The Woodrow Wilson football team clashed with powerhouse Highland Park High School on Friday for the right to advance to the next stage of the playoffs but fell short, 49-24, against the high-powered Scots offense. With their playoff run over, the Wildcats will need to start preparing for next year and that includes finding replacements for several of their star offensive players, including quarterback Piers Christian, running back Shaquille Dottin and top wide receiver Andre Plata.

On a night where everything had to be perfect for Woodrow Wilson to have a shot at upsetting Highland Park, Christian had a pedestrian outing as the signal caller. He completed nine passes for 104 yards and an interception and also had 22 yards on the ground. Four of his completions were to Plata, who had 63 total receiving yards. Christian finishes the season with prolific stats that include over 2,500 total yards of offense and 30 touchdowns.

With the passing game struggling, Dottin tried his hardest to carry the Wildcats on his back the entire game. He was a workhorse on the ground, carrying the ball 25 times for 165 and the lone offensive score. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough. For the season, Dottin had over 200 carries for 1,457 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Oddly enough, the game would have been even more of a blowout if it wasn't for the Woodrow Wilson defense. True, the Wildcats gave up over 500 yards of total offense and surrendered seven touchdowns to the Scots, but they also intercepted quarterback Brady Burgin three times and returned two of those interceptions for scores. But Woodrow had no answer for Highland Park running back Preston Miller, who gashed the defense for 169 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. And Burgin, despite his struggles through the air, ran in a pair of touchdowns on his own to seal the victory.

Photos courtesy of Rob Graham