DALLAS, Pa. – Behind a strong rushing attack and stellar defense, the Albright Lions football team defeated Misericordia 20-10 in MAC play on a cold Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Lions improve to 1-8 overall and 1-6 in conference play. The victory was the first for Albright since Nov. 11, 2017 against Lebanon Valley. Meanwhile, the Cougars fall to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
 
It was the ground game that led the way for the Lions as they churned out 176 rushing yards as a team which was the most since having 196 as a team last season against the Cougars. Sophomore Malik Bootman registered a career-high 148 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns. Bootman has rushed for 250 yards against the Cougars in the past two seasons. Junior Will Dogba added 38 yards on 11 carries and scored his first touchdown of the season. Senior quarterback Jimmy Lahay finished 16-of-25 for 176 yards passing. Senior wide receiver Zack Miller led the Lions in receiving with seven catches for 91 yards.
 
The Lions began with good field position to start the game, and used Bootman to move into Cougar territory. The drive eventually stalled at the Cougars 42-yard line following an incompletion on third down. Misericordia moved into Lions territory on their first drive, but was also stopped just shy of the opponent's 40-yard line as well. Albright used a 13-play 80-yard drive that went 7:06 to take their first lead of the game at 6-0 on a three-yard run from Bootman. The Lions converted a pair of third downs to fuel the drive. Misericordia needed two plays on their next drive to get down to the Albright 27-yard line, but the Lions defense held the Cougars from there on four-straight plays to get the ball back.
 
Albright's next drive went into the second quarter, and they cashed in on a 10-yard touchdown run from Dogba to go up 14-0 following a two-point conversion. Bootman had a 37-yard run on 3^rd and 8 to set the Lions up at the Cougar 10-yard line. Misericordia started their next drive in Albright territory following a penalty on the kickoff return, but were again stopped on fourth down. Lahay got the ball rolling again for the Lions on their ensuing drive as he found sophomore wide receiver Kevin Zehner for 38 yards on 2^nd and 16 to move into Cougar territory again. Bootman continued his strong first half by picking up 10 yards on 3^rd and 8, and eventually capping the drive off with an eight-yard rushing touchdown to put the Lions up 20-0 at the 5:45-mark of the second quarter. The Cougars responded by using an eight-play 70-yard drive to cut the Lions lead down to 20-7 with 1:39 left in the first half. Albright got as far as the Cougars 37-yard line on their last drive of the quarter before a sack ended the first half.
 
Miseicordia received the ball to begin the second half, and steadily marched into Lions territory. The Cougars had first and goal at the five-yard line following a roughing the passer penalty, but were unable to get any further as they settled for a short 24-yard field goal. Following the 12-play drive that used up just over six minutes, the Lions had a drive stall in Misericordia territory on a failed fourth down conversion. Albright's defense forced a three-and-out to maintain the lead at 10 points headed into the fourth quarter. Each team traded punts to open the fourth quarter, but the Lions used an important 13-play drive that consumed over eight minutes of game time. Albright was stopped on 4^th down at the Cougars 20-yard line, but the drive left the Cougars with just 3:23 in regulation. Misericordia quickly moved into Albright territory at the Lions 41-yard line. The Lions caught a break when a 33-yard run by the Cougars that would have set them up at eight-yard line was wiped out due to an illegal motion. Misericordia made it as far as the 27-yard line before the Lions forced an incompletion on 4^th and 10 to seal the win.
 
The 10 points allowed was the fewest by the Lions since giving up 14 to Lebanon Valley in the 2017 matchup. Albright also yielded their fewest total yards of the season at 246, while amassing 363 yards of their own. Senior cornerback Kaamal Stewart led the Lions defense with seven tackles (six solo), while junior defensive lineman Nate Steffen made six stops (five solo), 1.0 TFL, and two pass break-ups. Misericordia running back Michael Gawlik rushed for 73 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown, while quarterback Brady Williams went 14-of-36 passing for 121 yards and posted 54 rushing yards on 11 carries. Tavion Rogers led the Cougars defense with a game-high 10 tackles (two solo), 2.0 TFL, and 0.5 sack.
 
The Lions will conclude their 2019 season on Saturday, November 16^th as they will host Lebanon Valley for senior day at 1 p.m.