Perhaps the best player ever to wear the Black and Gold called Wilmington College a "summer residence" in the early 1980s, and Wilmington is where The College of Wooster's 2023 football season kicks off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 2. Wooster (0-0, 0-0 North Coast Athletic Conference), coming off a 6-4 (4-4 NCAC) season, opens on the road for the second straight season against a Wilmington (3-7, 2-7 Ohio Athletic Conference) team that matched its highest win total since 2008 last fall. Wooster's football team was part of the Ohio Athletic Conference until the formation of the North Coast Athletic Conference, which started play in 1984 and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this academic year.
All-Time Series: Wooster and Wilmington have played twice before, but have not met in football since the 1993 season. Wooster won at Wilmington 30-20 on November 7, 1992, while Wilmington took a 41-19 game in Wooster, which concluded the 1993 season. Wooster has regularly scrimmaged Baldwin Wallace University in recent years, however, the last official game against an OAC school took place on September 1, 2011, when the Yellow Jackets shut out the Scots 23-0. Wooster's last win over an OAC school came on September 2, 2006, when the Scots beat John Carroll University 30-22.
The Wooster-Wilmington Connection: E. Blake Moore Jr., a proud, dedicated 1980 alumnus and two-time All-American at Wooster, signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1980 and played six seasons in the NFL, four of which were with Cincinnati. At the time, Cincinnati utilized Wilmington College, including Williams Stadium, as its training camp site. While with the Bengals, Moore played in Super Bowl XVI. Moore's singular determination carried over to all aspects of his Wooster experience. Academically, the history alumnus was the sixth three-time first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American® and the second to earn three first-team laurels from a NCAA Div. III institution. After concluding his professional career with the Green Bay Packers, Moore graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and has enjoyed a distinguished career in asset management, serving as a senior executive with Mackenzie Financial Corporation, UBS Asset Management, and Foresters Financial. At present, the emeritus Wooster Board of Trustees member is CEO and President of Touchstone Investments, where he leads the retail mutual fund business subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company Western Southern Financial Group.
Offense Notes: A new primary signal-caller will line up under center or in the shotgun when Wooster takes the field on Saturday afternoon. And while, veteran head coach
Frank Colaprete will emphasize playing your game and to your strengths, it is worth noting they are following some of the top quarterbacks in program history.
Mateo Renteria (2018-22),
Gary Muntean (2014-17), and
Richard Barnes (2010-14) are the top three passers at Wooster, combining for over 25,000 yards and just shy of 200 passing touchdowns. All-American tight end
Cole Hissong also graduated, however, Wooster returns its top outside target in junior
Brazos Gadler (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek), who logged over 700 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. Sophomore
Jarvis Mims Jr. (Baxley, Ga./Appling County) had at least 75 rushing yards over the final four Saturdays of the 2022 season and is the top returnee at running back. On the line, Wooster returns four starters in junior
Logan Pugh (Youngstown, Ohio/Jackson-Milton), senior
Bryce Kamphues (North Manchester, Ind./Manchester), junior
Seth Robinson (Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite), and junior
Tyler Ellsworth (Ravenna, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary).
Defense Notes: Wooster has plenty of experience up front on the line with four seniors -
Domenic DeMuth (Mayfield Village, Ohio/Mayfield),
Ben Greenwood (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon),
Neil Clayton (Boydton, Va./Bluestone), and
Brandon Holt (Atlanta, Ga./Benjamin Banneker) as part of the defensive line position. Versatility is the theme behind Wooster's defensive makeup this fall, as multiple guys can play both line and linebacker or linebacker and within the defensive backfield. Other returning starters include senior linebacker
Kobe Nadu (Summerville, Ga./Darlington School), junior defensive back
Jon Banal (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove), sophomore defensive back
Brock Sivon (Perry, Ohio/Perry), and senior defensive back
Langston Williams (New York, N.Y./Xavier).
Special Teams Notes: The honors are already rolling in for fifth-year senior
Lake Barrett (Columbia, S.C./Hammond School), who is Wooster's nominee to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. The two-time CSC Academic All-American® was in Peru this summer helping with reforestation projects with Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon. Barrett's research is being utilized by the organization as it lobbies the Peruvian government for reforestation support. Barrett, a 2022
D3football.com Preseason All-American, has earned one all-region and three all-conference awards thus far in his career. Wooster will debut a new primary punter should punting situations arise, with the graduation of CSC Academic All-American®
Matt Pardi, who is utilizing his COVID-year waiver of eligibility at NCAA Div. II University of New Haven.
