Red Bulls II Secure Top Seed In Eastern Conference Playoffs

This past weekend on September 17th, Montclair State University students celebrated their annual homecoming event. Current students, alumni, families, and even faculty and staff all gathered in a sold out crowd to watch our Montclair State Redhawks football team take on Wilkes University Colonials. The last time Montclair last faced off with Wilkes was on September 12, 2009, and it was the Colonials who emerged victorious with a 37-10 win.

With the energy from the crowd and just coming off of a bye week, our Red Hawks were looking to secure the win. In the start of the first quarter Wilkes scored on their opening drive, and Montclair answered that with a drive of a 51-yard pass but they failed to score and turned over the ball. For the first half of the game it was all Wilkes, they forced another Montclair punt, where a bad snap and a recovery on the ball from the Colonials. This mess up from Montclair gave Wilkes the position to drive the ball into the endzone to make the score 14-0. Montclair was struggling to find their footing on the field and the score reflected this as they were unable to put up not even a single point on the board. Fans stuck around and had their attention shifted to the amazing performances put on from the Complexions and The Montclair State’s Dance Team for the halftime show. The crowd’s energy was back up and was ready to bring the energy for our team. Team Rocky was walking around as well, throwing shirts for the crowd and even trying to start the wave. Needless to say that when the football team returned back onto the field, the crowd was enthusiastic to see the team back and ready to play.

Our Red Hawks answered in the third quarter coming out strong and scored a touchdown to make the game 14-7. The team was looking amazing and Wilkes was definitely not expecting to see them comeback this strong. Montclair defense held the team for a no scoring quarter. The Red Hawks tied the game at 14-14 with a 75-yard touchdown pass before Wilkes regained the lead with a rushing score. Wilkes pulled back ahead with a rushing touchdown. The Red Hawks answered with a 10-yard score to tie it again at 21. However, Wilkes drained the clock and sealed the win with a late field goal, handing the Red Hawks a 24-21 homecoming loss. Even though the Red Hawks fell short, the team showed great effort and the fans kept their energy high. The game may have ended in a loss, but the homecoming spirit made it a special day for everyone.