Bulldogs fall just short in heartbreaking loss to state-ranked Blue Eagles
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story will be updated later tonight with a additional details and postgame reaction.)
By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor
NAZARETH — Wilson came within 1 yard of an upset of state-ranked Nazareth but a fumble into the end zone with less than a minute left let the Eagles off the hook and allowed them to escape with a pulsating 35-31 non-league victory Friday night at Leh Stadium.
The Bulldogs (2-1) drove from their own 16 to a first down at the Nazareth 1 over the final five minutes, Madyx Gruber’s 20-yard pass to tight end Michael Glover setting them up for a score.
One play later Correll Akings, on his 29th carry of a night which saw him run for 131 yards and make several big catches, fumbled the ball away as he was hit near the line of scrimmage.
“We had it,” said Wilson coach Doug Dahms. “We were right there.”
Wilson made some defensive adjustments in their pass coverage after a wild first half and held the Blue Eagles (3-0) to just one touchdown in the second half, but the Bulldogs went scoreless despite two trips inside the red zone.
Their first drive of the second half ended at the Nazareth 17 when Christo Hunsicker missed a 33-yard field goal that would’ve extended Wilson’s lead to 34-28.
Hunsicker ended the first half with a field goal as time expired to put the Bulldogs on top 31-28.
Nazareth quarterback Peyton Falzone, a Virginia Tech recruit, gave his team the lead for good with a 50-yard sprint down the right sideline on the opening possession of the second half.
Falzone proved as good as advertised, completing 13-of-23 passes for 254 yards and four first-half TD passes. The track sprinter proved practically impossible to contain and ran for a team-high 77 yards on just eight carries.
Wilson miraculously took the lead into the half, 31-28, when Hunsicker kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired. Hunsicker kept the last-minute drive alive with a fourth-down pass out of punt formation, for 14 yards to Cam Zullinger.
The Bulldogs were constantly fighting to keep up in the first half as Falzone ended each of Nazareth’s first four possessions with touchdown passes, each from 35 yards or longer. He threw for 230 yards in the opening half.
The Bulldogs finally stopped Nazareth when Falzone threw incomplete on fourth down at Wilson 27 with 2:07 left in the first half. They used those final minutes efficiently to take their first lead.
“He’s the real deal,” Dahms said Falzone before the game. “He’s very fast and he’s very physical and he’s got a really strong arm. He’s probably the best quarterback in the state . . . I don’t know who’s better.”
Madyx Gruber matched Falzone’s first three TD passes with three short scoring runs of his own. He ran for 52 yards and passed for 138 in the first half.
Gruber had a tremendous game completing, 15-of-24 passes for 233 yards. He constantly kept plays alive with his feet, buying time to complete throws or run for first downs. He found Glover eight times for 132 yards. He also played a key defensive role at cornerback.
Wilson got one last chance when it forced a Nazareth punt with 34 seconds left. After Akings’ 13-yard return to the Blue Eagles 45 they had four plays, the last of which saw Glover nearly pull down a pass at the goal line as time expired.
Wilson scored on each of its five first-half possessions and had the lead at intermission despite being outgained by 78 yards.
Nazareth was ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 6A by PennLive.com.; Wilson was listed as one of five Teams To Watch in that classification.
Nazareth was coming off a pair of impressive victories, outscoring Hazleton and Whitehall by a combined 76-13. The Blue Eagles have done it without a pair of senior captains, linebackers Luke Schmidt and Keller Rupper, neither of whom have yet to play.
Nazareth graduated 31 seniors from a team that went 12-2 and won the District 11 Class 6A championship.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 14 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Nazareth | 13 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Nazareth | Newsome, 52 pass from Falzone (Hall kick) | 10:19 |
| 1 | Wilson | Gruber, 4 run (Hunsicker kick) | 6:59 |
| 1 | Nazareth | Zelachowski, 62 pass from Falzone (Hall kick) | 6:07 |
| 1 | Wilson | Gruber, 1 run (kick failed) | 2:14 |
| 2 | Nazareth | Newsome, 35 pass from Falzone (Hall kick) | 10:46 |
| 2 | Wilson | Gruber, 1 run (Zullinger pass from Gruber) | 7:07 |
| 2 | Nazareth | Leluga, 42 pass from Falzone (Hall kick) | 6:07 |
| 2 | Wilson | Akings, 1 run (Hunsicker kick) | 3:22 |
| 2 | Wilson | Hunsicker, 32 FG | 0:00 |
| 3 | Nazareth | Falzone, 50 run (Hall kick) | 4:01 |
Team statistics
| WILSON | NAZARETH | |
| First downs | 27 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 53-187 | 24-143 |
| Passing yards | 247 | 254 |
| Total yards | 434 | 397 |
| Passes | 16-26-0 | 13-24-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-43.0 | 2-49.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 12-94 | 5-38 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Akings 29-131, Gruber 22-42, Greer 2-14.
Nazareth: Falzone 8-77, Wimberly 12-47, Angione 3-15, Wolf 1-4.
PASSING
Wilson: Gruber 15-24-0-233, Hunsicker 1-1-0–14, Team 0-1-0–0.
Nazareth: Falzone 13-23-0–254, Depietro 0-1-0–0.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Glover 8-132, Akings 3-73, Zullinger 3-25, Greer 1-16, Dean 1-1.
Nazareth: Newsome 4-102, Zelachowski 2-71, Wimberly 2-17, Beluga 1-42, Boyce 1-6, Depietro 1-6, Angione 1-5, Marinelli 1-5.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Wilson: Hunsicker 33.
