WILKES-BARRE – For the first time in three years, the Mayor's Cup returns to Wilkes University as Cole Jesmer's (Dover, PA/Dover) 95-yard pick six with :30 left in the game propelled the Colonels to a 24-14 Middle Atlantic Conference victory over cross-town rival King's College Saturday afternoon at McCarthy Stadium.
 
Wilkes (8-2) clinched the No. 2 seed in the MAC/Centennial Bowl Series and finished the regular season in sole possession of third place in the MAC with a 6-2 mark. The eight overall wins is the most for the program since the undefeated regular season of 2006. King's ended its season with a 5-5 overall record.
 
After King's opened with the ball and subsequent four and out, Wilkes began its first drive in Monarch territory inside the 42 yard line. The Colonels went to the ground using a Jose Tabora (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/St. Augustine Prep.) 12-yard rush and four more from Kamaal Reed (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Cedar Creek). Tabora then hit Reed on a designed screen play for 18 yards to move Wilkes down to the King's 8. Wilkes then went to some trickery as Nate Whitaker (Upper Darby, PA/Haverford School) took a reverse handoff around the left side and headed into the end zone losing the ball before he crossed the line giving the ball back to King's on the touchback.
 
The Colonel defense continued to put pressure on King's forcing its second straight four and out giving the ball back to the offense inside Monarch territory yet again. This time Wilkes took advantage of the good field position as Tabora connected with Aboubacar Fofana (Bronx, NY/Kennedy) for 19 yards as the freshman receiver dragged multiple King's defenders on the yards after the catch. From there Tabora took to the ground scampering in from nine yards out to put the Colonels up 7-0 after the Justin Pollack (Sloatsburg, NY/Suffern) extra point with 8:05 on the first quarter clock.
 
King's put together its first scoring drive of the game late in the second quarter as Jordan Downes ran in from nine yards out capping off an 11-play, 73-yard drive tying the game at 7 with 4:36 left in the first half.
 
Late in the second quarter the teams traded interceptions, first King's picking off a Tabora throw then on the ensuing possession Dylan Walck (Hamlin, PA/Western Wayne) returning the favor with a pick of his own moving the ball down to the King's 30. Six plays later Tabora used his feet on a third and six darting past two defenders into the corner of the end zone to give Wilkes a 14-7 lead at the break.
 
Wilkes continued to use the ground game to move the ball down the field on its second drive of the third quarter as Tabora used a cut back run on a fourth and four play to move the chains and continue the drive at the King's 24 after the ten yard gain. The drive stalled four plays later and Pollack entered for a 23-yard field goal that he kicked through the uprights pushing the Wilkes lead to 17-7 with 3:07 left in the third quarter. The 16-play, 58-yard drive took over eight minutes of game time.
 
King's responded in the fourth quarter with a four minute drive capped off by a Downes three yard touchdown run to cut the Colonel advantage to 17-14 with 7:01 left in the game. The Monarchs converted two fourth down plays, the second being on an 11-yard pass play on a fourth and seven to move the ball inside the five yard line setting up the Downes score.
 
On Wilkes ensuing possession, the Colonels offense was forced to punt after three plays including a holding penalty that pushed the ball back to the 25 yard line. A 15-yard Alexander DeSpirito (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Crestwood) punt gave the ball back to King's setting up the Jesmer heroics.
 
King's moved the ball down to the Wilkes 15 before Jesmer stepped in front of a Monarch pass and jetted down the left side of the field for the game-sealing interception return.
 
Jesmer, who was named the Colonels most valuable player in the game, led a Wilkes defense that allowed King's just 53 yards rushing and under 200 yards of total offense throughout the contest. He finished with seven tackles, one sack and the game-clinching interception return for a touchdown. Vinnie Werner (Duncannon, PA/Susquenita) and Gabe Allgyer (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) followed with nine tackles each while Bud Moyer (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua) added eight stops.
 
In a game dominated by the defenses, Tabora finished 12-for-24 passing for 118 yards and one interception, but ran 19 times for 67 yards and two scores. Jeremiah Acker (Moscow, PA/North Pocono) rushed 10 times for 37 yards.
 
Wilkes will travel to the No. 1 seed Centennial Conference school for the bowl game next Saturday. Opponent and time will be announced Monday morning.