We have been recognized as an excellent football team, going deep in the playoffs, finally getting that championship and producing some quality division I players. What sometimes gets overlooked is the effect that having an excellent football team has on other sports at WF.

The teams that are impacted the most are basketball and wrestling. Basketball’s season completed the non-conference schedule and began conference games, still waiting to fill some spots with current football players. Wrestling is in the same boat. The tea as a 6-6 record while awaiting three weight classes in football players.

“We are waiting on approximately five wresters. Most of them wrestle 195, 220, or 285. It has a significant impact on the team when we forfeit two or three weight classes,” wrestling coach Andy Shrader said.

With our football team having such a deep roster, upper and lower classmen are both on the team, affecting more than just one basketball team. With the playoffs running a week later due to hurricane Matthew, winter sports teams awaited key players for a week longer than expected.

“We are missing at least two varsity players and at least two junior varsity players,” basketball coach Todd Seymour said.

Wrestling is also looking forward to the additions.

“With the football players, we can have the depth to the roster if anyone gets hurt,” Shrader said. “We are currently a .500 team at 6-6 but the team could easily have won most of those matches with our football players, although that is hypothetical.”

With the positive impact from size and strength that are added once the football players come, it also has some negative effects as well.

“It takes a while to get everybody on the same page,” Seymour said. “Team chemistry is very important, and when you try and add guys eight or nine games into the season, you are going to go through some growing pains.”

In the 2014-15 basketball season, the football team was in the midst of a deep playoff run to the state championship that went until December 13th. During this time, the basketball team had played nine games, having a record of 5-4. During the next nine game stretch, the said “growing pains” had led to a 3-6 record following the addition of the football players.

If you look at other teams in our conference, like Enloe for example, they have the capability of fielding a full roster for their winter sports teams come tryout days. Reason being, their football team is terrible at 3-8 this season. This helps their teams go through full practices knowing that these are the only guys that they have for the year.

Once the team gets onto one wavelength, the additional players hope to help out the basketball team with some rebounding struggles this season, adding more size to the team.

The basketball team currently has only 10 players, some of which not always eligible to play with injuries or other circumstances. The addition of the football players will add more depth to the squad, allowing for better practices and more help off the bench.

Wrestling had an excellent year last season, winning the Cap-8. With the team currently forfeiting three weight classes every match, the incomplete roster has been hindering their success thus far.

The basketball team finally took its whole complete roster to their holiday tournament where the team won 2 of 3 and took third place.

Junior John Jiles, free safety for the championship football team, played significant minutes in the second and third game, having a total of 36 points and 24 rebounds in those games.

Wrestling had all its players back for their holiday tournament as well. Junior Jack Malone, Linebacker on the football squad, won all of his holiday matches.

Football players have a much bigger impact on other sports teams than we may have imagined. Whether it be positive or negative effects, the elongated football season has drastic measures on the success of the winter sports teams.