WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Senior quarterback Madden Lowe completed 40-of-47 passes for 352 yards and four scores to lead Catholic to a 40-35 Landmark Conference road victory at Wilkes on Saturday. 

Fellow senior Zach Williams gained 166 yards from scrimmage and scored a pair of touchdowns as well for the Cardinals, including a two-yard rush that put Catholic in the lead for good with 5:36 left in the first half. 

Catholic's offense put together a standout performance, totaling 464 yards and scoring on seven different drives. The Cardinals scored on their first four drives before punting twice in the third quarter. 

Wilkes came out swinging, driving 69 yards on seven plays to score the game's first touchdown as Elijah Jules took it in from four yards out. 

Catholic responded with a methodical 12-play, 72-yard drive, culminating in Preston Jeffrey's ninth touchdown reception of the season on an 18-yard strike from Lowe. Williams got rolling early, gaining 30 yards on the drive for Adam Shaker's offense. 

Now tied 7-7 with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter, Wilkes started its drive, but turned it over two plays later on a Tyler Donnelly interception to set Catholic up near midfield. 

Five straight Catholic rushes set Catholic up in the red zone, but the Cardinals were pushed back to the 25-yard line after an offensive pass interference on first-and-goal. The Cardinals got back to the 12 after a 13-yard completion on third-and-goal, setting up a Connor Gill 30-yard field goal to put Catholic ahead 10-7. 

Isaiah Rodriguez and the Colonels responded with a lengthy touchdown drive, retaking the lead on a nine-yard run from Devin Higgins, putting Wilkes ahead 14-10. 

A long Malachi Hansen kick return set up Catholic at midfield to start the drive with 8:11 left in the first half. Catholic scored seven plays later on Williams' two-yard touchdown rush after Lowe completed passes to John Maynes, Jeffrey, and Anthony Giordano on the drive. 

Leading 17-14, Catholic tacked on another score prior to halftime with Lowe finding Sam Cornacchione for a 15-yard score with 33 seconds remaining. The Cardinals traversed 80 yards in nine plays with a 40-yard completion to Hansen setting up the touchdown. 

After 24 combined points in the second quarter, the third saw just a single score as Wilkes trimmed the deficit to 24-21 with a 33-yard score from Rodriguez to Zane Grover. 

Andrew Petrino capped off a 10-play drive with a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth to push Catholic's lead back to six points. ]

The Cardinals took the ball back over on its own 43 with 11:24 remaining. Catholic moved the ball 57 yards on 12 plays, eating up 5:53 as Lowe found Nole Henry for a seven-yard score to go up 33-21 with just under five and a half to play. 

Wilkes responded quickly, scoring 1:40 later as Rodriguez hit Jimmy Johnson for a 17-yard touchdown. A 36-yarder to Justin Moore set the Colonels up in great position two plays earlier. 

Catholic's offensive effort wasn't finished as the Cardinals took over at midfield with 3:46 remaining after a kickoff out-of-bounds. Lowe found Giordano for a 17-yard gain to open up the drive before being forced into a decision four plays later. Mike Gutelius' team faced a fourth-and-three from the Wilkes 26-yard line with 2:34 left on the game clock. Catholic elected to go for it and Lowe's pass to Williams went for 26 yards and a touchdown clinching the victory for the Cardinals. 

Wilkes would score again with 55 seconds remaining, but the Cardinals recovered the onside kick and closed out their second-straight victory. 

• With four touchdowns on the day, Lowe now has 50 passing touchdowns and 52 total touchdowns for his Catholic career. Today marks the fifth game in Lowe's career with four or more passing touchdowns. 
• In his last two games, Williams has gained 294 yards from scrimmage, rushing for a career-high 124 yards a week ago before adding 96 on the ground and a career-best 70 through the air this afternoon. 
• Five different Catholic pass catchers added at least four receptions today while Cornacchione and Henry each caught a touchdown on one of their two receptions each. Jeffrey had a game-high nine catches for 53 yards and a score while Giordano was the leader with 79 yards. Jeffrey needs just 19 yards next week to reach 2,500 for his career
• Donnelly entered the starting defensive backfield three games ago and hasn't looked back added his second interception of the season today. He has 11 tackles, two picks, and two PBUs in his last three games. 
• This is Catholic's first 40-plus point effort after scoring more than 40 twice a year ago. 

Catholic will wrap up the 2023 season on Saturday as it honors its seniors prior to a 1 p.m. kickoff versus Juniata.