COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES: Maloney feeling comfortable at Lackawanna

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Billy Maloney has returned to his hometown to continue playing the game he loves.

Once a tenacious high school football player for the Scranton Knights, Maloney’s athleticism took him to Seton Hill University. After a season, he entered the transfer portal and knew almost instantly that Lackawanna College was the destination for him to pursue his dream.

This season, Maloney has made an impact in the secondary for the Falcons, a program that transitioned to NCAA Division II as a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

Lackawanna College (0-6 overall, 0-3 in conference) travels to West Chester on Saturday at 6 p.m.

“I am really happy that I made the decision to go to Lackawanna,” Maloney said. “Every day, I am happy to go to practice and keep playing football.

“I feel like we are growing as a team. We have made a lot of improvements. We are still getting to know each other. A lot of the teams we have played have been together for a few years. Most of our guys we just met this semester, so we are still building relationships and that team bond.”

A two-time Times-Tribune All-Region defensive back, Maloney had a successful high school career for the Knights. In his final two seasons, he had 140 tackles, eight interceptions and 21 passes defended.

As a freshman at Seton Hill, Maloney didn’t see any game action. He chose to move on, and after a call from Lackawanna coach Kevin Roginski, he jumped at the opportunity to come home and play again at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“It was a good experience at Seton Hill, but I don’t know … deep down it didn’t feel just right,” Maloney said. “As soon as I entered the portal, coach Kevin reached out to me, and I knew about Lackawanna and wanted to come here.”

In his second year with the Falcons, the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder has 20 tackles. His season-high of six came against East Stroudsburg. He also had three tackles against his old team, Seton Hill.

“There is definitely a different speed to the game,” Malone said. “It is a huge step from high school to college. You have to be locked in all the time. You see a lot of bigger, stronger athletes. But if you have a heart for the game and prepare, it doesn’t affect you too much.”

Maloney has seen growth with the Falcons through all of the adversity.

“I am really happy that I made my decision to go to Lackawanna,” Maloney, 20, said. “I am still making mistakes, but I am more relaxed and am just out there playing football. At the end of the day, that is what I wanted, to go out there every day and have fun playing football.”

“We are getting closer as a team, and we are hopeful. We are not down on ourselves. We are grateful to play this game.”

Division I

Florida lost to South Carolina, 38-19, last week for its second straight defeat after rising as high as No. 8 in the national polls.

Tight end Lacota Dippre (Lakeland) had one reception for 9 yards. London Montgomery (Scranton Prep) returned two kickoffs for 36 yards with a long of 24 yards.

Florida (4-2) plays at No. 7 Texas (4-1) on Saturday at 12 p.m. on ABC.

• Stanford tight end Aiden Black (Delaware Valley) participated in his sixth game of the season in a 58-7 loss to Notre Dame. The Cardinal (2-4) plays Elon on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

• Lehigh University (6-0) returns to action after a bye week and plays at Cornell (2-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks are ranked No. 4 in the AFCA Football Championship Coaches Poll this week. Aaron Crossley (Wyoming Area) has 132 rushing yards, and Connor Hilling (Valley View) has 28 rushing yards. Tight end Joseph Marranca (Wyoming Area) has five receptions for 48 yards.

Division III

Misericordia University improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the MAC with a 21-17 win over Alvernia last week.

Logan Tierney (Holy Cross) had three tackles, and Jordan Chmielewski added two tackles for the Cougars. This season, Tierney has six tackles, while Chmielewski has 15 tackles and four passes defended.

FDU-Florham (0-5, 0-4) plays at Misericordia on Saturday at noon.

• Wilkes University lost to Lycoming, 17-7, on Homecoming last week. Daniel Pigga (Dunmore) had five receptions for 60 yards and added 13 yards on three carries for the Colonels. Michael Golay (Scranton Prep) had five tackles, two for loss; Nathan Reuther (Dunmore) had five tackles, and Rob Barbieri (Pittston Area) had three tackles for Wilkes, which has a bye this week.

• King’s College lost to Eastern, 41-21, last week to fall to 1-3. Connor Highes (Mid Valley) contributed four tackles for the Monarchs. This week, King’s hosts Lebanon Valley College at 1 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.

• Muhlenburg (3-2) defeated Franklin & Marshall, 31-28, last week. Nicholas D’Amico (Riverside) made a 29-yard field goal and had one touchback on five kickoffs for Muhlenberg. Franklin & Marshall (4-1) was led by running back Louis Paris (Scranton Prep), who ran for 41 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 16 yards.

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