Montclair, NJ – Sophomore running back E.J. Lee rushed for 157 yards and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as No. 14 Wesley pulled away from Montclair State for a 26-7 victory at Sprague Field on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Khaaliq Burroughs threw for 290 yards and a touchdown as the Wolverines (7-1) scored the final 23 points to post their seventh straight victory while also staying atop the NJAC standings with No. 24 Salisbury University. Those two teams meet next week in Dover, DE.

Quarterback JOHN APICELLA threw for 185 yards and a touchdown for Montclair State, which dropped its third consecutive game. The Red Hawks are now 3-5 overall, 3-4 in conference play following the loss.

An unusual beginning for each team to open the game. Wesley got the ball first and drove 81 yards in 15 plays and chewed up the first 6:55 of the game. After getting inside the MSU 5, the Wolverines had a 4^th-and-goal from the 2. Wesley elected to go for it however the gamble did not pay off as VINCENT CORDASCO stopped Elijah Minter at the 1.

Starting from the shadow of its own end zone, it was the Red Hawks turn to move the ball which it did going 90 yards over the next seven minutes. Apicella connected with JULANEE PRINCE for 63 yards on a third down from the MSU 5. Montclair pushed the ball to the Wesley 9 but stalled. Facing their own 4^th-and-1, the Red Hawks attempted a field goal attempt but the kick was blocked. Mauro
Altamura scooped up the ball and tried to run for the first down but was stopped inches short as the game remained scoreless.

Still scoreless in the second quarter, the Wolverines got inside the MSU 10 again but a holding penalty short-circuited the drive and a Nick Bruhn 39-yard field goal with 4:37 left gave Wesley a 3-0 lead.

Montclair State immediately answered with a 6-play, 75-yard drive that produced the only touchdown of the first half. Running back ANTHONY TRAVISANO burst off the left side for 41 yards down to the Wesley 27. Apicella hit JOE SCHULTZ for eight yards and TAJ HUGGINS for 12 more. Huggins pulled in a reception on the next play, slipped a tackler and raced 17 yards diving into the end zone giving the Red Hawks the lead with 55 ticks before halftime.

A kickoff out of bounds and starting field position at the MSU 49 gave the Wolverines a chance at the end of the half which it almost capitalized on as Burroughs hit Alex Kemp from 37 yards out for an apparent touchdown. But the play was nullified for a holding penalty and Burroughs Hail Mary at the end was knocked away.

Trailing 7-3 in the third, the Wolverines pulled close as a short punt by MSU deep in its own end handed the ball to Wesley at the MSU 36. Lee ripped off a 30-yard run down to the 6 but again Wesley could not fully cash in and Bruhn's second field goal from 22 yards out cut the deficit to a point with 3:40 to go in the third.

Corterris Simpson jump-started the next Wesley possession as he returned a punt 34 yards to the Wolverine 47. Burroughs hit Kemp for 28 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter and then for 16 more to the MSU 9 before Lee raced around the left side for a touchdown and a 12-7 lead with 13:45 left after the two-point conversion attempt failed.

Burroughs extended the lead on the next touch of the ball for the Wolverines hitting Dan Kesack for a 64-yard touchdown making the score 19-7 with 8:15 to go. Lee capped the 23-point run by Wesley with a 47-yard burt for a touchdown with four minutes left.

Kemp finished the day with seven catches for 122 yards while James Okike had five for 56 yards. Samer Manna led the Wolverine defense with eight tackles while Stefon Woodruff had two of the five sacks by Wesley.

Travisano rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries for Montclair State with Apicella going 14-of-24. Schultz had four catches for 53 yards with Prince and Huggins each pulling three for 87 and 35 yards respectively. SHAON STEPHENSON totaled 10 tackles for the Red Hawks while JOSHUA BETTS (one sack) and Altamura had eight apiece.

Montclair heads to Glassboro, NJ for its next matchup as the Red Hawks face Rowan University at Wackar Stadium next Saturday, November 4 at 1:00 pm.