Wilkes University Athletics

 
WASHINGTON, DC – The Wilkes University football team piled up 520 yards of total offense scoring four times on the ground and tice more through the air as the Colonels collected their second Landmark Conference victory with a 41-28 win at Catholic University Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium.
 
Wilkes snapped a two-game losing streak improving to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in conference games. Catholic dropped to 1-8 overall and 1-4 in league contests.
 
The Wilkes offense was hitting on all cylinders all game and wasted little time getting into the end zone scoring on its opening drive when quarterback Trey Dogmanits (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) took off for a 70-yard run on a 3^rd and 15 play. Following a Sebastian Hess (Glen Mills, DE/Salesianum) extra point, Wilkes led 7-0 with 8:57 left in the opening quarter.
 
Following a second Catholic punt, the Colonels went to the ground again as William Dougherty (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge), making his debut at running back, scored on a 43-yard rush through the middle pushing the lead to 14-0 following a Hess extra point.
 
Catholic finally got on the board late in the first quarter cutting the Wilkes advantage to 14-7 following a three-play, 74-yard drive that was capped off with a 10-yard run into the end zone.
 
As the second quarter began, the Wilkes ground game continued to shine as Dougherty added his second career rushing touchdown, this time from one yard out on a 3^rd and one to push the lead back to two touchdowns at 21-7 with 11:36 left in the first half.
 
Wilkes' defense came up with a turnover on Catholic's next drive setting up the Colonels fourth score of the first half. After a completion, Mohamed Gueye (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder) forced a fumble on the Catholic wide receiver and Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) jumped on the ball to give the Colonels good field position at the Catholic 35. Three plays later, Dogmanits connected with Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) for a 26-yard touchdown through the air as the lead ballooned to 27-7 with 10:09 on the second quarter clock.
 
Catholic kept things close with its second and third scores of the half making it 27-21 on its next two possession before Wilkes went back to the ground game handing it off to Daniel Pigga (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) for the third big scoring run of the game. Pigga went around the right side for a 62-yard score as the Colonels led 34-21 at the break.
 
Each team scored one time in the third frame as Pigga caught a pass from Dogmanits for a 47-yard touchdown pitch-and-catch as Wilkes hit the 40-point mark for the first time this season. Catholic added one more score at the end of the third on a short pass play, but its was the end of a high-scoring affair as neither team changed the scoreboard over the final 15 minutes.
 
Dogmanits had a big day both on the ground and through the air finishing 13-for-25 passing for 236 yards and two scores while rushing 12 times for 135 yards and one touchdown. Dougherty posted 77 yards on 13 carries and two scores as Wilkes enjoyed its best effort on the ground rushing 32 times for 276 yards and a season-best four touchdowns.
 
Fears caught seven passes for 122 yards and one score, his fourth game with 100+ yards and at least one touchdown.