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Wilkes University Athletics

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS
THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS WILKES UNIVERSITY COLONELS
Week 2 FB Recap
8
TCNJ TCN 0-2 , 0-0
28
Winner Wilkes WIL 1-0 , 0-0
TCNJ TCN
0-2 , 0-0
8
Final
28
Wilkes WIL
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
TCN TCNJ 0 2 6 0 8
WIL Wilkes 7 0 7 14 28

Game Recap: Football |

Creswell, Dogmanits Carry Football Over TCNJ, 28–8

Creswell, Dogmanits Carry Football Over TCNJ, 28–8

EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – Quarterback Trey Dogmanits (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and defensive lineman Cohen Creswell (Winchester, VA/Millbrook) added two sacks and a fumble recovery, as Wilkes University football earned a 28–8 victory over The College of New Jersey in its home opener on Saturday afternoon.

The win moves the Colonels to 1–0 on the year, while TCNJ drops to 0–2 after the defeat.

Wilkes struck first on its opening drive, one that took 12 plays and over six minutes to find the end zone. The drive was capped off by a Dogmanits 20-yard run, who evaded multiple Lions for the score, giving the Colonels a 7–0 lead with 8:35 left in the opening period. Wilkes' defense started the afternoon by forcing a TCNJ three-and-out, and the Colonels got into Lions territory before TCNJ stuffed a Wilkes fourth down attempt at the 24-yard line, keeping it a 7–0 game after one quarter.

After Wilkes controlled the first quarter, TCNJ dominated the possession battle in the second quarter, holding the ball for over 11 minutes. The Lions most productive possession saw them enter the red zone at the two-minute timeout. With 33 seconds remaining, facing a Lions fourth down and goal at the one-yard line, linebacker Tyler Wetzel (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) jumped over the pile to make a huge goal-line stand, keeping the Colonels' lead at 7–0. On Wilkes' ensuing possession, running back Chibugo Chigoze-Nwosu was tackled in the end zone for a safety, making it a 7–2 Wilkes lead at the half.

TCNJ started with possession in the second half and took just three plays for running back Sam Dech to take a carry 62 yards for the score. The Lions went for two, but were unsuccessful, making it an 8–7 TCNJ lead with 13:26 left in the third quarter.

The Colonels regained a 14–8 lead with 3:25 remaining in the third, when Dogmanits ran for his second score of the afternoon, this one from eight yards out. As the quarter came to a close, a TCNJ botched handoff on third down was recovered by Creswell, giving the Colonels the ball in TCNJ territory to start the fourth quarter.

Wilkes found themselves with a first and goal from the three-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After three unsuccessful attempts by Dogmanits, a TCNJ personal foul gave the Colonels a second chance, and Wilkes brought in quarterback William Smith (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Cedar Creek) to score from one yard out to give Wilkes a 21–8 lead with 12:04 to go.

The Colonels captured all the momentum when Rob Barbieri (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) picked off TCNJ on the very next play at the Lions 35-yard line. From there, the Colonels dominated time of possession, and Chigioze-Nwosu iced it with a 23-yard touchdown in the final moments, and Wilkes secured a 28–8 victory.

Dogmanits led the Colonels, completing 21 of 27 passes for 144 yards, and added 12 carries for 40 yards to go with two rushing touchdowns. Chigioze-Nwosu added 76 rushing yards on 15 carries, while Juju Fears (Easton, PA/Easton Area) tallied eight receptions for 58 yards. On defense, Wetzel led Wilkes with 13 tackles, and defensive back Ryan Opperman (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) added 11 stops. Sebastian Hess (Glen Mills, DE/Salesianum) went four-for-four on extra points, and Peter Zarafonitis (Staten Island, NY/New Dorp) punted four times for 181 yards, including a punt downed at the three-yard line in the second quarter.

For TCNJ, Quarterback Bailey Walker completed three of five passes for 54 yards. Cole Aquino also saw snaps under center, completing one of three passes for 26 yards with an interception. The Lions picked up 197 rushing yards, led by Dech's 97 yards on 12 attempts. Shane Walsh led TCNJ's defense with nine tackles, while Sean Gallagher contributed with eight.

Wilkes will head to Allentown next week to face Muhlenberg College on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 12:00 p.m.




 
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