First-and-Ten Football Notebook: Wilmington enters the SWOC
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The third installment of the First-and-Ten Football Notebook stays in Clinton County as the Wilmington Hurricane are up next on the list of teams visited during the annual two-a-days.
Wilmington, who are two seasons away from joining the South Central Ohio League, are now members of the newly formed Southwest Ohio Conference (SWOC), as Wilmington is a former member of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference.
As the Robin Vida (45-35 in eight seasons at Wilmington)-led Hurricane focus on winning the first SWOC championship, I had the opportunity to watch them practice this week for around an hour. Though it was a practice without pads, it was still entertaining for the fact they were working diligently on perfecting each play they were running.
One of the more exciting moments of the practice came when a Wilmington receiver reached out and made a great catch during a drill while being covered by a defensive back … exciting stuff.
I was glad to get Wilmington to be a part of the third annual First-and-Ten Football Preview (which will have a team preview and features on Wilmington players) because I feel with them coming to the SCOL, along with them being on a few football schedules on teams in the league, this is as good a time as any to get to know one of the newest members of the league (in two years).
As for their new SWOC league, the members of the league will be Harrison, Mt. Healthy, Ross, Little Miami, Edgewood, Talawanda, Northwest and Wilmington.
The SWOC itself on paper looks competitive, but to be honest, I wish the Hurricane were playing in the SCOL this season.
Wilmington opens the season when they host the Washington Blue Lions, as the Hurricane play their home games at Wilmington College.
3 Quick Thoughts on Wilmington
1. Just from watching a portion of their practice, this team looks athletic. They return some all-conference players from last season from a team that went 7-3 last season (2-3 in the FAVC).
2. The Hurricane have some top players to replace from last season as they lost their leading rusher from last season in Damien Tomlinson, who had 596 yards on 141 carries and five touchdowns. Some other key losses for the Hurricane will be Kyle Davis, Jesse McCann, Nick Eden and Jake Weber.
3. One thing head coach Robin Vida said about his team is they have a strength in that they have some experienced players returning and they have good overall team speed and strength. I'll have more of an opportunity next week to see the Hurricane when they face McClain in a scrimmage at McClain Field in Greenfield on Saturday, Aug. 11.
Two Must-See Games
Week 1 (Aug. 24) vs. Washington — This is a rivalry game from the "old" SCOL, and the two teams have the potential to put on a good game for the first week of the season. It doesn't hurt these two teams are less than 30 miles apart either. Should be a fun game for those who attend. The Hurricane also play Miami Trace in Week 2 and Hillsboro Week 3, both also of the SCOL.
Week 4 (Sept. 14) vs. Edgewood — The reason I picked this game is because it will be the Hurricane's first game against a member of the new SWOC. Last season, Wilmington defeated Edgewood 30-14.
Who to Watch
- Austen Kessler, running back, defensive back, senior
During his junior season, Kessler played in all 10 games rushing for 277 yards (5.4 yards per carry). His longest runs was 53 yards, and he scored two touchdowns. Defensively, he had four interceptions.
- Cody McCune, quarterback, junior
McCune is coming off a sophomore season where he was 91-of-160 for 867 yards and six touchdowns in the air with a 107.3 quarterback rating. He passed for 120 or more yards in four games last season.
- Colt Briggs, defensive line, senior/David Henry, linebacker, senior
Last season, Henry had four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and an 82 yard interception return for a touchdown. Briggs last season also had four sacks, along with one forced fumble and one interception.
Player Quote
"I love to compete. I love the feeling you get when you win, knowing you went out and beat another person at something they were trying to beat you at … getting that superior feeling." — Colt Briggs on why he continues to play the sport of football each year.
Coach Quote
"We have a mix, really, of youth and experience. This year's team will have more depth, but we lost some good leaders and players that will have to be replaced." — Robin Vida, head coach Wilmington on whether he considers he has a young or veteran group this season.
Final Thoughts
I won't get the chance to watch Wilmington in person much this season, but hopefully I'll see them Week 3 when they host Hillsboro and during their aforementioned scrimmage at McClain. This team is looking to make a mark in a new league, while replacing some of their better players from last year's seven-win season. The '12 Wilmington squad should be a fun team to watch grow from the start of the season until their final game and see the process they've made in however many weeks they get to play this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of the Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
Wilmington, who are two seasons away from joining the South Central Ohio League, are now members of the newly formed Southwest Ohio Conference (SWOC), as Wilmington is a former member of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference.
