A football season of resurgence continued for the Wakefield Warriors with their most recent victory during the early portion of the 2025 high-school campaign.
The host Warriors defeated the Justice Wolves, 33-12, the night of Sept. 19 to improve to 3-1 with a third straight win.
The start is the team’s best since standing 4-1 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, when Wakefield finished 4-2.
In the preceding three seasons, the Warriors won a total of just two games. Those came a year ago after having consecutive 0-10 records in 2022 and 2023.
“Once again we played hard and well for all four quarters of a football game, and we played well as a team,” said third-year Wakefield coach Clarence Martin, who began the process of making the Warriors competitive again in 2023 after a 2022 year when they were blown out in nine games.
“We are accomplishing and continue to do what we want to,” Martin told ARLnow.
The three-game winning streak is Wakefield’s first since 2021.
Wakefield has scored 42, 34 and 33 points during its three-game victory string. Those 109 points over a trio of contests are the team’s most since its 2015 championship season in what was then the Capital Conference.
Against winless Justice (0-4) on Sept. 19, Wakefield gained 418 total yards.
Quarterback Judah Connor led the offense by passing for 353 yards. He had long completions including 52, 47, 38, 32, 27 and 26 yards. The 52-yarder was a touchdown to Andrew Mason. Also, Chris Sewell had a long receiver-option pass.
Starting running back Saswat Aryal was injured early in the game and did not finish.
“Judah ran the offense very well, and it was running back by committee after Saswat left, and they did well,” Martin said.
Wakefield had just one turnover, while Andrew Jackson booted multiple extra points.
Martin also credited Wakefield’s defense, in which the starters didn’t give up much yardage during the first three quarters. Middle linebacker Sean Perry recovered a fumble and was a tackling leader.
Wakefield has a bye this coming weekend and doesn’t play again until Friday, Oct. 3 on the road at 7 p.m. against the currently undefeated Washington-Liberty Generals (4-0, 1-0) in an all-Arlington and Liberty District showdown.
The game will be Wakefield’s first against a district competitor this season.
“That will be a challenge for us, with bragging rights on the line,” Martin said. “Washington-Liberty is having another good season, and they are very good in the trenches. We are excited about that game.”
Wakefield lost to W-L the last three years, falling 38-7 last fall after a close first quarter. The Warriors last defeated the Generals, 7-0, in 2021, for its fifth straight win over Washington-Liberty.
“Wakefield is having a good season, and they always play tough against us,” W-L coach Josh Shapiro told ARLnow of the upcoming meeting.
