New authority in Wellston hopes to turn the Golden Rockets fate around
By: Carl Blalock
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Practice in Wellston was rolling on Wednesday morning all under the direction of Karl Justsus, Wellston’s new head coach, hired back in May.
Justsus has 40 years of both high school and college coaching experience, including coaching stops at Federal Hocking, Chillicothe and Meadowbrook and coaching at the University of Akron, Auburn, and most recently Hocking College.
Coach Justsus explained the differences between coaching in college and high school, “It’s about relating to the kids, it’s a lot more serious in college, but football’s football once you’re on the field. expectations might be a little different … but a lot of the plays are the same, it’s different people but a lot of things are still the same”
Senior Xavier Miller agrees that there are expectations especially playing under a former college coach, “It’s a little bit different, the expectations are definitely higher, it’s a little rough but getting used to it”
Fellow Senior Branen Taborn agrees “Work harder, expectations (are) higher, feel like we got to execute a lot better than what have in the past and are now”
This expectation is something that is built into the culture of a football program, which Coach Justsus has not had time to develop because of being hired just a few weeks before summer workouts started.
However, the Wellston coach is making the best of it “The Kids are working very well, I think I’ve put together a very nice staff under the circumstances. It’s taking them some time but it’s coming along nicely.”
Wellston will look to continue to acclimate under their new coach before their first game against Oak Hill in Just 5 weeks.