After Friday night’s 50-0 road loss to Kaplan in the first round of the non-select Division III playoffs, first-year North Webster thanked his seniors.
Wilson took over the program in June and installed new systems. He knew there would be a period of adjustment, especially for the seniors.
“I thanked them for giving me the opportunity,” he said. “I’m coming in, doing things different which is always hard for a senior. I wanted to thank them for understanding that life just happens, man. They have to learn how to deal with it. I think they did a good job of trying to set the tone of what the program under my leadership will look like.”
North Webster, the No. 25 seed, finished 3-8. The Knights won two of their last three games and almost took all three, falling to Bastrop 8-6 on the road in the regular-season finale.
North Webster got in a big hole early against No. 8 Kaplan (82), which will play No. 9 Pine in the second round.
Turnovers on kickoff returns contributed to the rough start. Kaplan led 28-0 after the first quarter and 43-0 at the half.
North Webster’s season got away off to a tough star when star running back Braedon Robertson suffered a knee injury in the jamboree.
Robertson returned in the second half of the season, but the offense struggled except in a 39-8 victory over Many in Week 9. The defense played well all season.
Wilson thought his late start was a factor in how the season went.
“We didn’t get a true offseason,” he said. “I didn’t really get started until summer ball. I don’t think they got the opportunity. We didn’t grow in the offseason like we needed to. That’s what I’m looking forward to this year is having a true offseason to kind of navigate the way we get bigger, stronger, faster, and doing the things we do to not have a night like that.”