EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University football team closed out their regular season at Schmidt Stadium on Saturday afternoon, thumping Moravian University 47-28 on Senior Day.

Wilkes improves to 7-3 and finishes second in the Landmark Conference with a 5-1 record, while Moravian finish third in the conference at 4-2 and 6-4 overall.
Both defensive units kept the game at 0-0 after the first quarter, including back-to-back sacks first from Angel Ramos (Allentown, PA/Parkland) and Jesse Addesso (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) and then Kellen Redmond (St. Petersburg, FL/Calvary Christian) forcing a turnover on downs.

On their first drive of the second half, the Colonels ran the ball right into Moravian territory and finished it off with an Elijah Jules (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) touchdown. After a failed two point attempt, the Colonels held a 6-0 lead.

The Greyhounds responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Bingham and took a 7-6 lead after the extra point kick. After trading punts, Wilkes scored on another Jules touchdown setup by three chunk runs by Jules and a deep pass hauled in by Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area). After the Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) extra point, the Colonels reclaimed the lead 13-7.

That lead quickly grew as Leroy Marshall (Cambria Heights, NY/Christ the King) snagged a 52-yard pick six off Jared Jenkins to push the lead to 20-7. Another Colonel sack from Ramos and Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) forced Moravian to punt, and with 56 seconds on the clock the Colonels hustled down the field and scored on the touchdown pass from Xavier Powell (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) to Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley). After a penalty on the Colonels and a missed extra point try, Wilkes took a 26-7 lead into halftime.

The Colonels opened the second half with the ball, and scored on their first drive as Powell tore through the heart of the defense for the 43-yard touchdown run to make it a 33-7 game. Moravian quickly responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass bringing the score to 33-14, and then recovered the ensuing onside kick. They wouldn't convert on the opportunity, as once again Ramos hit home with another sack on fourth down to give Wilkes the ball again. A few plays later, Jules completed his hat trick with a 10-yard touchdown rush and pushed the Colonel lead to 40-14 with six minutes left to play in the third.

On their next possession, Powell scored his second rushing touchdown of the day on a five-yard run up the gut with one minute left in the third to give the Colonels a 47-14 lead. Moravian scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Colonels coasted to the 47-28 victory.

Powell led the Colonels with 106 passing yards on 10 completions and one passing touchdown, adding a 153-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns on the ground. Jules once again dominated the day with 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns, also leading the team in receiving with 39. On defense, Marshall and Murray led the team with seven total tackles while Ramos led the team with two sacks. Ramos, Redmond, and Murray all also registered 2.5 tackles for loss.

Jenkins led Moravian with 29 completions for 269 yards and two touchdowns, with his top target being Jordan Bingham who picked up 145 yards on eight catches with two receiving touchdowns. On the ground, Joey Richmond only gained 18 yards on the ground with one touchdown, leading the team. On defense, Aidan Lane led the team with eight tackles.

Prior to the game, the Colonels celebrated the careers of their seniors as a part of the senior day festivities.
 
The Colonels season continues next week, as they travel to Salem, Virginia to play in the Chesapeake Challenge Bowl Series on Saturday, November 23. Kick off time and opponent are yet to be determined.