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| Wesley athletics photo |
By Adam Turer
D3sports.com
An entire season can hinge on just a few plays.
For Wesley, a few plays meant the perennial playoff contender sat at home in 2018 as 32 teams advanced to participate in the tournament.
The offseason was spent trying to figure out what went wrong, and how to turn those heartbreaking losses into victory. Three one-point losses and a two-point defeat snapped the Wolverines’ 13-season playoff streak.
In head coach Chip Knapp’s second season, the Wolverines were determined to reverse their fortunes.
“We’ve been through the learning curve of taking care of those details that prevented us from winning. We took care of those in practice,” said Knapp. “Our guys have gotten better through practice, too. We practiced situational things more, third and long, short yardage and goal line. If we see something we believe will come up in a game, we practice it.”
There were obvious improvements needed on the field, most notably special teams. But there was also the challenge of overcoming the mental obstacles that can prevent a team from pulling out a victory in the closing moments of a close contest.
“It was really frustrating to put in the time and effort and hard work and come up short last year. It also lit a fire on us. We still had a chance to be good and come back this season and have a winning season,” said senior wide receiver Ruhann Peele. “Now, we keep our heads up during tough moments. We have confidence and belief that we can execute and win games when it’s tight late.”
Mike Drass took a hands-on approach to the Wolverines’ special teams units. When he passed away suddenly and Knapp was elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach, Knapp had to learn on the job just how much Drass impacted the Wesley program. The kicking game was ultimately the deciding factor that ended the playoff streak last season.
“I saw after last year that I had to be more involved in special teams. It’s all hands on deck with our staff on special teams, which is a different process from past years,” said Knapp. “We changed our special teams coaching and got more coaches involved in the process. There’s more accountability among our staff as a whole.”
A team that struggled to win the close ones last year could not have asked for a much better early-season test than the Wolverines received in Week 2. Hosting fellow playoff contender Delaware Valley, Wesley prevailed in four overtimes, 24-18.
“Our defense has been battle-tested. I’ve never played in a four overtime game before at any level,” said junior defensive end Shymere Vessels. “That showed us the potential that our team has. Every single play became so important to execute.”
The Wolverines are not alone. The 2019 St. John Fisher Cardinals can learn from the 2018 Wesley Wolverines. The Cardinals have pushed two ranked opponents to the brink. Despite a 4-4 record, St. John Fisher is just a few plays away from being 6-1 and possibly ranked.
“We tell our kids to not watch the scoreboard. You know if you played well and you know if you’re getting better,” said Cardinals head coach Paul Vosburgh. “It’s not for a lack of effort. You can always handle setbacks if you know you gave it your best shot.”
A three-point loss at Ithaca, a six-point loss at Utica, and a five-point loss to Cortland are teachable moments that will provide encouragement to the Cardinals returning for the 2020 season.
“This is helping our younger kids feel confident that they can play well and compete against any team on our schedule. When you’re in close games, it boils down to fundamentals and discipline,” said Vosburgh. “Winners become winners by what they do to get there. You have to learn how to win.”
St. John Fisher’s season is reminiscent of what Wesley experienced last year. For the Wolverines, one early season win in a close game against a quality opponent shook that monkey off their backs.
“Any time you win a close game, you have a sense of relief. Our guys have been battle-tested right off the bat. We’ve recognized the poise and focus that we need to win,” said Knapp. “When the intensity levels turn up and each play is magnified at the end of the game, once you go through that experience, you’re ready for it the next time.”
There were no major overhauls, but some necessary minor changes. Mostly, improvement among the returning players.
Nick Bruhn made just 40 percent of his field goals and 85 percent of his point after tries as a junior. The senior has connected on 78 percent of his field goal tries and 92 percent of his PATs this season.
“We improved in a couple areas. Our kicking game is much improved,” said Knapp. “When you’re winning or losing games by one point, that’s a big factor. Nick Bruhn has done a great job for us this year.”
The seniors made a point to improve their mental toughness as well. They emphasized team bonding activities in the offseason. They worked to build any psychological edge that they could carry into the fourth quarter or overtime.
“We understood what it meant to execute the little things. We learned how not paying attention to the details can lead to losing games,” said Vessels. “Everyone has to be on the same page and focus. We can’t take any team lightly.”
Despite last season’s setbacks, the Wolverines never lost their confidence. That has been crucial as Wesley has found itself in a slew of nailbiters once again this season. In addition to the thriller over Delaware Valley, the Wolverines have a one-point win at Endicott, a one-point win against Rowan, and last week’s three-point overtime victory over Montclair State.
“Our team always thinks it can win and they see that we need to have poise and execute at a high level in those situations,” said Knapp.
It’s one thing to talk about cleaning up mistakes, or hunkering down in crunch time. It’s another thing to hold your teammates accountable and become a unit that doesn’t crack under pressure.
“It’s the guys locking in and paying attention. Our coaches let us know what’s going to happen in those situations. We’re staying focused, getting mental reps and getting physical reps in practice,” said Peele. “We have to execute better and capitalize on every play we can make. I feel like we can’t shoot ourselves in the foot and have penalties. We know that if we don’t hurt ourselves, we can beat anybody.”
