There were certainly positive things to take away from the first football game on the new field turf at Wilson High, but the final score wasn’t one of them. The Bruins fell to Mayfair 50-14 in the season opener on Friday.
“They’re a good football team but we’ve still got a lot of growing up to do,” Wilson coach Mark Ziegenhagen said. “We have to eliminate mistakes. I knew that was going to be an issue tonight, just like last year.”
Wilson fumbled two kickoffs and threw an interception on the goal line to help Mayfair (1-0) build on its early advantage. The Monsoons scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half, and then quarterback Josh Calvin hit Chris Adimora for a 58-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to take a 32-0 lead. Calvin completed 12 of his 14 pass attempts for 260 yards and five touchdowns.
“We had too many guys trying to play somebody else’s position or covering somebody else’s spot,” Ziegenhagen said. “We have to get more cohesive. We’re kind of freelancing a little too much right now. We’ve got to get it together.”
Wilson junior quarterback Ryan Pettway went 16-for-29 for 200 yards. He found sophomore Michael Bruner for a 65-yard touchdown to answer Adimora’s score early in the third quarter. Pettway also capped a 11-play drive late in the game with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Mayfair scored on its second and third drive of the game. Calvin found Carl Conston for a 40-yard touchdown to open the scoring, and he connected with Victor Gonzalez on a short touchdown pass to take a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter.
After Wilson failed to convert a fake punt attempt at midfield, Mayfair converted a third-and long and a fourth down on the ensuing drive. Kess Ojose scored from a yard out with less than three minutes left in the half. After the Bruins fumbled the kickoff, Calvin found Jordan Brown for a 27-yard touchdown on the next play.
Pettway hit receiver Zechariah Dolphin on the next drive to get Wilson into the red zone for the first time. Adimora intercepted a pass at the goal line a few plays later to kill the drive. He returned it 98 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back on a penalty.
“I’m proud of my kids, but the Wilson kids played hard all night too,” Mayfair coach Derek Bedell said.
Mayfair’s second-string offense scored a late touchdown on a long fade route that Bedell said was not supposed to be the call.
“Our kid made a mistake. It was supposed to be a hitch route,” Bedell said.
Ziegenhagen and Bedell are good friends away from the football field, and this is the third year they’ve played each other for the SP Cup. Mayfair has won the matchup twice, but Bedell apologized to Ziegenhagen after the game for the final touchdown.
“That’s eating me up, because that’s one of my best friends on the other sideline,” Bedell said. “He deserves to be upset, and that’s not classy by me.”
“It’s football,” Ziegenhagen said. “Our kids have to learn.”
Wilson (0-1) hosts San Dimas on Friday.
STATS
Wilson
QB Ryan Pettway: 16-for-29, 200 yards, TD (Rush TD), INT
Rushing: 17 carries, 35 yards
WR Kevin Sperry: 7 receptions, 47 yards
WR Michael Bruner: 2 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Mayfair
QB Josh Calvin: 12-for-14, 260 yards, 5 touchdowns
RB Justen Walker: 14 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD
WR Jordan Brown: 5 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD
WR Carl Conston: 3 receptions, 62 yards, TD
