It’s Week 9 of the high school football season this week which means only one thing—We are just a handful of days away from Week 10. Okay, okay. Yes, while most everyone has their eyes set on the final week of the regular season slate next weekend, especially inside the Lancaster-Lebanon League where either by divine intervention, good schedule-making, or just a concoction of the two working in tandem side-by-side, the matchups that await on the upcoming horizon across nearly each one of the conference’s five sections are arguably some of the best contests, at least on paper, that the 37-team mega group has put forth yet to date in 2023. Understandably, while you could make an argument that the final week of the season has been tantalizing going all the way back to preseason media days held during the dog days of summer, the penultimate week of the campaign might easily offer up just a mere whimper and pale in comparison. On the other hand, however, if you slip up here and now by totally blowing past this week altogether, it could be an unexpected death nail to your postseason aspirations. Rest assured, that was certainly not a description that the Wilson Bulldogs wanted to have levied against them following their game this week against up-and-coming McCaskey.
Quick poll question, but what were you doing in 1964? I mean shoot, how many of you were born? Or even your parents for that matter? As hard as it may be to believe, that was the last time in which the Wilson Bulldogs failed to finish a high school varsity football season below a .500 overall mark. You could insert any adjective or description of your choosing here to try and describe such a remarkable feat of success that spans generations, but we’ll go with the advent of full-fledged color television not yet being birthed into mass existence to try and settle on something apt. Suffice it to say, when you have such a storied history and know essentially nothing but success, even the slightest bit of turbulence can make the most ardent of supporters a little antsy. Just look at this particular season most specifically as to why some may have been finding squirming in their seats for proof of that.
In many ways, it feels as if any time that Wilson does not end a Friday autumn evening with more points than their opposition, that in and of itself can be newsworthy. Well, just imagine the scene in West Lawn whenever a 0-2 record out of the chute gets posted. Sure enough, the Dawgs’ 2023 season got off to a bit of a bumpy start all things considered as Wilson dropped their initial pairing against the likes of Roman Catholic and Central Dauphin respectively. Then again, it’s not exactly like the Cahillites and Rams will ever be confused for being lumped in with the Sisters of the Poor or anything like that. Even still, while occupying residency in the ever-competitive gauntlet that is District 3-6A football, power points are always, always at a premium. And the best way to try and make up that ground? Well, winning cures almost every ill in sports.
Sure enough, since their one-point 36-35 shortcoming against Central Dauphin all the way back on Labor Day weekend, Wilson has done nothing but find ways to win football games. Sometimes it involved a weekend break, such as the case of their 40-26 win over Cheltenham oddly played between both Friday and Monday nights (thanks, Mother Nature). Other times, it involved jumping out to an early lead before ultimately holding on in the waning stages, something tangible found in their 21-13 triumph on the road at Cedar Crest. Through it all, it brought the Bulldogs into Lancaster City on Friday night with a 6-2 overall record next to their name while still hot on the heels of their newest rival, Manheim Township, for the right to decide L-L Section One supremacy in outright fashion next week. Even still, stubbing their toe here might be more similar to amputation than that of a jammed extremity in terms of the pregame fanfare that figures to await with next week’s contest.
Suffice to say, the McCaskey Red Tornado were eagerly awaiting Wilson’s arrival on this night on their home turf to try and inflict such metaphorical anguish.
Sure, it’d be easy to gloss over the Tornado’s 2-6 overall record and not think much of it, but there’s way more meat on that bone than what meets the eye at first blush. First and foremost, McCaskey entered their home finale already in possession of one more victory than they were able to lay claim to throughout the entire 2022 season. But even more importantly, McCaskey was able to pick up their first win against a Section One foe for the first time since 2017 unbelievably enough when the Red Tornado were able to top Reading High in a knockdown, drag-out 34-28 overtime affair two weeks ago in the 101st chapter of that age-old city series. And not for nothing, but you can’t ever go back to being the neighborhood bully without getting out of your own backyard first. With that in mind, that triumph over the Red Knights was so clearly one of the Red Tornado’s best wins in very recent memory in more ways than one. That, and when you also add in the fact that McCaskey head man Ben Thompson is only in his second year on the job in Tornado Alley, while it may be just small, incremental progress to some, every little tangible bit is worth its weight in gold when it comes to trying to turn around this program that likely sits near the very top of the list when talking about high school football programs in central Pennsylvania with the biggest potential upside.
So, while most of those outside of the Bulldogs’ program might already be thinking about where exactly they’ll park their blankets at Gurski Stadium next week when the unblemished Blue Streaks roll into town, the players and coaches on the inside knew far better than to overlook what was without much in the way of debate the best McCaskey squad they had gone up against in a number of years. And with this being a program that always has the means to rise up and strike with a dangerous amount of venom at a moment’s notice, it was also a 2023 Red Tornado cast in particular just lying in the weeds on this their senior night with the opportunity to author a signature win.
But by the end of the night, a new chapter would indeed be written about. As it turned out, it just so happened to be one that would go into the Wilson chronicles.
