Talented depth at every position, an ability to get through a full season enabling team members much-needed playing experience and offseason skill development coming out of the peak COVID year, and several signature wins over the last few seasons have The College of Wooster football team poised to be a legit contender for the North Coast Athletic Conference title this fall.
The lines are where everything starts, according to Frank Colaprete, now in his 10th year at the helm of the Fighting Scots' program, and both sides of the trenches enter 2022 with significantly more experience than a season ago, which should bode well all across the board.
Wooster's defensive line was arguably one of the position groups most in need of a jolt of game experience last year. Senior Ben Greenwood slid up from linebacker to the defensive line, and was "difficult to block" when he went up against the lines of Wabash College, Denison University, and Wittenberg University, and was the "best guy" on Wooster's defensive line in several of those games, per Colaprete.
Junior Domenic DeMuth, voted one of Wooster's four captains, is one of the position group's leaders, evidenced by 48 tackles, the most among defensive linemen on the 2021 team, and a co-team-best three sacks. Junior Neil Clayton is another veteran playmaker with 29 tackles on the line, while seniors Nkosi Stewart and Quincy Taylor anchored the interior and are the others within the group who had at least 17 tackles a season ago.
On the offensive side, senior Colton Rambur, junior Bryce Kamphues, and sophomore Seth Robinson are returning line starters, while sophomore Tyler Ellsworth filled a variety of roles within that group as a first-year and made his first collegiate start late in the season. Sophomore Logan Pugh is "one of the most talented guys on the line," per Colaprete, and junior Nick Tress was another valuable contributor among the returnees within the position group.
"Our offensive line was really young last year," Colaprete explained. "They were able to hit the weight room for a whole offseason. They got bigger and stronger, which we needed, and they are physically maturing due to being older. The outlook is high and promising."
Overall, defensive players "were really excited about what we are doing and the positions they are in" coming off the spring, according to Colaprete, who is "expecting us to be pretty formidable" in all three areas. Part of that optimism is attributed to a now-experienced versatile group, especially among the back seven of Wooster's 4-2-5 system, where numerous players there have game experience in multiple positions within the linebacker and secondary position groups. That gives Wooster the ability to match up well against different offensive systems and could make the team a little harder to scout.
Junior Alex White headlines the back seven as the lone returning all-conference player among the linebackers and secondary, and he is someone who is a "true outside linebacker, part linebacker, and part strong safety," per Colaprete, who projects him to have more of a linebacker role than in the past. Senior Chris Savaglio is one of Wooster's returning fifth-year players, and "has progressed at inside linebacker," according to Colaprete, who feels he "is more comfortable out there." Overall, a "physical, fast, and athletic" group comprises the linebackers, per Colaprete.
On paper, Wooster's defensive strength is in the secondary, where sophomore Jon Banal, senior Charlie Henegar, senior Matt Ulishney, and senior Langston Williams lead the way among the returnees. Ulishney is a projected four-year starter. Williams provided a big boost and was one of the team's top playmakers on a near-weekly basis upon his return to the lineup in 2021. Henegar returns fully healthy and has found a home in the secondary after starting his career at wide receiver, and Banal is one of the team's top rising sophomores.
"Us being stronger up front should help the back end of our defense out tremendously," summed up Colaprete. "The other guys who will rotate in there are talented and have experience as well."
Others with significant experience in the back seven on defense include junior Andrew Armile, fifth-year senior Harvey Briscoe, junior Kobe Nadu, and senior Dorion Talley.
All-American tight end Cole Hissong is back for a fifth-year, as is two-time All-NCAC and multi-record-holding quarterback Mateo Renteria. The two have "an amazing chemistry," per Colaprete, and "kind of know where each other is going to be, and at the same time, they trust each other to make the play."
Sophomore Jacob Dugas, plus an influx of talented first-years comprise the rest of Wooster's quarterbacks room heading into 2022.
At receiver, fifth-year senior Troy Baughman leads the way and is a "real, true football player," according to Colaprete, and someone "who will excel at any position you put him at on offense or defense." That notion is especially true with the four-year starter at running back making a seamless transition to inside wide receiver midway through the 2021 season.
A very "talented group" of other wide receivers and tight ends, per Colaprete, will benefit tremendously from the experience at the quarterback position, and the Scots' head coach is optimistic for lots of catches and touchdowns out of the group. Junior Carter Warstler, an all-region return specialist, has deep-threat potential, while rising sophomore Andrew Hammer projects to have a more featured role, according to Colaprete.
Senior Andrew Yanssens slid into the starting role at running back upon Baughman's transition to inside wide receiver, while junior PT Fischer has shifted over from defensive back to running back to help "solidify some of the consistency" in the ground game, according to Colaprete. While the running backs "don't have the big names like other areas of our offense," according to the Scots' coach, the outlook here is to have more stability and consistency on a weekly basis. Junior Joshua Pond, another of the Scots' top all-around talented skill players, should have a swing role between running back and slot, and has the versatility to play where he is needed most.
Wooster is fortunate with the luxury of having one of the best special teams units in all of NCAA Div. III. Senior Matt Pardi, Wooster's nominee for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, is able to change field position consistently. Classmate Lake Barrett, Wooster's nominee for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, is one of the most consistent placekickers in the country.
In the return game, Warstler and Ulishney enter camp as the leaders, and both have touchdown-scoring potential. Colaprete may rotate in some of the younger guys as well to "give them a chance."
"Some people play to not lose games with special teams," shared Colaprete. "We play to win games with our special teams."
Wooster's season opens at Geneva College on Saturday, September 3 with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The first home game of the year takes place on Black and Gold Weekend on September 17, when Wabash College comes to Wooster for a 2 p.m. kickoff. Three of Wooster's last four games of the year take place at John P. Papp Stadium.
"The schedule is a flip of last year, so we will be away a lot early on and then home at the end of the year," stated Colaprete. "Hopefully we get through the first half of the season pretty successfully and we are fighting for a conference championship during the late-season home games. I think we have put ourselves in a position over the last few years with the wins we have had and the recruiting we have done to head into this year with the mindset that our goal is to win the NCAC. It is something we are really looking for this fall."