PREVIEW: 2011 Regular Season, Game 5

CEDAR CREST FALCONS (0-1, 0-4)
@ 
WILSON BULLDOGS (1-0, 3-1)
 

Where: Gurski Stadium, West Lawn, PA 
When: 7:00 PM, Friday, September 30th

HOW'D THEY GET HERE?

• The Bulldogs are coming of yet another inspiring performance, a 34-13 victory over McCaskey in their Lancaster-Lebanon Section 1 opener. The score makes the game seem closer than it really was; Wilson starters were done in the 3rd with a 34-0 lead. The win stretched the Bulldogs record to 3-1, with the only loss coming in the season opener at rival Governor Mifflin in OT. The Bulldogs have won 3 straight thanks mostly to their stellar defensive play. Wilson is only giving up about 100 total yards per game to opponents in the past 3 games, all Wilson wins. The contributions of Rodney Gillin cannot be overlooked, either. After missing Game 1, Gillin has rushed 61 times for 409 yards and 7 TDs in the teams' 3 victories. If Las Vegas were placing lines & bets on high school football (just to clarify, they're not) the Bulldogs would more than likely be favored entering every game the next 3 weeks (vs Cedar Crest, @ Hempfield, vs Ephrata). The next big test comes October 21st at Manheim Township. First things first - a Bulldogs victory over Cedar Crest this Friday.
• The Falcons (0-1, 0-4) have struggled mightily for the past decade. After strong teams in the late '90s and very early 200s, the Falcons have mustered little. Since the 2004 season Cedar Crest has posted just two none-losing seasons - 6-4 in 2004 & 5-5 in 2005. Since the '05 season the Falcons have not won more than 4 games, with two 1-9 seasons (2006 & 2010) and two 2-8 seasons (2007 & 2008). Unfortunately for them the 2011 season has been like recent history. They lost in Week 1 to Lebanon, 47-13; Week 2 at Conrad Weiser, 37-21; Week 3 at Hershey, 44-23; and last week in their L-L Section 1 opener vs Warwick, 45-34. They aren't completely devoid of talent however. WR Daulton Ritter is QB Garrett Levengood's favorite target. They also have some size in the trenches. Shoudl be a good one this Friday at Gurski Stadium!

MATCH-UP HISTORY

• The Falcons haven't fared well historically in this gridiron battle. Wilson has faced only Governor Mifflin more times than Cedar Crest; the Bulldogs have played the Falcons 53 times prior to this Friday's game. And Wilson has won 46 times, including last year's 43-13 win in Lebanon. Cedar Crest has not defeated the Bulldogs since the 2001 season, a 21-0 shutout victory that ended Wilson's 35 game home winning streak.

Helmet images courtesy PA Helmet Project.