QUICK HIT: Defending District 3-AAAA champion Wilson executed to perfection in the first half Saturday afternoon at Severance Field. The Bulldogs scored on each of their four possessions in the opening two quarters to open up a double-digit halftime lead on Harrisburg. The wounded Cougars simply couldn’t get off the field defensively and Wilson precision execution up front powered the Bulldogs to a 38-21 victory in a rematch of the district final from a year ago.
KEY MOMENT: Harrisburg’s defense was struggling in the first half. Wilson was 3-for-3 on converting possessions into points behind balance and touchdown passes from senior QB Matt Timochenko. In the final minute of the first half the Cougars lined up to punt from their own 16 trailing only 21-14. And Harrisburg was getting the ball to open the second half. Cougars punter De’Quan Ware felt pressure and pulled the ball in and took off. The following 20 seconds was a football special-teams disaster. The end result was a 7-yard punt and Wilson taking over the Harrisburg 22. The Bulldogs sucked any halftime momentum the Cougars might have had entering intermission when Hunter Rubright banged home a 26-yard field goal as the half expired to give Wilson a 24-14 lead.
STARS AND STUDS: Timochenko was a machine for the Bulldogs, particularly in the first half. He completed 9 of 13 passes for 87 yards and three scores by the break. He finished with 163 passing yards and his four touchdown tosses is one shy of the school record.
*Darian Davis Ray was horse for the Cougars, and he’ll need to continue that trend with Robert Martin III out for the season. Davis Ray scored all three Harrisburg touchdowns on runs of 59 and 29 yards. His touchdown reception came from 30 yards out. He finished with 12 touches for 172 total yards.
*There isn’t much flash to Wilson RB Raifsnider, but he almost always is going forward and doesn’t generally go down on first contact. Raifsnider rushed for 109 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown.
*Junior Chris Zerbe had a strong two-way outing for Wilson. He finished with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown offensively. On defense he registered three sacks from his LB spot.
*For the first time in his career, Harrisburg WR De’Quan Ware looked like a go-to wide receiver. He hauled in six catches, most of them in heavy traffic, for 72 yards.
NUMBERS GAME: The score might have been close entering those late stages of the first half, but Wilson had already stamped its mark on this game otherwise. In the first half the Bulldogs ran a staggering 37 plays, compared to only 14 for Harrisburg. Four times in the first half Wilson converted on fourth-and-1 to keep drives alive. It kept the Cougars’ defense on the field for a long time on a hot day.
BIG PICTURE: Based on the landscape in these early stages of the season, it’s hard to see a Class AAAA team in District 3 that’s capable of collaring the Bulldogs. This isn’t a Wilson outfit with a ton of speed or sizzle. They aren’t particularly big, either. But they dig into you and play a rugged and physical brand of football. And right now, it’s hard to picture Doug Dahms’ squad being anything but 10-0 come the end of the regular season. Harrisburg now has serious injury woes after junior QB Mikell Clark went down in the fourth quarter with what is almost certainly a concussion. Popped by Zerbe on a blitz, it was clear Clark was wobbly. He was taken away in an ambulance for safety and observation. Clark is the third Harrisburg starter to suffer an injury of significance in the opening eight quarters of 2013.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Our defense just could not get off the field. It was that simple. I thought our offense did plenty of good things today. Just when our new quarterback starts to look like a varsity quarterback he gets hurt. That play right before the half was big. Instead of being down seven and going into the lockerroom in the right frame of mind, we give up points to go down 10 and are ticked off.” – Harrisburg head coach Calvin Everett
“That play was at a critical time. It was big because Harrisburg is a team that feeds off momentum. And they showed what they can do when it comes to big plays. So we had to do as much as possible to avoid giving them that momentum. I thought our offense was patient today. We are not a fast football team, so we have to be consistent. A big part of what we did was today was our offensive line. They did a great job.”
RAPID REACTION: I’m not sure how many more injuries Harrisburg (0-2) can absorb at key spots and continue to keep the ball of hope afloat. There is some major potential in this squad, but to continue to lose key players is an uphill battle most high school programs, especially one with precious little experience, can absorb. And Wilson is clearly the heavy favorite to repeat at District 3-AAAA champs. It’s not the same as the 2012 team, but in a year when the pool isn’t as deep the Bulldogs clearly have more functioning parts.
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