WAKEFIELD FOOTBALL
Wakefield QB Connor Mitch (10) threw two touchdowns passes in Friday night's 32-6 victory over Sanderson, kicking off the Wolverines' Cap-7 Conference schedule.
Wolverines stifle Sanderson 32-6
As Wakefield's Moises Ramirez watched his teammates jar loose a fumble just before halftime of Friday's 32-6 win over Sanderson, the senior's first thought wasn't to beat the Spartans to the recovery.
There were only maroon jerseys in the vicinity, so that wasn't really a worry.
Rather, Ramirez was hellbent on racing fellow defensive end Matt Yovanovich to the ball.
After watching Yovanovich record two touchdowns in as many weeks, Ramirez wanted to keep pace with his teammate.
"Honestly, I saw Matt, and I said to myself, 'Please don't get it, this one's mine,'" he recalled laughing. "My second thought was, 'Boy, this is a long run.'"
But the senior managed to cleanly scoop up the ball and rumble 38 yards to the end zone, giving Wakefield a 22-6 lead — with the PAT — and seemingly closing the door on Sanderson in the Cap-7 Conference opener.
While the contest hadn't reached intermission yet, the outcome seemed pre-determined because the Wolverines had established control early, and never allowed the Spartans to catch back up.
After both squads failed to move the ball on their opening drives of the game, Yovanovich partially blocked a Sanderson punt, giving Wakefield possession inside the Spartans' 20-yard line.
Check out our highlight reel from Friday's game.
The Wolverines needed just one play to capitalize on the block as freshman QB Connor Mitch hit a streaking Nigel King in the back of the end zone from 19 yards out. Unable to get the PAT's snap down, holder Alex Starnes scrambled and flung a pass toward the end zone, which fortuitously bounced off a Sanderson defender and into the arms of Jake Lenox for a successful two-point conversion.
With 8:20 left in the first quarter, the Wolverines led 8-0, and fortunes appeared on their side.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, two plays into their next drive, a pitch was mishandled, and Wakefield defensive tackle Will Butler raced in for the fumble recovery. And like a carbon copy of their last drive, the Wolverines needed just a single play to reach the end zone as Mitch dumped off a short pass to Mychal Jones, who raced 19 yards untouched.
Along the way, Wakefield's Trip Foreman delivered a key block downfield, allowing Jones to score.
With Niklas Sade's PAT, the Wolverines jumped ahead 15-0, tallying two TDs in less than a minute.
Jones said the two quick-strike touchdowns — assisted by Wakefield's two defensive stands — sparked the team.
"When we get up early, our intensity stays up the whole game," the senior said. "Those two touchdowns really got us going, and it stayed with us."
Two possessions later, Sanderson put together its best drive of the night, driving 78 yards for a Dayquawn Johnson 1-yard touchdown dive.
The Spartans were able to move the ball on the strength of two Matt James receptions — for 21 and 18 yards — and a Wakefield pass interference call. Ryan Fowler's 10-yard reception later took the ball down to the 1-yard line, which set up Johnson's score.
Sanderson head coach Tony Lewis commended his group for withstanding the Wolverines' early barrage of points.
"Being down 15-0 didn't worry me," the first-year coach said. "We had made some mistakes, and committed some penalties, but I wasn't worried about the lead. And we did fight back."
But the Spartans' PAT failed as the snap was mishandled and Wakefield's Dillon Carter raced in to make the tackle.
On Sanderson's next possession, Carter stepped up to make another big play, intercepting a pass in the end zone, killing their drive with 9:16 remaining before halftime. It was the last time the Spartans ventured inside the Wolverines' red zone the rest of the night.
Wakefield defensive back Dillon Carter (4) looks for running room after intercepting a Sanderson pass in the end zone during the first half of Friday night's game.
On their next series, Wakefield's Denzel Brown broke a 32-yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty negated the score. The Wolverines were then forced to punt, but five plays later, Ramirez found himself with a loose ball, hightailing it to the end zone.
Just before intermission, Sade added a 30-yard field goal, giving Wakefield a 25-6 lead.
Both teams traded lengthy third-quarter possessions, though neither squad managed to get on the scoreboard.
Then, early in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines capitalized on a short field as Brown raced in from 24 yards out, capping a three-play, 44-yard drive.
Sade's extra point concluded the game's scoring, giving Wakefield a 32-6 lead with 10:38 remaining.
In the end, the Wolverines took advantage of great field possession — all three Wakefield touchdown drives traveled less than 45 yards — and their defense came up big drive after drive. In addition to forcing three turnovers, the Wakefield defensive/special teams units blocked a punt, foiled a fake-punt attempt and thwarted an extra-point attempt.
"We can force turnovers on defense," Wakefield coach J.D. Dinwiddie said after the game. "I can't say enough of Coach [Jamie] Ayers and his defense.
"Those kids play so hard, and they have so much enthusiasm. Their motors never quit, and I think that is a big advantage for us. They don't seem to get tired."
Few teams can match the speed the Wolverines have on defense, Dinwiddie pointed out.
"Everybody can run on that side of the ball for us," he said. "Even our tackle [Will Butler] can run with just about anybody."
Mitch finished 9 for 23, for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Sanderson quarterback Sam Bauckham completed 18 of 38 passes for 208.
In a showdown of future Division-I receivers, the Spartans' Matt James (nine catches for 120 yards) got the better of King (three receptions for 57), but the Wolverines earned the victory. And King tallied the duo's only score.
Sanderson senior receiver Josh O'Neal put together a stellar game, hauling in seven catches for 85 yards, including a 43-yard reception in the second quarter.
"He stepped up for us," Lewis said of O'Neal. "He had a hot hand tonight, and it was good to see someone step up besides the one or two guys we normally go to."
Overall, the Sanderson coach was pleased to see his squad continue to fight despite the late-game deficit.
"I am proud of the effort our guys gave," he said. "They competed until the end. And if they continue to compete, they will be successful. But we have to eliminate our mistakes.
"You can't make mistakes against a good, solid football team. And Wakefield is a good football team."
With a week off before its next contest, hosting Millbrook Oct. 9, Lewis plans to concentrate on improving the Spartans' fundamentals.
"This break is good so we can get healed up. We're banged up a little bit right now," he said. "It is good so that we can work to get better, but we're not going to change what we do."
Wakefield's next contest is also against Millbrook, traveling to face the Wildcats Friday, Oct. 2.
Although Wakefield is 4-2 — and 1-0 in conference play — Ramirez explained the Wolverines haven't played a full game yet.
"We still trying to bring four quarters together," he said. "This game we played well, but it wasn't four quarters. And we want to make sure we bring our 'A' game to Millbrook. That is the only thing that will beat them."
