Wildcat football program ranked 38th all-time in Illinois

The Wilmington High School football program is being recognized by the IHSA today as having the 38th best in the state.

The IHSA has been featuring a new team daily since the start of the season as they count down the top 50 teams overall. Here is 38 and what they have to say about Wilmington. Congratulations coaches!

WILMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | WILMINGTON
Program Record Since 1974: 353-248
IHSA Playoff Appearances: 30
IHSA Playoff Record: 49-27
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 4/3
2003-3A: Stillman Valley 21, Wilmington 7                            13-1
2014-3A: Wilmington 20, Williamsville 17                             14-0
2021-2A: Wilmington 24, Nashville 7                                      12-2
2023-2A: Wilmington 28, Athens 3                                          13-1
State Final Coaches: Jeff Reents (2003, 2014, 2021, 2023)
Wilmington: The first 20 years of the playoffs, Wilmington qualified for the post-season just three times and won only two playoff games, both in 1988. Things turned around in 1994 when Jeff Reents took over the program. The Reents regime went 3-6 his first season and 5-4 his second. The 1996 team, however, led by future NFL running back Damien Anderson, went 11-1 with its only loss coming in the Class 3A quarterfinals. It would be the first of 14 seasons in which Wilmington would finish with one or fewer losses and the first of 13 times the Wildcats would reach at least the quarterfinals. After those playoff misses his first two seasons, Reents has never missed the playoffs again. Wilmington made a breakthrough in 2003, reaching the Class 3A final where it fell to Stillman Valley, 21-7. Tony Vercelli led the Wildcats that year with 1,479 rushing yards when not leading the team in tackles as a linebacker. Wilmington reached the pinnacle of Class 3A in 2014, defeating Williamsville, 20-17, in the final on a 31-yard field goal into the wind by Jordan Sarr out of the hold of Austin Headrick as time expired. “I kicked it, and I heard the crowd cheering and felt the joy,” Sarr told the media after capping a 14-0 season. Sarr’s opportunity to be a hero came courtesy of Alex Zlomie, whose 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 6:14 left gave Wilmington a 17-10 lead. The Wildcats have collected two Class 2A titles since then, going 14-0 to claim the 2021 crown and 13-1 to land the 2023 championship. In the 24-7 win over Nashville in the 2021 final, Jacob Friddle led the victors with 159 yards on 29 carries and scored on runs of 23 and 34 yards. Wilmington, which limited foes to 10 points per game that year, held the Hornets to a season-low 107 total yards. “Not too many people have been scoring on them this year,” lamented Nashville coach Stephen Kozuszek. In the 2023 final, a 28-3 triumph over Athens, the Wildcats’ defense was stifling again, limiting its foe to 104 total yards. Wilmington’s offense was led by Kyle Farrell, who ran for 192 yards on 24 carries, the longest of which covered 78 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown. Wilmington’s lone loss in 2023 was to Seneca, 27-21 in the season-opener, a setback it avenged, 20-14, in overtime in the state quarterfinals. “These guys are guys you want to be at practice with,” Reents said. “They’re guys you love seeing in the hallways at school. They make your school better and your community better. I’m just very proud of them.” Entering the 2024 season, Reents had a 30-year record of 273-64 to rank 15th in state history for career wins.