Box Score

WILKES-BARRE – Alex George's (York, West York) 59-yard touchdown pass to Todd Eagles (Downingtown, Downingtown East) at the end of the third quarter put Wilkes University on top by four points before the defense forced two punts in the fourth and Matt Gunther (Easton, Easton) picked off a pass with 2:42 left as the Colonels went on to defeat cross town rival King's College 21-17 at the Ralston Athletic Complex in the school's annual battle for “The Mayor's Cup.”

After the game, George was named the Colonels game Most Valuable Player.

The long scoring toss came on a third down and four from the Colonels own 41-yard line with 21 seconds left in the third quarter. Eagles, running a straight “go” route, flew past the Monarchs defensive back and George hit him in stride for the go ahead touchdown.

Neither team got anything going in the final quarter as Wilkes forced a King's three-and-out before turning it over to the Monarchs on downs on its next possession. The Colonels defense stepped up again and forced another King's punt after just three offensive plays.

Holding onto the ball a little longer, Wilkes managed to drive down to the King's 38-yard line where a fourth down punt by Chris Horn (New Tripoli, Northwestern Lehigh) was downed by Eagles at the King's four-yard line, pinning the Monarchs deep with 8:18 remaining.

Three straight runs by King's Matt Spencer got the Monarchs out to the 17-yard line and a third-down-and-long scramble from quarterback Corey Lavin gave them a first down at their own 25-yard line. Two more runs by Spencer and another scramble by Lavin set up a King's third-down-and-two from their own 46. After an incomplete pass and a timeout, King's decided to go for it, connecting on a six-yard pass from Lavin to Spencer for a first down out to the Wilkes 48-yard line.

After a six-yard completion to Jay Torres was sandwiched between two incomplete passes, King's faced a fourth-down-and-four situation at the Wilkes 42. On the snap, the Colonels defense pressured Lavin up the middle, forcing him to roll to his right, where his pass along the sideline was picked off by Gunther, ending the King's scoring threat.

The drive went 54 yards in 15 plays, covering 5:36 of the clock.

George and Zach Tivald (Edison, NJ, Edison) then helped the Colonels run down the clock, giving Wilkes the win over its bitter rival.

The Monarchs got on the scoreboard first, using some razzle-dazzle as Lavin hooked up with Torres for a 67-yard touchdown. Taking the snap from the “Wildcat” formation, Chris Greene handed the ball to running back Eric Ofcharsky on the sweep, who pitched it back to Lavin who was lined up at receiver, who then found a wide open Torres.

Wilkes responded at the beginning of the second quarter, as George, who replaced starter Tyler Berntsen (Long Valley, NJ, West Morris Central), drove the Colonels down the field and ended it with a 10-yard scoring run from Tivald.

King's came right back on its next possession, taking advantage of a short kickoff and driving 47 yards in six plays, getting a 19-yard pass from Lavin to Ofcharsky on a misdirection play to take a 14-7 lead.

The Colonels used their offensive momentum to strike again on their next drive, getting 46 yards on five carries from Tivald, setting up a two-yard run from George to knot the score at 14-apiece.

The Monarchs got their field goal right before the half, capitalizing on a Wilkes fumble and some more trickery, as a hook-and-ladder play got them to the Colonels 13-yard line with less than a second remaining to set up the 30-yard kick.

Lavin earned King's MVP honors by going 20-of-44 for 236 yards and two scores, adding 19 yards on the ground. Torres ended the day with seven catches for 133 yards and the long touchdown catch while Spencer was the Monarchs leading ground gainer, running for 40 yards on eight carries.

George ended his day going 10-of-16 for 148 yards and a score through the air and running 12 times for 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Tivald led all rushers with 106 yards on 24 carries and a score and Jordan D'Emilio (Stowe, Saint Pius X) had six catches for 50 yards. Eagles added three more receptions for 98 yards and a score. Tate Moore-Jacobs (New Cumberland, Cedar Cliff) and Kevin Gerhart (Hummelstown, Lower Dauphin)each picked up seven tackles on defense for the Colonels with Ryan Clifford (Raritan, NJ, Bridgewater) and Seth Fetterolf (Berwick, Berwick)each adding six apiece.

Wilkes takes home the Mayor's Cup after losing it last season with a 33-16 defeat in the regular season finale. The Colonels have now won 11 of the 15 Mayor's Cup games, getting a four-game winning streak from 1996 to 1999 and a five game streak from 2003 to 2008.

Prior to the game, Wilkes honored its 11 seniors who played in their final regular season home game at the Ralston Athletic Complex.

The Colonels will now await word from the Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC) on a possible postseason playoff bid for next Saturday. The six selected schools will be announced on Monday.