WHEELER – An unbelievable defensive effort complimented by a controlling offense was what Wheeler needed to make it a memorable Halloween night at a packed Nicholson Field.
In a game that felt like a throwback to the 1990’s, the Wheeler Mustangs have put their names in the conversation of Region II getting a complete team win by blanking rival Wellington 13-0 to claim the District 5-2A Division II championship and top-seed.
This victory was truly special for a Mustang program with a proud tradition, as Wheeler (8-1 overall, 4-0 in district) earned its first win over the powerhouse Skyrockets for the first time since 2006.
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“I wasn’t even in coaching the last time Wheeler beat Wellington,” said head coach, Matt Hoover, who is in his fifth season at Wheeler. “I get a little emotional talking about what this win means to this community and these players. We thought we had a chance last year and they beat us. We have been telling these players for the last five years, Wellington has a tremendous program and we want to be where they are but they put their pads on just like us. When I got here, these seniors were in eighth grade and they’ve believed in us as coaches.”
Senior quarterback Creed Newkirk echoed his coaches sentiment.
“This win is huge for us,” said Newkirk, who is a four-year starting QB at Wheeler. “The community has had our backs since we were freshman. I’ve been on varsity for four years and I was thrown in the fire as a freshman when we went 1-9. It’s hard to put into words how special this was. We have been mentally tough this year and we played hard-nosed football.”
Defense, defense and more defense. That has been what the Mustangs built their season on and that’s how they beat the Skyrockets (7-2, 3-1) on Friday. Wheeler pitched its fifth shutout on the year – behind a defensive unit that’s allowed only 20 points all season – and did it with a bend don’t break mentality.
Wellington had multiple opportunities driving the ball inside the Wheeler 10-yard line on the opening drive of the game. After that drive stalled, the Skyrockets muffed a field goal attempt. On the next possession, another fourth down for the Skyrockets came to a halt inside the Wheeler 10-yard line and to close out the first half, a Callen Kane pass from the Wheeler 11-yard line was intercepted by Mustang defender Israel Andrade.
“We didn’t execute when we needed to,” Wellington head coach Greg Proffitt said. “In this type of game you can’t do that. Wheeler is really good and they were able to keep the ball away from us. We didn’t capitalize and made too many mistakes. That’s a huge win for Wheeler and hats off to them.”
The second half was total domination. An aggressive defensive line led by 6-foot-5 Jackson Graves, flustered Kane into two more interceptions and even when the Skyrockets hit a big pass play to Noah Cantu, the Mustangs stripped Cantu for a fumble recovery.
In total, Wheeler had four turnovers on the night, held the Skyrockets to 281 yards and limited Wellington to 4-of-11 on third downs.
“This defense has been a rock for us all season,” Hoover said. “They have set us up in great situations and won us some ball games. It’s a testament to these guys. They watch so much film, they know what the opponents offense is going to do. They are always prepared and believing in themselves. They play fast and are always aggressive.”
The Wheeler offense followed suit with a very strategic outing led by captain Creed Newkirk.
The four-year starting quarterback and his big boys won the line of scrimmage. The Mustangs only had two possessions in the first half but made the most of it. On the opening drive, Newkirk led an impressive and balanced, 11-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a five-yard Newkirk plunge for a touchdown putting the Mustangs up 7-0.
On the second possession in the second quarter, Newkirk and company were back to work, going nine plays in 95 yards highlighted when Newkirk broke loose for a 36-yard sprint to paydirt as Wheeler went up 13-0.
“The offense did a great job,” Hoover said. “We knew we needed to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in this game. We did a great job of winning those battles and running the ball when we needed to.”
Newkirk agreed.
“We came out and we wanted to be the more physical team,” Newkirk said. “We did that and that gave us confidence as the game continued as we set the tone.”
The most impressive Wheeler drive didn’t even result in points. The Mustangs took over possession with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter and were able to get four first downs and run out the clock.
Newkirk finished the game being called upon 24 times to carry the rock and delivered rushing for 141 yards with both scores. He was also 4-of-6 for 61 yards passing. Chris Gallardo was a great compliment rushing for 62 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, Abraham Sigala led Wheeler with 11 tackles and a second half interception, defensive end Jackson Graves was in the Wellington backfield the entire night racking up six tackles with a sack and Garrett Ashurst had nine tackles with a pick.
Wellington’s Kane did go 15-of-26 for 207 yards despite the three interceptions. Kamron Brooks was superb as well catching seven passes for 87 yards.