As the Robin Vida (45-35 in eight seasons at Wilmington)-led Hurricane focus on winning the first SWOC championship, I had the opportunity to watch them practice this week for around an hour. Though it was a practice without pads, it was still entertaining for the fact they were working diligently on perfecting each play they were running.
One of the more exciting moments of the practice came when a Wilmington receiver reached out and made a great catch during a drill while being covered by a defensive back … exciting stuff.
I was glad to get Wilmington to be a part of the third annual First-and-Ten Football Preview (which will have a team preview and features on Wilmington players) because I feel with them coming to the SCOL, along with them being on a few football schedules on teams in the league, this is as good a time as any to get to know one of the newest members of the league (in two years).
As for their new SWOC league, the members of the league will be Harrison, Mt. Healthy, Ross, Little Miami, Edgewood, Talawanda, Northwest and Wilmington.
The SWOC itself on paper looks competitive, but to be honest, I wish the Hurricane were playing in the SCOL this season.
Wilmington opens the season when they host the Washington Blue Lions, as the Hurricane play their home games at Wilmington College.
3 Quick Thoughts on Wilmington
1. Just from watching a portion of their practice, this team looks athletic. They return some all-conference players from last season from a team that went 7-3 last season (2-3 in the FAVC).
2. The Hurricane have some top players to replace from last season as they lost their leading rusher from last season in Damien Tomlinson, who had 596 yards on 141 carries and five touchdowns. Some other key losses for the Hurricane will be Kyle Davis, Jesse McCann, Nick Eden and Jake Weber.
3. One thing head coach Robin Vida said about his team is they have a strength in that they have some experienced players returning and they have good overall team speed and strength. I'll have more of an opportunity next week to see the Hurricane when they face McClain in a scrimmage at McClain Field in Greenfield on Saturday, Aug. 11.
Two Must-See Games
Week 1 (Aug. 24) vs. Washington — This is a rivalry game from the "old" SCOL, and the two teams have the potential to put on a good game for the first week of the season. It doesn't hurt these two teams are less than 30 miles apart either. Should be a fun game for those who attend. The Hurricane also play Miami Trace in Week 2 and Hillsboro Week 3, both also of the SCOL.
Week 4 (Sept. 14) vs. Edgewood — The reason I picked this game is because it will be the Hurricane's first game against a member of the new SWOC. Last season, Wilmington defeated Edgewood 30-14.
Who to Watch
- Austen Kessler, running back, defensive back, senior
During his junior season, Kessler played in all 10 games rushing for 277 yards (5.4 yards per carry). His longest runs was 53 yards, and he scored two touchdowns. Defensively, he had four interceptions.
- Cody McCune, quarterback, junior
McCune is coming off a sophomore season where he was 91-of-160 for 867 yards and six touchdowns in the air with a 107.3 quarterback rating. He passed for 120 or more yards in four games last season.
- Colt Briggs, defensive line, senior/David Henry, linebacker, senior
Last season, Henry had four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and an 82 yard interception return for a touchdown. Briggs last season also had four sacks, along with one forced fumble and one interception.
Player Quote
"I love to compete. I love the feeling you get when you win, knowing you went out and beat another person at something they were trying to beat you at … getting that superior feeling." — Colt Briggs on why he continues to play the sport of football each year.
Coach Quote
"We have a mix, really, of youth and experience. This year's team will have more depth, but we lost some good leaders and players that will have to be replaced." — Robin Vida, head coach Wilmington on whether he considers he has a young or veteran group this season.
Final Thoughts
I won't get the chance to watch Wilmington in person much this season, but hopefully I'll see them Week 3 when they host Hillsboro and during their aforementioned scrimmage at McClain. This team is looking to make a mark in a new league, while replacing some of their better players from last year's seven-win season. The '12 Wilmington squad should be a fun team to watch grow from the start of the season until their final game and see the process they've made in however many weeks they get to play this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of the Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]