Seventeen

OHS players

named all-

Metro

BY KELLY TERPSTRA

COURIER SPORTS WRITER

OTTUMWA — If all

that mattered were

wins, why play the game?

Love of the sport, team

unity, school spirit or to

achieve a feat that never

seemed possible?

How about all of the

above and more.

The Ottumwa football

team fell short of their goal

in 2009 — to play deep

into the month of November.

But so did countless

other quality squads that

had very high expectations

headed into the fall.

That doesn’t mean it

wasn’t a good year for head

coach Zach Wigle’s squad.

The Bulldogs accomplished

much in a 7-3 season.

Ottumwa claimed a

CIML Metro title for the

second-straight season and

once again competed in the

postseason.

The Bulldogs fell short

of the playoffs, losing to

Johnston 28-13 in the substate

round. The Dragons

stunned OHS with 28

unanswered points.

It’s always sad to say

goodbye and the graduation

of 24 seniors on this

Bulldog class will be hard

to replace.

Folks got to see one of

the best Ottumwa gridiron

players to ever grace

Schafer Stadium this season

in Michael Wetrich.

Wetrich ended his storied

career with 20 interceptions,

the second-best

total in the entire state and

an OHS school record. The

bona-fide all-state performer

picked off nine

passes his senior year. The

three-year starter was also

a force at receiver with 610

yards and seven touchdowns.

Fullback Justin Rusch is

another all-state caliber

player and shined for

Ottumwa. He personified

what it means to wear a

Bulldog jersey. The tough and hardworking

Rusch reminded

fans of talented throwback

players from another era.

Never was there a game

where mud or grass wasn’t

caked on his uniform. He

finished with 905 yards

rushing and eight touchdowns.

Rusch also recorded

40 tackles.

Ottumwa signal caller

Adam Goodvin put the finishing

touches on one of the

better careers a quarterback

has had at OHS.

If a tough yard was needed

or a quality throw completed,

Goodvin didn’t shy

away from the challenge.

Goodvin tied with Rusch

for the team lead in touchdowns

(8).

Goodvin threw for 1,352

yards his senior campaign

and finished with an unofficial

total of 3,141 yards in

his career over three seasons.

He tossed 29 touchdowns.

Ottumwa kicker Joe

Roark broke several school

records this season. A

starter since his freshman

season, he could be counted

on to nail it through the

uprights.

Roark holds the school

record in field goals made

in a season (7), in a career

(18) and in a game (3). He

also broke the record for

most consecutive PATs

made (40).

OHS tailback Ben Lott

proved he was a valuable

threat out of the backfield.

He rushed for 607 yards

and seven scores. Lott

caught 10 passes for 185

yards. His electrifying

scores were always a joy