Before the calendar flipped to 2024, the Wellington Dukes have accomplished things they could have only dreamed of last season.
Anthony Schmook’s first year as head coach didn’t go to plan in 2022-23 as the Dukes went 3-20 and winless in LC8 play. However, through seven games this season, the team is off to a blazing 6-1 start.
Not only has Wellington already doubled last year’s win total, but it’s 3-1 in conference play. This team has a lot of goals in front of it, but it’s rare to see this much improvement in such little time.
“The progress that we’ve made really comes down to having an offseason,” Schmook said. “We had no offseason last year because I got the job late in July. This year, we were able to have an offseason and go to different shootouts and camps. We played at other schools and against bigger schools. That really helped because it started giving us confidence.”
It takes time to build a program from the ground up, but it helped this past summer when Schmook and his staff were able to get their feet under them. It’s still to be determined how Wellington finishes the season in the final 15 games, but the Dukes have already shown they can hang around in the conference.
The players have developed more confidence, and there’s been some added fuel to the fire. Coming in, Wellington was projected to finish toward the bottom of the conference. Schmook knew that wasn’t right, and so did the players.
After winning only three games, it was fair to rank them toward the bottom. However, the Dukes have proved everybody wrong so far.
“I was happy to see that because I knew we’re better than that,” Schmook said. “The kids see it and have been motivated from it, which is great. There’s been positives that we’ve been getting better every game.”
It helps to have one of the best players in the league in senior guard Sean Whitehouse. He’s putting up big numbers this year, but he also did last year in a tough season. His production has always been there, but the development of his teammates has gotten Wellington over the hump.
Last season, two of Wellington’s top four scorers were freshmen. Deakan Wirth and Landon Whitehouse have both made leaps in their sophomore seasons. This team also finally has veterans alongside Sean Whitehouse with Chase Mckenzie, Adam Michalak and Nathan Michalak as seniors. It has taken a little time, but they’re starting to round into form.
“Last year, we had three freshmen that played varsity,” Whitehouse said. “(My) young teammates are stepping up and they’re more experienced now. … It feels great, the first conference game that we won, the whole team was hyped. Last year was just a frustrating season.”
The LC8 race is going come down to the wire once again this year with a lot of teams in the mix. Wellington’s three wins in the conference over Firelands, Oberlin and Black River will pay dividends. The Dukes’ only loss this season so far came in the LC8, a two-point loss to Columbia.
By next weekend, Wellington will have completed the first round of conference play by facing all seven opponents. The biggest one is the next one as the Dukes travel to Brookside on Jan. 5. The Cardinals are the defending LC8 champs and are off to a 4-0 start in the league once again. Wellington and Keystone both a game behind at 3-1.
It doesn’t mean anything toward the conference championship right now, but if Wellington can win that game, it’ll be in first place after not winning a conference game last year. More than anything, it’s a measuring stick game. A 6-1 start is great, but the Dukes look to take that next step.
“We’ve just got to play our way and not their way, and see where we’re at,” Schmook said. “It’s a great measuring stick game for us to see where we’re at. It’s a huge game for the boys. … Brookside’s very talented and coached very well. They’re a very tough matchup, but we’ll try to put our kids in the best position to win that game.”
