Wilson scored on runs of 44, 22 and 52 yards, including two in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. He moved to quarterback in the second half due to injuries.
“I was just trying to execute and win for my team,” Wilson said. “Wherever they need me, I’ll go.”
Wolverines coach James Lacking was happy to get a victory for his program, which opened the season against four 4-1 teams and another 3-3 team.
“It’s been rough up to this point,” Lacking said. “We’ve been fighting, scratching and clawing. We’ve been trying to celebrate the positives and get better every snap, every day. It’s starting to pay off a little bit.”
Thurgood Marshall senior Norman Spearman ran for a 17-yard TD as the Cougars fell to 0-6 and 0-1 in the conference.
“I’m really proud of my boys,” said Cougars coach Darlye Wilson. “They’ve been working extremely hard in practice, getting better every day. I have a really young team. Right now we just have to continue to stack days. We’re going to learn from this, we’re going to continue to grow and we’re going to build on it.”
The Cougars recovered an onside kick to open the game. They drove the ball for more than seven minutes, scoring on a 17-yard run by Spearman.
Dunbar fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, giving the Cougars the ball back near midfield. It was the only offensive play the Wolverines would run the entire first quarter.
With 1:47 remaining in the first half, the Wolverines finally broke through. Wilson scored on a 44-yard run to tie the game and senior Jace Allen caught the 2-point conversion pass to give Dunbar the lead for good.
“Will is a phenomenal athlete,” Lacking said. “He’s got exceptional speed. We called on him in the clutch and he was able to come through for us. I give credit to the guys up front, too. They were able to open some holes for him.”
The Cougars drove the ball to Dunbar’s 32-yard line at the end of the first half, but Wolverines junior Derrick Hardy intercepted a pass to end the threat.
In the fourth quarter, Wilson scored on a 22-yard run with 10:09 remaining and sophomore Ulysses Porter ran in the two-point conversion to give Dunbar a 16-6 lead.
The Cougars again drove the ball deep into Wolverines territory, but weren’t able to find the end zone.
“We really challenged our offensive line this week,” Wilson said. “We made a few personnel changes and some guys really stepped up. That was our game plan to be able to run the ball and dominate and utilize the guys that we had, we just weren’t able to punch it in and finish.”
With 1:40 remaining, Wilson broke free for a 52-yard TD run, sealing the victory for Dunbar.
Thurgood Marshall (0-6, 0-1) plays Belmont (3-2, 1-0) at noon Saturday, Oct. 5, at Welcome Stadium.
Dunbar (1-5, 1-0) hosts Meadowdale (3-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at Welcome Stadium.
“We respect those guys,” Lacking said. “They’ve got some exceptional talent over there as well and a new coaching staff. We’re trying to renew the rivalry we had when I played here. It should be pretty exciting next week.”
While Dunbar always wants to have postseason success, Lacking said, the first goal is to bring home the City League title — and the bragging rights that come with it.
“Ultimately, we want to make sure we solidify the city championship,” Lacking said.
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