Rivalries are one of the main reasons football has become the most popular 
game in the US.
When the rivalry game starts the season, there are months of build up that lead up to an electric and emotionally charged contest.
The Wilson – Gov Mifflin match up is always the premier rivalry game of Berks County football. Wilson was ranked in the top ten in all the Pennsylvania pre-season polls and was a prohibitive favorite over a Gov. Mifflin program dubbed as in “rebuilding” mode. In a hard fought, physical game Wilson prevailed over Governor Mifflin 14-3.
Wilson Coach Doug Dahms said “Mifflin played tough” but he also said about his own squad, “We have got to get better…especially in the trenches.” Collin Powers started his first game for Wilson at QB. Powers was 12-19 for 113 yards and Coach Dahms said Powers, “managed the game pretty well.” A major concern for Wilson is that star RB Shane Danzler left the game early in the second half and did not return. Danzler suffered a leg injury and is “week to week” according to Coach Dahms.
Mifflin Coach Mick Vecchio praised his young squad in defeat, “They gave a hell of an effort,” against the heavily favored and experienced Bulldogs. But coach also said that the turning point of the game was that his Mustangs made mistakes at critical times in the game.
Most of the first quarter was error prone and played in the Wilson end of the field. Mifflin took the opening kick and in it’s patented ball control style, drove the ball down the field. With five minutes left in Quarter 1, Wilson intercepted a Hunter Reeser pass to end Mifflin’s drive at their own 28. Wilson’s drive stalled and an error by Wilson’s punter fielding the snap gave the ball back to Mifflin on the 24. Two plays later, Mifflin fumbled the ball back on the 25. On the ensuing drive Wilson led by RB Shane Danzler finally began to move the ball. Wilson then fumbled the ball away deep in Mifflin territory and the first quarter ended scoreless.
Mifflin took over and had some success moving the ball across mid field. Again the Wilson D forced the Mustangs to punt the ball away. Then the Wilson offense finally began to get on track. A 14 play 92 yard drive ended with a Shane Danzler 1 yard run It was 7-0 Wilson with 4:22 in the half.
Mifflin hung tough. They took the ensuing kick down the field and with a tenth of a second in the half, Ben Meyers got Mifflin on the board with a 35 yard field goal making it 7-3 at halftime. No one expected the game to be this close and the Mustangs had the momentum going into the second half.
The third quarter proved to be a stalemate. Both defenses showed amazing toughness. Early in quarter 4 Wilson was able to mount a sustained drive propelled by back up RB Bailey McElroy. McElroy scored on a two-yard run with 10:15 left. It was 14-3 Bulldogs. Mifflin had two more drives that were snuffed out the the tough Wilson D. The final was Wilson 14 Governor Mifflin 3.
Surprisingly Governor Mifflin led by QB Hunter Reeser’s 103 yards, out rushed Wilson 213-184 and had the ball for over seven minutes more than the Bulldogs. The big key to the game was Mifflin’s inability to capitalize on its scoring chances early in the contest. Both teams have tough road tests in week two. Wilson travels to Central Dauphin East. Governor Mifflin is on the road at perrenial powerhouse Lancaster Catholic.
3 Responses
You can say what you want but there were 5 thousand people at the Wilson/Mifflin game Friday night..standing room only..besides Berks Catholic/Wyomissing have only been playing each other for a couple years not 50 yrs like W/GM…so I beg to differ
“The Wilson – Gov Mifflin match up is always the premier rivalry game of Berks County football”.
A recent poll in the Reading Eagle showed that the Backyard Brawl between Wyomissing and Berks Catholic is the premier rivalry game in berks county by far. Maybe if Miffin would start winning a few against Wilson it would be considered a rivalry.
Wilson did not look good. Mifflin won the trench war and out rushed them,which usually is the opposite with Wilson opponents. Dantzler on crutches and out for 3 weeks. Next week at Central Dauphin East,then Central Dauphin in week 3,is going to be a problem. I think Wilson is overrated,we’ll see in the next 2 wks.