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Lock Haven University football returns to the drawing board after dropping out of a home game, 75-21,
to the 16th Shepherd. The Bald Eagles fall to 1-5 (0-3 PSAC Est) with a fifth straight loss.
There was no doubt that Shepherd (5-1, 2-1 PSAC East) was going to be a tough game for LHU. The Rams are packed with experience (many of their key players are in their final year of eligibility) and one of the best quarterbacks in the country as junior signalman Tyson Bagent (two-time Harlon Hill Award nominee, awarded to the most outstanding player in Division II football). The large number of mistakes the Bald Eagles made is what coach John Kelling got out of this game.
“There are two main things we haven’t done” Kelling said. “One, we didn’t do it. We have had
at least seven to 15 games on offense we had guys doing the wrong things. In defense, we do not have
include at least seven to 15 pieces. It’s inexcusable at this point in the season.
Shepherd opened the scoring right away. On a 64-yard drive in five games, the Rams landed a 23-yard touchdown pass from Bagent to first-year receiver Ryan Beach. Lock Haven responded with a three-and-out on their opening record. It was rinsed and repeated after that. Shepherd’s second practice ended with a 32-yard touchdown from former LHU all-conference fullback Chantz Swartz. After another practice in which LHU couldn’t convert a first down, Shepherd scored a 43-yard field goal from senior kicker Hayden August-Scriven. With 5:38 left in the first quarter, the visitors let everyone on the pitch know what kind of game it is going to be.
LHU, who didn’t have starting quarterback Ethan Persa for that game, turned to rookie Jordan Heisey there. He and the offense started to find a rhythm in the third set. The Bald Eagles completed a nearly five-minute drive but ended up knocking him down at Shepherd 44. The Rams responded with another score, as Bagent returned to Beach for 26 yards. The Rams led 24-0 with 1:30 p.m. left in the half. It was then that LHU turned to a local player to come and play.
First-year wide receiver Kaden Bittinger, who was an outstanding player at Bald Eagle Area, took the opportunity to see more reps. In the second game of practice that followed, Bittinger made a quick pass down the middle, missed a few Rams and went to the races for a 74-yard touchdown reception. This marked the first touchdown in Bittinger’s college career, as well as Heisey’s first touchdown as a bald eagle.
“We needed to give him more the ball”, Kelling said. “We have good receivers. We have to get
the ball for them a few more times. We need to be a little more creative in what we do
offensively. I think we’ve made some progress today in terms of offensive production.
The momentary excitement narrowed the gap to 24-7 Shepherd, but the Rams continued to score on
each remaining disc to close the first half. The visitors led 48-7 at the halfway point.
LHU got the ball back to start the third, but it didn’t improve from there. Heisey launched his first of two
interceptions that day, and Shepherd quickly replaced it on a touchdown pass to Bagent’s Josh Gontarek. That brought the score to 55-7 with over 11 minutes left in the third.
LHU would get two more touchdowns, both coming from the legs of running back DeAndre Wakefield. One of them came on the way ahead, in a gust of 49 meters. The other was a 16-yard score midway through the fourth quarter.
The only thing that kept Shepherd from tying his school record for points in a game was an extra point missed in the Rams’ last touchdown, with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter. No matter how deep on their bench the visitors went to find players, they kept scoring at will.
“It’s a good ball club,” Kelling said. “Anytime you play against a good baseball club like this and make a lot of mistakes yourself. I mean, you can’t make those mistakes and play with a good team like this. CA is not going to happen. “
In that 75-21 loss, Lock Haven was edged 638-305 in total footage. The Bald Eagles allowed five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns, as well as two field goals. LHU’s Heisey had a 16-42 pass for 194 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Wakefield had 97 rushing yards on 13 carries, as well as two touchdowns. Bittinger led the Bald Eagles with five catches for 107 yards and one touchdown. LHU junior linebacker Shane Scott won a third straight double-digit tackle game, finishing with 10.
Although Heisey didn’t have the brightest stats, his coach was happy with his game overall.
“I am really proud of Jordan”, Kelling said. “It’s really a point of contact to integrate. And he did very well. He made a lot of throws. Sometimes he didn’t make the right shots, but often he made really good shots that very few freshmen do.
Bagent’s play was in line with what it has been all year, as his 314 yards and five touchdowns put him over 2,200 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in six games. On Swartz’s return to the Haven, he finished with a peak of 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushes. Five different Rams found the end zone in the win.
As Lock Haven shifts its attention to next week’s roadside competition in Bloomsburg, Kelling could very well shake things up in some key positions following this week’s release.
“We are going to make personnel changes. “ Kelling said. “Because that’s not what’s going to happen, and it’s not what’s going to be tolerated.”
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