Westfall Mustangs are setting long-term goals amid short-term plans
WILLIAMSPORT – It’s a new year, and the Westfall Mustangs have a new resolution. It’s nothing flashy. The Mustangs are remaining simple with the goals they set for 2022.
All they want is a winning record.
It seems modest, but it’s a monstrous leap forward for the Mustangs. They last won a Scioto Valley Conference title in 2012, and they haven’t had a winning record since. If the Mustangs ever want to climb to the heights they reached before, they must rise to meet the expectations set by first-year coach Logan Stepp.
Stepp is young. He graduated from Otterbein University in 2018, but he has experience under his belt. He worked as an assistant coach at West Jefferson for the last four years, and he helped the Roughriders to a 40-9 record as well as a handful of playoff appearances in that time.
The first-year coach has been handed the reins, and he wants to steer the Mustangs in the right direction.
“I think the last 10 years, Westfall has lost some really close games,” Stepp said. “I haven't been in the program, so I can't say anything to their culture. But I'm hoping to instill a culture that can push us through those tough, tough times at the end of games and we can win games in the fourth quarter and not fall short.”
The first phase of Stepp’s plan is to buff up the numbers. Westfall is a small school, and the size of its roster is limited due to that fact. A decade’s worth of losing records only exacerbated the problem. Westfall’s rosters often shrunk until it was starting players from every class. In 2021, it carried a senior class of two players among a roster of 30 players.
But that's beginning to change. Stepp's recruiting efforts have worked. The Mustangs have pulled in athletes from other sports to swell the ranks. Many of Westfall’s basketball players have signed up for football this season and have been drafted into positions considered the most necessary.
The process also produced a bottom-heavy roster. Most of the team is comprised of underclassmen, but it’s hardly a detriment. If anything, Stepp sees it as a long-term solution. A young roster means more experience for the underclassmen, and that exposure can pay dividends down the road. It might help this year as well, as many of the underclassmen from years past are now leading the Mustangs into this season.
“Their youth is a big part of it,” Stepp said. “Last year they were 14, 15, 16 going against seniors and juniors that are 17 and 18. All of these kids have played some type of Varsity minute because over the past couple of years there hasn't been a freshman or JV team.”
The new recruits will need the reps. While several skill players such as quarterback Bryce Wickline and running back AJ Shoults return to their spots, the receiving corps must deal with the loss of Todd Scheel to graduation.
That loss hasn’t stalled the Mustangs, however. It’s given them more reason to pour more effort into practice. They may be missing one of their greatest assets from last season, but that gives other receivers the chance to step up.
“We’ve got even more talent on the wide receiver standpoint,” senior wide receiver Casey Cline said. “We're a lot stronger when it comes to positions, a lot better and stronger.”
With a new coach and a young roster, the Mustangs are itching to prove themselves. Many of the seniors remember watching Westfall win the SVC title when they were in elementary school. They also remember the 10 years of hardship that followed.
But the Mustangs want 2022 to be different. This season can be a turning point for them. The competition this season is fierce, both within the SVC and outside of it. They begin the year against three strong nonconference opponents in Madison Plains, Logan Elm and Circleville.
It’s a tall order. Few teams can pull a massive turnaround in such a short timeframe. Even less can pull it off against a strong schedule. But Westfall has a chip on its shoulder. Its players have a new lease on life, and they’re willing to claw for every win they can get.
“I am very confident in us, full go,” Cline said. “We’ve just got to be mental, and we can't be intimidated at all. I think if we go out there with the talent we have on our skill guys, we can really get it going.”
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Westfall Mustangs setting long-term goals amid short term plans
