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Patriots Roll Past Bruins

Wilkinson sets career touchdown?mark

WELLSBURG — Wheeling Park hadn’t found the type of offensive balance it’s been accustomed to through the initial four weeks of the season. The Patriots might be dangerous down the stretch after discovering it Friday night at Brooke Memorial Stadium.

Rennie Clark rushed for 278 yards and three TDs and Cross Wilkinson threw for 193 and four scores as Wheeling Park (3-2) rolled to a 54-18 victory against the injury-ravaged Bruins (0-5).

”We thought we could move the ball but it seemed like we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit early,” Patriots coach Chris Daugherty said. ”I thought we found a rhythm at the end of the first half and kind of carried it into the second half.”

That’s putting it mildly.

Save for a kneel down on the last play of the game, Park scored touchdowns on all six of its second-half possessions to break open what was a 13-6 halftime lead.

The Patriots took the second-half kick and proceeded to march 55 yards in five plays, culminating in a 9-yard scoring run from Clark, who gained 38 on the drive.

After forcing a pair of Brooke punts on the same drive — they roughed the kicker on the first — it took three plays for the Patriots to get on the board again. Wilkinson hit Jack Stakem and Nate Phillips on consecutive 9-yard passes, then Clark went the final 41 for a 27-6 advantage.

”I was extremely proud in the first half of the way we came out and the way we battled,” Bruins coach Mac McLean said. ”We held them to two scores in the first half and that’s a sign of growth.

”It’s just getting past that point of where the dam breaks.”

Brooke wasn’t done, though. On a third-and-10 from its 25, sophomore quarterback Logan Williams — the team’s third stringer making his first start — lofted one to Chris Yachini who got behind the Patriots secondary and won a foot race for a 75-yard score to cut the margin to 27-12.

”Logan is a talented, little quarterback and I look for him to improve and I am excited about his future here,” McLean said. ”I’ve got 2.5 seasons with that kid in my locker room and if he keeps improving the way he has from last year, he’s going to be a pretty darn good quarterback.

”Chris is showing the type of athlete he is in the determination he plays with. It’s no secret that when we’re going to put the ball in the air it’s probably going to go to him, and more often than not it’s probably going to go to him.”

But after that, the dam broke.

Wilkinson connected again with Phillips, this time for 11 yards and the rout was on. It marked the junior quarterback’s 37th career touchdown pass, eclipsing the previous school record of Kevin Heller.

”He let the game come to him and it helps when your running game is going,” Daugherty said of Wilkinson, who completed 14 of 21 including 8 of 9 in the second half. ”I thought he looked really sharp.”

Alex Edgell, who ran hard all night, got the Bruins on the board again with a 5-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter.

”I hope the way he plays rubs off on these younger kids,” McLean said.

Park closed out the scoring with 20 unanswered. Wilkinson threw touchdown passes of 28 yards to Mazei Mosby and 7 yards to Phillips, and sophomore Justin Levelle picked up 65 yards and scored on a 29-yard run.

The Patriots opened the scoring with a 4-yard run from Clark with 12 seconds left in the first quarter. Williams and Yachini (six catches, 120 yards) hooked up for a 13-yard score and Wilkinson threw his first scoring pass — a 16-yarder to Michael Muffeny — for a 13-6 halftime advantage.

”The only person to stop Rennie Clark so far is Chris Daugherty,” Park’s coach said with a laugh. ”I didn’t give him the ball in the Bridgeport game. When I do, good things have happened.

Wheeling Park 54, Brooke 18

Wheeling Park    7  6  21  20 — 54

Brooke    0  6    6    6 — 18

W — Clark 4 run (Gheen kick), 0:12

B — Yachini 13 pass from Williams (kick blocked), 9:13

W — Muffeny 16 pass from Wilkinson (pass failed), 2:44

W — Clark 9 run (Gheen kick), 10:22

W — Clark 41 run (Gheen kick), 6:32

B — Yachini 75 pass from Williams (pass failed), 5:24

W — Phillips 11 pass from Wilkinson (Gheen kick), 1:55

B — Edgell 5 run (pass failed), 11:03

W — Mosby 28 pass from Wilkinson (Miller kick), 9:20

W — Phillips 7 pass from Wilkinson (kick failed), 8:59

W — Levelle 29 run (Miller kick), 3:59

Rushing: Wheeling Park 39-356-4td (Clark 28-278-3td, Levelle 6-65-td, Wilkinson 3-24, Team 1-(-1), T.Porter 1-(-10). Brooke 28-68-td (Edgell 11-50-td, Valero 9-24, Helms 1-2, Farmer 4-(-2), Williams 3-(-6).

Passing: Wheeling Park 14-21-193-4td-x (all by Wilkinson). Brooke 9-19-157-2td (all by Williams).

Receiving: Wheeling Park 14-193-4td (Phillips 6-59-2td, Mosby 4-67-td, Stakem 2-38, Muffeny 1-16-td, Tucker 1-7). Brooke 9-157-2td (Yachini 6-120-2td, Taylor 2-11, Rasz 1-26).

First Downs: Wheeling Park 21, Brooke 10.

Penalties: Wheeling Park 7-55, Brooke 6-45.

Fumbles: Wheeling Park 0-0, Brooke 1-1.

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