WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Led by a defense that allowed just nine first downs and 129 total yards, the Lycoming College football team snapped a two-game skid, posting a dominating 52-0 win over first-year program Alvernia University on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 20, in Middle Atlantic Conference action.
 
The win was the 67^th shutout in the 45^th year of assistant football coach Steve Wiser's tenure with the Warriors (4-3 overall, 3-2 MAC) and the did it while allowing Alvernia (1-6 overall, 0-5 MAC) inside the 20-yard line just once in the game.
 
Senior Dominic Loffredo (Linden, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) led the Warriors with nine tackles, 0.5 for loss, and both senior Joe Pinzka (Perkasie, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and freshman Ryan Cocciadiferro (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) each had an interception for the Warriors. Junior Trey Smith (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) had five tackles and a sack and both senior Sam Romanofsky (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) and senior Jarrell Payne (Jersey City, N.J./Liberty) each had a sack as well. Sophomore Kyle Pierce (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) also had eight tackles.
 
The offense, meanwhile, put together a 50-point effort for the first time since a 55-12 win over FDU-Florham on Nov. 9, 2013. Freshman Elijah Shemory (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) finished 13-of-21 for 288 yards and four touchdowns and he also snuck into the end zone for his fifth rushing touchdown on the year.
 
Senior Nick Costello (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) became the sixth receiver in school history to cross 2,000 career yards as he caught five passes for 113 yards and two scores and senior Brock Zollicoffer (Owings Mills, Md./Owings Mills) caught four passes for 101 yards and two scores. Senior John Kim (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) had a 46-yard reception.
 
Junior Jacob Fimbres (La Habra, Calif./Sonora) posted 12 carries for 78 yards to lead the rushing attack, which posted a season-best 215 yards on 41 attempts. Sophomore Len Wyda (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) added 12 carries for 74 yards and a score and junior Keith Batkowski (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville) posted 45 yards on 10 carries.
 
Lycoming scored on five of its first six receptions and added three more touchdowns on its last three possessions before running out the final 1:52 in its last possession.
 
The Warriors forced a punt on Alvernia's first possession and moved 55 yards on its first 10 plays of the game, with Shemory diving in from a yard out. After an Alvernia 3-and-out, the Warriors drove 49 yards on seven plays before Shemory found Zollicoffer for a 24-yard score. Following another Alvernia 3-and-out, Shemory hit Nick Costello for a 39-yard score to make it 21-0 entering the second quarter.
 
The Warriors added three more points off a 23-yard field goal from junior Jamie Fisher (Folsom, Pa./Ridley) with 14:08 left in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Shemory used a hook-and-ladder to hit Zollicoffer for a 44-yard score to make it 31-0 at the break.
 
In the third quarter, Shemory hit Costello for a 54-yard touchdown and Pinzka added a three-yard pick-six to make it 45-0. After Alvernia used a 21-yard play to get to the Lycoming seven, a penalty and a sack from Romanofsky pushed the ball back to the 25, where Cocciadiferro picked off a pass to end the drive. Wyda rushed the ball 12 times on the ensuing drive, covering 74 of the drive's 88 yards before plowing into the end zone to round out the scoring.
 
Keiron Black went 6-of-18 for 40 yards and two interceptions and Malcom Carey rushed 25 times for 71 yards to lead the Alvernia offense. Keeryen Stevens had eight tackles to lead the Golden Wolves and Nicholas Robinson had six stops and a fumble recovery.
 
The Warriors get back on the field on Saturday, Oct. 27, when they head to Wilkes University for a 1 p.m. MAC game.