Whitko Returnees Eager To Show Things Are Different
August 21, 2019 at 7:50 p.m.
Whitko Returnees Eager To Show Things Are Different
By Ryan Villanueva-
These are the words used to describe the current state of the football players at Whitko High School. The man who is seeing it himself? It is none other than Phil Jensen, the former Warsaw Tigers head football coach.
Jensen, who stepped down as the Warsaw head football coach after the 2017 season, inherits a Whitko team that had seen only one victory in the last two seasons.
As the all-time wins leader (104-85) while at Warsaw, Jensen brings in a lot of experience, and has also seen some growth among his players since taking over in April.
“We have had 20 kids that have shown up consistently all summer long,” said Jensen. “There is that hunger about this group. They know that our coaching staff is committed to coaching the crap out of just whoever is there that wants it.”
Jensen has several of his players becoming more involved, as they have already participated in skills camps prior to their own summer training camps.
“We took 19 kids to a team camp at Manchester with coach (Bart) Curtis, and we went and scrimmaged DeKalb,” said Jensen. “So, they’ve done a lot of things that they are not used to doing, and they’ve jumped in with both feet and accepted it and have really gotten after it.”
Among those returning this year is senior linebacker/slotback Ashton Schuh. In a season that earned him all-Three Rivers Conference honors, Schuh accounted for 93 total tackles, an interception and a pair each of forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
The future is also bright for the Wildcats. As a freshman last season, fullback/linebacker Cade Berg carried the ball 183 times for 722 yards and seven touchdowns as well as one reception for a score.
The Wildcats’ first few games this season will pose a challenge. First, they will travel to Churubusco on Friday night to face the Eagles—who open the year as the 6th-ranked team in Class 1A in the Coaches’ preseason poll. Week 2 features a road trip to Peru before coming home for Week 3 in a matchup with the Rochester Zebras. In the following week, they hit the road yet again to face the Maconaquah Braves.
Last season, Rochester and Maconaquah were 8-3 and 9-3, respectively. In 2016, the Zebras experienced a winless season. After a change in head coaches, they surged to a 7-3 season.
Rather than seeing if they could emulate what Rochester had been through, or even mention a word about this year’s opponents, Jensen is just taking small steps at a time.
“We’re really just focusing on getting better day-to-day,” said Jensen. “We have not talked about other teams or the schedule yet. We are just showing up, doing what we can do and taking care of things that we can take care of.”
Jensen and the Wildcats have their goals in mind, with one of them being anywhere but last place by the end of the season.
“The TRC, from top-to-bottom, is a very competitive conference,” said Jensen. “And our goal is just not to finish at the bottom of it.”
Note: Jensen’s first job as a head coach was a Churubusco, from 1992-95, before going to Warsaw. He led the Eagles to a 29-12 mark in those four seasons.
These are the words used to describe the current state of the football players at Whitko High School. The man who is seeing it himself? It is none other than Phil Jensen, the former Warsaw Tigers head football coach.
Jensen, who stepped down as the Warsaw head football coach after the 2017 season, inherits a Whitko team that had seen only one victory in the last two seasons.
As the all-time wins leader (104-85) while at Warsaw, Jensen brings in a lot of experience, and has also seen some growth among his players since taking over in April.
“We have had 20 kids that have shown up consistently all summer long,” said Jensen. “There is that hunger about this group. They know that our coaching staff is committed to coaching the crap out of just whoever is there that wants it.”
Jensen has several of his players becoming more involved, as they have already participated in skills camps prior to their own summer training camps.
“We took 19 kids to a team camp at Manchester with coach (Bart) Curtis, and we went and scrimmaged DeKalb,” said Jensen. “So, they’ve done a lot of things that they are not used to doing, and they’ve jumped in with both feet and accepted it and have really gotten after it.”
Among those returning this year is senior linebacker/slotback Ashton Schuh. In a season that earned him all-Three Rivers Conference honors, Schuh accounted for 93 total tackles, an interception and a pair each of forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
The future is also bright for the Wildcats. As a freshman last season, fullback/linebacker Cade Berg carried the ball 183 times for 722 yards and seven touchdowns as well as one reception for a score.
The Wildcats’ first few games this season will pose a challenge. First, they will travel to Churubusco on Friday night to face the Eagles—who open the year as the 6th-ranked team in Class 1A in the Coaches’ preseason poll. Week 2 features a road trip to Peru before coming home for Week 3 in a matchup with the Rochester Zebras. In the following week, they hit the road yet again to face the Maconaquah Braves.
Last season, Rochester and Maconaquah were 8-3 and 9-3, respectively. In 2016, the Zebras experienced a winless season. After a change in head coaches, they surged to a 7-3 season.
Rather than seeing if they could emulate what Rochester had been through, or even mention a word about this year’s opponents, Jensen is just taking small steps at a time.
“We’re really just focusing on getting better day-to-day,” said Jensen. “We have not talked about other teams or the schedule yet. We are just showing up, doing what we can do and taking care of things that we can take care of.”
Jensen and the Wildcats have their goals in mind, with one of them being anywhere but last place by the end of the season.
“The TRC, from top-to-bottom, is a very competitive conference,” said Jensen. “And our goal is just not to finish at the bottom of it.”
Note: Jensen’s first job as a head coach was a Churubusco, from 1992-95, before going to Warsaw. He led the Eagles to a 29-12 mark in those four seasons.
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