WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN
SCRANTON PENNSYLVANIA— What a beautiful day for football as the Lackawanna Falcons welcome the Bloomsburg Huskies. For the first time in years of covering games here, I saw a good-sized crowd on the visitors’ side. That’s encouraging for Lackawanna. With more games against Pennsylvania teams, more families and fans may be willing to make the trip and support their players.
The Falcons are still finding their footing against Division II competition. Earlier this season, one of the biggest questions was who would take over as the full-time quarterback: freshman David Naniewicz, a Lakeland graduate and one of the team’s top recruits, or sophomore Laivon Balthazar. Over the past two weeks, Naniewicz has earned the starting role.
Coming into today’s game, Naniewicz had completed 37 of 74 passes for 361 yards, with eight interceptions. He’s still a young quarterback working through the growing pains of the position. Like much of this Lackawanna roster, he’s learning on the job—on a team filled with freshmen and sophomores.
There are promising pieces on offense. Wide receiver Jamel Jefferson had 11 catches for 139 yards, while Khi’ Patterson had 14 catches for 121 yards. Running back Jalen Fletcher had carried the ball 52 times for 198 yards.
The Falcons are still searching for consistency on offense and trying to find their rhythm defensively. But for a young team, progress isn’t measured only by wins and losses. It’s also about being coachable, learning from mistakes, and getting better each week. We’ve seen signs of growth on both sides of the ball this season.
You could hear the frustration from some Lackawanna fans today. After Naniewicz took the snap in shotgun and rolled to his right, several Huskies closed in. He scrambled, slipped past a few missed tackles, and worked his way back toward the line of scrimmage. From the stands came a shout: “Lackawanna, you’ve got to block the guys in front of you!” A minute later, another fan called out, “You’ve got to block number 71!”
That frustration is understandable. It’s also part of the growing pains of a program facing a kind of challenge it hasn’t seen in a long time. Lackawanna hasn’t started a season 0–4 in years, and this young group is learning what it takes to compete at this level.
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Bloomsburg also brought plenty of familiar names from District 2 and District 4. On the Huskies’ roster were Matt Buchanan of Hazleton Area; Jon Seaman, a former Lakeland Chiefs all-star receiver; Southern Columbia standouts Garrett Garcia and Louden Murphy; and Mount Carmel players Xavier Diaz and Garrett Varano. With so many local connections on the field, this matchup had a little extra meaning for fans across the region. Here’s how things went:
Bloomsburg wasted little time taking control, scoring on its opening possession when Zayd Etheridge found Justin Wolfe for a 48-yard touchdown. The four-play drive put the Huskies ahead 7–0 with 14:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Lackawanna’s first possession ended in an interception. Bloomsburg’s Brady Thompson returned David Naniewicz’s pass to the Falcons’ 10-yard line, and the Huskies needed only three plays to score. Declan Clancy ran it in from a yard out, extending the lead to 14–0.
The Falcons’ next drive ended with a punt, but they got the ball back after forcing Bloomsburg to punt. Lackawanna moved into scoring position, and Isiah Rodriguez attempted a 39-yard field goal. Ian Donohue blocked the kick, keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard.
Bloomsburg turned that stop into another touchdown. Clancy broke loose for a 22-yard run, and Etheridge connected with Wolfe for 23 yards to move the Huskies into Lackawanna territory. Clancy and Alex Achenbach helped carry the drive inside the 5-yard line before Clancy scored from a yard out. Bloomsburg led 21–0 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.
Lackawanna put together a sustained response, moving from its own 9 to the Bloomsburg 23. The drive crossed into the second quarter, but Naniewicz’s pass was intercepted by Tyler Frey in the end zone for a touchback.
The Huskies made the most of the turnover. On the second play of their possession, Etheridge hit Xavier Diaz for an 80-yard touchdown pass, putting Bloomsburg ahead 28–0 with 10:57 remaining in the half.
The Falcons answered with another long drive, reaching the Bloomsburg 31. They converted a fourth-down opportunity after a roughing-the-kicker penalty and later picked up first downs through passes to Jalen Fletcher and Jayden Byrd. But the drive ended when Frey intercepted Naniewicz in the end zone.
