ANNVILLE, Pa. – Lebanon Valley senior running back Dion Bryant ran for a career-high 160 yards to lead the Dutchmen football team in a heartbreaking 23-21 defeat to Misericordia University on Homecoming Saturday at Arnold Field. The Cougars scored a touchdown as time expired to defeat the Dutchmen and take sole possession of first place in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
 
The Dutchmen (3-2, 3-1 MAC) kicked off to start the game as Garrett MacClay kicked the ball through the end zone for a touchback.  The Cougars (4-1, 4-0 MAC) moved the ball to midfield before turning the ball over on downs as Luke Ordway made a pair of big plays on second and third down. LVC went right to work with Bryant as the running back had an 11-yard gain, an eight-yard gain, and then a two-yard gain. After Logan Klitsch found William Ryan for a 17-yard reception, Bryant put the Dutchmen on the two-yard line with a six-yard run up the middle. Klitsch finished the drive off with a two-yard touchdown run to the right. The Dutchmen used seven plays to go 47 yards and used 3:46 on the clock during the drive.
 
The Cougars responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a one-yard touchdown run to even the score. LVC started the following drive with a 10-yard pass to Cameron Hirshman. Bryant had a pair of runs for 11 yards. Klitsch had a couple of short pass completions to Tommy Delgado to get the ball to midfield at the end of the first quarter. A fourth-down pass to Freeman was not held onto on the first play of the second quarter to give the ball back to Misericordia. The Cougars responded with a long 14-play drive that went 54 yards and took up eight minutes of the clock. The drive ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass that put the Cougars up 14-7.
 
LVC had its next drive stall out after Klitsch completed a couple of passes and Bryant had a 22-yard run. Maxwell Wisensale punted the ball 44 yards for a touchback. Misericordia took over with 4:04 left on the clock and went 60 yards in 12 plays as the time wound down in the half. Ordway broke up a third-down pass and forced the Cougars to settle for a 36-yard field goal that gave them a 17-7 advantage with seven seconds left. Bryant had a 15-yard run to end the half.
 
The Dutchmen started the second half with the ball, and on the second play from scrimmage, Bryant escaped for a big 46-yard run. LVC got the ball inside the 10 before Klitsch found the end zone for the second time with an eight-yard run to the right. Misericordia drove the ball down the field with another long drive that took 5:46 of clock time. The drive ended on fourth down as Ryan Sisko picked off a pass in the end zone for a touchback. Avrey Grimm rushed three times for 24 yards, and then Bryant closed out the quarter with three runs for 15 yards.
 
Klitsch broke loose for 17 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter. He then hit Ryan for an 11-yard pass. Bryant scored on a 13-yard run to give the Dutchmen the lead as he broke a couple of tackles and carried a few defenders into the end zone. Brian Dym made the extra point to put LVC up 21-17. Misericordia put together another long drive, this time going 59 yards on 15 plays and taking up 7:13 of clock time. The Cougars looked as if they were about to score the go-ahead touchdown on a pass up the middle, but Nevin Carter stepped in front of the pass in the end zone to give the Dutchmen the ball back. The Cougars were able to hold LVC to a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 47 with 4:50 left. Misericordia made their way down the field slowly, taking time off the clock. They got down to the four with 18 seconds left and took the first of three timeouts. LVC came up with a pair of big stops, including a huge goal-line stop on third down. The Cougars had one chance left with three seconds left when their quarterback, Jacob Hunter was able to squeeze his way into the end zone as time expired for the winning score.
 
Inside the Box

• Bryant averaged 8.9 yards per carry to record his career-high 160 yards on 18 attempts. He had a long of 46 and scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
• Klitsch completed a season-high 66.7 percent of his passes with eight completions for 55 yards. He also ran the ball eight times for 44 yards and a career-high two rushing touchdowns.
• Ordway led the defense with nine tackles, three pass breakups, and one quarterback hurry.
• J.D. McCallion also had nine tackles, including a four-yard tackle for a loss. Luke Pollock was the third Dutchman with nine tackles and added a hurry.
• The defense picked off two passes as Sisko recorded his second of the year, while Carter had his first.
• Carter Foust had seven tackles and two breakups, while Jordan Blauch added six tackles, including a six-yard sack, and a breakup.
• LVC was 3-3 in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on all three trips.

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will look to rebound next Saturday with a trip to Chester to face Widener University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium.

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