Greyhounds make most of opportunities
Wilmington (19) vs. Lakeview (0)
Written: Oct 18, 2014
By Corey J. Corbin
CNHI News Service
STONEBORO — No Cody Llewellyn. No Jake Sotter. No problem for the Wilmington High football team.
Playing without their starting quarterback and key running back, both out with injuries, the Greyhounds capitalized on a pair of Lakeview special teams gaffes to post a 19-0 District 10, Region 1-A victory.
“We’ll take them,” veteran Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said of the Sailors’ special teams mistakes. “But we need to get better offensively. We’re missing two key players, but the next guy has to step up.”
With neither team finding much traction offensively, the Greyhounds’ Dom Gargiulo blocked Marquis Spence’s punt with Mark Shenker recovering at the Lakeview 23.
Four plays later, Reese Bender hooked up with Marc Peoples on a fourth-and-one for a 14-yard score and a 7-0 second-quarter lead.
The Greyhounds’ lead stayed that way until the Sailors had another special teams mistake when Jake Doddo muffed a Kyle Slicker punt and Colton Marett recovered the loose ball at the Lakeview 38.
Wilmington needed nine plays to chew up 38 yards and took a 14-0 advantage on a Shenker 3-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
“You can’t turn the ball over and expect to win, especially when you have two even teams,” Lakeview coach Dan York said. “In a game like this, you can’t turn the ball over and we turned the ball over.”
The Sailors answered by marching inside the Greyhounds’ 7, but could only muster five yards.
Wilmington put the game out of reach with a Slicker 85-yard touchdown five plays later. Slicker finished with 101 yards rushing on six plays.
“It was two good defenses going at it until they broke one on that trap,” York said.
Neither team could get much going last night.
The Sailors managed just 144 yards of offense against the ’Hounds’ Hammer defense, while Wilmington posted 166 yards.
“When you’re not able to get much going offensively like we did tonight, your defense has to play pretty good for you to win,” Verrelli said. “We did that tonight.”
Wilmington (4-1 region, 5-2 overall) leapfrogged the Sailors (4-2, 6-2) in the Region 1-A, setting up would should be a wild Week 9.
Depending on how the final week of the region slate plays out, Farrell, Lakeview, Sharpsville, West Middlesex and Wilmington all could finish in a five-way tie for first place in the league.
“I don’t pay attention to stuff like that,” Verrelli said. “That’s not important to me. I just want to win games. I’m not concerned with just getting into the playoffs. I want to do damage when I get there.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
WILMINGTON LAKEVIEW
6 First downs 7
141 Net Rushing 135
10 Passes Attempted 9
5 Passes Completed 2
0 Passes Intercepted 0
25 Yards Passing 9
166 Total Yards 144
4-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
11-73 Penalties-Yards 7-41
WILMINGTON 0 7 0 12— 19
LAKEVIEW 0 0 0 0— 0
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Peoples, 14-yard pass from Bender (Gardner kick)
WILMINGTON — Shenker 3-yard run (kick failed)
WILMINGTON — Slicker, 85-yard run (kick failed)
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