Wilmington drops second straight heartbreaker
Wilmington (6) vs. Warren Ohio JFK (7)
Written: Oct 30, 2010
By DAN IRWIN
d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com
Neither team was used to this.
For veteran head coach Tony Napolet — who had seen his Warren John F. Kennedy team suffer four of the team’s six losses by no more than eight points — heartbreak had become a near-constant companion.
For Wilmington High’s seniors, who entered 2010 with a 41-5 record, finding a way to win the close ones was the norm.
Last night, though, the Eagles scored with 71 seconds remaining and its freshman kicker — who had missed a 23-yard field goal earlier in the game — booted the decisive PAT to produce a 7-6 nonconference victory over the Greyhounds.
Wilmington, meanwhile, lost for the fourth time in five games. It also marked the second time in as many weeks that the Greyhounds were defeated in the waning moments of a contest. Just seven days earlier, Sharon snapped a 14-14 deadlock with three seconds remaining.
“We had adversity all year,” noted Napolet, whose team finished at 4-6. “This time, the buck turned the other way and we got a little lucky, completed some passes, kicked an extra point and won a football game.
“We’ve got a little tradition, just like Wilmington. It’s a big win for us. This is our season end, we’re done, but you guys (the Greyhounds) get to go to the playoffs.”
That, of course, is not official yet, although Wilmington (5-4) is expected to receive a District 10 at-large bid, despite its first four-loss season since 2003, when it failed to make the playoffs.
“It’s difficult for the seniors especially, because they’re not used to losing at all,” head coach Terry Verrelli said. “They just have to understand they’re dealing with some young kids and they’re still playing tough.
“These are tough teams that they’re playing, but we can’t seem to get a break. That’s what we need, I think.”
Actually, Wilmington appeared to get a huge one with just seven minutes left in the game.
Linebacker Josiah Bloise intercepted Eagles QB Bryce Baker in the end zone after John F. Kennedy had marched 73 yards in 13 plays to the Greyhounds’ 10.
Two plays later, Sutton Whiting — who ran for 162 yards on 14 carries — found a seam and raced 66 yards to the Eagles 11. He finished off the quick strike with a six-yard touchdown run on second down to put Wilmington up 6-0 with 5:32 remaining.
“I had a few choice words for our quarterback,” Napolet said of the Eagles’ red-zone turnover. “You don’t throw through human flesh, and that’s what he tried to do. Another kid was open, he just made a bad decision.”
Baker, though, redeemed himself following Wilmington’s kickoff, driving his team 72 yards in 12 plays and finding Carl Broadbent on a 7-yard TD pass with 1:11 remaining. Baker completed four passes on the drive and was 21 of 34 for 180 yards on the night.
“We had protection, good pass blocking, all night,” Napolet observed, “and their corners were deeper than normal and we were able to take advantage of that.”
With Wilmington having missed its PAT try, the outcome hinged on the foot of Eric Bofenkamp, whose 23-yard, first period field goal try had gone wide right. This time, the freshman soccer player split the uprights.
“They’re disappointed, and understandably so,” Verrelli said of his players. “But all I ever ask is that they play hard and that they’re serious about the game, and they are.
“You’ve just got to regroup and move on. We’ve got one more regular season game, then the playoffs coming up. You’ve got one day to mope around, then we’ve got to get back at it.”
WARREN JFK WILMINGTON
15 First downs 9
94 Yards Rushing 230
14 Yards Lost 19
80 Net Rushing 211
35 Passes Attempted 14
22 Passes Completed 5
2 Passes Intercepted 0
192 Yards Passing 45
272 Total Yards 256
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 2-2
4-36.5 Punts-Average 4-31.3
4-25 Penalties-Yards 4-32
WARREN JFK 0 0 0 7 — 7
WILMINGTON 0 0 0 6 — 6
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 6-yard run (Kick failed).
WARREN JFK — Carl Broadbent, 7-yard pass from Bryce Baker (Eric Bofenkamp kick).
|