Bulldogs stop themselves in upset bid of state-ranked Blue Eagles

By Mike Drago Last updated Aug 13, 2025

Wilson's Brady celebrates Madyx Gruber's touchdown at Nazareth. (Joe Mays photo)

2024 Berks football coverage

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By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor

NAZARETH — Even after seeing Nazareth strike for long touchdown passes on each of its first four possessions Friday Wilson somehow found itself leading at the half when Christo Hunsicker nailed a field goal as time expired.

Two quarters later the Bulldogs were in the same position, positioned to take the lead and win the game in the waning seconds.

They had a first-and-goal at the 1 after tight end Michael Glover carried a Madyx Gruber pass 20 yards, stopped just a couple feet shy of the goal line.

“The game was ours,” said Wilson coach Doug Dahms. “We’re there. We’re gonna score. They couldn’t stop us.”

The Bulldogs got stopped.

Correll Akings, on his 29th carry of a huge night that saw him make clutch plays in both the run and pass games, fumbled the ball into the end zone with 54 seconds left, all but ending Wilson’s chance to knock off the state-ranked Blue Eagles.

“We were right there,” Gruber said after the 35-31 non-league loss at Leh Stadium.

The Bulldogs (2-1) drove from their own 16 to the Nazareth 1 over the final five minutes and were positioned for what would’ve been one of the most memorable road victories in program history.

Instead, it’ll become a thorny memory.

“It’s a tough loss,” Gruber said, “but there’s only one thing you can do is to learn from it.”

What the Bulldogs learned – if they didn’t know it already – is that they’re a pretty good football team. Others will find that out as they begin Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 play next week.

The only thing they couldn’t do Friday was find a way to contain quarterback Peyton Falzone, a Virginia Tech recruit who proved as good as advertised.

Bulldogs’ Madyx Gruber looks for running room against Blue Eagles. (Joe Mays photo)

The 6-4 junior completed 13-of-23 passes for 254 yards, with four first-half TD tosses. The track sprinter was just as dangerous with his feet and ran for a team-high 77 yards on just eight carries.

He gave the Blue Eagles (3-0), ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 6A, the lead for good with a 50-yard sprint down the right sideline on the opening possession of the second half.

“Obviously their quarterback was the difference in the game,” Dahms said. “We made some adjustments to take away the deep routes (in the second half). They got us a couple times (in the first half).

“Hey, it was two great football teams going at it. We went back and forth and back and forth. We gave every bit as good as we got.”

The plucky Gruber kept the Bulldogs in it, running for three short first-half TDs and completing 15-of-24 passes for 233 yards. He constantly kept plays alive with his feet, buying time to complete throws or run for first downs.

He also played a key defensive role at cornerback. He was switched over to cover Caleb Newsome, Nazareth’s top receiver, after Newsome burned the Bulldogs with a pair of long TD catches in the first half. Newsome didn’t have a catch in the second half.

“Madyx is a helluva football player,” Dahms said.

Gruber led an offense that cranked out 27 first downs, ran 31 more plays than Nazareth and out-gained the Blue Eagles 434-397. Akings accounted for half of that, running for 131 yards and a TD and turning three receptions into another 73 yards.

Wilson made some defensive adjustments in it pass coverage after a wild first half and held the Blue Eagles to just one touchdown in the second half but the Bulldogs went scoreless despite two trips inside the red zone.

Wilson’s first drive of the second half ended at the Nazareth 17 when Hunsicker missed a 33-yard field goal that would’ve extended the lead to 34-28.

Somehow, the Bulldogs took a 31-28 lead into the locker room at halftime. Hunsicker, a former quarterback, kept the last-minute drive alive with a fourth-down pass out of punt formation for 14 yards to Cam Zullinger.

The Bulldogs were constantly fighting to keep up in the first half as Falzone ended each of Nazareth’s first four possessions with touchdown passes, each from 35 yards or longer. He threw for 230 yards in the opening half.

The Bulldogs finally stopped Nazareth when Falzone threw incomplete on fourth down at the Wilson 27 with 2:07 left in the first half. The Bulldogs used those final minutes efficiently to take their first lead.

“Hey, it was two great football teams going at it,” Dahms said. “We went back and forth and back and forth. We gave every bit as good as we got.”.

Wilson got one last chance to pull it out when it forced a Nazareth punt with 34 seconds left. After Akings’ 13-yard return to the Blue Eagles 45 they had four plays, the last of which saw Glover nearly pull down a pass at the goal line as time expired.

“We had it. . . (if) we don’t fumble into the end zone,” Dahms said. “That’s the game. (Correll) ran tough. You feel bad for him, because he’ll remember that. He ran tough as nails all night; you can’t fault the kid. We (just) made too many mistakes to win against (a team) of this caliber.”

Bulldogs’ Correll Akings makes a big gain down the sideline. (Joe Mays photo)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Wilson	14	14	0	0	31
Nazareth	13	18	7	0	35

Scoring summary

1	Nazareth	Newsome, 52 pass from Falzone (Hall kick)	10:19
1	Wilson	Gruber, 4 run (Hunsicker kick)	6:59
1	Nazareth	Zelachowski, 62 pass from Falzone (Hall kick)	6:07
1	Wilson	Gruber, 1 run (kick failed)	2:14
2	Nazareth	Newsome, 35 pass from Falzone (Hall kick)	10:46
2	Wilson	Gruber, 1 run (Zullinger pass from Gruber)	7:07
2	Nazareth	Leluga, 42 pass from Falzone (Hall kick)	6:07
2	Wilson	Akings, 1 run (Hunsicker kick)	3:22
2	Wilson	Hunsicker, 32 FG	0:00
3	Nazareth	Falzone, 50 run (Hall kick)	4:01

Team statistics

	WILSON	NAZARETH
First downs	27	16
Rushes-yards	53-187	24-143
Passing yards	247	254
Total yards	434	397
Passes	16-26-0	13-24-0
Fumbles-lost	1-1	0-0
Punts-average	2-43.0	2-49.5
Penalties-yards	12-94	5-38