Bo Sellers returns to his Wooster roots where he was a part of one state championship and now leads the Colts in his first season.
Wooster football was built on loyalty and commitment when it battled McQueen for state championships during the 1990s.
Bo Sellers, who won a state title under his father, Joe Sellers, with the Colts returned to his alma mater during the offseason, becoming Wooster’s new coach. In his first head coaching position after spending several seasons as an assistant at Reno, Sellers is excited to see Wooster back in the spotlight like it once was.
“I’ve preached a lot of loyalty to the kids, and commitment,” said Sellers, a 1998 Wooster grad who returned to also teach in the metal shop. “This is like our family out here. Even though some of these kids didn’t hang out together, when it’s time to play football, we came together. I’m trying to get these kids to do the same thing and buy in. It’s not just football. It’s family, commitment and loyalty.”
Aside from a couple early blowouts, the Colts were competitive as they finished last year at 4-6. Wooster had leads against Truckee and Spring Creek, before the Wolverines and Spartans came back to win.
“I watched a lot of film last year and saw a lot of good things that they did and obviously a lot of poor things that they did,” Sellers said. “They were winning a lot of games and seemed to fall apart. From what I’ve seen since I took over back in February, I’ve seen a pretty good group of kids that is really motivated. There are some pretty good athletes and the kids are willing to work.”
For Sellers, it’s going back to fundamentals and cleaning up bad habits.
“We’re trying to piece things back together as far as procedural and how things are going to run,” said Sellers, whose father is coaching the freshmen team. “Those were things we did here years ago and it seemed to work. Accountability, hard work and those things start paying off on the football field in terms of executing.”
Wooster’s season looks promising on all levels.
Last year, the numbers dropped into the 70s combined for freshmen, junior varsity and varsity. Wooster is at the 100 mark this year, including 38 on varsity.
“The work ethic is still there and the desire to work hard, that’s good to see,” Sellers said.
One of the Colts’ strengths this year will be size in the trenches with several hovering around the 6-foot, 3-inch mark. Four of the five starters on the offensive line return from last season, including Romeo Okorie, who was an all-league linebacker, and senior Andrew Marable, who plays tackle and defensive end.
Sellers is hopeful that will transition into a stronger running game, which powered Wooster 20 years ago.
“We’re just kind of a tradition two-back,” Sellers said. “Nothing fancy, just trying to trade at you, grind you out kind of football that was done here when my dad was here. He had a winning formula.”
Senior Chosen Gbenjo led the Colts in rushing last year while senior Alex Malcom is the top returning receiver after Wooster graduated its top three wideouts and star quarterback Hunter Triplett. Junior Hunter Vetter takes over quarterback duties this year.
For Wooster to get back to the playoffs for the first time since dropping down to Division 3A, the magic number of league wins could be three. Instead of four teams qualifying for the postseason, six of the nine Northern 3A teams will now advance this season. Defending state champ Fallon and Spring Creek, Truckee and South Tahoe will be challenging but Sellers has instilled confidence that Wooster can come out victorious in any given week.
“We can’t look past anyone. We’re like a brand new program right now,” said Sellers, who’s older brother, Luke, coaches Elko. “We’ve got to win three games. We’re looking at everybody as ‘hey, this is a game that we might win’ and try and get that last playoff spot.”