Wapakoneta the pick to repeat in WBL

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Traditionally, Wapakoneta has enjoyed a great deal of success on the gridiron and that trend is expected to continue this season. Over the last four seasons alone, the Redskins have gone 42-9 and this year’s team is expected to substantially add to the win column. It should be noted the program is the second winningest in WBL history (398-283-10) behind St. Marys Memorial (454-220-16).

Wapakoneta is the VW independent’s preseason favorite to win yet another league championship. Another successful program, St. Marys Memorial, is expected to challenge. Based on information provided by coaches and various other sources, here is the full VW independent Western Buckeye League preseason poll.

1 – Wapakoneta

With 15 returning letter winners back from last year’s team (12-1, 9-0 WBL), veteran head coach Travis Moyer has a wealth of returning talent at his disposal, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Moyer’s son, Caleb Moyer, will be a four-year starter at quarterback. Last year, he completed 78 percent of his passes for over 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for over 800 yards. Running back Jarrett Mullen ran for over 850 years and caught more than 450 yards worth of passes. Ohio University-bound wide receiver Kaden Page caught 88 passes for over 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. The list goes on.

The elder Moyer noted he has some concerns, including offensive line depth and the loss of some talented defensive players to graduation, but there are plenty of talented newcomers ready to step in.

Last year, Wapakoneta rolled through the WBL and won the title by a two game margin. The Redskins currently have an 18-game regular season winning streak, have won or shared the last four WBL titles and have won or shared six of the last seven titles, with the exception being 2020.

This team is the favorite to make it five straight titles and seven of the last eight.

2 – St. Marys Memorial

Circle August 29 on the calender. That’s when St. Marys Memorial will host Bath in the WBL opener. The winner of that game will stay in league title contention, while the loser will be behind the proverbial 8-ball right off the bat, at least in the league standings.

The Roughriders (10-3, 7-2 WBL in 2024) have seven returning starters, nine returning letter winners and a solid group of newcomers. Yes, 22 seniors were lost to graduation, but St. Marys has a ‘plug and play’ system. Head coach Bo Frye is sticking with the old school Wing-T offense which presents many challenges for opposing defenses. It’s an offense not used by many teams anymore and it’s extremely difficult to prepare for. One of the key cogs in such an attack is the fullback and Caleb Schmidt returns to that position after rushing for over 900 yards last season. While the Roughriders ran the ball 656 of their 697 offensive plays last year, quarterback Aiden Meinerding is back for his second year as a starter, and kicker Brady Triplett is another weapon.

This season should be another successful one for the Roughriders.

3 – Bath

In 2022, the Wildcats finished 0-10. Since then, Bath has gone 10-13 and has made two playoff appearances. The record may not seem impressive but it does show how far this program has come in the two years since head coach Frank Russell took over. Now, this program seems poised to take another big step.

15 returning letter winners are back, including many that are about to become three year starters in Russell’s program. In fact, all of them were starters last season. The list includes quarterback Zach Welsch and running back Logan Markley.

Last year, Bath was 6-6 (5-4 WBL) and three of those losses came by a combined nine points and Russell said this year’s squad needs to be better at responding to adversity. He also said he expects his team to play hard and fast, while showing improvement each day.

The Week No. 2 game at St. Marys Memorial looms large, and the Wildcats will host Wapakoneta in the regular season finale.

4 – Celina

This is where things get jumbled pretty quickly. Valid arguments can be made for the order of the middle three teams.

Under ninth year head coach Brennan Bader, the Bulldogs are coming off a 6-5 (5-4 WBL) season, with two of those losses coming by a combined six points. Six returning starters are back on offense and four are back on defense.

Under Bader, the program seemed to turn the corner in 2023, when the Bulldogs finished as league co-champions, regional champions and state semifinalists. This program has an old school feel to it, with defense a priority and an offense that isn’t flashy but gets the job done. 

