Wilkes Football Week 10 Preview vs. Susquehanna

Saturday, November 8

12:00 p.m.

Selinsgrove, PA


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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University football team is on the road for the final time in the regular season for a Week 10 matchup against the Susquehanna University River Hawks, their toughest test of the season.

The Colonels enter this game with a 5-3 record and a 3-1 conference record after defeating the Juniata College Eagles 38-7 last weekend.

Wilkes scored a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage when sophomore Daniel Pigga (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) ran the ball 90 yards to the house. Juniata responded with a touchdown drive of their own to tie the game 7-7, but Wilkes put together a 12-play drive that ended in a field goal to take the lead back and controlled the game from there. The defense held Juniata scoreless on their remaining eight drives, and the offense scored another four touchdowns on their way to a commanding victory.

Quarterback Cooper King (Northampton, PA/Northampton) went 16-30 for 188 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception in the win, but also rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 11 attempts. He's now thrown for 1,362 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions on the season while being the team's second-leading rusher with 321 yards and five rushing touchdowns.

The ground game as a whole racked up 353 rushing yards against the Eagles as four Colonels had more than five yards per carry. Ben Contella (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) had 14 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown last week, giving him a team-leading 329 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Thanks to his 90-yard touchdown run, Pigga finished the game with 111 rushing yards on four attempts (27.8 yards per carry), and Chibugo Chigozie-Nwosu (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) carried the ball six times for 35 yards (5.8 yards per carry).

Wide receiver Justin Moore (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) had his best outing of the season against Juniata with five receptions for 75 yards and his first touchdown catch of the year. He now leads the team in both receptions (24) and receiving yards (386). Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) remains the number two option with 20 receptions for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and Janas Simms (York, PA/William Penn) rounds out the trio with 15 receptions for 173 yards and touchdown. 

Defensively, the Colonels now rank at the top in scoring defense, giving up an average of just 17.3 points per game. They also rank second in passing yards per game allowed (128.4 yards), rushing yards per game allowed (196.0 yards), sacks (17), and opponent third down percentage (33.9%).

The linebacker duo of Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) and Tallen Murray (Vineland, NJ/Saint Joseph Academy) are both currently top three tacklers in the conference. Wetzel ranks second in the Landmark with 73 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble. Murray is third in the Landmark with 72 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. Defensive lineman Cohen Creswell (Winchester, VA/Millbrook) ranks first in tackles for loss with 17. Creswell also leads the team in sacks with 6.5, along with four pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, and three forced fumbles.

The secondary got back on track against the Eagles with strong performances from Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) and Michael Kevin Cornick III (West Philadelphia, PA/William Penn). Barbieri had six tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups in the win to bring his season totals to 48 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Cornick had seven tackles and a pass breakup last week, vaulting him to fifth on the team in tackles with 35. J'Vier Johnson (Easton, PA/Easton Area) and Ryan Opperman (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) were quiet last week, but remain valuable contributors to the defense. Johnson still leads the Landmark with three interceptions, and Opperman leads the Colonels in pass breakups with five.

On special teams, kicker Nick Volpone (Delco, PA/Ridley) remains perfect on the season after going 5/5 on extra points and making a 23-yard field goal against the Eagles. He's now 17/17 on extra points and 9/9 field goals with just two games remaining. Punter Peter Zarafonitis (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) only punted the ball one time for 41 yards against Juniata, keeping his average of 40.9 yards per punt as second-best in the conference.

Susquehanna enters this game with a 6-2 record and a perfect Landmark Conference record of 4-0 after defeating Western Connecticut State 34-0 last weekend on the road.

The River Hawks rank at the top of the Landmark in scoring offense and total offense, and quarterback Josh Ehrlich is the biggest reason why. The redshirt junior has thrown for 1,724 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just one interception. He's also the team's leading rusher with 522 yards and three touchdowns.

Susquehanna's rushing attack ranks first in the Landmark as well (212.0 yards per game), thanks to Ehrlich and the running back duo of Rahshan La Mons and Tommy Grabowski. La Mons has rushed for 444 yards and seven touchdowns in just six games, and Grabowski has rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns this season with an increased workload. 

The number one receiver for the River Hawks is first-year Daniel Growney with 35 receptions for 451 yards and five touchdowns. His 451 receiving yards ranks him second in the Landmark. Outside of Growney, Susquehanna has three other receivers with over 220 receiving yards this season, those being Carter McCauley, Hunter Morgenroth, and Robert Stolfa. These three receivers have combined for 10 touchdowns receptions this season.

On defense, the River Hawks rank second in scoring defense (17.4 points per game), but rank first in total defense and first in rushing defense. Defensive lineman Galen Limantour anchors the trenches with 35 total tackles, six sacks, and six quarterback hurries. Their top two linebackers are seniors Jesse Ruisch and Luke Hughes. Ruisch leads the team in tackles with 37, along with 3.5 tackles for loss, and Hughes has 34 tackles with five tackles for loss.

In the secondary, Susquehanna has the duo of Berkeley Wagner and Ben Fleming. Wagner has 32 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, and four pass breakups. Fleming has 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.

On special teams, junior Dominic Bourgeois takes care of both punting and kicking responsibilities. He's a perfect 10/10 on field goals and is 45/46 on extra points this season. In terms of punting, he's averaging 36.0 yards per punt on 14 punts. Susquehanna's primary return man is first-year wide receiver Aaron Angelo. Angelo has returned five kicks for 128 yards and a touchdown, good enough for an average of 25.6 yards per return. 

After this game, the Colonels have their regular season finale at Schmidt Stadium against Western Connecticut State. Kickoff is at noon on Nov. 15.