The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The Wilson Bruins 2024 season was already a success before they even stepped foot on the field of their championship game. It was Wilson’s first ever championship appearance in school history on Saturday at Highland in the CIF-SS Division 9 playoffs, and despite a strong effort, the Bruins fell to Highland 14-13.
Under first-year head coach Travis Clark, it was also the Bruins first playoff appearance in five years. The last time they even made it to the semifinals was in 2017 in Division 6.
“I’m super proud of these guys, they made a little bit of history. Obviously we wanted to finish it off and we thought we had it but it was a tough night,” said Clark. But I’m so proud of these kids, especially the seniors. They’ve never been to the playoffs and for them to take the ride all the way to the end was awesome.”
Wilson was just inches away from making more history on Saturday night but came up short on a few late fourth quarter drives. The Bruins gave up a tip-drill interception while down a point on what could have been their game-winning drive, and turned the ball over on downs a drive earlier while up 13-7.
On that drive, the Bruins found themselves at their own six-yard line on 4th and 5 where they set up to kick a field goal which would have put them up by two possessions. Highland then jumped offsides before the kick, setting up a 4th and 2 at the three-yard line. The Bruins proceeded to go for it, throwing a jump ball on the short side of the field into double coverage that ended up at the hands of a Bulldog defender.
Fans at the game and on social media questioned the decision after the game in a situation where the Bruins could have kicked a field goal and led by nine. After the game, Clark said that Thomas Jones, Wilson’s kicker, had been battling an injury and wasn’t prepared to kick the field goal which bled into his decision on fourth down.
“He didn’t have a good angle and he has some rib issues,” said Clark of Jones, who had missed a PAT earlier in the game. “He’s been struggling with some PAT’s recently and he’s never had those issues. He didn’t feel confident he was gonna make it so we decided we’d try to do something that we practice everyday and it just didn’t work. It’s unfortunate. I think my kids did everything that we asked them to do. I just wish we had another shot at that fourth and one.”
Both teams swapped punts to open the game before Wilson opened up the scoring on a 16 play, 89-yard scoring drive in the second half. The Bruins capped it off with a five-yard touchdown plunge from Deuce Weston to take a 7-0 lead.
“It was just the little things,” Deuce said of his scoring dive. Weston had just 32 rushing yards as the focus point of Highland’s defense but still came up with two scores. “I just had to keep a strong mentality. I knew they were coming for me. I knew it might not be a long-run game but every four to six yards matters.”
That sparked the scoring for the Bulldogs, who replied on their ensuing drive with a seven play drive that started at the Wilson 41-yard line. Running back Roderick Erwin concluded that drive with a three-yard touchdown to tie the game going into half.
On Wilson’s opening drive of the second half the Bruins were given 45 yards in Bulldog penalties but found no points to show for it. The Bruins were stuffed on a 4th and 2 at the end of the drive that ended in a turnover on downs.
The Bruins came up with a sack on their next defensive drive from Christian Caesar who came up huge for the Wilson defense. The senior came up with a handful tackles for loss and brought an experienced presence to the Bruins defense.
“All gas, no brakes. Foot on their necks,” said Caesar of his mindset in the championship game. “That’s what I kept telling my teammates. Every play, every time. Just keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing.”
On Wilson’s ensuing drive the Bruins marched down the field for a seven-play, 55-yard drive that included another 15-yard flag on the Bulldogs. Weston capped that drive off for his second touchdown of the game from 10-yards out to put Wilson up 13-7.
Highland’s game-winning drive went for 97-yards on 16 plays and took up over six minutes of game clock capped off by a five-yard Jaden Williams rushing touchdown. Williams finished the game with 13 carries for 56 yards and that score.
For Wilson, QB Mack Cooper went 13/19 for 204 passing yards. Receiver Maxwell Barbee capped off his senior season with six catches for 115 yards.
“We’re all coming off with no regrets. I think we all fought very hard,” Barbee said. “There’s little technical things that we didn’t do the best but I think everyone can say that we fought hard and that was the goal before the game. Just fight.”
