WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Wilkes University jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and cruised to a 42-0 victory over Washington and Lee in the first round of the Division III football playoffs on Saturday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
The Colonels (11-0) scored on the third play of the game as safety Bryan Vivaldo intercepted a pass by W&L freshman quarterback R.J. Varner (Birmingham, Ala./Spain Park) and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 1:40 into the game.
A W&L fumble on its next possession gave Wilkes another short field as running back Jason Nabba capped off a 7-play, 30-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead just 5:42 into the first quarter.
Tight end Matt Pizarro hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Al Karaffa with 3:00 left in the opening period for a 21-0 lead and running back Tom Andreopoulos gave the Colonels a 28-0 halftime lead with an 82-yard touchdown run with 11:21 left in the first half.
Andreopoulos led the Wilkes offense with 169 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries, while Karaffa completed 8-of-14 passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Kyle Follweiler led the defense with eight tackles.
W&L was limited to just 141 yards of total offense, led by sophomore running back Stuart Sitterson (Atlanta, Ga./Westminster), who tallied 10 catches for 82 yards and rushed six times for 12 yards. Varner completed 22-of-32 passes for 151 yards and one interception, while senior wide receiver Colton Ward (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) caught nine passes for 13 yards. Ward finishes his career with a school-record 161 receptions, eclipsing the former record of 155 held by J.T. Malatesta '99. Junior safety Kyle Luby (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park) paced the W&L defense with nine tackles. Junior cornerback Jimmy Gift (Richmond, Va./Collegiate) added six tackles and a pair of sacks.
With the loss, W&L ends its season with a 7-4 overall record. Wilkes advances to the second round where it will host Rowan University on November 25.
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