ANNVILLE, Pa. – Lebanon Valley powered its way to a dominant 45-2 victory over Widener on Saturday, fueled by a record performance from running back
Jayden Stanfield and a defense that forced three turnovers while pitching a shutout for nearly 59 minutes.
Stanfield had a huge day, recording 270 total yards and five touchdowns, as the Dutchmen rolled up 45 points and 410 total yards. His four rushing touchdowns and five total touchdowns tied the single-game marks and highlighted one of the most productive individual performances in Lebanon Valley football history.
The Dutchmen wasted little time taking control. On Widener's third offensive play,
Brandon Choi stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception to the one-yard line. One play later, Stanfield barreled into the end zone from a yard out, giving LVC a 7-0 lead just 1:04 into the contest. The defense struck again on the Pride's next possession when
J.D. McCallion jarred the ball loose, and
Anthony Pez recovered at the Widener 26-yard line. Lebanon Valley capitalized on the short field, marching to the two before Stanfield powered in on fourth-and-one for his second touchdown and a 14-0 advantage with 12:44 left in the opening quarter.
While the offense built an early lead, the Dutchmen defense consistently denied Widener scoring opportunities. The Pride put together a lengthy drive into LVC territory midway through the first quarter, but the Dutchmen forced a punt. Another Widener threat reached the Lebanon Valley 27 before the defense held on fourth down, turning the ball over on downs.
Leading 14-0 entering the second quarter, LVC leaned heavily on its star tailback. Stanfield carried the ball seven times on a 73-yard drive and finished it himself with a six-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-0 with 10:27 remaining before halftime. The Dutchmen defense then delivered another momentum-changing play. After Widener advanced into Lebanon Valley territory,
Landen Baughman intercepted a pass at the LVC 11-yard line to halt the drive. Stanfield immediately made the Pride pay, ripping off a 49-yard run on the first snap of the ensuing possession. He later added a 19-yard burst to set up a scoring strike from
Caden Mengel, who connected with Stanfield on a 17-yard touchdown reception with 38 seconds remaining in the half. The score pushed the lead to 28-0 at the break.
Lebanon Valley opened the second half exactly as it finished the first. After receiving the kickoff, the Dutchmen marched 75 yards and converted a fourth-and-one near midfield when Stanfield broke free down the left sideline for a 44-yard touchdown run. The passing game got involved on the next scoring drive. Following an 11-yard Stanfield run and a key completion to
Blake Weaver, quarterback
Owen Strouse found
Ethan Heisey streaking down the middle for a 35-yard touchdown pass.
Connor Hazel's extra point stretched the margin to 42-0 with 7:48 left in the third.
Lebanon Valley's final points came early in the fourth quarter when
Connor Hazel drilled a 43-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 46-yard drive and make it 45-0. Widener avoided the shutout in the final moments when a snap deep in Dutchmen territory resulted in a safety with 1:14 remaining, accounting for the game's final score of 45-2.
Beyond Stanfield's historic afternoon, the Dutchmen received efficient quarterback play from Strouse, who completed key throws to keep drives moving, while Heisey,
Trey Freeman,
Noah Hoff, and Weaver all contributed through the air. Defensively, Choi, Baughman, Pez, McCallion,
Bradley Weder,
Owen Chernich, and
Kaies Handy headlined a unit that recorded multiple takeaways, pass breakups, sacks, and fourth-down stops.
Inside the Box
- Stanfield delivered a historic performance with a career-high 206 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries, averaging 9.0 yards per carry with a long run of 49 yards. He added three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown, accounting for 232 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns. His four rushing scores tied for the second-most in a game in program history and his 206 rushing yards rank among the top single-game performances in LVC history.
- Strouse efficiently directed the offense, completing 9-of-16 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
- Heisey led all receivers with 53 yards on three catches, highlighted by a 35-yard touchdown reception that extended LVC's lead to 42-0 in the third quarter.
- Mengel provided a spark off the bench, completing 2-of-2 passes for 22 yards and a touchdown, including a 17-yard scoring pass to Stanfield before halftime.
- Brandon Kurzeja paced the second-half ground game with 56 rushing yards on 14 carries, helping LVC control possession and drain the clock in the final quarter.
- The LVC Offensive Line powered a rushing attack that amassed 272 yards and four touchdowns on 44 attempts while not allowing a sack in 22 passing attempts.
- Choi filled the stat sheet with a game-high 12 tackles (6 solo, 6 assisted), an interception returned 14 yards, a tackle for loss, and two quarterback hurries. His interception on Widener's opening possession set up LVC's first touchdown.
- Handy recorded six tackles, including 1.0 sack for 10 yards and 1.0 tackle for loss, helping lead a defense that limited Widener to 11 passing yards.
- Chernich posted five tackles and two pass breakups, helping lock down the secondary as Widener completed only four passes all game.
- Baughman came up with a key interception in the second quarter that stopped a Widener drive deep in LVC territory and helped preserve the shutout.
- McCallion forced a first-quarter fumble that led directly to a Dutchmen touchdown and finished with four tackles.
- Pez recovered the McCallion-forced fumble, giving LVC excellent field position for its second score of the game.
- Calvin Bent tallied four tackles, including a sack and tackle for loss, helping pressure Widener quarterbacks throughout the afternoon.
- Bradley Weder contributed two pass breakups as the Dutchmen defense held Widener to just 11 passing yards on 4-of-18 passing.
- Connor Hazel was perfect on the afternoon, going 6-for-6 on PATs and connecting on a 43-yard field goal. The kicker also averaged 51.8 yards per kickoff, recording one touchback.
- LVC outgained Widener 410-193. The Dutchmen rushed for 272 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. The defense forced three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble recovery).
Up Next
The Dutchmen will head up I-81 next Saturday, October 31, to face Misericordia University at Anderson Field at 1 p.m. in Dallas.
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