By: Matt Flynn
The Woodbury Royals have claimed their second straight conference title.
“As a team, our goals were to win the conference outright again,” says senior quarterback Charlie Wilson.
Even after losing their first three games, the team was able to bounce back for a second consecutive conference title. “Our team this year was resilient. We lost a lot of people from last year and we had a bunch of guys step up and fill those important roles,” says Wilson, after he switched from receiver to quarterback partially through the season. “My goals this season were to really just help my team in whatever way possible to win games.”
Senior captain Joe Frommelt says about the team, “I would describe our team as passionate. We are passionate for the game and for each other. We have a brotherhood and bond that is unbreakable.”
After a rocky start to the season, the Royals went on to win five straight games with Wilson under center. The team entered the state tournament as the 12th overall seed. However, this special season would end in the round of 32 for the team. After going down 21-7, the Royals fought back to cut the deficit to 21-17, which is how the game would end.
Reflecting on their wild season, Wilson speaks about what the team means to him. “I love my teammates, and I think what I am going to miss most about high school football is spending almost every day with them.”
Some of Wilson’s favorite moments of the season include “beating Cretin-Derham Hall and East Ridge. The Cretin game was probably my favorite game I have ever played. It was a packed game and the atmosphere was like no other.” Frommelt adds that this also was his favorite moment: “In a tight win over East Ridge, I intercepted a pass deep in our territory to seal the game.”
The matchup with Cretin also included Frommelt’s favorite play of the season, where the senior would score the go-ahead touchdown. “It was right after a timeout… I took the snap in shotgun, acted like I was going to pass then ran the ball to the right side. Brock Rinehart had a huge block and I walked into the end zone untouched.”
Even though the season didn’t end on the highest of notes, Wilson says he wouldn’t change a thing. “Even though the season didn’t end how we wanted it to, I wouldn’t trade this last year for anything.” The senior class of 2020 helped the Woodbury football program achieve new heights—especially with their back-to back conference championship victories.
Frommelt says, “The class of 2020 was an integral part of raising the bar for our program as a whole and setting new standards for success.”
