Lackawanna Dynasty: History

The Beginning

The Lackawanna Dynasty was started when Larry Lewis, Laurent Swanson and Shannon Richardson all realized that the local community needed a program for the youth that did not attend college or that did not excel in life in the area of football. There was a lot of natural ability on the Lackawanna high school football teams; which lead most to believe that their natural ability was enough to get them to college and possibly the pros. This belief came from winning the New York State championship in 1997, 1998, and making it to the State finals in 1999, and 2000. Not to mention being strong competitors in the playoffs leading up to the State Championships in the many years that followed. However, when it came time to apply and being accepted into colleges there was a need for more than just natural ability. Excellent grades and good work ethics were also required. Many who expected to go to college for football ended up being denied for these reasons while others had some unforeseen circumstances. Also, with all the talent in nearby Buffalo battling the same problem, something had to be done.

The Lackawanna Dynasty was then created to give a second chance to individuals who were denied their opportunity because of different reasons. These individuals will now have the chance to possibly play college and/or pro football through the Dynasty program. The Lackawanna Dynasty works with individuals to improve their football skills, work-ethic, character and discipline while giving them an opportunity to play the sport they love.

The Lackawanna Dynasty is entering its 4th season in the United States Football Alliance in 2009. Going back to their first year in 2006 the Dynasty was a first year team with around only 20 guys which required a lot of heart and resiliency throughout the season. Although only having around 20 guys and playing mostly iron man football they were able to finish the season with a respectable 4-6 record with close losses to a couple power houses that year while also beating the division winning Akron Jagz at home 8-6.

2007 season recap...

Then in 2007 the Lackawanna Dynasty hired a new head coach in Ricardo Estrada and word of the Dynasty started circulating around Buffalo. The Dynasty was able to sign key players from other local semi pro teams that could make immediate impacts like Jason Truman and Brian Ratkowski while also recruiting players from local colleges like ECC where they found their starting QB Ray Braxton and his brother LeSean Braxton. The player total rose to around 35 players and the Dynasty became a force in the USFA. Estrada guided the Dynasty to an 8-2 record which lead to a playoff birth which ended in a loss to the eventual conference champions.

2008 season recap...

In 2008, Shanon Richardson felt like the Dynasty wasn’t going in the direction that he thought was best suited but Larry Lewis and Laurent Swanson disagreed. Shanon Richardson decided to break away from the Dynasty and start a new team called the New York State Lions. Many people around the league thought that with this split the Lackawanna Dynasty would lose many players. The Lions were able to sign a few role players but nothing significant and the core group of the Dynasty came back in tact.

With Lackawanna having a successful 2007 many recruits from Buffalo decided to come play for the Dynasty instead of the Lions. The Dynasty was able to increase their roster size to around 50 guys and bring in even more talent. The biggest signing for the Dynasty that year was of their running back James Henly. James Henly whom many believe is the best running back in the league was able to come in and immediately improve the running game and currently holds every rushing record for the Dynasty.

The biggest impact of 2008 didn’t even come on the playing field but the front office. With Shanon Richardson splitting away and Ricardo Estrada resigning due to unforeseen circumstances, Laurent Swanson felt like he needed to get more hands on. After interviewing the staff that was in place, the team felt like naming Laurent Swanson the head coach was the best move going forward. Mr. Swanson wasn’t sure about the move but with the current coaching staff advising him that it was the best move for the team he obliged. The Dynasty was able to put together the best staff they have had in its short team history with new offensive coordinator Ronnie Anderson and running backs coach and ALL WNY great, Ray “Brock” Braxton.

The 2008 season started against the cross town rivals the New York State Lions. The dynasty was able to beat the weather and the Lions that day 20-6 behind a great defensive effort and a Ricky Winston punt return for a touchdown. The Dynasty followed that up with a blowout of the Ohio Freedom and went into week 3 against a team that has beaten up on Lackawanna in the past, the Akron Jagz. Not one person in the league picked them to win this game that week but the Dynasty was able to win 42-14 behind a big day from all 5 of the Dynasty’s running backs. The following week it was a rematch against the Ohio Freedom that resulted in a 45-0 blowout in the favor of the Dynasty. The highlight of the game was when defensive tackle Jamie Moore was able to tip a pass and intercept the deflection and score a touchdown.

Then there was the New York State Lions again but this time at their home field of All High. They immediately jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half and the Dynasty’s offense and defense were both struggling. This look like to be the first loss of the season for the Dynasty but with big plays from Ray Braxton and James Henly, the Dynasty was able to over come a 10 point 4th quarter deficit to win 24-20. The next week the Lackawanna Dynasty traveled to Cleveland to play the division foe, Cleveland Cobras. Both teams went into the game with potent offenses and both were on display in this one. After battling back from a 14 point deficit in the 4th quarter, the Dynasty was able to go ahead by 8 points with 1:51 remaining in the game. After a few questionable calls the Cobras were able to tie the game on a very controversial 2pt conversion that put the game into overtime. In overtime the offense stalled and the Cobras were able to make one big play and put the game away.

With Lackawanna knowing they let one slip away they went into the next week looking to make a statement and they did on the road versus the then undefeated Pittsburgh Pride. The Pride had no respect for the Dynasty and thought the game was going to be an easy win for them. Their coach was quoted at the coin toss saying “Give them bums the Balls”. Those bums blew out the Pride 44-14 with Ray Braxton throwing for 6 TD’s, Terrence Anderson catching 3 passes for 141 yards and 3 TD’s and James Henly totaling 159 yards on 14 touches and 1 TD. They followed up that win with another impressive win over Steel City United, 44-12.

Then in the first round of the playoffs the Lackawanna Dynasty was able to host the West Virginia Gladiators. The same West Virginia Gladiators that put a beating on them in 2006 in which both of their running backs ran for over 100 yards and both had 2 TD’s. This was a different team than the one the Gladiators faced in 2006 and they found that out starting on the first drive. James Henly set the tone early breaking a 50 yard run on his second carry of the game and finishing with 301 yards on 22 touches and 4 TD’s. That offensive effort followed by strong defensive performance propelled the Dynasty to a 42-23 victory. The next opponent was the undefeated West Virginia Lightning. The Lightning were sporting the best offense the Dynasty was going to face all season. The Lightning were able to go on top early but the Dynasty battled back and at halftime the score was 22-22. On the opening drive of the second half the Lightning hit a big play that went for a touchdown but the bigger problem was the heart of the defense and middle linebacker Jason Truman was knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder. With James Henly battling the flu, Ray Braxton put the team on his shoulders and carried them the best he could. The Lightning were able to score one more time and with Lackawanna not being able to finish the three straight drives they had in the redzone, this proved to be their downfall. Coming away with zero points on those three drives resulted in the Lightning being able to pullout the win 36-30 and go on to win the championship.