Wabash’s Little Giant football team is facing its biggest game of the week Saturday after an unusual week of preparation.
Wabash, 5-0 and Division III 13th rated team, will face 5-0 and 14th rated Wooster at 1 p.m. at Byron B. Hollett Little Giant Stadium.
While preparation may not have deviated greatly from the normal routine, things were different for Little Giant players. Wabash is on fall break with most students leaving campus Wednesday for a four-day weekend.
"The key we learned the first year was to let them know early, it’s not a bye week for us," Coach Chris Creighton said.
But Creighton has made a few changes in past years and this year in preparing for the game during the unusual week. There was no study table Wednesday evening after practice, no meetings and Thursday’s practice was during the afternoon.
"So guys relatively close by can still get home for an evening and sleep in and have lunch with their families," he said. "I know some of our out-of-state guys go home with folks to get off campus."
Thursday night has been a fun night the past couple of years under Creighton’s leadership. Last year the team enjoyed computer games, ping pong, free throw shooting contests and other activities.
The Wabash football team talent show was the fun event this year. Andy Cartwright, 6-11, 325-pound senior offensive lineman, stole the show Thursday and top prize with his singing talent. "Our guys are definitely multi-talented," Creighton said this morning. "We had guys playing guitar, piano, a stunt man and even a boxer.
"The idea is to be social and have everybody together. During the season we don’t have time to do that. We start the season off with our preseason camp and we’re together all the time and doing a lot of team building stuff. But during the season, we don’t normally have that time."
The entire team will head to the theater Friday night to see the new release, "Friday Night Lights."
If Wooster’s Scots weren’t enough of a worry, Creighton also is concerned that the home crowd may not be as big as usual. Early this week he was convincing students to be sure to return to campus a day early to support the Little Giants.
"We’ve always had a major advantage playing at home," he said. "The environment here is just unlike any other place. This is not a week we want to lose that advantage."
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