At halftime Thursday afternoon at Bullis, when former NFL kicker Nick Lowery was introduced, he grabbed the microphone and implored the host team to “stay focused and kick some butts today.”
Unfortunately for Bullis, it was visiting Wilson which heeded Lowery’s advice. Rallying from 14 points down, Wilson dominated the second half and left Potomac with an uplifting 15-14 victory, its first of the season.
The winning points came on a botched play as Tigers junior Daniel Powell, holding for a conversion kick, fielded a rolling snap, then scooted into the left corner of the end zone for 2 points and a 15-14 lead with 10 minutes, 18 seconds left. According to Powell, the play was planned.
“You can say it was a missed snap,” said Powell. “But for real, we kinda wanted to do that ourselves. We wanted to get this game over with.”
It was a tale of two halves. In the first, Bullis (0-3) out-gained Wilson, 191 yards to 65, recovered two onside kicks, executed a fake punt and got touchdown runs from seniors Mike Smith (13 carries, 85 yards) and Dan Tardiff (11 carries, 68 yards).
But in the second half, Wilson (1-3) out-gained Bullis, 158-16, and never let the Bulldogs get past midfield. The key play came when Tigers junior Shane Stephen (13 carries, 95 yards) made a tackle-breaking 46-yard run and followed with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
“We were just trying to get a first down, but I’m never satisfied,” said Stephen, who also had two sacks. “But I saw an opening. I broke it.”
On Wilson’s next possession, the Tigers overcame two holding penalties to drive 54 yards, with Stephen scoring on a dive on fourth-and-goal from the 3.
“Shane gave us big momentum,” said Wilson tackle Alex McCall. “He pulled us through.”
Getting defensive
» Wilson sophomore safety Sidney Balman iced the game with an interception.
» Bullis senior Brandon Allen
had an outstanding game at safety, breaking up six passes and recovering a fumble.
» Bullis senior Warren McDaniel recovered his own onside kick in the first half.
