Football

Wilkes University 14, Delaware Valley College 7 (OT)

EDWARDSVILLE (PA) -- Tight end Matt Pizarro caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime and the Wilkes University defense held Delaware Valley College on downs as the 19th-ranked Colonels snapped the 12th-ranked Aggies' 22-game regular-season winning streak with a 14-7 Middle Atlantic Conference thriller at Ralston Field.

Wilkes improved its record to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the MAC while the two-time defending conference champion Aggies fell to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

The Colonels victory put an end to the Aggies' winning streak that ironically started after their last trip to Ralston Field. The last time Delaware Valley suffered a regular season defeat was on November 8, 2003, when Wilkes notched a 36-19 victory. Of the 22 wins, 21 came against MAC opponents, including 11 on the road

Wilkes had the ball first in overtime and, on second down, quarterback Al Karaffa hit tight end Matt Pizarro at the Aggie eight-yard line. Pizarro bounced off two defenders and raced into the end zone. Yurewicz's extra-point made it 14-7.

Delaware Valley's possession saw an incomplete pass on first down and a sack by Erik VanGilst on the next play that put the Aggies at third-and-14 at the 29-yard line. Tailback JakeSheffield gained six yards on a draw leaving a fourth-and-eight situation at the 23. Freshman quarterback Mike Isgro's fourth down pass bounced short in front of Don Marshall and Wilkes had the victory.

It was a defensive battle from the beginning as the two teams combined for just 64 yards of total offense, one first down and six punts in the first six possessions .

Delaware Valley did not reach the Wilkes side of the field until just under the 10-minute mark of the second quarter when quarterback Mike Isgro hit wideout David Carmon for a 45-yard diving catch down to the Colonel 35. Later in the drive, Isgro found another wideout, John Kiphorn, for a five-yard pass to the 28-yard line on a fourth-and-three play.

On the next play, Isgro rolled out to the right on a broken play and threw the ball into the end zone where Marshall leaped over a Wilkes defender for a touchdown. Bill Miller added the extra-point for a 7-0 Aggie lead with 7:31 remaining. Meanwhile, the Delaware Valley defense continued its dominance as the Colonels managed just 84 yards and did not record a first down in the half against the unit.

Wilkes got their first, first down of the game with 14:29 remaining in the third quarter on an Aggie penalty that offset a turnover. It took another seven minutes until the Colonel offense earned a first down when Karaffa hit Jim Jordan for a 12-yard pass. Wilkes picked two more first downs on the drive, but it stalled at the Delaware Valley 33-yard line and the punt went in the end zone for a touchback.

Wilkes' defense held and, following an Aggie punt, took over on the Delaware Valley 34-yard line. Tom Andreopoulos ran for a six-yard gain on the first play and Delaware Valley was penalized for a late-hit, putting the ball on the 14. Andrepoulos got the call again and he took it the right and into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown. Ryan Yurewicz added the extra-point to tie the game at 7-7 with 31.8 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Delaware Valley went three-and-out again and the Colonels took over on the Aggie 46-yard line. Wilkes then faced a fourth-and-one at the 37, but linebacker John Pursell stopped Andrepoulos just shy of the first down and Delaware Valley regained possession with 12:15 remaining.

However, Wilkes' defense forced another punt and took over on its own 20-yard line with 9:04 to go. The Colonels moved the ball down to the Aggie 39. Two penalties moved the ball back 10 yards and, on third down, Karaffa's pass was intercepted by senior cornerback Kevin Bliss at the Delaware Valley 14 with 5:13 left on the clock.

A sack moved the ball to the Aggie 8-yard line, but Sheffield gained 16 yards on a draw for a Delaware Valley first down. On the next play, Isgro threw deep downfield and Carmon jumped over a defender for a 43-yard catch at the Colonel 33-yard line. Isgro then scrambled, broke tackles and netted 14 yards to the 19 for another first down.

Delaware Valley then faced third-and-eight from the Wilkes 17-yard line with 1:42 remaining. Isgro's pass to Carmon in the end zone was broken up by Mike Ferriero, setting up fourth down. Miller, who had the game-winning, 30-yard field goal with three seconds left against Wilkes last year, had his 34-yard field goal attempt blocked by Bryan Vivaldo with 1:28 to go. That set the stage for overtime and a Colonel victory.

Delaware Valley had 238 yards in offense compared to 210 by Wilkes. Isgro connected on 11 of 24 passes for 143 yards. Carmon led the Aggie receivers with five catches for 108 yards. Sheffield carried the ball 18 times for 64 yards to lead the Delaware Valley ground attack.

Pursell had 10 tackles to pace the defense which did not have a sack in the game. A.J. Neal contributed nine tackles, while Anthony Silver chipped in with eight stops.

Karaffa completed 16-of-27 passes for 116 yards, including six to Stephon Burgette for 38 yards. Andreopoulos was the Colonels leading rusher with 60 yards on 15 carries. Kyle Follweiler led the Wilkes defense with 10 tackles.