Box Score

ANNVILLE – Freshman Alex George (York, West York), filling in for two injured quarterbacks, totaled 101 yards and four touchdowns to lead Wilkes University from 22 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) rival Lebanon Valley College 35-28 in a wild overtime football game on Saturday afternoon at Arnold Field. 

The win gave Wilkes head coach Frank Sheptock 91 for his career, becoming the school's all-time win leader, passing former coach Rollie Schmidt.

George led the Colonels on touchdown drives of 40, 71 and 31 yards in the fourth quarter, throwing for two scores and running for another, while also converting a two-point conversion to knot the score at 28-apiece with 2:36 left in the game.

The Wilkes comeback started with a six-yard touchdown run by George 21 seconds into the fourth quarter to bring the Colonels deficit down to 15 points at 28-13. The defense would then bend, but didn't break as it allowed a 15-play, 51-yard drive, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Wilkes 29-yard line. The Colonels were aided by two penalties by the Dutchmen, but also forced three straight incomplete passes.

Getting the ball back with 8:25 left, Wilkes drove 48 yards before Marc Persing (Coal Township, Shamonkin), who had entered the game at quarterback for an injured Tyler Berntsen (Long Valley, NJ, West Morris Central), was hurt himself, clearing the way for George to take over full-time behind center.

George completed the drive in three plays, hooking up with Jordan D'Emilio (Stowe, Saint Pius X) for a 20-yard scoring pass, making the Lebanon Valley 28-20 with 3:11 left. The drive went 71 yards in 11 plays, taking up just 3:11 on the clock.

The next Lebanon Valley drive didn't last long as Chris Swinarski (Old Bridge, Old Bridge) forced a fumble by quarterback Caleb Fick as standout freshman Tate Moore-Jacobs (New Cumberland, Cedar Cliff) recovered, giving Wilkes the ball at the Dutchmen 31-yard line with four minutes remaining.

George would take advantage, accounting for 36 yards – after a five-yard Wilkes penalty – including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Dorunda (New Milford, Susqehanna) with 2:36 left. George then hit Todd Eagles (Downingtown, Downingtown East) in the end zone on the two-point try, tying the game at 28-all.

The Dutchmen then mounted a 12-play, 76-yard drive, moving the ball down the field with a mix of runs and passes, including a 23-yard jaunt by Ben Guiles, all the way to the Wilkes four-yard line. The drive set up a chip-shot 21-yard field goal for the win that was pushed wide right by kicker Matt Nawracaj.

The game then moved to overtime, with George accounting for 21 of 25 yards on the opening possession, capping the drive off with a one-yard touchdown plunge.

Taking over for their overtime possession, the Dutchmen drove to the Wilkes four, before getting stuffed on three straight running plays, with Kevin Gerhart (Hummelstown, Lower Dauphin) getting two solo stops.

The goal line stand gave Wilkes its second straight win, improving its record to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the MAC. The win was also its third that came with a bit of late-game fireworks. The Colonels came from 11 points down in the final quarter last week for a dramatic 38-35 win over Albright in the conference opener, as Gerhart picked off a pass with 35 seconds left to seal the win. The Colonels first victory came in the season opener, as Greg Nielsen (Wharton, NJ/Roxbury) intercepted a pass with 43 seconds left to preserve another Wilkes 38-35 win.

The first half was owned by Lebanon Valley, as the Dutchmen built a 21-3 lead going into the locker room. They outgained the Colonels 271 to 123 in the first two quarters, putting together touchdown drives of 50, 83 and 44 yards. Wilkes got its lone first half score on a 20-yard field goal with 59 seconds left in the second quarter.

Guiles led all runners with 172 yards on 28 carries along with a touchdown. Blair Ransom added 50 yards on the ground while Pete Panichi had 47 more to help give the Dutchmen 296 yards rushing for the game. Fick finished 16-of-30 for 206 yards and two scores while Nick Browne led Lebanon Valley's defensive effort with 16 tackles and a sack.

George led the Colonels on the ground with 55 yards on 11 carries on the two touchdowns, while going 3-for-4 for 46 yards and two scores through the air. Berntsen was 7-of-14 for 66 yards and Persing was 10-of-16 for 82 yards before exiting. Zach Tivald (Edison, NJ, Edison) ran for 50 yards, while D'Emilio caught five passes for 48 yards and a score.

Moore-Jacobs had another huge game, making 15 tackles and recovering two fumbles. Gerhart also had another double-digit tackle day with 13 stops and a forced fumble while Ryan Clifford (Raritan, NJ, Bridgewater) added 11 tackles.

The Colonels (3-2, 2-0) return home next week as they face 12th-ranked Delaware Valley College, which defeated FDU-Florham today 55-14, at the Ralston Athletic Complex. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.