Friday Night Football: Still Running Wilde (Lake)

As the clock ticked down in the Wildecats 13-0 loss to Westlake in the 2008 Class 3A state championship, Wilde Lake coach Doug Duvall turned to assistant Mike Harrison with a culminating thought.

"Well, that was it," Duvall said.

And so was the end of a 36-year run as the head football coach at .

That was then.

This Friday, when the Wildecats take the field at Damascus in the state semifinals, they'll be playing for an opportunity to return to M&T Bank Stadium and make up for what would have been a storybook ending in Duvall's final season as coach.

"We had some kids that were on that team," Harrison, now Wilde Lake's head coach, said of his current roster.

Quarterback Joe Kelly was the punter. Running back/linebacker E.J. Gilman was a starting linebacker.

"They told the kids about the experience of getting this far," Harrison said. "We've been able to use that as we go through. I think the kids are appreciative of the chance they have to be playing football."

Getting to this point alone has been an accomplishment for Wilde Lake.

. This is the 17th playoff appearance for Wilde Lake since it first qualified in 1985. In that span, the Wildecats have won five state titles. And then there's that runner-up finish in 2008.

This year's team has been just that – a team.

There is no superstar on the stat sheet for Wilde Lake. Senior tailback Khalil Viera leads the team in rushing, with 982 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He's also scored three times on pass plays and leads the team in points. Of the team's touchdowns, 32 have come on the ground and nine through the air.

Gilman has seven touchdowns and ranks second on the team in rushing, as well as second on the squad in tackles.

Wilde Lake has six rushers with more than 200 yards on the ground this season, and part of the program's goal is to develop depth during the season, Harrison said.

"They're a good team," Damascus coach Eric Wallich said. "They've obviously beaten some good teams the last couple weeks. You have to totally respect a team that lost to somebody during the year and came back and beat two of those teams in the playoffs."

Damascus is no pushover themselves. The Swarmin' Hornets are 12-0 this season, and 27-7 in Wallich's three years as head coach.

Quarterback Connor Frazier has thrown for 21 touchdowns against just one interception. He's also rushed for 598 yards and five touchdowns.

"They're not the No. 1 football team in the state by accident. They're a quality football team," Harrison said. "They have a great quarterback, four or five kids who make great contributions on offense."

Like Wilde Lake, Damascus has a rich playoff tradition. The Swarmin' Hornets have made 19 playoff appearances since 1981, winning seven state championships. They lost in the regional semifinals last season and in 2008, after winning the state title in 2007.

Wilde Lake last won a state title in 1997, but they've made a state semifinal appearance three times in four years. Even after a change at the top of the program, success remains constant.

"I think after a while, when you're on the inside of the program, you take it for granted a little bit," Harrison said. "We're real proud, the kids are working hard. It's a motivating factor. They don't want to be the class to let certain standards fall off."

As for Harrison, the goal is to continue on a tradition he helped build with Duvall.

"I got an opportunity to play for a great coach, coach with a great coach, learn from a great coach," Harrison said. "Maybe someday they'll say I was a pretty decent guy and a pretty decent football coach."