By Chris Preston
Correspondent
Burlington Free Press
Published: Sunday, November 4, 2007
JERICHO -- Six-foot, 240-pound junior Brian Wilcox carried Mount Mansfield on his broad shoulders Saturday, as the massive running back's three touchdowns were the difference in the top-seeded Cougars' 39-20 defeat of No. 4 seed Colchester in the Division II high school football semifinals.
Wilcox (15 carries, 134 yards) bowled over countless Colchester defenders, rumbling for 64, 5, and 40 yards on the three touchdowns.
"The kid's a horse," MMU head coach Marty Richards said. "He gets better every week. All the kids had nice runs. We just blocked extremely well and made it happen."
Wilcox wasn't the Cougars' only rushing stud Saturday. Fullback Connor Gallagher's 14-yard touchdown run with 5:36 to play staked MMU to a 32-20 lead after the Lakers had pulled to within five on their previous drive. It was the dagger in a back-and-forth game that was closer than the final score indicated.
Wilcox credited the Cougars' offensive line with the team's dominance on the ground.
"It was all our line, as usual," he said. "They open up the holes; we just run through them."
A highly opportunistic MMU defense also played a large part in the win. For a second week in a row, the Cougars intercepted four balls, two by Ben Dolan and one each by Ethan Blum and Louie Toulis. Blum also recovered a fumble deep in Colchester territory late in the first half, leading to one Wilcox's touchdowns.
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"Our defense plays best when their backs are against the wall," said Richards. "We came up with some big plays whenever we had to."
Despite hindering themselves with six turnovers, the Lakers remained in the game until Gallagher's fourth-quarter score. Spurred by the dynamic rushing duo of Jamie Mumley (19 carries, 114 yards) and Kevin Warner, Colchester took a 6-3 lead with 2:53 left in the first quarter on Mumley's 21-yard sprint up the middle.
Though MMU's response was emphatic -- the Cougars scored 18 unanswered points in a 5:40 span in the second quarter -- the Lakers hung tough, as lightning-fast kick returner Devin Grappo, a late-season call-up from the junior varsity squad, took one 85 yards just before the half to pull the Lakers back to within 22-13.
Colchester (7-3) inched closer with 9:31 to play in the fourth on quarterback Dan Soons' 15-yard touchdown pass to Warner along the sidelines.
But MMU had too much Wilcox and too much Gallagher for Colchester to overcome.
With the win the Cougars advanced to the Nov. 10 championship game against second-seeded Spaulding at 2 p.m. at Burlington High School.
"Next week, talent isn't going to matter," Wilcox insisted. "It's going to be about who's amped and who has the most heart and desire."
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