WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College football team opens its 2023 season hosting the College of Wooster in non-conference action from Williams Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Wooster. The Quakers are looking to build upon a 3-7 campaign from a season ago that saw a non-conference victory at Southern Virginia University as well as Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) triumphs against Capital University and Otterbein University. The Fighting Scots finished the 2022 season 6-4 overall including an even 4-4 mark in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition.
The Coaches: Corey Fillipovich, who has served as Wilmington's defensive coordinator for the previous four seasons, enters his second full season as head coach in 2023. The former OAC Assistant Coach of the Year, he stepped in to lead the program through the final four games of the 2021 fall campaign and has tallied multiple conference victories each of his seasons leading the program. Frank Colaprete, a graduate of fellow OAC member John Carroll University, enters his 11th season as Wooster's head coach. He's led the Fighting Scots to 46 victories.
The Offenses: Wilmington returns its top two rushers in Nehemiah Jenkins and Ben Hobbs as the Quaker duo combined for 211 carries and nearly 900 yards. The two will be running behind a veteran offensive line that features three seniors and two juniors. Lathan Jones, one of the OAC's deep threats who averaged over 25 yards per catch as a junior, returns for his senior season. Wooster will need to replace its quarterback, top running back and top wide receiver from a season ago. Jarvis Mims Jr. is the top returning rusher having averaged 48.6 yards per game in 2022 while Brazos Gadler hauled in 32 passes for 709 yards and a team-high eight scores.
The Defenses: The Quakers return their top five tacklers from 2022 in Jarod Lee (98 tackles), Zac Schmidt (89 tackles), Joey Weikel (56 tackles), Jake Sheriff (50 tackles) and Quentin Davis (49 tackles). Lee led the team with three interceptions while Davis broke up 10 passes. Weikel led WC in 2022 with 4.5 sacks. Domenic DeMuth is the Fighting Scots' leading returning tackler as the now-senior is looking to build upon a 73-tackle season in 2022.
Tale of the Tape (2022): Points per game – Wilmington 16.6, Wooster 30.8, points per game allowed – Wilmington 35.8, Wooster 32.0, yards per game – Wilmington 306.0, Wooster 365.7, yards per game allowed – Wilmington 403.3, Wooster 401.5, passing yards per game – Wilmington 215.7, Wooster 240.2, passing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 195.5, Wooster 212.3, rushing yards per game – Wilmington 90.3, Wooster 125.5, rushing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 207.8, Wooster 189.2.
Series History: This will be the first meeting between Wilmington and Wooster since the Quakers became an NCAA Division III member in the early 1990s.
Tickets: Wilmington Athletics is a proud partner of Hometown Ticketing, which will be used for this contest. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of game time at the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics, live video and live audio of the game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: Wilmington opens OAC play at Baldwin Wallace University next Saturday.
