District 3 Class 6A preview: Wilson vs. York High
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District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal
No. 4 Wilson (8-2) vs. No. 5 York High (6-3)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Gurski Stadium.
Series: Wilson leads 4-0.
Last meeting: Quarterback Brad Hoffman rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns and tailback Jaydn Jones for 155 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat the Bearcats 50-32 in a 2021 quarterfinal at Smalls Field. Cam Jones had an 81-yard kickoff return for the Bulldogs. York’s Jaheim White, a West Virginia recruit, ran for 227 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion, caught two passes and threw a 78-yard touchdown pass. The Bearcats outgained the Bulldogs 414-401.
District playoff history: Wilson is making its 33rd appearance and seeking its 13th championship-game appearance, and second in a row. It lost to Harrisburg 42-12 last year. Overall, the Bulldogs are 44-25 in district play. . . York High has won just four games in its 15 prior appearances and hasn’t won a district game on the field since 2018. (It took a forfeit win from Harrisburg in 2020.).
Fast fact: Wilson LB EJ Brownback has returned three INTs for TDs, believed to be a first for the program. Overall, the Bulldogs defense has produced 8 TDs, five on Pick-6’s and three on fumbles.
Bulldogs update: Earned opening-round bye. . . Lost season finale 20-14 to Manheim Township. . . Ranked No. 10 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in total offense, No. 5 in scoring (38.5). . . QB Mason Young ranked No. 3 in the league in passing efficiency, with 67.4 percent completion rate and 1,824 yards, second-most behind Conestoga Valley’s Sawyer Esbenshade. . . Correll Akings leads team with 13 TDs; he had scored a TD in every game before being stopped by Manheim Township. . . Akings is averaging 19.0 yards on punt returns. . . All-State TE Michael Glover leads team with 30 receptions. . . WR Jaiden Carpenter has 9 TD receptions. . . Ranked No. 7 in the league in total defense, No. 3 against the rush, allowing 103 yards per game. . . LB EJ Brownback leads team with 97 tackles, and 17 tackles for loss. . . S Chase Herb is second with 49 tackles. . . DT Malachi Toles has 10 tackles for loss and team-leading 4 sacks . . . Freshman Preston Oxenreider has been good on 52-of-54 PATs and on his only FG attempt, from 25 yards.
Did you know? Wilson has reached the District 3 Tournament every year since 2006 with the exception of 2020, when the field was truncated due to the COVID breakout.
Bearcats update: Finished second to unbeaten Central York in Division I of the York-Adams League. . . Lost to Central 56-14 in regular season finale. . . Own a pair of wins over district qualifiers, Hempfield (22-16 in OT) and Spring Grove (42-39). . . Other losses were to C.D. East 36-20 in season-opener and to Manheim Township 43-34 in Week 3. . . Top player is all-league RB Shavane Anderson Jr., a Syracuse recruit. . . He rushed for 1,000 yards as a sophomore but did not get back to that mark last season as team had a young offensive line and struggled to a 2-6 finish. . . O-line includes four sophomore starters, among them all-league G Imir Orr. . . Anderson Jr. had 294 rushing yards against Central York. . . QB Najee Still is a three-year starter. . . All-League DE Trevor Lee leads defense, which includes four second-team all-league picks. . . Anderson Jr. had a 94-yard punt return in the final minute against Hempfield to send the game to OT, then caught a 10-yard TD in OT to win it.
Quotable: “We’ve had the fortune of having real good running backs here starting back with Khalid Dorsey, Dayjure Stewart, and obviously Jahiem (White), so (Shavane) is just another guy in the line. He’s watched all those guys and knows how much hard work it takes.” – York High coach Russ Stoner, on Shavane Anderson Jr.
Winner plays: No. 1 Central York (9-1) or No. 8 Cedar Cliff (6-5) Nov. 14 at site of higher-seeded team.
