Lake County Sentinel
Wenz powers Blue Devils past Scarabs 38-6
BY TIM SHIRER
SPORTS EDITOR
Entering Friday night’s week two game at Wickliffe Memorial Stadium, their first game on the team’s new artificial turf field the Blue Devils were 0-1 and were facing the East Tech Scarabs who were also 0-1. Wickliffe ushered in their new field in style as they exterminated the Scarabs 38-6.
The first quarter nearly went scoreless until :56 left on the clock and Scarabs QB Gaines fumbled in the endzone and Wick Junior QB/DB/K/P Shawn Derganc fell on the ball for a Blue Devils touchdown. Derganc’s extra point sailed wide left keeping Wickliffe’s lead at 6-0.
Wickliffe extended their lead to 14-0 with 5:46 left in the second quarter. The TD came when Derganc kept the ball and r an into the endzone from 14 yards out. Senior Thomas Wenz, Wickliffe’s only returning starter from the 2020 Blue Devils who made a deep playoff run ran the ball in converting the two-point conversion.
Wenz was a difference maker in the game running the ball 14 times for 88 yards. Previously Wenz had only played defensively and on the offensive line. But due to some injuries Wenz was given a shot to carry the ball and his bruising style of enjoying contact with the defenders was something the Scarabs did not enjoy.
Wickliffe’s defense scored the Blue Devils third TD when Junior Vince Gargiulo intercepted a Gaines pass and returned it 15 yards for the score with 4:32 remaining in the first half. Derganc took the ball into the endzone himself to convert the two-point conversion and give Wickliffe the 22-0 advantage. Gargiulo who missed most of the 2020 season with a back injury was just getting started on a nice night.
Wenz capped his night on the ground with 8:36 left in the third quarter when he plunged across the goal line from four yards out giving the Blue Devils the 30-0 lead after Derganc converted the two-point conversion on a keeper.
With the running clock now in play with the Blue Devils 30 point lead the Scarabs were able to notch their only score of the game when Gaines took the ball into the endzone from 14 yards out. The Conversion failed keeping the score at 30-6 with 4:52 left in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils put the final touches on the scoring with 10:40 left in the game when Gargiulo carried the ball into the endzone from 13 yards. Derganc once again kept the ball on the two-point conversion giving the Blue Devils a 38-6 lead.
Derganc finished the night with a nice stat line as he completed three passes for 53 yards, he also ran the ball eight times for 22 yards. The big man and leading rusher in the game was Gargiulo as he ran the ball 16 times for 88 yards. Gargiulo also caught two passes for 32 yards. The junior had a combined 135 yards total on offense and defense (including the INT return) in the Blue Devils win.
The Wickliffe defense that gave up 27 points and 289 yards offense week one rebounded on Friday giving up only 6 points and 125 yards and looked much better in many areas including finishing tackles something that was a bit of a struggle week one.
Next week the Blue Devils will travel to Painesville’s Jack Britt Stadium to take on the Painesville Harvey Red Raiders (0-2) at 7 pm.
tshirer@lakecountysentinel.com follow Tim on Twitter @TBBucsTim or follow us on Twitter @LCSentinelcom
POSTED 08/28/2021 00:22
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