Hempfield stuns Wilson with last-minute TD, now alone in first place in Section 1
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
Hempfield may have been a little overlooked in the preseason but no one’s looking past the Black Knights now.
Not after a game-winning 17-play drive that lasted over seven minutes and gave them a 20-16 win over Wilson at Gurski Stadium Friday in a battle of Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 leaders.
The Black Knights (4-0, 6-1) took their only lead of the game with 17 seconds left on Stephen Katch’s 2-yard run, which capped a 76-yard drive.
“This is the greatest sports moment of my life,” said third-year Hempfield coach George Eager, a former Wilson assistant coach who had a standout playing career at Manheim Township and Franklin & Marshall. “(This win) is that impactful, because of the respect I have for the (Wilson) program, and knowing how hard they work.”
The Black Knights can claim their first Section 1 title since 2005 by winning out in league play against Cedar Crest and Reading High, in Weeks 9 and 10. They play a non-leaguer against Exeter next week.
The Black Knights coverted three third downs and a fourth-and-3 at the Wilson 32 in the final minutes to keep the game-winning drive alive. On the key fourth-down play, quarterback Jackson Landis dumped the ball off to tight end Aiden Shorter on a screen and he stretched just enough to move the chains.
“I love that last drive,” Eager said, “converting when we needed to convert, just finding a way to win in a very, very tough environment.
“It was just a great effort by our kids, getting down on the second play (of the game). They took a shot (but bounced back). Teams in the past might’ve fallen (in that situation), thinking, ‘This is Wilson.’ “
The Bulldogs (2-1, 5-2) got a 53-yard touchdown run from dynamic Cam Jones on the second play of the game and a 48-yard scoring run with 3:26 left in the third quarter for a 16-10 lead.
The Black Knights drove for a first down to the Wilson 6 but were turned back on three straight plays and settled for a Cannon Biscoe 29-yard field goal that cut the lead to 16-13.
They forced the Bulldogs to punt the ball away on their first possession of the fourth quarter; the next time they got it back there were just 17 seconds left. Brian Williams intercepted a pass on the first play of Wilson’s final drive to clinch it.
Landis completed 16-of-26 passes for a career-high 269 yards, including a 58-yard TD to Micah Gates that tied it 10-10 just a minute into the second half.
Landis, a junior and first-year starter, completed five of his final six passes on the last drive, including an 18-yarder to Andy Garcia on third-and-9 to the Wilson 9.
“Wilson is gonna stop the run unless you’ve got freaks up front (on the offensive line),” Eager said, “so we knew we were gonna have to throw the ball. We knew if we were gonna win our quarterback was gonna have to play well, and he stepped up in the biggest game.”
Jones ran for 189 yards on 15 carries but Hempfield made sure he didn’t touch the ball on special teams, kicking the ball away from the record-setting return man. He has returned four punts for scores this season.
“Luckily, we have players that executed (in the kicking game),” Eager said. “Cam’s such an electrifying player, if he touches it he can go the distance.”
Jones, who moved into the tailback role early in Wilson’s five-game winning streak, ran for 10 yards on the first play from scrimmage. He took it the distance on the next snap, going 53 yards up the middle to give the Bulldogs the lead.
Hempfield controlled the ball for six minutes and 14 plays on its opening drive but stalled at the 3 and had to settle for a Briscoe field goal.
Hempfield moved into Wilson territory on its second possession before Edison Case intercepted a pass inside the 30.
Wilson’s defense dug in after those earlier series, forcing a pair of punts on the Black Knights’ next two possessions.
The Bulldogs moved deep into Hempfield territory twice late in the second quarter but came away with just three points. Ben Rada missed a 37-yard field midway through the second quarter before hiting a 25-yarder 1:55 before intermission for a 10-3 lead.
A 34-yard catch-and-run by Jones, to the Hempield 29, set up the field goal. Jones had 87 rushing yards and 121 of Wilson’s 151 total yards from scrimmage.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hempfield | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| Wilson | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Jones, 53 run (Rada kick) | 11:16 |
| 1 | Hempfield | Biscoe, 20 FG | 4:56 |
| 2 | Wilson | Rada, 25 FG | 1:55 |
| 3 | Hempfield | Gates, 58 pass from Landis (Biscoe kick) | 10:51 |
| 3 | Wilson | Jones, 48 run (kick failed) | 3:26 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Biscoe, 29 FG | 11:57 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Katch, 2 run (Biscoe kick) | 0:17 |
Team statistics
| Hempfield | Wilson | |
| First downs | 18 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 35-82 | 27-219 |
| Passing yards | 277 | 55 |
| Total yards | 359 | 274 |
| Passes | 17-28-1 | 4-11-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 2-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-24.0 | 2-31.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-20 | 4-31 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Hempfield: Hoover 22-75, Katch 6-19, Team 2-(-2), Landis 5–(10).
Wilson: Jones 15-189, Hunsicker 8-17, Fiorini 2-8, Harding 2-5.
PASSING
Hempfield: Landis 16-26-1–269, Katch 1-2-0-8.
Wilson: Hunsicker 4-11-2–55.
RECEIVING
Hempfield: Garcia 7-101, Gates 4-124, Morales 2-22, Shorter 2-15, Landis 1-8, Benjamin 1-7.
Wilson: Jones 2-39, Case 1-15, Kline 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS
Hempfield: Williams 2.
Wilson: Case.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Wilson: Rada 37, 28.