Mark Huber | News Journal Photo
CINCINNATI — Ten years from now, folks will search the News Journal website and see the final score from Friday night’s Wilmington football game against Aiken.
Wilmington 28, Aiken 0.
They’ll smile and nod approvingly.
WHS head football coach Ryan Evans Sr. will not remember this one so fondly.
“Ugly,” he said on the turf at Willard R. Stargel Stadium. “I don’t like it … didn’t like it, none of it.”
Wilmington escaped with the win, but it was not one of the team’s better showings. Still, the Hurricane is 4-1 and begins SBAAC American Division play this coming Friday against unbeaten Clinton-Massie. Kickoff at Alumni Field is set for 7 p.m.
The Hurricane scored a touchdown in each quarter Friday, held Aiken to 104 yards of total offense and gained 299 yards on an efficient though not totally effective 57 plays.
“Two years in a row we played this team and I wasn’t satisfied. Didn’t like it,” Evans said. “I think we underestimated some of the things they (Aiken) do. They didn’t score but we underestimated them a little bit.”
Aiken has lost to Wyoming (44-6) and Fenwick (34-0) but neither team rolled up great yardage or simply overwhelmed the Falcons. The final scores were lopsided but the games were similar to how Friday night played out.
“Coming off a win like last week (against Ross 36-34) and then just having the mentality we did coming in to this one, I think had a lot to do with it,” said Evans. “We did have a lot of kids play hard. No discredit to them (Aiken) but as a unit it just wasn’t good.”
Evans said to resolve this begins with him and starts at the top of each player’s makeup.
“Just a mindset,” he said. “Everything we do is a mindset. You have to have that when you’re on a roll like this, you get complacent with where you are sometimes and we have to do a better job and make sure they’re not complacent. That’s my job, so that starts there.”
Aiden Price and Bryson Schutte led the Hurricane offensively. Price ran for a team-best 86 yards while Schutte had 36 yards and two scores on the ground.
Michael Brown Jr. was the leading receiver (5 for 44) and had an interception. Eli Stewart also had an interception while Payden Mowyer and Jonathan Custis both had fumble recoveries. Custis’ takeaway came in the end zone following a botched punt snap by the Falcons.
Mowyer also had a big hit defensively late in the first quarter after WHS took a 7-0 lead on Schutte’s first. Brown’s pick at the 41 gave WHS a short field on that scoring drive.
Mowyer’s fumble recovery gave the Hurricane another short field at the 48 and the result was an 11-play, 63-yard drive that Schutte capped with a three-yard plunge.
Blake Turner, Jesse Keith, Malachi Cumberland and Jelani Hunter took turns disrupting the Falcons offense.
SUMMARY
Sept 15, 2023
@Willard R Stargel Stadium
Wilmington 28, Aiken 0
W^7^7^7^7^^28
A^0^0^0^0^^0
SCORING
First Quarter
W-Bryson Schutte 3 yard run (Jonathan Custis PAT) 2:14
Second Quarter
W-Caydn Denniston 3 yard run (Jonathan Custis PAT) 6:17
Third Quarter
W-Bryson Schutte 5 yard run (Jonathan Custis PAT) 9:24
Fourth Quarter
W-Jonathan Custis recovers fumble in end zone (Jonathan Custis PAT) 7:39
STATISTICS
PASSING: Wil (9-17-2) Aiden Price 9-17-2, 113 yards; Aiken (2-10-2, 12 yards)
RUSHING: Wil (40-176) Bryson Schutte 4-36 Aiden Price 17-86 Caydn Denniston 18-51 Michael Brown Jr 1-3; Aiken (21-92) Andre Underwood 12-31 Mikelle Moore 8-27 Jatrell Hunter 6-34
RECEIVING: Wil (9-113) Michael Brown Jr 5-44 Zane Smith 2-47 Steven Rickman 2-22; Aiken (2-12) Elijah Lewis 1-7 David Cogar 1-5
YARDS/PLAYS: W 57-299; A 36-104
INTERCEPTIONS: Wil-Michael Brown Jr 1, Eli Stewart 1; Aiken-David Cogar 2
FIRST DOWNS: W-15, A-8
PENALTIES: W 5-50; A 8-59
FUM RECOVERY: Payden Mowyer 1 Jonathan Custis 1
