’Hounds blank Trojans in region finale
Wilmington (26) vs. Greenville (0)
Written: Oct 27, 2012
By Dan Irwin
New Castle News
You might say Jeremy Miller had a career game.
In Wilmington’s 26-0 District 10 Region 3-AA win over Greenville last night, the senior tight end had one catch for 12 yards.
That may not sound like a lot until you consider that prior to two weeks ago, the 6-foot-1, 295-pound senior was a two-way tackle. His catch against the Trojans, then, accounts for his entire receiving career.
“It felt great,” Miller said of his first-ever catch. “I’ve been waiting forever for that. I’ve been a lineman my whole life.
“I was running, and I turned around and I saw it right there. I just randomly saw it, I got real low and I caught it.”
The reception, though, was more than just a footnote for the playoff-bound Greyhounds, who finished 5-1 in the region while moving to 7-2 overall. It was one of several key efforts during a second half that saw Wilmington’s offense lose two of its top three running backs.
The Greyhounds broke quickly from the gate, with fullback Tyler Donati putting up 21-yard and 1-yard scoring runs in the first quarter. Cody Llewellyn’s 17-yard pass to Alex Patton just before halftime made it 20-0 at intermission.
“Tonight was what we want, not fumbling the ball and making mistakes and keeping people in it,” coach Terry Verrelli said. “We didn’t make the early mistakes like we normally do, and I think it made a difference.”
However, Donati — who finished with 82 yards on 12 carries — and halfback Nic Pugh both left the game with ankle injuries in the third quarter. Donati returned briefly, but did not finish.
That left it up to the ’Hounds’s defense to protect the lead, and it responded in fine fashion. Wilmington limited the Trojans (4-3, 4-5) to 82 total yards en route to posting just its second shutout of the season.
“That means a lot to us; that’s what we want, that’s what we play for, to shut teams out,” said Miller, who continues to start at defensive tackle. “That’s what our defensive coordinator (Brian Cooper) wants.”
Contributing to the goose egg was the fact that Wilmington surrendered only 45 yards passing. The Greyhounds had been giving up an average of 76 aerial yards per game through their first six outings, but had been stung for 306 over the last two.
“We did a much better job defensively against the pass than we have in past games, so we’re happy about that,” Verrelli said. “But we’ve still go work to do, so we’ll keep working.”
With the offense unable to add another touchdown after intermission, kickers Slavi Pontius and Brandon Ryder did their part by adding field goals of 32 and 34 yards, respectively. Miller’s catch on a third-and-six situation helped set up the second three-pointer.
The victory gave Verrelli a career-mark of 269-112-3, one shy of the District 10 record for coaching wins set by Warren High legend J.B. Leidig (270-124-27) from 1912-1951. The Greyhounds trek to Farrell next week for their regular-season finale.
While the Wilmington mentor works on that historic win, Miller will be looking for catch No. 2. He’s already turning into a ballhawk.
After batting down a pass by Greenville quarterback Jacob Riffe in the fourth quarter, Miller had just one thought.
“I wish I would have intercepted it.”
(Email: d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com)
GREENVILLE WILMINGTON
6 First downs 14
59 Yards Rushing 175
22 Yards Lost 5
37 Net Rushing 170
18 Passes Attempted 6
3 Passes Completed 4
1 Passes Intercepted 0
45 Yards Passing 61
82 Total Yards 231
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
5-34.2 Punts-Average 3-36
3-35 Penalties-Yards 2-25
GREENVILLE 0 0 0 0 — 0
WILMINGTON 14 6 3 3 — 26
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Tyler Donati 21-yard run (Slavi Pontius kick).
WILMINGTON — Donati 1-yard run (Brandon Ryder kick).
WILMINGTON — Alex Patton 17-yard pass from Cody Llewellyn (kick failed).
WILMINGTON — Pontius, 32-yard field goal.
WILMINGTON — Ryder, 34-yard field goal.
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