ANNVILLE, Pa. - Lycoming's league-best defense and a rare October snowstorm slowed down Lebanon Valley as the Dutchmen fell, 10-7, at Arnold Field on Saturday.
Played in heavy snowfall with several inches of accumulation on the field, neither team could get much going offensively, with a touchdown apiece and Zack Czap's 29-yard field goal to end the first half the ultimate decider for the Warriors (7-1, 5-1 MAC).
The Dutchmen (5-3, 3-3 MAC) managed just 184 yards of offense in the snow, with Tim Picerno's touchdown their only points.
Lebanon Valley had a final shot at the win, going for four Hail Mary chances in the final seconds, but a completion in the end zone never came after Colt Zarilla hit Picerno for 28 yards to the Lycoming 45 with 25 seconds remaining.
"They were able to run the football at us, and we didn't have a consistent running game to go against them," said head coach Jim Monos. "They're a good defensive football team and we knew that going in. It probably played into them that we weren't able to throw the ball as well as we can."
Lycoming did not complete a pass as they ran 69 times for 217 yards, led by Parker Showers' 115 yards and Craig Needhammer's 84. Quarterback Zach Klinger ran for 18 yards, including Lycoming's lone touchdown.
Without running back Ben Guiles, who left the game after nine carries, LVC managed 88 yards on the ground led by Blair Ransom's 62, and Zarilla was 4-for-21 for 96 yards and two interceptions.
A Guiles fumble forced by Anthony Marascio on LVC's first series led to an 11-play Warrior scoring drive capped by Klinger's one-yard sneak, and neither team would score again in the first half until Czap hit from 29 with the wind at his back as time expired in the second quarter.
LVC got life back in the third, backing the Warriors up and getting a favorable punt to set up a spectacular 22-yard catch by Picerno in double coverage to cut the lead to 10-7.
The fourth quarter went back and forth as Lycoming tried to grind out the clock, and LVC re-took possession with 31 seconds left with a chance to tie or win. Zarilla hit Picerno for 28 yards across midfield on first down, but four shots to the end zone fell incomplete, with Kody Flail busting up two passes and Corey Schuster batting it down to end it.
LVC visits Wilkes next Saturday.
Game Notes
Approximately four inches of snow had fallen by the end of the game, causing multiple power outages during the course of the afternoon due to downed trees in the area ... Lycoming dominated the time of possession 37:25 to 22:35 ... Cory Homer led LVC with 13 tackles and a sack, LVC's first in five games ... Kevin Smith had 11 stops, and Wes Rockwell had an excellent game with 10 tackles and a hurry ... Marascio was a beast for Lycoming with eight tackles - five for a loss - with the fumble force and recovery and a sack ... Zarilla had an adventurous day punting, having to pick up two bad snaps and barely getting the kick off, and also booming two other punts including a 43-yarder that stuck and died in the snow at the Lycoming 1 ... Klinger was 0-for-3 on pass attempts ... Picerno had three catches and Yahya McIntyre had the other for LVC ... The last time Lebanon Valley played in a snow game, it was at Lycoming, in 1988 ... Lebanon Valley's players wore pink armbands and shoelaces in support Breast Cancer Awareness month ... Several snowmen were in attendance among a sparse crowd of hearty fans.