November 16, 2024
12:00 p.m.
Schmidt Stadium
 
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WILKES-BARRE - After clinching a spot in the Chesapeake Challenge Bowl Series last weekend, the Wilkes University football team finishes the regular season at Schmidt Stadium against Moravian University on Senior Day.

Wilkes enters the weekend with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-1 conference record after defeating Catholic University 40-15 last weekend. Elijah Jules (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) ran for five touchdowns, matching a single-game program record.

Jules leads the team and conference with 1,130 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, both new season-bests for the senior. He also leads the conference averaging 125.6 yards per game. As a unit, the Wilkes rush offense is one of the most productive in the Landmark, averaging 198.9 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry, marks that are both second in the conference.

Senior quarterback Xavier Powell (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) compliments Jules with 412 yards on the ground, adding to his 1,802 passing yards to put him at 2,214 yards of total offense, the fifth most in the Landmark Conference.
Senior wideout Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) leads the receiver room with 393 yards and three touchdowns, followed closely by fellow senior Justin Moore (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) with 389. Higgins, Jimmy Johnson (Fallston, MD/Fallston), Zane Grover (East Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg), and Janas Simms (York, PA/William Penn) all share the most receiving touchdowns on the team with three each.

On defense, linebacker Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) leads the team with 74 total tackles, the second-most in the Landmark Conference. He is followed by sophomore defensive back Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) with 61 and defensive lineman Angel Ramos (Allentown, PA/Parkland) and Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) with 48. Defensive back Donell Mackey-Woodson (Hartford, CT/Southington) has been Wilkes' resident ball hawk with seven interceptions and eight pass breakups, the most in the Landmark Conference.

Ramos leads the team and the conference with six sacks on the year, followed closely by Murray and Steele Hess (Allentown, PA/Whitehall) with 4.5 and three respectively. Ramos also leads the team in tackles for loss with 12, followed by Kellen Redmond (St. Petersburg, FL/Calvary Christian) with nine and Hess with 8.5.

On special teams, punter Alex Orlando (Allentown, PA/Emmaus) is averaging a conference-best 43.07 yards per punt, with five punts over 50 yards and 15 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) is 8-10 on field goals, and 38-38 on extra points. Rahmel Terry (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) leads the Colonel return game with 302 yards and one kick returned for a touchdown.

Moravian also come into this matchup at 6-3 overall with a 4-1 record against Landmark opponents, defeating Lycoming College last weekend 34-23.

Jared Jenkins leads the Moravian offense and the Conference with 2,384 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes. His top targets this season have been Jordan Bingham and Diego del Castillo, who have collected 691 and 633 yards respectively to form the second-best passing offense in the conference. On the ground, Joey Richmond leads the team with 422 rushing yards.

The Greyhounds hold the second-best rushing defense in the conference, allowing 118.7 yards per game, and are led by defensive back Aidan Lane who has 50 tackles. First year linebacker Malachi McNeil-Harrison sits right behind Ramos in tackles for loss and sacks with 9.5 and five respectively, both marks that are second in the conference. Not far behind him is defensive lineman Jeremy McGuigan with four sacks.

On special teams, Jack Corrigan sits behind Orlando averaging 42.8 yards per punt with 12 over 50 yards and 12 inside the opponent's 20-yard line, and also is 11-13 on extra-point kicks.

Last season, the Colonels defeated the Greyhounds 41-6 at Rocco Calvo Field in Bethlehem.

Following this game, the Colonels head to Salem, Va. to compete in the Chesapeake Challenge Bowl Series, with an opponent from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) yet to be determined.