Dahms – Berks Sports Report

“I’ll be Back”-Doug Dahms

Paul Roberts — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:14:38 +0000

Doug Dahms has been a mainstay at Wilson High School for many years. Dahms confirmed to me that he will be back as the Bulldogs’ head football coach in 2025. He holds the school record for wins with a mark of (196-44) over 19 seasons. Dahms has the highest winning percentage (81.7%) in Berks County history.

Wilson finished (11-2, 6-0) this fall. The Bulldogs earned their record 29th Section 1 championship by winning 34-16 at Manheim Township in Week 10. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 in the state in Class 6A at the time. Wilson advanced to the District 3-6A championship game before falling to Harrisburg 42-14.

Wilson’s football program has been a model of consistency. The Bulldogs hold the state record with 49 consecutive winning seasons. They haven’t had a losing year since 1963. Dahms started as an assistant coach in West Lawn in 1976. He was part of 264 victories as an assistant before becoming the head coach.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 26 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Jah Jah Boyd is ranked #274 in the country in ESPN’s Top 300 for the Class of 2024. The James Madison commit had one catch for 13 yards, yet Roman Catholic still put up 49 points and 408 yards. That should illustrate the depth of talent that Wilson faced in its season opening 49-14 loss at Upper Dublin High School. “It’s hard to practice against that kind of speed because we don’t have it. We didn’t do a very good job slowing them down to give the pursuit a chance to get there,” said longtime coach Doug Dahms. Five of the Cahillites’ touchdowns were over 45 yards. They outgained the Bulldogs 292-83 in the second half. “I don’t think we quit, but we don’t have the depth and that showed in the third and fourth quarter. They’re rolling 20 guys through on defense,” Dahms replied. Gov. Mifflin transfer Mykell Ford had three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Wilson committed three turnovers including two on its first three possessions. 5’10 junior Lou Gaddy raced 68 yards for a pick-six with two minutes left in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs responded with a 54-yard pass down the right sideline from Tommy Hunsicker to Jackson Wagner. That set up Hunsicker’s 15-yard touchdown scramble to pull Wilson within 13-7 just ten seconds into the second period. Hunsicker, who was under heavy pressure, finished 14-30 for 165 yards. “He was hitting some receivers right on the money. In the second half, we had a lot of drops,” stated Dahms. Dazhaun Hopkins broke off a 46-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. The 5’10, 185-pound senior had 94 yards on 13 carries, as well as a 5-yard TD grab. The Bulldogs made it 20-14 with 8:17 remaining in the third quarter thanks to a blocked field goal. Jonah Pertet spinted 80 yards down the sideline for a score. Then Semaj Beals and his speedy corps of receivers took over. Beals has several Division I offers including Alabama and Penn State. The 6’1, 175-pound sophomore went 11-22 for 264 yards and 5TD. Tayden Mines, a 5’7 junior, took two wide receiver screens to the house in the third quarter. The first covered 58 yards and the second went for 33 yards. Mines racked up 103 yards on three catches. In between those drives, Beals hit Ash Roberts down the middle for a 66-yard score. That was the lone reception for Roberts. The 5’10 sophomore has offers from Alabama, Penn State, and Michigan. Roman Catholic was on top 42-14 after the third quarter. Beals added a 51-yard strike to junior Zamir Newsuan with 9:40 to play. The Cahillites averaged a staggering 10.2 yards per play. Their defense limited sophomore Correll Akings to 34 yards on ten carries. Roman Catholic had eleven tackles for loss. Wilson ended up with 264 yards. “It’s gonna be a very long film session with the kids on Sunday night. There’s gonna be changes that our made, especially on special teams. Kids that didn’t do the job are gonna get replaced,” said Dahms. He entered his 18th season as head coach with a school record 178 wins.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 01:04:00 +0000

