Salisbury 35, Wesley 18
October 30, 2004

Salisbury, Md - Junior quarterback Dustin Johnson rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns and junior kicker Brock Boland added three field goals to help lead #6 ranked Salisbury to a 35-18 victory at home over Wesley. With the win, Salisbury claims its first Atlantic Central Football Conference championship, improving to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the ACFC. Wesley falls to 6-2 overall, 4-1 ACFC.

Boland accounted for the only scoring of the first quarter, converting a career-best 47-yarder and adding a 45-yarder to push SU ahead 6-0. Boland then tied the Salisbury single-game record with his third field goal, from 27-yards, at 10:42 of the second quarter to push the advantage to 9-0.

Sophomore Byron Westbrook’s 47-yard punt return touchdown, his second of the season, extended the Sea Gull lead to 16-0 with 4:24 left in the quarter. Wesley then closed the first half with its own big play on special teams, blocking a Salisbury punt with five seconds remaining before halftime and returning the block 20 yards for a touchdown.  Freshman Jon Drummonds blocked the punt and senior Ken Busch recorded the return for the touchdown. The successful two-point conversion made the score 16-8 at halftime.

Salisbury didn’t wait long to regain the momentum in the third quarter as Johnson scampered 51 yards for a touchdown on SU’s first play from scrimmage. The failed two-point conversion left the Gulls with a 22-8 lead.

Wesley answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass from QB Chris Warrick (19-of-43, 243 yards) to Busch at 8:50 and a 32-yard Chris Carlton field goal with 18 seconds left in the period to pull to within 22-18 heading into the fourth quarter.

Salisbury then sealed the victory and its first ACFC title with back-to-back touchdowns. Junior fullback Leroy Satchell (84 yards) capped a six-play, 50-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge at 7:26 to increase the lead to 28-18.  After Salisbury stopped Wesley’s next possession on downs, Johnson added his second touchdown with a 60-yard run at 4:43 to cap the scoring.

Salisbury finished with 403 yards rushing and 424 yards in total offense. Supplementing Johnson’s and Satchel’s efforts, sophomore RB Darrell Walker had 54 yards on six carries. In addition to tying the single-game record, Boland also set a new Salisbury season record with 12 field goals made in 2004.

Wesley finished with 344 total yards.  Junior RB Kevin Nelson paced the Wolverine rushing attack with 51 yards on 23 carries. Busch added 44 yards on 13 attempts.

In addition to his punt return touchdown, Westbrook also led the Salisbury defense from his cornerback position with 13 tackles as well as an interception in the end zone.  Wesley’s sophomore cornerback Marion Harris matched Westbrook with a team-high 13 tackles to pace the Wolverines.

Salisbury visits Shenandoah in non-conference action next week before concluding the regular season on November 13 against Frostburg State in the Regents Cup Game. Wesley hosts Chowan in non-conference play next week.