Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Woodmore returns Third Team All-Ohio running back Landon Rich and features an improved passing attack as the Wildcats look to build off last year’s three-win improvement behind a veteran team.
“I think the kids did a very good job of buying into fundamentals,” second-year head coach Scott Stecher said. “They worked hard at it, and we put in a system that was easy to learn, but we also stayed in the same system, and they got better and better — repetition after repetition. That builds confidence, which leads into this year.”
Stecher said the team would like to improve its win total and winning percentage, while also competing for a home playoff game and a chance at a league title.
It’s the little things that he feels can help the team achieve those goals.
“We're putting some new things in, we're tweaking some things, but in the system that we run offensively, we're multiple formations, and we can run the same plays out of multiple formations,” Stecher said. “The kids understand what we're doing and how we're setting things up. They have a much better understanding of the game, what's required of them, where to block, how to go.
“It's just simple things — blocking, sustaining blocks and tackling — that will help us improve greatly this year.”
While Stecher looks to have a more balanced approach offensively, the straw that stirs the drink in the backfield will remain Rich, who helped Woodmore reach the state playoffs for the first time since 2001 last year behind a single-season school record 1,823 yards on the ground along with 18 touchdowns.
Rich also became the first Wildcat since Kevin Slates in 1999 to be named a first, second, or third team all-state selection.
“Landon got better last year at seeing cutback lanes,” Stecher said. “He's got a pretty good jump stop, but he’s seeing cutbacks much better. And he's an 11.1 100-meter guy. Once he breaks out, he's gone, which is something that you can't coach. It’s just talent. And he's strong. He's a wrestling kid, a football kid, and a track kid. He's very vital to what we're doing.”
Rich isn’t alone in providing backfield experience for Woodmore, which features junior quarterback Calvin Lipstraw, senior running back Michael Seeger, junior fullback Cole Potridge, and senior Jesse Lopez, who will see time at wing back and wide receiver.
Junior Wesley Kayser; Michael Seeger’s brother, Robert; and sophomore Colin Perkins will also be in the mix at receiver.
Senior Bradley Allgier and junior Adley Anstead will also compete at tight end, where Stecher said he will use both of them in some packages.
Lipstraw is in his second year as a starter, and he’ll have guys like Bailey Jendrzejak at center, Ryan Maynard at guard, Parker Angel at tackle and Trevor Runkle at guard to help protect him.
Those four will also see time on the defensive line. Potridge is a linebacker, while Kayser and Michael Seeger are safeties.
“We're collectively a little bit down in numbers because some kids chose not to play this year for whatever reason,” Stecher said. “It's kind of frustrating to the kids and me, but the kids that we have are very focused, and they're very tight. They enjoy playing with each other and for each other. They're getting better at that, and they're having fun. They've got a little chip on their shoulder, so I think that's gonna help us out down the road.”
This year’s team features a eight-member senior class — Lopez, Adyn Smith, Michael Seeger, Rich, Ethan Greer, Jendrzejak, Maynard and Allgier.
Stecher said a winning mentality is a big difference between last year and this year.
“They got used to winning a little bit last year, so now they know how to do it,” he said. “I'm not knocking any past things that they did or didn't do, but you get in a rut, you get down by a touchdown or two, (you have a tendency to say), ‘Here we go again.’
“I think now they know that we can win, and that we can come back. They're learning. It's a work in progress, but they're learning.”
Woodmore opens its season against North Central on Aug. 22, and Stecher is hopeful for his team’s potential.
“We just have to eliminate mistakes,” he said. “We can't jump offsides, no fumbles, and the big thing, too, is we worked really hard this year on our passing game. We've got to improve our passing game. I'm a run-first guy, and sometimes I get to be ‘run first, run second, run third, run fourth,’ but with our quarterback being in his second year, we have the package to be a better passing team.”
