Wilmington rolls over Greenville
Wilmington (49) vs. Greenville (13)
Written: Sep 06, 2008
 By DAN IRWIN
d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com
Sometimes, you can be a victim of your own success.
When Wilmington High senior Shane Wagner dropped back for his first punt at the start of the fourth quarter against Greenville last night, he shanked a 23-yarder that gave the Trojans possession near midfield.
“My leg was a little tight,” he confessed.
And no wonder.
From his quarterback position, Wagner completed 10 of 16 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, while also running for another score. Performances like that tend to limit a punter’s opportunities to hone his trade.
They also, though, tend to win a lot of ballgames, and the ’Hounds rode Wagner’s hot arm to a 49-13 mercy rule win in their PIAA District 10 3-AA opener.
A year ago, Wagner’s primary role on Wilmington’s offense was as a wide receiver, catching 11 passes for 197 yards. Although he backed up at the quarterback position, he was only 9-of-17 for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
In just two games in 2008, he’s already surpassed those totals, going 19 of 29 for 341 yards and 5 TDs.
“It’s really fun,” he said of the switch from catching to throwing. “I love it. I love quarterbacking. It’s probably the best position.”
No doubt, his receivers are having a great time as well. Last night, Carson Sharbaugh caught five passes for 97 yards and a TD, while cousin Matt Wagner hauled in three aerials for 62 yards.
Running back Jake DeMedal and tight end Dallas Hartman each claimed a touchdown pass as well, but Hartman’s may have been the best catch of the night. Wagner’s throw was deflected by a well-positioned Nico Zahniser, but it dropped into Hartman’s hands at the goal line.
“That was a bad throw on my part,” Wagner said, “Sometimes you need to be lucky, too.”
A team that relied predominantly on the talents of 2,200-yard rusher Chris Burns (now a University of Pittsburgh freshman) a year ago, Wilmington (2-0) in 2008 is dividing up the ground game among a cadre of backs and making the most of a passing attack that offers targets who check in at 6-foot-6 (Matt Wagner), 6-5 (Hartman) and 6-4 (Sharbaugh).
“We’re trying to be versatile where we can run the ball and pass the ball too,” head coach Terry Verrelli said. “The split ends, Carson and Matt, are excellent receivers. They’ve got good height. But the other backs, all the running backs, including Derrick (Burns) at the fullback spot, they can all catch the football.
“And Shane, it’s obvious he’s got a great throwing arm. So we’re trying to mix it up. We’re trying to make our offense where it’s not predictable and you can’t concentrate on one thing.”
Sophomore Sutton Whiting spearheaded Wilmington’s ground game with 69 yards on six carries, including a 30-yard touchdown run on the ’Hounds first play from scrimmage.
Other rushing touchdowns came from Shane Wagner (1 yard), Luke Yohman (6 yards) and Nik Rasey (20 yards).
Defensively, Wilmington’s starting unit gave up no points for the second straight week. The Trojans (1-1) notched their touchdowns against the Greyhounds’ reserves on a runs of 4 yards by Taylor Matson and 74 yards by Zahniser, the back-up quarterback.
Oh, and by the way, the game ended on Shane Wagner’s second punt of the evening, a more impressive 39-yarder.
All it took was a couple of three-and-outs. But, apparently, those are going to be hard to come by this year at Wilmington.
GREENVILLE WILMINGTON
5 First downs 19
207 Yards Rushing 228
10 Yards Lost 5
197 Net Rushing 223
11 Passes Attempted 16
3 Passes Completed 10
2 Passes Intercepted 1
22 Yards Passing 210
219 Total Yards 433
3-2 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
3-34 Punts-Average 2-31
2-10 Penalties-Yards 3-15
GREENVILLE 0 0 6 7 — 13
WILMINGTON 21 14 7 7 — 49
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 30-yard run (Bryce Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Carson Sharbaugh, 28-yard pass from Shane Wagner (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Dallas Hartman, 26-yard pass from Wagner (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Wagner, 1-yard run (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Luke Yohman, 6-yard run (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Jake DeMedal, 25-yard pass from Wagner (Wilson kick).
GREENVILLE — Taylor Matson, 4-yard run (kick failed).
WILMINGTON — Nik Rasey, 20-yard run (Wilson kick).
GREENVILLE — Nico Zahniser, 74-yard run (Mike Simons kick).
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