Series flashback: Bulldogs give top-seeded Panthers the boot, reach D3 title game
(This story was originally published on Nov. 12, 2021.)
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
YORK – Jon Ramsey convinced himself the kicker was going to miss. It was a premonition. Or maybe wishful thinking.
As far as Wilson’s lineman was concerned, the Bulldogs had overcome too much and were too close now. The kicker had to miss.
“Sometimes you work so hard you get lucky,” Ramsey said. “I think that’s what happened to us. We had that energy all game. We knew that wasn’t going in.”
Matthew Parker’s 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide with one second left. Fifth-seeded Wilson outlasted No. 1 Central York 14-11 in the District 3 Class 6A football semifinals Friday night.
Wilson (9-3), an afterthought when it dropped three of its first five games, has won seven in a row and will face either Harrisburg or Hempfield for the district championship.
Ben Rada’s 21-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining capped a season-defining drive for the Bulldogs. They used 13 plays, all runs, to travel 71 yards and steal 6:01 off the clock. That drive is what Wilson has become. Punishing. Relentless. Ready to impose its will.
“We knew it was going to happen because these past few weeks that’s what we’ve been doing,” Ramsey said. “We just pound the ball down their throats. They can’t do anything about it.”
Much will be made of the two kicks that ultimately decided the outcome. Those were the final pieces of a complex puzzle that left both teams potentially coping with what-ifs. Wilson’s players can forget theirs. They have another game. For the losing team, those what-ifs will be haunting.
Central York (11-1) converted a fourth-and-16 when Beau Pribula connected with Treyshawn Smith with 10 seconds remaining. The Panthers had first down at the 15.
Coach Gerry Yonchiuk faced a decision. Go for the win with his Penn State recruit at quarterback or play for overtime with his freshman kicker.
Yonchiuk chose the kick. It missed.
“I almost felt like I had a heart attack,” Wilson linebacker Gavin Lenart said. “So much relief just went off my body. All the hard work at practice, everything we went through, everything we grinded through this whole game really paid off.”
Wilson coach Doug Dahms wrestled with his own decision moments earlier. The Bulldogs faced fourth-and-2 from Central York’s 4. Should Dahms kick it, grab the lead and give Pribula a chance to work his magic? Or go for it and possibly run out the clock?
Dahms mulled it over. His assistant coaches convinced him to take the points.
The snap was high. Sophomore holder Adam Woods got it down. Rada, another sophomore, blasted it through the uprights. It was Rada’s second field goal of the game. Those are his only two field goals this season.
Pribula, who was sacked four times, completed 20-of-33 attempts for 308 yards and one touchdown. It was a 26-yard strike to Imeire Manigault that gave Central York an 11-3 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.
The key number was 11 points. No opponent had held the Panthers under 21.
“We brought pressure all night and kept him running,” Dahms said. “But he’s just so good. He doesn’t take his eyes off downfield. He runs, finds a receiver and hits him.”
Wilson’s two-headed monster, quarterback Brad Hoffman and running back Jadyn Jones, each surpassed 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game. Hoffman carried 29 times for 167 yards. Jones rushed 27 times for 161.
Hoffman’s 2-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion pass to Sean Dendall with 8:03 left helped Wilson tie it at 11. It became a white-knuckle ride to the finish.
Central York went three-and-out on its next possession. The Panthers were stalled by two dropped passes, including one on third down that would have kept the drive going
Once Wilson’s offense had another shot, it was in charge. Central York was worn out. The Bulldogs had 62 rushing attempts and held the ball for 33:42. Pribula was on the field for slightly more than a quarter.
That was the plan.
“We’ve got Brad, we’ve got Jadyn, two of the best runners in our district,” Lenart said. “If we need yards, we give it to one of them and they go get it.”
Wilson had a 13-play drive end when a fourth-down scramble fell inches short. It had a 67-yard march denied by a fumble at Central York’s 6.
Central York was stopped by Gannon Brubaker’s juggling interception. Those two dropped passes. That missed field goal.
Ramsey, who’s playing through a torn tendon in his left ring finger and a broken bone in his right wrist, said the early season losses have helped the Bulldogs. They’re more resilient because of them. They’ve had no margin for error for almost two months.
“We love being the underdog,” Ramsey said. “It’s a good place to be. Hopefully soon people will start to realize we’ve got something special brewing over here. If not, it doesn’t matter because we know.”
Dahms, with the adrenaline from a last-second upset pumping through him, congratulated his players on an unexpected trip to the district final. He laid out the plan for the next week.
“We’re not gonna come up short,” Dahms yelled. “We’re gonna finish this ride.”
After the way they’ve played for the last seven games, the Bulldogs believed him.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
| Central York | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
Scoring summary
| 2 | Wilson | Rada, 31 FG | 10:27 |
| 2 | Central York | Parker, 29 FG | 7:59 |
| 3 | Central York | Manigault, 26 pass from Pribula (Pribula run) | 7:20 |
| 4 | Wilson | Hoffman, 2 run (Sean Dendall, pass from Hoffman) | 8:03 |
| 4 | Wilson | Rada, 21 FG | 1:13 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Central York | |
| First downs | 21 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 62-348 | 11-11 |
| Passing yards | 35 | 308 |
| Total yards | 383 | 319 |
| Passes | 3-7-0 | 20-33-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-35 | 3-37.3 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-50 | 5-46 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Hoffman, 29-167, J. Jones 27-161, C. Jones 1-6, McMillan 2-5, Lenart 1-5, Flite 1-4, Team 1-0.
Central York: Walker 3-5, Goff 2-5, Pribula 6-1.
PASSING
Wilson: Hoffman 3-7-0–35.
Central York: Pribula 20-33-1–308.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Williams 1-33. Kline 1-3, Cooper 1-(-1).
Central York: Manigault 8-101, Smith 4-114, Hines 4-52, Dunnick 2-25, Goff 2-16.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Brubaker.