5 – Van Wert

Nate Place, Owen Treece, Aidan Pratt, Brylen Parker and Briston Wise have been the last five Van Wert quarterbacks. Now it’s sophomore Zach Crummey’s turn. While the previous quarterbacks were dual threat quarterbacks, Crummey is more of a dropback passer but head coach Keith Recker said he’s athletic enough to roll out and run, especially between the tackles. When he throws, Crummey will have some talented targets, including Keaten Welch, Micah Cowan and Xavier Kelly, who also spent time at running back last season.

23 lettermen are back from last year’s team (4-6, 3-6 WBL) and that includes 16 starters and the majority of the offensive and defensive lines, which is always a good place to start. Howeer, the key this season is defensive improvement. In 2024, the Cougars gave up 34 points or more in eight of the 10 teams and finished the year giving up 36 points and 428 total yards per game, last among all WBL schools in both categories. If Van Wert shows substantial improvement defensively, this is a team that very well could and should finish higher than fifth.

6 – Shawnee

The Indians finished 2-8 (1-8 WBL) in 2024 but second year head coach Shane Wireman is optimistic of improvement this season. He has 16 returning lettermen and 13 returning starters, plus a handful of promising newcomers. He noted the team has worked hard in the weight room during the offseason and he believes dual threat quarterback JJ Spyker is primed for a great season.

In 2024, Shawnee started 2-0 but dropped the remaining eight games, including a 21-14 loss to Ottawa-Glandorf in Week No. 9 and 48-47 in the season finale. While the Indians may not be ready to contend for a league championship, this is a team that could move up substantially in the standings. Again, this is why the 4-6 spots seem to be up for grabs.

7 – Elida

Elida finished 3-8 (2-7 WBL) in 2024 and the Bulldogs return seven starters on offensive, including four linemen, and eight starters on defense, including defensive end Parker Crim, who has committed to play college football at the University of Illinois.

A key for this season will be offensive consistency. The Bulldogs were shut out three times last year, scored seven points in another game and 14 in yet another. The defense struggled at times last year as well, giving up 34 points or more in seven games.

As head coach Kyle Harmon noted during his preseason analysis of his team, consistency will be the key.

8 – Ottawa-Glandorf

Ken Schriner is the dean of WBL coaches, with 30 years under his belt, but he has some staggering losses to deal with in 2025.

The Titans lost 20 lettermen and 15 starters from last year’s team (6-6, 5-4 WBL), including nine on offense and six on defense. The graduation list includes the starting quarterback, top two running backs and top two receivers.

Ottawa-Glandorf struggled to put points on the board last year, scoring 28 or more just three times. However, the defense kept the Titans in games, allowing 21 or less in seven games. It appears the defense will be called on to do the same while the offense finds a rythmn.

Make no mistake – win or lose, this team will play hard every Friday night.

9 – Defiance

Assistant coach Steve Rittenour takes over for former head coach Travis Cooper. He inherits a program that lost 19 seniors and returns 10 lettermen. Last year’s two starting running backs, quarterback and top receiver were all lost to graduation. In all, eight starters were lost on offense and seven on defense from a team that finished 7-5 (6-3 WBL).

Rittenour was a longtime assistant with the Bulldog program so that should be a plus. There is some returning talent up front, which is helpful when developing new skill position players.

10 – Kenton

The Wildcats went 2-8 (2-7 WBL) last year with five losses coming by a touchdown or less. Now, Zach Turner has to deal with the loss of the WBL’s leading passer (Korbin Johnston, 3,330 yards and 27 touchdowns, 800 yards rushing), along with five starting offensive linemen, the starting running back and a leading receiver.

Last year’s defense allowed 37 points and nearly 420 yards per game.

This year’s team will be young, with just eight seniors on the roster. However, Turner said he believes the team has more athletic ability and some players who have the potential to be impact players down the road. They’ll gain valuable varsity experience this season.