Wilmington sews up playoff berth with victory
Wilmington (28) vs. Lakeview (6)
Written: Oct 24, 2015
 By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
A playoff berth was on the line and the Wilmington High defense put the hammer down Friday night.
The vaunted ’Hounds Hammer defense allowed just six first downs and 108 yards of total offense in a 28-6 District 10, Region 1-A home win over Lakeview. The win secured a postseason berth for Wilmington.
“Obviously, the win was big for us,” Greyhounds coach Terry Verrelli said. “I’m proud of them for the way they played. It was on the line tonight. If you lose, you’re out. I didn’t want to see it end that way for them.”
Lakeview executed just 10 total plays on Wilmington’s side of the field. Four of those plays came on the first series of the game when the Sailors squibbed the opening kickoff and pounced on the loose ball at the Wilmington 42 before it went out of bounds.
The Greyhounds (3-2 region, 5-3 overall), though, didn’t allow a first down on that drive and took over on downs.
“The defensive side was very strong,” Verrelli said. “That was our concern. We knew they were going to load up and just run right at us. That’s their offense all the time. But in our situation, as injured as we are, why wouldn’t you do that anyway?
“The defense stepped it up and it was certainly a difference.”
The offense also clicked for Wilmington from the start. The Greyhounds scored 14 first-quarter points to take control.
Spencer DeMedal opened the scoring with a one-yard sneak with 2:17 to go in the opening period. The conversion boot failed and the score remained 6-0. Mark Shenker then hauled in a 16-yard scoring pass from Bryson Verrelli, the coach’s grandson. Cameron Marett snared a two-point conversion from DeMedal to push the buffer to 14-0 with 54.6 ticks to go in the opening stanza.
The scoring pass to Shenker came on a reverse from Bryson Verrelli, who is a converted quarterback playing receiver.
“We put it in and it ended up a good play,” Terry Verrelli said of the play. “I’m proud of Bryson, not just because he’s my grandson, but he’s playing well and we have to have that.”
Wilmington appeared poised to rout Lakeview (2-4, 4-4) when DeMedal found Kyle Slicker for a two-yard touchdown pass and Jacob Winters’ extra point made it 21-0 with 9:54 remaining in the half.
The Greyhounds had the ball on the Sailors’ 43 following a punt with 2:43 to go before the half, looking for more when Braden Yeager stepped in front of a DeMedal aerial and raced 40 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-6 with 2:32 left in the half. Lakeview’s two-point conversion attempt failed.
“Our pass protection was really good,” DeMedal said. “Our receivers caught a lot of passes. I made a few mistakes, but my receivers picked me up.”
The Sailors never threatened the rest of the way. In fact, they managed just four first downs and 72 yards in the second half.
Lakeview came in throwing just a total of 31 passes all season through seven games. The Sailors were coming in off a forfeit victory last week over Saegertown because the Panthers’ program was down to just 10 healthy players.
“When you face a team that runs and you can’t stop them, you’re in trouble,” Terry Verrelli said. “A passing team, you can throw incompletions, sack the quarterback. But if they’re pushing you backward, you’re in big trouble.
“Tonight, they just did a great job and I’m proud of the defense.”
DeMedal put a capper on the playoff-clinching win when he lofted a pass over the outstretched arms of Owen Clayton in the left corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass to Shenker with 11:03 to go in the game.
“It’s great,” DeMedal said of the win. “We were confident coming into this game. “We knew Lakeview was going to be good. Our defense stepped up. It feels great to be able to go back to the playoffs.”
DeMedal, a junior quarterback/defensive back, finished 13 of 19 for 151 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 127 yards on 13 totes with a score.
“This offense is new to me and it’s new to DeMedal, too,” Terry Verrelli said. “This is his first year being a quarterback, let alone being in a new offense.
“We put him there at that position for a reason, because he’s an athlete. He throws the ball well. Obviously, he can make things happen back there.”
Marett intercepted two passes as Lakeview threw five total passes, completing more to Marett (2) than it did to its own receivers (1).
The Greyhounds return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they travel to Sharpsville for a conference clash.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
LAKEVIEW WILMINGTON
6 First downs 12
116 Yards Rushing 164
17 Yards Lost 28
99 Net Rushing 136
5 Passes Attempted 21
1 Passes Completed 14
2 Passes Intercepted 1
9 Yards Passing 167
108 Total Yards 303
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-2
7-30 Punts-Average 4-35.8
9-84 Penalties-Yards 7-73
LAKEVIEW 0 6 0 0 — 6
WILMINGTON 14 7 0 7 — 28
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Spencer DeMedal, 1-yard run (kick failed).
WILMINGTON — Mark Shenker, 16-yard pass from Bryson Verrelli (Cameron Marett pass from DeMedal).
WILMINGTON — Kyle Slicker, 2-yard pass from DeMedal (Jacob Winters kick).
LAKEVIEW — Braden Yeager, 40-yard interception return (pass failed).
WILMINGTON — Shenker, 22-yard pass from DeMedal (Winters kick).
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