From frustrating academic courses to a haunted house with the entire Wabash College football team, my first couple months as a Little Giant have been exciting none the less. I am Carl Rivera and currently a freshman safety on the football team. When I first arrived on campus I really wasn’t sure what to expect. All of my friends were going to big state schools and were trying to convince me to follow their paths. Since the day the veterans of the football team welcomed us to our new family, I haven’t looked back with regret once. Transition from high school to college is a lot more difficult than people think, especially coming to an elite school like Wabash. What people don’t understand is that at Wabash, the amount of support and help that is supplied is endless and it starts with the football team. Every Tuesday evening senior WR Jake Grow (biology major) voluntarily helps me with my biology whenever I seem to be struggling. If there is ever a problem, personal or not, I know one of my brothers from the football team will always be there for help.

Last Wednesday, one of our coaches set up a “spooky” journey down to a haunted house in Indy. The trip turned out to be very successful, ending in laughs from everyone. The chainsaws, bloody knifes, and painful whips put more fear in some of the seniors’ eyes than I thought was possible. As everyone was boarding the bus the stories started to flow. Every group had different stories of their own experiences in the terrifying halls of the haunted house and everyone could laugh at themselves.

RED SWARM! Our Red Squad team this year was awesome. We went 5-0 and had a great time dominating our opponents.  We had a lot of talent and these games helped us realize how much of an opportunity and potential we have for the next three years. More importantly, we had a lot of fun. Our coaches are all about winning and dominating the game, but won’t hesitate to laugh on the sidelines. They always put us in situations to win the game and have fun at the same time. Now that our games are over, it’s time to take it to the next level as we make our varsity team better. It is part our job to get this team ready for the final stretch of the season and leading into the playoffs. At the same time we’ll be preparing ourselves for the offseason and next season.

WAF!

Carl Rivera ‘13

When I was sitting in the team meeting today preparing for Hiram, I realized that the season is reaching the end. However, this past week will be a week that I will never forget. On Monday after practice, Coach Raeburn told the team that there was going to be a team activity on Wednesday night after practice. Nobody knew what the Coach Raeburn had in store for us. So after practice on Wednesday, everyone quickly showers up and gets a bite to eat before we had to get on the bus for our team activity. The team activity consisted of driving to Indianapolis to go to a haunted house. The haunted house was a hit by the entire team. Everyone had a great time and found out some information that people did not know. We found out that Coach Tony is scared of clowns, Coach Gilbert can be frightened and was by a human who walks on all fours, and numerous members of the football team were terrified of the chainsaw killer. However, the most memorable moment of the entire night was watching Jake Kolisek, Kyle Najar, and Dan Ryan Wood run out of the haunted house in nothing but their boxers. The site of them running out was a hit with everyone. The best part was watching Kyle trip and fall and frantically trying to grab his articles of clothing that he dropped.

Then on our way to Oberlin for our game, we made a detour and stopped in South Bend at the College Football Hall of Fame. This was an incredible experience for me, since I have never been there before. We were able to walk around and see various parts of college football history, such as previous Division 3 national champions, winners of Division 1 bowl games, and numerous college football legends. The most interesting par t of the hall of fame was seeing that the Wabash and DePauw rivalry is one of the top ten biggest rivalries. After going to the hall of fame, we got back on the bus and completed the great week by defeating Oberlin 41-9. By going to the haunted house and College Football Hall of Fame, it is evident that Wabash football likes to have a good time and those two experiences will be ones that I will never forget.

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!

Jake Martin ‘11

It has been quite a journey this past year.  I am currently a sophomore here at Wabash and I have had amazing experience with this Wabash Football Family.  I come from Phoenix, AZ and it was very difficult to adapt to college life and being far away from home.  I was not sure what to expect going in to this, but this football FAMILY relieved my stress and anxiety and made me feel right at home.  That was something that was very important to me because I struggled a lot when I got here and it was nice to know that I was already making a lot of friends on the football team.

