Let's be clear from the start: Washington Township still plays football in the same fundamental way. The Minutemen are 5-1 this season because blocking and tackling have formed the foundation for a skillful offense, a sturdy defense, and solid special teams.
Time-tested stuff. Typical stuff.
What's different - what's revolutionary, really - is the way the Minutemen prepared for this season, the way they trained in the summer, and the way they work each week.
"After last year, we all were thinking this offseason was going to be the worst one," Washington Township senior cornerback Mike Hill said. "It turned out to be the best."
Wechter was crushed by last season. Washington Township went 3-7, the program's first losing season since 1984.
To the coach, the losses weren't even the worst of it. The worst part was the look in his players' eyes.
"We were playing the game robotic," Wechter said. "It wasn't the kids fault. It was my fault. They were here too much. They were here 12 months out of the year. It had become a job."
This is where Wechter breaks away from most of his coaching brethren. I mean, he breaks completely into the clear.
To most coaches, especially football coaches, it's counter-intuitive to react to a losing season by demanding less of the players, throttling back, working fewer hours. It's akin to blasphemy.
This is football, mister, where the best programs work eight days a week and 13 months a year. This is football, where bad breaks are overcome by wind sprints and weight training, by sweat and sacrifice.
Just look at the Top 10. Just look at the time and effort invested by those coaches and players.
Wechter was undaunted. He was convinced that the right way to go - for himself, his coaches, and most of all his players - was to cut back on the mental and physical demands.
