The men’s football team at Wilkes hosted its first Friday night game in history and was victorious against the Delaware Valley Aggies 12-7.

The game was played on September 11; the announcer asked the audience to take a moment of silence to honor the devastation that occurred in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Soon after, the marching band played the Star-Spangled Banner as the sun peeked over the hills in the distance.

The sun fell quickly and the Friday night lights came on. The Aggies won the coin toss and chose to start on defense. This decision allowed them to receive the ball after halftime.

The Colonels opened the game very well, but turned over the ball to the Aggies.

The Aggies threw a few passes which gained the team substantial yards. A hand-off to the running back led to the first touchdown of the game followed by a field goal. Wilkes needed to overcome the 7-point deficit.

Wilkes received the kick-off and moved down the field, passing and running the ball. A failed pass on third-down led them to punt back to the Aggies.

The Colonel defense held the Aggies without a conversion. After the Colonels got the ball back, they moved down the field, but had to punt once again. They held the Aggies scoreless on their drive.

The Colonels gained momentum on a second-down sack and a third-down interception. A big toss to the red zone brought the Colonels in good position to score. Tensions arose after a series of penalties, but the team still managed to score. The field goal was missed, which brought the score to a disappointing 7-6.

The game was fought back and forth. The Colonels recovered a fumble; the Aggies tossed a far pass but missed a field goal.

The Colonels became nervous when the Aggies marched down the field and were looking in the end-zone. Suddenly, the Aggies quarterback missed a snap and moved the ball back 24 yards. They attempted to punt and messed up, giving the Colonels great field position.

The Colonels, very excited, began moving the ball. The whole team pushed the running back to the first down. After, Wilkes’ quarterback threw a bullet on fourth-down to keep the drive alive. With the defense on their heels, they threw a screen pass and ran the ball in for the second touchdown. The two-point conversion failed and brought the game to 12-7.

A nail-biting finish, with a wide variety of penalties, drove the home stands crazy. The final play in the red-zone was a failed pass. The crowd erupted with excitement.

This win was a very emotional one. The crowd gave a standing ovation as the team stormed the field.

Wilkes travels to Williamsport, PA to play Lycoming College on Sat. 9/19 at 1:30. Go to GoWilkesU.com for further information on the football team and other teams at Wilkes University.