Wilmington blanks Oil City
Wilmington (21) vs. Oil City (0)
Written: Sep 20, 2008
By DAN IRWIN
d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com
His top rusher fumbled the ball away three times, while his quarterback completed just three of nine passes.
Injuries put one of his defensive ends out of the game and limited a two-way star to action on just one side of the ball.
Perhaps most frustrating of all, his team was flagged 11 times for 110 yards in penalties.
All in all, it was somewhat of an ugly evening for head coach Terry Verrelli and the Wilmington High football team.
It was also just what he ordered.
After starting the season with three straight mercy rule wins, the Greyhounds had to battle to hold off winless Oil City, 21-0, in a PIAA District 10 Region 3-AA home game last night.
“There’s no question,” Verrelli said. “They (Oil City) played very well, and it’s exactly what this team needed. Definitely.
“We needed a good contest, a close one, that kind of thing, just to realize what it takes. We ended up doing that, even though we helped ourselves get in a mess. Anything we could possibly do wrong, we did it all in one game.’
Fullback Derrick Burns rushed for 126 yards on 19 carries, but fumbled the ball four times, losing three. Quarterback Shane Wagner, who was averaging 146 yards and 2.3 touchdown passes per game, threw for just 53 yards and one score, a 27-yarder to Dallas Hartman with 1:23 to play.
And as a whole, Wilmington’s offense — which had been averaging 44 points per game — drew seven of the team’s 11 penalties, including a holding call that negated a 39-yard touchdown run by Burns.
That left Sutton Whiting, who carried 11 times for 70 yards, as the only Greyhound to score on the ground, on runs of five and three yards.
“If we do don’t do those kind of things, the game’s not really close,” Verrelli said. “We were moving the ball offensively. I give them a lot of credit, they hung in there, they played hard. But holy cow, you just can’t play those type of games and be a great football team.”
As it has all year, though, Wilmington’s defense rose to the occasion to keep Oil City (0-3, 0-4) at bay. Oilers quarterback Stephen May entered the game as District 10’s leading passer with 509 yards, but was only 10 of 26 for 82 yards last night.
Overall, the ’Hounds (2-0, 4-0), who are ranked sixth in the state in Class AA, limited the Oilers to just 113 yards, and allowed only one first down — and that by penalty — after intermission.
Senior tackle Clint DeRosa spearheaded the effort with a highlight-reel performance that included two quarterback sacks, three tackles for loss and one batted-down pass.
He said that despite a slim 7-0 lead at the half and the loss of defensive end Josh Phillian to injury, the Greyhounds never panicked.
“We came in the lockerroom, nobody was down, everyone was up, slapping hands and everything,” noted DeRosa, who is nursing a hip flexor that kept him from playing center as well as defensive tackle.
“When you get a game like that and nothing goes your way, it’s really important for a team to step up and play together and know that it’s up to them to get it done. I think that’s what we did.”
DeRosa allowed that Wilmington may have underestimated the Oilers, but was happy with the team’s first shutout of 2008.
“Coach V tries to tell us, ‘Don’t start thinking you’re good because that’s when something will happen,’ ” he said, “and ‘You’ve got to understand you can’t blow out every team. There’s good teams out there, and it’s just a matter of time before you face one.’
“I think we faced one tonight, and I think we did a good job.”
OIL CITY WILMINGTON
8 First downs 13
60 Yards Rushing 269
36 Yards Lost 19
24 Net Rushing 250
29 Passes Attempted 9
13 Passes Completed 3
0 Passes Intercepted 0
89 Yards Passing 53
113 Total Yards 283
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 6-3
7-31.1 Punts-Average 4-44.3
9-65 Penalties-Yards 11-110
OIL CITY 0 0 0 0 — 0
WILMINGTON 0 7 7 7 — 21
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 5-yard run (Bryce Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Whiting, 3-yard run (Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Dallas Hartman, 27-yard pass from Shane Wagner (Wilson kick).
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