YORK – “You got this!”
Those were Wilson wideout Cameron Jones’ words of support for sophomore kicker Ben Rada as the Bulldogs took possession at their own 25-yard line with 7:14 left in the game. Tied at 11 points a piece with Central York, Jones must have had a feeling that Rada would be the game’s hero.
Jones wasn’t wrong, but Rada was one of many.
The Wilson Bulldogs (9-3) defeated defending PIAA 6A finalist Central York (11-1) and Penn State bound quarterback Beau Pribula 14-11 Friday night in a District III 6A semifinal matchup.
Wilson’s game plan was simple: run the ball. The Bulldogs were able to do just that, to the tune of 62 attempts for 349 yards on the ground. Wilson had two second-half drives that gained 162 total yards on 26 total plays and ate 12 minutes of clock without attempting a single pass.
The determined Bulldog defense did an excellent job of limiting opportunities for Central York. The ever-dangerous Pribula still managed to go 20-33 for 308 yards and a touchdown, but the Bulldogs pressured him up the middle all night, giving him little to no time to operate without someone in his face.
Pribula, without time in the pocket, was forced into settling for underneath throws thanks to a two-deep shell that allowed the defenders to keep speedy Panther receivers Imeir Manigault and Treyshawn Smith in front of them for most of the night.
“We threw a lot at them,” said Wilson head coach Doug Dahms following the game. “We threw a lot of blitzes at them, we mixed the coverages, and, hey, they played well enough.”
After a first half which saw both teams fail to turn long drives into points, the second half began with Wilson quarterback Brad Hoffman calling his own number over the right side, lowing his shoulder, and knocking a Panther defender three yards backward to earn a tough 12 yards.
“In the first half we weren’t really going as hard in the backfield and upfront,” said Hoffman after the game. “We knew that and we got together at the start of the second half. We knew this was a close game and we could pull it off.”
Hoffman, who would finish with 29 carries for 167 yards, was joined in the backfield by fellow senior Jadyn Jones, who gained 161 yards on 27 carries on the night.
According to Hoffman “It all came down to the grit of our offensive line.”
After a fumble ended Wilson’s promising drive to open the second half, Central York was able to move the ball 97 yards in just 4 plays to take an 11-3 advantage, the Bulldog offensive line showed that grit, methodically moving Panther defenders for more than enough yards to keep the chains moving.
The holes got bigger as the second half wore on. Hoffman was able to rumble for a 41 yard gain over the right side to set up Wilson’s only touchdown of the night.
After holding the Panthers to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Bulldogs were back in business, using an efficient 12-play 71-yard drive to get to the Central York four-yard line, where the drive stalled.
Enter Ben Rada.
“Those were the first and second field goals we’ve attempted this year,” said Dahms. “That’s a little scary, but what better time to do it!”
Rada hit his 21-yard attempt right down the middle, just like Jones said he would, advancing the Bulldogs to next week’s District 3 6A Championship.
“We all looked at each other at the beginning of the season and we set our goals: league championship, district championship, state championship,” said Hoffman. “We knew that we would have to go through these guys to get there, and having that in the back of our heads pushed us to get this win tonight.”
Scoring Summary:
2nd Wilson Rada, 31 yard FG 10:27
2nd Central York Parker, 29 yard FG 7:59
3rd Central York Manigault, 26 yard pass from Pribula (Pribula run) 7:20
4th Wilson Hoffman, 2 yard run (Dendall pass from Hoffman) 8:03
4th Wilson Rada, 21 yard FG 1:13
Score by Quarters
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Wilson | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
| C. York | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