This is my second year playing red squad and it has been awesome.  I was injured for a few weeks in the beginning of the season and was unfortunately unable to compete in our first game: DEPAUW!  However, I have played in the last two games and it has been an awesome experience.  It is cool to work with all of the freshmen because I remember being in their shoes a year ago.  I know that this offense isn’t easy and I know a lot of guys can attest to that.  I love helping these guys and I think we have grown a lot closer since the beginning of the season.  We are currently 3-0!

What I truly admire about this football team is that we are so willing to help and encourage each other even if we are competing for the same spot.  That is something that is difficult to swallow as a player, however it is not all about you as a player, but rather what you can do to help this FAMILY.  It just really showed the selflessness of this team and I really appreciated that and it was actually something I did not expect and that is what makes this program so unique.  When I was a freshman, I was nervous about meeting Matt Hudson and asking him questions, but he was always so willing and open to help any of us quarterbacks and it showed how much he cares about the team and not himself.  Wabash Football is unique and it creates an environment that not a lot of football players get to experience and it is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. 

It is finally Witt week and I know we have all been looking forward to this game all year.  This game means everything to us.  It basically determines our conference and our spot in the playoffs.  We know that this is a challenging opponent but it is up to us to execute and play to our potential.  As long as we take care of the football and play to the best of our abilities, we will win this game.  The atmosphere during this week has been the most intense thus far and we have had a great week of practice and I am really confident in this team and I know we will show up on Saturday!       

WAF!

Daniel Ambrosio '12

The Wabash Football team has officially reached the halfway point in our regular season. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were gearing up for Denison. However, five weeks later we are a perfect 5-0. Since we are at the halfway point, I will give a brief overview of the first half of the season before I mention our upcoming opponent, Wittenberg.

 The first half of the season has been everything that I had hoped and more. The defense is playing absolutely lights out thanks to many senior leaders. Matt Whyde (DL) has been tearing up the offensive line and has been harassing the QB every game. Brian Watson and Matt Kraft have been studs at linebacker for us. They have both made some phenomenal plays and have really stepped up. Addrian Frederick has been a beast at DB and leads the team in interceptions. On offense, Matt Hudson, Kody LeMond, and Wes Chamblee have all played up to their amazing potential. There is no defense in the country that can stop these guys when they are clicking. Also, Tommy Mambourg has been an absolute animal running the ball this year and the experienced O-Line has made it easy for him at times by creating some huge holes. We have been able to have a good mix of run and pass on offense, and I think that has helped us be successful.

While the first half of the season has been great, it does not mean anything to us, because we focused on the game coming up this weekend. IT’S WITT WEEK!!!! Both Witt and Wabash have excellent history regarding their football programs. While Wabash just won its 600^th game a few weeks ago against Allegheny, Wittenberg posts an impressive 677 wins, which is the most of any DIII program. This game coming up will be an absolute brawl. In fact, Coach Creighton used to call this game World War III. The games from the previous two years against Witt have come down to the final play of the game. Believe me, this upcoming game will be no different. We will have to play our absolute best to beat the Tigers, but I know that our men will do just that. We will come into Saturday more focused than ever and we will not let Witt come to Byron P. Hollett and beat us. We will dominate!

 We have our fall break this weekend, so I know a lot of students are going to be traveling home this weekend. However, it would be awesome to have a big crowd on Saturday. So, if any of you are looking for something to do this weekend, come out and support your Little Giants. It will be an outstanding game and you will not be disappointed!

Wabash Always Fights!

 Chad Sorenson #89

I am now into my 7^th week on campus and have yet to find a reason not to be here. Football camp was a blast. It was great to be here with the Wabash Football Family a week before everyone else arrived. We used that time to learn the plays, practice, watch film, and have some fun! We did different events like skit night, introductions, the human hand-me-down, Air Force, the campus scavenger hunt (until the storm came) and American Gladiators!

 The football team is awesome! The varsity team is currently undefeated at 3-0 and the red squad is also undefeated at 1-0 (against DePauw). I love that fact that we have a red squad because it gives everyone who doesn’t play on Saturdays a chance to get live reps against others teams. Practice at Wabash is different than most other schools. Everyone gets reps the entire practice and no one spends more than three plays standing around. We work hard every single day and have a lot of fun along the way. There is no other school I’d rather play for!

