Doug Dahms-Wilson

The injuries for Wilson’s football team started before the season began. Senior offensive tackle David Wise (6’7, 280) hurt his right knee at a camp over the summer and missed the entire year. Miles Hatch, a senior center, suffered a broken wrist at practice before the Bulldogs’ Week 2 matchup at Central Bucks West. Standout running back Justice Hardy injured his shoulder in that 35-23 loss to the Bucks. The Louisville commit was out for five games. Senior WR/RB/DB Monty Greer missed three games in the regular season with an ankle injury. The Wilson coaching staff got more bad news last weekend when they learned that starting quarterback Cole Peterson was hospitalized with mono. Peterson set multiple school records this season, including highest quarterback rating (183.3) and completion percentage (74.7%). Peterson was on the sideline for Friday’s District 3-6A quarterfinal against Harrisburg, but the senior wasn’t able to play. The fifth-seeded Cougars came up with three interceptions, including a pick 6, and beat the fourth-seeded Bulldogs 14-9 at John Gurski Stadium. “That’s the what if that we’ll never know. We said at the start of the season, we had a team that was pretty comparable to the 2008 team that went to the state semi’s. This year, the injuries just kept piling up. What are you gonna do,” remarked longtime head coach Doug Dahms.

Harrisburg’s opening drive lasted ten minutes. The (10-2) Cougars covered 81 yards on 18 plays. Trays Walker turned a wide receiver screen pass into a 25-yard gain. On fourth-and-goal, Kayden Stephens hit Walker along the right sideline for a 12-yard touchdown. Walker made a great catch to put the Cougars up 7-0. Head coach Calvin Everett, who’s in his 16th year at Harrisburg, utilized Stephens and Jaiyon Lewis at quarterback during the first series. Stephens was the starter for the first nine games with Lewis serving as the Cougars’ top wide receiver. After a 51-14 loss at Bishop McDevitt, Lewis was shifted to quarterback. The 6’, 175-pound Temple commit is familiar with the position. Lewis was Harrisburg’s starting quarterback two seasons ago. Stephens went 7-of-15 for 63 yards against Wilson. Lewis made five receptions for 26 yards. He also ran the ball eight times for 33 yards.

Freshman Dax Werley made his first varsity start in place of Peterson. He led the (8-3) Bulldogs 67 yards in only 90 seconds. A short pass to All-State tight end Mike Glover resulted in a 49-yard completion. The 6’3, 230-pound James Madison commit rumbled down the left sideline while dragging multiple tacklers. Werley then found junior tight end Braydon Farrell uncovered over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked and Wilson trailed 7-6 with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.

Following a short punt, the Cougars took over at the Bulldogs’ 34-yard line with nine minutes remaining in the first half. On fourth-and-5 at the 9-yard line, Wilson’s defense held PJ Dent to four yards. The Bryant commit ended up with 33 yards on 15 carries. Dent has more than 1,100 rushing yards this year with 19 TD. The Bulldogs took over at their 5-yard line and reached Harrisburg’s 8-yard line late in the half. A low snap resulted in a 15-yard loss, however, Wilson still managed to get points out of the drive. Sophomore Preston Oxenreider drilled a 30-yard field goal for a 9-7 lead with 23 seconds to go before the break.

The Bulldogs faced a fourth-and-8 at the Cougars’ 34-yard line on the opening possession of the third quarter. Werley was hit as he released the football and Ja’auan Johnson picked it off. On Wilson’s next series, James Buckner intercepted a pass over the middle and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Harrisburg went in front 14-9 with 2:06 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs reached the 20-yard line on the following drive. On fourth-and-3, Werley’s pass to Monty Greer in the right corner of the end zone was incomplete. The Cougars had three defenders surrounding Greer.

Wilson’s defense came up with another big stop with 3:25 remaining in the game. On fourth-and-1 from the 23-yard line, Johnson was stuffed for no gain. A measurement by the officials showed that he was short of a first down. The Bulldogs had one final opportunity for a go-ahead touchdown. A 26-yard completion to speedy junior Damian Greer took Wilson to Harrisburg’s 23-yard line. Damian’s older brother, Monty, followed with a 7-yard run. With one minute on the clock, Werley looked over the middle to Glover, but Buckner stepped in front of the pass at the 3-yard line and came away with his second interception. “Their coverage was such that he probably shouldn’t have thrown it. He should’ve probably run it. He forced it a little bit. First-time starter in a playoff game, that’s gonna happen. Can’t blame him, we had other opportunities,” explained Dahms.

Buckner, a 180-pound senior defensive back, had a career night. He was credited with ten tackles to go along with his two interceptions. The Cougars found a way to win despite being held to eight first downs and 148 total yards. They only averaged 2.4 yards per carry. Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator Ernie Wolber had an excellent game plan. “We threw a lot at them. We ran a 5-3, we ran a 4-4, we ran a 3-5; tried to mix and match a little bit there. Our secondary, I thought, played great,” noted Dahms. Inside linebacker EJ Brownback was all over the field. The 225-pound senior racked up 14 combined tackles. Junior linebacker Matt Wyatt provided five tackles and two tackles for loss. Glover had five tackles and a sack.

Wilson’s offense finished with 259 yards and a dozen first downs. Werley was 9-of-16 for 161 yards. Sophomore Jaiden Whitehurst ran for a team-high 56 yards on 13 carries. Damian Greer had five catches for 73 yards. Hardy was moved from running back to receiver, but didn’t have any receptions. The Bulldogs were (-3) in turnover margin.

Harrisburg has won six straight meetings with Wilson in the District 3 playoffs. The Cougars have captured five District 3 championships in a row. They will visit top-seeded Central York in the semifinals next Friday. The Bulldogs earned the Section 1 title in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. They completed their 51st consecutive winning season, a state record. “This is tough because this group of seniors is a really good group. Great chemistry, good leadership…it was a good team effort. I hope we can carry that to next year,” said Dahms.