Week 8 Glance: Wilson looks to maintain perfect pitch against Penn Manor
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In baseball a pitcher can throw a perfect game: No hits or walks allowed and no errors by his team: 27 up and 27 down.
There’s no true equivalent in football. Perfection is fleeting, and subjective.
Wilson has never played a perfect game but the Bulldogs have been perfect in one category: Games against Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 rival Penn Manor.
Wilson has played Penn Manor 33 times and won 33 times. No losses. No ties. And darned few close games.
Granted, the Bulldogs were a top-tier program when they joined the L-L in 1975. The Comets? Not so much. They didn’t field a team until 1972 and have rarely been competitive.
They did rise to contender status about 15 years ago, when Todd Mealy was their coach. They challenged Wilson several times over a five-year stretch. In 2013 at Gurski Stadium they threatened the Bulldogs’ league winning streak, building a 14-0 halftime lead. Wilson came back to win 21-14.
A year earlier both teams entered the game 8-0; the Bulldogs needed a Pick-Six to pull out a 14-7 win.
The games haven’t been close in recent years. Wilson 58-0 last year.
The Comets are a little better this season under first-year coach Jordan Clark. They beat Reading 41-8 in Week 5 and Littlestown 39-6 last week.
They’ll be hard-pressed Friday at Gurski Stadium to contain the Bulldogs (4-0, 6-1), who can’t afford a letdown ahead of the season-ending showdown with Manheim Township, which is also unbeaten in the league.
Wilson needed a 31-point second half last week to hold off Hempfield 38-28, its only close game in section play. It outscored its first three league foes 153-34.
By the way, no other Berks team can match Wilson’s dominance over a single foe. Wyomissing is 16-0 all-time against Fleetwood and 44-1 against Kutztown. The Spartans have beaten the Cougars 36 straight times. The Bulldogs will need a few more years, and three more wins over the Comets, if they’re to break that mark.
Wilson has one other long winning streak intact: It has beaten McCaskey 23 straight times. It’ll have a chance to extend that mark next week.
In other key games this weekend:
- Berks Catholic (4-0, 5-2) kicks off Week 8 with a Section 5 game tonight against Columbia (2-2, 3-4) at Forino Sports Complex. The Saints have won four straight and despite injuries to key players are playing their best ball. They’ve been overpowering teams up front and that’ll likely be the case against a short-handed Crimson Tide team. Columbia features a passing threat in Cameron McClair, who has thrown for 900 yards and nine TDs with just two interceptions. Practically everyone in the Saints’ backfield averages nearly 8 yards per carry, including Xavier Gerald, who leads the team with 646 rushing yards and seven TDs. Jeremiah Camara ran for a career-high 241 yards last week at Kutztown.
- Muhlenberg’s mettle will be tested Friday against Ephrata as it attempts to bounce back from its first loss, 44-12 a week ago to Exeter. The Muhls (3-1, 6-1) are still on course for their first district playoff berth since 2013 and can’t afford to let down against the Mountaineers (1-2, 4-3), who have shut them out the past two seasons and who have played Section 2 leaders Conestoga Valley and Exeter tough. Cameron Small, who went over the 1,000-yard mark last week, was held to a season-low 66 yards in last year’s 32-0 loss at Ephrata. Oh, and there’s this nugget: Muhlenberg hasn’t beaten Ephrata since . . . 1953?
- Exeter (7-0) steps out of Section 2 play to face Hempfield (3-4) but the Eagles still have a lot riding on this game. They’re currently third in the District 3 Class 5A power ratings race, behind New Oxford and Conestoga Valley. A loss here could cost them the chance for a first-round playoff bye. The Black Knights pushed Wilson a week ago; they led 14-7 at the half before losing 38-28. This is a tricky game for the Eagles, coming off an emotional win at Muhlenberg and with their Section 2 showdown at Conestoga Valley looming next week. Exeter leads the series 6-1.
- There’s a nip in the air just in time for the Frost Bowl between Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley. The Panthers (3-1, 4-3) have a lot riding here: They still have a chance to grab a share of the Section 5 title and they’re fighting for playoff positioning: They’re No. 5 in the District 3 Class 3A power ratings. The top six make the field. Schuylkill Valley squeaked by a week ago, getting a game-ending field goal from Reese Wamsher to beat Columbia 17-14. It expects to get leading rusher Brandon Pyle back this week; he was out last week. The Hawks (1-3, 2-5) will be looking for an upset and for their first win in this game in four years.
- Twin Valley’s visit Saturday to Wyomissing in a Section 4 battle rates as the biggest game of the year in the Lancaster-Lebanon League – to date. There will be a couple more biggies in the next few weeks, including for each of the these teams, depending on the result here. Still, this is one you don’t want to miss. The Raiders (4-0, 7-0) are ranked No. 1 in Berks in total offense, total defense, scoring . . . you name it. They’re loaded. The Spartans (4-0, 7-0) haven’t put up such gaudy numbers but they’ve played a tougher schedule and have a veteran lineup. This is a match-up of state-ranked powerhouses generally reserved for Week 14. We might see it then, too.