Before I came, everyone warned me about how the classes were so much more difficult than high school; they were right in a sense. The classes I’ve taken this semester have not necessarily been harder than high school, but definitely more work. I have done more reading and writing thus far in the semester than I did all of high school. The one thing that separates Wabash from high school is the availability of resources. The professors, students, football team, and the Writing Center all have helped me with assignments that I was unsure of or wanted reviewed.   WAF!

Derek Rowe ‘13

It is finally beginning to hit me that all the clichés that every Senior has said since my Freshman year are actually true.  It goes by fast, enjoy every minute, you’re only a Senior once, etcetera etcetera.  It’s all true—as much as I would not have expected it to be so as a Freshman.  Ironically, I am now the one saying these things, and I certainly hope this year’s Freshman listen better than I did.

It’s been a great beginning to my Senior year here at Wabash so far.  We’re clicking as a team, blowing out our opponents in our wins, and yet we all feel that there is much room to improve.  You know that you’re at a special place when people get upset after a 56-7 win at all the mistakes they feel were made.  Every week we are looking to improve, to not just beat our next opponent, but to play the best we possibly can.

A highlight so far has been being voted captain by my teammates, along with Matt Kraft, Skip Tokar, and Matt Hudson.  It’s been great to have another linebacker at the coin flip with me, especially one as “hard” as Matt Kraft, in the words of Coach Gilbert.  I know that every time Kraft interlocks his fingers with mine at the toss, that he is only thinking “hard” thoughts, and planning how he can make the rest of the team as “tough” as him. 

All joking aside, this week will be a true test for both sides of the ball.  Allegheny is a good team—the best we have seen thus far.  I’m excited to have the opportunity to truly test our team against one of the better teams in the conference.  Trust me, we will be bringing our best to Meadville.

WAF,

Bryan Watson, Senior LB

Just as we felt as a team while leaving the field at Chicago following our 48-10 victory last weekend, I approach my inaugural blog with mixed emotions.  I find myself in a unique position.  I will spend one more year at Wabash to graduate in 2011, yet this is my final season as a football player - ever.  The body begins to deteriorate in the latter stages of the college football player’s career.  Going up flights of stairs only means sharp knee pains and waking up to a Sunday morning is always accompanied by the popping of sternums, backs, and elbows.   As I look ahead to next year, part of me eagerly wonders what college life will be like without spending my late afternoons on the field.  Yet, a bigger part of me fears that day.  That day also means that my fellow seniors of Wabash Football will have continued on to the dreaded “real world.”  Some will be married, others will be overseas, and still more may be enrolled in additional school on the eastern coast.  This season has been surreal thus far.  I can only close by thanking my fellow brothers of Wabash Football for the experiences thus far.  As we prepare to take the field on each of the remaining Saturdays left in the season, and for us seniors, our entire football career, I take refuge in knowing that while we all share a passion for this wonderful game we play, this desire is only surpassed by a fervor for each other.  WAF!

-Kenny Coggins, Senior DE

This season has already been memorable.  There is nothing like football in the fall, especially on a team like we have here at Wabash.  It feel s right to be back here with these guys, these are some of my best friends.  Camp was a lot of learning, but we had fun along the way.  I especially enjoyed the American Gladiators competition, it was my favorite show growing up.  Basically, we broke into teams and competed in several events that resembled the 90's show.  Though we didn't win, everyone's a winner when we play powerball at practice. 

Now that camp is over, we have really hit the ground running.  I feel really honored to be named a Team Captain with some of my favorite people, especially Co-captain Gerald Watson.  Everything is right in the world when I am holding his powerful, manly hands walking out to the coinflip.  Playing in my first game back was like (as some people have called it) riding a bike.  Though the scheme is different, football is still played with 11 players to a side and I still try to tackle the guy with the ball.  As a defense, we did a good job with doing just that, but we still have plenty of room for improvement.  Our Wabash Football fans are great and I love hearing their ecstatic cheers as we battle at our home games.  A special thank you to all of those who have sent your congratulations to us. 

