Defending state champs pick up where they left off
Wilmington (43) vs. Brentwood (0)
Written: Sep 05, 2009
 By JOHN D’ABRUZZO
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
PITTSBURGH — It was just a matter of time before the Wilmington High football team knocked off the rust.
A little more than eight months removed from capturing a state football championship, the Greyhounds used a 23-point second quarter and continued to capitalize on the offensive momentum to rout Brentwood on the road, 43-0, in the season opener.
“The first game is different than any other game,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “The players are all excited. You have to get started; be patient.
“We were a little out of whack there for a bit, but hey, that’s why the game is four quarters long.”
Brentwood, a Class A team out of the WPIAL’s Eastern Conference, challenged the reigning Class AA District 10 champs from the very start. Although the Spartans failed to score on their first possession, they ate up more than half of the first quarter with a 13-play, 44-yard drive.
Brentwood senior running back Lamont Robinson rushed for 28 of his total 47 yards during that series.
“We were a little frustrated with how we started out,” said Wilmington senior offensive/defensive tackle Sean Christofferson, who made more than a handful of tackles during the night. “But it didn’t take too long for the offense to get going and the defense really stepped it up.”
Wilmington’s lone drive in the first quarter, though, resulted in a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Josh Phillian with less than four minutes remaining in the period.
The ’Hounds’ defense truly got Wilmington rolling in the second quarter. Soon after the ’Hounds turned the ball over with a fumble early in period, senior outside linebacker Chad Palladino leveled Brentwood quarterback Cory Bauer, causing a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive end Brad Zaboroski in Spartans territory.
“Just one play like that can change the game,” Palladino said. “That really helped us with our motivation.”
Phillian, who rushed for 31 yards on seven carries, gave the ’Hounds a 13-0 lead with his second touchdown on a 4-yard run with 7:11 to go in the half.
Brentwood coughed up the ball two plays later when Wilmington senior safety Jake DeMedal intercepted Bauer and picked up a cool 17 yards on the return. That setup DeMedal, who also is Wilmington’s quarterback, to score on an 18-yard keeper.
“At first, things looked like they weren’t going to go our way,” DeMedal said. “We had some dropped passes and had some fumbles, but once we were able to punch it in, it was all good after that.”
Wilmington’s defense continued to pressure Brentwood and forced a three-and-out following series. The ’Hounds quickly struck back when DeMedal found a wide-open Ethan Kaufman on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 2:54 remaining in the quarter.
DeMedal completed 6 of 9 attempts for 113 yards. He also ran for 25 yards on five carries.
“Things happen in the game and as long as you start figuring out what the other team is doing, you get in the right places. Once we moved the ball offensively, that was key,” Verrelli said.
The Spartans turned the ball over for a third time on the next series with a botched snap on a punt attempt. That helped set up a 35-yard field goal from senior kicker Bryce Wilson to give Wilmington a commanding 30-0 advantage with 11 seconds left in the half.
“We started moving the ball a little bit at first, but then we turned it over three times in the first half,” said Kevin Kissel, who is in his 13th season as the Spartans’ head coach. “But we couldn’t even stop them.”
Wilmington put the mercy rule into effect with 3:46 left in the third quarter when junior tailback Sutton Whiting scored on a 3-yard run. Whiting paced Wilmington’s total 430 yards of offense with 135 all-purpose yards. He ran for 92 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and had two receptions for 43 yards. Junior running back Curtis Bretz capped the ’Hounds’ scoring with a 63-yard scamper down the middle of the field late in the fourth quarter.
Derrick Burns, a senior fullback and University of Pittsburgh recruit, ran for 56 yards on nine carries and had two receptions for 22 yards.
“The skill people did a good job and everyone showed potential,” Verrelli said. “We got some of the younger guys in to see what they could do. The first game is all about getting your feet wet.”
BRENTWOOD WILMINGTON
8 First downs 18
66 Yards Rushing 321
44 Yards Lost 4
22 Net Rushing 317
23 Passes Attempted 9
8 Passes Completed 6
1 Passes Intercepted 0
86 Yards Passing 113
108 Total Yards 430
4-1 Fumbles-Lost 2-2
3-28.3 Punts-Average 0-0
0-0 Penalties-Yards 2-10
BRENTWOOD 0 0 0 0 — 0
WILMINGTON 7 23 7 6 —43
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Josh Phillian, 3-yard run (Bryce Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Phillian, 4-yard run (kick blocked).
WILMINGTON — Jake DeMedal, 18-yard run (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Ethan Kaufman, 37-yard pass from DeMedal (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Wilson, 35-yard field goal.
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 3-yard run (Slavi Pontius kick)
WILMINGTON — Curtis Bretz, 65-yard run (kick failed)
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