Doug Dahms-Wilson

It didn’t take long for Justice Hardy to make an impact with his new team. In fact, it happened on Wilson’s first offensive snap. The Wyomissing transfer ran off the right side, cut inside a terrific block by Mike Glover, and raced 50 yards for a touchdown at Gov. Mifflin. Hardy apparently called his own shot. “He called it before the game. He said I’m scoring first play. I was like, I believe you Justice. I’m not gonna bet against that. He’s a heck of a player,” stated quarterback Cole Peterson. Hardy finished with 104 yards and 2 TD on only six carries. The 5’8, 185-pound senior was a two-time All-State pick while at Wyomissing. He’s committed to Louisville. “He’s gonna be a big part of our offense. He runs tough, he’s quick. He’s got a good sense of following blocks,” replied head coach Doug Dahms. The Bulldogs outgained the Mustangs 328-to-46 and cruised to a 48-7 victory.

The game ended with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter. Police ordered that the stadium should be cleared after one student reported that another student was in possession of a weapon. Upon investigation, the student in question wasn’t carrying a weapon. Authorities conducted a thorough search and didn’t find any weapons in the area.

On Wilson’s second possession, Peterson found Glover over the middle for a 57-yard completion on third-and-25. Glover, a James Madison commit, was open in the middle of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown reception with 3:46 left in the first quarter. The 6’3, 230-pound senior is a two-time All-State selection at tight end. Glover had five catches for 90 yards. Peterson attacked the middle of the field once again on the Bulldogs’ next series. He hit junior speedster Damian Greer for a 30-yard score and a 21-0 cushion with 47 seconds to go in the opener quarter. Greer won the 100-meter dash at the District 3 Championships earlier this year in 10.67 seconds.

Jaydin Vasquez made it 28-0 with a 25-yard pick 6 midway through the second quarter. Vasquez was playing linebacker in place of Matt Wyatt who was injured during last week’s scrimmage at Coatesville. Wyatt, a 215-pound junior, is expected to be back for next Friday’s highly anticipated matchup at CB West. A 1-yard touchdown run by Hardy put Wilson in front 35-0 with 1:09 remaining in the first half.

The Bulldogs started the third quarter with a 58-yard scoring drive, their longest of the evening. Peterson dumped off a short pass to Monty Greer out of the backfield and Damian’s older brother went 15 yards for a touchdown. Monty Greer provided five receptions for 66 yards. In his first varsity start, Peterson went 13-of-14 for 193 yards and 3 TD. “He did a nice job, threw the ball on time, and found the open man. I was pretty happy with him,” said Dahms. Peterson was a first team All-County lacrosse player during the spring.

Backup quarterback Jonny Challenger, a 6’1 junior, tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Brody Streeter with 3:44 to go in the third quarter. Lucas Kreider got the Mustangs on the board with a 99-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. The 5’10, 165-pound sophomore starts at receiver and cornerback. His classmate, Jack Miller, is Gov. Mifflin’s starting quarterback. Miller was 5-of-11 for 19 yards and an interception. Senior running back Pat Steuer was limited to 30 yards on 16 carries. The Mustangs averaged 1.6 yards per play and managed just four first downs. EJ Brownback made a team-high eight tackles. “He played really well. He’s got a great nose for the ball,” emphasized Dahms. Brownback, a 225-pound inside linebacker, had five tackles for loss.

Wilson improved to (43-27) all-time against its longtime rival. The Bulldogs have won five straight and 13 of the last 16 versus the Mustangs. They squared off for the first time in 1953. Despite the lopsided victory, Dahms wasn’t pleased with the performance. “Not at all…mistakes, what did we lose 40-50 yards on bad snaps. [We had] interference penalties, some breakdowns. We have a lot to clean up,” lamented Dahms.