EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – The Wilkes University football team clinched a spot in the Chesapeake Bowl Challenge for the third year in a row after defeating Western Connecticut State 38-0 at Schmidt Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Wilkes finishes the regular season 6-4 overall with a 4-2 record in Landmark play, closing the year third in the conference standings. WestConn falls to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play to end the season.

On the second play from scrimmage, the Wilkes defense immediately made an impact as Michael Kevin Cornick III (West Philadelphia, PA/William Penn) snagged an interception at midfield. The Colonels couldn't convert on fourth and goal to keep the game scoreless in the first quarter.

Wilkes forced a WestConn punt with just over 11 minutes to play in the second quarter, and after a kick of just 21 yards some crafty offense put the Colonels on the board. A lateral from Cooper King (Northampton, PA/Northampton) to Justin Moore (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) then saw the senior receiver toss a 36-yard touchdown pass to Janas Simms (York, PA/William Penn) who lept over the defender to snag the ball and score.

The Colonels doubled the lead on their next drive thanks to a three-yard run by King, set up by another massive catch by Simms, this time a 43-yard grab to position Wilkes in the redzone. Late in the quarter, WestConn saw a field goal attempt clatter off the left goalpost and failed to score as time expired to keep the score 14-0 in favor of the Colonels at halftime.

Wilkes' defense dominated in the third quarter, starting with a strip of WestConn quarterback Dylan Jackson recovered by Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) and a sack by Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge). They continued that momentum into the fourth, as Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) picked off Jackson and returned the ball 38 yards to the two-yard line. On the next play, another King rushing touchdown saw Wilkes go up 21-0.

On the ensuing offensive drive for the Wolves, Dante Hamilton (Allentown, PA/Central Catholic) snagged interception number three, and the Colonel offense made the visitors pay with a 67-yard touchdown catch by Justin Moore (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) with just under 10 minutes to play. Late in the quarter, a field goal by Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) and a 50-yard touchdown rush by Ben Contella (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) put the game to bed and sent the Colonels to the postseason.

King led the Colonel offense with 11 completions for 213 yards and one touchdown pass, adding two more on the ground. Moore and Simms led all Wilkes receivers with season-best days of 96 and 91 yards respectively with a touchdown each. Contella dominated the ground game with 117 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Defensively, Wilkes pitched their first shutout of the season, sacking Jackson four times with four interceptions as well. Ryan Opperman (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg), Wetzel, and Michael Golay (Scranton, PA/Scranton Prep) led the team with six tackles each, with Opperman also grabbing an interception. Golay led the team with 3.5 tackles for loss.

Jackson finished the day with 230 passing yards on 22 completions, with Tamarion LaFortune leading the team with 99 receiving yards. On the ground, Quasim Benson was held to only 31 yards with the Wolves ending the day only gaining a net of two yards rushing. Defensively, Ryan Rondeau led all defenders with 10 tackles.

Wilkes now advances to the Chesapeake Bowl Challenge and will travel to face Shenandoah University of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) next Saturday, November 22^nd.