WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wakefield's Denzel Brown cuts upfield during the Wolverines' 34-14 loss at Broughton Thursday.
Mangus, Caps maul Wolverines
It wasn't hard to see — rather hear — the irony Thursday night as Wakefield coach J.D. Dinwiddie addressed his football team following its humbling 34-14 loss at Broughton.
Just moments after an error-laden Wakefield performance — the squad committed six turnovers and mustered just 112 total yards of offense — Kool and the Gang's 80's classic "Celebration" blared through the PA system at Broughton's Capital Stadium.
You know, "Celebrate good times, come on!" (If you don't know, then your parents probably do.)
But there were few good times to celebrate for the Wolverines, and Dinwiddie didn't sugarcoat Wakefield's effort in their regular-season finale.
For highlights from Wakefield's game at Broughton, click on the video above.
"We had six turnovers. We lost the ball six times," he explained to his huddled squad. "The game is about holding onto the football. If you don't hang onto the football, you can't score. Period.
"You got to take care of the football. If you have six turnovers, you're not supposed to win. That's us beating ourselves."
Of Wakefield's seven first-half possessions Thursday, four resulted in turnovers (two fumbles, two interceptions).
And the miscues started early as the Wolverines fumbled away their second snap from scrimmage, erasing a solid opening play. On the Wolverines' first snap, Patrick Johnstone hit Nigel King on an 18-yard reception, but the Wolverines ended up gaining just 16 more yards the rest of the first half.
"Offensively, we couldn't seem to do anything right," Dinwiddie said later.
Following Wakefield's stalled second series, the Capitals put together a five-play, 36-yard scoring drive, capped by Chris Mangus' two-yard TD. The Wolverines saw plenty of Mangus Thursday as the Capitals amassed 261 yards on 50 carries, tacking on three touchdowns.
What was the Wolverines' response to Broughton's early score? They promptly fumbled again, giving up the ball.
The Capitals took over on the Wakefield's 25-yard line, but the Wolverine defense forced a turnover-on-downs.
The Wolverines' resulting drive never got in motion either, and the ball went back to Broughton, setting up the Wolverines' lone bright spot of the first half — if not the game.
On the Capitals' second play, Wakefield linebacker K.J. Ward came free on a blitz and jarred the ball loose from Broughton QB Will Turner. The bouncing ball fell to the feet of teammate Matt Yovanovich, who scooped it up and rumbled 20 yards for a touchdown.
With Niklas Sade's extra point, the Wolverines pulled even 7-7 with 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
But Wakefield's fortunes changed soon thereafter as the Capitals scored on each of their next three possessions, adding a Mangus touchdown and two Hayden Pezzoni field goals for a 20-7 halftime lead.
On the side, the Wolverines tossed back-to-back interceptions, twice setting up the Capitals in Wakefield territory.
If not for the Wolverines' defense buckling down on the goal line late in the second quarter, the 13-point halftime deficit could have been much worse.
Dinwiddie said he couldn't have asked more from his defensive unit, lauding the group's
effort despite its obstacles.
"You playedy your guts out tonight," he said to the defense. "You did exactly what we asked you to do."
Later, the coach compared the Wolverines' effort Thursday to their strong showing in a 35-32 win over Leesville Road four weeks earlier.
"Our kids fought, and we held them on a couple goal-line stands," Dinwiddie said. "Sure, we gave up some big plays, but it seems like they were always defending a short field.
In fact, four of the Capitals' seven first-half possessions started in Wakefield territory.
Broughton running back Chris Mangus (left) rushed for more than 260 yards Thursday night.
The Wolverines appeared to start the second half off on the right foot as Justin Sloan picked off a pass on the Capitals' first drive.
But then Wakefield fumbled the ball away five plays later, and Broughton retaliated with a 10-play drive, spanning 54-yards, which ended in a Will Turner touchdown on a quarterback sneak.
Mangus did most of the drive's heavy lifting, taking nine straight handoffs covering the possesion's first 53 yards.
With the PAT, the Capitals took a 27-7 lead with 4:31 left in the third quarter.
The Wolverines still couldn't get it moving offensively, posting consecutive three-and-outs. The Capitals' offensive also slowed down, but a Wakefield fumble on special teams gave Broughton the ball at the Wolverine 11-yard line with 8:50 remaining.
The Capitals handed off three straight times to Mangus, and the running back reached the end zone sweeping right on third down, scoring with 7:18 left.
Down 34-7, the Wolverines mounted their only offensive scoring drive of the night, covering 70 yards on nine plays. Sophomore running back Courtney Crews got the Wakefield offense firing with runs of 16 and 31 yards, setting with senior Mychal Jones' 6-yard TD burst with 2:30 left.
Crews led all Wakefield runners with 57 yards on eight carries, and King finished with four catches for 40 yards.
Johnstone completed five of 14 passes for 39 yards.
Having suffered three consecutive defeats, starting with a 47-0 drumming against Wake Forest-Rolesville and leading to underwhelming performances against Enloe and Broughton, the Wolverines are in midset of a difficult slide, and Dinwiddie didn't shy away from that fact.
"We're hurting, and we're tired," the coach said. "I believe we are mentally and physically exhausted."
It's not hard to see the difference in the Wolverines today and the Wolverines four weeks ago as injuries have played a key role in the squad's recent struggles. Wakefield lost starting QB Connor Mitch four weeks ago, and defensive end Will Butler a week later, and both units haven't been able duplicate the rhythm they once had.
Fortunately for the Wolverines, their regular season is over, and they have two weeks to prepare for the first round of the state playoffs. (Butler plans to be in uniform for the playoffs, and Mitch isn't far behind, and will start to throw in the coming weeks.)
With the extra time to prepare, Dinwiddie plans a light practice schedule for next week, hoping the Wolverines can re-engerize themselves for the postseason.
"We have a five-day break coming up, and we're not practicing Friday or Monday," the coach said. "It's a break we need. And we need it pretty bad."
