WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Albright football team was dealt a heartbreaking 47-43 loss to Wilkes on Saturday afternoon in MAC play following a go-ahead touchdown from the Colonels with 11 seconds left.
 
With the loss, the Lions fall to 0-6 on the season and 0-4 in MAC play. Meanwhile, the Colonels improve to 3-3 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.
 
Junior quarterback Jimmy Lahay registered his second-straight 300-yard game after finishing with 385 yards on going 29-of-42. Lahay also threw five touchdown passes which was the most in a game since Mike Knight had five against Norwich in the 2015 NCAA Division III tournament first round game. Freshman running back Tony Thorpe led the Lions rushers with 37 yards and one touchdown, and two Lions receivers topped 100 yards for the second-straight game. Junior Zack Miller led the Lions with a career-high 150 yards on 11 catches and senior Kyle Dickerson posted his third-straight 100-yard receiving game with 104 yards plus two touchdowns.
 
Following an Albright three-and-out to start the game, the Colonels drove 66 yards on eight plays to take the early 7-0 lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass. Lahay would get intercepted on a long pass on the next drive, but the Lions defense would force a punt to bounce back from the turnover. Wilkes got the ball back and junior defensive lineman Tyler Foster forced a fumble to give the Lions great field position after freshman Jason Smith recovered the football at the Wilkes 12-yard line. Lahay wasted no time as he found Dickerson for a 12-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
Wilkes opened the second quarter with a 66-yard touchdown pass on 3^rd and 11 to take the lead back at 13-7 after freshman linebacker Aaron Dawson blocked the extra point. Following an Albright three-and-out on the next drive, the Colonels drove into Albright territory again before junior defensive back Kamaal Stewart picked off a pass to stall the drive at the Albright 17-yard line. The Lions raced down the field on the ensuing drive and seemed to settle for a field goal before Wilkes was called for a player leaping on the attempt to give Albright a first down. Thorpe then ran 14 yards for his second touchdown of the season to give Albright a 14-13 lead. Each team traded three-and-outs before the Colonels drove again into Albright territory to try and get a score before halftime. Sophomore safety Armon Jefferson grabbed his first interception of the season at the Lions 24-yard line to preserve the halftime lead.
 
Jefferson struck again on the first play of the second half by intercepting the ball to set the Lions up at the Colonels 26-yard line. Lahay then found freshman wide receiver Kevin Zehner for a 12-yard touchdown to increase the Lions lead to 21-13 with 13:45 left in the third quarter. Albright forced a turnover on downs in their own territory before Lahay was intercepted at midfield on the ensuing drive. The Colonels took advantage by scoring a touchdown, but the Lions kept the lead after stopping the two-point conversion. The Colonels then ran a 56-yard interception back on the next Lions drive following a deflection to take a 26-21 lead with 1:37 left in the third quarter.
Lahay opened the fourth quarter with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Miller on the first play to give the Lions the lead back at 29-26 following a good two-point conversion pass to Dickerson. The shootout continued as the Colonels answered back with a six-play 77-yard drive to take a 33-29 lead with 11:47 left. The Lions countered with a touchdown of their own to take the lead back with 7:57 left in the game as Lahay found Miller for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Lahay went 8-of-9 on the scoring drive with five-straight completions to close it out. Wilkes again had an answer as they took the lead back at 40-36 on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter. Not to be outdone, the Lions hit three big pass plays to take the lead back at the 1:41-mark following a 32-yard strike from Lahay to Dickerson. On the next Colonels drive, the Lions seemed to have a game-ending interception from Stewart, but he was whistled for pass interference to keep the Colonels hopes alive. Wilkes struck back and scored the game-winning touchdown with 11 seconds left on a 14-yard touchdown pass.
 
Sophomore Nate Steffen and freshman Jaylan Lawson each led the Lions with 10 tackles with Steffen picking up 0.5 TFL and 0.5 sack. Foster finished with seven tackles (three solo) and a game-high 3.5 TFL along with a forced fumble. Jefferson finished with five tackles (four solo) and two interceptions in the loss. The Colonels out-gained the Lions 509-417 and Wilkes quarterback Jose Tabora totaled 479 total offensive yards, while finishing with 368 yards passing and six touchdown passes.
 
The Lions will have its bye week before returning to action on Saturday, October 20^th when they will host King's at 1 p.m. in MAC play.