Wilson can’t keep up with Roman Catholic, gets routed in season opener
(This story will be updated shortly with additional details and postgame reaction.)
All that Roman Catholic speed and talent you heard about this summer? It wasn’t just hype.
The Cahillites, their roster flush with Division I prospects, were just too fast for Wilson to keep up with Friday night as they ran away with a 46-15 season-opening victory at Gurski Stadium.
The Bulldogs started fast and led 12-0 early in the second quarter but a whopping seven turnovers, plus several in-game injuries to key players, hurt their chances to stay ahead.
That, plus the Cahillites’ game-breaking speed at running back and receiver, made it a runaway.
Jah-Jah Boyd put the game away with 5:15 left when he jumped a sideline route and went 90 yards with a Pick-Six to give Roman a 33-15 lead.
Wilson was outscored 46-3 over the final 35 minutes. The Bulldogs were down at least four starters due to injury by early in the fourth quarter.
Wilson was within 20-15 on Ben Rada’s 21-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the third quarter, but it was a mismatch after that.
Things started off well enough for the Bulldogs as they got a pair of early Cam Jones touchdowns to take a 12-0 lead.
Wilson took advantage of a short field and Nick Fiorini’s fourth-down conversion run to set up Jones’ 4-yard run out of the backfield for a 6-0 lead with 1:33 left in the first quarter.
After the Bulldogs’ defense came up with a third straight three-and-out to start the game the Cahillites punted. They must not have seen any of Jones’ highlight clips from last season because they made the mistake of kicking to him.
Jones, who set a program record as a junior by returning seven kicks for scores, added another, with a stirring 77-yard punt return that made it 12-0 just 17 seconds into the second quarter.
Roman was stopped on downs at the Wilson 27 with six minutes left in the opening half, but it wasn’t stopped again. The Cahillites, flashing big-time speed, scored a pair of touchdowns in the space of 68 seconds to take a 20-12 lead into the half.
Lightning-quick tailback Mao Howell scored twice in the first half, on runs of 34 and 2 yards, and Division I prospect Jameial Lyons streaked through the Wilson secondary for a 38-yard catch and run that gave Roman its first lead at 18-12 with 55 seconds left in the half.
After a Wilson fumble on the ensuing kickoff Roman had a chance to add to that lead, taking over at the Bulldogs’ 14, but they were stopped on three plays and ran out of time.
After those early defensive stops, the Bulldogs had trouble containing the Cahillites the rest of the first half. Roman finished the first half with 188 rushing yards and outgained Wilson 257-65 in the first half.
Howell ran for 113 yards on eight carries in the first half.
The Bulldogs played most of the game without lead tailback Cleveland Harding, who suffered an apparent ankle injury after just two first-quarter carries.
Wilson defensive linemen Brady Kline and Nick Weitzel and linebacker Nick Crocona were also knocked out of the game.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Roman Catholic | 0 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 46 |
| Wilson | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Jones, 4 run (kick failed) | 1:42 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Wilson | Jones, 77 punt return (run failed) | 11:43 |
| 2 | Roman | Howell, 34 run (run failed) | 10:35 |
| 2 | Roman | Howell, 2 run (run failed) | 2:03 |
| 2 | Roman | Denmark, 38 pass from Beals (Howell run) | 0:55 |
| 3 | Wilson | Rada, 21 FG | 5:38 |
| 3 | Roman | Robertson, 4 run (pass failed) | 1:19 |
| 4 | Roman | Boyd, 90 interception return (Whittle kick) | 5:15 |
| 4 | Roman | Howell, 6 run (Whittle kick) | 3:06 |
| 4 | Roman | Edwards, 23 fumble return (pass failed) | 2:46 |
Team statistics
| Roman Catholic | Wilson | |
| First downs | 14 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 41-322 | 29-49 |
| Passing yards | 135 | 81 |
| Total yards | 457 | 130 |
| Passes | 13-24-1 | 8-22-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 5-4 |
| Punts-average | 4-30.5 | 3-41.3 |
| Penalties-yards | 14-135 | 3-20 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Roman Catholic: Robertson 18-161, Howell 17-153, Woodley 1-1, Baker 2-0, Beals 1-(-6).
Wilson: Hunsicker 15-41, Jones 2-7, Woods 2-6, Welmaker 5-5, Fiorini 1-3, Harding 2-2.
PASSING
Roman Catholic: Beals 13-24-1–135.
Wilson: Hunsicker 7-20-3–70, Woods 1-2-0-11.
RECEIVING
Roman Catholic: Denmark 6-59, Figueroa 2-10, Woodley 2-6, Edwards 1-34, Watson 1-20, Roberson 1-6.
Wilson: Case 2-19, Jones 2-16, Valukevich 1-22, Thenga 1-11, Welmaker 1-8, Kline 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS
Roman Catholic: Montgomery, Boyd, Vedomey.
Wilson: Capitano.