Lehigh defeated Wagner, 49-13, Saturday in Murray H. Goodman ‘48 Stadium. Despite rainy conditions, the Mountain Hawks secured their first home win since 2022.
The Mountain Hawks struck first after quarterback Dante Perri threw a 16-yard touchdown to wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel to score their first touchdown.
“To be able to hit a mark like that’s great,” Perri said. “At the end of the day a wins a win.”
On the ensuing drives, the Mountain Hawks scored the first three touchdowns only five minutes into the game to take a commanding 21-0 lead.
Sophomore running back Luke Yoder rushed 11 yards to score another touchdown for the Mountain Hawks with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
The first quarter was overwhelmingly played on Wagner’s side of the field. Lehigh led 21-0 by the end.
The second quarter continued strong for Lehigh as first-year quarterback Hayden Johnson rushed right for 45 yards, scoring his first collegiate touchdown for the Mountain Hawks to give them a 28-0 lead.
The Mountain Hawks then scored two more touchdowns at the end of the second quarter to give Lehigh a 42-0 lead at the half.
Sophomore wide receiver Mason Humphrey carries the ball up the field for Lehigh football in their game against Wagner at Goodman Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024. Despite intense rain, Lehigh produced a dominant victory in their home opener to earn their first win of the season. (Griffin Sawyer/B&W Staff)
The last time Lehigh scored 42 points before halftime was in 2016 in their game against Yale.
“There’s a ton of energy,” Head Coach Kevin Chaill said. “What you saw in the game today is what happens in practice every day.”
The offensive momentum continued into the second half after Perri found wide receiver Mason Humphrey for a 36-yard touchdown, bringing the game to 49-0.
Wagner was finally able to get into the end zone after quarterback Damien Mazil found running back Rickey Spruill up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown to score the Seahawks’ first points of the game.
Both teams were shut out for the remainder of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter saw limited offense from both sides. The Mountain Hawks were scoreless after a long 10-play drive that saw six minutes come off the clock.
Wagner scored late in the fourth quarter when Mazil found wide receiver Jaylen Bonelli to score another touchdown, bringing the game to the final score of 49-13.
Lehigh’s offense clicked on all cylinders, with the Mountain Hawks out gaining the Seahawks 274-249 in total yards of offense, with an efficient 190 yards on the ground.
Sophomore Luke Yoder continued his scoring streak by leading the Mountain Hawks in rushing yards with 64 and a touchdown.
The last time Lehigh played Wagner was in 2017, where the Seahawks beat the Mountain Hawks 37-20.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Brookville, New York next Saturday to take on the Long Island University Sharks.
“We’re going to celebrate these next couple hours but then we’ll flush it down and focus on LIU,” junior defensive back Nick Peltekian said. “This should be the standard for this team every week.”
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