Courtesy of Wesley Athletics
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Making his first career start, sophomore Brandon Wright (Clayton, N.J./Clayton) accounted for three scores, while back up quarterback Justin Sottilare (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) came off the bench to throw for three touchdowns in a 34-6 Wesley win over Christopher Newport.
After causing a turnover on downs on the Captains' (0-1) first possession, Wesley took over at the CNU 28. The Wolverines (1-0) covered that distance on four rushes, capped by Wright's first touchdown of the day, an eight-yard scamper. It was not all good news on the drive for Wesley, however, as senior quarterback Shane McSweeny (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) was injured on the drive and did not return to the game.
Mike Asiedu (Yonkers, N.Y./Gorton) and Jeffery Dorsey (Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn) got into the Captains' backfield on the next possession to force a three and out and after a 41-yard punt, Sean Hopkins (Georgetown, Del./Sussex Central) reeled off a 31-yard return into Christopher Newport territory. Sottilare entered the game and hit Wright for 18 yards and Wesley's sophomore tailback took a hand off on the next play and rumbled 27 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter and a 13-0 Wesley lead with 8:37 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Wright and the Wesley offense struck again as Sottilare connected with his running back for a 33-yard touchdown and a 20-0 advantage with 7:40 to go in the half.
It looked as though Christopher Newport may get on the board on its next offensive series, but on third and one in Wesley territory, Dorsey and Paul Gilstrop (Lindenwold, N.J./Paul VI) took down signal caller Matt Long to force another punt.
Wesley went three and out and was forced to punt from its own six, with the Captains taking over at the Wolverine 45. CNU pulled out a trick play with running back Keith Gaines hitting T.J. Foster for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Aaron Benson (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) blocked the extra point, however, and the teams went into the half with Wesley ahead, 20-6.
Sottilare went a perfect 4-for-4 on the first drive of the second half, hitting Ellis Krout (Dallas, Texas/Roosevelt) for a 10-yard score to stretch the lead to 27-6.
Then in fourth quarter, the junior quarterback went to his tight end, Sean McAndrew (Lanoka Harbor, N.J./Lacey Township) for an eight-yard tally and a 34-6 lead.
Wright finished the day with 14 carries for 75 yards and caught a pair of passes for 51 yards. Sottilare completed 17-of-31 passes for 267 yards and three scores. Leonard Stevenson (Nanjemoy, Md./Lackey) led the team with 80 receiving yards on three catches, while McAndrew and Krout each caught four passes.
Defensively, the Wolverines were led by a linebacking unit that tallied 26 tackles on the afternoon. Quran Barge (Camden, N.J./Camden Catholic) made a team-high 10 stops from the middle, while Jeff Morgan (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) added nine stops and a sack from the strong side. Asiedu added seven tackles, two for loss and forced fumble.
In addition to his blocked extra point, Benson added half a sack and an interception.
The Wolverine defense also limited the Captains to just 113 total yards, including just 12 on the ground and held CNU to just 1-of-13 on third down.
Matt Long completed 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards. Gaines rushed 15 times for 22 yards and no player made more than two receptions.
Mike King led the Captains with seven tackles, while Dominik Taylor had a pair of sacks.
Wesley will look to stay in the win column on September 11 when the Wolverines head to Frostburg State for the Atlantic Central Football Conference opener for both squads.