Playing at Easton Area High School gave J’Vier Johnson one football family.

He’s developed a new set of bonds with former Eastern Pennsylvania Conference foesturned college teammates.

Johnson is one of 16 former EPC players on the Wilkes University football team. He’s among the Lehigh Valley products with a regular role for the Colonels (4-2 overall, 2-0 Landmark Conference), who are tied with Susquehanna for first place in the Landmark Conference.

Johnson, a junior defensive back, leads Wilkes with three interceptions. He also has 19 tackles (12 solo), three pass breakups and one tackle for loss for a defense that has allowed a Landmark Conference-low 16.7 points per game.

Allentown Central Catholic graduate Rajan Stevens (21 tackles, 1.5 TFL, one sack), Bethlehem Catholic graduate Fredrick Mweu (15 tackles, three TFL, one sack) and Emmaus grad Trevor Gitski (six tackles, 1.5 TFL, one sack) have joined with Johnson to help the Colonels produce a strong defense.

“It’s been great,” Johnson said. “We’ve all been creating a brotherhood. It’s like another family.

“Coming from Easton, we had a family. And then coming to Wilkes, competing with the guys I was competing against is just a surreal experience.”

Wilkes quarterback Cooper King, a Northampton grad, has thrown for 902 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. He’s also run for 182 yards. (Wilkes University Athletics/contributed photo)

Wilkes’ Lehigh Valley flavor isn’t limited to defense. Senior Cooper King (Northampton) won the starting quarterback job this season after waiting behind upperclassmen in past years. He’s thrown for 902 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also run for 182 yards, second-best on the Colonels.

Easton graduate Juju Fears leads Wilkes with 17 catches and two touchdowns. (Wilkes University Athletics/contributed photo)

Easton graduate Juju Fears has been a frequent target for King. Fears leads Wilkes with 17 catches and two touchdown receptions. He’s second on the Colonels with 200 receiving yards.

Bethlehem Catholic’s Rahmel Terry (nine catches, one TD) and Whitehall’s Nigel Linton (15 carries, 48 yards) have also contributed on offense. Add in offensive lineman and captain Luke Baker (Northampton), and the Colonels have EPC products playing all over the field.

It’s not an accident.

Second-year Wilkes head coach David Biever played at East Stroudsburg University and was an assistant at Pleasant Valley for four years before becoming an assistant at Wilkes before the 2014 season. He’s made recruiting in the EPC a priority.

“The Lehigh Valley guys have been really good for us,” Biever said. “They’ve built their own little community. They recruit harder than [the Wilkes coaches] do to get kids out of the Valley.

“It’s obviously been great to us being an hour away from there. It’s key to the culture that our kids have built and the competitiveness, that they want kids they played against in high school.”

Wilkes starts its post-bye Landmark Conference push Saturday when it heads to Lycoming. The Colonels also have games left against Juniata, preseason conference favorite Susquehanna and Western Connecticut State.

Wilkes needs Johnson and his defensive teammates to remain the team’s strength.

Continued growth from King and the offense are also key to the Colonels’ conferencechampionship hopes.

“For us, it’s about learning every week, finding a way to win every week,” Biever said. “When you look at us, consistently, we’re going to be in a fourth-quarter ballgame. That’s what we believe in.

“We’re going to play four quarters of football. We believe we out-condition and outwork people, and we’re going to lean on people in the fourth quarter to give us a chance.”

Looking ahead: Here’s a look at this week’s games.

Carnegie Mellon (4-2 overall, 2-1 Centennial Conference) at Muhlenberg (5-1, 2-1)

When: 12 p.m. Saturday

Taking note: Carnegie Mellon has allowed a conference-low 17.0 points per game in its first season in the Centennial Conference. It has three players averaging at least 1 tackle for loss per game. … Muhlenberg ran for 324 yards and averaged 7.0 yards per carry in last week’s 56-7 win at McDaniel. … Muhlenberg sophomore linebacker Thomas Cerruti leads the conference with 53 tackles.

Western Connecticut State (4-2 overall, 1-1 Landmark Conference) at Moravian (0-7, 0-3)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Taking note: Western Connecticut State has lost two straight games after opening the season 4-0. … Moravian amassed a season-high 451 yards of offense in last week’s overtime loss at Catholic. … Nathan Carr (Palisades) had a team-high eight tackles and 1 1/2 sacks against Catholic. He has at least five tackles in four of his last five games.

Kutztown (7-0 overall, 4-0 PSAC East) at West Chester (3-4, 1-3)

When: 12 p.m. Saturday

Taking note: West Chester has lost three straight games since winning its PSAC East opener at Millersville. … Kutztown ranks second in the PSAC in rushing with 222.6 yards per game. It’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry. … Kutztown has a plus-five turnover margin. It has committed only three turnovers.

East Stroudsburg (6-1 overall, 4-0 PSAC East) at Shepherd (3-4, 3-1)

When: 12 p.m. Saturday

Taking note: East Stroudsburg has 28 sacks after registering six more in Saturday’s win over Shippensburg. Graduate student Jered Fenstermaker (Parkland) recorded his first sack of the season in the win. … Shepherd has won three straight since opening PSAC East play with a 49-10 loss to Kutztown. … Shepherd’s Jordan Barnett ranks third in the PSAC with 697 rushing yards. He’s averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.

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