A furious fourth quarter comeback propelled Wilson to a 35-34 overtime victory over Gov. Mifflin. They claim the Gurski/Linn Trophy for the third straight year.
Wilson trailed 28-13 with 10:20 left to play. QB Jake Templin led the Bulldogs with two fourth quarter TD passes, including one in OT to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat. Templin finished the game 11-19 for 143 yards and 4 TD’s with no interceptions.
Gov. Mifflin dominated the line of scrimmage for the entire game. After Wilson grabbed a 7-0 lead in quarter one, Mifflin went to their bread and butter, ground and pound attack. Mifflin scored on their next two possessions on drives of 70 and 72 yards eating up 11 minutes of the clock. Mifflin’s defense also stymied the potent Wilson offense as well. The Bulldogs were held to only 60 yards total offense in the first half. On the last play of the first half, Mifflin QB Jan Johnson threw a strike to Ben Stausser from the 16. Mifflin went up 21-7 heading into the locker room.
Wilson took the second half kick off. Templin connected on a 43-yard TD pass to Jake Gehman to close the margin to 21-13. Mifflin’s trench dominance again took over on the next possession. A 16 play, 80 yard drive was culminated by a Jan Johnson 16-yard TD run and a 28-13 Mifflin lead. Quickly, Templin brought the Bulldogs back. A 23-yard TD to Jon Fox got the score to 28-20 Mifflin with 8:10 to play.
Mifflin once again pounded the ball on the ground, and the defense held Wilson in check. The game came
down to the final drive. Following a Mifflin punt, Wilson took control on their own 44 with only one minute to play. Wilson then employed a spread formation to move the football. QB Templin, drove the Bulldogs to score a TD with 15 seconds left. The tying two-point conversion sent the most heated Berks Country football rivalry to OT for the secnd time in five years.
Mifflin had the ball first in OT. Jan Johnson willed his way in for the score to give Mifflin the lead. The extra point was missed and the door was now open for Wilson. Jake Templin opened that door. Templin threw a TD pass to Jake Walbert, followed by the crucial extra point. This stunned the Gov. Mifflin team, who led for almost the entire game.
Jan Johnson had another fantastic performance for Gov, Mifflin once again. Johnson led Mifflin in rushing with 121 yards. He threw two TD passes, and was a stalwart on defense. Besides Templin, Jake Gehman was a star for Wilson. Gehman caught two scores, ran for another and averaged 10.2 yards per carry.
The Gov. Mifflin / Wilson rivalry is one of those rare rivalries that teams and schools invest months of sweat, blood and emotion in preparation. It was an electric atmosphere in West Lawn Friday night. Gov. Mifflin and Wilson are the class football programs of Berks County high school football. It is very likely both of these teams will invest that same emotion against one another in the state playoffs later this year.
Photo by Lee Vivian
