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Millan, Ellis set up MAC tennis semifinal showdown

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Lions hold off Iowa, pass major road test

Winless Albright gave undefeated Wilkes all it could handle.But handle it the Colonels did, gutting out a 42-40 road win over the Lions on Saturday in Reading. And now they will play arguably the program&#8217;s biggest game in more than a decade when they host nationally ranked Delaware Valley next Saturday with first place in the MAC on the line.Jose Tabora&#8217;s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:55 remaining was the eighth and final lead change in the game and was followed by a clutch interception by the Colonels defense to end the upset bid.Wilkes almost got caught looking ahead before improving to 5-0 on the season and 3-0 in league play.Albright (0-5, 0-3) stunned Wilkes with 34 points in a wild first half that saw the Lions go up 34-21 on a touchdown with 19 seconds left before the break.But Nate Whitaker ignited the Colonels by taking the ensuing kickoff back 85 yards for the score to cut the deficit to 34-28 at the half.Wilkes&#8217; defense regrouped in the locker room, allowing just six points in the second half to give the Colonels a chance to rally.Tabora hit Derek Nelson for a 45-yard score in the third to put Wilkes up 35-34, but Albright jumped back on top five minutes later with a touchdown. The Lions led 40-35 until Tabora capped off an impressive 17-play drive for the winning score that ate nine minutes off the clock.Albright drove to the Wilkes 10 in the final minutes before Zack Nesheiwat came up with a pick in the end zone to help seal the win.Wilkes surrendered two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the first half to land in that early hole before Whitaker countered with one of his own.Tabora finished with four total touchdowns and also led the Colonels in rushing. Nick Yanik caught two scores for Wilkes, which is 5-0 for the first time since 2006, when the Colonels beat the Aggies en route to a conference title.Misericordia 40, Widener 35Not to be overlooked in the MAC championship race, the Cougars stayed unbeaten in league play with a strong second half to beat the Pride on the road.Like the Colonels, Misericorida erased a two-score deficit with a touchdown just before halftime before taking control after the break. Down 28-16 in the final minute of the second quarter, quarterback Brady Williams connected with Isaiah Williams for a 13-yard touchdown.That keyed a 24-0 run for the Cougars, which ended when Widener found the end zone with 45 seconds left to cut the lead to five. Misericordia (3-1, 3-0) recovered the onside kick to seal the win.Brady Williams finished with 294 yards and three touchdowns through the air, hooking up with Sam Gillision 10 times for 162 yards and two scores.Delaware Valley 28, King&#8217;s 13King&#8217;s was one play away from heading into halftime tied with the No. 13 Aggies. The Monarchs had put up a goal line stand in the final moments of the second quarter, stuffing Delaware Valley on third down from the 1.But the Aggies finally broke through on fourth down, scoing with one second left in the half to go up 14-7 and pull away after the break.After an early 7-0 deficit, Tyler Moore found Gabe Boccella for a 17-yard touchdown for King&#8217;s (3-2, 1-2) late in the first quarter. King&#8217;s recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff but couldn&#8217;t take the lead from the Aggies&#8217; 8, ultimately missing a short field goal.The Monarchs wouldn&#8217;t score again until early in the fourth when Moore hit Brandon Cohen for a 2-yard score. That made it 28-13, and Delaware Valley clamped down from there.Moore finished with 190 yards, two scores and two interceptions. With sacks included, the Monarchs were held to 6 yards rushing. Jordan Downes led King&#8217;s in rushing and receiving, catching seven passes for 71 yards.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>Times Leader</bylineMeta></div>

Wilkes football outlasts Albright to set up first-place showdown with Delaware Valley