EDWARDSVILLE – On a dreary, rainy Saturday afternoon at Schmidt Stadium, the defense proved to be the largest beam of sunlight as the Wilkes University football team shined over Lycoming College with a 14-7 victory in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action.

The Colonels improved to 4-3 in conference and 5-4 overall with the win. Wilkes is guaranteed at least a .500 record for the first time since the 2012 team finished at 5-5.

The conditions appeared to favor the Warriors offensive style, as they have used a grind-it-out rushing attack to wear down opponents. They entered the game averaging just over 34 rushing attempts-per-game for a little over 101 yards-per-game, but Wilkes' defense was the true story, holding Lycoming to just 24 yards on 26 rushing attempts on top of 162 yards passing.

The weather seemed to impact the game from the very first offensive snap for Wilkes as quarterback Jose Tabora (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/St. Augustine Prep.) was intercepted along the Colonels sideline, however, the defense took it back when Warriors' quarterback Elijah Shemory was picked off by Nahjir Woods (Piscataway NJ/Piscataway ) on a third-and-six attempt from Lycoming's own 46 yard line.

A wild opening quarter continued its course when Tabora threw his second interception on his second pass attempt, however as the Warriors returned the pick they proceeded to fumble, which was recovered by Bryce Harrison (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest) giving the Colonels a fresh set of downs after what amounted to a seven yard loss.

The resulting drive provided a handful of big plays for Wilkes, culminating in a 19 yard touchdown pass to Jeff Steeber (Shickshinny, PA/Berwick) and a David Kutteroff (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) kick to give the Colonels a 7-0 lead with 7:43 left in the first quarter. Wilkes had four plays of 10 or more yards on the drive, not counting a 14 yard rush by Tabora that was called back on a holding penalty.

The remaining four drives of the quarter resulted in two punts a piece, but Wilkes was given some energy as the quarter ended when Pat Ricci (Gilbertsville, PA/Boyertown) got to Shemory for a strip-sack that was recovered by the Warriors.

Lycoming got on the board in the second quarter after Tabora tossed his third interception of the half; an unfortunate turnover after a receiver was hit as the ball arrived deflecting it into the air with a Warriors defensive back making a diving catch to give Lycoming the ball at Wilkes' 35-yard line. It took the Warriors only four plays to go the distance as Keith Batkowski ran it in from the one-yard line followed by a good PAT to tie the game at seven with 10:57 left until halftime.

Wilkes was forced to punt on its next possession following five-plays and 12 yards. Lycoming had a chance to take the lead on a 45-yard field goal attempt but the kick went wide to the left. Neither team scored the remainder of the half as the teams entered halftime tied at seven.

The Colonels defense started the third quarter by forcing a three-and-out. Wilkes' offense appeared to be sailing on its first possession, going 62 yard on 11 plays but the drive ended on a fourth-and-one keeper by Tabora that was stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Shemory seemed to have something cooking after the turnover-on-downs, completing his first pass attempt for 39 yards to the Wilkes 32 yard line, but the defense reasserted its dominance as it held the Warriors to one net yard over the next three plays to force another 45-yard field goal attempt but Dane Tarantelli (Gordon, PA/North Schuylkill) flew through the line to block the attempt and keep the score even.

Tarantelli's heroics proved crucial as the offense found its stride on a 13-play, 72-yard drive capped off by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Tabora to Nick Yanik (Edison, NJ/Edison Twp.), who held on despite taking a crushing hit, and a Kutteroff kick to give Wilkes a 14-7 lead with 13:15 left in regulation. The Warriors were called for two penalties after the play, moving the Colonels kickoff up to Lycoming's 35-yard line.

The Warriors found themselves in position to put points on the board on their ensuing drive, but three penalties killed the momentum and they were forced to punt following and eight-play drive.

Wilkes and Lycoming traded punts before the Colonels took over at their own 25 and 5:15 showing on the fourth quarter clock. Wilkes got the exact drive it needed from its offense, eating up over four minutes on nine plays spanning 63 yards, setting up a field goal try of 29 yards to put the game away. The Warriors came through with a block, giving themselves a chance with just over a minute remaining but a long field to traverse, starting at their own 17-yard line.

Shemory started the drive with a six-yard completion with the receiver getting out of bounds to stop the clock. Ricci came through for Wilkes yet again on the next play when he sacked Shemory for a loss of seven, followed by two incomplete passes to give the Colonels the ball back with 15 seconds left that put a bow on a masterful defensive performance by coordinator Tripp Merritt's unit.

Tabora overcame the elements to finish 18-of-32 for 241 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Tabora led the ground game with 61 yards on 15 attempts. Steeber hauled in four passes for 87 yards and touchdown while Yanik contributed a game-high seven catches for 70 yards. Bryce Harrison (Hunlock Creek, PA/Northwest) set a new career high with three catches for 39 yards including an impressive 17 yard gain where he dragged a couple defenders along for the ride.

Woods had an outstanding game, finishing with a team-high nine tackles, one interception, three pass break-ups, and a tackle-for-loss. Ricci added six tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three tackles-for-loss while Tarantelli and Schneider each added at least half a sack.

Wilkes is idle next week, returning to action on November 10^th to conclude the regular season when it will host King's College for a 12:00 p.m. MAC game.