#3 Wesley Outduels Route 13 Rival, #6 Salisbury
SALISBURY, Md. - Askia Jahad ran for nearly 100 yards as the third-ranked Wesley College football team defeated No. 6 Salisbury, 17-7, on a rainy Saturday night at Sea Gull Stadium. The Wolverines have now beaten their Route 13 rival eight-straight times.
Jahad carried the ball 20 times for 98 yards on the night, and his touchdown with 2:06 remaining in the game pretty much sealed the victory for the Wolverines. Jahad also eclipsed the top ten in the school's all-time rushing list, passing Forrley Gunby with 1,473 yards in his career.
Wesley took an early lead in the first quarter, but it was after a 40-minute delay with lightning in the area. On the first play after the delay, senior quarterback Justin Sottilare found his classmate Matt Barile down the sideline for a 25-yard gain before Jahad ran for 17 to get inside the red zone. Three plays later, Ryan Gerlitz caught a fade pass from Sottilare for a Wolverine touchdown.
As rain came down harder throughout the second quarter, Wesley went into the locker room with a 7-0 lead. The Wolverines got the ball coming out of the break, and embarked on a 14-play, 69-yard drive, which ate up seven minutes and 34 seconds. A thirty yard strike to Barile on fourth down kept the drive alive which was capped off by a 23-yard chip shot by senior Dan Tryon.
Salisbury was unable to answer until midway through the fourth quarter when the Gulls scored on a 19-yard pass from Dan Griffin to Juma Richards.
Up by just a field goal, Wesley knew they needed to eat some clock and get more points on the board, and that they did. On the very first play of the possession, Jeremiah Howe brought in a pass for 21 yards, before a quarterback draw by Sottilare for six yards forced a SU timeout. After Wesley crossed into Sea Gull territory, Jahad took over, rushing for 41 yards on four carries, including a 15-yard scamper for a touchdown.
The scoring drive ate up over four minutes of playing time and defensive back Sean Hopkins' second interception of the night on Salisbury's ensuing possession preserved the victory.
Sottilare finished 23-of-32 through the air, going for 260 yards and a touchdown. Eight of his passes went to Steven Koudossou, who gained 61 yards on his touches. Barile hauled in five passes for a game-high 95 yards.
Wesley's defense sacked Griffin four times on the night and Brian Snell also recorded his first career interception. Jordan Wescott was in on a game-high 12 tackles, including half a sack. Sosthene Kapepula also tallied eight tackles while defensive tackles Dwayne Glass and Terence Gavin each had 1.5 tackles for loss.
Another stiff test in No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor awaits the Wolverines next weekend on September 15, as Wesley comes home for the first time this season. Kickoff from Scott D. Miller Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
