Leon Young scores four touchdowns to lead Wakefield over Marshall, 33-19

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/leon-young-scores-four-touchdowns-to-lead-wakefield-over-marshall-33-19/2015/10/23/d86c0e46-79ce-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html

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Wakefield senior Leon Young was all over the field Friday night in the Warriors’ homecoming game against Marshall. The indefatigable tailback plowed and spun his way to 171 yards on 27 carries, not to mention 92 yards on five catches. He also racked up tackles and pass breakups as a defensive back.

When it was all said and done, his coach could only shake his head in mock disapproval.

“He was 30 yards short,” Wakefield Coach Wayne Hogwood said. “I told him before the game we needed 200 yards and four touchdowns. He’s 30 yards short, so I’m going to yell at him later.”

Young might have fallen short of Hogwood’s ground goal, but he didn’t disappoint with two rushing touchdowns and two receiving, marking his second straight four-touchdown outing. It all added up to a 33-19 victory in a critical Conference 13 battle in Arlington.

“I wanted 200 yards on the ground, but I’ll take over 200 all-purpose,” Young said. “We got the win, so that’s all I really care about. As long as we’re getting wins and everybody’s healthy, I’m okay.”

Marshall junior place kicker Robert Guenther converted a 29-yard field goal to trim Wakefield’s lead to 13-10 at the half, and sophomore Eric Vervuurt took the second half’s opening kickoff 74 yards to the end zone to give the Statesmen a 16-13 lead before the extra point was blocked.

But Wakefield (6-2, 4-0 Conference 13) rattled off 20 unanswered points, starting with a 14-play, 90-yard drive capped by a diving touchdown catch from — who else? — Young.

“He’s a great kid. He’s been our man since he was a sophomore,” Hogwood said. “In games like this he wants the ball, and I’m going to give him the ball. That’s what he does.”

Young’s catch gave Wakefield a 20-16 advantage midway through the third quarter, and the Warriors held firm from there. They held Marshall (4-4, 3-1) without a touchdown the rest of the way, yielding only a 36-yard field goal from Guenther with 4 minutes 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Wakefield’s defense held the Statesmen to 76 total yards in the second half. The Warriors also capitalized on 11 Marshall penalties.

The victory put Wakefield firmly in the driver’s seat in the Conference 13 race. The defending conference champions — who made the playoffs for the first time in 30 years last season — close the regular season against Jefferson and Lee, two teams with three wins between them.

More importantly, the Warriors are playing for a fallen teammate. Lucas Guajardo, a junior running back, died on the afternoon of their 24-7 loss to Yorktown on Sept. 11. Wakefield has won every subsequent game as Guajardo’s memory has burned bright.

“This is huge for the community, the school and the program,” Hogwood said. “We’ve jelled and become one family, one unit, and played hard for one another. We’re doing this for him.”