Saturday, September 30, 2017

Lycoming Defeats Wilkes For Second Straight Win

A www.MACfb.com File Photo
Article Courtesy of Lycoming College Sports Information
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – 
Wilkes University scored on the first drive of the game, moving 86 yards down the field, but that was all that the Lycoming College football team’s defense gave up, as the offense gained 469 yards in a 34-7 Middle Atlantic Conference rout at David Person Field on Saturday, Sept. 30.

The Warriors (2-3 overall, 2-2 MAC) responded to the first drive from the Colonels (0-5 overall, 0-4 MAC) by driving 68 yards on six plays to tie the game on a 20-yard touchdown pass from senior Chase Williams (Damascus, Md./Damascus) to junior Nick Costello (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) with 7:50 left in the first quarter.


Just over a minute later, sophomore Trey Smith (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) stepped in front of a pass over the middle and found some green space, hitting pay dirt with a 39-yard return to give Lycoming the lead with 6:29 left.

From that point on, the Colonels gained just 157 yards of offense against a Lycoming defense that forces 10 punts, two interceptions and a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, Lycoming found the end zone twice more, kicked two field goals twice and ended 11 of its 15 drives in Wilkes territory.

Williams was outstanding for the second straight week, throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-33 passing and rushing for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, as he accounted for 379 yards of total offense, the seventh-most in program history, a week after posting 409 in a win over King’s.

Sophomore Dante Gipson (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) accounted for 179 all-purpose yards, catching seven passes for 93 yards and a score, rushing six times for eight yards, adding 61 yards on punt returns and 15 yards on a kick return. Costello added three catches for 49 yards and a score and senior Dam Dressler (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) added 13 carries for 55 yards.

In the second quarter, Lycoming had drives stall at the 15- and six-yard lines, but sophomore Jamie Fisher (Folsom, Pa./Ridley) was there to convert 32- and 23-yard field goals to expand Lycoming’s lead to 20-7.

Wilkes began to drive near midfield after the second field goal, but a pass tipped by a Wilkes receiver fell into the waiting hands of senior Mike Ward (Edgewater, Md./South River), who returned it to the Wilkes 41. Two plays later, Williams tossed a quick pass to Gipson, who juked past a pair of defenders before finding daylight on a 45-yard touchdown with 1:09 left in the quarter.

In the second half, the Warriors put the game to rest midway through the third quarter when Williams took a designed draw, found a block and rolled 64 yards for a touchdown. Wilkes managed just three first downs against a game Lycoming defense in the final 22 minutes, as Lycoming avenged a 28-26 loss to the Colonels from 2016.

Sophomore Sam Pawlikowski (West Creek, N.J./Seneca) led the Warriors with eight tackles and both seniorCaleb Robbins (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) and freshman Matt Galasso (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) each had six stops, with Galasso adding half a sack. Sophomore Sam Romanofsky (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) posted two sacks with his only two tackles of the day and senior Mike Palmer (Chester, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) posted four tackles, 1.5 for loss. Ward also added five stops and an interception.

Wade Rippeon finished 17-of-28 for 112 yards for Wilkes and Shane Deemer rushed 15 times for 43 yards and a score. Garrett Armstrong posted three catches for 25 yards. Jordan Stiles had nine tackles and Bud Moyer posted eight stops and a sack to lead the team defensively.

The Warriors get back on the field on Saturday, Oct. 7, when they host FDU-Florham at 1:30 p.m. in another Middle Atlantic Conference game as part of Lycoming’s Homecoming & Family Weekend.

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