EDWARDSVILLE, PA – The Wilkes University Football team finished their season holding the Cape Henry Bowl trophy high into the autumn air, as they defeated the Bridgewater College Eagles 35-17 at Schmidt Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Wilkes finished the year with a 5-6 overall record, while Bridgewater fell to 7-4 to end the season.

Both teams traded punts to open the contest, but a 38-yard catch by Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) opened the offensive fireworks and the Colonels drew first blood a few plays later. Tight end Jason Dean (Auburn, PA/Blue Mountain) found the endzone on a two-yard touchdown pass from Isaiah Rodriguez (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon) with 1:38 left in the first frame of play to give the Colonels the 7-0 lead.

The Colonel defense kept the energy levels high at Schmidt Stadium as Brandon Holcomb (Boynton Beach, FL/Boca Raton) sacked Eagle quarterback Malcolm Anderson for a ten-yard loss to force a punt on the following drive. Both defensive squads once again held strong, until Dean broke through to find the endzone on a six-yard pass from Rodriguez for his second touchdown of the day. With 8:36 left in the half, the Colonels held a 14-0 lead.

On their next offensive drive, the Colonels drove down the field after a 15-yard completion to Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) and an 11-yard rush by JayJay Jordan (Reading, PA/Berks Catholic) that the first year running back finished off on the very next play with a three-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left to play in the half. Bridgewater drove down the field and Jack Hendren put a 28-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to send the game into halftime at 21-3.

The Eagles got the ball on the other side of the halftime break and marched down the field, threatening to score. Another crucial sack by Holcomb and a false start on Bridgewater forced a 42-yard field goal attempt that Hendren missed wide left.

A three and out by the Wilkes offense gave the ball back to Bridgewater, capitalizing on the Colonel punt with a 15-yard touchdown strike from Anderson to Freddie Watkins with two minutes left in the third quarter. With a successful two-point conversion run by Watkins, the Eagles closed the gap to 21-11.

Another three and out by Wilkes gave Bridgewater another offensive drive, but J'Vier Johnson (Easton, PA/Easton Area) had other plans. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the first-year defensive back intercepted the pass from Anderson to give the Colonel offense the ball. On the very next play, Elijah Jules (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) took the rock 40 yards to the house for a touchdown to give Wilkes a 28-11 advantage with 14:43 left to play in the game.

The next Bridgewater drive was stuffed on a 4^th and 15 as Steele Hess (Allentown, PA/Whitehall) sacked Anderson for a five-yard loss, and once again the Colonels were able to capitalize. Rodriguez found Higgins for a 20-yard touchdown dart to open the lead up to 35-11 with 10:05 left to play. Bridgewater didn't go out without a fight, as Brendan Robinson returned the very next kickoff 80 yards to the endzone for the score. They were unsuccessful in the subsequent two-point conversion attempt, making the score 35-17 still with 10:05 left to play.

Jesse Addesso (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) sealed the game for the Colonels with 5:55 left in the fourth, snagging his third interception in two games off of Jaylen Wood, securing the Cape Henry Bowl for Wilkes with a final score of 35-17.

Rodriguez led the Colonels with 250 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17 completions and was named Cape Henry Bowl MVP for his efforts. His top target on the day was Higgins who hauled in six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Jordan led the ground game with 80 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. On defense, linebacking duo Holcomb and Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) led the way with 12 tackles each, while Holcomb led the team in sacks with two.

Anderson led Bridgewater with 217 yards and a touchdown on 17 completions. Tyler Gilliam led the Eagles in receiving yards with 71 on four catches while Kennedy Fauntleroy led the team in rushing with 58 yards on 12 carries. Aaron Moore led in tackles with eight.