GAME NOTES
 
Albright (1-8, 1-6) vs. Lebanon Valley (3-6, 3-4)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019
• Where: Reading, Pa.
• Stadium: Shirk Satdium (5,000)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: VIDEO
• Live Stats: STATS
• Live Audio: AUDIO
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Albright leads 61-34-3
• First Meeting: 1898 – Lebanon Valley won 10-3
• Last Meeting: Nov. 10, 2018 @ Lebanon Valley – Lebanon Valley won 30-24 (2OT)
• Streak: Lebanon Valley +1
 
The Albright Lions football team will conclude its 2019 season by hosting Lebanon Valley at 12 p.m. this Saturday. It will also be senior day for the Lions as well.
 
Albright picked up its first win since November 11, 2017 when they defeated Misericordia on the road last Saturday by a score of 20-10. The Lions raced out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter before adding one last touchdown before half. The Cougars were able to get within 10 points following a field goal in the third quarter, but Albright was able to stop the Cougars twice in the Lions end of the field to preserve the win. Albright churned out a season-high 176 yards on the ground as a team.
 
Lebanon Valley dropped its third-straight game last Saturday as they fell to Lycoming 48-3. The Warriors jumped on the Dutchmen from the start, and Lebanon Valley was unable to recover. Lycoming built a 21-3 lead at halftime, and shutout the Dutchmen in the second half to pull away for the win. Lebanon Valley was held to just 202 total yards on the afternoon.
 
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP
Last season, the Dutchmen pulled out a 30-24 win in double overtime at Annville. The teams battled back and forth until Lebanon Valley went up 10 points at 24-14 to begin the fourth quarter. Albright was able to rally with 10 points to tie the game at 24 with just under two minutes left in regulation. The Dutchmen missed a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. Both teams did not score in the first overtime, and the Lions missed a field goal in the second overtime. Lebanon Valley sealed the win with a 20-yard touchdown run on the second play of their possession.
 
CENTURY MARK
Sophomore running back Tony Thorpe rushed for over 100 yards against King's last Saturday. Thorpe finished with 102 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns, marking the first time in his career that he has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau. The 27 carries were also a career-high for the second-year back out of New Jersey. Thorpe also tallied the second multi-touchdown game of the season after his first one came against FDU-Florham.
 
He has climbed to fourth in the MAC in total rushing yards with 604, and fifth in rushing touchdowns with six. Thorpe became the first running back to rush for over 100 yards this season, and since Malik Bootman ran for his 148 yards against Misericordia in 2018. He is the first Albright running back to rush for at least 600+ yards since Romello Monroe had 669 in the 2016 season.
 
THANK YOU SENIORS
Prior to kickoff, the Lions will honor their 10 seniors in part of senior day activities. The 10 seniors are: cornerback Kaamal Stewart, linebacker Ya'Meer Lowery, safety Trevan Harris-Dorman, defensive end Rociado Jennings, wide receiver Zack Miller, quarterback Jimmy Lahay, defensive lineman Tyler Foster, offensive lineman Marc-Antony Ocasio, offensive lineman Bryce Emsley, and offensive lineman Ethan Jones. This senior class has played in a pair of MAC-Centennial Bowl Series games with a win coming in 2016 against Franklin & Marshall.
 
DEJA VU
Sophomore running back/wide receiver Malik Bootman had a career day on the ground last Saturday against Misericordia. Bootman served as the primary rusher, and registered 148 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns against the Cougars. He led a Lions ground attack go for a season-best 176 yards on the ground against Misericordia.The performance came one year after torching Misericordia with exactly the same148 yards on the ground, but on 22 carries that time with no touchdowns. He also had a run of 68 yards in the game which was the longest by any Lions carrier since 2012. It was Bootman's first extensive time at running back this season after spending the season primarily as a slot receiver. Bootman has tallied 463 total yards this season between receiving and rushing, and has scored four total touchdowns. He led the Lions with 20 carries in the matchup against the Dutchmen last season.
 
ON THE BOARD
Junior running back Will Dogba also found success against the Cougars on Saturday. Dogba rushed for 38 yards on 11 carries, and scored his first touchdown since the 2018 season opener. His 10-yard touchdown put the Lions up 14-0 early in the second quarter. Dogba finished just one yard short of his career-high of 39 yards rushing that came against Delaware Valley back in late September.
 
DEFENDING THE PASS
The Lions limited the Cougars to just 121 passing yards last Saturday. It was the fewest passing yards given up by the Lions in the 2019 season. The Cougars came into the game among the top half of the conference in total team passing yards. Albright also held Cougar wide receiver Sam Gillison to just 33 yards on three catches. Gillison entered the contest second in the MAC with nine receiving touchdowns, and third with 94.9 receiving yards per game
 
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Quarterback Jimmy Lahay will close his Albright career out on Saturday. Lahay has started in all but one game over the last two seasons entering Saturday. He has thrown for 4,427 career passing yards with the final game remaining, and 34 touchdown passes. He is on pace to finish in the top-five for career passing yards per game as he enters with 170.3. Lahay threw for a career best 407 yards against Widener this season which was the most of any Lions quarterback since 2009.
 
ABOUT LEBANON VALLEY
The Dutchmen sit 11th in the conference in scoring at 22.0 points per game, and eighth in scoring defense at 35.3 points per game. Lebanon Valley has shown success on the ground this season as they average 143.3 which is good for sixth best in the conference. The Dutchmen have one of the better pass defenses in the conference as they rank fifth by yielding just 234 passing yards per game. Senior running back Hunter Wilson ranks second in the conference in rushing at 101.9 yards per game, and in total yards at 917 with seven touchdowns. Wilson had a career day earlier this season against Widener with 235 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Junior quarterback Kody Kegarise poses as a dual threat with 1,388 passing yards, and 176 yards on the ground which is second only to Wilson on the team.
 
On defense, Lebanon Valley has a strong pass rush that has tallied 21 sacks to rank third in the conference.  Sophomore linebacker Dillon Estes leads the team with 73 tackles (32 solo), and has tallied three sacks. Sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Brubaker leads the team with 4.5 sacks. Senior safety Anthony Jenkins leads the Dutchmen and is tied for fifth in the conference with three interceptions. In addition, the Dutchmen feature one of the most consistent kickers in the conference in senior Nick Bentz. Bentz leads the conference with 11 field goals, and nailed a 50-yarder against Delaware Valley earlier this season. The Exeter product earned MAC Special Teams Player of the Week once this season.