Three TDs by Cam Jones, strong defense, carry Wilson over Mifflin
[Due to technical issues, this story could not be published until Sunday evening.]
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
The Gurski-Linn trophy is back in West Lawn.
Holy Cross commit Cam Jones returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown and rushed for 139 yards with a pair of TDs and Tommy Hunsicker fired a TD pass to lead Wilson to a 32-14 non-league victory Saturday over rival Governor Mifflin.
Wilson (5-1) won its fifth game in a row and took an 8-3 lead in the Gurski-Linn trophy series.
Mifflin (2-4) won the previous two meetings — both via mercy rule — to hog the trophy for a couple of years. Saturday, playing in a steady drizzle throughout, the Bulldogs held the Mustangs to 179 yards; Mifflin’s last TD came in the final seconds.
“I’m kind of speechless right now,” Jones said. “It’s a big honor to bring the trophy back home. They had our number the last couple of years, but we got it back. Beating Mifflin is always our first goal every season, and we can cross that one off now. We got the trophy back, and now we can keep going.”
Not only was Saturday’s game played at a slower pace because of the wet conditions and the slippery pigskin, but both teams were penalized early and often. Mifflin had seven flags for 70 yards, while Wilson overcame 16 penalties for 151 yards, and the Bulldogs had a pair of TD passes called back.
Wilson was cruising right along, sitting on a 14-0 lead on Jones’ punt return and 9-yard TD run when Mifflin’s offense finally sprang to life. Quarterback Delsin McNeil capped a 14-play, 70-yard march with a perfectly thrown, back-shoulder 22-yard TD dart to Jackson Parker on fourth down and the Mustangs were within 14-7 with 8:49 to go in the first half.
The Bulldogs punched right back, going 70 yards in just eight plays, with Jones zooming around the left edge for a 29-yard TD. After a penalty on the PAT attempt, Wilson went for two and Jones barreled in for a 22-7 cushion.
Just before the half Ben Rada drilled a 36-yard field goal to give Wilson a 25-7.
Jones dominated the game. His special teams TD to open the scoring was his fourth punt return score already this season, and his 11th special teams TD overall in two seasons. Jones had seven kickoff and/or punt returns last fall in his all-state junior season.
Jones for sure. His special teams TD to open the scoring was his fourth punt return score already this season, and his 11th special teams TD overall in his prep career. Jones had seven kickoff and/or punt returns last fall in his all-state junior season.
And a nod to Hunsicker — who clicked on 7-of-12 passes for 113 yards — and to wideout Edison Case, who caught five passes for 99 yards, including a 24-yard TD grab that gave Wilson a safe and sound 32-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Bulldogs kept the heat on McNeil. Nick Weitzel bum-rushed the backfield for 2.5 sacks, plus 3.5 tackles, in holding the Mustangs’ rushing attack to just 3.3 yards per carry.
“Our kids knew we had to get aggressive,” Wilson coach Doug Dahms said, “and we had to anticipate their running game. I thought defensively we played pretty well, and offensively we moved the chains. The one thing I didn’t like were all of the unnecessary penalties; there were a lot of them.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 14 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 32 |
| Gov. Mifflin | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Jones, 56 punt return (Rada kick) | 9:46 |
| 1 | Wilson | Jones, 9 run (Rada kick) | 3:04 |
| 2 | Gov. Mifflin | Parker, 22 pass from McNeil (Schools kick) | 8:49 |
| 2 | Wilson | Jones, 29 run (Jones run) | 5:09 |
| 2 | Wilson | Rada, 36 FG | :00 |
| 3 | Wilson | Cases, 24 pass from Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 7:08 |
| 4 | Gov. Mifflin | Martin, 2 run (Schools kick) | :16 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Gov. Mifflin | |
| First downs | 17 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 39-259 | 42-137 |
| Passing yards | 113 | 42 |
| Total yards | 372 | 179 |
| Passes | 7-12-0 | 3-6-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 0-0.0 | 3-31.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 16-151 | 7-70 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Jones 17-139, Hunsicker 10-68, Harding 9-48, Fiorini 2-5, Team 1-(-1).
Gov. Mifflin: Jones 8-39, Martin 11-35, D. McNeil 15-29, Harter 4-22, Reis 1-7, Huber 2-3, Garner 1-2.
PASSING
Wilson: Hunsicker 7-12-0–113.
Gov. Mifflin: D. McNeil 3-6-0–42.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Case 5-99, Jones 1-11, Harding 1-3.
Gov. Mifflin: Parker 1-22, G. McNeil 1-14, Harter 1-6.
