Pugh paces Wilmington to win over Sharon
Wilmington (48) vs. Sharon (21)
Written: Oct 22, 2012
By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
Contending for region championships is nothing new to the Wilmington High football program.
Last night, the Greyhounds took another step toward a playoff berth and a league title.
Nic Pugh scored three touchdowns, propelling Wilmington to a 48-21 District 10, Region 3-AA win over Sharon at Greyhound Stadium.
Wilmington (5-1 region, 6-2 overall) shares the lead in the region with Grove City (5-1, 7-1) and Hickory (5-1, 7-1). The Greyhounds lost to Grove City, but beat Hickory.
“This was obviously a real big win for us,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “It puts us in a great situation next week. It’s for first place. I don’t think it will take much to fire them up for next week.”
The Greyhounds conclude region play at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Greenville (4-2, 4-4). The Trojans held on for a 27-26 region win over Reynolds (3-3, 5-3) last night, setting up next week’s matchup.
“Greenville has been doing a great job this year,” Verrelli said. “We’re going to have to be on our toes and get rid of the mistakes we’re making; we’re looking forward to that game.”
The Eagles visit Sharon (1-5, 1-7) and the Hornets host Reynolds (3-3, 5-3) to close region action. Both games are Friday.
Pugh, a senior running back, missed two games earlier in the year with an injury. He rushed for 79 yards on 11 attempts. His carries are a season high.
“I definitely have a lot more energy and I feel good,” Pugh said of his status after returning from the injury. “Our line blocked very well and I just executed some plays (last night).
“I give all the credit to the line. The line stuck to their blocks and the offense stepped up a lot in this game.”
Verrelli acknowledged the importance of having Pugh on the field.
“It’s definitely great to have him back on the field,” he said. “We’re trying to get back to normal with our injuries. I think (Pugh and Alex Patton) made a difference for opening it up for Tyler Donati.
“You can’t just key on Donati because those other two guys can run, too. Pugh is quick. I think that’s probably his main attribute. He’s getting better and getting more experience every game.”
Pugh scored on runs of 4 and 8 yards, while adding a 14-yard scoring reception from quarterback Cody Llewellyn.
Llewellyn, who was 3 of 4 for 46 yards and a score, returned to the lineup after missing last week’s 20-14 loss to Sharpsville with a blood disorder.
“That put the team back together,” Verrelli said of Llewellyn’s return. “It’s difficult when you miss a key guy. That just throws things off a little bit. It was great to have him back, he did a great job.
“He was his old self and he was anxious to get back in there and play.”
Pugh helped Wilmington grab control late in the first half. His four-yard touchdown run with 1:23 to go in the half gave the Greyhounds a 21-7 advantage.
“Sharon has always been a big rival of ours,” Pugh said. “We knew Sharon didn’t really have anything to lose. We knew if we lost this game, we probably wouldn’t make the playoffs. This was a game we had to win.”
The Tigers started their next drive at their own 15 and Wilmington had all three of its timeouts left. Sharon quarterback Jesse Rodgers was sacked on the first play back to the 3. A pair of Michael Bonner advanced the ball to the 5, forcing Sharon to punt.
The Greyhounds, now out of timeouts, took over on the Tigers 41 and four plays later Llewellyn found Pugh on a 14-yard scoring pass with eight seconds to go in the half.
“That always helps to score there with a few seconds left on the clock,” Verrelli said. “Those are key things if you can score before the half like that. That was a good sign offensively.”
The Greyhounds took the second-half kickoff and marched 64 yards in seven plays. Donati capped the drive with a seven-yard scoring run for a 35-7 lead with 8:34 left in the third.
Donati, the county’s leading rusher, ran for 156 yards on 18 attempts with a pair of scores.
“Donati is our horse in the backfield,” Verrelli said.
Patton rushed for 84 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns for Wilmington. The Greyhounds rolled up 317 rushing yards.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
SHARON WILMINGTON
15 First downs 20
134 Yards Rushing 335
32 Yards Lost 18
102 Net Rushing 317
30 Passes Attempted 4
17 Passes Completed 3
1 Passes Intercepted 0
174 Yards Passing 46
276 Total Yards 363
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 5-2
4-34.2 Punts-Average 2-32.5
6-70 Penalties-Yards 4-36
SHARON 7 0 7 7 — 21
WILMINGTON 13 15 7 13 —48
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Tyler Donati, 7-yard run (Brandon Ryder kick).
SHARON — Jesse Rodgers, 4-yard run (Evan Gill kick).
WILMINGTON — Alex Patton, 6-yard run (kick failed).
WILMINGTON — Nic Pugh, 4-yard run (Patton pass from Cody Llewellyn).
WILMINGTON — Pugh, 14-yard pass from Llewellyn (Ryder kick).
WILMINGTON — Donati, 7-yard run (Slavi Pontius kick).
SHARON — Nate Jacoway, 4-yard pass from Rodgers (Gill kick).
WILMINGTON — Pugh, 8-yard run (Kyler Lum kick).
WILMINGTON — Patton, 5-yard run (kick failed).
SHARON — Wanya Smith-Austin, 21-yard pass from Rodgers (Gill kick).
|