’Hounds don’t miss a beat with star on sidelines
Wilmington (37) vs. Oil City (7)
Written: Sep 26, 2009
 By TODD KRISE
t_krise@ncnewsonline.com
OIL CITY — Wilmington High lost star running back Derrick Burns for nearly three quarters last night.
But the Greyhounds won the game, beating host Oil City 37-7 in a District 10, Region 3 showdown.
Burns was ejected midway through the second period after striking an opposing player in the helmet, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and a spot on the sidelines.
“Of course, it hurt without having him,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “I think we proved tonight that we have other kids. That was one of the bright spots of tonight.”
Running backs Sutton Whiting, Chad Palladino and Josh Phillian picked up the slack and combined to rush for nearly 200 yards in Burns’ absence.
Whiting was the biggest workhorse of them of all, tallying two rushing touchdowns and catching another score in helping the defending Class AA state champions to a perfect 4-0 start. Whiting rushed for 107 yards on 11 carries, while Phillian added 70 yards on eight carries and Palladino chipped in with 16 yards on four tries.
“After Burns’ ejection, we had to regroup and come together,” Whiting said. “We had to move on without him.
“Burns is our go-to guy. He’s a stud. We’re just glad that we could get it done without him.”
Oil City (2-2) came into the game firing on all cylinders, trying to impose its fast-paced, no-huddle offense on Wilmington’s defense.
There was one little problem, though: the Greyhounds didn’t budge.
Oilers quarterback Mark Kulinski, who came into the game with 667 passing yards, fired 30 attempts, completing 15. The majority of them were heading in the direction of All-State receivers Logan Lantz and Ben Koyack.
Koyack, who is being recruited by the likes of Penn State and Ohio State, was a nuisance for Wilmington’s defensive backs in the first half.
The 6-5, 230-pounder hauled in seven passes, but a flurry of double teams held him to zero catches the rest of the way.
“We worked hard in practice on stopping the fade,” Whiting said. “No. 10 (Koyack) was our biggest concern.”
“We just didn’t want any big plays,” Verrelli said.
Wilmington’s offense took it the rest of the way.
Whiting put the ’Hounds on the board with a pretty 14-yard run in the first quarter that included a spin move and several missed tackles.
’Hounds’ quarterback Jake DeMedal scored from a yard out to give Wilmington a 14-0 lead at the half.
Whiting struck again 17 seconds into the third quarter on a 56-yard run up the middle.
Wilmington put the game away with a perfectly executed fake and play-action pass from DeMedal to Whiting that came after the Oilers’ second of four turnovers on the evening.
Phillian’s 24-yard touchdown run one possession later put the mercy rule into effect, until Oil City’s touchdown late in the fourth quarter wiped away Wilmington’s shutout.
“We worked really hard on that running game this week,” Verrelli said. “We were determined to give it a better effort. It’s pretty obvious that we did.
“It worked the way we had hoped.”
As for Burns, the University of Pittsburgh recruit earns an automatic suspension for next week’s game against Hickory as a result of the ejection.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Verrelli said. “Things happen and I’m not real happy about it. We just have to take care of that when we get home. It’s not the time to discuss that. But of course you’re going to miss a great player like him. Those things happen and you learn from it.”
Verrelli said no further disciplinary action will be taken against Burns. The 32-year coaching veteran decided to shift the spotlight on his other running backs last night.
“Sutton is a great athlete,” Verrelli said. “I think that’s what makes us powerful with him at one position and Burns at the other. He picked it up for us.”
Palladino shifted from split end to running back to replace Burns.
“Chad Palladino did just a heck of a job when he went in for Derrick,” Verrelli said.
WILMINGTON OIL CITY
18 First downs 13
260 Yards Rushing 35
23 Yards Lost 12
237 Net Rushing 23
10 Passes Attempted 36
9 Passes Completed 19
0 Passes Intercepted 3
103 Yards Passing 248
340 Total Yards 271
4-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
1-35 Punts-Average 0-0
4-45 Penalties-Yards 7-51
WILMINGTON 6 8 10 13 —37
OIL CITY 0 0 0 7 — 7
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 14-yard run (kick blocked).
WILMINGTON — Jake DeMedal, 1-yard run (Ethan Kaufman pass from DeMedal).
WILMINGTON — Whiting, 56-yard run (Bryce Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Wilson, 27-yard field goal.
WILMINGTON — Whiting, 21-yard pass from DeMedal (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Josh Phillian, 24-yard run (kick failed).
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