Special night by Cam Jones lifts Wilson over Manheim Township

(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)

By Dave Byrne — LNP/Lancasteronline

NEFFSVILLE — This just in . . . Cam Jones is a special athlete.

As if we didn’t already know that.

The Wilson senior tailback rushed 24 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated Manheim Township 27-21 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Seciton 1 play Friday night.

And while the Blue Streaks’ special teams kept him out of the end zone on returns, Jones found another way to get the ball there — throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Weitzel.

“He’s a heck of a ballplayer, a heck of an athlete,” Township head coach Mark Evans said.

“Our team came together,” Jones said. “Township is always a tough team to play, especially here at their home field. But we came together and we’re going to stay hungry going into the district playoffs.”

Wilson (5-1, 8-2 ) entered the night sixth in the eight-team District 3 Class 6A field and would likely open the playoffs at No. 3 Cumberland Valley, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s Harrisburg-Central Dauphin game.

The Blue Streaks (4-2, 7-3) entered ranked fifth and would open at Harrisburg, again depending on the outcome of the Cougars and Rams.

Either way, no matter who plays where, both coaches like their chances.

“I don’t think there’s a clear-cut favorite,” Bulldogs coach Doug Dahms said of the district playoffs, which open next week. “I haven’t seen Carlisle, but I’ve seen all the rest and any of them can win.”

“We get another chance to play,” Evans said. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see them again. Stranger things have happened.”

Jones’ elusiveness and quick step at the point of attack had the Streaks grabbing at air or in a footrace time and again.

“There were times our guys were in the right position,” Evans said, “we just didn’t execute.”

On the first play of the second half Jones hurdled a tackler after a 4-yard gain and was off to the races for a 38-yard gain that switched the field. Seven plays later, after quarterback Tommy Hunsicker’s fumble was blown dead – with Township recovering at the 7 and a wide-open field ahead – Hunsicker lined up in Shotgun, walked to the line then slowly strolled to his right.

Shades of the Philly Special?

Bulldog Special, perhaps?

Jones took the direct snap and shoveled the ball to Weitzel, who ran in from the 5.

On Wilson’s next possession, after Township tied the game on Hayden Johnson’s 18-yard run, Jones broke containment and hugged the left sideline for a 54-yard touchdown run.

“There’s no secret,” he said. “I just use my blockers as best as I can. That’s the name of the game.”

Township would forge one last tie, at 21-21, as Declan Clancy, bottled up for most of the game, broke a 45-yard run, breaking three tackles along the way, for the score.

Jones had one last answer. His 35-yard run on the first play of a 10-play, 71-yard drive, flipped the field once more and he capped the march stiff-arming his way around the right corner on a jet sweep from the 6.

Township took the opening kickoff and reeled off a 9-play, 82-yard drive with Clancy (19-111) running three times for 17 yards and Johnson completing his first six passes, including an 18-yard touchdown to Landon Kennel.

The Streaks held, but could only pick up 14 yards following a Wilson punt and punted back. The Bulldogs moved from their 48 to the Township 2 before the Streaks stiffened and held inside the 1.

Township moved to the Wilson 36 before Isaiah Casseus and Ryan McMillan teamed to sack Johnson for a 4-yard loss. While the possession was long, the Wilson defense slowed Clancy to a crawl, holding him to 44 yards on 12 carries between the first scoring drive and his 45-yard TD run.

“We were trying to play a lot of three-man front,” said Dahms, “and they were gashing us a little bit. Our nose (tackle) was getting too far up the field. We told him to play on the line, told our linebackers to tighten down.”

While they slowed Clancy, Johnson (17-of-25, 190 yards) was moving the sticks.

“He was on the money,” Dahms said.

Taking over at their 20 after Township punted, the Bulldogs marched 12 plays to paydirt, Hunsicker taking a keeper 8 yards up the middle.

Township was guilty of an illegal substitution infraction before Ben Rada’s PAT kick, Wilson reconsidered, went for two and Jones took a toss play around left end and the Bulldogs took an 8-7 lead into halftime.

Down 27-21 after Wilson’s two-point PAT pass failed, the Streaks took over at the 19 with 5:12 to play. Johnson’s 20-yard completion to Kennel, on fourth-and-4 – Township’s second fourth down conversion of the game – moved the sticks and two Clancy runs carried Township across midfield. On fourth-and-3 at the Wilson 48, Clancy bobbled and dropped Johnson’s swing pass, Wilson took over and ran out the clock.

“It’s a lesson, not a loss,” said Evans. “A lesson that you have to learn from, grow from. Our kids were in the moment. They never wavered. And we get another chance to play.”

	1	2	3	4	Final
Wilson	0	8	13	6	27
Manheim Township	7	0	7	7	21

Scoring summary

1	Manheim Township	Kennel, 18 pass from Johnson (Aszmus kick)
2	Wilson	Hunsicker, 8 run (Jones run)
3	Wilson	Weitzel, 5 pass from Jones (run failed)
3	Manheim Township	Johnson, 18 run (Nguyen kick)
3	Wilson	Jones, 54 run (Rada kick)
4	Manheim Township	Clancy, 45 run (Nguyen kick)
4	Wilson	Jones, 6 run (pass failed)

Team statistics

	Wilson	Manheim Township
First downs	20	17
Rushes-yards	45-326	25-137
Passing yards	49	190
Total yards	375	327
Passes	6-12	17-25
Fumbles-lost	0-0	0-0
Punts-average	1-37.0	2-29.5
Penalties-yards	3-49	4-25

Individual statistics

RUSHING

Wilson: Jones 24-248, Hunsicker 14-64, Harding 4-18, Team 3(-4).

Manheim Township: 19-111, Johnson 5-27, Team 1-(-1).

PASSING

Wilson: Hunsicker 5-11-0–44, Jones 1-1-0-5.

Manheim Township: Johnson 17-25-0–190.

RECEIVING

Wilson: Case 2-26, Harding 2-10, Valuekevich 1-8, Weitzel 1-5.

Manheim Township: Kennel 5-69, Kingsburry 3-40, Clancy 3-31, Wolfe 3-22, Palumbo 2-10, Dansereau 1-18.