High school football preview: Wellington Dukes
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WELLINGTON — The 2009 high school football season kicks off in less than two weeks, but for Wellington the season started in January.
Aside from the normal offseason program, a group of players gathered every Tuesday morning before school to work on speed and agility drills. The group became known as the Band of Brothers and the effort they put forth on those Tuesday mornings should play a large role in how the Dukes do this season.
“We had 20-30 guys get together every Tuesday morning at 6 a.m.,” said senior Austen Gray, a two-year letterman at running back. “We did shuttle drills, speed hurdles, station drills and a bunch of other things to improve ourselves.
“It was hard going 4-6 last season and we wanted to put in the work so that doesn’t happen again.”
An 11-year streak without a losing season ended last season and the Dukes are looking to start a new winning streak. Although Wellington ended last season with three straight wins, the 2009 Dukes will have their work cut out for them.
In addition to their normal Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division rivals they will face 2008 playoff qualifiers Norwayne, Avon and Clearview.
“We have a tough schedule, no doubt about it,” said coach Matt Stoll, who returns for his 19th year. “We have a tough out-of-conference schedule, as always, to prepare us for conference play. And we get Clearview this year in a crossover game with the Stripes division. Each week is going to be a battle.
“The kids have taken the disappointment from last year and turned it into a positive. The Band of Brothers wasn’t just starting players but second-team players as well. They have set a good example with their leadership and work ethic.”
Another member of the BoB was senior John Bowman, who will take over the quarterback position as well as play cornerback on defense.
“We’ve set high expectations for ourselves,” said Bowman, who played cornerback and split end last season. “We’ve put a lot of work in during the offseason and are anxious to get out there and right the wrongs from last season.”
The Dukes will run the basic Wing-T and Bowman will spend much of his time running the ball or handing it off to either Gray or sophomore Clay Wright. When Bowman puts the ball in the air, junior Austin Fullen will be one of his key receivers. The offensive line should be a strength, led by seniors Greg Knapp (center), Brandon Kaynia (guard), Jacob Manning (tackle) and Todd Hardoby (tight end).
Defensively, Stoll expects much of the Dukes’ success to be determined by the secondary, where sophomores Zac Gilbert and Jason Perry will see action at safety. Although young, they know a little about being thrown into the fire. Both received significant playing time on the varsity basketball team as freshmen.
“Our sophomores will need to step up,” Stoll said. “We have a lot of confidence in them, but how they perform will correlate how successful our defense will be. We’ll have some experienced players back on the defensive side but the young guys are going to have to step up and play like veterans.”
One veteran face missing from the Dukes this season will be longtime assistant and defensive coordinator Tom Roth, who retired following last season so he could watch his son Jeff play for Bellevue. Taking over the defense will be Andy Neuberger while assistants Todd Hodkey, Dan Gundert and Brandon Nolin will oversee individual positions. Former Wellington standout and New York Jets linebacker Ryan Myers is also lending a hand.
“Tom is going to be missed,” Stoll said. “But I’m pleased with the coaches we have here. They’re an enthusiastic group and they all bring a different element to the program.”
The one element everyone on the team wants to see is a return to winning football.
“As seniors we don’t want to go out like last year,” Bowman said. “We want to leave the program on a winning note. And we’re going to do everything we can to make that happen.”
Wellington Dukes
- Coach: Matt Stoll, 19th year
- Conference: Patriot Athletic Conference, Stars Division
- 2008 record: 4-6, 4-3
- Fast fact: Last year marked the first losing season for the Dukes since 1996.
Schedule
- Aug. 28: at Norwayne
- Sept. 4: Avon
- Sept. 11: Edison
- Sept. 18: at Clearview
- Sept. 25: Lutheran West
- Oct. 2: at Oberlin
- Oct. 9: at Buckeye
- Oct. 16: Black River
- Oct. 23: at Keystone
- Oct. 30: Brookside
Contact Hans Schneider at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
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