Despite a somewhat sluggish night to begin their night against McCaskey –something best evidenced by the visitors turning it over on downs in their initial foray with the football on Friday night – the rainy and raw night from there on out seemed to totally go in their favor. Weather fit for a bulldog if you will.
After holding the Red Tornado to nary a first down on the hosts’ first offensive series of the night had it not been for the assistance found in an offsides penalty on a 3rd & 5 play, Wilson would then take over at their own 26-yard line with just a hair over half the opening frame yet to be completed. And it became readily apparent that the main objective here was to lean on the legs of Correll Akings combined with the overall push exerted by the offensive line down in the trenches. That solid gameplan, especially seeing as how the Wilson sophomore running back proceeded to rip off a 16-yard gallop on the first play of the drive to get the offense cooking. From there, after a nice hookup from senior quarterback Tommy Hunsicker to Madyx Gruber over the middle that propelled the Dawgs’ advance down to the McCaskey 40-yard line, going right back to Akings proved to be the right recipe as a 13-yard jaunt around the right side of the line would follow suit, putting Wilson on the verge of entering the red zone. Fittingly, after a steady dose of Correll Akings runs right through the heart of the Red Tornado defensive unit the rest of the way, Akings was able to punctuate a drive he himself had largely played the leading role in as the 5’10 170lb 10th grader’s 3-yard touchdown run combined with Christo Hunsicker’s PAT made it a 7-0 Wilson cushion which is precisely where things remained once the final 2:23 evaporated off the first quarter clock.
As is typically the case when talking about Wilson however, defense figures to be first and foremost at the top of the list in terms of discussion points. Of course, when you happen to assist in the Bulldogs’ gnarly defensive effort, such as the path McCaskey opted to choose by going for a deep shot on a 4th & 5 play on their side of the field in the waning stages of the opening frame, that added boost certainly wouldn’t be something to be turned down from the Wilson perspective.
Sure enough, following the exchange in possession, the guests wasted little time in capitalizing on the Red Tornado’s decision.
As far as the specifics of it all, it would come in the form of a 23-yard bubble screen touchdown toss from Tommy Hunsicker to Edison Case as the Wilson senior duo made it a 14-0 buffer in the Bulldog’s favor just 44 seconds into the second stanza.
But in keeping with the theme of capitalizing on the opponent’s errors, that’s exactly what McCaskey was able to do in relatively short order.
Here again, while stymied by the handiwork of defensive coordinator Ernie Wolber’s unit following the aforementioned Hunsicker to Case touchdown, Wilson appeared poised yet again to perhaps matriculate their way down the field for another score. Well, not exactly.
With the natural grass surface looking more like an ice-skating rink and the pill looking like a bar of soap thanks to persistent and annoying rain that never seemed to leave the Barney Ewell Sports Complex on this night, a muffed Wilson punt gave the ball right back to the Tornado well into the Bulldogs’ side of the field. And with only 35 yards of which to navigate, McCaskey would indeed find the endzone on this drive as a wonderful 11-yard touchdown dart from the junior duo of quarterback Jalen Cintron to wideout DeAndre Jones in the corner of the endzone against tight Wilson coverage allowed the hosts to nibble into their existing deficit at 14-6 following the missed PAT with 8:21 still left to play before the half.
Yet for all the possible momentum it may have seemed as if McCaskey was able to garner, Wilson was right there to extinguish those possible flames.
After taking over at their own 25-yard line on their ensuing offensive possession, a bit of assistance found in the form of a late hit personal foul call whistled against McCaskey helped breathe some life into this Bulldogs’ series. In terms of the more traditional ways of moving the ball down the field however, that largely came in the form of a nice 30-yard scramble by Tommy Hunsicker once the coverage broke down as the senior quarterback was able to saunter his way down to the McCaskey 18-yard line following the long gainer. From there, Hunsicker opted to call his own number again on the very next play as another scramble of his choosing ushered the Bulldogs’ advance down to the Tornado 10. By that point, with a Wilson score appearing to be nothing if not imminent, a sweet 10-yard shovel pass touchdown from Hunsicker to Akings made it a 21-6 Wilson lead at that juncture with 5:21 left to go in the second quarter.
But that be more than enough time for Wilson to tally one more score before the intermission.
After holding McCaskey on downs yet again, this time on a 4th & 2 play just a smidge past the Wilson 40-yard line, the Bulldogs offense trotted back onto the field. As fate would have it, they would need all of 57 seconds to go 62 yards to find the endzone one more time. Of course, it’s hard to accomplish such a feat without the aid of explosive plays. Well, in that regard, hang a star next to Edison Case’s name as his 63-yard touchdown reception that came complete with broken tackles and broken ankles along the way helped to vault Wilson into the 27-6 lead heading into the recess once the final two minutes bled off the second quarter clock from there on out.
Did we mention that Wilson’s defense is typically a very stout unit to try and negotiate against? If we hadn’t, here’s one more example to add to that rolodex.
