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ANNVILLE, Pa. – Through a driving snowstorm, the Lycoming College football team went back to its basics, a grinding running game and a masterful defense helped the team pick up a critical 10-7 Middle Atlantic Conference win over Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Arnold Field.
 
Weather played an immediate factor in the game, as snow covered the field from the start. After an early drive for the Warriors (7-1 overall, 5-1 MAC) stalled thanks as one attempted pass slipped out of the quarterback’s hands, senior Anthony Marascio (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) got the ball back by stripping Preseason All-American Ben Guiles at the 34-yard line and he ran the ball back to the Lebanon Valley 45-yard line.
 
Playing on the snowy field, the Warriors continued to run the ball, with junior Parker Showers (Aspers, Pa./Biglerville) picked up a first down and the team picked up another thanks to a penalty to get to the 22-yard line. On a third down play, Klinger rolled out, deeked a defender and skated to the 11-yard line. Showers picked up another first down, getting to the half-yard line and Klinger ran it on a sneak with 3:27 left in the first quarter to cap off the 11-play, 45-yard drive.
 
After each team had a drive stall, the Flying Dutchmen (5-3 overall, 3-3 MAC) got a big gain on a 39-yard pass from Colt Zarilla to Tim Picerno on a cross pattern to get the ball to the Lycoming 40-yard line. However, the Warriors made a stop on fourth-and-short to get the ball back.
 
Freshman Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) rushed for 49 yards on nine carries in the ensuing drive, getting the ball back within the 20-yard line, but the Warriors’ drive stalled on fourth-down as the ball slipped out of the quarterback’s hands as he tried to throw again.
 
The Warriors got the ball back just a minute and a half later, though, as a high snap on a punt led to a short punt, giving Lycoming the ball at the Dutchmen 41-yard line. Showers and Klinger combined to rush the ball down to the 17-yard line, setting up a scenario in which the Warriors cleared off two inches of snow off the field to set up a 29-yard field goal from sophomore Zack Czap (Phillipsburg, Pa./Phillipsburg-Oscelola) as time expired in the half.
 
In the first half, the Warriors allowed just 78 yards of offense and 32 on the ground, including holding Guiles to -3 yards total. Meanwhile, the team ground up 150 yards on 36 carries, helping to overcome an 0-for-3 passing performance.
 
To start the second half, the Warriors stopped the Dutchmen on a three-and-out, but the ensuing punt died in the snow at the one-yard line. The Warriors spent the first two plays on sneaks to get off the line before a five-yard rush from Showers and Czap sent a punt to the 30-yard line, giving the Dutchmen the best field position of the game. However, an interception by sophomore Ryan Fenningham (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) stopped the drive and gave the Warriors the ball at the 20-yard line.
 
However, with the increasing snowfall, each team struggled to get traction and the Warriors gave Lebanon Valley the ball at the 37-yard line. A pass interference call set up a 22-yard touchdown pass to Picerno on a diving catch through two defenders, making it 10-7 with 2:58 left in the third quarter.
 
The Warriors responded, though, as the kickoff went out of bounds and a defensive hold brought the ball to midfield. Showers and Klinger began to trudge through the wintry tundra, with Showers carrying seven times for 23 yards and Klinger added two carries for six yards and a first down to get the ball to the 20-yard line for a key fourth down play. Showers came up with a huge run to pick up the first down at the 15-yard line. He picked up another first down, but a fumbled snap at the four-yard line on a fourth down play stopped the drive with 8:20 left.
 
The Dutchmen, thanks to a rollout by Zarilla and a pair of solid runs by Blair Ranson got the ball to the 45-yard line, as Marascio made a game-saving tackle from behind on a 28-yard rush from Ranson. Then Marascio picked up a huge sack on third-down, pushing Zarilla back 13  yards to force the Dutchmen to punt with 3:30 left. Another high snap on the punt forced a short punt, giving the Warriors the ball at their own 43-yard line.
 
The Warriors were forced to punt after a three-and-out, as the Dutchmen used all of their timeouts to stop them with 3:12 left. On the ensuing punt, Czap got off a beauty will all 11 Dutchmen coming after the punt, as the ball rolled down at the 20-yard line. The Dutchmen were forced into three incompletions to start the drive and on fourth-down, junior Tyler Floyd (Halifax, Pa./Halifax Area) came over the top and picked off a pass, giving Lycoming the ball with 2:45 left.
 
Showers ran the ball three times in a row, setting up a fourth down and short with 34.7 seconds left on the clock. The Dutchmen stopped Showers on fourth down, giving them the ball back with 31.7 seconds left. The Dutchmen completed a pass with 25 seconds left to get the ball to the 45-yard line thanks to a 28-yard pass completion to Picerno. The Warrior defense dug in for the next three plays, with freshman Kody Flail (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) knocking down the third-down pass with seven seconds left. On fourth-down with seven seconds left, the Warriors knocked the pass down in the end zone to secure the win.
 
Lycoming ground up 217 yards on the ground, rushing 62 times while not completing a pass in three-attempts. Showers carried 35 times for 115 yards, Needhammer finished with 20 carries for 84 yards and junior Zach Klinger (Halifax, Pa./Halifax) rushed 14 times for 18 yards.
 
Ransom led the Dutchmen with 15 carries for 62 yards and Colt Zarilla finished 4-of-21 with two interceptions and a touchdown. He passed for 96 yards and rushed for two. Tim Picerno caught three passes for 89 yards.
 
Marascio led the defense with eight tackles, a sack, a forced and recovered fumble and five tackles for a loss. He also had a pass defended. Fenningham finished with six tackles and an interception. Both junior Jamie Reitzi (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) and sophomore Kabongo Bukasa (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park) added four stops.
 
Cory Homer posted 13 tackles and a sack for the Dutchmen and Kevin Smith added 11 stops. Wes Rockwell also notched 10 tackles.
 
The Warriors head home for the final two games of the season, beginning with a showdown against No. 8/12 Delaware Valley at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 at David Person Field.