This time, Bulldogs can feel free to celebrate win over Falcons

By Mike Drago Last updated Nov 21, 2024

Wilson's Madyx Gruber heads to the end zone Friday against Cedar Crest. (benschafferphotography)

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Wilson 28, Cedar Crest 3

By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor

When Anthony Geloso heard some of his Wilson teammates celebrating a tight win earlier in the season against Cedar Crest he stopped them.

“I told our guys: ‘You can be happy with that win, but that’s good enough (if we’re going) to win out,’ ” Geloso said.

The senior center and his teammates were determined to do better against the Falcons in their rematch Friday in a District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal at Gurski Stadium.

And they did. Much better.

The Bulldogs’ offensive line dominated, allowing Correll Akings to run for three first-half touchdowns and quarterback Madyx Gruber to run for over 100 yards and a score in a 28-3 quarterfinal victory that didn’t seem quite as close as that final score.

The Bulldogs had their way up front, punching big holes in a Cedar Crest defense that gave them fits eight weeks ago in a 14-7 victory.

Akings scored on runs of 14, 1, and 74 yards in the first half and Bulldogs’ defense kept the high-scoring Falcons in check.

“A game like this, all we want to do is run the ball, so its man vs. man,” Geloso said. “We had to be the bigger, stronger, tougher team.”

The second-seeded Bulldogs (10-1) clearly were, rushing for 309 yards and outgaining the seventh-seeded Falcons (8-4) by more than 300 yards.

“We weren’t physical enough with them (in the first game),” said senior guard Derek Reiniger, “so tonight our main goal was to be as physical as possible, be the meanest player on the field, and I think the O-line did that tonight.”

“They did a really nice job,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said of his O-line, which includes junior tackles Avery Manara and Jesse Etchberger and junior guard Kam Koch.

Bulldogs’ Chase Herb flips Falcons running back Isaaih Zimmerman. (benschafferphotography)

The win was Wilson’s eighth straight since a Week 3 loss at Nazareth, which was ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 6A at the time. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 7 in the state.

The Bulldogs earned one final home game for their seniors, next week in a district semifinal against third-seeded Central York (9-2), a 47-14 winner Friday over sixth-seeded C.D. East.

The Bulldogs wasted little time showing their dominance in Round 2, scoring on their first two possessions.

Gruber, who completed 11-of-15 passes for 132 yards, clicked on a pair of short passes on the first drive, which Akings capped with a 14-yard run around right end. Etchberger did a great job setting the edge on the play and Akings swept into the end zone untouched.

On the next possession Gruber made a nice play on third-and-9 to keep the drive going as he flipped a quick pass to tight end Michael Glover after being flushed from the pocket. Glover took it 18 yards to the Cedar Crest 21, then took a bubble screen 12 yards to the 9 on the next play. Akings scored two plays later.

Falcons quarterback Jackson Custer accounted for nearly half of his team’s offense on one play on the next drive, busting 58 yards up the middle to the Wilson 22. Defensive back Jaiden Carpenter caught him behind to save a touchdown.

The Falcons got a first another down at the 12 but the drive stalled there; they had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Ethan Bowman, their only points of the night.

“With the exception of that one big play, I think we did a pretty good job on ’em,” Dahms said of his defense.

Cedar Crest didn’t come close to scoring again. It never got closer than the Wilson 49 the rest of the night and it fumbled the ball away on its final two possessions.

Cedar Crest had not been held without a touchdown since a 19-3 loss to Warwick in Week 3. The Falcons had been averaging nearly 37 points per game.

It marked just the second time this season that Wilson kept an opponent out of the end zone; the other came in a 58-0 win at Penn Manor.

Akings answered Cedar Crest’s only score two plays later, following a wall of blockers around right end on his way to a 74-yard TD – the longest scoring run of his career — and 21-3 lead.

“He hits the hole hard and keeps his legs moving,” Reiniger said of Akings.

That accounted for a big chunk of his 164 yards on a night that saw him go over 1,000 for the season; he’s now at 1,015.

Gruber accounted for the final score late in the third quarter. He had an 89-yard second-quarter punt return into the end zone nullified by a penalty but this time his dazzling moves counted for six points. He streaked down the left sideline, then cut back inside a defender inside the 25 and completed his 44-yard run for a 28-3 lead.

It was his eighth scoring run of a season that’s seen him rush for 695 yards and pass for 1,713.

The Bulldogs had to sweat it out against Cedar Crest the last time they met. They needed an incredible goal-line stand just before halftime to maintain their lead. This time they were never threatened.

“We’re significantly better (now than eight weeks ago) because we were so darned young, and we got smarter,” Dahms said. “We still missed a couple things, but we’re getting there.”

Bulldogs’ Correll Akings gets a lift after scoring. (benschafferphotography)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Cedar Crest	0	3	0	0	3
Wilson	14	7	7	0	28

Scoring summary

1	Wilson	Akings, 14 run (Hunsicker kick)	6:04
1	Wilson	Akings, 1 run (Hunsicker kick)	1:54
2	Cedar Crest	Bowman, 24 FG	9:38
2	Wilson	Akings, 74 run (Hunsicker kick)	8:42
3	Wilson	Gruber, 44 run (Hunsicker kick)	3:04

Team statistics

	Cedar Crest	Wilson
First downs	8	20
Rushes-yards	26-89	40-309
Passing yards	50	132
Total yards	139	441
Passes	6-19-0	11-16-1
Fumbles-lost	2-2	0-0
Punts-average	5-44.4	1-41.0
Penalties-yards	2-9	8-77