Lycoming Football - Guida, Snavely lead Warriors to comeback win over Pride, 43-42

#46 Fr RB Joey Guida finished with 27 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – After an interception ended the Lycoming College football team’s second drive in a row, College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Girardi, remarked from his perch in the press box that if Widener University scored again, it would be really hard to come back. Widener scored, and although, Coach Girardi was right that it was hard to comeback, Lycoming did, as freshman running back Joey Guida (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) scored from a yard out with 26 seconds left to complete a 19-point comeback for a 43-42 win on Saturday, Sept. 14, at David Person Field.

#8 Sr WR Stephen Toczylousky scores early for Lycoming.

Widener got into field goal range after the score from Guida, reaching the Lycoming 29 with two seconds left, but Michael Raczak’s 46-yard attempt missed to the left, setting off a celebration for Lycoming, as the 19-point fourth-quarter comeback was the team’s largest since a 21-point comeback in a 43-42 win over Delaware Valley in 2015.

#9 Jr WR Tyjah During pulls one down for a score.

The comeback looked bleak, though, after Sean McGaughey found Ty Holbert, who made a one-handed grab for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 42-23 with 1:58 left in the third quarter. To make matters worse, the Warriors began their next drive with sophomore backup quarterback Chase Snavely (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) entering the game after sophomore starter Elijah Shemory (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) left with an injury.

Snavely found his rhythm quickly, though, driving the Warriors 59 yards on 12 plays before her rushed in from a yard out to make it 42-29 with 12:49 left in the game. A penalty and a sack by junior Kyle Pierce (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) stalled Widener’s next drive, but a 47-yard punt left Lycoming with the ball at their own 29. However, it took just two plays for Lycoming to score, with Snavely finding senior Steven Toczylousky (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) for a 47-yard completion over the middle before he found senior Christoff Minott (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) with a perfect pass to the left sideline for a 24-yard score with 10:38 left, making it 42-36.

Freshman Austin Rowley (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) ended Widener’s next drive with an interception, but Snavely returned the favor with 7:43 left. Widener drove to midfield before being forced into a 4-and-6, when a running into the punter call made it 4-and-1. After a timeout, McGaughey threw a pass that was tipped by senior Ahmad Curtis (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley), giving the Warriors the ball at the Widener 49 with 4:27 left.

On 4-and-5, Snavely found Minott over the middle for 13 yards, getting the ball to the 31. On 4-and-10, four plays later, junior Tyjah During (Accokeek, Md./Surrattsville) drew a pass interference call, moving the ball to the 21. Toczylousky made a sideline catch to get the ball to the 10 before Guida pushed it to the eight and a draw from Snavely pushed the ball to the doorstep, where Guida tapped it in with 26 seconds left to tie the game. Senior Jamie Fisher (Folsom, Pa./Ridley) drilled the extra point to give Lycoming the win.

Sr K Jamie Fisher puts the game winning PAT through the middle of the goal post for a classic Warrior win.

Guida finished with 27 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns and Snavely finished 7-of-16 for 130 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Shemory went 13-of-24 for 181 yards and two touchdowns to go with two interceptions. Toczylousky finished with seven catches for a career-best 145 yards and a touchdown, During had seven catches for a career-high 95 yards and a touchdown and Minott had two catches for 37 yards and a score.

McGaughey finished 24-of-44 for 435 yards and five touchdowns, and he was intercepted once for the Pride. James Gillespie made seven catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns and Holbert had four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown Chris Randle rushed 21 times for 72 yards.

Celebration as the Warrior win in the last few seconds of the game in a Lyco-Widener Classic.

Senior Jarrell Payne (Jersey City, N.J./Liberty) and senior Sam Pawlikowski (West Creek, N.J./Seneca) had seven tackles and a tackle for loss. Curtis had six tackles and a breakup and both senior Duane Boone (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone Area) and Pierce had four tackles, two for loss, and a sack. Senior Korahn Williams (Reading, Pa./Reading Area) had two breakups and blocked a field goal.

Widener scored on four of its first five drives after Lycoming had two touchdowns and a field goal in its first four drives to take a 28-16 lead into the second half, where the Pride scored two more touchdowns late in the third quarter, taking advantage of two Lycoming interceptions to expand a five-point lead to 19.

The Warriors get back on the field on Saturday, Sept. 21, when they host Wilkes University, in their Middle Atlantic Conference opener at 1 p.m. at David Person Field.

Box Score (Final)

Widener vs Lycoming (Sep 14, 2019 at Williamsport, Pa.)

Score by Quarters            1              2              3              4              Score

Widener              14           14           14           0              42           Record: (1-1)

Lycoming             13           3              7              20           43           Record: (1-1)

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