Tradition. More importantly, a winning tradition. That’s what Coach Guenther and his boys have set for this upcoming season. Just nine months ago, Wilsonville High School saw history made by breaking their championship drought, bringing home the state title for the first time in over 20 years. This year, they look to silence the doubt that comes with their new conference and faces all around.
After a conference shuffle in the offseason, Wilsonville finds themselves in a much tougher position. Now, the Cats stand to battle against two well-known teams in last year’s top fifteen 5A rankings: Silverton and Canby, (both whom are familiar with the program built up at Wilsonville).
Just last year during a week nine matchup, the Canby Cougars headed up to Randall Stadium as the twelfth-ranked team in the state. An upset for Canby would secure at least a top-ten finish. However, the Wildcats were able to handle business on their home turf, winning 49-22. Even with the blowout score, Canby showed flashes of a potential rival with Wilsonville in the following seasons.
Due to the added competition in conference play, many have been considering this a bridge year for Wilsonville. With a total of 21 players either transferring out or graduating, it’s hard to blame the Cats. But that doesn’t seem to phase any players this year.
“You should never count us out.” The words were preached by the fullback, Riddick Molatore, and others on the team. “We’re hungry to prove ourselves for another year in a row,” Molatore shares.
No doubt, this locker room is prepared for the regular season, as Molatore spoke more on the brotherhood created on and off the field, “We have a lot of new people, so emphasizing teamwork was huge this offseason.”
As last year’s seniors head off to college and a new batch of faces come in, there’s definitely still consistency in key areas of the offense. Senior, Mark Weipert, being a major component to the team. Weipert is likely to lead the charge at quarterback after spending the last two years of his career as a receiver.
After three-star commit Kallen Gutridge heads up to Oregon State this season, Weipert will have big shoes to fill in this offense. If Weipert can stay as consistent in the pocket as he was at receiver last year, then there shouldn’t be a slow start to the season.
What does Weipert’s position switch mean for the receiver room this year? Moving into receiver one should be senior, Nick Crowley, who was able to rack up 1,055 receiving yards on 58 receptions. Weipert kept it short and simple when talking about this year’s receiver room, “I think our receivers are the best.”
Last season, Weipert put up an astounding 1,465 receiving yards on only 72 receptions, with that being the most in Oregon and the 58th best in the nation. To accompany this feat, Weipert tacked on 20 touchdowns, with his longest being an 80-yard reception.
A leader no doubt, Weipert has shown a great ability to lead the charge in previous years even as an underclassman, but how does that change going into his senior season?
“For me, leading is taking initiative,” Weipert begins. “Someone who takes on responsibility and demonstrates what it is to work hard and improve,” he continues.
With just one week left separating the offseason from kickoff versus Nelson, championship hopes are the strongest they’ve been yet. From the stands to the locker room, Wilsonville football is back and better than ever.