Homecoming weekend was full of opportunities for alumni, current students, family and friends to come together and enjoy the school’s sporting and social events. 

Friday sparked the start of the homecoming festivities with the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction and annual Talent Show. Both events were a big hit! Archie’s tailgate kicked off the morning on Saturday with lots of snacks and activities, but most importantly the gathering of Misericordia’s finest. The weather held out for the tailgate for guests to enjoy homemade food, axe throwing, caricature drawings, balloon art and lots of picture-perfect moments. Multiple organizations and majors on campus organized their personalized tents to bring together members of their clubs and cohorts. Alumni from all around found their way back to Dallas PA to be a part of the Cougar community once again.

Archie’s tailgate got the Misericordia community riled up for the Cougar’s football kickoff against Fairleigh Dickinson University. Misericordia had a difficult matchup against Fairlegh’s devils. The Cougar’s are currently dealing with a lot of game-changing injuries. The offensive-line took a big hit two weeks prior to homecoming that has shifted the trajectory of the season for Misericordia’s cougars. Prior to these injuries the cougars were averaging 200 rushing yards per game which has dropped drastically since.

The Cougars are still clawing their way through the season with an optimistic attitude to finish off the second half of the 2022-2023 year. Senior Jarred Skidds reflects on the state of the team stating, “We’re a strong knit group that happens to be riddled with injuries right now, but I have no doubt we’ll manage to come together and pull through with wins.” Skidds said. Tamar Samples proves this determination with a quarterback sneak that earned the cougars their first 6 points on the board. Number 5, Anthony DePalma ran a total of 85 yards in his 8 plays including a 28 yard pass from Sample to add another 6 to the scoreboard for the cougars. Kicker Nick Neidlinger followed through, completing two extra points for the cougars. Neidlinger has had a successful season so far, breaking the record for the longest field-goal distance at Misericordia. There’s a lot of potential on the Cougars roster despite the obstacles so far.

#2  Dominic Caruso has seen a lot of playtime this season as an incoming freshman. Caruso has run a total of 132 yards for the Misericordia cougars and is expected to continue pushing the chains forward in the second half of the season. “I have some big shoes to fill which can be a little intimidating but I am thankful for the opportunity to prove myself and help out the team in any way I can. ” said Caruso when asked how he was feeling being a freshman getting this much time on the field. With all that being said, the Cougars are set to play Lebanon Valley College whom the cougars are 2-1 against over the past three years.

 The Cougars Field Hockey team took a tough loss despite an amazing effort against Stevensons University. Tatyanna Lainez scored early and Sarah Bogina made an amazing five saves for the cougars on defense. The field hockey team looks ahead to the next game as they face off against the University of Scranton.

 The Cougars still pulled through with successful wins from both the womens and men’s soccer teams. Both faced off against Arcadia’s Knights at Misericordia’s Mangelsdorf Field. The Misericordia’s women’s soccer team who is nationally ranked brought home a 5-0 win for homecoming. Emma Sweitzer and Sabrina Comprtiello scored two goals each along with a single goal by Kaylee Sturans.The women cougars remain undefeated and look to keep the cougars rolling into the NCAA tournament. Their next opponent is the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in which they are 4-0 against. 

The men’s soccer team had a tighter match-up vs the Knights with a final score of 2-0. The game was a scoreless tie until the second half when Anthony Yarabinee and Max Gariano brought home the two goals. The goals were just seven minutes apart in the second half but enough to bring in a homecoming win for the cougars. That wraps up this year’s homecoming weekend at Misericordia University. Every event was jam packed and everyone showed their school spirit with over 2,000 people in attendance at the Football game. The cougar’s sports team are looking to continue making big waves in their individual sporting leagues as they progress towards the second half of their seasons. Archie and the students are preparing to get loud in the stands to end this semester with a bang! Will you be joining us to cheer our cougar sports teams on?