Brady Kline, Bulldogs, stop unbeaten Streaks, catch record 30th Section 1 title
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
NEFFSVILLE — Brady Kline and Derek Reiniger were freshmen on the last Wilson team that won a Lancaster-Lebanon League championship, but to them that didn’t quite count. They needed to go out on top as seniors.
| Section 1 | ||
| Wilson | 6-0 | 9-1 |
| Manheim Twp. | 5-1 | 9-1 |
| Cedar Crest | 4-2 | 7-3 |
| Hempfield | 3-3 | 4-6 |
| Penn Manor | 2-4 | 2-7 |
| Reading | 1-5 | 2-8 |
| McCaskey | 0-6 | 2-8 |
“We’ve gotta get our own,” Kline insisted.
Kline went out and got it, for sure.
With a Section 1 championship on the line, and the Bulldogs trying to hold off fast-charging Manheim Township in the final minutes Friday, the H-back went up high over a defender, snagged a pass, and took it another 20 yards into the end zone, essentially clinching Wilson’s 34-16 win over the previously unbeaten Streaks.
“That catch,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said, “was phenomenal.”
The win snapped Township’s 19-game home winning streak and gave the Bulldogs (6-0, 9-1) their record 30th L-L section title, and first since 2021.
It was a special one for the Bulldogs, and for Dahms, who had been playing second fiddle to the Blue Streaks (5-1, 9-1) in recent years after dominating Section 1 for decades.
“I told them, ‘You’re an unknown quantity,’ ” Dahms said of his pregame talk to his players, who had spent the entire season in the Blue Streaks’ lengthy shadow. “ ‘You know what? They don’t know enough to be afraid of you. So go out there and put the fear in their hearts and play like it’s your game,’ and they did.”
The Bulldogs were exceptional on defense, slowing down all-league running back Declan Clancy after he hit them hard on Township’s first drive, which he sparked with a 41-yard run to the 5 and capped on the next snap.
Clancy finished with 137 yards, and with the Blue Streaks’ single-season rushing mark, but it came at a price: He needed 27 carries and got just 74 yards on 21 carries over the final three quarters after the Bulldogs made some mental adjustments.
“He’s an outstanding football player,” said Kline, a defensive end. “We were tackling him too high (in the first quarter). We knew we had to fly around, get him low, and get three to four guys in there every play.”
“Everybody did their jobs,” said junior safety Chase Herb, who collided repeatedly with the hard-running Clancy, “and look what happened. How many touchdowns did he have, one? ”
Kline made the play of the game with his leaping catch and quarterback Madyx Gruber again drove the bus, making plays with his feet and his arm as he passed for three touchdowns and 207 yards. But the Bulldogs won this game they way they have won so many over the decades, with hard-nosed, determined defense.
(Chris Knight/LNP photo)
The Streaks were averaging 39.1 points and nearly 400 total yards per game but the Bulldogs came up with several key stops, three times forcing turnovers on downs and once forcing Township to kick a field goal after it had reached the 4.
That field goal, a 21-yard chip shot by Johnny Morales, pulled the Streaks within 22-16 in the final minute of the third quarter, but a touchdown there would’ve made a much larger impact.
Earlier, with the Streaks trailing 22-7, quarterback Carson Weisser couldn’t find an open receiver on fourth-and-4 at the Wilson 15, was flushed from the pocket, then taken down by EJ Brownback and Christo Hunsicker, the second turnover on downs of the first half.
“(Clancy) had some big runs early but we went back to basics and the kids played well,” Dahms said. “I can’t say enough about the defensive effort. We stopped them a couple times, which was really big. Hey, the kids played with a lot of heart right across the board.”
After Brady’s score the Bulldogs came up with one more big defensive stand as they stuffed Clancy for no gain on third and fourth downs at the Township 29.
The Bulldogs put the game away from there, with Gruber ending a short drive with a 3-yard run with 1:37 to go.
A few minutes later Gruber, who’s also an outstanding cornerback, ended Township’s final threat when he intercepted a pass inside the 5.
“He’s so talented, both on offense and defense,” teammate Correll Akings said of Gruber. “He’s a double threat, an all-around player.”
Gruber completed 11-of-18 passes to seven different receivers, with scoring passes to three different players. His clutch fourth-down throw, to Hunsicker on fourth-and-2 from the Township 21, set up Akings with a 2-yard TD run that capped Wilson’s opening drive.
The Blue Streak, who were ranked No. 5 in the state, had few close games along the way and seemed to grow frustrated in the first half when they fell behind. They were flagged for five personal foul penalties before halftime, a couple on late hits out of bounds, and for seven overall.
The Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 9 in the state, played with more poise and confidence.
“They played a heckuva game,” Dahms said of his guys. “(We knew) this was gonna be a tough one. (Township) was favored from the get-go. We took a young team that had very little experience, they bought in.”
“We worked hard all year,” Akings said. “No one believed in us but we showed ’em that we’re here to stay.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 7 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 34 |
| Manheim Township | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 16 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Akings, 1 run (Hunsicker kick) | 5:58 |
| 1 | Manheim Township | Clancy, 5 run (Morales kick) | 4:25 |
| 2 | Wilson | Akings, 65 pass from Gruber (Hunsicker kick) | 9:22 |
| 2 | Wilson | Glover, 10 pass from Gruber (Akings run) | 2:35 |
| 3 | Manheim Township | Veilleux, 1 run (Morales kick) | 7:27 |
| 3 | Manheim Township | Morales, 21 FG | 0:15 |
| 4 | Wilson | Kline, 41 pass from Gruber (run failed) | 7:00 |
| 4 | Wilson | Gruber, 4 run (kick failed) | 1:37 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Manheim Township | |
| First downs | 19 | 15 |
| Rushes-yards | 41-169 | 31-154 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 158 |
| Total yards | 376 | 312 |
| Passes | 11-18-1 | 11-28-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-39.3 | 3-35.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-64 | 10-128 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Greer 9-66, Gruber 16-55, Akings 16-52.
Manheim Township: Clancy 27-137, Weisser 3-16, Veilleux 1-1.
PASSING
Wilson: Gruber 11-18-1–207.
Manheim Township: Weisser 10-27-1–123, Dixon 1-1-0–35.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Akings 3-79, Zullinger 2-17, Glover 2-13, Kline 1-41, Carpenter 1-35, Hunsicker 1-20, Dean 1-2.
Manheim Township: Feliciano 3-38, Alaimo 2-40, Dixon 2-20, Clancy 2-16, Haberbosch 1-35, Hill 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Gruber.
Manheim Township: Capizzi.
