By Chris Agar, Whetstone staff writer

Leonard Stevenson catches the game winning pass.

It wasn’t easy, but the Wesley Wolverines managed to come out on top in a battle between two Top 10 teams, as they defeated Delaware Valley 21-17 on Family Day.

“We were pretty inconsistent,” said head coach Mike Drass. “But it feels great to get the win.”

Inconsistent was the perfect word to describe Wesley’s performance. In stark contrast from last week’s 47-0 blowout of Frostburg State, the Wolverines turned the ball over six times (including four interceptions by quarterback Justin Sottilare) and trailed by one point in the fourth quarter, prompting some fans to leave early.

Despite the offense’s shortcomings, the defense kept the team in the game. It recorded five sacks and held the Aggies to 228 yards. Delaware Valley averages 387 yards per contest.

Even though the unit performed strongly, the defense said there is room for improvement.

“Two touchdowns is way too much,” said defensive end Chris Mays, referencing the 14 points Del Valley scored.

After going into halftime with a 14-0 lead, the Wolverines saw their two-score advantage evaporate. The Aggies’ Mike Jaskowski returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter. Later in the period, Mike Cook had an eight-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 14.

In the fourth quarter, Sottilare’s fourth pick led to a Delaware Valley field goal, giving the visitors a 17-14 lead.

After struggling all game to find their stride, the Wolverine offense finally moved the ball on their next possession. On a fourth-and-seven, Sottilare found tight end Sean McAndrew for 20 yards and then connected with wide receiver Leonard Stevenson to seal a hard-fought victory.

“It felt good [getting the game winning touchdown],” said Stevenson. “I’m just glad I could be able to win the game for my team.”

Even though the fans are celebrating the win, the team knows that they have to do if they want to continue their winning ways.

“We’ve got to get better,” Drass said. “We’ve got to not have turnovers, we have to execute up front and not have penalties. We have a lot of work ahead of ourselves this week.”
Next week, Wesley is back on the road against Capital.