DOVER, Del. -- Last year was last year.
That was actually the way Wesley coach Mike Drass approached
Saturday's game with Mary Hardin-Baylor, a team the Wolverines beat
46-36 in the 2005 second round before doing so again in last
weekend's quarterfinals, 34-20.
The experience in leaving the past behind might serve the
Wolverines well when they head to Perkins Stadium at UW-Whitewater,
where their season ended in ugly fashion, 58-6, in last year's
semifinals.
"Last year is last year," said Mike Drass, Wesley's head
coach since 1993. "We talked about that regarding Mary
Hardin-Baylor too. The past is the past and you can't do anything
to change it."
"God is good for possibly giving us a second chance," said
senior receiver Michael Clarke just after Saturday's game, while
the Warhawks' contest with St. John's was still in
doubt.
And that pretty much sums up the attitude for Wesley, a team
in the same position as it was last season, but with few
similarities.
In 2005, Wesley came through the playoffs as something of a
surprise, having lost 43-0 to Brockport State during the regular
season. Delaware's only Division III team had been road warriors,
playing eight road games in Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, New
York, western Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. This year, they're
10-0 at home and 13-0 overall.
Last season, their offense was propelled by a senior running
back and two receivers. Neither pass-catcher graduated or is with
the team this season, but in their stead have emerged a new pair of
star receivers. In the backfield, five players have shared carries,
with freshmen leading the team in rushing and rushing
TDs.
But one difference not reflected on the schedule or roster
is simply Wesley's confidence.
Mary Hardin-Baylor coach Pete Fredenburg said the Wolverines
are a more confident team this year, and the difference is
noticeable.
"Last year we were kind of in shock," says star defensive
end Bryan Robinson of the Wolverines' playoff run. "We hit a lot of
people with them knowing. This year, they know what's
coming."
Wesley still outscored its three playoff opponents
120-41.
Quarterback Chris Warrick, after accounting for 350 of the
Wolverines 436 passing yards on a 468-yard day Saturday, was maybe
the best demonstration of how the Wolverines expect to
succeed.
Asked about his play, he first blamed himself for an early
fumble that the Crusaders returned for a touchdown, and he also
said he thought the Wolverines would be able to run the ball
better. The day had gone about as well as expected, and here was
Wesley's leader being a perfectionist.
So what exactly can Wesley's play against the Warhawks from
being as imperfect as last year's?
Given time to look at last season's tape, Wesley might focus
on trying to limit one of Whitewater's offensive strengths, either
by loading up against the zone-blocking running scheme, or putting
pressure on Warhawks QB Justin Jacobs. In last year's game, he was
neither sacked nor forced into throwing an interception.
Wesley will also want to get off to a better start (it
mishandled the opening kickoff and gave up a safety on the first
play from scrimmage) and take better care of the ball. Neither team
lost a fumble, but Warrick threw all four of the game's
interceptions, including one that was returned by Kyle Johnson for
a second-quarter TD.
They Wolverines will likely have something up their sleeves
for the Warhawks. Last week against UMHB, coach Mike Drass came up
with one of his innovations -- using Robinson, the 287-pound
defensive end, as a lead blocker on offense, next to 264-pound TE
Jon Lanouette -- while watching tape the morning of the game.
Offensive coordinator Chip Knapp had Warrick make his reads
inside-out, because the Crusaders were so adept at covering the
outside receivers. Expect a solid, innovative game plan from the
Wolverines.
About the contention that Wesley wearing the wrong shoes
contributed to last year's loss, Drass says: "The shoes on the
frozen field, that didn't do anything. We're accountable for how we
play, whether it's good or bad."
The Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel reported after last year's game that
Whitewater's players opted for turf shoes on the frozen grass
field, while players from Wesley, who play on turf, wore cleats.
The frozen field had caused kickoff to be delayed an
hour.
The weather might not be so unforgiving this weekend. The
Weather.com forecast calls for a high of 36 degrees and low of 26
Saturday in Whitewater, with a 10% chance of
precipitation.
Whitewater hasn't blown out the past two teams it played,
but it has done enough to beat UW-La Crosse and St. John's by three
each. But they have been working star running back Justin Beaver
back into from after missing half the season with a broken
collarbone, and they might be a team of destiny in longtime coach
Bob Berezowitz's final season.
Wesley knows how great its challenge is. This year, they
plan to meet it.
In fact, they'd like to take it further.
"We want to take that extra step to put Wesley up there with
the Mount Unions, the Whitewaters and Mary Hardin-Baylors,"
Robinson said.
Those schools have all been to the Stagg Bowl, unlike
Wesley.
"Taking that step is big for us," said Clarke, acknowledging
Wesley's past as a junior college. "It's big for the people who've
gone here before us."
Many of those ex-players and alumni were in Dover on
Saturday, pulling for St. John's, a No. 7 seed, to defeat
Whitewater so there'd be an 11th home game. Instead, there's a
second consecutive trip to Perkins Stadium, with the hope that one
more thing is different about this Wolverines season than
last.
Wolverines thankful for second chance
Dec 07, 2006