Game Day Central:
#15 West Chester Golden Rams (6-0, 3-0 PSAC East) at Lock Haven Bald Eagles (2-4, 1-2 PSAC East)
12 p.m. – Hubert Jack Stadium – Lock Haven, Pa.
HOMECOMING 2013
 
LHU Depth Chart | West Chester Depth Chart
 
Live Stats | Live Audio

 LHU 1^st & 10:
 
1. Saturday is Lock Haven's 2013 Homecoming game.
2. Following Saturday's game, LHU has only two home games remaining.
3. Both Brandon Brader & Beau Swales rushed for TDs last weekend in the loss to Shippensburg.
4. Lock Haven leads the PSAC in pass defense and the Bald Eagles are ranked 12^th in the nation.
5. Tony Ballon's nine tackles/game are seventh best in the PSAC.
6. R-Fr. QB Caleb Walton threw for his first career TD last week.
7. Last Saturday's loss to Shippensburg snapped a three-game home winning streak for the Bald Eagles.
8. Four different players have caught TD passes for LHU this year.
9. 28 different players have recorded at least two tackles on the season.
10. OG Anthony Herko has started 29 straight games, including every game of 2011 & '12.
 
Setting the stage:
Lock Haven (2-4, 1-2 PSAC East) and West Chester (6-0, 3-0 PSAC East) are set to meet for the first time since 2009 on Saturday as the Bald Eagles host their 2013 Homecoming festivities.
 
West Chester enters the game ranked second in the PSAC in both total offense and defense and the Golden Rams are undefeated at 6-0 for the first time since 1974. West Chester is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind win over East Stroudsburg last Saturday.
 
Lock Haven's bid for a comeback over perennial national-power Shippensburg came up just a bit short last Saturday at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Bald Eagles ran out of time in a 30-24 loss to Shippensburg, marking LHU's third straight loss.
 
The series:
West Chester leads the all-time series 18-6-1, which dates back to 1931. Lock Haven won the first ever meeting in '31, 26-0, but has lost two straight to the Golden Rams. This is the 26^th time the two schools will meet on the gridiron and the first since 2009. It will also be the first meeting between the two schools as PSAC East opponents. WCU won the 2009 season-opener 43-0. In 2008, the 23^rd ranked Golden Rams beat LHU 37-6. Lock Haven's last win over West Chester came in 1991, 13-7.
 
Listen:
Fans can listen to every Bald Eagle football game, home and away this year live and locally on ESPN 1600 and The Bald Eagles Sports Network. All 11 games will be broadcast live on ESPN 1600 and Bear Country Radio WQBR 99.9. All games are streamed live on ESPNWilliamsport.com via Stream 6.
 
D-FENCE ranked at the top:
The Bald Eagles defense is ranked No. 1 in the PSAC is pass defense, only allowing 165.3 yards/game. It is the 12^th best mark in all of Division II. Lock Haven has eight interceptions on the season, including a team-high three from George Christas. He also has four pass breakups.
 
Tough at home:
With the win over Cheyney (Week 3 | W, 12-10), LHU extended its home winning streak to three games dating back to the 2012 season finale. LHU was 2-0 at home this year, before last week's comeback fell short vs. Shippensburg (L, 30-24). Saturday's game with West Chester marks Lock Haven's second straight home game and LHU has two remaining games at Hubert Jack Stadium during the final two weeks of the season.
 
PSAC East:
For the first time in school history, Lock Haven will play football as part of the PSAC's Eastern Division in 2013. LHU made the move to the East with the July addition of Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown. The PSAC is the largest football playing conference in the NCAA. The Week 3 win over Cheyney was Lock Haven's first-ever PSAC East game and the Bald Eagles first-ever PSAC East win. The Week 4 game at Bloomsburg was Lock Haven's first-ever PSAC East road game.
 
Crossover action:
The Week 5 PSAC Crossover game at Edinboro was the second of three games this year vs. PSAC West opponents. LHU lost to Clarion on the road in Week 2 (L, 30-13). Lock Haven is scheduled to host Gannon in Week 11 (Saturday, Nov. 16 | 1 p.m.). The last time LHU beat a PSAC West opponent was when they beat Clarion in the 2007 season-finale. Then a divisional-win, it was Lock Haven's last win prior to the Bald Eagles snapping the losing streak in the final game of last season.
 
Winning ways:
When LHU won its season-opener at home vs. West Virginia State (Sept. 7) 31-13, it marked back-to-back wins for The Haven. LHU hadn't won two straight since back-to-back wins over Cheyney and Mansfield in 2002. Prior to the win over Cheyney last year, Lock Haven's last win was the 2007 season-finale at Clarion. The 2012 season-ending win snapped a 52 game losing skid. The Haven's last winning season was 1981.
 
Moving the right direction:
Already with two wins on the year and nowhere else to go, but up, the Bald Eagles continue to move forward under third-year head coach John Allen. Lock Haven hasn't recorded two wins in year since 2006. In '06, LHU beat Mansfield and Cheyney. The 2004 season was the last time LHU recorded three wins in a season.
 
Brader in the record books:
Brandon Brader is now alone in fourth on Lock Haven's all-time career rushing list. The fifth-year (grad student) rushed for 87 yards last weekend vs. Shippensburg, pushing his career total to 2,271  rushing yards Brader is behind only Joe Speese (#1 - 3,399), Mike Kresovich (#2 - 2,865) and Maurice Walker (#3 - 2,800).
 
Offensive notes & headlines:

• Brandon Brader leads LHU with 444 rushing yards (74/game) on the season. He's carried the ball 99 times and has four TDs.
• Dillon Mazzoni has started all six games at QB, passing for 680 yards and six TDs.  Mazzoni is 53-for-166 with six INTs. 
• Caleb Walton threw for a career high 206 yards and his first career TD last Saturday vs. Shippensburg. 
• Jesse Hoover leads all receivers with 26 catches and 42 yards/game. He's one of five players with a TD catch. James Wilbern and Jeremy Cornelius both have two TD catches. 

 
Defensive notes & headlines:

• Tony Ballon (LB) leads LHU with 54 tackles (27 solo). His nine tackles per game are seventh-best in the PSAC.
• George Christas (DB) has 50 tackles (36 solo). He leads the team in interceptions with three and his 8.3 tackles per game are 10^th best in the PSAC. 
• Tyrek Morgan leads LHU with five sacks. 

 
Special Teams notes & headlines:

•  Alex Boumerhi is 4-for-7 on field goal attempts with a long of 46.

 
2013 Captains:
Lock Haven's 2013 Fred Caro Team Captains are senior defensive tackle Kyle White, senior running back Brandon Brader, senior wide receiver Jesse Hoover and junior defensive back George Christas. Fred Caro, a 1958 Lock Haven graduate was captain of the 1957 Bald Eagle football team that went undefeated (8-0) and won the PSAC Championship. Caro also wrestled and competed on the track & field team at Lock Haven. He was part of Lock Haven's inaugural football Hall of Fame class in 2010.
 
With heavy hearts:
When the Bald Eagles take the field this season, it will be with heavy hearts. On Saturday, March 23 senior Skyler Wool died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Wool, a Jersey Shore, Pa. native was a 2012 Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 Team member, a two-time All-PSAC selection and a two-time Gene Upshaw Division II Linemen of the Year award nominee.  The Bald Eagles will wear a commemorative decal with Wool's jersey number (92) on the back of their helmets during the 2013 season in honor of their former teammate and captain.
 
Up next:
Lock Haven travels to Millersville next Saturday, October 26 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The game marks the first of two straight on the road before The Haven closes out the year with home games in Week 10 and 11.