Millard North football coach Allen Burrell Jr. does not have to worry if his Mustangs will be lined up correctly on defense because he knows that senior safety Josiah Wardlow will have everyone lined up where they should be.
“He is a very special kid,” Burrell Jr. said. “He gets guys lined up. He’s a leader, and he’s super competitive. He competes, and he gets on his teammates when they’re not playing to our standards.”
Wardlow has been a mainstay in the Millard North defensive backfield for each of the past two seasons, recording 39 tackles as a junior and 37 so far in his senior season.
The Mustangs (9-1), who are the No. 3 seed in the Class A playoffs, have allowed just 61 points during their nine-game winning streak (6.8 points per game). Millard North limited Creighton Prep to 160 yards of total offense in a 32-13 Mustang win Friday to open the playoffs. Millard North hosts Omaha North in the quarterfinals Nov. 6 at Buell Stadium.
“I think we have a really underrated defense,” Wardlow said. “A lot of teams overlook us, and we had to go through a lot of adversity to get here. Coach (Burrell Jr.) said that you’ve got to grow through it to go through it. We’ve been working all year, and it’s good that it is finally showing up now.”
Burrell Jr. said that Wardlow’s leadership helped ease the transition to Millard North for players who are in their first year in the program, including his defensive backfield mate, Tory Pittman III.
“Josiah was one of those guys that sold our vision of our code, ‘Code Blue’ and told them what we were doing,” he said. “He believes in it, and he’s getting everyone else to believe in what we’re doing over the 144th and Pacific, and that’s a special thing when you have a young man like that because it rubs off on other guys on our team.”
As a safety, Wardlow is tasked with defending both the opposition’s pass game as well as the running game, so he has to see the whole field as the play develops.
“It kind of just depends on what coverage (we’re in),” Wardlow said. “If I’m in zone, I’m reading the quarterback’s eyes. I’m going right from the linemen onto the snap, and then if it’s pass, I’m right on the quarterback’s eyes. If it’s man (to-man), I’m reading the receiver’s hip, and then I’m attaching right away.”
Wardlow has eight pass deflections on the season and also intercepted Millard South quarterback Trae Taylor in the season-opener.
Burrell Jr. knows that Wardlow will excel no matter where he’s put on the field or no matter what he is tasked with doing.
“He can play many positions for us,” Burrell Jr. said. “He’s really good with the ball in his hands and he has great ball skills on the back end. He’s a ball hawk. He covers ground in the run fits, so just a tremendous talent.”
Wardlow recently committed to play at the University of Pennsylvania. The Quakers currently rank in the top 10 of FCS defenses with 160.9 passing yards allowed per game, and he said the coaching staff was what sold him on the program.
“The coaches, they’re so personable,” he said. “We’re super similar. They just got a new coaching staff, and I trust in them to develop me.”
In addition to playing football, he is also looking forward to the opportunities attending an Ivy League institution will bring.
“I’ll get away from home and go explore a different part of the country,” Wardlow said. “If I’m on my A game and I get that degree while playing football, I have a really good option and either playing football or going into a career and just being making money.”
Burrell Jr. said the impact Wardlow is making on the Millard North program will continue to be felt even when he is playing in the Ivy League.
“He’s a special kid,” he said. “He truly is a leader. He’s the kid that literally our young players look up to. He tutors players. I couldn’t say enough about that young man, and I’m so glad he’s a part of our program here at Millard North.”
