READING, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley football team will play in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series for the third time in four years after Brian Dym kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Dutchmen a thrilling 38-35 rivalry victory at Albright College on Saturday on Shirk Field in Reading. LVC finished fourth in the Middle Atlantic Conference standings and will most likely be the third seed in the bowl series.
 
The Dutchmen (6-4, 6-3 MAC) won the toss and elected to defer. Albright (4-6, 3-6 MAC) earned a first down on the second play from scrimmage before LVC's defense locked down and forced a punt. Sheadan Makosy broke up a third-down pass play when Nevin Carter rushed the throw from the quarterback. Logan Kltisch hit Adam Acker for a 13-yard reception on the first offensive play for the Dutchmen. The Lions forced three consecutive plays for a loss to force LVC to punt. Albright needed a penalty on the Dutchmen to extend their offensive drive before punting the ball back with 8:13 on the clock. The Dutchmen went three-and-out on offense, giving the ball right back to the Lions.
 
Albright capitalized with a 40-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead with 2:22 on the clock. The lead lasted one play as Klitsch found Trey Freeman open for a big 72-yard touchdown. Dym kicked the extra point through the upright, tying the game. Luke Pollock recovered a fumble on the second play of Albright's next drive to put the offense back on the field at the Albright 32. The Dutchmen turned the ball over on downs as a pass to Ethan Heisey on fourth and six was stopped just short of the marker.
 
The Lions held the ball for the first five minutes of the second quarter, going 26 yards on eight plays before the Dutchmen defense got a stop. Makosy had a strip sack on second and 10 to push the Lions back to a third and 21. Ryan Fink and Alex Brown stopped the third-down play short of the first-down marker, and Albright punted the ball back. The Dutchmen slowly moved the ball down the field, as Klitsch completed four consecutive short passes to begin the drive. Klitsch kept the drive alive with a big 23-yard run on third and 13, and two plays later hit Blake Weaver on the left side for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Albright answered right back with a touchdown drive that ended with a nine-yard run up the middle. LVC had an opportunity to score before halftime as they drove the ball down inside the red zone. The Lions kept the game tied going into the half with an interception in the end zone and a 42-yard return as the clock expired.
 
LVC started the second half with the ball and went three-and-out. Two plays later, Fink stepped in front of a pass for his third interception of the year. The Dutchmen took full advantage of the short field as Klitsch hit Alex Vassallo for a four-yard touchdown pass three plays later to put the Dutchmen back on top 21-14. The Lions completed a third-down pass to extend their offensive drive and scored two plays later with a 34-yard touchdown pass to even the score with 9:41 left in the third.
 
The Dutchmen drove the ball to midfield on their next drive before being forced to punt.  The Lions used up the final 7:54 of the quarter with a long drive that started at their own eight. The drive extended into the fourth quarter and ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-21 in favor of the hosts. Klitsch and Acker connected on a pair of long passes on LVC's next drive that led to the tying score. Acker had a 27-yard reception on second and 12 near midfield before he caught a 24-yard pass in the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the season.
 
Albright got a couple of first downs on their offensive drive before LVC forced a punt midway through the quarter. The Dutchmen drove the ball down the field using a mixture of runs and passing plays to get the ball inside the red zone with two minutes left. Klitsch found open space and rushed for a 14-yard touchdown on the first play after the two-minute timeout to put LVC up by seven. Albright answered right back, returning the kickoff 99 yards.
 
The Dutchmen started the next drive at their 21 with 1:34 on the clock. Klitsch hit Freeman for a 10-yard pass and then found him again for an eight-yard gain. A pass interference penalty got the ball to midfield before Vassallo caught a six-yard pass and Klitsch ran for six yards. The Dutchmen continued moving the ball downfield as Tommy Delgado caught a three-yard pass. Klitsch ran for seven yards, and a personal foul penalty put the ball at the 12. Klitsch ran up the middle for four yards to set up Dym with two seconds left. The senior then drilled a 25-yard field goal right through the uprights to set off a celebration on the sidelines.
 
Inside the Box

• Dym kicked his second walk-off field goal of the season and was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points to finish the game with eight points.
• Klitsch threw for a career-high 321 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes. He also rushed for 78 yards with one touchdown. He played a role in all five of LVC's touchdowns.
• Freeman had his first 100-yard receiving game as the junior finished with 107 yards and his second receiving touchdown of the year.
• Acker had 64 yards on three receptions with one touchdown. Vassallo had a team-high six receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.
• Weaver scored his second touchdown of the year on a nine-yard reception.
• The defense broke up seven passes, led by Luke Ordway with two.
• J.D. McCallion was all over the field with 11 tackles, including seven solo. Ryan Sisko had six tackles and forced a fumble.
• Pollock had five tackles, including a sack, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. Makosy also had a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.
• Fink recorded four tackles and an interception.
• The Dutchmen had 28 first downs in the game and 432 yards of total offense. They average 6.4 yards per play. LVC was 4-5 in red zone opportunities.
• LVC defeated Albright for the fifth consecutive year. In keeping with campus tradition, the football team will lead the LVC student body on the March to Kreiderheim—the residence of College President James MacLaren—on Monday, Nov. 17. Students will request the day before Thanksgiving off from classes for an early start to the holiday break.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will await word of who their opponent is for next Saturday's Centennial-MAC Bowl. LVC will be on the road for the game. An announcement of matchups will be made on Sunday evening, following the announcement of qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament.

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