LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Cameron Tobias (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns,
Nysir Minney-Gratz (Easton, Pa./Easton) returned a punt 84 yards for a TD, and
Javon Whitfield (Philadelphia/Simon Gratz) finished with a team-high 11 tackles and two interceptions, sparking the Lock Haven University football team past East Stroudsburg University (1-3, 0-1 PSAC East), 44-41.
The win – Lock Haven's first of the 2018 season – came in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opener for both LHU and host East Stroudsburg.
The game proved to be an offensive shootout which included a combined 55 points in the second half.
On the way to the win, the Bald Eagles (1-3, 1-0 PSAC East) overcame a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter, a 17-13 deficit at halftime, and Lock Haven trailed the Warriors 27-13 early in the third quarter.
In the end, the Bald Eagles soared just a bit higher in the second half, thanks in large part to Tobias and Minney-Gratz, who sparked the comeback. Both of Tobias' touchdown-passes came in the fourth quarter, including one to Minney-Gratz. With 3:09 left in the third quarter Minney Gratz returned a punt 84 yards which led to the Bald Eagles tying the game at 27-27.
Defensively, Whitfield was the leader for LHU as he finished with 11 tackles and two interceptions.
Dontae Mason (Philadelphia/Bishop McDevitt) added 10 tackles and
Fernando Flores (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) finished with nine stops.
Shane Scott (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) recorded six tackles, as did
Obadiah Asare (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby), who also had a sack, forced fumble and pass-breakup.
Austyn Carson (Blanchard, Pa./Central Mountain) kicked three field goals to help spark the Bald Eagles offense, connecting from 29, 20 and 20 yards.
Trailing 14-0, running back
Ralph Hyland (Philadelphia/Frankford) put Lock Haven on the board with 1:10 left in the first quarter. Hyland's 4-yard TD run capped a 14-play, 66-yard drive.
Two-Carson field goals in the second quarter kept Lock Haven in the game, as ESU held a 17-13 lead at halftime.
Chantz Swartz (Mifflintown, Pa./Juniata H.S.) scored on a three-yard run to cap nearly an 80-yard drive with just 4:11 left in the third quarter. The TD-run helped spark the offensive flurry and Bald Eagle rally. Over the next five minutes, Lock Haven would score 28 points.
East Stroudsburg followed up Swartz's TD-run with a quick three-play, 56-second drive that led to a punt. That punt was returned by Minney-Gratz 84 yards for a TD with just 3:09 left in the third.
The electrifying punt-return tied the game at 27-27.
Tobias threw for a pair of touchdowns in the first minute of the fourth quarter. The first came with 14:57 left and the
Bryan Greene (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle) 7-yard TD catch gave LHU its first lead, and Minney-Gratz hauled in a 24-yard TD catch to extend the lead.
Carson's third field goal of the day - a 20-yarder - with 2:56 left in the game proved to be huge, as it extended the LHU lead to 44-34.
ESU struck for seven late and with 1:43 left in the game, it was 44-41, but Lock Haven held on for the win after recovering the ensuing onside kick attempt.
Swartz rushed for 120 yards and one TD, while Hyland ran for 75 yards and one score. Greene caught seven passes for 83 yards and one touchdown.
The win marked Lock Haven's second over ESU in the last three seasons. Minney-Gratz's punt return touchdown was the first for Lock Haven since the Bald Eagles recorded a punt return for a TD after a block, back in the 2016 win at East Stroudsburg.
UP NEXT:
Next week (Week 5), the Bald Eagles will head to Texas to take on No. 1 Texas A&M Commence, the defending NCAA Division II national champions. The game – LHU's second straight on the road – is set for a 7 p.m. EST kickoff. It will also mark the Bald Eagles second game in three weeks vs. an opponent ranked in the top-three nationally.
