Wilmington shuts out Eisenhower in District 10
Wilmington (52) vs. Eisenhower (0)
Written: Nov 05, 2016
  By Joe Sager
New Castle News
SLIPPERY ROCK — The ’Hounds Hammer grew tired of stopping its teammates – Wilmington’s defense wanted a new challenge.
A bye week only added more anticipation to Friday’s District 10 Class 2A quarterfinal for the Greyhounds. They went to work against Eisenhower and posted a 52-0 win at Slippery Rock University’s Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
“The bye week was really getting us hungry. Everyone was ready for it to be over. It was good to have a game,” Wilmington senior Kyle Slicker said. “We were hungry from the start. Everyone came through.”
Wilmington (9-1) entered the game having allowed 100 points, which ranked first in D-10. It remained atop the list after it blanked the Knights (6-5).
“I think Eisenhower came out and played hard, there’s no question about it,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “I think the week layoff with no game showed up in the first quarter. That’s why the game is four quarters. I think we played very well defensively, though.”
The ’Hounds Hammer was disruptive to Eisenhower’s offense all evening. Wilmington intercepted three passes, recovered two fumbles and stuffed the Knights on three fourth downs.
“It’s definitely a weapon when your defense can connect like that,” Slicker said.
Wilmington’s offense showed it can be pretty effective, too. The ’Hounds racked up 405 total yards — 395 on the ground — and six different players reached the end zone.
“We have a lot of athletes on offense and it’s a nice thing to have,” said Slicker, who had 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns on nine carries.
After the teams traded punts to open the game, Wilmington’s defense forced and recovered a fumble at the Eisenhower 19. The ’Hounds settled for a Jacob Winters 21-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Knights punted the ball away on their next possession. Wilmington marched 79 yards on five plays. Spencer DeMedal capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run and a 10-0 lead.
Eisenhower turned the ball over on downs at the ’Hounds’ 38 with 8:13 remaining in the first half. Cameron Marett took a handoff, exploded around the right side and blew past the defense for a 59-yard touchdown run with 7:46 left. It boosted Wilmington’s lead to 17-0.
On the Knights’ next possession, the ’Hounds Hammer stopped the squad on a fourth down again, this time at the Wilmington 27. Slicker’s 39-yard run set up his own 19-yard TD jaunt for a 24-0 advantage.
A snap over the Knights punter was recovered by DeMedal and he was hauled down at the Eisenhower 9 late in the first half. Two plays later, Slicker crashed in from the 2 for a 31-0 lead with 1:16 on the clock.
Marett scampered 59 yards up the middle on the first play of the second half for another TD run. That gave Wilmington a 38-0 lead and enacted the mercy rule running clock.
Jack Patton’s 1-yard TD run late in the third gave Wilmington a 45-0 lead. Garret Guth added a TD run in the fourth.
“Offensively, we’re able to do a lot of things because we have some good skilled people,” Verrelli said. “We’re very fortunate to have that.
Wilmington (6-4) meets Greenville, a 29-22 winner over Seneca, in the semifinals.
“We have a goal and that’s a championship. But, we’re just going game by game,” Slicker said. “We’re having fun out there and we’re trying to enjoy every moment we have left of it.”
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EISENHOWER WILMINGTON
8 First downs 13
180 Yards Rushing 395
14 Yards Lost 4
166 Net Rushing 391
13 Passes Attempted 4
1 Passes Completed 1
3 Passes Intercepted 1
18 Yards Passing 14
198 Total Yards 405
5-2 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
3-17.7 Punts-Average 1-30
3-15 Penalties-Yards 2-25
EISENHOWER 0 0 0 0 — 0
WILMINGTON 10 21 14 7 — 52
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON – Jacob Winters, 21-yard field goal.
WILMINGTON – Spencer DeMedal, 1-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Cameron Marett, 59-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Kyle Slicker, 19-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Slicker, 2-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Marett, 59-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Jack Patton, 1-yard run (Winters kick).
WILMINGTON – Garret Guth, 5-yard run (Winters kick).
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