Bendekovits and Wimberly lead Nazareth to big win over Wilkes-Barre, 42-6

Written by: David Mika on Saturday, November 4th, 2023. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

NAZARETH – Jed Bendekovits and Marquez Wimberly rushed for two touchdowns each leading the Blue Eagles to a 42-6 win in a District 2/4/11 Class 6A quarterfinal game.

With the win, Nazareth (10-1) moves on and will host Northampton (9-2) in the semifinals.

It didn’t take long for the Blue Eagles offense to flex their muscles. Five plays into the game, Nazareth marched right down the field and Marquez Wimberly finished the drive scoring from 11 yards out. The kick was no good and the Blue Eagles led 6-0 with 10:47 left in the first quarter.

In fact, Nazareth scored on its first three possessions and added two more scores in the quarter. Jed Bendekovits rushed for two five-yard touchdown runs. After one quarter, it was the Blue Eagles leading 20-0.

“It’s good to get the big lead early and jump on them,” said Head Football Coach Tom Falzone. “It’s good to get a win and get out of the first round.”

As good as the Blue Eagles’ offense was in the first quarter, their defense was just as impressive. The Wolfpack’s first five possessions resulted in three-and-outs.

“Great effort by the defense tonight,” said Falzone. “We had some key guys out tonight but the other guys stepped up tonight.”

Bendekovits blocked a Wilkes-Barre punt and three plays later Wimberly scored on a 16-yard run with 4:27 left in the first half. The Blue Eagles led 27-0.

Quarterback Peyton Falzone added a seven-yard TD run with 2:37 remaining in the first half. A two-point run by Logan Hilarczyk made it 35-0.

That would be the score going into halftime, which resulted in the second half being played under the mercy rule. It was a dominant performer by the Blue Eagles in the first half. They out-gained Wilkes-Barre by 255-38 with 12 first downs versus one.

The Wolfpack finally got on the board with 3:06 left in the third quarter on a Jake Howe to Jovan Goodwin pass for 46 yards.

Nazareth’s 2nd team moved the ball late in the game, with a 17-play, 60-yard scoring drive that ate up a lot of time. Jake Banghart’s one-yard touchdown run extended Nazareth’s lead to 42-6.

The Blue Eagles finished the night rushing for 274 yards. “If we can run the ball, it opens up so many things,” said Falzone. “Tonight Peyton, Bendekovits, and Wimberly ran the ball well for us.”

Scoring Summary: