COATESVILLE, Pa. – The Lock Haven University football team (1-0) opened the 2021 season and a new era for the program in dominating fashion, thanks to a 20-0 shutout-win over Lincoln University (0-1) tonight in a game that was played at Coatesville High School. It marked the season-opener for both teams.
The Bald Eagles officially ushered in a new era this evening as it marked the first game coached by
John Kelling. Kelling was named LHU's new head coach back in January 2020 and he made his collegiate head-coaching debut on the sidelines today.
The win gave the aforementioned Kelling his first collegiate victory.
The theme that came along with tonight's dominating victory was "first" as the win marked Lock Haven's first season-opening road-win since 2005 at Cheyney and the first victory by way of shutout in a season-opener since 1981. It also served as the Bald Eagles first road win since the 2018 season-finale. The Haven's last win by shutout came in 2017.
Tonight, the Bald Eagles tremendous defensive effort paved the way to victory. LHU limited Lincoln to just 153 total yards, including only 37 on the ground.
Leading the way was
Shane Scott (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), who had a team-high seven tackles.
Justin Anderson (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) had six tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
Darryl Pollard (Philadelphia/Upper Darby) had five tackles and an interception. Pollard's 73-yard interception return set up a Lock Haven touchdown.
Quarterback
Ethan Persa (Schnecksville, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) threw for a touchdown (8-for-19, 88 yards & 1 INT).
Justin White (Philadelphia/Ben Franklin) hauled in a 40-yard TD catch and both
Dante Graham (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) and
DeAndre Wakefield (Norristown, Pa./Souderton) rushed for a score. Graham carried the ball 12 times for 54 yards and Wakefield rushed for 39 yards on seven attempts.
Heading into tonight's game, the Bald Eagles had 20 freshmen listed on their two-deep depth chart and number of those newcomers made an immediate impact tonight.
Back in 2019, Lock Haven opened the season at home vs. Lincoln. The Bald Eagles earned a lopsided 57-13 victory. With the win tonight, LHU improved to 4-0 all-time. In all, three of the four wins all-time vs. Lincoln have come by way of shutout. The Bald Eagles shut out Lincoln in back-to-back seasons back in 1947 and 1948.
Tonight's season-opener marked the first of the three straight games away from home. The Bald Eagles will head to California (Pa.) University for Week-2 action next Saturday, September 11. Next week's game at Cal marks the first of two straight vs. Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opponents. During Week-3 (Sept. 18), Lock Haven will travel to nationally-ranked Slippery Rock.
