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Wellsboro has increased its roster size since last year. That was not necessarily hard, considering the Hornets fielded only 24 players in 2021, but it is a positive development.
The thing is, those 24 players were pretty good. Wellsboro reached the postseason for an eighth time in nine years, going 5-4 and producing a 10th straight non-losing season. It looks like the Hornets will have 32 players this season which is improved, but still leaving them behind most teams they will play.
Those numbers, however, do not measure experience. And there, Wellsboro could hold an advantage. The Hornets return the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. That is encouraging for a team which won four straight games entering the playoffs. The goal now is to build off that momentum and keep moving forward.
"We've been averaging 25 kids, three days a week in the weight room and with workouts on the field. The kids are coming out and working hard and we're very happy about that," Wellsboro coach Matt Hildebrand said. "We're getting them in there and acclimated to our expectations and the older kids are doing good a job with working with the younger kids."
There certainly are a lot of those younger players, too. Wellsboro features a strong senior class, but Hayes Campbell is its lone junior with the remaining players all sophomores and freshmen. Most of those seniors have started for three and four years and the current young players will play key roles early on. That could make both the present and future strong.
"We were pretty young last year and have a lot of guys back," Hildebrand said. "Those guys come in with a ton of experience. We have to fill some of those roles that we lost the best we can but we're happy with the very large freshmen class because that can help us down the road and for the first time in three years we are going to be able to have a JV team."
Wellsboro is especially experienced up front and that line could form the foundation for team success. Campbell, Cam Brought, Wyatt Gastrock and Blake Levindoski all return and helped Wellsboro control the line throughout that late-season, four-game winning streak. Wellsboro scored at least 24 points in the first three of those wins before heavy rains made the Week 10 showdown against rival North Penn-Mansfield a quagmire.
A big change will be at quarterback where Isaac Keane will not be under center for the first time in four years. Conner Adams has been a jack of all trades his first three seasons at Wellsboro and will move to quarterback. An excellent three-sport athlete who has shined as a receiver and runner the past two seasons, Adams will bring more running to the position. He could play a role similar to the dynamic Quinn Henry who wore out defenses with his legs and arm from 2015-16, topping 1,000 yards passing and rushing twice.
When Adams is not running, look for Joe Brown and Ryder Bowen to receive the bulk of the carries. Brown, like Adams, is a versatile four-year starter who can do damage in multiple ways and also is a good blocker. Bowen showed promise as a freshman and could take a huge leap forward with a year of varsity football under his belt and a strong line in front of him.
Those linemen mentioned above also will make a big impact defensively. Brought enjoyed a big junior season and Campbell developed into an excellent linebacker. Brown is a four-year starter at linebacker and he and Brought led the team in tackles. Campbell is a quality playmaker and Bowen has shown a lot of potential to provide another spark at linebacker. Adams helps anchor the secondary and has been one of the team leaders in interceptions the past two seasons.
A bonus of having more players this season is that Wellsboro may be able to rotate more in and out of the lineup. That would be big since it would allow the Hornets to stay fresher later in games. Any advantage Wellsboro can get is a big one because it's schedule, especially early on, is mighty strong.
Wellsboro opens the season with contests against Montoursville, Muncy and Canton, all teams who won or reached district championships last year. The Hornets also play Bald Eagle Area and have their traditional rivalry games against other NTL-I teams.
Do not expect Wellsboro, though, to be intimidated. The Hornets have flourished in conditions like these before and only a condensed playoff field during the chaotic 2020 season prevented it from reaching districts every season since 2013. Wellsboro handled a similar schedule last season, playing Montoursville tough in the opener, defeating South Williamsport in Week 2 and taking off down the stretch.
"We have a pretty good schedule, so there's no week where you can look at it and say we can hold back a little and get healthy this week," Hildebrand said. "The biggest advantage we have is every guy has played a lot of football. There will be teams with bigger numbers but we may have the edge as far as experience."
2022 Football Players to Watch
Conner Adams, WR/DB: If he does not take over at quarterback, Adams will continue his role of helping Wellsboro everywhere else. A four-year starter, Adams has provided a spark each season as both a runner and receiver. He was second on the team in rushing last season, going for 327 yards and four touchdowns, while leading the team with 12 catches for 187 yards and three scores. It was the second straight year Adams improved in both categories and he also threw a touchdown pass. A three-sport athlete, Adams also is a good defensive back and makes a big special teams impact. He intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles last fall. Adams showcased how explosive he can be in the season opener at Montoursville when he ripped off an 85-yard touchdown run against one of the area's top units. He dominated against Athens, running for a career-high 137 yards and three touchdowns.
Cameron Brought, DL/OL: Another three-sport athlete who has performed well in each one, Brought developed into one of the area's top defensive linemen last season. His 10.3 tackles per game were the most by an area lineman and Brought made at least nine in each of his last four games. Brought topped 10 tackles five times, producing a career-high 15 against Wyalusing and closing his season with 13 tackle efforts against North Penn-Mansfield and South Williamsport. Brought is quick off the ball and made massive strides during last year's breakout campaign. He also is part of an offensive line which came together as the year progressed and helped Wellsboro gouge Athens for 499 yards in a big late-season win.
Joe Brown, LB/RB: One of the team's most valuable players the last two seasons, Brown is a four-year starter who can be a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. The linebacker has been one of the team's top three tacklers in each of the last three years and was second last year, averaging 7.4 per game. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has speed and size and goes sideline to sideline well. He intercepted a pass last season, broke up another and recovered a fumble. Brown provided Wellsboro some quality inside running a year ago and finished third on the team in rushing. With leading rusher Darryn Callahan having graduated, Brown could see more carries in addition to providing lead blocking. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry last year in addition to catching 10 passes.
Hayes Campbell, LB/OL: Like Brown, Campbell is a player who could end up making strong contributions in all four seasons. The junior was a vital part of Wellsboro's success last season and averaged 6.2 tackles per game. Campbell added three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He is quick enough to get to the quarterback and also drop into coverage. Only Brown has made more tackles for Wellsboro than Campbell these past two seasons and he helped Wellsboro hold five teams to 13 or fewer points a year ago. Campbell also likely will play a key role on the offensive line as Wellsboro tries displaying some of the balance which helped it reach the postseason again in 2021.