If adversity builds character, Wilton High head football coach Bruce Cunningham thinks his squad gained enough character to last a long time after last year's trying season. A young team plagued by injuries and the toughest-rated schedule in CIAC translated into a disappointing 2-8 record in 2009. Now in his second year at the helm, Cunningham hopes there's nowhere for the team to go but up.
"I'm most excited about seeing the improvement of the young guys," Cunningham said. "We were forced to play a lot of young guys last year who might not have been ready to play on the varsity level. They're all a year older now and I'm looking forward to seeing how far they've come along and matured."
No matter how much the team has matured though, Wilton still has to deal with an especially grueling schedule this season. Because of simple luck of the draw, Wilton will play more games on the road than they will within the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium. Looming large on the schedule is a trip to top-ten ranked New London on Oct. 1.
"We have to go up I-95 three weeks in a row and it's going to be a great challenge," Cunningham said. "And that's out of the division. When you play teams in the division like New Canaan, Staples, Greenwich, and Ridgefield, we've got our plate full."
Cunningham said the key to the season will be the development of the offensive positions, especially at quarterback. There is an open battle for the position this pre-season. Cunningham feels that if his players can stay healthy they can greatly improve on last year's record.
"There's a lot of things they're doing well so far and working on other things they need to get straightened out," Cunningham said. "We're going to see how it turns out. It's still early."
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