GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week: Wilson Bulldogs vs. Harrisburg Cougars
District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal
No. 6 Wilson (8-2) vs. No. 3 Harrisburg (7-2)
Kick: Saturday, 1, at Severance Field, Harrisburg.
Series: Cougars lead 5-4.
Last meeting: Harrisburg beat Wilson 14-10 last year in the District 3 Class 6A championship game at Severance Field, snapping the fifth-seeded Bulldogs’ seven-game winning streak. The top-seeded Cougars limited the Bulldogs’ powerful running game to 144 yards on 41 carries, 100 of it from Jadyn Jones. They were held to a season-low scoring total.
The Bulldogs played error-free football and forced a pair of turnovers but had trouble moving the ball consistently against a stiff Harrisburg defense.
Harrisburg went ahead for good on the second of QB Shawn Lee Jr.’s two TD runs with 9:24 left.
Bruising RB Mahkai Hopkins ran 25 times for 130 yards for Harrisburg, which won its third championship in six seasons.
Bulldogs update: Enter playoffs with three-game winning streak. . . Lone loss in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League came in Week 7, 20-16 to eventual section champ Hempfield. . . RB Cam Jones needs 35 rushing yards to reach 1,000. . . His 9.5 yards-per-carry average is tops in Section 1 and fifth-best in the league. . . His 19 rushing TDs are tied for fifth in the league. . . He also has six special teams TDs, including a Berks-record five on punts. . . Allowing 14.4 points, fifth-fewest in the league. . . Ranked No. 5 in the league in total defense, allowing 218 yards per game and No. 5 in rushing defense, allowing 114 yards. . . LB Nick Crocona leads team with 48 tackles and has nine tackles for loss and four pass break-ups. . . LB Ryan McMillan is second with 43 tackles. . . DE Nick Weitzel leads team with 9.5 tackles for loss. . . CB Rafael Fernandez leads team with eight pass break-ups. . . S Nate Capitano leads team with three interceptions.
Did you know? Wilson’s Cam Jones is averaging 59.7 yards on punt returns. He has fielded six punts and taken five back to the end zone.
Fast fact: The Bulldogs have not lost a playoff opener since losing to Cumberland Valley 21-7 in 2000 semifinal, when just four teams qualified in Class AAAA. They have won 17 straight since.
Wilson playoff history: The Bulldogs are 42-22 overall, with seven championships, most recent coming in 2016 over Cumberland Valley.
Quotable: “They’re loaded with talent; they’ve got some special kids. (Terrell Reynolds) is off the charts; we’re gonna have to deal with him. (Mahkai) Hopkins beat us last year when we couldn’t stop him; he’s a really big, athletic back. (Kyle Williams) — phew, he’s like Cam (Jones). He’s gonna give us some fits.” — Wilson coach Doug Dahms, on Harrisburg.
Cougars update: Defending district champs returned nine starters to the defensive side, including speed-rushing defensive end Terrell Reynolds, who was Mid-Penn Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year last season. . . They have three shutouts, have limited five teams to seven points or less and are allowing 9.2 points per game, second-fewest in District 3. . . Winning margin is 25.7 points per game. . . Have committed just eight turnovers. . . Lones losses came to Manheim Township when they allowed a short TD pass with four seconds remaining and to unbeaten and state-ranked State College, 20-6. . . They were without two-year starting quarterback Shawn Lee Jr. against State College. . . Lee, a sophomore, has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns, most of them to Temple recruit and dynamic receiver/back Kyle Williams. . . Lee completed 15-of-21 passes for 218 yards and three TDs in 42-7 win over Central Dauphin two weeks ago. . . Freshman standout Elias Coke, a 6-1, 187-pound wide receiver, had a pair of TD receptions in season finale against Central Dauphin. . . Mahkai Hopkins, a 240-pound RB, has rushed for 848 yards and 11 TDs. . . He’s had four 100-yard games. . . Finished 12-2 last season. . . Ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 6A. . . Head coach Calvin Everett is 94-45 in 12 seasons.
Fast fact: Harrisburg has gone for a two-point conversion after 40 of its 44 touchdowns; it’s been successful 20 times.
Harrisburg playoff history: The Cougars are 20-15 overall with championships in 2007 (over Gov. Mifflin), 2016 (over Manheim Central), 2018 (over Central Dauphin) and last year.
Did you know? Severance Field was recently renovated and now features lights; Harrisburg was one of the few teams in District 3 that plays home games on Saturday afternoon.
Quotable: “We had (Marshall defensive tackle) Damion (Barber) and (Penn State’s) Micah (Parsons) and, just from a sacks standpoint, he has exceeded what they did. Just speaking about guys rushing the passer, nobody has done what he has.” — Harrisburg coach Calvin Everett to PennLive.com about Terrell Reynolds.
Winner gets: No. 2 Central York (9-1) or No. 7 York High (6-3) in district semifinal at site of highest-seeded team.