Despite starting off with the football to begin the third quarter on Friday night, McCaskey would end up spotting Wilson some additional points as it turned out. The reason being that Madyx Gruber was able to climb the ladder from his defensive back position, snag the interception, and stroll across the chalk line 48 yards later as the junior’s pick 6 made it a 34-6 Wilson lead barely two minutes into the second half.
By this time, it was evident that the Wilson snowball was rolling downhill at a rate of speed that seemed darn near impossible to try and stop from the Tornado’s perspective.
Case in point, after taking over at the McCaskey 35-yard line their first time out of the field on offense once inside the third quarter, a long Correll Akings run moved this Wilson advance down to the McCaskey 6-yard within the blink of an eye. From there, the budding star’s 6-yard touchdown run, his third overall on the evening, allowed the mercy rule to take the proceedings home the rest of the way as the Bulldogs owned the 41-6 difference with 7:06 left in the third.
Not to be outdone though, particularly with this being their senior night after all, McCaskey senior’s class would certainly make the most of their opportunities with the time they had left at their disposal playing on their home field. And perhaps there was no better example of that than with Luis Santiago’s 87-yard touchdown gallop right through the heart of the Wilson defense as the senior earned himself a well-deserved, lifelong memory as his near end-to-end tote made it a 41-12 contest with 5:14 still to play in the third.
Speaking of senior running backs though, Wilson had one in their stable that was eager to show off his wears as well.
While the Wilson offensive backfield is typically very deep and talented on a perennial basis, it certainly appears to be that and then some this season with Correll Akings having the leading role, but Ahmir Welmaker not far behind. To be sure, just taking his performance on Friday night into account, it could be argued that Welmaker was the star of the show amongst all the Wilson cast members against McCaskey on Friday night. Case in point, the diminutive yet burly 5’6 145lb senior power back proceeded to both literally and figuratively ascend for a 15-yard scamper in one of his initial touches on Friday night as he was in a literal sense lifted off the ground inside the line of scrimmage fracas and carried across the line to gain, giving the Bulldogs a fresh set of downs inside the waning stages of the quarter. And once those final few minutes did eventually tick off, it showed Wilson just 12 minutes away from formally declaring it “Township Week” as they carried the 41-12 lead with them into the final dozen minutes.
And while Welmaker may have starred on the offensive side for Wilson in the second half, there were plenty of others on the other side of the ball that made the most of their opportunity to bask under the glow of the Friday night lights.
Chief among them, junior defensive lineman Chase Weachter tallying himself a sack which preceded a rude, direct meeting in the hole between Aydin Kramer and a McCaskey running back, two plays which allowed Wilson to set up shop at the McCaskey 15-yard line following yet another turnover on downs.
Fittingly, considering the workhorse that he had proven himself to be by that point, Ahmir Welmaker was able to draw the biggest round of applause of the entire night from the Bulldogs’ contingent as the senior’s 1-yard touchdown plunge drew plenty of rave reviews as Welmaker’s score made it a 47-12 difference with just inside of four minutes left to play.
However, that was still enough time for a McCaskey senior to savor the last few minutes left on his home field.
This time, those honors would be bestowed upon Victor Rodriguez as the senior wideout and cornerback was able to take the ensuing kickoff back to the house his 80-yard touchdown return was an apt punctuation mark to end this evening with as the final minutes had yet to run off the clock. And once they did, the neon lights emblazoned on the scoreboard at the end of the field told the story as Wilson was able to secure their 22nd consecutive victory over McCaskey, this time in 47-20 fashion, as the Bulldogs can now finally set their sights on Manheim Township and that battle royale that awaits next Friday night on the outskirts of Reading. And oh, by the way, the win against McCaskey just so happened to be Wilson’s 600th win in program history.
NEXT UP: As mentioned, we’re finally here. Throughout the preseason all the way through the regular season, odds figured that this would be the one that Lancaster-Lebanon Section One play would eventually come down to. Sure enough, with both the Blue Streaks and Bulldogs unbeaten in divisional play, the right to decide the section will come down to these next 48 minutes. And while Township has undoubtedly shown itself to be the class of District 3-6A thus far without much debate to really counter the notion with, make no mistake about it. This is a game that the Bulldogs should not and will not be intimidated by. When you have that, along with the fact that not only does Wilson typically become a better version of itself as the weeks throughout the season progress, the aspect of it all where the Bulldogs have yet to play their best game of the year should be reason enough to make this one appointment viewing next Friday night on the outskirts of Reading.
On the other side, while McCaskey wasn’t able to clamp down on Wilson on this night, this is so clearly a team, nay, a program that is headed in the right direction. Again, you must walk before you can run and the Red Tornado is doing precisely that with steps that are evident. And while there will be no postseason this year in Lancaster city, Week 10 offers the Red Tornado a wonderful opportunity to not only end the campaign on a high note but also turn some heads and serve notice along the way provided they can find a way to knock off Penn Manor across the city limits next Friday night on the campus of Millersville University considering that the Comets have been able to turn in arguably the best turnaround effort on the back half of the 2023 season throughout the entire L-L League. Regardless, while Red Tornado stock may be on the cheap at the moment, investing in them may very well prove to be a very wise long-term investment.
