SELINSGROVE, PA – Susquehanna's inaugural Landmark Conference football game proved to be a successful one, as the River Hawks used their trademark multi-dimensional abilities to carry them to a convincing 50-21 win over Catholic. The win gives Susquehanna a 5-0 start and its 16th consecutive regular season win, tying the school record with the 1985-87 era of Susquehanna Football.

Saturday's game also served as the backdrop for several historic feats, with a pregame commemoration of the Landmark Conference's inaugural football season and Susquehanna Football's Ring of Honor Induction Ceremony. Established in 2018, Susquehanna welcome seven new members to the ring during a pregame ceremony and a halftime public unveiling: Jack Anthony '58, Mike Ricci '84, Hank DePerro '70, Don McClain '71, Matt Kelchner '82, Cory Mabry '91, and the 1970 Team led by head coach Jim Hazlett.

Receiver and return man Kyle Howes got the festivities started right away. With Susquehanna receiving to start the game, Howes returned the ball 38 yards to put the offense at their own 49. He finished what he started, receiving a swing-route pass from Josh Ehrlich and getting a great downfield block from fellow receiver Eddie Nugent for a 20-yard touchdown reception to go up 7-0. Catholic marched down the field on its first drive, appearing to make headway in Susquehanna territory at the 38. Quarterback Madden Lowe attempted a pass, which slipped out of his hand and onto the turf that lineman Tim Pherson Jr. recovered to give the ball back to the River Hawks.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Howes again reached the endzone when his slant route from the five yard line caught Ehrlich's attention to connect with him once more to lead 13-0. The lead expanded to 16 when Christian Colasurdo hit a 22-yard field goal with under two minutes left in the second quarter. On Catholic's final drive of the half, Lowe went deep to find Preston Jeffrey for 55 yards to get the Cardinals on the board and cut the lead to 16-7. Howes again came through to get Susquehanna's last drive of the second half off the ground, returning the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to midfield. The River Hawks used five plays to get it down to the 11 yard line, giving Colasurdo another opportunity to tack on a field goal and enter halftime up 19-7.

The second half triggered an onslaught of points from Susquehanna as they scored 17 points in the third quarter. With their opening drive of the half resulting in a 32-yarder from Colasurdo to make it 22-7, the defense forced Catholic into three and outs on all their third-quarter drives to help the River Hawks stretch their lead. This was paid in kind when on third and goal from the nine, Ehrlich lined up with five receivers wide. With the defense stretched out, the quarterback found enough space in the secondary to run it in and give Susquehanna a 29-7 advantage. Starting at their own 38 to begin their next drive, running back Tommy Grabowski plowed ahead for 18 yards that sparked a seven-play drive that culminated in the back getting the next touchdown. Facing third and goal from the two, Susquehanna once again converted as Ehrlich completed a successful option play, pitching it to Grabowski who had nothing but open space to make it 36-7 after three quarters.

May new faces for Susquehanna shined for the hometown crowd entering the fourth quarter as the team continued to produce points. After Catholic got on the board with a touchdown to make it 36-14, Dominic Winn took the ensuing kickoff return 94 yards for a touchdown to swiftly end any Cardinals momentum. This was solidified on Catholic's next drive, as a pass to the left was intercepted by Xavier Maple, setting up an eight-yard touchdown run from quarterback Bobby Croyle, who tricked the defense with a fake handoff to Gary Rowe Jr. and going around the left tackle for the endzone.

The River Hawks offense netted 473 total yards, including 212 on the ground. Susquehanna was 8-for-9 on redzone chances, with five going for touchdowns on two passes and three rushes. Entering Saturday ranked fifth in NCAA Division III in possession time, Susquehanna posted a season-best 39:17 of possession time, thanks in part to the defense holding Catholic to just two third-down conversions on eight tries and the offense converting on 12-of-18 third down changes and 1-for-1 on fourth downs.

Ehrlich completed 22-of-27 for 214 yards and pair of touchdowns, while rushing for another, gaining 54 on the ground on 11 rushes. Grabowski netted 109 yards on 16 carries, while Howes caught eight passes for 68 yards and took two kickoff returns for 70 yards, giving him 152 all-purpose yards with 14 yards on punt returns. Saturday also saw ten Susquehanna receivers get the ball, with Chris Bookter catching four for 37 yards for second on the team. Jacob Erb saw three passes for 33 yards, with Nugent catching three for 29 and Grabowski three for 25.

The defense totaled four sacks with one interception and one fumble recovery, with Jake Schultes collecting 1.5 sacks with two tackles and Pherson one sack with seven total tackles, including four solo, and one fumble recovery. Josh Parson collected half a sack with five total tackles, while Drew Robinson and Garrett Carter each collected half a sack with four total tackles. Kicker Colasurdo went 3-for-4 on field goal tries, with a pooch punt from Ehlrich serving as the team's lone punt of the day. On the other hand, Susquehanna forced Catholic into six punts.

The victory gives Susquehanna the early leg up in the Landmark standings at 1-0 with a 5-0 overall mark, with Moravian and Wilkes also coming out successful in their conference openers. The Greyhounds are 2-3 overall following their 58-34 win against Keystone, while the Colonels' 63-14 victory over Juniata marked their first of the season at 1-4 overall.

Head coach Tom Perkovich's team has their sights set on breaking the regular season consecutive wins record with their matchup next week at Keystone Saturday at 1 p.m. The Giants are an associate member of the Landmark who are in their fifth season of football since returning the sport to its slate of programs in 2019.