Wilson’s football program has always been known for its physical and fundamentally sound defense. Although Hempfield didn’t light up the scoreboard at John Gurski Stadium, Bulldogs’ head coach Doug Dahms was disappointed. “I’m very upset with the way we tackled, and we’re gonna go back to the drawing board. They must of had 150 yards after touch. Defensively, we did not make the plays,” he lamented. The Black Knights piled up 238 yards in the second half of a stunning 20-16 victory at West Lawn. Hempfield put together a 17 play, 76-yard drive that took nearly seven and a-half minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. Stephen Katch, a 190-pound senior, crashed into the end zone from two yards away for the go-ahead score with only 17 seconds remaining. Junior quarterback Jackson Landis came up big on that series. He found Andy Garcia for 12 yards on third-and-eleven with five and a-half minutes left. He then dumped off a pass to tight end Aidan Shorter on fourth-and-three from the 32-yard line with two minutes to go. Shorter refused to go down and stretched out the football for a pivotal 4-yard gain. Moments later, Landis and Garcia hooked up again for 18 yards to the 9-yard line. Katch completed the comeback and put a halt to Wilson’s 16-game winning streak over the Black Knights. Garcia, a 140-pound senior, racked up 101 yards on seven receptions. Landis went 16-of-26 for 269 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown pass to Micah Gates early in the third quarter. Gates (4 catches/124 yards) ripped the ball away from 6’1 senior cornerback Rafael Fernandez to even it at 10 apiece. The Bulldogs broke the tie on Cam Jones’ 48-yard touchdown run with 3:26 remaining in the third period. Jones stepped through a tackle near the line of scrimmage and sprinted down the right sideline. Cannon Biscoe connected on a 29-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to get Hempfield within 16-13. Biscoe converted a 20-yard field goal on their opening possession. Jones had given Wilson the early advantage with a 53-yard touchdown run up the middle on the second play from scrimmage. The Holy Cross commit had a career-high 189 yards on 15 carries. “Great balance, great vision, physical [and] fast. Everything you want,” replied Dahms when asked about Jones. Ben Rada booted a 25-yard field goal late in the second quarter for a 10-3 edge, but Dahms wasn’t pleased with their effort on special teams. Rada missed a 37-yard field goal and an extra point. He also had a 28-yard field goal attempt blocked by Jacob Karkoska. “Difference in the game. That’s frustrating, but we got down into the [red] zone so many times and we’d stall or make a penalty, or we’d do something dumb,” stated Dahms. The (5-2, 2-1) Bulldogs were limited to 55 passing yards overall and 123 yards in the second half. Wilson was held to six points after halftime. “We’ve got to get more consistent up front. We still made too many mistakes. You can’t make mistakes against a good football team,” explained Dahms. The (6-1, 4-0) Black Knights stopped the Bulldogs’ 16-game league winning streak. Dahms gave credit to Hempfield head coach George Eager who’s a former assistant at Wilson. “He’s doing a great job. He’s got a great staff. They’ve got that program rolling right now. They’re gonna win the league championship. Kudos to him,” emphasized Dahms. Eager is in his third season at the helm of the Black Knights. Brian Williams came up with two interceptions for Hempfield. Deyvid Palepale made five tackles. The 6’3. 315-pound junior has offers from Penn State, Louisville, and Temple. Nick Weitzel contributed a team-high nine tackles (3TFL) for Wilson at defensive end. Tackling is definitely going to be a focal point at practice next week in West Lawn.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 18:54:00 +0000

