Wilson routs McCaskey, sets up showdown with Manheim Township
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Wilson coach Doug Dahms and his players knew what was ahead on the schedule — a showdown for the Lancaster-Lebanon Section 1 title with unbeaten Manheim Township. First, they had some business to take care .
The Bulldogs started fast Friday and never left any doubts in their 56-7 win over McCaskey Friday night at Gurski Stadium.
| Section 1 | ||
| Manheim Twp. | 5-0 | 9-0 |
| Wilson | 5-0 | 8-1 |
| Cedar Crest | 4-2 | 6-3 |
| Hempfield | 2-3 | 3-6 |
| Penn Manor | 1-4 | 1-7 |
| Reading | 1-4 | 2-7 |
| McCaskey | 0-5 | 2-7 |
“I think they are growing up and maturing a little bit and they came out and got the job done,” Dahms said. “We knew McCaskey had some injuries, but we were not going to look past them.
“We have a big finish ahead and you have to win one game at a time.”
The win solidified a first-round bye in the District 3 6A playoffs for the Bulldogs, who are guaranteed at least one home game.
The Bulldogs (5-0, 8-1) opened the game with their run game before capping it off with a 28-yard pass from quarterback Madyx Gruber to Jaiden Carpenter to make it 7-0 two minutes into the game.
“We followed the game plan tonight and knew that we also needed to get momentum heading into next week,” Gruber said. “Once we established the run in the fashion we did I knew we were in good shape.”
It may have been Senior Night but players from every class were getting in on the action. Eight different players scored a touchdown.
“When you spread it around like that it gets everyone involved,” Dahms said. “The beauty of it is that it makes it harder for other teams to focus on one singular player.”
Running back Correll Akings led 10 Wilson players who recorded a rushing attempt with 88 yards on just five carries. He scored his lone touchdown on an 18-yard run following a botched punt attempt by the Red Tornado (0-5, 2-7).
The Bulldogs rushed for 227 yards on 27 carries, a whopping 8.4 yards per rush. Following a 3-yard touchdown run from Gruber off a read-option keeper that made it 21-0, Monty Greer got in on the scoring with a 34-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to make it 28-0.
Greer’s run showcased the depth and options that the Bulldogs have in their backfield.
Gruber put a bow on his night by throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Christo Hunsicker early in the second quarter. It was his final series as he turned it over to Mason Young; the backfield duties shifted to Emir Bailey.
Bailey, one of 19 Wilson senior, got a strong reaction from his sideline when he punched it in from a yard out.
“It felt awesome getting all of the seniors in to showcase the hard work that they have put in,” Gruber said. “Especially the ones that do not get as much playing time it was great being able to cheer them on from the sidelines after my last series.”
Wilson’s defense also left no doubt by holding the Red Tornado to just 61 yards of total offense behind a staggering minus-63 rushing yards, aided by five sacks. Not a single McCaskey ballcarrier finished with positive rushing yards.
The Bulldogs were flagged nine times for 75 penalty yards, something they know they cannot get away with against the top-ranked Blue Streaks next week.
“The holding penalties are something we cannot have, and I feel like we get called for that way more than I like,” Dahms said. “What we really need to improve on is intercepting passes. We dropped too many of those chances tonight.”
The Bulldogs backup quarterbacks, Young and Cole Peterson, accounted for the two Wilson second-half touchdowns. Young scored on a 24-yard quarterback scramble while Peterson lofted a 59-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Becker.
McCaskey’s only touchdown came on a 27-yard pass late in the fourth quarter from DeAndre Jones to Marquise Washington.
Now the Bulldogs can fully shift their attention to the Blue Streaks. With a home playoff game in hand, the Bulldogs can do one better by locking up homefield advantage through the semifinal round if they can defeat Township.
“I cannot wait for next Friday,” Gruber said. “I am so excited for the challenge and would not want it any other way.”
Wilson dropped a high-scoring 49-34 game to the Blue Streaks last season in a matchup that has become a regular heavyweight battle for the Section 1 crown.
“We need to be smart and be ready for the stuff they do,” Dahms said. “Whether it is mixing some stuff up offensively or defensively we just have to be prepared. I am excited to see what our kids can do.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| McCaskey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Wilson | 28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 56 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Carpenter, 28 pass from Gruber (Hunsicker kick) | 10:00 |
| 1 | Wilson | Akings, 18 run (Hunsicker kick) | 8:34 |
| 1 | Wilson | Gruber, 3 run (Hunsicker kick) | 5:49 |
| 1 | Wilson | Greer, 34 run (Husicker kick) | 1:40 |
| 2 | Wilson | Hunsicker, 40 pass from Gruber (Hunsicker kick) | 10:00 |
| 2 | Wilson | Bailey, 1 run (Hunsicker kick) | 6:40 |
| 3 | Wilson | Young, 24 run (Sneij kick) | 5:38 |
| 4 | Wilson | Becker, 59 pass from Peterson (Sneij kick) | 11:45 |
| 4 | McCaskey | Washington, 27 pass from Jones (McCoy kick) | 8:30 |
Team statistics
| McCaskey | Wilson | |
| First downs | 7 | 17 |
| Rushes-yards | 21-(-63) | 27-227 |
| Passing yards | 124 | 179 |
| Total yards | 61 | 406 |
| Passes | 9-22-1 | 8-12-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-2 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-27.0 | 0-0.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-40 | 9-75 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
McCaskey: Johnson 1-(-3), Washington 8-(-3), Team 1-(-8), Jones 11-(-49).
Wilson: Akings 5-88, Young 4-40, Greer 2-37, Gruber 2-20, Manzanillo 5-20, Ulrich 2-9, Bailey 3-5, Peterson 2-4, Becker 1-3, Wyatt 1-1.
PASSING
McCaskey: Jones 8-18-1–117, Cintron 1-4-0–7.
Wilson: Gruber 3-7-0–85, Peterson 3-3-0–63, Young 2-2-0–31.
RECEIVING
McCaskey: Jones-Hawkins 3-60, Washington 2-21, Porter 1-21, Rivera 1-11, Jones 1-7, Johnson 1-4.
Wilson: Becker 2-64, Carpenter 2-45, Hunsicker 1-40, Dean 1-17, Dzurkovich 1-14, Nunepally 1-(-1).
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Kramer
MISSED FIELD GOALS
McCaskey: McCoy 43.
Wilson: Hunsicker 33.
