Wilmington readying to defend Class 2A state title

When a football team wins a state championship, sometimes preparing for the next season can be a challenge.

But when that program has reached the playoffs for 27 straight seasons, even a state title isn’t going to alter the preparation.

That is the case with Wilmington, which won its third state title overall last year under coach Jeff Reents, second in the past three seasons. It also was the 27th consecutive playoff appearance for the Wildcats.

One of the mainstays on the summer schedule for Wilmington is a 7-on-7 competition at Morris, where the Wildcats squared off Tuesday against Morris, Joliet Central and Morris’ JV team, taking the place of Bolingbrook.

“We will prepare the same way we always do,” Reents said. “Our expectations are high, as they always are. Winning a state title just means we want to do it again.

“These kids coming back have a year of experience, and they know what it takes to be a state championship team.”

One of the key returning players for Reents and the Wildcats is junior linebacker Zach Ohlund. Ohlund was a starter last season in the state title run and will be the anchor in the middle of the defense as well as a starter on the offensive line.

“We had a great team last year,” Ohlund said, “but we have a lot of guys that got a lot of experience playing with that team and are coming back, too. We just want to try and win a bunch of games like we do every year.

“In the offseason, we just put our heads down and work hard. Most of us have been playing with the [Wilmington youth football program] Bobcats since we were about 7, 8 years old. We already know the system by the time we get to high school, so now it’s more about fine-tuning things instead of learning new things.”

Ohlund is one of many Wildcats who were also members of the baseball team that finished third in the state in Class 2A this past spring, bringing even more big-game experience to the table. Other key football players from the baseball team are quarterback/tight end Lucas Rink and running back/defensive back Kyle Farrell.

“It’s nice having Zach coming back as an anchor for our defense,” Reents said. “He’s a three-sport athlete, which we encourage here. A school our size, we need all of our best athletes to compete in as many sports as possible.

“Coming to this 7-on-7 at Morris every year is good for us. We are able to go up against great athletes and programs that we wouldn’t otherwise see. We’re able to work on our passing game a little bit, and we get to play defense against the spread type of offenses that we see a lot during the season.”

While Ohlund is a standout on the football field, it might not be his first choice of venue.

“If I had to pick, I would say baseball is my sport,” he said. “I love football, but baseball is my first love.

“Coach Reents is awesome to play for. He coached my dad, so I have grown up hearing about playing for him, and it has been every bit as good as my dad tells me.”

The Wildcats expect to extend their playoff streak to 28.

“We all have high expectations,” Ohlund said. “We know what’s expected at Wilmington, and no one wants to be on the team that breaks the playoff streak.

“We know that if we do what the coaches tell us and execute the game plan that things will work out well.”