ANNVILLE, Pa. - The Lebanon Valley College football team took Wilkes University to overtime, but the Colonels scored a touchdown before LVC turned it over in the extra period and Wilkes prevailed, 29-22, at a picture-perfect Arnold Field on Saturday.
Lebanon Valley's (1-3, 0-1 MAC) Caleb Fick threw the last of his three interceptions in overtime, to Kyle Follweiler, to end the game. Wilkes (0-3, 1-0 MAC), the defending MAC champion, got its first win of the year as the Colonels extended their MAC winning streak to 17 games.
Despite the interception, Fick erupted for 304 yards on 24-of-42 passing and senior Adam Brossman caught a season-best 12 passes for 180 yards. Sophomore Charlie Parker ran 19 times for 65 yards.
Wilkes' Alex Pearson rushed for 169 yards on 33 carries.
LVC looked to get off to a quick start, driving deep into Wilkes terrority after the opening kick-off. On second-and-three at the Wilkes 14, Fick was picked off by
Darius Harrison, who raced 85 yards to the house to put the Colonels up 6-0. Mario Della Fortuna's extra point try was blocked by junior Brian Cottone.
The Dutchmen answered quickly, as Fick hit Brossman for a 42-yard gain and then hit senior Clint Vinju for a 39-yard touchdown pass midway through the quarter to lead 7-6.
The two sides traded leads again before the end of the half. Wilkes put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive culminating in Al Karaffa's 19-yard strike to Drew Letcavage to lead 13-7. The Dutchmen responded with a 12-play, 88-yard drive of their own that ended with junior Scott Klein's 17-yard touchdown grab, and LVC took a 14-13 lead into the locker room.
The team again flip-flopped the lead in the second half. Wilkes' Kyle Regner took a three-yard pass from Karaffa to put his team up 19-14, but Della Fortuna missed the PAT try.
LVC responded with yet another long drive, this time with Ryan Brennan finishing a 74-yard campaign with a punch-in run. Fick found Brossman for a two-point conversion to put the Dutchmen up 22-19.
Wilkes was set up with a golden opportunity with five minutes left in regulation. Parker fumbled the ball in the backfield and Augusto Lombana pounced on it at the LVC 22. However, the Dutchmen defense held, and the Colonels had to settle for Della Fortuna's 30-yard field goal to tie the game 22-22.
LVC likewise received a great opportunity when senior Russell DeStefano intercepted Karaffa at the Lebanon Valley 43. The Dutchmen started an epic 17-play drive that included six opportunities to score inside the five-yard line.
Ultimately, LVC couldn't punch it in from the one and had to try a field goal from 23 yards for the lead with 1:13 remaining. Sophomore Dan DiBona, however, had the distance but hit the left upright, and the game went to overtime.
Lebanon Valley won the toss and elected to defend first in OT. Wilkes put the ball in Pearson's hands, and the freshman answered with a three-yard TD run.
The Dutchmen immediately went for the end zone in their offensive opportunity, with Fick missing Brossman and Vinju on consecutive plays. On third-and-10, Fick was intercepted by Follweiler at midfield and the game was over.
Game notes: The last time LVC worked overtime was in a 28-27 loss to King's in 2004 ... LVC held a massive advantage in time of possession, holding the ball for 38:16 ... LVC was 2-of-3 on fourth-down conversions ... Fick's 304 yards was a career-high ... Brossman crossed 3,000 yards receiving for his career and now has 3,143 yards ... LVC's wide-outs also got into the running game; Brossman carried three times for 17 yards and Vinju once for 29 yards ... Cottone turned in seven tackles, a blocked extra point and an interception.
