Bulldogs will be on the defensive in showdown against Blue Streaks
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EJ Brownback was a running back at Wilson Southern and then on the Bulldog’ JV team as a freshman. He loved running with the football tucked under his arm, but once he got to the varsity level those glory days came to an end.
Faster, shiftier guys such as Correll Akings and Monty Greer took over that job.
Brownback found his niche at inside linebacker and led Wilson in tackles during a breakout sophomore season. Never touched the ball, though.
He finally got his chance early this season against Plymouth-Whitemarsh when he dropped back into coverage, read a short pass into the flat, and quickly stepped in front of it. He took it 40 yards to the house, the biggest thrill a defensive player can experience.
“I forgot the feeling of scoring a touchdown,” Brownback said. “(I) came over to the sideline, everybody was going crazy. That was just really cool.”
Brownback and the Bulldogs have enjoyed that feeling a bunch of times this season. After going through 12 games without an interception last season Brownback picked off three passes in the first five games this season and took each back for a touchdown. He returned one 30 yards against Reading and 47 yards against Cedar Crest. Three Pick-Sixes in a season might just be a Wilson record.
“I miss having the ball in my hands,” said the 6-foot, 200-pound junior. “I try to get it as much as I can.”
He and the Bulldogs’ defense have succeeded in that area: They have accounted for seven scores thru nine games.
In last week’s win over McCaskey sophomore linebacker Matt Wyatt pulled off a rare double, returning both an interception and a fumble for TDs. Defensive end Michael Glover also turned a fumble recovery into six points against the Red Tornado. Earlier this season cornerback Jaiden Carpenter took a fumble back 60 yards for a score.
“That’s a lot,” Carpenter said of his unit’s seven TDs.
Defense has been a big reason the Bulldogs (5-0, 8-1) have won six straight, earned a Top 10 ranking in the state, and are positioned for another Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title. That side of the ball will be key Friday when Wilson plays Manheim Township (5-0, 8-1) for the Section 1 title at Gurski Stadium.
As usual the Blue Streaks have an accurate passer, a dangerous receiver, big backs, and a high-scoring offense. It’ll be up to Brownback, Glover, Carpenter and the others to slow them down.
“It’s just going to be a challenging game overall,” said Carpenter, the Bulldogs’ shutdown corner. “It’s just who comes out stronger and executes their game plan.”
The Bulldogs have the tools to get the job done. They’re ranked No. 7 in the league in total defense and are allowing 8.1 points per game, the second-lowest figure in District 3.
They have, however, been vulnerable against good quarterbacks. In their three toughest games – a 35-24 season-opening win over Cheltenham, a 30-20 Week 3 loss to Nazareth, and a come-from-behind 38-28 Week 7 win over Hempfield – they’ve yielded a pile of passing yards.
| SECTION 1 | League | Overall | PF | PA |
| Wilson | 5-0 | 8-1 | 371 | 126 |
| Manheim Twp. | 5-0 | 8-1 | 345 | 161 |
| Hempfield | 3-2 | 5-4 | 255 | 176 |
| Cedar Crest | 3-3 | 4-5 | 226 | 256 |
| Penn Manor | 1-4 | 2-7 | 143 | 259 |
| Reading High | 1-4 | 1-8 | 60 | 362 |
| McCaskey | 0-5 | 0-9 | 57 | 342 |
Cheltenham junior Kendall Jackson threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, a good chuck of that after the Bulldogs had taken an early 21-0 lead. Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone, an Auburn recruit, threw for 258 yards and three TDs without an interception. Hempfield’s Derek Katch threw for 193 yards and two scores, though he was picked off three times, including a Pick-Six by Braydon Farrell that snapped a 14-14 tie in the third quarter.
Manheim Township’s Jack Kenneth figures to offer a similar aerial threat. He is completing nearly 71 percent of his passes, has thrown for 1,654 yards – second-most in the league – and 20 TDs. He’s averaging nearly 20 throws a game and figures to have at least that many, if not more, against a defense that has been extremely tough to run against.
Expect the Blue Streaks to compensate with a short passing game that controls the ball.
“Obviously, we’ve gotta do some work to shut him down,” said Wilson coach Doug Dahms of Kenneth. “He throws a nice ball. He’s got a really good corps of receivers. (Daryus) Dixon is really good. They’re gonna get their catches, we’ve just gotta prevent anything big.”
A year ago Manheim Township was unbeaten and ranked No. 5 in the state when the Bulldogs went to Neffsville and came up with a huge defensive effort in a 34-16 victory that snapped the Streaks’ 19-game home winning streak. Wilson forced three turnovers on downs and made the Streaks settle for a field goal after they had reached the 4.
That was Wilson’s fourth win in five meetings in a series that most years determines the Section 1 championship. Either Wilson or Township – or both – have claimed the Section 1 title 20 times in the past 21 years.
The games are almost close and swung on a big play or two, but the Bulldogs have won most of them. They own a league-record 31 section titles.
“It’s one of those games where a break here or a break there . . . a missed tackle . . . a fumble . . . a special teams play . . . at any point it can go either way,” Dahms said. “It’s the kind of games you like to coach. You hate (coaching in) ’em but you love ’em. It’s why you coach: You’re taking everything you’ve got to try to get your kids to try to do what they’ve gotta do.”
