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Before the Walkersville football team boarded the charter bus after enduring a one-point loss in the Class 2A state championship, Chad Gleason looked around the locker room.
Tears, hugs and sorrow engulfed the scene. Though he knew it wasn’t the end, he felt the pain of his senior teammates — whose final ride just transpired in front of Gleason’s eyes.
The very next morning — after little sleep — Gleason awoke before the sunrise and ventured to a local gym, determined to finish the job when the 2016 season arrived.
“I told myself, ‘This is not going to happen again’,” Gleason said of the painful experience when Walkersville lost in the Class 2A state final, 21-20. “From that point on, I was in the gym the next morning.”
It’s now August 2016, and many restless nights and laborious days have occurred since the fourth quarter collapse in the Class 2A title game against Patuxent.
Walkersville returns 12 of its 22 total starters with eyes set on capturing the school’s first football state championship since 1987, and sequel the near storybook campaign from a year ago.
After starting the season 5-2 and coming off a 34-13 loss to Oakdale in Week 7, Walkersville then earned sizeable wins against Brunswick and Frederick before defeating rival Middletown for the first time in 14 years. The final three wins pushed the Lions into the playoffs as a fourth seed, where they would then string together a trio of magical performances.
“It was like catching lightning in a bottle,” Polce said of Walkersville’s late season surge.
In the first round of the playoffs, Walkersville gutted out a 26-14 win over top-seeded Oakland Mills. Then, in the region championship, the Lions came from behind to stun South Carroll. Noah Sadler’s 23-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the semifinals then propelled Walkersville into the Class 2A state title game, sending the Lions past North Caroline 17-15.
“Just magical,” Gleason said, describing the playoff run.
Coming off a sub-par 5-5 year in 2014, many, including Walkersville players, didn’t think they had a state championship push in them before the 2015 season.
“I honestly was surprised,” said Jacob Wetzel of last year’s result, the Lions do-it-all utility man. “Before the season started, we did not look good.”
Walkersville staked a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of the Class 2A state final game. After that, the Lion magic ran dry. Patuxent scored on a spinning 23-yard catch early in the fourth quarter and then mounted a 79-yard, 14-play drive over a span of 6 minutes and 37 seconds to take the lead, 21-20, with just over a minute to go.
Patuxent also converted 11 of their 17 conversions on third down.
“They stepped up and made plays,” Polce said. “They had some unbelievable conversions on third and fourth down. Some great throws and catches. Diving catches, one handed catches. They made plays.”
It happened at an unfortunate time for Walkersville, who was less than two minutes away from hoisting their first state championship plaque in 27 years, but optimism and intensity now buzz through the organization as September 2 nears.
Momentum from the fairytale-like run has provided a springboard for the Lions’ offseason workouts since January.
“Our practices are 10-times harder than last year,” Gleason said. “Coach (Polce) is keeping us focused, so when it comes down to the last minute situations it’s mind over matter.”
Walkersville brings back every offensive player who touched the ball in 2015. Heading the loaded backfield is senior Chad Gleason, who is receiving interest from a handful of Division-II schools that include Clarion, Shepherd, Shippensburg, and West Virginia Wesleyan.
In 2015, Gleason ran for 1,652 yards and 18 touchdowns in only 11 games of action due to injuries. He is on pace to be 100% healthy for the first time in two years.
Accompanied with Gleason is the do-everything Wetzel, who amassed 1,225 total yards and 14 total touchdowns on a mere 94 touches. Rising juniors Tyler Gleason (497 yards and six touchdowns) and Ty Littleton (752 yards and five touchdowns) also return as ball-carriers for the Lions.
“We can do more things with the skill guys,” Polce said. “We have more experience.”
Polce and company haven’t been shy about their offensive approach for this fall, and we can expect a ground-and-pound style once again in 2016. Walkersville ran the ball on 88.3% of their plays a year ago.
“We’re known as a running team and we’re not going to hide it from anybody,” Gleason said. “We’re going to come right at you.”
Polce added he is going to distribute touches accordingly and keep his opposition off-balance by not being too one-dimensional, something that killed Walkersville’s chances late in the fourth quarter of the state title game.
Billy Gant returns under center for the Lions as a junior.
“With a more experienced quarterback, we’re hoping to throw the ball more,” Polce said. “Last year, we were just trying to protect (Gant) and have him manage the game. We’re hoping to get it to our guys through the air as well and not just rely on our ground game.”
Though Walkersville banks heavily on the ground game, they deploy multiple receiving threats who could oppose match-up problems.
Kyle Daggett, a 6-foot-6 tight end who plays basketball, sets up as a reliable red-zone target. Out of the 10 passes he caught last year, six were touchdowns. Over the offseason, Daggett has bulked up 15 pounds and now weighs in at 210. He’s also worked on his hands and agility at college camps.
Delaware, Lafayette, and Yale have all expressed interest in the senior tight end.
Other receiving weapons include Wetzel (13.0 yards per touch in 2015); the 6-foot-2 Josh Polce (105 yards and one touchdown in 2015), and Aaron Jahnke.
Defensively, Walkersville sets up nicely, as they return two essential inside linebackers and five of 11 starters.
Rising juniors Christian Policelli (112 total tackles) and Tyler Gleason (111 total tackles) will man the middle. Wetzel is lined up to play free safety, where he grabbed four interceptions at the position last year.
Chad Gleason, who didn’t play both ways last year because of nagging injuries, is set to role as a starting defensive back. Josh Polce and Jahnke (one interception) expect to round out the secondary.
Though they have spots on the line and outside linebacker positions to fill, Polce said his defensive unit is 10 times better than last year.
“It’s night and day compared to last year,” Polce said of the defense. “They understand what to do. They’ve seen it all.”
Noah Sadler and Jake Borowski will split the kicking duties while Wetzel will be the primary kick returner.
If there is a weak point on Walkersville other than the passing attack, it would be the offensive line – a position they only return two of five starters, tackle Ethan Parrish and center Garrett Lowe.
Polce claims the offensive linemen competing for the final three starting spots have all the size and strength to pave the way, but what lacks is confidence and live-game experience.
“Right now, that’s our focus,” Polce said about his offensive line. “We’re trying to work through that right now and get that together. If we do, I feel like we have a shot to be really good. … We have some work to do.”
If Polce molds an offensive line that mirrors the output of last season, Walkersville has all the cards to run the table in Class 2A and bring home their first state championship to the ‘Ville in nearly 30 years.
“Expectations are very high right now,” Gleason said. “Last year, we were the underdogs. This year, we’re on top.”
Walkersville opens their highly anticipated 2016 season at home against Thomas Johnson, a game the Lions barely won last year, 35-29.
“Our goal right now is to take it one week at a time, make the playoffs,” Daggett said. “and then we’ll take it from there.”
Pivotal matchups
Week 1, Thomas Johnson
Week 5, Linganore
Week 7, at Oakdale
Week 10, Middletown
Page 1: Introduction | Next: Numbers and statistics | Page 4: Schedule | Page 5: Roster
