LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven football team finished the 2023 season with a record of 5-6, closing out the season against Edinboro in a hard fought 36-30 loss. Lock Haven finished 1-10 the previous year, but recruiting efforts by head coach Dan Mulrooney lead to a historic 2023 season. One notable transfer was running back Chris Collier, a major contributor to Lock Haven’s offense.
“We knew that this conference was no joke,” Collier said. “We obviously had a lot of talented players and I think that was a difference that transpired throughout the season. You can see it in the offense, and you can see it in the defense. Over time, we started to click on the same page. [The other teams] could tell that this was a different team than our past teams.”
Collier provided a spark for the Bald Eagle offense who averaged over 25 PPG and had 37 total touchdowns in 2023 compared to 11 PPG and 16 TDs in 2022. Collier pointed out the leap the defense took as they gave up an average of 24 PPG and a total of 35 TDs as opposed to giving up an average of 42 PPG and 64 total TDs the previous year.
“The defense was no joke. Cody Romano was the head guy of that group and he did a great job leading them and being an older guy, being a captain, and making sure everybody was on the same page.”
Offensively, Collier had a historic season for himself, setting the record for most rushing yards in a season for Lock Haven (1,393), breaking the 43-year record that was set by Joe Speese in 1981 (1,321). Collier’s 1,393 rushing yards led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings. He also averaged over 126 yards per game and scored 12 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.
Chris Collier ran for 1393 yds this year, breaking the Bald Eagles single-season mark set by Joe Speese ‘81 (1321). On Saturday, Speese was at The Jack to congratulate Collier for his feat, just as Ron Puhl ‘61 did when Speese broke Puhl’s record of 1269 back in 1979.#LHUAlumni pic.twitter.com/kAlP3poWl2
— LHU Alumni (@LHUalumni) November 13, 2023
“It’s like a team accolade to me,” Collier said. “Especially my o-line. And what Coach Petite did with them, it was no joke. At the end of the day, they’re the ones making the holes, making the gaps, and making the openings for me to have the ability to get those yards. I gotta give praise to my running back coach, Matt Sullivan. He completely transformed me into a different running back from when I was at Wagner.”
Other highlights from Collier’s season includes being named the PSAC East Player of the Week three times, eclipsing the 100-yard mark five times, eclipsing the 200-yard mark two times, and being named the PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year.
(Eagle Eye/Ashley Lawson)
Collier previously played at Wagner College for two years before transferring to Lock Haven. Like most transfers, Collier knew Mulrooney would accomplish what he wanted to do in his second year as the head coach, and Collier knew he could help lead the team in the historic turnaround.
“What attracted me to Lock Haven was honestly the coaches, especially Coach Mulrooney. It was just something inside of me that felt like this was like a place to call home. He told me everything that he wanted to do, and he did it. When it came to winning games and doing what needs to be done and bringing the players around to really rebuild this program, that’s exactly what he did. And it’s only going to go up from here with that man.”
RUNNING IT BACK?:
Collier may not be done playing at Lock Haven as he looks for another year of eligibility to return for the 2024 season.
“When it comes to another year of eligibility, I think the main goal now is either win a PSAC championship, or make the playoffs, which is something that the squad hasn’t seen for a while. I think that’d be great for the town to really experience.”
