WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Junior Nick Lamey (Upper Chichester, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) picked up a fumble at the 50 and found the sideline for a touchdown with 14:01 left to give the Lycoming College football team a four-point lead against 2022 NCAA Sweet 16 team Utica University, but a late touchdown helped Utica escape David Person Field with a 38-35 non-conference win on Saturday, Sept. 16.
 
The touchdown by Lamey capped a run of 16 straight points for the Warriors, who fell behind by 12 at 31-19 early in the third quarter off a 33-yard touchdown catch by Joey Nare. The Warriors answered with three straight field goals from senior Ian Plankenhorn (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville Area), the first a 34-yarder on a drive highlighted by a 35-yard catch by first-year Ross Eyer (Muncy, Pa./Muncy), the second a 39-yarder that went through the uprights after hitting the left one on a drive set up a 33-yard interception return from sophomore Ryan Pentz (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain), and the last a 27-yarder set up by 38 rushing yards from first-year Terrence Oliver (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park), who eclipsed 100 yards for the second straight game.
 
Two plays later, junior Jake Welch (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) stripped a Utica runner and the ball popped out to Pentz, who cruised in untouched to make it 35-31.
 
The Pioneers (3-0 overall) saw their next two drives stall, but getting the ball at the Lycoming 30 with 4:48 left, they scored seven plays later on 4-and-17 from the 22, as Brett Fuller found Antonio Cianfarani for the game-winning score.
 
Junior Will Fish (Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg) finished 17-of-41 for a career-high 292 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Brandon Timothy (Woodland Park, N.J./Passaic Valley) caught seven passes for 186 yards, the eighth-most in program history and most for a Warrior since 2015, and two scores and Eyer finished with five catches for 87 yards and a score. Oliver added 18 carries for 101 yards, becoming the first Warrior with back-to-back 100-yard games since Blake Bowman did it in 2016.
 
Sophomore Jordan Rhinehart (Upper Darby, Pa./Father Judge) finished with nine tackles, a forced fumble and a breakup and Welch added seven stops, a forced fumble and a hurry. Senior Abubukar Audu Jr. (Potomoc, Md./Richard Montgomery) added five tackles and a sack and senior Kevin Gianoni (Quakertown, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) also had five tackles, 1.5 for loss.
 
The Pioneers scored on their second offensive snap, but the Warriors answered back three minutes later, with Fish finding Timothy for an 80-yard score. Fish answered the next Utica score with a 33-yard pass to Eyer later in the first quarter to make it 14-13. Utica scored the next 10 points, but Timothy kept the Warriors in the game, as Fish found him leaping in the end zone for a 30-yard score with 40 seconds left to make it 24-19 at the break.
 
Fuller finished 25-of-40 with 358 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Nare caught seven balls for 112 yards and Matt Brantley rushed nine times for 76 yards and one score on a 64-yard run. Doug Elsesser had two receiving touchdowns. Anthony Fasano led the defense with 11 tackles, two for a loss.
 
The Warriors are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 23, when they head to their third Empire 8 opponent of the season, going to SUNY Brockport for a 12 p.m. start.