BY GENE NARDI
The Wellington High School football team traveled to Callery-Judge Stadium on Friday, Oct. 2 to play Seminole Ridge High School in a district match. In a hard-fought battle, Wellington held on to win 24-21.
The win sets the Wolverines at 4-2 for the season and unbeaten in District 9-8A. The Hawks fell to 1-4 on the season. The win marks the second in a row against the Hawks for Wellington. This season also marks the first in several years that all the area schools have played one other.
Wellington can now claim local bragging rights this season. The Wolverines first defeated Royal Palm Beach High School 27-21, then Palm Beach Central High School 35-6, and closed the local arena with the win against the Hawks. “The other schools were always dominant, and now we’re trying to make a powerhouse football team,” Wellington coach Tom Abel said. “It’s nice for the program.”
Wellington went up early 14-0 in the first quarter. Quarterback Blake Dever found receiver Ahmmon Richards for the first score of 75 yards, and then connected with receiver Kevin Wright for 52 yards. Wellington continued to move the ball but couldn’t find the back of the end zone. Seminole Ridge was able to cut the margin to seven when quarterback Jeremiah Brown threw a 25-yard pass to receiver Ty Smith to end the first half 14-7.
The second half started slow for Wellington, with the Hawks forcing a punt. Seminole Ridge then put a drive together that consumed the entire third quarter and capped it with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Joseph Schergen. The score tied the game 14-14. “It’s no secret that we struggle against the run teams, but we’re constantly working with our defense,” Abel said.
The touchdown sparked the Wellington offense. To start the fourth quarter, Dever led his squad 50 yards but struggled inside the red zone against a relentless Hawk defense. Kicker Logan Robinson capped the drive with a 28-yard field goal to retake the lead for the Wolverines 17-14.
Wellington continued to roll on offense, with a balanced attack. Mark Anthony Richards capped a 60-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Wolverines a 24-14 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, both teams traded turnovers, but it was the Hawks that capitalized with Brown connecting to Smith for a 45-yard score to close the gap to 24-21, with 25 seconds left on the clock.
“He has been great for us this year, and he’s only a sophomore,” Hawks coach Scott Barnwell said of Brown. “We’re excited about him in the future.”
Wellington recovered an on-side kick attempt by the Hawks, and ran out the clock for the win. Both teams combined for 692 yards on offense.
“Good teams win ugly, and I don’t know if we’re a good team yet, but we do win ugly,” Abel said. “We still have a long way to go.”
Dever was eight of 18 for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Mark Anthony Richards had eight carries for 69 yards and a score. Richards and Wright both had touchdowns.
Wellington hosts unbeaten William T. Dwyer High School, while Seminole Ridge will travel to Boynton Beach High School, both on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.
ABOVE: Seminole Ridge running back Joseph Schergen powers forward for a first down.
