By Ralph Wilson / Sun-Gazette Correspondent In late September, a Lycoming defender takes down Hilbert quarterback John Whittaker, 30, during a game. The Warriors host Wilkes today in the Landmark Conference.
Entering the bye week, Lycoming (2-2) enters conference play in a much different position than last season. In 2023, Landmark went into their first match against Wilkes with an 0-4 record, feeling confident and well-rested, but desperate for a win. In this case, multiple blowout wins in the early restart made the Warriors a little more proven and certain.
However, this does not diminish the importance of Saturday’s road test.
Each victory for Landmark puts them in a good position to compete for a conference championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. And no one on the Warrior side expects Wilkes (3-2) to hand them an easy victory.
In fact, quite the opposite.
Since 2016, the Colonels have a 5-2 record in this matchup, most recently defeating Lycoming 48-35 at Girardi Stadium. The Warriors haven’t beaten Wilkes at either Edwardsville or Wilkes-Barre since 2014, when they went 8-2 and finished third in the MAC.
“They’re a good team. They’re a good program. They’re a resilient group and they’re well-coached.” Lycoming head coach Mike Clark said of Wilkes: “We have our hands full, but I think we have a chance to win if we play well.”
“You have to travel and play and making mistakes makes it worse. So we have to make sure we get off the bus and go out there and execute at a high level.” Discussing the road drought, he added:
Lyco won’t have to play against Isaiah Rodriguez, who previously had 230 yards and 3 TDs through the air, for the Warriors, but he will look to move senior running back Elijah Jules, who had 19 touch throughs for 164 total yards. The task is to blunt it. their last match.
In addition to being named MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, Jules is a two-time first-team all-conference selection. And through the last two games against St. John Fisher and Juniata, he has rushed for a total of 302 yards. 4 touchdowns on 43 carries (7 yards per attempt). They currently rank fourth in the conference in both rushing yards (438) and touchdowns (six).
“I don’t think we’re going to cut off their tails completely.” Clark said of Jules. “Elijah is a really good player and multiple all-conference player.”
He’s not the only player on the team who can run the ball effectively.
After serving as a change-of-pace quarterback last season, racking up 300 yards rushing and five touchdowns in the process, senior Xavier Powell will be back on the ground (48 yards rushing, 328 yards and a touchdown). ) and through the air (66 touchdowns). 110 for 901 yards) as the starter. At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, he is tough to beat and is definitely a goal-line threat.
“Coach Wise emphasizes staying in the pocket, applying pressure and making low tackles.” Defensive tackle Jake Welch said this when talking about Powell. “He’s a big, mobile QB, so you have to tackle him low and wrap him up and contain him as much as you can. If you make them one-dimensional, you have to stop that run. yeah.”
“The quarterback is also a good runner and the O-line is pretty solid. If we can limit their ability to run the ball at us and let them throw the ball, that’s certainly a big part of it. It will occupy.” Clark emphasized. “You’re going to have to eliminate big plays, you’re going to have to take away tackles. Cortland had too much success (against us). Anytime you can limit the ability of people to run the football, I think it’s better.”
Lycoming’s hope for the future is to regain the consistency he showed in his win over Widener in the season opener and carry the momentum he gained against Hilbert into the landmark match.
A 48-0 win and 2-2 record has given the team some confidence, but with recent changes there is an urgent need to maintain it. All conference matchups will be treated with utmost importance and setting the tone here will certainly prove beneficial.
“We just need to find our identity, have confidence in ourselves, be consistent, improve every day and focus on ourselves and not the enemy.” Welch said. “We’re just going to focus on one week at a time, not looking forward or backward. It’s conference play from here on out, so everything’s just going to increase in intensity.”
“It’s much better to go 1-0 and stay in conference championship contention than 0-1 in the first game of the conference.” Clark said. “We need every win we can get to compete for any kind of postseason opportunity.”
The game is scheduled for Saturday at Schmidt Stadium at 12 p.m.
worthy of attention
As of now, Lyco is expected to implement a second-quarter back system on Saturday, with Will Fisch and Jay Hoover each expected to get significant playing time. They just finished a game in which they totaled 241 passing yards and three touchdowns.
“We’re not going to change their practice personnel.” Clark said of the quarterback situation. “Right now, we both have about the same amount of work.”
As for injuries, receiver Billy Coppock (heel) and linebacker David Schley (turf toe) have each practiced throughout the week and are thought to be likely for the game against Wilkes. Tight end Brendan Clark (foot) did not practice for Thursday, but he could also be available.
Having these three back is huge for the team, with Coppock second on the team in receptions (10) and third in receiving yards (112), and Schley second on the team in total and solo tackles (23). , 10), Clark had the best receiving performance of his career (4 receptions, 44 yards) against Hilbert.
Outside of that, Terrence Oliver and Kasim Benson continue to make an impact in the backfield, with Oliver going for 100 yards against Widener and Hilbert, who combined for 486 yards on 105 carries in four games. obtained. In receiving, Dawson DeBebe led the team in all categories with 12 receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns.
For Lycoming, a win over Wilkes on Saturday would be the team’s first win over the Colonels since 2021. Heading into the weekend, Lycoming has a 41-22 record in this matchup.
The Bison football team certainly enjoyed Bison Week with back-to-back wins over Marist and Lehigh.
Last week, Lock Haven nearly erased the lead in an exciting 31-3 third quarter, but fell just short…
