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Closing in on 10 p.m., the large contingent of Winona Senior High School’s football team on hand for the Winona State University Warrior Football Camp made its way to one last scrimmage.
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Winona Senior High School's Lucas Bade, center, throws a pass to Conor Kosidowski (not pictured) Tuesday during Winona State University's Warrior Football Camp at Maxwell Field. (photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News) |
An overtime drill. Smashmouth, full-contact, 11-on-11, first team to score from the 10-yard line wins.
The Winona players were as emboldened and exuberant as they had been all day.
Palpable enthusiasm, another baby step in the Winhawks’ long-suffering climb toward respect, success and tradition.
“It’s the little things,” said Will Lueck, who will be a senior defensive back and wide receiver at WSHS in the fall. “Getting more people out, getting certain attendance percentages in the weight room, getting more kids to the camps, just coming together. It all adds up.”
It’s a philosophy of Winhawks coach John Cassellius, who will be entering his fourth season at WSHS. When Cassellius took over before the 2005 season, rebuilding from the ground up was about his only option for a team that hadn’t won since 2002.
The struggles were well-documented. Cassellius began his tenure with the Winhawks with consecutive 0-9 seasons, extending a dubious losing streak to 37 games.
But Cassellius’s second season was different from years past. It included a two-point loss to Faribault and a seven-point loss to Albert Lea, remarkably near-misses for a forlorn program.
Then, last season, the Winhawks took their biggest step forward in nearly five years.
WSHS emphatically closed the chapter on a 37-game losing streak, beating Maple River 33-6 to open the season. The following Friday, WSHS nearly upset Rochester Century. Midway through the season, the Winhawks lost a two-game road trip at Austin and Albert Lea by nine points combined.
WSHS finished last season 1-8, but the small steps started to add up.
“The seniors that have left, and the kids who have left, really helped to establish a base,” Cassellius said. “Now these guys are trying to build upon that base.”
The Winhawks brought 38 kids to the WSU camp, up from last year. Participation for 6:45 a.m. daily weight room workouts and twice-weekly running sessions also are up.
“Every year the goal is to build upon where we were at last year,” Cassellius said. “We had 35 guys (at the WSU camp) last year, we have 38 guys here this year. Weight room participation is up. Not just getting the guys in there but getting them in there consistently. Those are the little things that we can control.”
Sam Perrella, who will be a senior offensive and defensive lineman in the fall, was among the 10 or so Winona players who attended the WSU camp four years ago — the team has attended the past three years. Without enough players to field even an offense or defense, let alone a team, Perrella and the others were displaced on mix-and-match “Renegade” teams.
“Now it’s just our team,” Perrella said, “so we know we accomplished a win. Or we accomplished a pass, or a rush, or a block. It’s just us. Everyone really enjoys that, being able to play as a team.”
WSHS hasn’t had a winning season since 1998. With the little things in mind, Cassellius, Perrella, Lueck and the rest are thinking big.
“When I was younger it was definitely frustrating after every game,” Perrella said. “But now we’re closer in every game, we know we have a chance of winning, playing with teams and doing well against them. It’s a nice change.”
