After almost a month on the road and on a bye week, the Wilkes University football team was back at home for the first time since Oct. 4, the Colonels dominated at Schmidt Stadium.
Led by a strong offensive showing which featured 541 total offensive yards, the Colonels took a 38-7 victory over Juniata College as they continued Landmark Conference Play.
A week after losing their first Landmark contest against Lycoming a week prior, the Colonels were playing with a palpable chip on their shoulder. With Senior Day festivities also taking place, Wilkes hoped to get the momentum going in front of the Schmidt Stadium faithful.
The first quarter started with a Juniata drive that reached deep into Colonel territory, but the home team was able to force a turnover on downs inside their own 15 yard line.
Sophomore Daniel Pigga took the first play for the Colonels to the house, rushing a jet-sweep 90 yards in for a touchdown, beating all Eagles defenders in sight.
On the next Juniata drive, the Eagles spent over four-and-a-half minutes, going 74 yards on 11 plays, resulting in an Alex Eaton touchdown which saw thighs level with just under 6-and-a-half minutes left in the first frame.
Nick Volpone drilled a 23 yard field goal to make it a 10-7 game, starting a run of 31 unanswered points the Colonels would score before it was all said and done.
In the second and third quarters, rushing touchdowns were the name of the game as Ben Contella and Cooper King scored on back-to-back drives.
King would rush in for another just 30 seconds into the fourth frame, making it a 31-7 game. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, King aired one out to find fellow senior Justin Moore for his first receiving touchdown of the 2025 season.
Volpone again went perfect once again on extra point attempts, continuing a success rate of 100 percent this season.
For Juniata, quarterback Ethan Eisenberg went 18/37 with 132 yards. Running back Ivan Foreman had 89 yards on 14 rushes, with the longest being a 25 yard run in the third quarter. Defensively, Dillon Wakefield led the Eagles with 11 total tackles. No Juniata player was able to record a tackle for loss.
King went 16/30 with 188 yards in the air, 106 yards rushing, one interception and three total touchdowns. Contella ended with 79 yards and one TD. Defensively, Tallen Murray led the team with 10 total tackles and a 13 yard sack.
The Colonels improved to 5-3 in 2025, with a 3-1 Landmark record. Juniata falls to 2-6, with a 0-4 record in conference play.
On Nov. 8, the Colonels are on the road taking on perennial Landmark favorite Susquehanna University. Opening kickoff against the Riverhawks is set for 12 p.m. in Selinsgrove, Pa.
