WAYNE, N.J. – Three offensive touchdowns and a school-record 100-yard interception return keyed William Paterson's (2-2) 28-7 football victory against Maritime (0-3) Sept. 25 at Wightman Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Pass plays of 26 yards to sophomore Matt Clarke (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch) and 37 yards to senior William Frese (Waldwick, N.J./Waldwick) by freshman quarterback Spencer Lee (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./Hasbrouck Heights) during the opening drive eventually led to a one-yard scoring run by sophomore running back Terrique Riddick (Bridgeville, Del./Woodbridge). Freshman Ronald Alvarez (Union City, N.J./Union City) kicked the PAT and the Pioneers owned a 7-0 edge just 3:29 into the contest.
• A Matt Gore (Washington, D.C./Crossland) sack forced a Maritime fumble on third-and-10, and freshman defensive lineman Nick Bianco (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) recovered to set WP up at the Privateer-32. Four plays later Lee found sophomore Taz Burton (Millville, N.J./Bridgeton) for a 27-yard play up the left sideline, making it a 14-0 lead with 9:24 left in the opening period.
• That's how the score remained until 3:51 remaining in the third quarter when Riddick galloped 39 yards for his second touchdown of the day (21-0).
• Maritime got on the scoreboard with an 83-yard toss-and-catch, cutting the lead to 21-7 with 7:36 to play.
• A fake punt on fourth-and-seven kept a Privateer drive alive, and on second-and-10 from the WP-13 Maritime took a shot in the end zone that was picked off two yards deep by freshman defensive back Jojo Kirby (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen). He raced 100 yards up the right sideline to not only end the Privateers' scoring threat but also give the Pioneers some breathing room at 28-7 with 1:48 on the clock.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lee was 15-for-28 for 215 yards and a touchdown. Riddick rushed 16 times for 102 yards and two scores, and Clarke hauled in four passes for 81 yards. Burton's five catches resulted in 54 yards and a TD.
• Senior linebacker Jared Salgado (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany Hills) led all players with 11 tackles. Sophomore defensive back Devyn Blount (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch) added a pass breakup to his six stops.
• Junior linebacker Nazier Wright (Paterson, N.J./John F. Kennedy) had five tackles (2.0 TFL), two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
• Kirby's 100-yard INT return broke the previous WP record of 99 yards set by Paul Kergides on Sept. 30, 2000, against Kean.
• The game marked the final non-conference action of the 2021 season for the Pioneers.

 
UP NEXT:

• William Paterson starts New Jersey Athletic Conference play Saturday, Oct. 2, at The College of New Jersey at 1:00 p.m.

 
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