Photo courtesy of Dan Besett
DEFENSIVE BATTLE. Wilson defensive back Chris Fitzgerald makes a diving tackle of a Shelton Highclimber in the Rams’ 6-3 win Sept. 21. Another defensive back, Desmond Trufant, spurred Wilson to victory with a late interception that set up Wilson’s only touchdown drive of the game.
The Wilson Rams tried all game long to get their offense up and running against the Shelton Highclimbers with little success. With time ticking off the clock in the fourth quarter, though, an interception by Desmond Trufant jumpstarted the only scoring drive the Rams would need in their 6-3 homecoming victory.
After Shelton took a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal by Matt Tuttle with 6:49 left in the contest, the Rams seemed to be staring at a loss, and when Wilson quarterback John May threw an incomplete pass to end their next drive at the Highclimbers' 39-yard line, victory seemed out of reach.
However, the Highclimbers' drive ended early on the ensuing possession and Wilson's hope kicked into gear when Trufant put his hands on a pass from Shelton's Jacob Hicks at the Wilson 33-yard line. The junior returned the ball to the Shelton 38, and it was time for the offense to go to work.
"The game would have been probably over if he didn't make that," said Wilson coach Don Clegg. "He changed the momentum of the game."
The interception was Trufant's second of the game and fourth of the season.
"That helped the team a lot because we needed some confidence because we were kind of down on offense," Trufant said.
Six plays after the interception, running back Tomasi Unga ran 11 yards to score, giving Wilson its first and only lead of the game with just 49 seconds left.
"When you battle all game and your team calls on you, it's time to step up," Unga said. "We stepped up."
Unga ran the ball 11 times in the contest to lead the Rams with 58 rushing yards.
Shelton ended up turning the ball over on downs on the next possession and Wilson took a knee to move its record to 3-1 on the season.
"Give all the credit to Shelton, they came to play. It was a battle of the defenses tonight," Unga said. "I'm not going to say our offense played the best they could, but Shelton did a good job."
Defense was certainly on display that night as both teams combined for just 361 yards offensively and seven turnovers. Wilson's defense was especially strained in the early going due to the fact that its starting punter was out with a groin pull.
"The kids showed a lot of guts tonight, especially on defense," Clegg said. "To lose our punter and have the ball on the 50-yard line for five straight possessions and keep them out of the end zone, that says a lot about the character of the kids."
Shelton running back Kyle Burbridge was the leading rusher in the game with 65 yards on 19 carries.
While the game may have been ugly on the field, the numbers on the scoreboard were anything but for Wilson. The Rams kick off league play Sept. 28 against South Kitsap and are happy to have three wins heading in.
"We can't get too big headed at this point," Unga said. "We have a lot of tougher teams to play."
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