Prior to Indian River’s state Class A championship run last fall, West Genesee was the last football team from Section III to earn a state title, back in 2007.
That success, along with a sectional crown in 2011, means that, if the calendar is correct, it’s time for the Wildcats to go to the top again, right?
Certainly, the confidence is there among WG’s players. Dashon Turner, who has started at quarterback for parts of each of the last two seasons, openly talked about a state championship for his team in 2015.
“I’m feeling very confident,” he said. “Why not shoot big?”
To go as far as Turner and his teammates want will require a massive improvement from 2014, where WG was 3-4 in the regular season, barely sneaked into the sectional tournament and took a 60-8 defeat to eventual champion Henninger in the first round.
Many of the Wildcats’ struggles in 2014 could get traced to a rash of injuries. At least eight different players missed extensive time due to concussions, so WG never had a full, healthy lineup on hand.
During the extensive off-season work, players said that the mood was far more focused and serious than in years past, marking a desire to rise above mediocrity.
Joe Corley, who begins his eighth season as the Wildcats’ head coach, noted that same attitude was on hand during pre-season practices and was encouraged by it.
“We preached to the kids (in the off-season) the need to be extremely structured,” said Corley. “And they chose to come here with a purpose.”
Offensively, Turner will run the show. Corley said the lesson Turner learned in relief roles during 2013 and 2014 will suit him well this fall, especially with so many new faces around him.
“His experience is priceless,” said Corley. “He’s been through the good and the bad, and he knows what to expect.”
What WG didn’t expect was to see Colin BeVard leave just as practices got underway. His loss, combined with the graduation of Colin Turner and Will Northrop, took away three of the Wildcats’ top receiving targets.
That opened up opportunities for the likes of Justin Huppman and Jamison Stammer to line up at receiver, with John Hannahan replacing Northrop at tight end. Meanwhile, Duane Rolfe returns, fully healed from the knee injury that sidelined him before the 2014 season even got underway.
With the trio of James Kerr, Dan Purcell and Dylan Murphy part of the running back rotation, WG could line up with more two-back formations than in seasons past, but they all need to count on an offensive line that lost four starters to graduation. Joe Brogan is the lone returning starter up front, and other than Brogan and Will Haag, every starting spot is up for grabs.
More players are looking at two-way work this season, which explains the position battles on both lines beyond Brogan and Haag. There’s more definition at linebacker, where Purcell, a sophomore, is part of a solid group that includes Murphy, Jack Nojaim and Connor Clark, while Huppman and Stammer lead the secondary.
WG opens Friday at Central Square, and plays four of its first five away from the newly-named Mike Messere Field. But the trips to Corcoran, Johnson City and Rome Free Academy offer a chance to build a record before two tough closing assignments at home against CBA and Liverpool.
All of it, though, springs back to attitude and approach, something Corley and his fellow coaches are stressing as the Wildcats try to emerge as a Class AA contender again.
“We want hard work, commitment and tough, physical play,” said Corley. “The kids who are here took that seriously, and it makes a difference in how they play.”
