Jaiden Carpenter-Wilson

Jaiden Carpenter is the fastest player on Wilson’s football team. His time of 10.73 seconds was good for second place in the 100 meters at the BCIAA Championships earlier this year. Carpenter showed off his speed on a go route on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the third quarter. The result was a 76-yard touchdown down the left sideline that put Wilson on top of York High 22-8 at John Gurski Stadium. “We knew he was gonna beat #6 [Di’Mir Andino]. We probably could’ve thrown that half a dozen times tonight,” said head coach Doug Dahms. Carpenter finished with four catches for 107 yards in a 28-14 victory over the fifth-seeded Bearcats. The 6’, 140-pound senior also had a pick-6 that was called back due to a penalty. The Bulldogs are (5-0) all-time against York in the District 3 playoffs. Wilson will visit #1 seed Central York in the semifinals next Friday.

Correll Akings got the (9-2) Bulldogs off on the right foot with a 54-yard kickoff return to start the game. Mason Young hit Monty Greer in the left flat for a 12-yard touchdown pass that capped the quick 35-yard drive. The Bearcats’ defense tightened after that early strike and forced three straight punts. York put together an eight play, 70-yard possession that gave them a 8-7 lead with 3:07 remaining in the first half. Najee Still tossed a gorgeous fade to 6’3 sophomore Jaishan Matte in the right corner of the end zone. Still then connected with Malakhi Manning for the go-ahead two-point conversion. Greer responded with a 40-yard kickoff return that set #4 seed Wilson up at the 35-yard line. All-State tight end Mike Glover made a leaping grab for a 21-yard touchdown down the right sideline with 2:31 to go before the break. “Having a big body like Mike is great. If we ever needed him to make a play, we can always just give him the ball,” replied Carpenter. The (6-4) Bearcats trailed 14-8 at halftime.

The second half was played in a downpour which likely explains why only 1,017 fans were in attendance for the District 3-6A quarterfinal. York punted on the opening series of the third quarter. Young followed immediately with a 76-yard bomb to Carpenter. Greer’s two-point conversion run extended the Bulldogs’ advantage to 14 points. Glover made it 28-8 on a 21-yard touchdown run up the middle with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. The 6’3, 225-pound junior had six carries for 51 yards and two receptions for another 36 yards. Young went 10-of-15 for 174 yards and 3 TD. Akings chipped in with 70 yards on 14 carries. Wilson overcame ten penalties for 94 yards. The Bulldogs had three touchdowns called back.

The Bearcats pulled within 28-14 on Shavane Anderson’s 16-yard touchdown run with 5:28 remaining. The 6’1, 200-pound senior piled up 247 yards on 40 carries. Anderson, a Syracuse commit, ended the season with 1,458 rushing yards and 22 combined touchdowns. Still was just 6-of-13 for 88 yards. York outgained Wilson 347-to-301, but the Bearcats committed two turnovers and didn’t force any by the Bulldogs.

York is (5-16) overall in the District 3 tournament. Meanwhile, Wilson improved its record to (45-25). This is the Bulldogs’ 33rd appearance in the playoffs. Only Manheim Central (35 appearances) has been there more times than Wilson. Carpenter knows that the road ahead is a difficult one. “It’s very tough. We gotta stay focused and execute all our game plans,” he said. Central York, Harrisburg, and Manheim Township are the other three teams still standing in the District 3-6A bracket. The Cougars are ranked #1 in the state by PennLive. The Panthers are #6 and the Blue Streaks aren’t far behind at #8. On Friday, Carpenter and the other 20 seniors on the Bulldogs’ roster earned a win in their final home game. “Ever since sophomore year when I first ran out [on the field], it was a great experience. I just want to hold all the memories in,” remarked Carpenter.