ON THE BOARD
BERWICK — Berwick was so close to giving rookie coach C.J. Curry his first win in his inaugural game a month ago, only to see it disappear heartbreakingly.
That feeling remained with the squad over the weeks as offensive woes and injuries became the main storylines for the young team.
Still, the Bulldogs finally found a way to get Curry that elusive first win by dominating the line of scrimmage and running away with a 48-6 victory over Hanover Area.
Berwick had to get creative without skill players Jake Lisnock, Gavin Galutia, Julian Howie and Caleb May available. It found a quick answer, turning Ty’Meere Wilkerson into a primary back.
The District 2 100-meter gold medalist showed his speed with a 61-yard touchdown sweep down the right sideline.
Wilkerson added touchdown runs of 57 yards and 14 yards before ending his evening with 165 yards on seven carries (23.6 yards per carry), all in the first half.
“We knew we had less people tonight, so we knew we had to start running the ball,” Wilkerson said. “This whole week we just ran and ran and tried some new plays out. It worked out.”
Berwick finished with 473 yards rushing — accounting for all of the Bulldogs offense.
Brock Simms added 109 yards rushing and the Bulldogs’ final touchdown, a 4-yard carry up the middle.
The injuries forced Berwick to find some stability at quarterback. However, it didn’t need to throw the ball with the offensive line having its way and creating lanes for anybody carrying the ball. That included acting QB Billy Hanson, who finished 0 for 3 passing, but rushed for 44 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His first was all effort, diving for the end zone on a 6-yard scamper in the opening quarter before showing off some nice footwork by cutting away from some defenders for a 16-yard score in the second.
“Billy Hanson was playing with a bit of a banged up ankle tonight, but he was up to the task,” Curry said. “A lot of these guys haven’t gotten a lot of touches all season, but they were up to the challenge.”
Rocco Romeo scored Berwick’s other touchdown, a 3-yard run to cap a nine-play, 70-yard drive to start the second half.
Strong defensive front
For as strong as the offensive line was at creating running lanes, the Bulldogs defensive line was just as dominant.
The Hawkeyes couldn’t get into a rhythm all night, as quarterback Logan Richardson had to rush his throws. He finished 8 for 21 for 107 yards, having to settle for quick screens or slants with the pressure.
Richardson threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to Deacon Eisenbach. He also threw an interception to Alex Estrella, who won the fight for the ball with Eisenbach coming to the ground in the second quarter.
“We’re trying to hang our hat on our line. We have a lot of experience there, and it showed tonight” Curry said. “Guys like Alex Estrella, though, stepped up and did great and it was awesome to see everybody play together defensively. We know we can’t get complacent because we have some tough teams coming up.”
The Bulldogs held the Hawkeyes to minus-55 yards on 33 carries. The bulk of the negative yardage came on a fumbled punt snap that the Hawkeyes recovered 32 yards behind them for a safety in the first quarter. They had just one positive rush, a 4-yard gain by Richardson in the opening quarter.
The early two-way domination helped Berwick post 22 first-quarter points, two less than it scored in the first four weeks.
“It feels good to get this (win) off our back, no doubt about that,” Curry said. “These guys were ready. We battled through some injuries all week; we had a ton of guys out, a ton of starters out, but we had a ‘next guy up’ mentality. These guys rallied together and we got it done on the ground tonight, especially.”
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