Football

Delaware Valley College 17, Wilkes University 14

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Bill Miller kicked a 30-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lift 10th-ranked Delaware Valley College to a 17-14 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) win over visiting Wilkes University on Saturday afternoon. The Aggies improve to 3-0 overall and in conference play, while Wilkes falls to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

The Aggies embarked on their final drive from their own 19-yard line following a Wilkes punt with 1:21 left. An 11-yard run by quarterback Adam Knoblauch moved the ball to the 29. Knoblauch then connected with Joel Foreman and Steve Cook for eight yards apiece to advance the ball to the 45. With time winding down, Knoblauch threw a pass up for grabs down the sideline and David Carmon out-jumped a pair of Wilkes defenders to place the ball at the 13-yard line with seven seconds

Miller, who earlier in the game missed a 37-yard attempt, put the kick right through the uprights and Delaware Valley had its 14th consecutive regular-season victory.

The final drive offset an outstanding second-half performance by the Colonels, who rallied from a 14-0 deficit at halftime. Wilkes took the opening kickoff of the second half and went on a 10 play, 88-yard drive that culminated in their first score. Quarterback Al Karaffa led the march hitting on six-of-six pass attempts for 73 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown toss to Stephon Burgette with 10:28 remaining in the third quarter. Kevin Keller tacked on the point after and Wilkes pulled to within 14-7.

The Wilkes defense kept the Aggies at bay throughout much of the remainder of the game. Midway through the final period the defense held Delaware Valley on downs deep in its own territory. The Aggies, forced to punt from their own two-yard line, mustered only a 27-yard boot by Jim Rice and Wilkes had the ball at the Delaware Valley 29.

John Impagliazzo notched runs of 11, six and nine yards, to place the ball at the Aggie 3. On first-and-goal, Impagliazzo once again got the call and went around left end and into the end zone for the score with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter. Keller's extra point tied the game at 14-14 and set up the thrilling conclusion

Delaware Valley opened the game with 14 points in the first quarter. After holding Wilkes on downs, the Aggies took over on their own 47-yard line and Knoblauch connected with Carmon on the first play for a 53-yard touchdown toss with 8:41 left in the quarter. Miller booted the point after to give Delaware Valley a 7-0 lead.

The Aggies began their next drive at their own 22 and went the full 78 yards on nine plays. Steve Cook accounted for 57 yards on five carries, and they eventually punched in a score on a one-yard Knoblauch plunge with 1:22 left in the quarter and a 14-0 lead.

Knoblauch completed 16 of 28 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown and also netted 52 yards and one score on eight carries. The touchdowns upped the senior's total to 101 (78 passing, 22 rushing, 1 receiving) in his career. Carmon had six catches for 129 yards and moved into fourth place on the Aggie all-time list with 1,883 yards.

Cook netted 121 yards on 20 carries and also hauled in five passes for 41 yards. The senior now has 2,615 career rushing and is just 20 shy of becoming Delaware Valley's all-time leader.

Defensively, John Pursell paced the Aggies with nine tackles while A.J. Neal, Quincy Thaxton and Joe Whitesell added eight apiece. Justin Porter notched six tackles and 1.5 sacks and Matt Murphy intercepted his third pass of the season.

Karaffa completed 22of 38 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown for Wilkes. Jim Jordan had 10 receptions for 139 yards while Bo Tkach finished with five catches for 81 yards. Tom Andreopoulos led the ground attack with 55 yards on 13 attempts.

Kyle Follweiler paced the Colonel defense with 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. Tyler Henninger followed with eight tackles and Jake Grande added six tackles and one interception.