ANNVILLE, Pa. – Brett Trichilo rushed 31 times for 214 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to lead Wilkes University to a 49-7 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) win over Lebanon Valley College on Saturday afternoon at Arnold Field.
The win improved Wilkes to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in the conference. Lebanon Valley slipped to 1-7 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
Trichilo, who surpassed the 200-yard plateau for the third consecutive week, scored on runs of 10, 5, 1, 5 and 39 yards. In the process he also established a new single-season record at Wilkes for touchdowns in a season with 20.
Senior tailback Pete Henning (Souderton, Pa./Souderton) had 64 yards rushing on 17 carries for Lebanon Valley. Henning is now just 92 rushing yards shy of reaching 2,000 for his career.
The Flying Dutchmen were held to only 174 yards in total offense, including 32 on the ground against the MAC's top-rated rushing defense.
Wilkes quarterback Duran Porrino completed 12 of 17 passes for 137 yards to help the Colonels roll up 488 yards in total offense. Jordan had four catches for 51 yards, while Walk hauled in four passes for 44 yards.
Lebanon Valley signal caller Roger Poorman (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) completed just 5 of 20 passes for 28 yards before leaving the game in the late in the third quarter. He was replaced by Zach Buffington (Lykens, Pa./Upper Dauphin), who completed 4 of 6 passes for 114 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown strike to Dave McCullough (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land). The scoring toss tied for the longest pass in school history.
McCullough finished with a game-high 118 yards receiving on three catches.
Wilkes took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive of the contest. Porrino connected on two passes during the drive - a nine-yard hookup with Brian Fritts and an 18-yard strike to Mike Walk. Trichilo, who carried the ball four times for 33 yards, scored hit 16th touchdown of the season on a 10-yard jaunt with 6:39 remaining in the quarter. The touchdown established a new Wilkes single-season record for scores in a season. Kyle Devlin added the extra point and the Colonels held a 7-0 lead.
After holding the Flying Dutchmen on downs on their ensuing possession, Wilkes took over on their own 35-yard line following a punt. This time Porrino hit on three-of-four passes, including a 16-yard completion to Jim Jordan that moved the ball to the Lebanon Valley five. Trichilo, who had 26 yards rushing during the drive, weaved his way into the end zone from five-yards out to extend the lead to 13-0 with 58 seconds left in the first stanza. The extra point attempt was wide right.
Wilkes came up with a big special teams play to set up their next score. Sophomore Kevin Keller (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) was back to punt for Lebanon Valley, but the Colonels Jason Mitkowski broke through the line and tackled Keller for a nine-yard loss to give Wilkes possession at the Flying Dutchmen's 25-yard line. After reaching the 14-yard line, the drive stalled and Devlin came on to boot a 31-yard field goal and extend the lead to 16-0 with 12:38 left in the second quarter.
Lebanon Valley was unable to move the ball on their next possession and faced a fourth-and-seven from their own 21-yard line. This time the snap from center went over Keller's head and into the end zone for a safety that made it 18-0 with 11:40 left in the period.
The Colonels took over at midfield after Keller's free kick sailed out of bounds. Trichilo carried three straight times for 24 yards to move the ball to the 26. After a procedure penalty on Wilkes, Porrino hit Jordan for a 10-yard completion to set up a first and 10 at the 21. A 16-yard scamper by Trichilo gave Wilkes a first-and goal at the five. But the Colonels, following a false start penalty, were unable to sustain the drive. Devlin entered and converted a 26-yard field goal to up the lead to 21-0 with 8:26 left in the second quarter.
Special teams played a key role in the Colonels next score as well. The Flying Dutchmen were forced to punt from their own 35-yard line on their next possession. This time Brian O'Leary found his way into the backfield and blocked Keller's punt. O'Leary picked up the loose ball at the 10 and returned it eight yards to the Lebanon Valley-2. Trichilo was stopped just short of the goal line on first down, before bulling his way into the end zone on the following play. Devlin tacked on the extra point to give Wilkes a 28-0 lead with 6:08 left in the first half.
The Colonels would up their lead on the first possession of the second half, marching 72 yards in 10 plays to reach paydirt. Trichilo played a key role in the drive, carrying seven times for 38 yards. Porrino also continued his stellar play, hitting on both pass attempts for 24 yards, while also rushing once for a 10-yard gain. Trichilo capped the drive with his fourth touchdown of the day on a five-yard run.
Wilkes would add to their advantage early in the fourth quarter. After taking over on the Lebanon Valley 49-yard line on downs, the Colonels needed only three plays to reach the end zone. Trichilo ran for three yards and Porrino hit Walk for an eight-yard gain to move the ball to the Lebanon Valley-39. Trichilo followed with a 39-yard scoring run, his fifth score of the game, with 13:14 remaining.
The Flying Dutchmen finally got on the scoreboard late in the contest. Safety Brian Oberdick (Middletown, N.J./Mater Dei) intercepted a Wilkes pass attempt at his own goal line and made his way out to 2-yard-line. On the first play from scrimmage following the pick, Buffington hit McCullough in stride down the right sideline with 3:49 left. McCullough outraced his defender 50 yards to the end zone, and Keller knocked home the extra point to pull Lebanon Valley within 42-7.
Wilkes would add their final points to the scoreboard with only 19 seconds left to go in the contest. The Colonels marched 67 yards in seven plays with Tom Andreopoulos scoring on a 16-yard run for his first collegiate touchdown.
Safety Brian Eames (Pine Grove, Pa./Milton Hershey) finished with a game-high 11 tackles for the Flying Dutchmen. Linebacker Joshua Otzel (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) chipped in with 10 tackles, while linebacker Eric Miller (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) finished with nine. Linebacker Brian Andrewsky (Trenton, N.J./Steinert) had seven stops and two quarterback sacks.
Lebanon Valley returns to MAC action next Saturday when it hosts Susquehanna University at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.
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