It fought on.

A game which felt like it might be a blowout early turned into a thriller and the Warriors had a shot at victory entering the final minute. Three incompletions and a sack, however, followed a 23-yard Brendan Clark catch and Washington & Jefferson sealed a hard-fought 14-12 Cape Charles Bowl victory Saturday at Frank Girardi Stadium.

It was not the ending Lycoming (5-6) wanted as it was denied a winning season and lost for the first time in five games. But, like Rocky Balboa, in his first fight against Apollo Creed, the Warriors went the distance. They roared back from that 1-5 start, took over the second half against Washington & Jefferson and came within a two-point conversion of forcing overtime.

“We battled all year. That shows the character of our people,” wide receiver Karson Kline said after catching six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns. “Our coaches don’t just care about us winning football games; they want us to be the best people possible and you have to battle back from times like those. It shows on the football field and that’s going to carry you through life.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming defense puts pressure on Washington and Lee's quarterback Ty Collins during the Cape Charles Bowl at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

Washington & Jefferson led 14-0 early in the second quarter. At that point, the back-to-back Cape Charles Bowl winners had run 36 plays to Lycoming’s six, while holding the ball for nearly 18 more minutes. Everything seemed to point toward this becoming a rout.

But a team which overcame a rough first six weeks, as well as some costly injuries never flinched. The defense did not allow another point; Jared Zimmerman provided a special teams and offensive spark and Joe Lyons (238 yards) found Kline for a 7-yard touchdown, making it, 14-6 at halftime as the extra point sailed wide.

“Throughout the season we showed a lot of toughness and resilience. That’s something that we really believe in,” Zimmerman said after totaling 159 all-purpose yards. “To come back from 1-5 and getting blown out to Susquehanna and winning our last four games and then today, down 14-0 and we keep battling, it shows the heart the team has. I’m really happy with that.”

Lycoming had two chances from inside the 25-yard line in the second half, but Parker Maynard intercepted a pass at the 3-yard line and Cape Charles MVP Jack Johnson another in the end zone on a second-and-goal from the 9. Still, the defense kept making key stops and Lycoming took over at its 31-yard line with 8 minutes, 39 seconds remaining.

This time, the Warriors cashed in, going 69 yards in 11 plays. Kline, playing his final collegiate game, hauled in a 16-yard touchdown from Lyons on a third-and-goal play, making it, 14-12. Johnson worked for open space as Lyons stepped into the pocket and split two defenders.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Terrence Oliver (7) is brought down by a number of Washington and Lee's defenders during the Cape Charles Bowl at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

“We called the play beforehand and we didn’t run it right. We called it again and it was a scramble drill,” Kline said. “I moved to the open spot and Joe found me but we still needed the 2-point conversion, so you couldn’t get too excited.”

A delay of game penalty made the 2-point try harder, pushing the ball back five yards to the 7. From there, Lyons tried threading the needle but Maynard intercepted the pass, denying Lycoming a tie.

Washington & Jefferson had a shot to run out the clock but gambled on third-and-6 near midfield and Lycoming earned one last chance, setting up at its 15 with :55 seconds left and no timeouts. Clark hauled in a Lyons dart near the sideline and dove out of bounds, moving it to the 38. Just when it seemed Lycoming might complete the comeback, the Presidents’ vetoed the idea and the defense stiffened, forcing three incompletions and swallowing up Lyons on fourth down.

“Defensively we played well enough to win. Offensively, we just had too many mistakes … a dropped touchdown, red zone interceptions, penalties,” Lycoming coach Mike Clark said. “You can’t do that. You look at combination of our inability to efficiently run the football and the turnovers we had, and that stuff hurts.”

Lycoming was hurting early on as Washington & Jefferson gouged it with its rushing attack. Ryan Clemens ran for 100 of his 188 yards and two touchdowns in the game’s opening 18 minutes and his second score made it, 14-0.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming quarterback Joe Lyons drops back to pass during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

Zimmerman, however, started changing the game’s complexion with a 51-yard kickoff return. He then threw a dime on an end-around pass but the ball was dropped in the end zone, erasing what would have been a 33-yard touchdown.

Still, the offense was coming to life and Ryan Pentz’s fumble recovery at the 49-yard line offered the break Lycoming needed. From there, Zimmerman caught consecutive passes which totaled 43 yards and moved the ball inside the red zone. Three plays later, Kline made a brilliant move in the left side of the end zone and Lyons hit him in stride for a 7-yard touchdown which made it, 14-6.

