Joshua Ermeus '26

Wilkes Football Week Five Preview at Juniata

10/2/2026 10:00:00 AM

Wilkes Football Week Five Preview at Juniata

October 3, 2026
12:00 p.m.
Knox Stadium – Huntingdon, Pa.

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WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University football team opens up Landmark Conference play Saturday afternoon with a trip out to Huntingdon to face Juniata College on the Eagles' homecoming.

The Colonels concluded non-conference play with a 1–2 record after suffering a 26–9 defeat at home versus Montclair State a week ago. The Colonels now look to turn the page heading into conference play, where they finished in the top three in each of their first three seasons as members of the Landmark.

In last week's setback, quarterback Trey Dogmanits (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) threw for 200 yards for the first time this season, completing 13 of 24 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions. Receiver Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) recorded his second straight 100-yard performance against Montclair State, catching six passes for 120 yards and a score. Fears also hauled in a 71-yard grab, the longest by any Landmark receiver this season. Fears has amassed 337 receiving yards and 22 receptions in the Colonels first three games, both leading the conference. On the ground, Dogmanits continues to lead Wilkes with 34 carries for 117 yards and three scores while running backs Nigel Linton (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) and Chibugo Chigozie-Nwosu (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) each have 77 yards on the year. The Colonels' offense will look to improve in the red zone and on fourth down, after going only 2-for-5 on red zone scoring chances and 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts against Montclair State.

Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) continues to lead the Colonels with 30 tackles, while linebacker Jarius Jones (Stafford, VA/Gar-Field) had a breakout game a week ago, recording a team-best nine stops, a career-high for the sophomore. Jones also added a pair of tackles for loss against the Red Hawks. Cohen Creswell (Winchester, VA/Millbrook) leads Wilkes with 3.5 tackles for loss, and his two sacks ranks tied for second in the Landmark. The Colonels' defense has forced four takeaways in his first three games, a trio of interceptions and a fumble recovery by Justin Blake (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic Regional).

Kicker Sebastian Hess (Glen Mills, DE/Salesianum) is 7-for-8 on extra points, and converted his first field goal attempt, a 25-yarder, against Montclair State. Peter Zarafonitis (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) is averaging 40.7 yards per punt, with five of his 12 punts downed inside the 20. Daniel Pigga (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) had a strong performance against Montclair State, with nearly 150 total return yards (123 kick return, 26 punt return).

Juniata enters the contest with a 1–3 record after falling last week to TCNJ 35–7, whom the Colonels defeated 28–8 on Sept. 12.

A pair of quarterbacks have seen notable time for the Eagles in 2026. Senior Ethan Eisenberg started Juniata's first two games, before sophomore Zachary Grande lifted the Eagles to a 28–7 victory over McDaniel in his first career start. Grande is completing just under 65 percent of his passes for 224 yards, throwing for one touchdown and three interceptions. Running back Ivan Foreman exploded for 208 yards in the Eagles' season opener, including a 98-yard touchdown, but has only had six carries for 14 yards since. Running back Daiqun Buck leads Juniata with 43 carries, racking up 144 yards. The Eagles use a balanced receiving corps, with 14 different players recording a reception so far. Tight end Makih Hunt leads the Eagles with 10 receptions for 104 yards and a score.

The Eagles' defense holds two of the top tacklers in the Landmark in linebackers Canyon King (34 TKL, fourth) and Dillon Wakefield (33 TKL, fifth). Defensive lineman Estuardo Salguero earned Landmark Defensive Athlete of the Week after recording nine tackles and 1.5 sacks against McDaniel. Salguero's 2.5 sacks lead the conference, while his five tackles for loss rank third. The Juniata secondary forced a trio of interceptions by King, Tucker Lowery, and Chidiire Nwokwu.

Wilkes and Juniata will meet for the 42nd time in program history dating back to 1957. The Colonels lead the all-time series 21–19–1, including 3–0 as members of the Landmark. The two teams met at Schmidt Stadium a season ago, where the Colonels cruised to a 38–7 victory.

The Colonels return to Schmidt Stadium on Oct. 10 for a homecoming bout against Lycoming College at 1:00 p.m.

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