September 28, 2024
12:00 p.m.
Schmidt Stadium
 
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EDWARDSVILLE - The Wilkes University football team returns to Schmidt Stadium this weekend as they wrap up their non-conference schedule against St. John Fisher this Saturday on Homecoming weekend.

The Colonels enter the contest with a 1-2 record following a 31-17 loss at SUNY Brockport last weekend.

Senior quarterback Xavier Powell (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) leads the Colonel offense through the air and on the ground with 690 passing yards and 236 rushing yards. Powell has eight total touchdowns as well, seven passing and one rushing.

Senior running back Elijah Jules (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) sits behind Powell in the rushing attack, putting up 136 yards with two touchdowns. Jules also has 93 receiving yards, bringing him to 229 yards of total offense.

Senior Justin Moore (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) leads all receivers with 176 yards and two touchdowns. Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) and Zane Grover (East Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) have also reached triple digit yards this season with 162 and 118 respectively. Moore, Grover, and Devin Higgins (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) are tied for the team-high in touchdowns with two each.

On defense, linebacker Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) remains at the top of the conference in tackles with 31 through three games, followed by sophomore defensive back Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) with 25. Donell Mackey-Woodson (Hartford, CT/Southington) leads the team with two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Steele Hess (Allentown, PA/Whitehall) leads the team in sacks with 2.5 and is second on the team with three tackles for loss. Kellen Redmond (St. Petersburg, FL/Calvary Christian) leads the team with four TFLs.

On special teams, punter Alex Orlando (Allentown, PA/Emmaus) is averaging 43.9 yards per punt, with two punts over 50 yards and four inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) is 2-2 on field goals, and 9-9 on extra points. Shawn McCullough (Upper Darby, PA/Upper Darby) leads the Colonels on kick returns with 134 yards, with Rahmel Terry (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) returning four kicks for 49 yards.

St. John Fisher enters this game with a 1-1 record after defeating Keystone College 42-40 last week.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Whitney has 27 completions for a total of 407 yards and two touchdowns through two games. His top target Jaylen Brantley has 272 receiving yards on the year and two touchdowns and set the single-game program record for receiving yards with 249 yards against Keystone. The Cardinal run game is led by Peyton Nolan and Camden Chance, a one-two punch that have rushed for 143 and 95 yards respectively.

On defense, sophomore defensive back Timothy Vanderbrink leads the team with 18 tackles and two pass breakups. Senior defensive lineman Zach Dreisbach leads the team in TFLs with 2.5.
On special teams, kicker Kyle Farewell has yet to connect on a field goal and is 0-2 on the season. The senior also has a punting average of 40.7 yards on nine punts, with four inside the 20-yard line and one over 50 yards.

Last season was the first meeting between these two teams, a close win for St. John Fisher at home 29-20.

Following this game, the Colonels travel to Huntingdon, Pa. to open Landmark Conference play against Juniata College on Friday, October 4. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.