ANNVILLE, Pa. - Behind a strong offensive performance in the first half and a tremendous final defensive possession, Eastern Football made history with a 22-16 triumph over Lebanon Valley on Sunday afternoon in its first-ever contest. The Eagles led 19-0 at halftime and recorded three straight sacks on the Dutchmen's final drive to secure the victory.

"It's what these guys have done the last month-and-a-half," Eastern Head Coach Billy Crocker said. "We haven't gone this long of a contest - not even close. The fact that they grinded this thing out and got the result is tremendous."

The Eagles' offense got the ball rolling early, finding the end zone on their first offensive possession. After LVC missed a field goal, Nelson Bundy led Eastern on a six-play, 82-yard drive.

Running back Cameryn Jackson started the possession with a 17-yard run, before Bundy followed with a 12-yard scamper. Bundy then completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Elijah Knowles, before calling his own number with a 21-yard touchdown run up the left sideline. After the extra point, the Eagles took a 7-0 lead.

"We have a couple of goals we want to accomplish every game day, and explosive plays is a big part of that," Eastern Offensive Coordinator Nate Hinkle said. "I think we've got the skill set at our skill positions to get explosive plays, whether it be through the air or on the ground, and we saw evidence of that today."

The Dutchmen drove all the way down to the Eastern 23-yard line on their following drive, but linebacker Logan McGowan made a strong stop on fourth down to keep LVC off the scoreboard late in the first quarter. In all, the Eagles defense forced three turnovers on downs in the contest.

"Our objective on defense is always to stop the run and make teams one-dimensional, and I felt we did that early on," Eastern Defensive Coordinator Dillon Lucas said. "We played hard. We got 11 hats to the football. Those guys showed it today."

Eastern added a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to increase their advantage to three scores. Brett Nabb found Izayah Guy-Bruton from six yards out on third and goal on the Eagles' first possession in the second quarter. After a fourth-down stop by the defense, the Avalon, N.J took it in himself from three yards out on the Eagles' following drive. Running back Mekhi Morgan set up the touchdown drive with 30 yards on three carries.

"The objective today was to get guys reps at every position," Hinkle continued. "In the first half, we had a lot of success. I thought the guys really fed off each other's energy. We did things in every aspect of the game. It was nice to get some points on the board."

The Dutchmen were able to regain their footing after halftime, scoring 10 straight points in the third quarter, but a fumble recovery by defensive back Kwadir Clarke early in the fourth quarter set up the Eagles deep in LVC territory. Eastern took advantage of the turnover as John Westfield booted a 24-yard field goal to increase the Eagles' lead to 22-10.

The Dutchmen continued to battle with another touchdown off an Eastern turnover, which trimmed the advantage to 22-16. The Eagles defense, however, was up to the task on LVC's final possession. On three straight plays, Arthur Edmonds, Cinseir Lambert, Lamir Molina, and Chris Forte combined for three quarterback takedowns, which allowed the Eagles to secure their first-ever victory.

"It was great to see those guys get pressure on the quarterback," Lucas said. "They finished the game. We trusted them to get out there and get the job done, and they did."

"They did a great job," Crocker added. "To have those guys be the guys that ended it is always great."

Eastern Football will host a Maroon/White Scrimmage on Friday, Oct. 7, before traveling to Muhlenberg on Oct. 16 to take on the Mules at 2:00 pm.