Andrew Bell
Staff Writer
Wooster held Oberlin scoreless in a dominating victory as the team celebrated Senior Day and displayed the talents of their senior standouts. Neil Clayton ’24 and Dominic DeMuth ’24 showcased their defensive power by repeatedly breaking through the Oberlin offensive line for key sacks and tackles. Reminiscing on Senior Day, DeMuth, one of the team captains, commented, “The College and this football team have helped me grow by leaps and bounds in more ways than I could have ever anticipated.”
Other seniors, Ben Greenwood ’24 and Kobe Nadu ’24, both had crucial stops on the only Oberlin drive with potential for a score. All-American placekicker Lake Barrett ’23 will have his name etched in Wooster football history with his twenty-eighth career field goal. He now holds the Black and Gold record for the most field goals scored by a Wooster player. “It feels good. To have my name there means a lot. I can still remember the first one that I hit back in 2019”, Barrett reflected.
During pre-game ceremonies, all senior players were honored for their contributions to the football program. In addition to the standouts from this matchup, the other seniors recognized included Paul Thomas Fischer ’24, Langston Williams ’24, Andrew Armile ’24, Bryce Kamphues ’24, Roman LaBrosse ’24, Ryan Tompkins ’24, Cristian Amesbury ’24, Sebestyen Balassy ’24 and Brandon Holt ’24. Following his fiftieth win, head coach Frank Colaprete remarked, “They are people of character, great leaders, besides being great players on top of it.”
Wooster’s first drive began at their own 12-yard line. The Scots started with a burst of five no huddle plays and never looked back. Making his first collegiate career start, quarterback Noah Clark ’26 showed poise and confidence. Throwing tight spirals, Clark connected with Tate Journell ’26 for a 35 yard first down gain and Brazos Gadler ’25 for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Wooster was in the early lead 7-0.
Wooster’s second score came late in the first quarter when Barrett nailed a 26-yard field goal. The Fighting Scots closed out the quarter with a deep 48-yard pass over the middle of the field to wide receiver Andrew Hammer ’25. The Scots were up 17-0 at the end of 15 minutes of play.
Oberlin’s offense continued to struggle in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Wyatt Harris ’26 plowed through the offensive line and sacked Oberlin’s Drew Nye ’26 for a 9-yard loss and turnover on downs at the Oberlin 25-yard line. The Scots kept their momentum going on the short field with an 8-yard pick up from Jarvis Mims Jr. ’26 followed by a 12-yard gain on Clark’s quarterback keeper. Journell sealed the drive with a score from 3 yards out. Wooster showed no stopping early in the second quarter with a 24-point lead.
Oberlin started their next offensive series with a first down fumble on the snap and a loss of 10 yards. They stayed behind the sticks for a quick three and out before punting. Wooster’s offense mounted a steady 60-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock. Barrett finished the fourteenth consecutive play of the series with a 22-yard field goal to lead the all-time Wooster field goal scoring record. The score was 27-0 with just over four minutes remaining in the first half.
Journell scooped an Oberlin fumble by quarterback Jackson Garlick ’27 which set up the next Black and Gold score. Wooster charged down the field from their own 35-yard line. Mims Jr. wedged the ball into the end zone from one and a half yards out for Wooster’s fourth touchdown of the day. The Scots were on top at halftime with a score of 34-0. The final score of the game came late in the fourth quarter when Oberlin’s Garlick bobbled a snap and kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety. The final score: 36-0.
Wooster racked up back-to-back weeks of complimentary football. They demonstrated solid team play on both sides of the ball and showcased outstanding individual talent. A fan favorite play of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter when Journell intercepted a pass and returned it for 62 yards. Wooster’s defense was nearly textbook strong and completed their best game statistically in nearly two decades. The Scot defensive line forced the struggling Yeomen to back pedal all afternoon as evidenced in their negative twenty rushing yards for the day. The Wooster offense outpaced Oberlin by more than a 4 to 1 margin at a blistering 434 yards to a dismal 95 yards.
This final home game of the season embodied an air of nostalgia, perhaps best summarized by one of the senior leaders, Balassy. “My greatest memory of Wooster football will be the relationship between teammates, those who have come and gone and the current ones. This experience is one that I will cherish forever. I wish all of them nothing but the best as we move forward.”
Wooster heads to Springfield, Ohio for the final game of the season against rival Wittenberg. While Wooster pulled off the upset last year, Colaprete knows the competition will be stiff. “We’re going to need everyone — offense, defense and special teams — to step up and make sure that we keep improving. We need to go into this week’s practice and the game with the right mindset, and we should be good to go.”
The Scots wrap up their season on the road against Wittenberg on Saturday, Nov. 11.
