Wilson swarms Rockbridge

LEXINGTON — Wilson Memorial played almost perfect football with only one turnover at the tail end of the game, beating Rockbridge 41-20 in Monday night football action.

The Wildcats couldn’t do much in the first quarter thanks to the impenetrable Hornet defense, which allowed minimal movement and no first downs.

“We came out really well on both sides,” Wilson coach Derek McDaniel said. “Defensively, you can’t play any better than what we did in the first. We almost completely shut them [Rockbridge] down.”

Wilson scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, the first coming from Malik Rucks off a 12-yard touchdown run at eight minutes and the second off a short 8-yard run from Connery Swift at five minutes 45 seconds. The teams went into the second quarter with Wilson leading 14-0 and not showing any signs of slowing.

The Hornets achieved another early touchdown in the second off a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Bailey to tight end Weston Cash, putting the score at 21-0.

The Wilson defense was able to hinder the Wildcats’ offense up until the very last seconds when a short quarterback-push for just over a yard put Rockbridge in the end zone, the extra-point being no good, Wilson led 21-6 at the half.

“They [Rockbridge] had a couple of long passes, Hail Mary’s, but we certainly weren’t out hit tonight,” McDaniel said.

Though the Wildcats held onto the ball for a while early in the third quarter, the Hornets got it back quick enough and scored yet another touchdown off of just two plays with tight end Adam Butler running in an 82-yard TD, putting the Hornets up 28-6. Rockbridge was able to come back at the end of the quarter to sneak in a second touchdown from QB Blake Coffey, this time trying a two-point conversion that didn’t work out. The teams went into the final quarter with the Hornets leading 28-12.

“We pretty much were never stopped,” McDaniel said. “We stopped ourselves, but both coordinators called a great game.”

The fourth quarter was the most exciting of them all with the Hornets slowing slightly and the Wildcats picking up a rhythm. Wilson was able to lead with another touchdown from Swift putting the Hornets up 34-12 and what better way to follow up a TD but with yet another TD, this one coming from a 16-yard run from Jacob Walker, putting the score at 41-12.

“Rockbridge had a lot of long bombs,” McDaniel said. “We can’t give up the big plays like that, not to take anything away from my kids. We’re not going to get any more than that, like tonight with having only one turnover.”

The Wildcats were able to rally with less than one minute left on the clock. A long touchdown pass to Andrew Rowsey for 25-yards followed by a successful two-point conversion put the Wildcats behind 21, and they never let up. Rockbridge recovered a fumble on Wilson’s first play and followed by throwing another long pass a few yards short from the endzone.

“Our kids played hard. We hit people,” McDaniel said. “We probably could of thrown more, but we picked up yards.”

Wilson (5-2, 2-0) travel to Stuarts Draft Friday while Rockbridge (0-7, 0-2) faces Waynesboro.