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Wilmington wins 5th Straight D10 Title @WilmingtonSD @Hounds4L @peguesAmp @farrellfootball

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News

| November 1, 2020

It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. It certainly was not easy, but Wilmington won its fifth straight D-10 Title and third straight under head coach Brandon Phillian.

“The first word that comes to my mind is blessed and humbled to be given this opportunity to be a part of this school and community,” said Phillian. “This was a program that Terry Verrelli built first class with the correct values. To have the opportunity to follow in his footsteps and contribute to five District 10 Championship in a row.”

The ‘Hounds opened up a 19-0 first-half lead, then had to hold off the Steelers for a dramatic 19-14 victory Saturday night in New Wilmington.

“It’s not easy to beat a team of Farrell’s caliber once in a season,” said Phillian. “Let alone when you’re in the same classification twice in a season. But to have to do it three times, the word is daunting.

“When the schedule first came out, my thought was we could have Farrell three times. It was the resiliency of the players, every game we played against Farrell. There was adversity. The fact that they were able to conquer the adversity says an awful lot about the young men’s character on our football team. added Phillian.”

Wilmington broke the ice on a 10-play 75-yard drive capped with Luke Edwards’ 4-yard run.

Three plays later, the ‘Hounds extended their lead when Mason Reed intercepted Train Holden and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

Wilmington pushed their lead 19-0 when Ethan Susen scored on a 13-yard screen pass from Caelan Bender on a 3rd-and-11.

 

Farrell cut the deficit heading into the locker room, going 80 yards in 13 plays aided by 30 penalty yards against the Wilmington as Omar Stewart made a fantastic one-handed catch for a 16-yard touchdown.

 

The Steelers pulled to within five points on Christian Hartley’s 1-yard run 42 seconds into the fourth quarter. The 22-yard drive was set up thanks to Lamont Samuels interception and 33-yard return.

“These games could’ve gone anyway at any time,” said Farrell head coach Anthony Pegues. “We showed that again tonight against a great team like Wilmington. “Our penalties and turnovers against a good team like this, you can’t have them.

Hartley led Farrell completing 6-of-11 passes for 70 yards while rushing for 68 yards on 18 carries. Anthony Stallworth was limited to 29 yards on 12 attempts.

Wilmington then took the football and drove inside the Farrell 10-yard line. A 1st-and-goal from the 8-yard line turned into a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Steelers defense rose to the occasion and stopped Susen for a 1-yard loss.

“That was a big blow, no doubt,” said Phillian. “We had the ball 4th-and-goal and the one with a chance to put the game away. We’ve got a great offensive line, and we felt we could run our bread and butter play. Farrell had a great call defensively, and we did not execute the blocking scheme properly.”

Farrell needed to go 98 yards in 5:50. The Steelers drove to their 43-yard line before Hartley was sacked by Jacob Chimiak and fumble the ball into the hands of Connor Vass-Gal.

“We were moving the ball, and I could feel the momentum coming,” said Pegues. “Couple of miscues and the fumble at the end hurt, we gave ourselves a chance. I’m so proud of Christian Hartley, he’s been in this program for four years, and that’s only his second playoff loss. As a senior, he became a leader, and that’s the most important thing to see these boys mature into young men.”

“Our “Hounds Hammer” defense was on full display tonight,” said Phillian. “The fact that our defense was able to make plays when it mattered most was amazing. To force that fumble and ultimately come up with that football was a great job by our defense, and they played great all night long.

The ‘Hounds then ran out the remaining 2:28 to secure the Title.

“Even with our penalties and turnovers, we still had a chance to win this game,” said Pegues. “I’m so proud of our kids. They played their hearts out, a big goal-line stand I couldn’t be more proud,”

Ethan Susen led Wilmington with 163 yards on 22 attempts, while Darren Miller added 70 yards on 13 carries.

Wilmington now advances into the quarterfinals, where they’ll meet District 9 Champion Karns City.

“Our mindset is that each week is its own Super Bowl. If we don’t come out and play, then our season will be over. Karns City is a great football team. Ed Conto built a fantastic program. He’s not only a great football coach but a great person. I had the pleasure as a young coach to get to know him. Now under coach Sherwin, the tradition continues. It’s a rich program, and we certainly have the up-most respect for Karns City, and we know they’ll be a tough opponent next week.”

Farrell closes out their season at 5-3.

Game Highlights:

 

Wilmington 19 Farrell 14

Score by Quarters

Farrell – 0 6 0 8 – 14

Wilmington – 13 6 0 0 – 19

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

W – Luke Edwards 4 yd run, (Dan Hartwell pat), 2:29

W – Mason Reed 27 yd interception return, (kick failed), 0:52

Second Quarter

W – Ethan Susen 13 yd pass from Caelan Bender, (run failed), 6:59

F – Omar Stewart 16 pass from Christian Hartley, (pass failed), 1:50

Fourth Quarter

F – Hartley 1 yd run, (Brice Butler from Hartley), 11:18

Individual Stats

Rushing: Farrell – Hartley 18-68, Anthony Stallworth 12-29, Jaden Harrison 4-7, Kylon Wilson 1-(-3). Totals: 35-101. Wilmington – Susen 22-163, Darren Miller 13-70, Edwards 5-29, Bender 6-17, Team 1-0. Totals: 47-279.

Passing: Farrell – Hartley 6-for-11, 70 yards, 1 touchdown, Trian Holden 0-for-1, 1 interception. Wilmington – Bender 3-for-6, 21 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, Susen 0-for-1,. Team 0-for-1.

Interceptions: Farrell – Lamont Samuels. Wilmington – Reed.

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