WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Catholic University football senior Brady Berger connected with junior Preston Jeffrey for a 65-yard touchdown pass to give the Cardinals a 27-22 victory over Wilkes Saturday at Schmidt Stadium.
Trailing 22-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Catholic rallied with 13 unanswered points, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 7:37 remaining on a third-and-10 from its own 35-yard line.
Berger threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-33 passing as the Cardinals totaled 367 yards of total offense in their first game in 518 days. He also had six carries for 39 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Berger completed a pass to eight different receivers, including sophomore Owen Shields who had four catches for 71 yards, both game highs. Sophomore Andrew Comeau also had four receptions.
Catholic began its comeback with 1:59 left in the third quarter. Trailing by eight, the team took over at its own 41-yard line before Berger led the team on an 8-play, 59-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior Mark Cheffers that pulled the Cardinals within two.
Facing a fourth-and-2, Berger kept the drive alive with a 23-yard run down to the Wilkes 11-yard line. Two plays later, he found Cheffers for his first touchdown pass of the spring.
On the ensuing drive, the Catholic defense stopped the Colonels on fourth-and-3 from the Cardinals' 35-yard line to give the ball back to the offense. After back-to-back incompletions, Berger hit Jeffrey on a deep slant across the middle before Cheffers outraced the defense 30 yards to the far pylon.
With Catholic preserving its second lead of the game, the defense once again came up with a stop, forcing Wilkes to a three-and-out on its final two possessions, highlighted by sacks from sophomores Huey Bodger and Jaegar Wesley.
The Cardinals forced the Colonels into five punts while limiting them to just 4-of-12 on third-down conversions despite being on the field for nearly 38 minutes. They also had four sacks.
Senior Brendan Webster led the way with 10 tackles while junior Matthew DiSanto had six tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss.
Catholic will host Stevenson in its only home game of the spring next Friday, April 23 at Cardinal Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. While no fans will be permitted due to the current policy ordered by the District of Columbia, the game will be streamed live on the Cardinal Sports Network.
