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No. 10 W.T. Woodson High School Cavaliers — Northern Region, Division 6, Class AAA Liberty District
Head Coach: Trey Taylor, third year.
Career Record: 10-10 2007 Record: 5-5 overall, 4-3 district.
Returning Starters: 7 offense/8 defense.
Key Losses: OT/DE Jack Dunn; TE/OLB Travis Mueller; OG/DT Marty Selgas.
Top Returners: WB/DB Sam Burt, Sr., 6-0, 190; RB/FS Colin Dempsey, Jr., 5-9, 160; RB/ILB James Johnson, Jr., 5-11, 190; FB/LB Jake Sweeney, Sr., 6-1, 210; WR/DB Max Waizenegger, Sr., 6-0, 170.
Fresh Faces: RB/OLB Bertrand Ngampa, Jr., 5-10, 170; QB Connor Reilly, Jr., 6-4, 180.
Game to Watch: Week 9, Oct. 24 vs. Langley
Between 2002-2004, the Cavaliers were 4-0 against the Saxons, including a 2004 first-round playoff victory. But since then, Langley has won all three meetings between the teams, outscoring Woodson, 89-22. Given the Cavaliers realistic playoff aspirations this year, this Week 9 match-up could clinch a playoff berth for either team.
Stadium: Pat Cunningham Stadium (Capacity 12,000).
Pack, Set … Spike
By Angela Watts
Managing Content Editor, DigitalSports.com
Twenty-first in a series.
W.T. Woodson Coach Trey Taylor is hoping to see his boys lose this season — but not on the football field.
Instead, it’s in the coaches-against-players volleyball match in the sand pits less than two weeks before the regular-season begins. And Taylor is talking a lot of smack.
“We dominated them last year,” Taylor said, laughing. “They have no chance.”
It’s that kind of playful attitude that Taylor hopes will linger throughout the Cavaliers’ week-long football camp held in Deep Creek, Md., up near popular Wisp Ski Resort.
It’s a W.T. Woodson tradition to go away to camp the week before its second preseason scrimmage for the combination of productive practices and team bonding.
“It provides a much-needed change of pace to get out of the area for a while,” Taylor explained. “Especially with the renovations going on here at school. There’s always something happening; always distractions.”
This is the third year that the Cavaliers have gone to western Maryland for camp, but this year it’s as important than ever. Tenth-ranked W.T. Woodson, which has improved every year under Taylor’s direction, has their sights set on a playoff run in 2008.
“It’s good to get away and focus on football for a while,” Taylor said. “When I was in high school camp — while it was good to go away — it was grueling. Because back in the day, before they
had the five-hour practice rule, we’d go up there and play football 12
hours a day. But now you can only practice five hours, so we’ll play
volleyball and tetherball and kick ball … all kinds of things.
“The camp we go to, it’s more of a positive experience for the kids. We’re off in the woods by ourselves and they feed us there on campus and have the bunk houses for the kids to stay in. There’s no air conditioning, but then again it’s 40 degrees at night and you don’t need it.
“It’s just a lot of fun.”
Welcome Addition
Junior Connor Reilly transfered in to W.T. Woodson from Clarksville, Tenn., earlier this year and quickly shook up the Cavaliers’ offense.
At 6-feet-4 and 180 pounds, this strong-armed single caller has proved stiff competition for returning starter Gabe Thomas.
“We’re still rotating between him and Gabe, and we’ll see after the two scrimmages who wins the battle,” Taylor said. “Connor actually came from a system similar to ours. They were an option team so he’s had some experience running it. He has a good arm, he’s a big kid and he’s eager to learn. He’s done a good job for not having actually been in the system, but Gabe’s doing a great job as well.
“Those two are going to battle it out and we’ll see who is going to be the starter. Connor’s the bigger kid and he’s got a real strong arm. But Gabe knows the system better. So it’s a matter of which one can improve in their area of weakness quicker.”
Whichever quarterback gets the nod will have the benefit of working with a power-packed backfield that includes senior fullback Jake Sweeney, senior first-team All-District receiver Max Waizenegger and senior wing back Sam Burt.
And though they will play behind a slightly inexperienced, somewhat undersized offensive line, Taylor has seen that scenario before.
“The one thing I keep telling them is that in 2004 when we won the region we had a great group of skill guys but we were starting a sophomore on the line,” Taylor said. “We took a linebacker and plugged him in at guard and we used three different centers during the course of the year. So we’ve been in this boat before. And if they can know their jobs and just execute, I don’t think we have to be 6-feet, 270 pounds across the board.
“I think if they can get out there and do what they’re supposed to do, with the skill guys we have we’ll still be able to move the ball on most people.”
Quotable
“I think we have some more athletes than we’ve had in the past. Typically Woodson is looked at as a school that has average athletes, average linemen. But I think we have some of the better athletes in the region across the board, and I think that’s going to surprise some people. The kids that were juniors last year really worked hard during the summer and matured, and I think they’re going to be play-makers out there this year.”
— W.T. Woodson Coach Trey Taylor
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Note: DigitalSports’ Preseason Top 10 was chosen by staff members Angela
Watts, Jimmy Thomas and Phil Murphy with input from randomly-selected
coaches around the Northern Region.
Email: awatts @digitalsports.com
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