LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — It has been a long time since Lock Haven Football has had hope going into a season, but that is exactly what is happening. Last year the Bald Eagles won five games for the first time in over 40 years, and after having an incredible recruiting class, many feel that it can only go up from there. The most challenging part of every season is replacing who you lost, and with Lock Haven needing to replace Chris Collier, Cody Romano, and Kyle Zajack, it is going to be a battle to see who will fill those spots.
But that is what spring practice is all about, and during their first live scrimmage on Friday there were a few major standouts for the Bald Eagles.
Coach Dan Mulrooney started the day by calling the team together and detailing how the practice would operate. Then, after doing some individual drills, the team split into offense and defense for the scrimmage. While it is still early, now is a great time to see who is ahead in any position battles.
And looking at the quarterback position, it was junior William Pickett getting the first-team reps. Then to his left at the running back spot, it was sophomore Jacob Sturm. Both Sturm and Pickett impressed with the snaps they got. Sturm ran with surprising power and toughness for a 5-foot, 9-inch back, meanwhile, Pickett looked calm and poised in the pocket. However, they weren’t the only ones who shined at those spots, as all three quarterbacks and running backs who got snaps impressed in their own way.
For the second stringers, it was Shippensburg transfer Evan Falco flanked by freshman James Bermudez. Bermudez stole the show and was far and away the most surprising performance on the day. He broke off multiple long runs and ran through multiple defenders. Meanwhile, Falco seemed to transition to his new team pretty easily, making impressive tight window throws and showing off some mobility outside the pocket. Those weren’t the only standouts, however, as familiar names like Chase Holmes, T’iar Young, and even some new faces like Justin Popovich stole the show. Popovich was particularly impressive, breaking off a long touchdown reception and getting mobbed by his fellow teammates.
On the defensive side, things were less than ideal. They gave up five touchdown drives and looked less physical in comparison with the offense. Members of the defensive coaching staff could be heard saying “They’re running faster than you and they want it more than you. You gotta go take it, that’s how we fix this thing.”
Whatever was said must have worked, as shortly after the defense came back to life, delivering big hits and controlling the game. The standouts on the defense are names that Bald Eagle football fans are all too familiar with. Guys like Darryl Pollard and Izzy Ramos demonstrated great leadership and made some impressive plays. Pollard is used to being the captain of the secondary, but Ramos will be asked to step into the spotlight as the lead linebacker. Ramos was a freshman last year learning from and playing alongside Romano. Now with Romano gone a lot of pressure is on Ramos to fill that spot, and Coach Mulrooney seems to be confident he can.
“He had a great year as a freshman,” Mulrooney said. “He was very productive and it was good to see how he performed as a true freshman. He should jump into his new role pretty seamlessly.”
Spring practice is a great time to find out who are the underrated guys who will contribute during a long and grueling fall season. But those battles for starting spots can get testy at times. Players could be heard chirping back and forth and calling each other out during the game. While some may see this as a sign of contention within the team, coach Mulrooney loved it, saying how it’s great as long as it’s focused fun.
“Football in the spring, it feels like you’re at odds a lot because it’s offense versus defense. All you do is face off against each other every single day and there is no team on Saturday. I think the team culture is competitive and we want the kids to be competitive, but there has to be a fine line. Kids like to talk trash or whatever, but at the end of the day, we’re more focused on the team going in the right direction. They love each other in that locker room, so they like to talk and have fun on the field.”
At the end, Mulrooney called the team together and seemingly laid out his motto for the upcoming season. “Toughness and Technique” were the words the third-year Head Coach repeated over and over to the team.
Lock Haven will certainly need toughness and technique if they want to build on last season. While it is early, the Bald Eagles showed a lot of promise on Friday and will look to continue to build on it before their spring game on Sunday, April 21.
Ryan States is in his 3rd year at Lock Haven University, and his second with the Eagle Eye. He is a Journalism major with intentions to minor in Sports Management. With his never-ending passion for all things sports, he wishes to pursue a career as a sports writer for a major outlet. When not watching sports, he can be found playing video games, hanging out with friends at the REC. Or you can find him helping out in the booth during LHU sporting events. His biggest hope while at Lock Haven is to be able to positively contribute to LHU sports in any way he can.
