Republic senior quarterback Wyatt Woods remembers meeting head coach Ryan Cornelsen for the first time. “Everyone was like, ‘Who’s this short guy?'” said Wyatt.
A tall order was in front of Cornelsen. Rebuild a program that hadn’t won more than three games a year in the last five, with just two winning seasons in the past 13. But he noticed a sophomore safety making calls on defense who would be perfect to make calls for his offense. “You knew he was going to be a good player,” said Cornelsen. “He was a good defensive player as a sophomore. It is nice to have somebody playing that position who you can really trust.”
First up, Wyatt’s sophomore year, and the team’s first winning season since 2015. “The fact is that you’re building a program and you’ve got to have that guy at a position who can lead you,” Cornelsen said. “And he’s really done a great job of it.”
Then Wyatt’s junior year they had their first 8-win season since 2007. “As a football player and his character, he leads our team in so many ways in practice and games,” Cornelsen said. “His composure. He never loses his temper, never panics.”
And in this, Wyatt’s senior year, the Tigers have won their first district title since 2005, made their first quarterfinal appearance in 28 years, and now they’re in their first semifinal game since 1986. “I knew with growth and time we were going to get a lot better,” Wyatt said. “But I didn’t know we would come this far.”
A win in Saturday’s game would propel them to their first state championship game ever. Wyatt says, there’s one thing that sticks out as his favorite part of this journey. “Just the grind,” he said. “All of us just coming in and grinding it out. Just seeing the development in everyone and just seeing everyone grow and get better.”
And in a season these Tigers refuse to let end, we’ll see that growth from Wyatt and his pack of Tigers on full display with history once again on the line.
