FITHIAN — Eventually, progress leads to successful results.
That’s what Oakwood football coach Cameron Lee is expecting to see this season from his Comets.
In his first two years at the helm of his alma mater, Oakwood has gone from three wins in 2022 to four wins last season.
So, does that mean the Comets are primed for an IHSA Playoff berth this year?
“I think there is a very good chance we can break out with a winning season,’’ he said.
Actually, a year ago, the Comets just needed one win in their final three games to become playoff eligible, but losses to Iroquois West, Salt Fork and Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin kept Oakwood on the sidelines in Week 10 for the fifth straight season.
“We know it’s been a while,’’ said senior quarterback Jackson Dudley. “It would be nice to get this program on the right track to being a consistent playoff team.
“I think the key is going to be playing confident and playing free. At times, last year, we were nervous to make mistakes and it cost us.’’
Dudley believes with 17 players returning with varsity experience that things will be different this season.
“We should have more confidence with so many guys being through a full season of varsity football,’’ he said. “The last couple of years, we have been establishing the standard for this program. Now, we want to keep improving and raising that standard.’’
Lee acknowledges having kids that understand what he expects in this program is a positive step forward.
“We have had talented guys and we have been doing things the right way, but we didn’t have enough continuity,’’ he said. “We have guys that are now in their third season. There is a more established way of doing things and I think it permeates through the whole program.
“We have the right guys at the right time in the right system.’’
That becomes very evident when sophomore lineman Walker Enos is quick to point out a change the Comets have made during the offseason.
“This will be our most physical team in the past few years,’’ he said. “In the past, we haven’t been physical enough.’’
And how has Oakwood changed that in the past nine months?
“It’s not something we talked about, it’s more of an unspoken thing,’’ he said. “We just made sure that we were in the weight room more, and now in practice, we practice longer and they are more intense.’’
That’s a very mature response from a second-year player, but he credited that to guys like Dudley.
“Our seniors are our leaders, especially the quarterback,’’ said Enos of Dudley. “Everyone looks up to him and thinks of him as our No. 1 guy. What he does, goes, and what he says, goes.’’
Dudley, who passed for 1,075 yards and 17 touchdowns, knows he has to set a good example for the young guys, especially when the Comets have 10 sophomores and 17 freshmen on their roster.
“Actually, some of our younger guys are just as mature as our older guys,’’ he said. “I’ve been around a lot of them because of my brother, Carsen Dudley, is a sophomore. I think it’s helped me build connections with some of those guys.’’
Lee is very pleased to have 17 freshmen out for football this season, and he sees some talent in that class.
“This is different than my first two seasons,’’ he said. “Some of these guys are going to grow into their roles and we have some guys that could contribute immediately. We have a lot of talent return and we have guys that can step in and give us depth and round out our roster.’’
Lee appreciates that his team embraced the idea of becoming more physical and being stronger players.
“In our first two years, trying to find that identity has been something we’ve tried to do,’’ he said. “Now, we have to execute our vision for the team that we can be. Too often you just try to coach the game, play the game. I think we have put a system together to take advantage of our strengths.
“If we execute the way we plan to execute, play our style of game and don’t make the small mistakes — we can be successful.’’
Oakwood, which has only one playoff win in the past 36 years, will open the 2024 season at home on Friday, Aug. 30 against Momence.