TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Lock Haven offensive line lines up against Bloomsburg during a football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Bald Eagles won 35-32 then, and defeated Bloomsburg again last Saturday, 38-17.

Call it whatever you like, The Battle of I-80, Commonwealth Cup or any other of the many names the game between Lock Haven and Bloomsburg has been given over the years one thing is abundantly clear, this is a full fledged PSAC rivalry.

On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Bald Eagles (2-3) traveled 65 minutes on Interstate 80 to take on the Huskies (1-4) for what may be the final time for the next few seasons. 2025 marks The Haven’s last year in the PSAC East division, meaning it is not guaranteed the two schools will play against each other every year.

Well, if this was the last time, it was Lock Haven who got the last laugh, beating Bloom in an emphatic 38-17 slugfest. Here are my five takeaways from the game.

LOCK HAVEN CONTINUES OWNERSHIP OF BATTLE OF I-80

Over the past few years, ever since Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, and Mansfield merged to create Commonwealth University, questions arose on how each school would deal with playing each other on the field. For the first time ever, Bald Eagles and Huskies athletes may share a classroom on the weekdays, and compete on the gridiron on Saturdays. This blurring of the lines has caused some animosity between the student bodies of both schools, and led to Saturday’s game featuring many physical after the play moments from both sides.

Coming into the game, Bloomsburg held a slim 46-41-2 head-to-head record all time versus Lock Haven, but the Bald Eagles had beaten the Huskies the previous two seasons. The last time Lock Haven managed to beat Bloom three years in a row dates all the way back to the early 90’s, back when the Huskies were in the midst of a program-wide slump.

Now, over 30 years later the Bald Eagles have re-established control of the football side of the rivalry.

Bloomsburg is one of a very few PSAC schools that Lock Haven plays in all sports, even joining the Bald Eagles in the MAC conference when wrestling season comes around. The past few seasons have felt like a re-ignition of the Battle of I-80, with multiple close matches across multiple sports, including a Women’s Basketball playoff matchup last year.

Any way you slice it, it is clear that a dormant PSAC rivalry has found new life thanks to some extenuating circumstances, and will be here to stay for a while to come.

OSTROWSKY RETURNS TO VINTAGE FORM

It has been a rough start to the season for Lock Haven quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky, as going into Saturday Ostrowsky had yet to throw for over 200 yards in a game and a 1-3 touchdown to interception ratio. Last week Ostrowsky was forced to sit out due to injury, and it seemed like that time off paid dividends, as he came out looking like a much different quarterback.

In total, Ostrowsky threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, looking much more comfortable in and out of the pocket this week than he did in weeks prior. After the game Lock Haven head coach Joe Battaglia noted how important that week of rest was for him, saying “everything about him got healthy”.

BEST GAME OF THE YEAR

Ostrowsky wasn’t the only one to have his best game on Saturday, as it felt like the whole Bald Eagles team was on their A game.

The Lock Haven defense got off to a slow start, giving up scores on the first handful of drives, but completely shut down the Huskies in the second half. In total Bloom had three second half turnovers, which lead to 17 Lock Haven points. Safety’s Q. McMillian and Tyler Merwarth both ended the game with interceptions, and linebacker/safety Damien Vernon forced a fumble. Also worth noting was the stellar performance from linebacker LucRuchard Rameau. Rameau ended the game with nine total tackles and two for loss, flying around the field and blowing up multiple plays.

The defense was not the only unit to have standout players, as on the offensive side pass catchers Justin Popovich and Jaden Huntingdon stole the show. Huntingdon got off to a hot start, catching a 63-yard pass on the first play of the game, and ended with six catches for 106 yards and one score. Meanwhile Popovich scored two touchdowns of his own, one of them being on a 4th and 20, catching the ball and making four Huskies defenders miss on his way to the endzone.

“[We] finally put a complete game together.” Coach Battaglia said after the game, “Offensively, defensively, special teams. We knew we had it in us. We just had to go execute and actually do it. To finally go and do it was a breath of fresh air.”

BATTERED, BUT NOT BROKEN

Lock Haven was not without their fair share of injuries, missing key contributors on both offense and defense. It was not a surprise to see running backs Damir Green and Ezequiel Johnson absent, as both suffered injuries last week. The one shocker was that safety, and captain of the defense Markel “Bam” Morgan was ruled out.

Despite the injuries the Bald Eagles never seemed to skip a beat, making adjustments on defense and depending on some young RBs to carry the load. Alongside Careem Hathcock it was a pair of freshmen in Lorenzo Robinson and Tucker Teats. Hathcock was steady as always but both Teats and Robinson also shined, making some great individual plays and even managing to find the end zone in Teats’ case.

It is unknown how long Lock Haven will be without Green, Johnson, and Morgan, but seeing how well the team performed in their absence is a positive sign.

SIX WINS IS ON TABLE

It’s been nearly 50 years since lock haven last won six games in a season, and despite back to back good seasons the Bald Eagles have still yet to hit that mark. But the PSAC East is much more top heavy than in years past, and it’s time to consider six wins as a possibility.

Lock Haven takes on undefeated (5-0) Kutztown next week at home, before facing off against an upstart West Chester team the following week. Those two will be tough games against two of the best teams in the East, but after that things lighten up. The final four Bald Eagles games include matches against Shippensburg, Millersville, Shepherd and Gannon, teams with a combined 3-17 record at this point in the season.

That being said, Lock Haven is certainly not the caliber of program yet to overlook anyone as an “auto win”, even last year barely scraping wins against Millersville and Shippensburg. Time will tell whether or not they can keep up the level of play they showed Saturday, but that team that showed up against Bloomsburg is one that could capture The Haven’s first winning season in nearly half a century.