Tommy Hunsicker leads Bulldogs over Black Knights in aerial shootout
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Daryl Simione — LNP/Lancasteronline
LANDISVILLE — Big plays and a whole lot of touchdowns took center stage Friday night as Wilson won its fifth straight game, outlasting Hempfield 49-34 in a wild Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 game.
Senior quarterback Tommy Hunsicker threw four touchdowns, including two to Madyx Gruber, as the Bulldogs raced to leads of 21-0 in the first quater and 35-14 at halftime. Hunsicker passed for 290 yards, 1 yard short of his career high.
The teams combined for nearly 900 yards; each finished with exactly 447 yards. The Black Knights piled up 26 first downs and ran 76 plays — more than twice as many as the Bulldogs.
Edison Case had a TD reception and added a nifty 39-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter that gave Wilson a 21-0 advantage.
Hempfield battled back behind its own super senior duo of quarterback Jackson Landis and receiver Micah Gates, who connected 16 times for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Landis completed 27-of-43 passes for 299 and ran for three scores to keep the Black Knights (1-3, 2-5) in the hunt.
Short fields helped the Bulldogs (3-0, 5-2) take control in the first half. Wilson scored on its first two drives, both beginning in Hempfield territory.
On Wilson’s opening drive Hunsicker avoided the pass rush, scrambled left, and found Gruber for a 17-yard touchdown. Running back Correll Akings finished off Wilson’s next drive, scooting in from 8 yards out.
Trailing 21-0, Hempfield settled down and Gates found open spaces, catching four passes as the Knights marched to the end zone. Landis hit Krauser for 25 yards down the seam, and the scorefest was on.
Late in the first half, Landis barreled in for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the Black Knights’ deficit to just 28-14.
Hunsicker found Gruber for an 80-yard bomb down the sideline on the next play from scrimmage.
Hunsicker finished 16-of-23 for 290 yards. Akings broke out in the second half, finishing with 10 carries for 131 yards and two scores.
Jonah Pertet added a first-half interception and blocked a pair of kicks, including Hempfield’s 31-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter.
Eli Walls had 69 yards rushing for the Black Knights.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| Hempfield | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 34 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Wilson | Gruber, 17 pass from T. Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 9:30 |
| 1 | Wilson | Akings, 8 run (Rada kick) | 5:59 |
| 1 | Wilson | Case, 39 punt return (Rada kick) | 4:01 |
| 1 | Hempfield | Krauser, 25 pass from Landis (Biscoe kick) | 2:24 |
| 2 | Wilson | Case, 11 pass from T. Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 7:46 |
| 2 | Hempfield | Landis, 2 run (Biscoe kick) | 1:24 |
| 2 | Wilson | Gruber, 80 pass from T. Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 1:04 |
| 3 | Hempfield | Landis, 1 run (Biscoe kick) | 3:27 |
| 3 | Wilson | Zullinger, 12 pass from T. Hunsicker (Rada kick) | 1:49 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Gates, 11 pass from Landis (kick failed) | 9:39 |
| 4 | Wilson | Akings, 24 run (Rada kick) | 8:54 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Landis, 1 run (Biscoe kick) | 3:30 |
Team statistics
| Wilson | Hempfield | |
| First downs | 17 | 26 |
| Rushes-yards | 18-157 | 32-148 |
| Passing yards | 290 | 299 |
| Total yards | 447 | 447 |
| Passes | 16-23-0 | 27-44-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-40.0 | 3-26.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 10-97 | 4-30 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Wilson: Akings 10-131, T. Hunsicker 7-27, Team 1-(-1).
Hempfield: Walls 12-69, Landis 11-39, Lauano 7-31, Caldwell 2-9.
PASSING
Wilson: T. Hunsicker 16-23-0–290.
Hempfield: Landis 27-43-2–299.
RECEIVING
Wilson: Gruber 4-112, Wagner 4-72, Valukevich 3-38, Case 2-44, Akings 2-12, Zullinger 1-12.
Hempfield: Gates 16-203, Abrams 4-17, Charles 3-35, Lauano 2-8.
INTERCEPTIONS
Wilson: Case, Pertet.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Hempfield: Biscoe 31.
