GAME NOTES (PDF)
 
Albright (2-7, 1-6) vs. Lebanon Valley (4-5, 3-4)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021
• Where: Reading, Pa.
• Stadium: Shirk Stadium (5,000)
• Kickoff: 12 p.m.
• Live Video: VIDEO
• Live Stats: STATS
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: Albright leads 62-34-3
• First Meeting: 1898 – Lebanon Valley won 10-3
• Last Meeting: Nov. 16, 2019 at Shirk Stadium – Albright won 28-23
• Streak: Albright +1
 
The Albright Lions football team will host Lebanon Valley on Saturday afternoon for their 100^th program matchup to close out the 2021 season.
 
Albright was defeated by FDU-Florham at Shirk Stadium on Oct. 30, 42-35. The Devils took a 13-0 lead after scoring on back-to-back drives in the first quarter. Albright got on the board to start the second quarter as senior Carmine Azzari made a big catch in the endzone from classmate and quarterback Todd Shelley to close the gap on the scoreboard. The rest of the quarter was back and forth scoring drives, but the Devils held a 27-14 lead at the half. Albright was able to cash in on their next two drives to take the 28-27 lead late in the third quarter. Back and forth scoring drives from both teams would tie the game up at 35 with just over five minutes left to play, but the Devils were able to get a quick score and get the ball back after a Shelley turnover to run the final four minutes down and earn the win.
 
Lebanon Valley claimed a hard-fought 31-17 victory over Misericordia last Saturday. The Dutchmen struggled in the first quarter as they fell behind 14-3 following a pick-six and a scoring drive by the Cougars. Lebanon Valley was able to keep Misericordia from scoring in the second quarter and cashed in on two drives to put them ahead 17-14 leading into the half. Both offenses struggled in the third, but Lebanon Valley was able to score and Misericordia was able to convert a field goal to bring the score to 24-17. The Dutchmen recorded one final touchdown in the fourth to solidify their 31-17 win over the Cougars.
 
THE LAST MATCHUP
The two teams last met in November of 2019 when Albright claimed a 28-23 win over Lebanon Valley at Shirk Stadium. The Lions scored off a Dutchmen opening drive fumble and then completed a two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead. Lebanon Valley was able to capitalize on an Albright miscue and get on the board with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter. No scoring happened in the second stanza so the Lions held onto the 8-7 lead entering the half. Albright dominated in the third, outscoring Lebanon Valley 13-3 as they held onto a 21-10 lead entering the final stanza. The Dutchmen had a third quarter comeback, outscoring the Lions 13-7 and almost scored a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, but Armon Jefferson intercepted the pass and solidified the victory for Albright.
 
SENDING OFF THE SENIORS
The Albright football team will honor the dedication and commitments of their 21 graduating seniors prior to the contest. The senior class includes Joshua Alexander, Carmine Azzari, Jakob Baks, Danny Bentley, Malik Bootman, Devine Davis, Giovanni Figueroa, Dorien Forbes, Robert Giba, Armon Jefferson, Jeff Joseph, Christopher Knop, Daniel Lewis, Matthew McWilliams, Ryan Rapp, Dajzae Rogers, Todd Shelley, Michael Starkey, Sam Viera, Daniel Vital, and Kevin Zehner. The Albright cheerleading team will also be honoring their four graduating seniors Tristen Cotter, Tiffany Smith, Bria Stapleton, and Nicolette Zehner.
 
LIONS ON OFFENSE
Shelley threw 219 yards in the Lions last contest against FDU-Florham and completed 17 passes including three touchdown passes. Sophomore running back Kareem McCoy led the Lions on the ground with 85 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 yards. McCoy also earned one touchdown. Azzari received a team-high nine passes for 86 yards. Michael Starkey followed with four caught passes for 71 receiving yards.  
 
LIONS ON DEFENSE
Vital leads the Lions defense with 105 total tackles on the season. He had a game-high 14 tackles in the Lions last outing against FDU-Florham. Viera follows with 96 total tackles on the season. Jefferson leads the Lions defense in interceptions with three.
 
LAST DECADE WITH THE DUTCHMEN
Albright has seen success over the past decade when facing Lebanon Valley. The Lions have won seven of their last 11 matchups with the Dutchmen, five of them being at Shirk Stadium. Albright is looking to pick up their second-straight series win over Lebanon Valley today.
 
ABOUT LEBANON VALLEY
Lebanon Valley thrives on the ground, ranking fifth in the MAC with 150.4 rushing yards per game. The Dutchmen also rank third in the conference with 362 rushing attempts on the season. They average 121.7 yards through the air to rank ninth in the conference. The Dutchmen rank seventh, just one spot above the Lions, in points per game with 18.2. Lebanon Valley also has a strong line of defense, with 11 interceptions on the season to rank fourth in the MAC. First-year quarterback Braden Bohannon leads the team and ranks tenth in the conference in rushing yards with 499 on the season. He has thrown for 1,095 yards and seven touchdowns and ranks seventh in the conference in total offensive yards with 1,594. Senior Cameron Niemeyer leads the Dutchmen receivers with 35 caught passes for 398 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Senior Brandon Brubaker is the leading tackler for Lebanon Valley with 73 total tackles and a team-leading 33 solo tackles. Sophomore Erik Williams follows Brubaker with 32 solo stops and 48 total tackles.