Last August the Café republished this article from October 2005. We thought that it was worth publishing again to remind all of the humble beginnings of the Football program. The first scrimmage takes place on Tuesday Sept 4th against Morgan and the first game against Windham High is on Saturday Sept 22nd at 10:30 a.m. Go team! .

‘All the players were stars on this day…’

On Monday evening, September 26th, 2005, Woodstock Academy Centaurs launched its first football team in 80 years kicking off the season against football stronghold, Fitch Falcons of Robert E. Fitch Senior High School from Groton CT. This was a junior varsity game composed of Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior student players. The inauguration of our football program was made possible, in part, by the fundraising activities of the WA Booster Club. Through their tireless efforts, $30,000 was raised to purchase the necessary equipment for the football team.

My wife and I, both avid college football fans, attended the game uncertain of what kind of football we would see. For the last three years we have attended nearly all of the UConn home football games at Rentschler Field to watch UConn quickly emerge as a top-notch college football team. Over the years we have also attended many football games at other high-powered colleges like Stanford, Air Force, and Pittsburgh to name a few. So we braced ourselves primarily out of concern for our untested players.

Our team kicked off to Fitch to start the game. Within a few minutes Fitch had moved the ball 70-yards down the field by completing three long passes to score the first touchdown. Then Fitch kicked off to Woodstock. We then proceeded to move the ball back up the field grinding out yardage in a long sustained drive that reached the Fitch 30-yardline before stalling. This pattern more or less set the tone for the night in a game that ended with Fitch winning by 45-13.

This score did not reflect the quality of the game played by the Centaurs. Fitch was obviously a solid, seasoned team with a top-notch quarterback who could pass like a varsity starter. But Woodstock matched up well in grit against Fitch for most of the game. My impression throughout the game was that we were seeing high quality play. Our quarterback John Norman (#4) and tailback Adam Gumula (#20) impressed all with a solid ground game through the center of a much larger opposing line. Adam also punted and kicked field goals/extra points. The sound of players colliding on each play was impressive yet no player on our team struggled to get off the ground play after play. Defensive high points came when Zach Berquist (#56) single-handedly downed the larger fullback at the line; then Ernie Wetzel (#57) sacked the quarterback in similar fashion and intercepted a pass; and then Zack Wetzel (#30) wrapped himself around the legs of the Fitch halfback in a flying tackle to force a fumble right in front of us. Martha Wetzel jumped up and down in sheer joy as the Wetzel boys impressed us all with their outstanding play. Many other parents were also watching their sons intently as they performed on the field. In spite of the fact that we were losing throughout the game, the prevailing attitude along the sidelines by the team and the 50 or so fans was that this was a win for Woodstock. All the players were stars on this day and their satisfaction and joy in their accomplishments was obvious to all.

Hats off to Head Coach, Jemal Davis and his coaching staff, Bernie Norman, Jonathan Knowles, and Greg Smith, for putting together a solid team that will grow into a strong varsity program in its second year.

John Leavitt

Addendum by Ed Higgins, August 22, 2006

All involved with the new football program at Woodstock Academy are most encouraged by the continued development and growing interest since the inaugural game played in October of 2005. In June of this year, the Football Committee met the second benchmark and delivered a check for $ 20,000 to the Academy Trustees in fulfillment of the 2006 pledge of support towards start-up expenses. To date $50,000 has been raised and delivered, and approximately $9,000 has been raised that is earmarked for the $20,000 commitment for 2007. None of this would have been possible without the past and ongoing strong support by area businesses and residents who have contributed to the ongoing fundraising efforts. Most notable among these has been the weekly returnables redemption project at the Woodstock Transfer Station that has accounted for nearly $29,000 of the $50,000 raised to date.

While all those involved in the efforts that commenced in late 2003 to encourage the initiation of a football program at Woodstock Academy held strong convictions regarding the merits of adding this extracurricular activity for Academy students – the lingering question has always been whether all the hard work and efforts required of both supporters and the WA staff and administration would be justified by the number of students who would commit to participating. The 2006 season finished with some 58 students (Grades 9-11) on the field. At the first practice yesterday we witnessed some 80 students, grades 9-12, register and participate in preseason conditioning drills. Thus, it seems the answer is evident – indeed the inauguration of the football program has been well-worth the effort.