Cam Jones carries Bulldogs over Rams
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
HARRISBURG — Wilson senior and Holy Cross commit Cam Jones is known for being a kick return maestro, evident by his seven return touchdowns last season and 77-yarder a week ago.
Jones figured to see more production on the offensive side of the ball this season as a wide receiver but with starting running back Cleveland Harding out with an ankle injury and Central Dauphin kicking away from him, he became Wilson’s top back Friday night.
The converted wide receiver rushed to the tune of 122 yards, including a whirlwind 53-yard score, in helping the Bulldogs pick up a 17-10 non-league victory over Central Dauphin at Landis Field in Harrisburg.
“It was definitely a big loss with Cleveland,” Jones said. “At practice, the offense knew that I had to get the ball so we kinda just did whatever we could to get me it. I think that’s the best option for us.”
Wilson head coach Doug Dahms, and anyone watching Jones play, would agree. Just get him the ball and good things are likely to happen.
“You saw what he does in the open field,” Dahms said. “He’s tough. It’s the beauty of getting the ball in his hands and getting him outside. Look out.”
The two perennial District 3 powers came into Friday’s game searching for their first wins after the Bulldogs took a beatdown from Roman Catholic and the Rams lost by 17 to Central York in Week 1. The proud programs wanted to get the bad taste out of their mouths.
“We took a tough loss last week, but we played a great team,” Jones said. “People kinda wrote us off a bit after losing that big to Roman. We took that momentum and hunger after being written off last week and brought it here.”
Edison Case caught a 26-yard touchdown from Tommy Hunsicker on a deep crossing route with 4:59 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0 for the Bulldogs (1-1), who turned around a 1-2 start last season to make the district final.
David Chase III responded for the Rams (0-2) with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie it with 9:01 left in the second quarter.
In the third Ben Rada knocked in a 21-yard field goal with 8:19 left before Jones’ 53-yarder. Brayden Snyder’s 32-yard field goal with 2:05 left in the game made it 17-10 for the Rams, but it was too late.
“I’m just reacting,” Jones said on the long score. “The line did an amazing job tonight. Kudos to them. They bounced back from last week. The d-tackle got in so I had to bounce it. It was supposed to go up the middle. I had tons of blockers with me on the outside to help me get space.”
Dahms stuck with Hunsicker behind center the entire game. The dual-QB system with Adam Woods is still an option, he said. Hunsicker threw for 127 yards and rushed for 57.
“He was throwing a nice pass,” Dahms said. “We dropped a couple, but he was throwing a nice ball. He was scrambling well and running well. When a guy’s doing that in a tight game, you don’t put the other guy in. If he’s struggling a little bit, maybe you go to the other guy.”
Wilson has now won three in a row over Central Dauphin, including a 27-21 victory last season. That’ll give Jones some bragging rights once he heads to Holy Cross to team up with former Central Dauphin quarterback Max Mosey.
“When I took my visit I actually talked to Max Mosey,” Jones said. “I was there for a lift and he was in there; I got to talk to him a little bit. I knew him from the scouting report last year. He’s a tremendous athlete.”
Jones, who also starts at cornerback, and the Bulldogs rebounded from the 31-point loss to Roman Catholic in Week 1 and hope to continue the good momentum going forward against Martin Luther King in West Lawn next week.
Dahms said Harding should be back for that game.
“Cam could be our running back,” Dahms said. “But then he’s out on the field every play, (taking a) pounding. He’ll carry the ball some more, but once Cleveland’s back we can give him a break.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Central Dauphin | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Case, 26 pass from Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 4:59 |
| 2 | CD | Chase, 1 run (Snyder kick) | 9:01 |
| 3 | Wilson | Rada, 21 FG | 8:19 |
| 3 | Wilson | Jones, 53 run (Rada kick) | 3:47 |
| 4 | CD | Snyder, 32 FG | 2:05 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Central Dauphin | |
| First downs | 14 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 37-186 | 36-139 |
| Passing yards | 127 | 67 |
| Total yards | 313 | 201 |
| Passes | 9-15-0 | 8-14-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 4-34.5 | 6-39.2 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-88 | 9-86 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Jones 13-122, Hunsicker 19-57, Kline 2-5, Welmaker 2-3, Fiorini 1-(-1).
Central Dauphin: Plummer 13-61, Shepherd 12-45, Chase 7-26, McCullough 3-6, Toland 1-1.
PASSING
Wilson: Hunsicker 9-15-0–127.
Central Dauphin: Plummer 8-14-1–62.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Case 4-67, Jones 3-16, Cooper 1-37, Kline 1-7.
Central Dauphin: Crummel 5-21, Chase 2-23, Kellogg 1-18.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Capitano.
