MOUNT ORAB — Drew Novak threw for 452 yards and three touchdowns in Western Brown’s 32-14 win over Wilmington Friday night at LaRosa’s Field.
The state-ranked Broncos clinched a share of the SBAAC American Division title. They are 8-1.
Wilmington falls to 5-4 but has clinched a playoff spot for a Week 11 game.
The Hurricane will play at Clinton-Massie in Week 10 Friday night.
According to the Joe Eitel website and the fantastic50.net site, Wilmington could move up as high as No. 9 the Div. III Region 12 standings but can not host in Week 11.
The likeliest placement for WHS is No. 14 with a trip to No. 3 Tippecanoe the likely reward.
On Friday night, Wilmington went toe-to-toe with Western Brown in the first half. It was 12-7 late in the half when WHS threw a pick-six to Ty Loudon of WB and the Hurricane was suddenly down 19-7. With another touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, the Hurricane was down big 26-7 and never recovered.
Thad Stuckey was the lone bright spot on offense, rushing for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
The Hurricane defense, despite Novak’s gaudy numbers, had its moments but near misses and broken tackles by the shifty 6-6 Western Brown signal caller were too much to overcome. WHS forced three turnovers — Josh Snell, O’Ryan Keith, Elijah Stewart.
Wilmington had the right formula to beat the Broncos — run the ball to keep it away from Novak, pressure the passing pocket. But scoring points when the opportunities came up was the downfall of the Huricane. To wit, WHS had an 11-play, 43-yard drive and a 14-play, 58-yard drive that came up empty. One took just under 5:00 off the clock while the other took more than 5:00 off the clock.
SUMMARY
Oct 14, 2022
@LaRosa’s Field, Kibler Stadium
Western Brown 32, Wilmington 14
SCORING
By Quarters
W^7^0^0^7^^14
WB^6^12^14^0^^32
First Quarter
WB: Isaiah Smith 45 yard pass from Drew Novak (PAT Blocked Perdue) 9:08
WIL: Thad Stuckey 13 yard run (Jonathan Custis PAT) 0:03
Second Quarter
WB: Matthew Frye 16 yard pass from Drew Novak (Pass Failed) 7:20
WB: Ty Loudon 31 yard interception return (PAT Failed) 0:52
Third Quarter
WB: Zach Chisman 2 yard run (Novak run) 9:04
WB: Isaiah Smith 23 yard pass from Drew Novak (PAT Failed) 1:00
Fourth Quarter
WIL: Thad Stuckey 5 yard run (Jonathan Custis PAT) 11:56
STATISTICS
Passing: WIL 0-3-1; WB (27-33-1) Drew Novak 27-33-1, 452 yards 3 TD
Rushing: WIL (49-264) Caydn Denniston 23-70, Thad Stuckey 30-215, Aiden Price 5-(-13); WB (15-40) Novak 7-29, Chisman 8-11
Receiving: WIL 0-00; WB (27-452-3) Smith 3-97-2, Frye 4-48-1, Sutton 3-48, Chisman 10-129, Graham 1-22, Osborne 7-109
Interceptions: WIL: Elijah Stewart; WB-Ty Loudon
Fumble Recovery: WIL: Josh Snell, O’Ryan Keith; WB: Chisman
Penalty: WIL 11-95; WB 4-50
