Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Jack Kenneff wasn’t the starting quarterback for Manheim Township last year, but he certainly remembers what happened in the regular season finale. Wilson came into Neffsville and took down the Blue Streaks 34-16 for the Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. “That’s been in my head for the whole season, I can’t lie. We take it week by week, but I’ve been thinking about this one for awhile. This was probably the best week of practice we had,” said Kenneff. The 6’3, 205-pound senior threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in a 20-14 victory at John Gurski Stadium on Friday. Manheim Township claimed its 11th section title. The Bulldogs were denied their 31st section crown. They committed four turnovers and eleven penalties for 112 yards. “You can’t have those kind of holds. It was ridiculous…I’m not arguing. I’m sure some of them were [holding penalties]. You can’t do it. You gotta keep those elbows in,” emphasized Wilson coach Doug Dahms.
On the Bulldogs’ second possession, Mason Young rolled right and tossed a short pass behind Monty Greer. The ball was tipped and intercepted by Zach Bomberger at Wilson’s 32-yard line. The (9-1, 6-0) Blue Streaks settled for a 31-yard field goal from Rowan Crispeno. Manheim Township marched 84 yards on its next series. Kenneff, who’s committed to Quinnipiac for baseball, found Daryus Dixon over the middle for a 33-yard gain. Kenneff ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 with 8:46 left in the second quarter. All-State tight end Mike Glover got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with 1:14 remaining before halftime. The 6’3, 223-pound junior took a shovel pass from Young and rumbled 76 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Glover had three catches for 88 yards. Wilson was without starting wide receiver Eli Dean due to an injury. Young finished 13-of-18 for 205 yards and three interceptions.
The Blue Streaks got the ball first in the second half and drove 65 yards for a 17-7 edge with 7:08 to go in the third quarter. Kenneff lofted a deep pass down the right sideline to Dixon who wrestled the ball away from Jaiden Carpenter at the 3-yard line. Dixon provided eight receptions for 111 yards. He has 13 TD catches this season. “He’s a freak. I’ve been saying he’s the best receiver in PA. He needs some college looks. He makes my job super easy,” remarked Kenneff. That possession ended with a play-action pass to Dehvyn Lauano who was wide open for a 3-yard score. Kenneff went 14-of-20 for 155 yards on the night.
The (8-2, 5-1) Bulldogs responded immediately with a 80-yard drive. Monty Greer took a sweep to the left for a 13-yard touchdown run with 4:21 to play in the third quarter. Wilson was within 17-14, however, the Bulldogs were called for two personal fouls on the extra point. They had to kickoff back at their 13-yard line. Allan Feliciano broke free for a 42-yard return to Wilson’s 25-yard line. Manheim Township only turned that short field into three points on a 38-yard field goal by Crispeno with 1:27 left in the third quarter. A low snap put a halt to the Bulldogs’ next series. Defensive lineman Jake Ruch recovered the fumble at the Blue Streaks’ 39-yard line with 11:17 remaining.
Wilson got the ball back at its 8-yard line with 7:48 to go. Sophomore Damian Greer made a leaping 25-yard grab to the 45-yard line. On third-and-5, Young connected with sophomore Braydon Farrell for 11 yards to the 29-yard line. Ethan Harding’s 8-yard run set up the Bulldogs at Manheim Township’s 9-yard line. Lauano stripped the ball out of Glover’s hands on the next running play. It resulted in a 12-yard loss. A holding penalty pushed Wilson back to the 31-yard line. Young then scrambled left and threw back across the middle of the field. His pass was intercepted by Luke Wagner with 35 seconds to play. The Blue Streaks couldn’t pick up a first down and punted the ball back to the Bulldogs. On the final play from their own 42-yard line, Young was intercepted by Feliciano. Kenneff gave credit to his defense which was facing an offense that had been averaging 41.2 points per game. “They’re just a bunch of dogs. They get after it, they’re wild. They’re firing on all cylinders,” he replied.
Correll Akings, a three-year starter, was limited to 39 yards on eight carries. Harding chipped in with 36 yards on six touches. Glover provided 11 yards on seven carries. The Blue Streaks were outgained 316-to-282. Wilson had six more first downs, but Manheim Township dominated in the time of possession department. The Blue Streaks held the rock for 28 minutes and 38 seconds. Marcos Fernandez was the leading rusher with 81 yards on 21 carries. EJ Brownback gave another tremendous defensive effort for the Bulldogs. The 218-pound junior linebacker racked up 16 total tackles, including a TFL on fourth-and-1 at the 11-yard line in the second quarter. “The intensity was there, we fought. They made plays and we didn’t. That was the bottom line,” explained Dahms. Both of these teams will get a bye in the opening round of the District 3-6A playoffs which begin next week. “We’re trying to go the whole way and we think we can go the whole way,” stated Kenneff.