Wakefield’s defense steps up in Cap-8 victory against Heritage football
It wasn’t always pretty, but Wakefield found a way to defeat Cap-8 4A opponent Heritage 29-14 with some great play on defense.
Dontel Dunston led the charge for the Wolverines (8-2, 4-2) on that side of the ball by scoring a 70-yard fumble return touchdown in the first quarter. In the second half, with the Huskies (4-6, 2-4) pinned to the goal line, Dunston got the safety.
The Wakefield offense, powered by quarterback Matt McKay, showed flashes of its potential. McKay had three passing touchdowns.
Heritage, on the other hand, struggled to move the ball most of the night but had bright spots in all three phases. It recorded a blocked punt, two fumble recoveries and a 45-yard touchdown pass from Devin Grant to Zach Gemmell.
Turning point
The fumble return for a touchdown by Dunston in the first quarter set the tone for the Wolverines. Heritage had a fourth-and-1 at the Wakefield 30. There seemed to be some confusion with Grant and his running back, and Dunston stepped in between, wrestled the ball away and ran it back.
Three who mattered
Dontel Dunston, Wakefield: Dunston’s play on the fumble return touchdown and the safety were impressive, but that wasn’t all he did. On Wakefield’s final touchdown, Dunston ran in the two-point conversion.
Jalen Pittman, Heritage: Pittman was Heritage’s offense for the first half of the game until he exited with an injury. Pittman started out the game at receiver but moved over to quarterback. He finished with 84 yards on the ground with a touchdown.
Andrew Bennett, Wakefield: Bennett only carried the ball 10 times, but he made them all count with 102 yards. He was also responsible for an interception late in the game.
By the numbers
2: Fake punts attempted by Heritage in the first quarter, and both were converted. On the first play, Drake Thomas took a pass from Parker George for 13 yards. On the second play, the Huskies went back to Thomas with the direct snap, and he rumbled for 13 and the first down.
24: Number of penalties between both sides with an even 12 for each team.
-24: Heritage running back Haki Bradley ran for -24 yards on 14 carries. But don’t blame Bradley – credit the Wolverines defensive line for consistently hitting him as soon as he touched the ball.
This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Wakefield’s defense steps up in Cap-8 victory against Heritage football."