Wapak the favorite in rugged WBL

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

To say the Western Buckeye League is top heavy this year may be a vast understatement. One can make a case that as many as four teams are true contenders for the 2024 WBL football championship.

However, the VW independent is giving the nod to three-time defending champion Wapakoneta. Yes, the Redskins have some holes to fill, including at running back, where Jace Knous rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns last season and leading receiver Grant Jolly (57-684), who opted not to play this season after committing to North Carolina State for baseball. There’s also the matter of replacing three starting offensive linemen and normally, that might be too much to overcome to be considered a league title contender. However, Wapak seems to have a plug-and-play program. Graduation losses? No problem, the next guys will step up. The Redskins will host Defiance in the Week No. 2 WBL opener, a game that should have huge league title implications.

Full disclosure – the first draft of WBL preseason predictions had Defiance at the top, and the second draft had St. Marys Memorial on top. It won’t be shocking to see either or both share the title or tie for second.

Defiance has made very noticeable progress under sixth year head coach Travis Cooper, who previously had successful coaching stints at Bryan and Wauseon. The Bulldogs were 8-4 last year and return eight starters on each side of the ball, including second team All-WBL quarterback Brez Zipfel, three offensive linemen, four wide receivers, a pair of second team All-WBL linebackers and two defensive linemen. It won’t get easier after the WBL opener at Wapak – Defiance will host St. Marys Memorial in Week No. 3.

St. Marys Memorial got off to a slow start (0-4) in 2023, then the Roughriders put together seven straight wins, including a 42-14 playoff victory over Wauseon, before falling to Perkins. Entering his fourth season, head coach Bo Frye has nine starters back on offense and seven on defense. Frye and the Roughriders are sticking with the ground pounding Wing-T offense, which presents all sorts of problems for opponents simply because very few teams run it these days. In some ways, it’s like preparing for the old wishbone or flexbone offense. Running backs Colton Mabry and Dominik Osborne combined to rush for over 2,700 yards and 28 touchdowns last year, and they’ll once again spearhead the offense.

Celina surprised many people with a run to the Division III state semifinals last year, as head coach Brennen Bader continues to shape the Bulldog program. Celina finished 12-3 (8-1 WBL) with the only losses coming to Versailles, Wapakoneta and then Columbus Bishop Watterson in the state semis. The Bulldogs got it done with defense last season, allowing just 16 points per game. The team will have to deal with some significant graduation losses, including Braylon Gabes and WBL Offensive Lineman of the Year Kaden Murlin. The Bulldogs are picked fourth in the WBL preseason poll, which honestly feels too low.

After the top four teams, things get a bit difficult, either because teams lost a substantial amount of talent to graduation or have younger teams that appear ready to take the next step. It’s safe to say the 5-6-7 spots could easily be put in any order. Bath improved by leaps and bounds in 2023 (4-7) and second year head coach Frank Russell has six starters back on defense and five on offense, including junior quarterback Zach Welsch. If Elida can find some offensive consistency, the Bulldogs could surprise a team or two this season. Kyle Harmon has Elida playing hard nosed football.

No team has suffered as many graduation losses as Keith Recker’s Van Wert Cougars (8-4). At one point last season, 21-of-22 starters were seniors. The biggest loss is quarterback Brylen Parker, who accounted for nearly 3,700 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns. Also gone is Conner Campbell, who finished with 83 receptions for 1,271 yards and 11 touchdowns. Versatile Briston Wise played running back and took some snaps at quarterback last season. Keaten Welch played wide receiver last fall but is listed as a quarterback, and freshman Zac Crummey is on the roster as a quarterback. The Cougars are picked fifth in the preseason poll, which may be too high or too low depending on your vantage point. A full Van Wert season preview will appear on the Sports page next week.

Kenton has a four-year starting quarterback in Korbin Johnston and the Wildcats (3-7) could be poised to move up in the standings this year. Johnston is one of 15 starters back for Kenton.

Ottawa-Glandorf (1-9) has the dean of all area coaches in Ken Schriner. The Titans have five starters back on offense and three on defense. Shawnee is coming off an 0-10 season and has a new head coach (Shane Wireman) for the third time in as many seasons.

Here is the VW independent’s eighth annual preseason prediction for the WBL, based on information provided by coaches and other factors.

1 – Wapakoneta

2 – Defiance

3 – St. Marys Memorial

4 – Celina

5 – Van Wert

6 – Bath

7 – Elida

8 – Kenton

9 – Ottawa-Glandorf

10 – Shawnee