WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – With three straight wins under its belt, the Lycoming College football team has earned a spot in the first NCAA Division III Region I rankings, the NCAA announced through its website on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
 
The Warriors improved to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the Middle Atlantic Conference in their last outing, a 30-27 win over Wilkes, which put the Warriors alone in second place in the MAC with two games remaining.
 
Lycoming faces off with another 6-2 regionally-ranked squad in Widener this week, hitting the road for a 1 p.m. start on Saturday, Nov. 6.
 
The Region I ranking also features MAC leading Delaware Valley (8-0), Endicott (7-2), Framingham State (6-2), Husson (6-2), Merchant Marine (7-1) and Salve Regina (6-2). The teams are listed in alphabetical order in this first ranking and not by their ranking.
 
Lycoming's two defeats this year are both to teams currently in the D3football.com Top 25, falling to No. 25 Susquehanna, 44-10, on Sept. 4, and No. 10 Delaware Valley, 32-7, on Oct. 2.
 
Lycoming has won both going-away as well as in nail-biters, beating Stevenson with a last-minute touchdown, 29-28, on Sept. 25, and Wilkes, 30-27, on Oct. 30, and a win against Widener would guarantee the Warriors a finish of no worse than second in the conference and at worst, a home game in the MAC-Centennial Bowl Series.
 
The Warriors lead the MAC the fewest turnovers (10) and are second in turnover margin (0.75), which has helped the team rank fourth in both scoring offense (25.9) and scoring defense (21.0). The Warriors are also second in the league in red-zone offense, getting points inside the 20-yard line 89 percent of the time, thanks in large part to senior quarterback Elijah Shemory (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area), who has rushed for five touchdowns, and sophomore kicker Ian Plankenhorn (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville), who is second in Division III with 1.38 field goals made per game.
 
The offense is paced by junior running back Joey Guida (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) and senior wide receiver Tyjah During (Accokeek, Md./Surrattsville), who are both in the top 10 in the MAC in all-purpose yards, with Guida averaging 99.25 yards per game and During 96.62.
 
The defense is spearheaded by junior David Tomb (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area), who is fifth in the league with 1.8 tackles for loss per game and seventh with 0.57 sacks per game, and junior Cole Senior (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area), who is sixth in tackles for loss at 1.7 per game and second with 4.6 solo tackles per contest.