BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- The Bridgewater College football team will play in the inaugural Chesapeake Challenge in the Cape Henry Bowl, hosted by Wilkes, the second-place team in the Landmark Conference, to close out the 2023 season on Saturday at 12 pm.

Bridgewater at Wilkes
When: Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Stadium: Schmidt Stadium
Kickoff: 12:00 pm
Gameday Forecast: Temps in the mid 40s, mostly sunny
Series Record: First Meeting
Live Video: The live stream for the game is provided through FloSports and can be watched with a subscription to the service. Fans can use THIS LINK to subscribe for a lower cost. In addition, the game will be shown in the dining hall for students wanting to watch the contest. 
Live Stats: https://gowilkesu.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Tickets: https://landmarkconference.org/sports/2022/4/25/championships-tickets.aspx?path=champs 
    $15 adults; $10 minors (ages 10-17); can be purchased in advance NO CASH AT THE VENUE 

SCOUTING THE COLONELS: Wilkes ended the regular season with a 41-6 win against Moravian to clinch hosting rights for the Cape Henry Bowl. Wilkes closed out the scheduled campaign with a 4-6 overall record, but a 4-2 mark in Landmark contests gave it second place in the standings. The Colonels' defense stepped up in the game against Moravian as they recorded a pair of touchdowns off interceptions and forced a total of four turnovers in the win. On the other side of the ball, Isaiah Rodriguez led the quarterbacks with 198 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while Elijah Jules rushed for 71 yards and a score. Jimmy Johnson was the primary target for the offense with five catches for 92 yards, while JayJay Jordan, Devin Higgins and Jules all had receiving touchdowns. The Colonels faced a challenging schedule in 2023 opening the year 0-4 through the nonconference slate before finishing the year on a 4-2 stretch. 

WILKES HEAD COACH:  Jonathan Drach took over the reigns of the Wilkes football program in 2018 and also serves as the team's offensive coordinator. Through his first five years with the Colonels, he brought the team to a 27-14 record and won at least six games in each season. He guided the first all-region player for the program since 2010 when Elijah Jules claimed first team all-region honors from D3football.com in 2022. Drach serves on the NCAA Rules Committee and also part of the AFCA Head D3 Coaches Committee, as well. Prior to Wilkes, Drach spent 11 seasons at Hobart as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Statesmen won six Liberty League Conference championships and made seven NCAA postseason appearances, including a trip to the quarterfinals. Drach graduated from Western Michigan in 2004 with a degree in business finance and economics. He was a member of the Broncos as a three-year starting QB. 

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Cape Henry Bowl serves as the first all-time meeting between Bridgewater and Wilkes. 

CHESAPEAKE CHALLENGE: This weekend marks the first Chesapeake Challenge in a postseason bowl agreement between the ODAC and the Landmark Conference. In addition to the match up of Bridgewater and Wilkes, Washington and Lee will host Lycoming in the Cape Charles Bowl that will also kickoff on Saturday afternoon. The yearly bowl agreement between the two conferences pits the second-place team in the ODAC hosting the third-place team in the Landmark, while the No. 2 team in the Landmark hosts the No. 3 ODAC team. Two more teams from the leagues are also in play today as nationally-ranked Randolph-Macon hosts Christopher Newport and fellow national spotlighted Susquehanna welcomes Grove City to town in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST: Bridgewater ended the regular season on a high note as the Eagles dominated Guilford, 47-15, on Senior Day. The game saw four seniors playing their final game at the Jopson Athletic Complex finding the end zone, including Malcolm Anderson, Jamel Johnson, Derrick Jenkins and Shawn Harris. Anderson connected with Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown and ran it in from two yards out, while Harris went 38 yards for a pick six at the start of the fourth quarter. Jenkins caught a pass from fellow senior Jaylen Wood for the last score of the game, as well. The BC defense recorded 6.0 sacks and forced a pair of turnovers while holding the Quakers to just eight yards rushing on the day. 
ONE MORE TIME: The Cape Henry Bowl will be the final game the Bridgewater football team plays in the 2023 season and will serve as the last game for a group of seniors and fifth-year players who have seen a lot of winning with the team over the last several years. This marks the second straight season the Eagles have clinched a spot in a postseason bowl game and the third time since 2019 when BC won the ODAC Championship and earned an AQ  into the NCAA Playoffs. For the fifth-year players, the group has helped Bridgewater to a 33-14 record (.702 winning pct).

THE KEYSTONE STATE: Bridgewater has had limited trips to the Keystone State over its recent program history, but historically, the team finds ways to win nearly every time it crosses the Pennsylvania border. Over the last 25 seasons, the Eagles are 9-2 when playing in the state of PA. The two loses came at the hands of perennial powerhouse Washington and Jefferson in 2004, which advanced to the national semifinals, and the Landmark's Lycoming. BC last played in the state in 2022 and left with a 29-14 win at Gettysburg following a second-half comeback. The Eagles also have wins over St. Vincent and a victory at Thiel in the 2005 NCAA postseason.

SCORING BATTLE: The Eagles have scored at least 21 points in each of their last four games to end the season and at least 21 in all but two contests this season. The two games which BC was held under 20 points were against nationally-ranked Randolph-Macon and Susquehanna. Outside of those two games, the Eagles are averaging 38.5 points per game and have scored at least 35 points six times. Wilkes averages 30.0 points per game on the year, which serves as the seventh time an opponent has faced Bridgewater averaging at least 30.0 points/game. In those contests, the Eagles are 3-3 in the previous games.