Doug Dahms-Wilson

Wilson made an 80-minute trip north to Nazareth and nearly knocked off the #5 ranked team in the state in Class 6A. “We had them. We had them. I think the second half we outplayed them,” said longtime coach Doug Dahms. The (3-0) Blue Eagles held on for a thrilling 35-31 victory. The (2-1) Bulldogs reached the 1-yard line when Correll Akings fumbled with 54 seconds left. Matt Dorniak, a 270-pound senior defensive lineman, recovered the ball in the end zone for the defending District 11 champions. The first half was loaded with big plays. The second half, however, included just one touchdown. Peyton Falzone sprinted 50 yards down the left sideline to give Nazareth a 35-31 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The 6’5, 205-pound junior quarterback is also on the track team and has run the 100 meters in 11.1 seconds. “His speed really makes him a threat to run all the time. He has a nice nucleus of receivers and he finds them,” replied Dahms. Falzone showed off his arm strength in the first half. The Virginia Tech commit hit Caleb Newsome for a 53-yard score on the opening possession. The teams combined for eight consecutive touchdown drives! There were 525 total yards and 27 first downs in the first half. A 4-yard run by Wilson senior quarterback Madyx Gruber made it 7-7. Falzone responded with a 62-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Tanner Zelachowski. After his defender fell down, Zelachowski raced untouched down the right sideline. Falzone heaved a 35-yard TD pass to Newsome early in the second quarter for a 21-13 advantage. Dahms and his assistants were screaming for offensive pass interference, but no flag was thrown. Gruber answered with his second 1-yard touchdown run with seven minutes to go in the second quarter. The basketball standout connected with tight end Cam Zullinger for the 2-point conversion which knotted the game at 21-21. The Blue Eagles went back on top just three plays later. This time it was Falzone to sophomore Matt Leluga for a 42-yard strike. A 1-yard run by Akings capped a 45-yard drive to even things at 28-28 with 3:22 left in the first half. On their next possession, the Bulldogs pulled off a successful fake punt from their own 33-yard line. Christo Hunsicker hit Zullinger for a 14-yard gain. Hunsicker kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired and Wilson was on top 31-28 at the break. Hunsicker, who piled up a team-high eight tackles, missed a 33-yard field goal to begin the second half. Nazareth then marched 80 yards on six plays. Falzone’s 50-yard run ended up being the difference. He also boomed a 64-yard punt early in the fourth quarter that pushed the Bulldogs back to their 10-yard line after a penalty. Gruber lofted a 24-yard pass down the right sideline to Akings in the final minutes. 6’3, 220-pound sophomore tight end Michael Glover reeled in a 20-yard pass before Akings’ fumble on a toss to the left. Akings ran for 131 yards on 29 carries. Glover provided 132 yards on eight catches. Gruber finished 15-of-24 for 233 yards and three touchdown runs. “He’s making a lot of plays. He’s not the greatest passer in the world, but he keeps things alive with his feet. He’s smart,” noted Dahms. Wilson outgained the Blue Eagles 434-397. Falzone went 13-of-23 for 254 yards and four scores. Newsome, who’s committed to Lafayette, had four receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Nazareth was limited to 24 passing yards in the second half. Dahms, in his 19th season as head coach, mentioned that speedy freshman Damian Greer was inserted at cornerback to give Akings a break. The Bulldogs also made sure that Gruber was covering Newsome in the second half. This was only the second meeting between the schools. Jami Sands, now the head coach at Boyertown, ran for 227 yards and 3 TD in Wilson’s 61-21 win over Nazareth in 1995. Despite the miscues on Friday night, including a dozen penalties, Dahms was proud of his team’s effort. “They fought all the way to the end…That was just two really good football teams going at it,” he said.