The guys with the ball this week (University of Chicago) will be a true test.  Luckily, we have a great coaching staff that will prepare us.  Every day I pick up something new about my position(s), Coach Gilbert makes sure of that.  For this coming week, I am really excited to see where we will stack up against a great running game.  We will be bringing our best.

WAF!

-Matt Kraft ‘13

Wabash football has been excellent so far.  I have realized in the past few weeks that I made the best decision of my life to attend Wabash College.  Coming here a week early to play football was a great opportunity not only to improve my skills but also to get to know my teammates and coaches—the guys who comprise the family that IS Wabash football.  I have never felt welcomed and accepted so quickly into a team as I did when I came to Wabash.  All of the work that each of my teammates, coaches, and I put in over the past weeks lead up to what ultimately was a domination of our first opponent.  I didn’t get onto the field except for a kickoff in the last few minutes of the game; however, I can definitely say the whole atmosphere of pre-game and during the game was something I will never forget.  I got chills as we, the Little Giants of Wabash, swaggered out of the locker room and past the most loyal fans in the nation.  It was an unbelievable feeling of decades of tradition.  What goes through you as you make that walk out to the field for the first time is inexplicable.  It was so fun to be out there as we went to work quickly—scoring two touchdowns before three minutes had even ticked off the clock.  As exhilarating as it was, I was still extremely pumped up to play in the Red Squad game two days later against DePauw.

Knowing I would play a bigger role in this game that was about to occur, I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face all through pre-game.  One might think that since it’s not a varsity game it doesn’t mean much. Try telling that to the men who strapped it up and came ready to play on that Monday evening.  It was no joke that we came to dominate our rivals from down south.  It was no joke that we rocked DePauw 36-6.  That experience helped me realize 100% I made the right choice in schools.

As much as I love football, the true reason that any man chooses Wabash is for the sheer fact that he is dedicated to becoming the absolute best in anything and everything he does.  I realized in my first few days of classes that it wouldn’t be easy—but it would definitely be worth it.  Wabash is a college that demands excellence from its students and forces its students to demand excellence from themselves.  Trust me, when someone says this school is difficult they are completely correct.  Yet, when they also say… it will be worth it, well, the statistics of success of those who have graduated from here speak for themselves.  As I heard many times, this is an excellent, top of the line school; but it isn’t for everyone.  In my mind, it is only meant for those men who wish to work the hardest to become the best.  And it WILL be worth it.

WAF!

-JJ Peller '13

When I reported to the Allen Center classroom for our Monday film session and watched Denison’s scrimmage on their home field I immediately flashed back to my freshman year. It was on that field that my college career as a Wabash football player began. It’s funny how much I can still recall about that day.  That prompted me to think about my four years here and everything that my fellow seniors and I have done since then in preparation for this season. Every workout, practice, and film session that we have gone through in order to be the best we can be. It is finally time for all of those things to pay off for us this season…

             With that said I can hardly put into words how excited I am for this season to get underway. For me and the rest of this senior class, this will begin the last season for us to strap it up on Saturday afternoons alongside our teammates and play the game we all love so much. I can’t wait to take the field this weekend in front of our students, faculty, parents, and fans to begin our pursuit of our fifth straight NCAC Championship in front of our home crowd at Byron P. Hollett Stadium. My experience here so far as a member of the Wabash College Football team has been incredible and I expect this year to be no different.  I can't wait for all our hard work to start paying off.  Our time has come... WAF!