Doug Dahms became an assistant football coach at Wilson in 1976. He’s never left West Lawn. The former standout athlete at Muhlenberg High School and Lebanon Valley College has been part of 434 victories with the Bulldogs. “It’s a huge part of my life. You’ve got to love the kids because you spend so much time with them. The coaching staff is like my extended family. Their kids are like my nieces and nephews. It’s a love affair,” he said. Dahms is getting ready for his 17th season as head coach. His record is a staggering (170-35). Dahms’ winning percentage of 83% is the highest in Berks County history. He also piled up 264 wins as an assistant under John Gurski, Gerry Slemmer, and Jim Cantafio. Dahms captained his team through some rough waters last year. Wilson was (2-3) at the midway point after a 24-21 loss to Manheim Central. The Bulldogs wouldn’t taste defeat again until the District 3-6A championship against Harrisburg. They knocked off top-seeded Central York 14-11 in the semifinals. Wilson is (42-22) overall in the District 3 playoffs with seven titles. This year’s squad features five returning starters on defense and four on offense. All-state pick Cam Jones will be all over the field. Dahms said, “He’ll touch the ball a little bit more either in jets (jet sweeps) or maybe sometimes from running back or even from wildcat. The idea is to try and get him 15 to 18 touches a game.” The wide receiver and cornerback only had eight receptions in 2021. He finished fifth on the team in tackles with 37 and was a never-ending highlight reel on special teams. Jones averaged 47 yards on kickoff returns and nearly 29 yards on punt returns. He took seven kick returns to the house! The Bulldogs will have a new quarterback and running back in 2022. Juniors Tommy Hunsicker and Adam Woods are competing for the QB spot. Cleveland Harding, a starting guard on the basketball team, is expected to take over for Jadyn Jones at RB. Dahms told me the offense will be more balanced this season. The Bulldogs lost a trio of starters on the offensive line and three more on the defensive line to graduation. “Certainly a piece of the puzzle that I’m very concerned with, but you really can’t tell until the pads go on. We’re probably going to be very young up front. They’ve got to buy in. It’s tough playing juniors against seniors,” he said. Jack Dendall and Brendan Hopp will anchor the offensive line along with promising sophomore tight end Brady Kline. Nick Weitzel, a 210-pound defensive end, is back for his senior campaign. He led Wilson with five sacks a season ago. The Bulldogs have won 14 consecutive league games. I asked Dahms about the competition in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League which once again includes Reading. Wilson has a very difficult non-league slate. The Bulldogs open up with Roman Catholic and Central Dauphin. According to Dahms, Roman Catholic has six Division I recruits. Don’t forget to circle October 1st on your calendar. Wilson will make the short trip to Shillington to battle Gov. Mifflin on a Saturday afternoon. You better get there early if you want a seat.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:22:00 +0000

At the midway point of the regular season, the Bulldogs were (2-3) and fans weren’t happy in West Lawn. Wilson lost to Gov. Mifflin and Exeter by identical scores of 42-14. Fast forward to Week 13 and the Bulldogs have advanced to the District 3-6A championship game as a #5 seed. I asked head coach Doug Dahms what turned their season around. We also discussed why Wilson is running the ball so much more now. The Bulldogs have two 1,000 yard rushers for the first time in school history. 215-pound RB Jadyn Jones (1,264) and 205-pound QB Brad Hoffman (1,038) have become a dangerous 1-2 punch. They combined for 328 yards on 56 carries in the District 3 semifinals at Central York. Wilson prevailed 14-11 to extend its winning streak to seven. Dahms said his players are extremely confident. Next up, (11-1) Harrisburg on Saturday at 1pm at Severance Field. Dahms talked about the Cougars’ key skill position players including Kyle Williams, Mahkai Hopkins, and freshman quarterback Shawn Lee. Harrisburg won the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division title. The second-seeded Cougars have won eight in a row. They’re only loss was to undefeated Gov. Mifflin 49-13. Finally, Dahms and I had some fun talking about the “Fear the Beard” slogan. Dahms is (170-34) over 16 seasons as head coach. He has the highest winning percentage in Berks County history.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 00:34:00 +0000

