Christo Hunsicker enjoys night fit for a king as Wilson crowns Hempfield
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Logan Moyer — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
There wasn’t much of anything that Christo Hunsicker didn’t do on Friday night.
Intercept a pass and return it for 45 yards? Check.
Kick a 29-yard field goal? Check.
Record six tackles and a sack? Check.
Named Homecoming king? Check.
Wilson’s senior defensive back’s do-it-all night sparked a 38-14 win over Hempfield in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 play at Gurski Stadium.
It was another banner night for a Wilson (3-0, 6-1) defense that has allowed an average of just 15 points per game. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers while holding the Black Knights (2-2, 3-4) and their high-volume pass attack in check.
“We shut down their passing game pretty well for the most part,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said. “I thought overall, we played pretty well defensively.”
Three different Bulldogs – Hunsicker, Chase Herb and Jaiden Carpenter – all had interceptions and Ramel Gaston recovered a fumble.
Hunsicker’s interception and subsequent return led to a 14-yard touchdown connection between Madyx Gruber and Cam Zullinger while Herb took his interception 70 yards to the house.
It was a good night for the Bulldogs to be on their game defensively, as the offense couldn’t put much of anything together during the first half. A 45-yard touchdown run by Correll Akings on the first play of Wilson’s second drive was the only real bright spot in the first 24 minutes.
“We kept leaving (them) in it,” said Dahms said of Hempfield. “We fumbled (in the red zone). It was a nice run, but another one we didn’t score on.”
Gaston’s fumble recovery gave the Bulldogs great field position in the red zone but the offense stalled out, leading to Hunsicker’s field goal.
“(Hempfield) threw some stuff at us that we haven’t seen before,” Dahms said. “We had to make some adjustments.”
The adjustments worked. Coming out of halftime Wilson’s offense found its form – immediately. Monty Greer took the half’s first play from scrimmage 88 yards to the end zone, which was soon followed by the scores by Zullinger and Herb.
“When everyone’s contributing and everyone has energy like we did in the second half, that’s what we’re looking for,” said Hunsicker. “When we come together as a group of guys to make the plays like that, that’s when it gets fun.”
The fun continued for Hunsicker, who sprinted from his position in the secondary to get into the backfield and record a sack for a 14-yard loss.
“He’s a good, solid football player all the way around,” Dahms said.
The Black Knights, coached by former Wilson assistant George Eager, finally cracked the scoreboard twice during the fourth quarter. Derek Katch and David Ennis connected on an 11-yard pass for the first score while Ramel Lyles tumbled 7 yards for the second.
Akings found the end zone for the second time during the final quarter, trotting into the end zone with an 11-yard touchdown reception thrown by Gruber. Akings totaled 123 of total offense, breaking the century mark on the ground.
“He gives us speed on the edge,” Dahms said of his 170-pound running back. “He’s been running tough for a little guy.”
Wilson remains tied with Manheim Township for the Section 1 lead; they’ll face off head-to-head in the final week of the regular season. Until then the Bulldogs will have to remain focused while taking on two lesser opponents.
“We played (well for) a couple downs; a couple of drives today,” Hunsicker said. “But it needs to be the whole game.”
Hunsicker, who happily wore his Homecoming crown during the post-game festivities, didn’t have much trouble answering what accomplishment he was most proud of on Friday night. “The win,” he said. “I mean, the crown is cool, but I like to win.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hempfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Wilson | 7 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 38 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Akings, 45 run (Hunsicker kick) | 9:03 |
| 2 | Wilson | Hunsicker, 29 FG | 2:32 |
| 3 | Wilson | Greer, 88 run (Hunsicker kick) | 7:44 |
| 3 | Wilson | Zullinger, 13 pass from Gruber (Hunsicker kick) | 5:07 |
| 3 | Wilson | Herb, 70 interception return (Hunsicker kick) | 1:05 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Ennis, 12 pass from Katch (Biscoe kick) | 9:08 |
| 4 | Wilson | Akings, 11 pass from Gruber (Hunsicker kick) | 7:35 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Lyles, 7 run (Biscoe kick) | 5:35 |
Team statistics
| Hempfield | Wilson | |
| First downs | 18 | 10 |
| Rushes-yards | 31-58 | 22-198 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 136 |
| Total yards | 236 | 334 |
| Passes | 16-35-3 | 11-17-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 4-39.8 | 2-32 |
| Penalties-yards | 1-15 | 8-54 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Hempfield: Krauser 5-19, Lyles 3-17, Katch 15-13, Day 4-11, Charles 1-0, Caldwell 3-(-2).
Wilson: Akings 7-102, Greer 1-88, Bailey 6-14, Gruber 6-2, Young 2-(-8).
PASSING
Hempfield: Katch 14-32-3–135, Charles 2-3-0–43.
Wilson: Gruber 11-17-0–136.
RECEIVING
Hempfield: Margeson 5-67, Krauser 2-20, Abrams 2-15, Charles 2-10, Poole 1-32, Ennis 1-11, Chan 1-11, Day 1-8, Caban 1-4.
Wilson: Akings 3-21, Carpenter 2-28, Dean 2-22, Zullinger 2-21, Greer 1-25, Glover 1-19.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Hunsicker, Herb, Carpenter.