-Matt Whyde '10

We reported on August 17th. This was a very crazy day; we began by moving into our housing units as well as taking Impact tests to help the trainers in case we suffer a concussion. As soon as it was our turn to come in we were lined up outside the Allen Center and brought in one at a time by J-Mo, one of our Senior O-linemen.   Afterwards we went to pick up our equipment and fill up our lockers. When I got to mine I found the biggest playbook I have ever seen. As soon as we were done with all of our equipment we had the rest of the night to relax.  The next day was an early one with breakfast at 7:30, as I walked out into the sunrise I knew I was going to have to work harder than I ever have before. After breakfast the freshmen headed back to our rooms to study our playbooks and catch up on some sleep while the upperclassmen went out for a 9:00 practice. When lunch rolled around at noon, I was anxious for our practice to start and as soon as 2 came I was out there with my helmet and cleats on ready for football. This practice was unlike any I have ever done before, although we only had helmets to protect us we were going all out with Coach Raeburn screaming for us to all stay off the ground, a hard thing to do in the game of football.  After a 3 hour practice, I was the most sore I have ever been in my life, and as I slowly made my way to dinner I knew that this was only the beginning but hey, “the first is always the hardest” right? Now originally I thought practice would be over after all of that, but not here, we still had tapes and meetings to go over along with team building exercises.

            The same schedule went on for the first week with a little more being added every day. And it was during this week that the brotherhood that being a Wabash College Football player gives really came out. Throughout the week we had team building periods where we would learn about each other. We would do activities such as American Gladiator where each team would go through challenges and the winners from each would move on to the next round. I have to give a shout out to team 9 for making it to the final round where we unfortunately lost thanks to Coach House and his Tennis racket of doom.. Along with all of this freshmen would be paired up with an upperclassman in order to form the sense of a team. This was a great way to meet teammates. I was lucky to be paired up with two great guys, although on this team you can’t go wrong. The guys I got paired up with were Dan Wood and Jeremy Morris. Although this was a great way to learn who my teammates are, the best experiences came from the guys off the field. One night I was invited over by Matt Hudson and Evan Isaacs to their Manor. These guys were great in making me feel like I was part of the team even though I am just a freshman. Unfortunately though, all good things must come to an end and as the week drew to a close, reality hit and school began.

         Our Freshman Orientation began with the hair raising “Ringing-In Ceremony” where as soon as President White rang the bell that has welcomed Wabash men throughout the 177 years that it has been in existence, we the Freshmen became Wabash Men and joined a prestigious brotherhood that extends to all points of the world. As soon as the ceremony ended we began our orientation process of being welcomed into Wabash, learning about the Liberal Arts, etc. After a few hours it was time to say goodbye to our parents so we could begin our journey as Men. This was a special moment where I was able to see just how proud my parents were of me. Throughout the week we spent hours on end in meetings learning the ins and outs of Wabash College. One day, we had to do community service with our Tutorial classes. My class went and I volunteered at the Vanity Theater in Crawfordsville, I personally painted the side trim of the building. As well as being busy with Orientation, Football at this time was in full swing, we were in full pads and we were going hard.

         Orientation came to an end and classes began, on my first day in class I was assigned an essay one of those “Welcome to College” things.  As for me, although I have an 8 O’clock class, my schedule is perfect, on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I have 3 classes and my school day is done by noon giving me enough time to relax before Football. As for Tuesdays and Thursdays, I only have one class in the morning which is very nice.

        This past Saturday was our Red and White Scrimmage which was the best part of Football to date, we were finally able to play in a game like scenario on the game field that I had only dreamed of playing on up to this point. It was also a great opportunity for my parents to come and see how I’ve been doing. The Sunday after the scrimmage was back to business, we had another scrimmage to get ready for and finally we would be hitting someone other than or own brothers.  As week 3 comes to an end, I look back at the time and realize that it has been hard work but has been very rewarding. Wabash Always Fights!!!

 - Adam Kowalski '13

I can’t believe it but my senior football season is finally here. It seems like just yesterday that I was a young naïve freshman going into my first college football camp. Now here I am, staring down the last week of football camp ever. I am tremendously excited for the upcoming year and I can’t wait until the regular season starts (and camp is over). Now I am sitting here with my small amount of free time between practice and meetings reflecting on the senior trip that myself and 15 other seniors took last week.

