Defense, special teams send Wilson past Spring-Ford, 42-23

ROYERSFORD >> Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker admitted he was concerned about the size and strength advantage that District 3’s Wilson Bulldogs possessed coming into Friday night’s game at Coach McNelly Stadium.

But while the Rams’ defense held up admirably for the first half against Wilson’s diverse, powerful offensive attack, it was the Bulldogs’ quickness on defense and special teams that made the difference in their 42-23 win over Spring-Ford.

Leading 7-3 late in the second quarter, Wilson’s Ethan Capitano took advantage of a high snap on a punt to block Grant Sillyman’s effort. The Bulldogs pounced on the loose ball at the SF 26.

Four plays later, Wilson QB Kaleb Brown found Mason Lenart on a perfectly designed shovel pass for a 22-yard touchdown and a 14-3 Wilson lead.

It was the second blocked punt of the season for Capitano, who had a scoop-and-score against Central Dauphin in week one.

“I almost got (an earlier punt in the game),” Capitano lamented, “so on the block, I decided to cut inside and surprise my man.”

On the Rams’ next drive, Wilson’s AJ Futrick hit Ryan Engro from the blind side, forcing a fumble and setting up another short Wilson TD drive. With 1:58 to play in the first half, Wilson led 21-3 after trailing 3-0 for much of the first half.

“We were terrible offensively in the first half,” said Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker. “And we got better matchups than we expected with straight man coverage. But overall, we didn’t play well enough, or coach well enough, to have any right to win this game.”

The opening quarter-and-a-half couldn’t have gone better for Spring-Ford defensively. Mason Brill’s interception at the SF 10-yard line ended Wilson’s best first quarter threat, while a defensive line led by Ryan Kolander (two tackles for loss) helped limit Brown, running back Avanti Lockhart and the rest of Wilson’s ground game. Sillyman connected from 29 yards for the game’s first points.

It was the passing attack that got the Bulldogs going in the middle of the second quarter, as Brown and Troy Corson connected four times on one drive, the last an eight-yard scoring strike to give Wilson a 7-3 lead with 6:04 to play before half.

Four minutes later, the big plays by Capitano and Futrick helped grow Wilson’s lead to 21-3 at the half.

The offensive frustration continued for the Rams after the break, as they twice penetrated deep into Wilson territory only to be undone by penalties and various mistakes, turning the ball over on downs. Spring-Ford finally broke through after a long pass from Engro to Dante Bonanni set up a one-yard TD run by Armanti Haynes, but Lenart would take the air out of the stadium with a 95-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to re-extend the lead to 28-10 late in the third quarter.

The Rams never seriously threatened again.

“I saw a huge hole on the right side, and just ran for the sideline,” said Lenart. “I can’t take much credit, I just followed the blocking.”

Lockhart put the icing on the cake with an authoritative 36-yard TD run on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Brown would add a 67-yard scoring scamper later in the stanza, as Wilson began to assert their will on a waning Spring-Ford defense. For the evening, Wilson averaged 7.5 yards per carry, an average that increased substantially in the fourth quarter thanks to the touchdown runs by Lockhart and Brown, and the impressive showing from sophomore Jadyn Jones (seven rushes, 58 yards) to run out the clock late. Lockhart (115 yards) and Brown (109 yards) each eclipsed the century mark, with Brown adding 161 yards through the air.

The efficiency of Wilson was the difference, as Spring-Ford actually outgained the Bulldogs 435-427. But the Rams were held to barely over one yard per carry, meaning the entire offensive load was shouldered by the passing attack.

Engro kept the score respectable with a pair of late touchdown passes to wide receiver BJ Beard on what was a record-setting night for multiple Rams players. Engro set a single-game passing record with 408 yards, while Dante Bonanni (10 receptions, 174 yards) moved into the all-time lead for receiving yards in school history.

But the senior QB was under pressure all night, absorbing three sacks and numerous other hard hits from an aggressive Wilson defense.

“None of those (individual records) mean anything if you don’t win,” said Brubaker, “and those guys (Engro and Bonanni) would tell you the same thing.”

Next week the Rams encounter another District 3 foe when they travel to take on Exeter, while 3-0 Wilson hosts Warwick.