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No matter what way one looks at it, last year's road game for Lycoming at Susquehanna was not good for the Warriors.
Offensively, the Warriors didn't record a single touchdown, the only points in the 69-7 loss coming via a fumble recovery return.
Defensively, Lycoming gave up 69 points and seemingly had no answer to slow down the River Hawks.
It was a long ride back to Williamsport after that game, but one positive that came from it was the Warriors' defensive players knew they had to play better from that point forward if they wanted to get back to winning, and the team did precisely that.
After the Susquehanna game, Lycoming beat Western Connecticut State and Wilkes, holding them to 24 and 21 points, respectively.
And, in the final three games of the year including the Cape Charles Bowl vs. Washington & Lee, Lycoming never let up more than 16 points.
The defense was clicking, and the Warriors are hoping that success and momentum is carrying into 2026 as Lycoming opens the season on Saturday with a road trip to TCNJ.
"So we had a young team, a lot of younger guys out there, so those first couple of games were tough. But you learn from them," Lycoming senior safety Louis Shank said. "We ended up stringing some tough games together. Got to be able to play as one unit and be able to trust your teammates out there. I think we ended off pretty well and Im looking forward to getting back out there with those guys."
The Cape Charles Bowl win saw Lycoming limit Washington & Lee to just two rushing touchdowns -- in the first and second quarters -- and didn't give up a lot of big plays.
And that's positive steps for Lycoming after a rough start to the 2025 season. Shank was a key member of the defense after a season in which he recorded 60 tackles. His 60 tackles trailed only Daniel Astou's 89, Central Mountain graduate Ryan Pentz's 68, Matt Trolinger's 66 and Khalil Johnson's 62.
Shank knows the Landmark Conference will provide tough tests, such as another matchup against Susquehanna on Halloween at 1 p.m. at home.
"I don't think we'll approach it any differently, just keep building off what we've been building and I think we can do a lot of good things, especially considering the talent we have."
That talent includes senior defensive lineman Mason Woodward.
"I definitely think it’s an obtainable goal (to be at top of conference) and it all goes back to our mission statement of first line is men of character relentlessly pursuing a Landmark championship," Woodward noted. "I think we've held true to that last season and through the spring and hopefully through the summer. I think that goal's definitely achieveable."
Like Shank, Woodward also mentioned the young players on the team last year and how this year's team has grown.
"We were a young defensive team as the season progressed. We became closer as a team and trusted who was next to us and I think that made a difference for the progression of the season," Woodward said. "I know as the weeks progressed, we started breaking out into groups as a defense, extra film reviews, breaking down schemes for week and I think that really made a difference throughout the season."
That's evident by the success of limiting teams in those final few weeks of the season.
"Our kids collectively pulled together -- these guys and some of the senior leadership last year -- and won four straight," Lycoming coach Mike Clark said. "I'd like to think we've carried that through the spring."