 Our epic journey started in the great metropolis that is Zionsville (the town that Bryan Watson built). We all split into different vehicles (I had the pleasure of riding with Nasty Nate Kring) and drove to the land of Bob Campbell’s ancestors… West Virginia. We arrived at our campsite, set up our tents and tried to sit around the camp fire (it was not much of a fire because Dan Eddelman not only sucks at starting fires but also at accepting constructive criticism).  We woke up early the next day and prepared for our day of whitewater rafting. On our way to the river we had the pleasure of getting a tour of the self proclaimed best small town in America, Fayetteville, from one of our river guides. Once arriving at the river we split into two boats. I was part of the more experienced and all around better team: Twerk Team. The rest of the day was filled with white water rafting and river surfing. During one segment of the day every person fell in the water… Except for Tipton Legend Nate Kring, who at the first sign of trouble hid in the middle of the boat.

After our day on the river we went back to the campsite and got ready for dinner. Some of us decided to eat at Dirty Ernie’s Rib Pit, while others feasted on Bob’s vegetable soup. The rest of the night was not without drama. Jacob Grow and myself were briefly lost at the local Walmart, but Watson and Fern soon found us after the amber alert went out.

 We finished the night making s’mores around the fire (I am currently ranked 4th in the world in marshmallow toasting) and talking about the upcoming season and what it means to each of us as seniors. We solidified what our theme (Stop Pretending Start Contending) means to each one of us, and how we are going to communicate our feelings to the rest of the team. The next day we packed up our tents and made our way back to the Mecca of the Midwest: Zionsville. The end of the trip was highlighted by a smoke bomb in the wheel well of Bob’s truck causing Bob to think that his car was on fire.

 - Skip Tokar

Football camp this year has been awesome! I was so pumped to come back and see our guys. One of our program's goals is "FAMILY" and reporting day was sweet because we all had a blast going crazy while welcoming our new freshman teammates to our Wabash football family. I am pumped to begin the season this year because we have a bunch of guys who love to play football and have a passion for the game. It’s special being around guys who love the game and know how to have fun while playing it. We have been flying around on the field and enjoying practicing with each other. Our coaching staff and our players have done an awesome job at challenging themselves and each other every opportunity they have to improve and become better players and coaches. I feel like our players are more confident with the schemes and the philosophies that our coaching staff instilled when they first arrived at Wabash. Our guys have been competing against each other on and off the field throughout camp which has helped us improve and grow as a squad. We have also done some team building activities that both players and coaches participated in and they have been great opportunities to grow as a football family. Camp has been a blast and I’m so excited to start the season with this great group of players and coaches here at Wabash College. Wabash Always Fights!

-DJ Singlfield

So here we are, first day of practice, and I’m sitting here in the middle of a small break wondering where my summer went.  Not that I’m complaining; after all, it’s my senior year and I’m ready to go, as are the rest of the guys on our team, especially my fellow seniors.  Last week, I, along with 15 of my senior teammates traveled to West Virginia for our senior trip to go whitewater rafting and camping.  It was an awesome experience.  I’m far from a country boy, so the whole “let’s go to West Virginia and camp in the wilderness” thing wasn’t necessarily up my alley, but when it was all said and done, we had an awesome time, and there were no incidents a la Deliverance.  Highlights of the trip included Denver Wade losing his sunglasses out my van’s window on the way down (according to Mr. Wade, $160 sunglasses, no less), Dan Eddelman trying to start a fire while others criticized, and me knocking our boat’s guide out of the boat (according to him, “For the first time all season.”; I was proud of this).   

For the years that I’ve been at Wabash, it has always been a tradition for the seniors to go on a trip the week prior to the season starting.  They’ve climbed mountains and jumped out of airplanes, among other things, and it has always seemed to be a great experience for the men who went.  It gives us an opportunity to talk about the upcoming season, and really bond with the guys that you came in with.  After all, my class started with about 60 guys, were down to around 35 after one year, and now we sit with 20 after inheriting 2 from last year’s class (a great thing, because they’re both studs).  So since we’ve all been through football together for the last 3 years, we all have great relationships, and I think it shows, both on and off the field.  

            Our first practice today went well, and I only expect things to improve as we keep moving along.  My own personal blog will be updated here before too long, so look out for that.  In the meantime, I’ll try to gather up some entertaining summer stories.  I’m out. 

-Matt Hudson