Strong winds and heavy rain forced Wilson and Manheim Township to run the ball at John Gurski Stadium. That was just fine with the Bulldogs who had 64 carries and only five pass attempts. Wilson ran for 333 yards and averaged 5.2 per carry. The Bulldogs played a game of keep away with the Blue Streaks. Wilson had the football for nearly 32 minutes. Jadyn Jones led the way with 177 yards on 30 carries. Quarterback Brad Hoffman wasn’t far behind. He added 148 yards on 25 runs including 2TD. Hoffman also threw a 21-yard TD pass to Cam Jones who had another big night returning kicks. Doug Dahms talked about a questionable penalty that erased a 71-yard punt return TD by Jones. You will find out what Dahms said to his players at halftime when the game was tied at 7-7. The Bulldogs’ defense allowed just 208 total yards to a team that was averaging 35 points. Manheim Township went 0-for-6 on third down. Wilson had 20 first downs compared to eight for the Blue Streaks. Dahms explained how his team has been able to turn things around after a (2-3) start to the season. The Bulldogs have won five in a row. Dahms told me that the District 3-6A playoff field is wide open. He is (168-34) over 16 years as the head coach at Wilson.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:12:00 +0000

After coming up short against Manheim Central 24-21, the Bulldogs rolled over Penn Manor and McCaskey by a combined score of 99-18. Next up, Cedar Crest. Wilson head coach Doug Dahms explained how the Falcons were able to knock off Hempfield 20-13 last week. That victory by Cedar Crest helped Dahms to keep his team focused. Dahms said getting Jadyn Jones back was a huge boost. The 215-pound RB/LB is the Bulldogs’ leading rusher. Dahms told me that they’ve made things easier for the offensive line. Wilson piled up a season-high 367 yards on the ground against McCaskey. Dahms is pleased that his team has cut down on penalties. He’s also happy to have all of his starters back from injury. Dahms is in his 16th season as the Bulldogs’ head coach. He started as an assistant in West Lawn in 1976. I asked him if analytics will play a bigger role in high school football in the near future. Plus, find out if Dahms pays attention to the District 3 power rankings. The Bulldogs are on the bubble in Class 6A so every game is critical.

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 23:00:00 +0000

It was an extremely frustrating night in West Lawn for longtime Wilson coach Doug Dahms. The Bulldogs fell to (2-3) with a 24-21 loss to undefeated Manheim Central. The Barons allowed just 142 total yards. They’re ranked #8 in the state in Class 5A. Wilson committed four turnovers. Senior Brad Hoffman finished 5-17 for 44 yards and 3INT. He had a 1-yard TD run that put the Bulldogs up 14-10 going into halftime. Wilson was without leading rusher Jadyn Jones for the second straight game after he was ejected at Exeter. His brother, Cam, returned a kickoff 85 yards for a TD to get the Bulldogs within 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. Gavin Lenart ran for 38 yards and a TD on 13 carries. I spoke to Dahms about the struggling passing attack, and not taking advantage of field position. Dahms was proud of the way the defense fought. They picked off Judd Novak three times. Dahms believes the Bulldogs should be (4-1). Wilson still leads the series with Manheim Central (8-5).

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 09:53:00 +0000

Wilson and Central Dauphin have combined for eleven District 3 championships. They met at John Gurski Stadium to kick off the 2021 season. The Bulldogs prevailed 27-21. Wilson outgained the Rams 284-170 on the ground. The Bulldogs averaged more than 6 yards/carry. Wilson’s defense was also very good. They forced the Rams to punt on six of their first eight drives. Gavin Lenart finished with nine tackles. Jon Ramsey, Erick Jackson, Josh Drake, and Nathan Capitano each had six. Head coach Doug Dahms talked about the keys on the defensive side for Wilson. Dahms also told me that he was surprised at CD’s play-calling in the 4th quarter. Plus, some thoughts on Gov. Mifflin star RB Nick Singleton who the Bulldogs will face next week!

Doug Dahms-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 23:01:00 +0000

Doug Dahms has more wins than any football coach in Wilson history. He also has the highest winning percentage in Berks County history. Dahms enters his 16th season with a record of (161-31). He started as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs in 1976, and was part of 264 more victories as an assistant. Dahms told me why he loves the game of football. We discussed the top four quarterbacks ever to play at Wilson. What an impressive list! You will get an update on the current QB situation in West Lawn. The Bulldogs’ schedule is always a hot topic. Plus, wait until you hear what Dahms has accomplished on the golf course.