Lackawanna’s defense forced a Bloomsburg punt, giving the Falcons one more chance before halftime. Naniewicz moved the offense downfield with completions to Fletcher, Saveionne Randolph and Jamal Jefferson, and added a five-yard run to reach the Bloomsburg 13. Rodriguez connected on a 33-yard field goal with 29 seconds left, making it 28–3 at the break.
Bloomsburg opened the second half with another scoring drive. Clancy gained 15 yards on the ground, while Etheridge completed passes to Nick Ryan and Logan Altland to move the Huskies across midfield. Clancy then broke away for a 36-yard touchdown run, capping a 70-yard drive and pushing the lead to 35–3.
Lackawanna responded with its best sustained drive of the game. Rhys Williams rushed for 13 yards, and Naniewicz completed passes to Breylon Miller and Daniel McConomy as the Falcons moved inside the Bloomsburg 10. Naniewicz scrambled for 10 yards to the 10, but the Huskies’ defense held. After a short completion to McConomy and a sack that pushed the Falcons back, Lackawanna turned the ball over on downs.
Bloomsburg punted, and Lackawanna took over at its own 44 late in the third quarter. Naniewicz connected with Jamal Jefferson and Keaon Jenkins, and a penalty helped extend the possession into the fourth. The Falcons reached the Bloomsburg 3, where Jalen Fletcher carried the ball in for a touchdown with 11:55 remaining. Rodriguez’s extra point made it 35–10.
The Huskies answered with a six-play, 58-yard drive. Zach Zerbe rushed for 13 yards and then 18 more to put Bloomsburg near the goal line. Etheridge finished the possession with a three-yard touchdown pass to Wolfe, restoring the 32-point lead at 42–10 with 8:25 left.
Lackawanna’s next drive crossed midfield, but the Falcons were stopped on fourth down at the Bloomsburg 48. The Huskies then ran out the remaining time, using a series of carries to move into Lackawanna territory before the clock expired.
Bloomsburg finished with a 42–10 victory. The Huskies totaled 403 yards of offense, including 196 rushing yards, while Lackawanna recorded 235. Naniewicz completed 24 of 40 passes for 165 yards, and Fletcher led the Falcons with 26 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown.
Bloomsburg quarterback Zayd Etheridge completed 11 of 17 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Declan Clancy led the ground game with 118 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, while Zach Zerbe added 36 yards on three carries. Justin Wolfe caught four passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and Xavier Diaz had two receptions for 86 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. Nick Ryan added one catch for 15 yards. On defense, Brady Thompson recorded five tackles and an interception he returned 15 yards, while Tyler Frey also intercepted a pass.
For Lackawanna, David Naniewicz completed 24 of 40 passes for 165 yards and had two interceptions. He added 10 carries for minus-6 yards. Rhys Williams rushed twice for 33 yards, and Jalen Fletcher carried 14 times for 32 net yards and the Falcons’ touchdown. Fletcher also caught three passes for 26 yards. Stephen Henry gained 13 yards on three carries. Jayden Byrd led the receivers with four catches for 70 yards, followed by Keaon Jenkins with three catches for 22 yards and Breylon Miller with two catches for 17 yards. Isiah Rodriguez made his 33-yard field-goal attempt; a 39-yard attempt earlier in the game was blocked.
Bloomsburg finished with 403 yards of total offense, while Lackawanna had 235. The Huskies recorded three sacks, and the Falcons’ defense forced two interceptions.
Bloomsburg 42, Lackawanna 10. The Huskies struck early, made the most of turnovers and kept the Falcons chasing the game. But Lackawanna didn’t fold. The Falcons kept pushing, found the end zone in the fourth quarter and gave their fans a reason to rise from their seats.
There’s no hiding the work ahead. The Falcons will need to protect the quarterback, cut down on mistakes and turn promising drives into touchdowns. That’s the challenge facing a young team learning Division II football one snap at a time. The lessons are tough, but so is the competition—and Saturday gave Lackawanna another chance to see exactly where it must improve.
Still, this game had a little extra electricity. Familiar names from District 2 and District 4 shared the field, and fans filled the visitors’ side to cheer them on. For those of us covering local football, seeing that regional support in Scranton was part of the story, too.
Bloomsburg left with the win. The Falcons left with hard lessons, a fourth-quarter touchdown and the noise of their home crowd behind them. The next chapter starts at the next kickoff.
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