It got late early for Bulldogs in district championship loss to Cougars

By Mike Drago Last updated Dec 4, 2024

Harrisburg's Messiah Mickens closes in on Wilson quarterback Madyx Gruber Saturday in district championship. (PhilMarPhoto)

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Harrisburg 42, Wilson 14

By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor

It came just a few minutes into their District 3 Class 6A championship game Saturday but to Wilson coach Doug Dahms it was “the beginning of the end.”

He knew his team had to play a near-perfect game to beat Harrisburg, a team loaded with top-shelf talent and speed across the board. The Bulldogs didn’t get close.

A punt snap that sailed over the head of punter Christo Hunsicker on Wilson’s first series set the tone for what became a long afternoon and a 42-14 loss at Don Thomas Stadium.

“We just started off really bad,” said Wilson cornerback and tailback Correll Akings, “and it just kept going downhill.”

That pretty much sums up what quickly turned into the Bulldogs’ worst playoff defeat in nearly 20 years.

They saw their elusive quarterback Madyx Gruber, a magical play-maker, sacked a season-high four times, three by relentless Penn State recruit Messiah Mickens.

They saw Gruber’s fourth-down pass into the end zone picked off, Akings’ 95-yard kickoff return nullified by a penalty, and a fake punt go up in smoke when the pass was dropped.

“We knew we had to play a really good game, we needed to get some breaks, and we didn’t do it,” Dahms said. “We just dug ourselves some holes we couldn’t get out of.”

The second-seeded Bulldogs (12-2) stopped Harrisburg on downs at midfield on the opening series. A minute later, after Gruber was stopped short on a third-down run, Hunsicker dropped back to punt. The snap soared well over his head. The former quarterback ran it down, then managed to complete a pass to Ethan Harding, but it was well short of the first down.

“I thought we had a great first series (on defense)” Dahms said, “then gave them a short field. You can’t do that against a team of their caliber.”

Bulldogs’ Michael Glover goes over two defenders for a touchdown catch. (PhilMarPhoto)

The fourth-seeded Cougars (11-2) took over at the Wilson 45 and were in the end zone in seven plays, Mickens, a junior tailback, making a quick cut to the outside to free himself for a 7-yard touchdown.

It was apparent from the beginning that Harrisburg’s across-the-board speed advantage was going to be too much for Wilson to handle. It showed in the Bulldogs’ pass coverage and when they had the ball as Gruber’s protection struggled to keep pass-rushers out of the backfield.

Mickens was a terror coming off the edge; he had four of Harrisburg’s nine tackles for loss.

“Let’s face it, (Mickens) is a helluva football player,” Dahms said. “There’s a reason Penn State wants him. They’re just fast at every position. We’re an athletic team, but not as athletic as they are. They have athletes all across the board, and they can run.”

Wilson trailed 21-0 before it got its first points, on a 1-yard sneak by Gruber 14 seconds before halftime.

Gruber was picked off twice, once in the end zone after the Bulldogs had moved from their own 34 to a first-and-goal at the 4, late in the first half and trailing just 14-0. Akings was taken down for a 3-yard loss on first down and three plays later Gruber, rolling to his right, ran out of space and had to throw across his body and into the end zone, where he was intercepted by Trays Wright.

Down 28-6 midway through the third quarter the Bulldogs went for broke on fourth down from their own 10. Hunsicker, lined up to punt against into a stiff wind, instead threw a pass that could’ve gone for a first down but was dropped. Harrisburg’s D’Ante Sheffey scored from there on the next play to make it 35-6.

“We don’t play to keep the score down, we play to win,” Dahms said of a fake with his punter throwing from his own end zone. “We’re going for the win, I don’t care. We complete that fake punt there, who knows what happens then? You get mo. . .”

The Bulldogs never did get any momentum going. Their offense was limited to 155 total yards and they allowed a season-high point total. Their only other loss came 35-31 at Nazareth 11 weeks ago.

“We just let this one get away,” Dahms said. “We didn’t play our ‘A’ game, and you needed your ‘A’ game for this.”

The Cougars, who have now won four straight district titles, didn’t have a turnover and didn’t punt. They scored touchdowns on three consecutive offensive snaps in the third quarter, building a 42-6 lead. They overwhelmed a team that had won nine straight games, claimed the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 championship and was ranked No. 5 in the state by PennLive.com.

“Harrisburg’s a great team,” said Wilson tight end Michael Glover, who caught a 22-yard touchdown pass, “they played a great game.”

The Cougars advance to play District 7 champ Pittsburgh Central Catholic (10-2), a 41-19 winner Friday over State College.

The playoff defeat was the worst for Wilson since a 47-13 loss to Gov. Mifflin in a 2006 semifinal. The Bulldogs had never been beaten this soundly in 11 previous championship games, seven of which they’ve won.

Harrisburg has been a nemesis for Wilson, ending the Bulldogs’ season five times in the last seven years.

Dahms knows the Cougars aren’t going away anytime soon. Most of their key players are underclassmen. The Bulldogs have to find a way to get better in order to compete with them.

“This hurts,” he said, “but (I told the players) you can’t overlook what you did this year. You beat a lot of teams that nobody expected you to beat.”

Cougars’ Messiah Mickens eludes grasp of Christo Hunsicker. (PhilMarPhoto)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Harrisburg	7	14	21	0	42
Wilson	0	6	0	8	14

Scoring summary

1	Harrisburg	Mickens, 7 run (Fasanya kick)	2:59
2	Harrisburg	Mickens, 3 run (Fasanya kick)	11:54
2	Harrisburg	Ewell, 52 run (Fasanya kick)	4:22
2	Wilson	Gruber, 1 run (kick failed)	0:14
3	Harrisburg	Coke, 37 pass from Lewis	8:12
3	Harrisburg	Sheffey, 10 run (Fasanya kick)	6:42
3	Harrisburg	Brannon, 30 run (Fasanya kick)	3:59
4	Wilson	Glover, 22 pass from Gruber	10:56

Team statistics

	Harrisburg	Wilson
First downs	13	14
Rushes-yards	33-180	30-26
Passing yards	126	129
Total yards	306	155
Passes	5-8-0	13-22-2
Fumbles-lost	0-0	4-0
Punts-average	0	3-33.3
Penalties-yards	7-73	7-64