Lancers nip Purple Eagles in thriller

Trading touchdowns in the final hectic minute, host Lew-Port emerged with a narrow 26-25 victory over Albion this evening in a season opening interdivisional football game.

Albion rallied into a 25-20 lead with just 56 seconds to go on a 10 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bryce Pritchard to Lamar Chambers.

Capitalizing on the recovery of a short kickoff, Lew-Port answered right back with a 32-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Dylan Milbrand with only 40 seconds remaining to give the Lancers the one point victory.

Earlier, Albion got a 10 yard touchdown run by Tommy Mattison in the first quarter, a 39 yard scoring pass from Pritchard to Kory Reynolds in the second period and a 90 yard interception return for a TD by Brandon McGuire in the third stanza. Pritchard added the extra point kick after that tally.

The contest was deadlocked 6-6 after one quarter and 12-12 at the half. The Lancers then grabbed a slender 20-19 lead at the three-quarter mark.

Defensively for Albion, Reynolds had 13 tackles and 4 sacks and Ben Restivo 9 tackles and 2 sacks.

Albion next hosts Alden at 7 p.m. next Friday in the Purple Eagles B East Division opener.

Alden rolled past Depew 40-19 this evening in the Bulldogs season and B East opener.