By Matt Browning
The Wellington football team graduated a talented senior class from a year ago, but with players like starting center Ethan Brungardt, the Crusaders’ cupboard is far from empty.
“We’ve been able to establish the run game well, with huge improvement in our offensive line and a good running back in Jalik Armstrong,” Brungardt said. “Our team’s young, so our biggest problem currently is just mentality. We could definitely improve on having the right mindset going into games and practice.”
Part of the reason why Wellington is having success despite graduating so many starters is the culture that is in place.
“The culture this year is the best it’s ever been while I’ve been here,” Brungardt said. “Again it’s just we are young all around, so having the right level of maturity is difficult sometimes. There’s a lot of upside to being young and being talented, so the team is only going to get better as the season goes on.”
Having been a part of a team that made a deep run in the playoffs a year ago, Brungardt knows what it takes to advance in the postseason.
He thinks this team is more than capable of being a factor come playoff time.
“I think anything past sectionals in the playoffs is a success,” Brungardt said. “Ending the regular season at 7-1 is a good possibility right now, so having that paired with a good playoff run would be the optimal outcome for this team.”
