg, where he had a 30-yard field goal, his season long, and six XPs. Fiorello also averages 61 yards per kickoff this season with eight touchbacks. Senior punter Dakota Campbell has only had to make ten punts, averaging 34.3 yards per kick. He has forced four fair catches on the year.
 
The head coach for Kutztown is Jim Clements, now in his 12^th season at Kutztown and 20^th season overall as a head football coach. Clements is the all-time winningest coach at Kutztown (109 wins and counting) and is a six-time PSAC East Coach of the Year, a five-time AFCA DII Region 1 COTY, and a one-time AFCA DII National COTY, which came last year when the Bears were 14-1 and made the NCAA DII semifinals. Coach Clements has won four PSAC championships since arriving at Kutztown, and he's sent his team to six title games. Clements's teams at Kutztown have been known for their offensive excellence, with six of the top ten seasons in program history in total offense per game happening under Clements. He has coached 141 players to All-PSAC East honors. Before coming to Kutztown, Clements spent eight years at Delaware Valley University, where he coached the Aggies to four MAC championships and three NCAA DIII tournament appearances. DV also participated in two postseason bowls in his time there, picking up three MAC COTY nods and 66 wins in his time with the Aggies. Before becoming head coach at DV, Clements was the defensive coordinator, and he'd maintain DC duties even as the head coach until he left for Kutztown after the 2013 season. A standout player at Widener, Clements got his coaching start at his alma mater, eventually becoming a full-time defensive line and linebackers coach with the Pioneers before becoming the DC in 2003.
 
Next
Lackawanna College football will get back on the road for October 17^th, when the Falcons are set to make a trip to West Chester to take on the Golden Rams in a match-up set for a 6:00pm ET start at Tomlinson-Fillippo Field at Farrell Stadium in Chester County. It will be the first time in either team's history that the Rams and Falcons will square off.