Bulldogs say: ‘We can be better than this’
After losing for the third time in four weeks the Wilson Bulldogs are in a position none of their players have ever experienced.
They have a losing record at midseason and are in jeopardy of missing the district playoffs.
“This is the worst starting record we’ve had… probably in the history of the program,” said senior linebacker T.J. Flite after a 24-21 loss to Manheim Central Friday night in the GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week at Gurski Stadium. “I don’t know.”
Indeed, there are lot of questions to be answered after a game which saw the Bulldogs’ offense shut down in the second half, when they turned it over on four of their final five possession and managed just three first downs and 17 total yards.
The defense was good enough, holding the state-ranked Barons (5-0) at bay with three interceptions and with three fourth-down stops in the second half.
But the execution on the other side of the ball again cost the Bulldogs (2-3), who have a losing record after five games for the first time in 20 years.
“They’ve got to go home and do some soul-searching,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said of his players.
Wilson led 14-10 at the half and was within 24-21 after Cam Jones pumped life into his sideline with an 85-yard kickoff return in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
There was plenty of time to come back but the offense self-destructed.
“We can be better than this,” said Flite. “We can be much better. We still have a good team. (There are a) lot of mental mistakes that we’ve gotta fix.”
Play starts in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League next week and the Bulldogs can repeat as league champs. Qualifying for the District 3 Class 6A playoffs is not be out of the question if they run the table, or go at least 4-1, but the chance to host early round playoff games — as the Bulldogs typically do — seems pretty remote at this point.
The Bulldogs finished with just 142 yards — half Manheim’s total — and only 44 yards through the air. Quarterback Brad Hoffman completed 5-of-17 passes and was intercepted three times. He also had a costly fumble on a pitch to Jones that went for a fourth turnover.
“We’ve gotta be able to throw the ball, and we’re not throwing the ball — bottom line,” Dahms said. “We’ve gotta be able to hit short passes and get the ball in the hands of the receivers and let ’em do something, and we’re not doing it. If you’re not gonna throw the ball they’re just gonna pack the box, then you don’t have anything.”
Novak, an all-league second-team pick as a junior, had a rough start as he was picked off by Jones and Sean Dendall on the first two series.
Wilson’s first possession came at the Manheim 39 less than a minute into the game but a pair of procedure penalties cost them, and they ended up punting.
They were able to convert when Dendall jumped a route and gave his team the ball at the Manheim 25 a few minutes later. Gavin Lenart, starting at tailback in place of leading rusher Jadyn Jones, who sat out with a suspension, scored on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Cam Jones’ 21-yard run, on a Jet Sweep, sparked Wilson’s go-ahead drive just before the half. That run gave the Bulldogs a first down at the 17. They punched it over on Hoffman’s 1-yard sneak with 24 seconds left for a 14-10 lead.
The Barons took the lead for good on their first possession of the third quarter, on Novak’s 39-yard TD pass to Owen Sensenig. He later found Rocco Daugherty with a 2-yard flip for a 24-14 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Novak proved elusive as a runner, as well, going for 56 with some key runs to keep the chains moving. He turned several potential losses into big gains.
“Judd threw two ill-advised passes, but he bounced back, and that’s a good sign,” said Manheim coach Dave Hahn. “He can struggle, not play his best game but still lead us to a victory. I was proud of him.”
Hahn wasn’t particularly thrilled with his team’s effort; he didn’t think they were sharp. The Barons had several penalties in the red zone that kept them out of the end zone.
“I think we should’ve been up on them a lot more than that,” he said. “That’s not a typical Wilson team, and we’re better than that. I feel like we let that go. I’m happy for these guys, but as a coach I’m ticked.”
Dahms was ticked, too, because he thought his team should’ve won — and not by just a few points.
“We out-played ’em … we should’ve won that game by three touchdowns,” he said boldly. “You look at all the opportunities we squandered.”
Dahms said it’s up to the players to turn this thing around; the coaches have done all they can.
“We need to find (out) who wants to play,” Flite said.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Manheim Central | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Wilson | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Scoring summary
| Team | Player | Play | From | PAT Player | Extra Point |
| Wilson | Lenart | 2 run | Rada | kick | |
| Manheim Central | Harbach | 21 pass | Novak | Caterbone | kick |
| Manheim Central | Caterbone | 29 FG | |||
| Wilson | Hoffman | 1 run | Rada | kick | |
| Manheim Central | Sensenig | 39 pass | Novak | Caterbone | kick |
| Manheim Central | Daugherty | 3 pass | Novak | Caterbone | kick |
| Wilson | C. Jones | 85 kickoff return | Rada | kick | |
Team statistics
| Manheim Central | Wilson | |
| First downs | 13 | 11 |
| Rushes-yards | 44-158 | 35-98 |
| Passing yards | 129 | 44 |
| Total yards | 287 | 142 |
| Passes | 8-20-3 | 5-17-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 1-32.0 | 3-31.3 |
| Penalties | 7-56 | 6-36 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Manheim Central: Heffernan 23-85, Novak 14-56, Weaver 2-11, Weit 2-5, Sensenig 1-3, Team 1-(2).
Wilson: Lenart 13-38, Hoffman 18-34, C. Jones 4-26.
PASSING
Manheim Central: Novak 8-20-3–129.
Wilson: Hoffman 5-17-3–44.
RECEIVING
Manheim Central: Weaver 3-30, Sensenig 2-50, Hostetter 1-25, Harbach 1-21, Daugherty 1-3.
Wilson: Kline 2-28, Case 2-16, Lenart 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS
Manheim Central: Watt, Weaver, Sensenig.Wilson: C. Jones, Dendall, Brubaker.