Box Score

WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes University quarterback Alex George (York, West York) threw for 203 yards off the bench but Moravian College's Matt Johnson passed for 184 yards and four touchdowns as the Greyhounds defeated the Colonels 26-14 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southeast Bowl Championship game on Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex.

Both schools went back-and-forth in the first quarter as neither was able to gain much momentum. After replacing Tyler Berntsen (Long Valley, NJ, West Morris Central) at quarterback with George on the third drive, the Colonels drove to the Moravian six yard line but kicker Chris Horn (New Tripoli, Northwestern Lehigh) missed a 24-yard field goal wide right as Wilkes came away without any points on the nine play drive.

The Greyhounds then put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive, capping it off with a five-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to receiver Ryan Onushco to the back of the end zone. After a Wilkes punt pinned the Greyhounds at their own 10-yard line, Moravian put together another long drive, going all 90 yards in 14 plays, getting a two-yard passing score from Johnson to Shawn Sylvainus. Because the point-after-touchdown attempt was missed on the first score, the Greyhounds went for two but didn't convert, and led 12-0 with 59 seconds remaining in the half.

Berntsen reentered at quarterback, scrambling for three yards followed by a completion to Zach Tivald (Edison, NJ, Edison) for nine more yards. After a timeout and a 14-yard completion to Jordan D'Emilio (Stowe, Saint Pius X), Berntsen was picked off by Philip Bortz, who returned it 50 yards to the Wilkes 12-yard line. The interception set up another Johnson to Sylvainus touchdown pass, as the Greyhounds converted the extra point and led 19-0 heading into the locker room.

After the Colonels forced a Moravian punt to open the third, George drove the Wilkes offense 78 yards in 12 plays, as the Colonels got a two-yard rush from Tivald for the score. George went 5-of-6 on the drive for 36 yards and the Colonels got a pass interference penalty to get down to the two-yard line.

The Greyhounds, however, responded quickly, returning the kickoff out to their 46-yard line before driving the remaining 54 yards in 10 plays for another Johnson touchdown pass.

Wilkes continued to put the pressure on, opening the fourth quarter with a 69-yard drive as George hooked up with receiver Shawn Gregson (Dingmans Ferry, Delaware Valley) on a 24-yard scoring strike, making the score 26-14 with 11:33 left in the game.

The Colonels, however, were unable to get any closer as George threw three interceptions in the final quarter and Wilkes fumbled a punt return to help the Greyhounds finish their season with a win.

Johnson finished his day 19-of-26 for those 184 yards, also rushing 13 times for 25 more yards. Rocco Del Priore caught six passes for 63 yards and Sylvainus added five receptions for 53 and the two scores. Linebacker Jake Hildebrand registered 10 tackles on defense and ran a fake punt nine yards for a first down while fellow linebacker Evan Bauer had a four-yard touchdown catch to go along with three tackles and an interception.

George went 20-for-31 in his most action of the year while running 12 times for 49 additional yards. Tivald finished the day with 58 yards and a score on 12 carries, also getting nine catches for 61 yards, while D'Emilio finished with six catches for 54 yards.

Tate Moore-Jacobs (New Cumberland, Cedar Cliff) led the defense with 15 tackles, including 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Kevin Gerhart (Hummelstown, Lower Dauphin) finished his career with 10 tackles, eight solo, and had two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

The Colonels finish the season with a 6-4 record, finishing second in the Middle Atlantic Conference with a 5-2 record. Wilkes says goodbye to 11 seniors, but will welcome back 15 regular starters, including four offensive linemen, running back Tivald, both Berntsen and George at quarterback and Moore-Jacobs at linebacker.