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Chesapeake Challenge Returns to Campus Sites for 2025

TOWSON, Md. - After playing the 2024 matchup at neutral-site Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia, the Chesapeake Challenge bowl games between the Landmark Conference and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference return to campus sites in 2025 for the third installment. Both games will be played on Saturday, November 22.

This year’s format again features two games with four teams, two from each conference, competing in either the Cape Henry Bowl or the Cape Charles Bowl. Cape Henry and Cape Charles mark the northern and southern gateways of the Chesapeake Bay, and the bowls draw their names from those landmarks. Each conference is represented by its top two teams in the final standings that did not qualify for the NCAA postseason.

Lycoming College will host the Cape Charles Bowl and welcome Washington and Lee University, while Wilkes University will travel to Shenandoah University for the Cape Henry Bowl.

Admission to the Chesapeake Challenge bowl games is $15 for adults and $10 for minors (10-17). Children nine and under, and students, faculty, and staff from the Landmark and ODAC member institutions are free with a school ID.

Fans attending the Lycoming vs. Washington and Lee game must purchase tickets in advance through HomeTown Ticketing No cash sales will be accepted at the gate.

Those attending the Wilkes at Shenandoah matchup in Winchester, Va., can also purchase tickets through HomeTown Ticketing.

Cape Henry Bowl Information | Cape Charles Bowl Information 

In addition, spectators can purchase custom 2025 Chesapeake Challenge apparel at each location through the Landmark apparel vendor Fine Design.

Lycoming is no stranger to postseason play, having competed in the inaugural Cape Charles Bowl in 2023. The Warriors earned a 20–17 win over Washington & Lee University in that matchup, sealed by a gutsy 4th-and-2 conversion from the 31-yard line late in the game. 

The Warriors finished 5-5, and, after a challenging 0–4 start to the season, closed strong by going 5-1 over its final six contests.

Lycoming enters bowl play ranked third in the Landmark Conference with 34 touchdowns and an average of 25.9 points per game.

Wilkes has been a staple of the Chesapeake Challenge since its inception, representing the Landmark in the first-ever Cape Henry Bowl and defeating Bridgewater College, 35–17, in Wilkes-Barre. The Colonels returned to the Cape Henry Bowl in 2024, facing Washington & Lee in Salem and falling, 40–21. Defensively, Wilkes enters this year’s matchup ranked second in the conference, allowing just 16.4 points per contest.

The Colonels secured their place in the 2025 Chesapeake Challenge with a dominant regular-season performance against WestConn, earning a 38–0 victory over the Wolves.

Washington & Lee enters the bowl game with 43 touchdowns and an average of 30.0 points per game, ranking third in the ODAC. Defensively, the Generals have allowed opponents to score 20.0 points per contest.

Shenandoah, meanwhile, has totaled 39 touchdowns and is averaging 29.4 points per game. On the defensive side, the Hornets have allowed just 18.6 points per game, the second-best mark in the ODAC.