Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Marquis Frias, Sports Editor
The No. 20 ranked Susquehanna Football Team took home a 36-15 win over Wilkes University in a landmark conference matchup this past Saturday.
The win gives the River Hawks (6-1 Overall, 3-0 Landmark) their third straight win, all against landmark conference play and all featuring Susquehanna scoring more than 35 points in each game.
The River Hawks opened the game with possession first, only for the momentum to quickly shift to the Colonels’ side (2-4 Overall, 1-2 Landmark) after Wilkes senior linebacker Tyler Wetzel intercepted a pass from Susquehanna quarterback Tommy Wright just two plays into the game.
Susquehanna would answer back with a spark of their own however, as the defense was able to force a field goal attempt from the Colonels that would be blocked by Galen Linmatour, giving the ball right back to the offense with no harm done on the scoreboard.
This is where Susquehanna would strike first on the scoreboard, as Matt Surtz capped off an 11 play, 72 yard drive with a 3-yard run. Susquehanna kicker Cohen Hoover would miss the point after try, keeping the River Hawks at six on the scoreboard.
The Susquehanna defense kept the momentum alive, forcing a turnover on downs on Wilkes’s ensuing drive. However, the offense wasn’t able to capitalize, punting the ball after a rare three and out to close the quarter.
Wilkes would take little time to respond back however, after junior wide receiver Daniel Pigga caught a 54-yard touchdown from quarterback Trey Dogmantis. With the point after try being successful, the Colonels took a 7-6 lead over Susquehanna to start the second quarter.
The quarter resumed with teams trading drives that led to nothing, ending in either a turnover on downs or a punt. With a little over two minutes left in the half, Susquehanna would march down the field on a eight play, 70 yard drive to take back the lead after Wright connected with junior wide receiver Frankie Mroz for a 30-yard score.
With the score at 12-7, the River Hawks would go for two to stretch their advantage to seven points, however Wright’s pass fell incomplete as the second quarter ended.
After the two teams emerged from the locker room, the second half would start as a continuation of the second quarter with both teams trading punts on the first three drives.
The River Hawks would break the curse on their second drive of the third quarter as Wright would throw his second touchdown pass of the game, this time finding senior wide receiver Ethan Mahan for a 40-yard score to stretch Susquehanna’s lead to 19-7.
Susquehanna would then take full control of the game in the third quarter as on the ensuing drive, sophomore linebacker Omari Cofield would intercept a pass from Dogmantis, giving the ball right back to the offense.
Surtz would take advantage just five plays later with his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 34-yards out. The score gave the River Hawks a 26-9 lead and marked Surtz’s third game of the season with multiple rushing touchdowns.
With the score at 26-7 heading into the fourth quarter, Susquehanna would continue to keep the game out of reach for the Colonels. Halfway into the quarter, Wright found junior tight end Noah Confer for a 19-yard receiving touchdown, giving the River Hawks a 33-7 lead.
A few minutes later, Hoover added in a 28-yard field goal, scoring Susquehanna’s 30th unanswered point of the ball game. However, Wilkes would finally break the dry spell with under a minute left, as Dogmantis threw his second passing touchdown of the game this time to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Theodore.
The final touchdown of the game came with 17 seconds left in the contest, and cut the River Hawks lead to 36-15. Through the four quarters of play, Susquehanna recorded 443 total yards of offense, including 200 yards on the ground and 243 passing yards, while the defense held Wilkes to only 264 total offensive yards.
Wright finished his day with 243 passing yards, going 16-22 passing with three passing touchdowns and one interception. Surtz recorded 111 rushing yards on 21 rush attempts, with two rushing touchdowns. Mahan led the River River Hawks in receiving with four receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Susquehanna will be on the road again for a matchup against Lycoming College on Halloween, Saturday, Oct 31 at 1 p.m. in Williamsport, Pa.