Bulldogs can’t contain all the Cougars’ weapons in 32-21 district playoff loss
HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg Cougars put some powerful football forces out on the field.
There’s 6-2, 245-pound speed rusher Terrell Reynolds, who has four Division I offers and had five sacks Saturday afternoon against Wilson.
There’s Mahkai Hopkins, a rino-sized fullback who dragged the Bulldogs with him on the way to 163 yards in the District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal.
There’s Kyle Williams, a Temple recruit and home run hitter whether he’s lined up at receiver or in the backfield.
The backbreaker, though, is Shawn Lee Jr. The sophomore quarterback lacks the size or physical strength of his celebrated teammates but he’s a slick playmaker who hurt the Bulldogs more than anyone in the Cougars’ 32-21 win at Severance Field.
“It’s a luxury to know that if a play breaks down we still have an opportunity to get some yards,” Cougars coach Cal Everett said.”
Lee delivered the most stinging plays against a Wilson defense stretched to the limit to try to cover Harrisburg’s array of playmakers. Three times he converted on fourth-down runs to keep alive scoring drives, one of them off a fake punt.
Lee was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“He’s got that ability (to escape),” said Wilson coach Doug Dahms. “We had ’em down here (once) and he got a first down.”
Lee converted fourth downs twice on Harrisburg’s second drive, the first out of punt formation on fourth-and-4 from Harrisburg’s 33. He ran for 11 yards. Later in the drive he ran out of the pocket for 9 yards on fourth-and-6, giving the Cougars a first down at the 9. Three plays later Williams dove in from the 1 to make it 12-0.
“We played hard,” said Wilson defensive end Nick Weitzel. “They started running over us a little, but we were fighting back. They got a few big runs, a couple fourth-down conversions that killed us.”
The sixth-seeded Bulldogs (8-3) dug out of that 12-point hole and took a small lead into halftime, just as they did a year ago in the district title game at Severance. Just like last year, when they fell 14-10, they couldn’t hold it.
The third-seeded Cougars (8-2) were just a little better as they eliminated Wilson for the fourth time in five years.
Lee’s 7-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter erased Wilson’s 14-12 lead and put his team on top for good at 18-14.
He provided another dagger several minutes later, with a 30-yard run on fourth-and-5 from the Wilson 30. The Bulldogs put on a heavy pass rush and seemed to have Lee surrounded by four linemen but he slipped free and ran to the 2. Hopkins took it from there. Lee’s two-point conversion run made it 26-14.
“He did a great job giving us timely first downs when we needed it,” Everett said of Lee . “He kept the chains moving.”
The Bulldogs answered quickly, with junior quarterback Tommy Hunsicker connecting with Cam Jones for 17 yards, Austin Valukevich for 18 and finally with Eddie Case for a 30-yard touchdown — his second scoring catch of the day. Ben Rada’s PAT made it 26-21 with 5:10 remaining.
A failed onside kick set Harrisburg up with prime field position and Hopkins cashed in again, busting tackles on his way to a 23-yard TD run with 3:43 left.
Hunsicker, who threw for 223 yards, moved the Bulldogs back into scoring position, his 14-yard throw to Makih Cooper good for a first down at the 9. He was picked off on the next play, the last of three Wilson turnovers.
The first of those — an interception by Zakii Lewis at the 5 — erased a second-quarter scoring chance.
Just as critical as the turnovers was the defensive job the Cougars did on Jones. They didn’t allow Wilson’s biggest offensive threat to get free. He didn’t get his hands on a punt return, was well contained on his one kickoff return and managed just 34 yards on 11 carries — his season ending with 999 rushing yards.
“They were getting too much penetration,” Dahms said, “and we didn’t have a chance to get him going. They were really focused on him.”
“He was definitely a focal point of ours,” said Everett, who admitted he kept the offense on the field a couple times on fourth down so he wouldn’t have to punt to Jones. “We didn’t want to kick the ball to him. We wanted to make sure we had all 11 hats at him at all times.”
“We just wanted to stop Cam Jones,” Reynolds said of the game plan. “He’s a heckuva player.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Harrisburg | 12 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 32 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Harrisburg | K. Williams, 10 pass from Lee (run failed). | 7:53 |
| 1 | Harrisburg | K. Williams, 2 run (pass failed) | 0:39 |
| 2 | Wilson | Jones, 3 run (Rada kick) | 8:37 |
| 2 | Wilson | Case, 30 pass from Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 0:56 |
| 3 | Harrisburg | Lee, 7 run (run failed) | 0:31 |
| 4 | Harrisburg | Hopkins, 2 run (Lee, run) | 7:24 |
| 4 | Wilson | Case, 30 pass from Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 5:10 |
| 4 | Harrisburg | Hopkins, 23 run (run failed) | 3:43 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Harrisburg | |
| First downs | 19 | 18 |
| Rushes-yards | 28-109 | 50-312 |
| Passing yards | 223 | 37 |
| Total yards | 332 | 349 |
| Passes | 13-22-2 | 7-9-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-28.7 | 2-52.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-57 | 10-91 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Hunsicker 15-74, Jones 11-34, Harding 2-1.
Harrisburg: Hopkins 23-163, Lee 15-84, K. Williams 11-70, Team 1-(-5).
PASSING
Wilson: Hunsicker 13-22-2–223.
Harrisburg: Lee 7-9-0–37.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Valukevich 4-62, Jones 4-51, Case 2-68, Fernandez 1-20, Cooper 1-14, Harding 1-8.
Harrisburg: Williams 5-26, Coke 1-6, Grandberry 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS
Harrisburg: Lewis 2.
