GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week: Wilson vs. Central Dauphin

GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week

Kick: Friday, 7, at Gurski Stadium.

Series: Rams lead 7-4.

Last meeting: Bulldogs won 21-13 in 2019 season opener as Ethan Capitano blocked a punt and returned it for a TD and Kaleb Brown ran for a score and passed for a score. Wilson led the entire way but had trouble stopping CD’s sophomore QB, Max Mosey, who completed 15-of-21 passes for 243 yards and a TD. Brown’s 5-yard TD run in the fourth quarter gave the Bulldogs an eight-point cushion, and they used Avanti Lockhart to run out the clock in the final minutes.

The Rams, by the way, rebounded from a 1-2 start that season, beat Harrisburg for the District 3 championship and reached the PIAA title game, falling to St. Joseph’s Prep.

Overview: Not many programs hold a series lead over Wilson, but Central Dauphin is not like most programs. The Rams have been a cut above under head coach Glen McNamee, who won a PIAA championship in 2011, two district championships and eight Mid-Penn Commonwealth titles. He was named Coach of the Decade for the 2010’s by PennLive.com after going 103-29 over 10 seasons. McNamee is in his 16th season as head coach and has a 142-42 record.

The Rams beat the Bulldogs four straight times — again, something few programs have ever done — from 2015-2018. All of the games in the series have been physical and most have been close; the lone exception came in 2018 when Wilson trailed 23-0 before a late score.

Both teams are listed as Teams To Watch in Class 6A in the PennLive.com preseason state rankings.

About the Rams: Went 5-0 in the COVID-shortened regular season before falling to eventual state finalist Central York 42-15 in the District 3 Class 6A semifinal. Projected to win the Mid-Penn Commonwealth by PennLive.com, in large part because of the return of Max Mosey, one of the top prep quarterbacks in the state. He threw for 990 yards, completing 63 percent of his passes with 13 TDs and five interceptions as a junior. Mosey is 17-4 as a starter and has thrown for 3,120 career passing yards.

As usual there are plenty of big linemen, led by 6-3, 290-pound Kyle Yeager, perhaps the team’s top college prospect. He’s a two-way tackle who paved the way last year as the offense averaged 450 yards and 37 points. He’s joined up front by 6-1, 280-pound two-way tackle Ben Stewart and 6-0, 225-pound TE/DE Darrion Thomas. The top back is Tyrell English, who averaged 7.2 yards per carry last season.

The kicking game figures to be strong, with the return of Ahren Stauffer, who averaged 40.6 yards on punts, was perfect on PATs and hit 3-of-5 field goals, with a long of 47.

About the Bulldogs: Just eight starters return from last year’s Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 championship team, but the picture is hardly bleak. However, they must replace 14 all-league players, and rebuilding the offensive line has been the main focus during training camp.

Berks Catholic transfer Brad Hoffman has fit in quickly and earned the starting quarterback job, and he’s got plenty of weapons. He wasn’t called on to throw much in the Wing-T offense but seems much happier in Wilson’s more open, Spread-style offense, where he’ll be able to show off his arm. He looked sharp in last week’s scrimmage against District 1 powerhouse Coatesville, got rid of the ball quickly and kept the chains moving.

If the O-line can create just a few holes, as it did effectively in the scrimmage, Jadyn Jones and Gavin Lenart will punish defenses. Jones earned all-league honors last season after averaging 6.9 yards per carry and scoring seven TDs in seven games. His monster effort in a season-defining win at Township showed what he’s capable of. Lenart proved a capable backup last season and had a huge TD run against Township; he should give Wilson as good a backfield as any in the league.

The receiving corps is deep and highlighted by Cam Jones, who’s positioned for a breakout season. He earned all-league defensive honors as a sophomore and could be a true weapon on offense, whether he’s lined up at receiver, comes out of the backfield or runs plays as a QB out of a Wildcat set. He’ll be a dangerous punt returner, too.

The defense has a lot of new pieces but figure on it coming together. Jones and Lenart are part of a strong linebacking corp. Jon Ramsey, a converted linebacker, is expected to make a big push at his new spot at D-end. Tackle Dominic Memmo is getting good marks from his coaches, too.

They won their final six games last season but were left out of the truncated District 3 Tournament for the first time since 2015, and for the first time in Doug Dahm’s tenure as head coach.

Fast fact: Central Dauphin has recorded 25 straight non-losing seasons and qualified for districts 17 straight seasons…Wilson’s streak of 45 consecutive winning seasons (1976-2020) is now the longest in state after Ridley went 3-3 last season, snapping its streak at 54 seasons. The Bulldogs have recorded 57 consecutive non-losing seasons (1964-2020).

GoBigRecruiting.com key to the game: The Bulldogs’ defensive line must apply pressure on the pocket and not allow Rams’ QB Max Mosey time to set up and throw.