Gabe Wasylko
Staff Writer
They always say “trust the process.” You’ve heard the saying before. It’s the motto that made NBA All-Star Joel Embiid a basketball icon and led the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that held the worst record in modern day NBA history back in 2016, back to the second round of the NBA playoff this past season. As many know, The College of Wooster Fighting Scots found themselves victorious in their first game of the season, beating the Bluffton Beavers 44-34. Although they put together a solid first game on both ends of the field, Wooster fell short this past Saturday in their home-opener against the Allegheny Gators by a score of 27-20.
In these situations, it’s so easy to give up on “the process” and throw in the towel.
“It’s especially easy when you’re a first-year football player on the team trying to make a name for yourself,” said Dexter Lewis ’22.
Dexter Lewis, a first-year defensive back from Caledonia, Ohio, mentions that one of the toughest parts of “the process” is understanding and embracing the transition from the high school game to the speed and rigor of opposing Division III teams.
“The biggest adjustment is going from senior year of high school, playing every down and then they come to [Wooster] and you find yourself at the bottom of the totem pole,” said Lewis.
Many incoming first-year players don’t always get the most playing time, but Lewis and first-year linebacker Noah Minney expressed the importance of trusting the process and carrying a “short-term memory” on every play. Minney stresses this mindset.
“No matter if you have a good play or a bad play, it’s over and it doesn’t matter. You just have to move on to the next,” said Minney.
This short-term memory is important for remaining focused during practice and in games while building on the team mentality that is successful in the regular season and moving into playoffs.
Although “the process” lasts all season and each game is important, the group of first-year players is looking forward to one specific game this season, their regular season finale against a rival and one of the best teams in DIII football; Wittenberg.
“This could be a make or break game depending on how the rest of the season goes. We could be in or out [of the playoff], so the game could be more than it already is,” Minney added.
This extra motivation pushes the team to put forth 100 percent effort on every play during the season, so that way, in the big moment during a game, the team comes out on top.
During the season, it’s easy to get caught up in the number of wins and losses and the production on the field. Lewis expressed that the main goal of the first-year group is not only to win as many games as possible and make an impact on the field but to capitalize on the amazing environment the team has already created. “I want [opposing teams] to see us and say, ‘Dang, those are brothers,’ they have a brotherhood and they have a good thing going on,” Lewis explained.
This mentality is the foundation of “the process” the team plans to follow for the rest of the season, and it’s a formula that will not only lead to wins but one that will deliver a historical season for the Wooster Fighting Scots.
Next, The College of Wooster Fighting Scots football team will face the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops at Selby Stadium on Sept. 15.