Photo by Julian MacDermott Aidan Wescott, a 6'1" wide receiver for the Trojans, will be a senior on this years Wissahickon High School Boys' Football Team, pictured here against a 2023 Springfield team.
The Trojans will face the Upper Dublin Cardinals at 7 p.m. at home Friday night
The Wissahickon High School Football team will begin its 2024 season tonight with a game against Upper Dublin High School at 7 p.m. on its own home turf.
But what can fans expect from the Trojans both on and off the field this year? Wissahickon Now spoke with Coach Rory Graver to get the outlook on the team. He said that, for this season, it is all about making improvements, one step at a time.
“We are focused on the process with the mindset of getting better each day,” said Graver, the Trojans’ head coach. “We want to have a high focus on execution and have a one-play-at-a-time mentality.”
The Trojans will face the season having lost some key positions from its previous year, but Graver said he is looking forward to those moving up the ladder.
“We graduated a strong senior class that were important to moving our program in the right direction,” he said of the graduated Wissahickon players of the 2023 fall season. “We are excited about our upcoming classes and the leadership they will bring to our program.”
Graver added that having a deep bench will go a long way to improving the season’s outcome this year.
“Our team strength is our depth,” he said. “We are fortunate that we are two or three deep at most positions.”
The coach said that this plethora of players isn’t just helpful in games.
“This is important for game day and for us to run practices and prepare for our opponents,” he said. With multiple players in each role, the team is able to scrimmage against itself. They faced the Council Rock South team on Aug. 17 for a scrimmage, as well. There, Graver said he was able to see other areas the team may need to work on to further develop a solid gameplan.
Graver said that some “inexperience on the offensive line” will be a focus for him to build up this coming season.
“The group is talented, but lacks varsity game experience,” he said of his O-Line. “I’m looking forward to them coming together and improving each day.”
Overall, the coach has a bright outlook for his players, who have been working hard in the off-season to put more “W” marks on the board in 2024.
Graver said this year’s goals are to:
He said, as always, he emphasizes success on and off the field.
“[We aim to] compete to the best of our ability in the classroom, community, and on the football field,” said Graver.
The coach concluded that his team has worked hard to get where they are today, and though they have plenty more progress to make, he is optimistic about the upcoming season of play.
“I’m proud of how hard this group has worked this off-season,” said Graver. “We are moving towards becoming a player-driven football program. We have strong leadership this year, and I look forward to competing with them this season.”
The Wissahickon Boys’ Football Team will play through late October. Tonight’s opening match-up against the Cardinals will kickoff at 7 p.m. at the Wissahickon High School Stadium turf/track field. For a full schedule of the team’s games, visit the website here. Or track the season’s wins at https://wissahickonfootball.com/.
