Joshua Ermeus '26

Wilkes Football Homecoming Preview vs. Lycoming

10/9/2026 10:00:00 AM

Wilkes Football Homecoming Preview vs. Lycoming

October 10, 2026
1:00 p.m.
Schmidt Stadium – Edwardsville, Pa.

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WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University football team prepares to host its annual homecoming game Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in a rivalry matchup against Lycoming College.

The Colonels snapped a two-game losing streak last Saturday with a 21–2 victory at Juniata College in their Landmark Conference opener, improving to 2–2 on the season.

In the victory, quarterback Trey Dogmanits (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) threw for a career-high 258 passing yards, completing 20 of 29 passes for a pair of touchdowns. One of Dogmanits' touchdown passes was a 48-yard throw to receiver Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area), who leads the Landmark with 438 receiving yards and has four touchdown receptions. Fears caught four passes for 101 yards against Juniata, marking his third consecutive 100-yard performance. Dogmanits also leads the Colonels in rushing with 163 yards and three scores, and running back Nigel Linton (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) was the leading rusher at Juniata with 51 yards and a touchdown. The Colonels will look to improve in the red zone after managing just 16 points on 10 trips in their last two games.

Wilkes' defense is allowing 19.3 points per game, good for second in the Landmark. The Colonels' defense had its best performance of the season, not giving up a single point against Juniata while also scoring a safety. Defensive lineman Cohen Creswell (Winchester, VA/Millbrook) had a career afternoon, recording a career-best three sacks and bringing his season total to five, tying him atop the Landmark. Creswell's 6.5 tackles for loss also rank third in the Landmark. Linebacker Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) leads the Colonels with 40 tackles, including 10 at Juniata. Defensive back Ryan Opperman (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) recorded his second interception of the season last week, while the Colonels allow a conference-low 130 passing yards a contest.

Punter Peter Zarafonitis (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) continues to lead the Landmark in punting yardage, averaging 42.6 yards per punt, including seven of 16 punts downed inside the 20. Daniel Pigga (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) has recorded nine kick returns for 191 yards and two punt returns for 31 yards this season.

Lycoming sits at 2–3, after scoring seven touchdowns in a 49–25 win over Catholic in its conference opener a week ago. The Warriors and Colonels share two common opponents in non-conference play in TCNJ and Montclair State. Lycoming and Wilkes both defeated TCNJ by scores of 17–7 and 28–8, respectively. Both teams dropped their contests against Montclair State, with Lycoming's being a tight 30–28 contest, while Wilkes fell 26–9.

The 49 points are the most the Warriors have scored in a game since October 2023. Two-year starting quarterback Joe Lyons III will be under center, completing 57 percent of his passes for 827 yards, throwing eight touchdowns against six interceptions. Four-year starter and three-time All-Conference selection running back Terrence Oliver leads the Warriors offense with 68 carries for 329 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown on the opening play against Catholic. Running back Spencer Ferguson has also seen an uptick in carries, with 54 attempts for 216 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Jared Zimmerman is second in the Landmark in receiving yards, trailing only Fears, with 401 yards and 3 scores on 22 catches. The senior also recorded his first 100-yard performance against Catholic with six catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns.

Lycoming's defense has been disruptive in the backfield, recording 36 tackles for loss and a Landmark-best 14 sacks in five games. Defensive linemen Yasheam Stokes and Mason Woodward lead the charge with 5.5 tackles for loss, and Woodward and linebacker Khalil Johnson each have two sacks. Five Warriors have at least 30 tackles, led by linebacker Daniel Atsou with 33. In the secondary, defensive back Aiden Bartlett leads the Landmark with three interceptions, including a pick-six in the win over Catholic. Bartlett also sealed the Warriors' win over TCNJ with a scoop-and-score in the final minute and returned a 94-yard kickoff for a touchdown against Montclair State.

The two teams meet for the 66th time, including the 60th as conference opponents spanning the MAC and Landmark, meeting annually since 1976. The Warriors lead the all-time series 42–23, including 40–19 in conference play. As members of the Landmark, Wilkes holds a 2–1 edge, but the Lycoming earned the 31–21 victory a season ago in Williamsport.

The Colonels are idle next week before facing Landmark preseason favorite No. 22 Susquehanna at Schmidt Stadium on Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m.

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