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Profs spoil season for Colonels again

Tom Andreopoulos of Wilkes tries to push away Rowan’s Andrew Yezzi.

Times leader staff photo/pete g. wilcox

Rowan quarterback Mike Orihel was denied on a goal-line sneak on fourth down in the second quarter, but the senior was able to break the plane twice on a pair of fourth-quarter plunges to give the Profs the win Saturday at Ralston Field.

Times Leader Staff Photo/Pete G. Wilcox

EDWARDSVILLE — Keith Cavallotti turned around and plodded back down the stairs to the vacant field below.
The Colonels had already made their solemn march off Ralston Field after Saturday’s 21-14 NCAA tournament loss to Rowan — the last trek for Wilkes’ prolific seniors.
But the senior defensive end went back down for a final time, taking a few steps onto the worn grass to survey the place before heading back up those big stone steps to be greeted by hugs from family.
This was tough.
If last season’s 42-3 first round defeat to the Profs was a quick knockout, this rematch was a slow bloodletting that was lost on the cards.
Certainly, it was more painful.
“It’s going to hurt for awhile,” Wilkes coach Frank Sheptock said after the game. “But when the guys look back, they’ll have a lot to be very proud of. Lost in it all, with the (Middle Atlantic Conference) championship and things like that, never have I been more proud of my football team and how they played today.”
The Colonels (11-1) came out with fire after halftime, rallying for a 14-7 lead. But it wasn’t enough to hold off the notoriously hard-to-kill Profs, who advanced to Saturday’s regional final against St. John Fisher.
A late fourth quarter Wilkes lead unexpectedly remained after Rowan botched an extra point, making the score 14-13 in favor of the Colonels.
With all of its timeouts remaining and a little less than three minutes on the clock, the Profs opted to kick it deep.
A play later, Wilkes fumbled it away on the snap between quarterback Al Karaffa and center Josh Hurlbutt. Rowan recovered and punched it in five plays later on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Mike Orihel.
“I dropped the ball,” Karaffa said. “The ball hit me in the hands. It was down, I saw it, I tried to get on top of it. Just couldn’t get on top of it. I was fighting for it but the other kid got it. Unfortunate things happen and you just try to keep your head up and keep playing.”
Those unfortunate things seem to be commonplace for opponents of Rowan (9-2), which scored a dramatic, late win for the second straight week in the playoffs after beating Hobart 20-18 on a last-minute field goal in the first round.
Not that the past made this game any easier on the nerves, as Rowan coach Jay Accorsi started his postgame press conference with a loud exhale.
“Certainly the game was, for those that have followed us this year, kind of par for the course,” Accorsi said. “We’ve played football like this all year long, making it a little bit too exciting.”
Though the Profs didn’t come out and take control as quickly as last year, they still jumped on top first on a 5-yard touchdown run by Davon Edwards.
But the vaunted Wilkes defense was able to turn momentum around by picking off Orihel twice in the first half, and stopping his sneak attempt at fourth-and-goal from the 1 to keep the halftime deficit to 7-0.
Orihel’s third interception early after halftime got the Colonels clicking on offense, as Karaffa hit senior Jim Jordan for 53 yards on play-action, setting up a 6-yard touchdown by Tom Andreopoulos that tied things up.
Wilkes carried that spurt to a 14-7 lead at the start of the fourth quarter on another Andreopoulos score, this time from 5 yards out.
The Colonels clung to that advantage until Orihel scored on his first 1-yard QB sneak with three minutes remaining, but the snap on the extra point sailed high on holder Sal Calaciura, who scrambled and threw an impromptu pass that was caught just short of the end zone.
Then came the fumble and winning touchdown, as Wilkes’ desperate attempt to prolong its season ended after a long pass to Jordan was ruled out of bounds on third down and Karaffa was unable to find anyone on fourth down from midfield.
By the end of it, both sides were beat up and exhausted. Several players were forced to their respective sidelines for stretches of time. Notably for the Colonels, Jordan, receiver Stephon Burgette, tight end Matt Pizarro and defensive tackle Jason Acquaye suffered various injuries throughout. Linebacker Kyle Follweiler had to get help just to make it back to the fieldhouse after the game.
Sheptock was right — this one will certainly hurt. But not like it did last year.
“I’m very proud of our players and how they played today,” Sheptock said. “They showed tremendous heart and courage to come back against a tremendous Rowan football team. Obviously we’re disappointed our season is over because this group has had a tremendous run.”