RECAP: Bulldogs Earn First Victory Behind Gillin

The Bulldogs best player returned to the field on Friday Monday & eventually his presence was felt.

Just ask the Barons.

Rodney Gillin returned from his 1-game team suspension (undisclosed reason) to rush 27 times for 216 yards, including a game-clinching 80 yard TD run in the 4th quarter. He had scored twice earlier as well. Wilson left a still-wet Manheim, PA, with a 27-13 win, their first of the season.

The game was played at 5:00 PM Monday, September 9th instead of the original time of 7:00 PM on Friday, September 12th due to massive flooding in the Lancaster-Lebanon area. The region received over a foot of rain in less than a week.

The loss was Manheim Central's first of the season & for most of the game it didn't appear that would happen. Then the 4th quarter began & the wheels fell off. Central was stopped inside the 5-yard line twice during the game, resulting in 2 field goals by their highly touted placekicker. Wilson's defense was impressive throughout, stepping up at key moments & forcing turnovers. They held the Barons to just 12 yards rushing, including -1 in the second half. The Bulldogs also made 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, led by strong games from Domonic Moyer & Junior Joseph.

It's a good thing that Gillin made a triumphant return because for the second straight week Wilson QB Seth Klein struggled. He was just 6 of 12 for 96 yards with 1 TD & 2 INTs. He has thrown 4 INTs already. If the Bulldogs hope to extend their league-record winning streak, Klein will need to imrpove. Quickly.

Wilson opens their home schedule this Friday at 7pm with their final non-league game versus rival Reading.

SOME NOTEWORTHY WILSON STATS

TEAM 

OFFENSE

First Downs: 15

Rushing Attempts / Yards / TDs: 41 / 212 / 3

Passing Attempts / Yards / TDs: 12 / 97 / 1

Total Yards: 309

Penalties / Yards: 7 / 69

DEFENSE

First Downs Allowed: 11

Rushing Attempts / Yards / TDs Allowed: 27 / 12 / 1

Passing Attempts / Yards / TDs Allowed: 23 / 150 / 1

Total Yards Allowed: 162

INDIVIDUAL

OFFENSE

Passing: Klein - 6 of 12, 97 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Rushing: Gillin - 27 carries, 216 yards, 3 TDs, 0 fumbles

Receiving: Morgan - 4 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD

DEFENSE

Tackles: Moyer - 11

Interceptions: Harrop - 1

 

Bulldogs 'D' shuts down Barons [READING EAGLE]

Statistics [BERKS GAMEDAY]

CONFIRMED: Game @ Manheim Central Rescheduled for Monday, Sept. 12th

UPDATE 2 [1:10pm]: Official word from the school is that the game will be played at 5:00pm on Monday, September 12th.

UPDATE 1 [12:25pm]: The Wilson School District website has confirmed that the game has been rescheduled for Monday, September 12th. However, the time is yet to be determined.

No official word from either school yet but HighSchoolSports.net - which many school districts are utilizing as athletic home pages - has the previously scheduled Wilson Bulldogs @ Manheim Central Barons football game set for Monday, September 12th at 7:00 PM. Please note two things: 1st - Again, this is not offical; 2nd - This is mentioned ONLY on the Manheim Central page & not on the Wilson page at HighSchoolSports.net. I hope to verify the change ASAP.

Looks like there will be short weeks for both teams. Week 3 has the Barons traveling to Selinsgrove while Wilson will host their first 2011 regular season game when cross town rival Reading comes to Gurski Stdaium in West Lawn.

More as it becomes available.

Game 2 Postponed Due to Flooding in Manheim, PA

Intense rainfall over the last week has left much of Pennsylvania - especially the eastern half - with flooding problems. The image shows precipitation over the last 7 days (in inches).

BREAKING: The Wilson Bulldogs football game versus the Manheim Central Barons, originally scheduled for 7:00 PM tonight at Barons Stadium in Manheim, PA, has been postponed due to flooding. As of 9:30 AM the game has not been rescheduled. When I am made aware of a new date & time I will pass the information along. Stay tuned to the blog & facebook or twitter pages for updates.

PREVIEW: 2011 Regular Season, Game 2

WILSON BULLDOGS (0-1)

@

MANHEIM CENTRAL BARONS (1-0)

Where: Barons Stadium, Manheim, PA

When: 7:00 PM, Friday, September 9th, 2011 POSTPONED (flooding)

HOW'D THEY GET HERE?

• The Bulldogs could not overcome 1st half mistakes & miscues, falling in OT to the rival Governor Mifflin Mustangs last Friday, 34-28. Wilson mounted a thrilling comeback in the 4th quarter, finally evening the game at 28 with just over 2 mins. left. However, Mifflin stopped the Bulldogs on their overtime possession & then waltzed into the end-zone on their 1st OT play, ending the game. Wilson committed many turnovers & penalties, as well as being without star RB Rodney Gillin (team suspension). No word on whether or not Gillin will play in this game. However, expect the team to be more "Wilson-esque" for the tough match-up versus the Barons in Manheim.
• The Manheim Central team has been through a lot over the last 13 months. In August 2010 football player Evan Heiser passed away in a car accident. Then on January 16th, 2011, four more Barons were lost in another car accident. The four players - DeVaughn Lee, John Griffith, Nick Bryson & Cody Hollinger - are being honored by Manheim Central by the number 129, which is the total of the four boys jersey numbers. The Wilson team is showing their support by wearing a maroon "MC" decal on the back of their helmets. On the field the Barons were victorious in Week 1, besting Lower Dauphin, 28-12. Manheim Central relied on a strong, 3-headed rushing attack to defeat the Falcons.

MATCH-UP HISTORY

• This will be the 9th meeting of this relatively new rivalry. In the previous 8 match-ups the Bulldogs hold a slim 5-3 lead. Wilson's last victory occurred just last season in West Lawn, where the Bulldogs came from behind to clip the Barons in Week 2, 25-22. The script was similar in Manheim Central's last victory over Wilson, in Week 2 of 2009. In that contest the Barons sprinted to a 26-7 lead before a unbelievable comeback by the Bulldogs. It fell just short however as the Barons escaped with a 29-27 victory.

Helmet images courtesy PA Helmet Project.