“My head was empty, and the only thing I was thinking is if I don’t get this big run, Coach Bailey’s going to be on me,” Wakilongo said of the 58-yarder. “Because as you just saw I could have had multiple big runs, but they were ankle tackling me.”
On the 30-yard score, Wakilongo spun out of the hands of two tacklers.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “It’s like my legs we’re moving by themselves.. My whole head, like blanked out. And I woke up in the end zone.”
Since the opening game of his junior season, people have been waking up to Wakilongo’s talent when he surprised everyone with 192 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Fairfield. He finished for 173 yards and three touchdowns last week.
“I’ve been slept on my whole football career,” he said. “Not a lot of people believed that I was ready for that. Not a lot of people thought of me as a playmaker. But I told myself all those years that I’m going to keep working and prove them wrong.”
Bowling Green isn’t sleeping. The Falcons saw what Wakilongo accomplished in his junior season (995 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) and offered him a scholarship. In July, Wakilongo committed to the Falcons.
Wakilongo says the path to that offer and commitment began in the eighth grade. That’s when Morry Gray began training him and preparing him for that Fairfield breakout game last year. And that preparation for this season and beyond continued over the offseason.
“I would like to give a big shout out to my trainer, Mr. Morry,” Wakilongo said. “He’s been pushing me because he wants me to have a better performance than my junior year. Every day he would wake me up early in the morning to do drills like stadium steps at 5 a.m. Even though I didn’t want to wake up, he pushed me. He always motivates me. I’m thankful for him because right now, my senior year is going very well.”
Wakilongo’s gratitude isn’t limited to 5 a.m. workouts.
“And a big shout out to my O line and my teammates for pushing me during camps,” he said. “Because they knew this would be a big key to this team. And they just kept on pushing me and pushing me and pushing me in the weight room and on the field.”
Wakilongo’s goal is to be elite. He wants to become more of a pass catcher and blocker and be a blend of Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings. After taking several seconds to think about it, he decided Cook is the one he most wants to be like.
“I tried to mimic his game a little bit,” he said. “I’m trying to work on my spin moves, too He’s a very shifty back, he’s slippery. And that’s what I want to be.”
T-Bolts look to stay unbeaten: Northmont is one of four 2-0 teams in the Greater Western Ohio Conference behind a balanced offense and a defense that has forced eight turnovers.
The Thunderbolts travel to Hilliard Davidsion (2-0) on Friday. Davidson was 7-4 last season and was seeded eighth in Region 3 in the Division I playoffs.
The offense runs through quarterback Deuce Cortner, who has thrown for 434 yards and four touchdowns. The passing game has been marked by the big play, averaging 18.9 yards per attempt. Dalin Wilkins, DaJuan Lamb, Javien Brownlee and Dorian Brew have combined for 22 catches and 457 yards.
Keeping it on the ground: Carlisle and Northridge meet in a non-conference battle of unbeatens Friday and the ball won’t get much air time.
Jeremy Henry leads Northridge with 420 yards and six touchdowns on 40 carries. Quarterback Jayden Kelly has attempted seven passes and carried the ball nine times for 110 yards.
Blake Lawson leads Carlisle with 194 rushing yards. The biggest offensive contrast is that quarterback Brandon Hampton has accounted for over 400 yards. He’s rushed for 79 on 21 carries. He’s thrown the ball only 14 times but has completed 11 passes for 337 yards and six touchdowns.
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