READING, Pa. – Wide receiver
Vinny Williams caught four touchdown passes to tie the school record while lifting the Albright football team to a 43-14 win over Misericordia on Saturday afternoon at Shirk Stadium. He finished with 10 catches for 94 yards.
Williams became the second player in school history to record four touchdown catches in a game, joining Eric Nemec in a 1996 game against Delaware Valley. He got on the board with Albright's first score midway through the first quarter on a four-yard pass from
Alec Vignola. Vignola completed 18-of-20 passes for 153 yards and four touchdowns. Vignola entered the day ranked 18
th in the country with a 65.6 completion percentage, and that number should rise after completing 90 percent of his passes Saturday.
Misericordia came back with a touchdown on its next drive, but the extra point hit the upright to leave it at a 7-6 Albright advantage.
Danny Tighe capped a 70-yard drive late in the quarter to make it 15-6 after a successful two-point conversion try on a fake by
David Gavrilov. Tighe finished with a team-high 88 yards rushing on 14 carries.
Williams sandwiched two more touchdown catches around a Misericordia score in the second quarter. His second of the quarter – and third of the first half – helped the Lions restore a two-score lead heading into the intermission, 29-14.
Albright's defense held the Cougars to a three-and-out on the opening possession of the second half, and Williams made three receptions on the Lions' ensuing drive. The third of those catches was a seven-yard touchdown strike to make it 36-14. That also pulled him into a tie with Nemec for the school record.
The Lions capped the scoring midway through the third quarter on a drive that featured running back
Roemello Monroe. He started the drive with a 47-yard run into Misericordia territory, and he finished it with an eight-yard touchdown run with 5:27 to play. That made it 43-14. Monroe finished with 76 yards on three carries.
On the defensive side,
Grant Boehler led the attack with 12 tackles and a sack.
Donte Thomas had an interception and one of two punt blocks for Albright.
Kevin Mason had the other. He also finished with five tackles.
Andrew Young had the other interception for Albright.
The Lions finish the regular season at Lebanon Valley next Saturday at 1 p.m. With a victory, Albright will clinch at least a share of the MAC championship.
