High School Football: Wellington welcomes grateful players from Oberlin

WELLINGTON — The cancellation of Oberlin's football season wasn't the end for some of its players after all.Earlier this week six student-athletes who expected to play for their home school this season instead joined the Wellington team.The newly passed Ohio Student Athlete Mobility Act allows student-athletes to play for a team in a bordering district if their home school does not offer the sport. "It's such a surreal moment. We're fortunate to have Wellington allow us to play here," said senior offensive-defensive lineman Jaden Brown. "For a while I thought we weren't going to be able to play our senior year. I'm glad Coach (Rob) Howells allowed us to come."Wellington's Howell said all of the coaches in the Lorain County League have a close relationship and he was happy to be able to help Oberlin and its student-athletes through this difficult time. "We're trying to do what's best for the kids and the game of football," Howells said. With the Dukes' opening game at Western Reserve just a week away, they have been working hard to integrate the Oberlin players into their program on and off the field. "The biggest thing is to welcome them with open arms because they're our brothers now," Wellington senior defensive end/fullback Tyler Burns said. "At the end of the day, if you're wearing a maroon, white or black jersey, you're going to be part of this family."Football is like my escape from reality. It hit me hard to think they almost didn't have a football season. As a senior I couldn't even imagine not being able to play my senior year."For the past five years, dating to middle school, Brian Boone has worn an Oberlin jersey. After last week's announcement the school didn't have enough players to field a team, Boone didn't know if he'd ever have the chance to play football again. "It crushed us but we turned that energy into finding a new team so that we could have a senior year," Boone said. "At first I thought I'd have to move to a different school to find an opportunity to play my final year of football."Boone didn't know exactly what to expect when he came to Wellington practice but is quickly getting acclimated. "I was nervous but they really welcomed us in," he said. "It's means a lot that they welcomed us in because football means more than most things to me. It's wonderful to see a community open their arms to you after you've been rivals."Like many smaller schools in the area, Wellington began practice with low numbers. The addition of six players has allowed for more competition on the practice field and will allow the Dukes to play a JV schedule. "It's a unique experience," Wellington sophomore Dom Wright said. "Those guys coming in helped us a lot because we were low on numbers ourselves. I know what football means to me and what it probably means to them, so I'm excited for them to have a chance to be a Duke."At least three schools across the state have canceled their football season due to low numbers, and Plymouth, which was scheduled to be Wellington's Week 3 opponent, dropped down to eight-man football. So while the Wellington-Oberlin collaboration is one of the first in the state, it may become more common in the future."You just have to preach family atmosphere," Howells said. "We're all here for the same reason and that is play football and have fun and hopefully along the way reap the benefits our great game has to offer and the life lessons that come with it."All six former Oberlin players are expected to make their Wellington debut tonight in a scrimmage against Rittman. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.