“I was just trying to play for the seniors. I love each and every one of them,” Zimmerman said after catching five passes for 80 yards. “Every single one of them helped me get to where I am now, so I was just trying to play for them to help get our team going.”

The defense kept going strong from there. Washington & Jefferson was the first option offense Lycoming had encountered since its season opener early last September. It took some time settling in, but the Warriors started forming a blue wall as the game progressed, turning the Presidents away on their final seven possessions. Equally impressive, Washington & Jefferson never even crossed midfield again.

Pentz made 14 tackles in his final college game and Hughesville graduate Aiden Barlett made a big tackle on third down which short-circuited a Washington & Jefferson first-quarter scoring threat. The special teams also came up big in the second half with Jersey Shore graduate Brady Jordan breaking up a fake punt pass attempt and giving Lycoming the ball near midfield early in the third quarter.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming quarterback Joe Lyons drops back to pass during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

The game became a microcosm of Lycoming’s entire season. The Warriors fell to 1-5 following a 69-7 loss at Susquehanna. Instead of retreating, they kept moving forward and won four consecutive games, allowing more than 20 points just one time.

“We were embarrassed by Susquehanna and, from that point on, our guys were pretty good,” Clark said. “Most other people would have packed it in at 1-5 and given up and our guys chose to not do that.”

“We talked about all year leaving it all out there every week. We missed some opportunities but we put everything we could into the week of practice and the game,” Kline said. “You’re going to make mistakes in a football game, but we left it all out there.”

WJ 7 7 0 0–14

Lycoming 0 6 0 6–12

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Washington and Lee players celebrate their win over Lycoming in the 2025 Cape Charles Bowl at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

First Quarter

W–Ryan Clemens 5 run (Marcus Gafford kick), 6:42

Second Quarter

W–Clemens 4 run (Gafford kick), 9:13

L–Karson Kline 7 pass from Joe Lyons (kick failed), 1:11

Fourth Quarter

L–Kline 15 pass from Lyons (pass failed), 3:20

TEAM STATISTICS W L

First downs 22 13

Rushes-yards 65-337 21-47

Passing yards 24 238

Total yards 361 285

Comp-Att-Int 3-8-0 18-35-2

Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 6-36 5-35

Punts-Avr. 4-35 4-39.3

INDIVIDAUL STATISTICS

RUSHING: WJ, Ryan Clemens 33-188, 2 TD; Micahel Schoenberg 15-66; Josh Garcia 7-49; Ty Collins 5-21; Fidel Small 2-8; Joe Pizzo 1-6; Ayden Boyd 1-1. Lycoming, Terrence Oliver 14-28; Spencer Ferguson 2-21; Michael VanHorn 3-6; Joe Lyons 2-(-8).

PASSING: WJ, Collins 3-7-0, 24 yards; Ian Gallimore 0-1-0. Lycoming, Lyons 18-34-2, 238 yards, 2 TD; Jared Zimmerman 0-1-0.

RECEIVING: WJ, Ian Evans 2-13; Dryden Duggins 1-11. Lycoming, Zimmerman 5-80; Karson Kline 6-79, 2 TD; Dawson Debebe 3-30; Brendan Clark 1-23; Oliver 1-14; VanHorn 2-12.

INTERCEPTIONS: WJ, Jack Johnson; Parker Maynard.

SACKS: WJ, Will Knight; Cole Sheppard.

Records: Washington & Jefferson 7-4. Lycoming 5-6.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming defense attempts to stop Washington and Lee's Ryan Clemens during the Cape Charles Bowl at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming quarterback Joe Lyons (14) calls a play during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming head coach Mike Clark walks the sidelines during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Jared Zimmerman reaches for a pass during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Karson Kline pulls in a pass during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Karson Kline is brought down by a pack of Washington and Lee's defense during the Cape Charles Bowl at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Khalil Johnson put pressure on Washington and Lee's quarterback Ty Collins during the Cape Charles Bowl game against at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lycoming's Spencer Ferguson (29) returns the kick off to start the fourth quarter during the Cape Charles Bowl game against Washington and Lee at David Person Field on Saturday. Washington and Lee won 14-12.