Westminster has produced a playoff-quality football team in all but five seasons since Gerry Romberg arrived in 1992. The Wildcats have advanced to the playoffs each season since 2007 in the Class AA or AAA classifications.
From 2007-12, the Wildcats made it to the second round, but could not punch through until its semifinal appearance in 2014. In 2015, Westminster reached the pinnacle of the sport for the first time since 1978, when it defeated Blessed Trinity 38-31 in overtime to earn the third state title for the Wildcats. In the two seasons since the title run, Westminster made it to the quarterfinals, including an appearance last season that was a surprise to even some of the Westminster supporters.
For quality programs like Westminster, you'd expect to find coach Romberg with an overflowing spring practice field of young hopefuls. But considering the size of the school and the number of multi-sport athletes, that's just not the case.
Unlike most schools, Westminster does not hold spring practice for football because too many of the athletes are involved with spring sports.
Westminster's enrollment is around 800 students in grades 9-12. Of those 800, 370 or so are boys, and on any given football roster, the Wildcats will have 68-or-so players. Of those 68, 63 or more play multiple sports.
So Westminster opted to schedule two scrimmages in the fall instead of holding spring football practice. It was an easy decision for the Wildcats. The team did not opt to hold a late spring practice because it would interfere with academic finals, which is a no-no at Westminster. You do not mess with the academic calendar.
Even members of Romberg's coaching staff share duties with other sports in the spring. For example, Romberg helps with coach Scott Snyder's successful soccer team in the spring and, in return, Snyder helps Romberg in the fall. The boys soccer teams have won titles in 2001, 2006-07, 2011-13 and last season under Snyder. During the run from 2011-13, future Georgia Tech and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was the star and even scored the game-winner against Calhoun in the 2013 Class AA title game.
The chances for a spring football practice are non-existent. But the thing is, the football players aren't just busy at other sports ... they're very successful at the other sports.
The numbers speak for themselves.
State championships by boys teams at Westminster
Tennis: 21 titles – 1978 in AA, 1984 in AAA, 1992 in AAA, 1995 in AAA, 2001-2008 in AAA, 2009 in AA, 2011-14 in AA and 2015-17 in AAA.
Soccer: 12 titles – 1966-67, 1976, 1982-82 in Open Event, 2001 in AAA, 2006-07 in AAA, 2011-13 in AA and last year in AAA.
Golf: 8 titles – 1963 in AAA, 2007-08 in AAA, 2010-11 in AA, 2013-14 in AA, 2016 in AAA.
Lacrosse: 5 titles – 2007 in Open Event, 2010 in A-AAAA, 2013 in A-AAAAA, 2015 in A-AAAAA, 2017 in A-AAAAA
Track: 4 titles – 1968 in A, 1999 in AA, 2009 in AA, 2013 in AA
Baseball: 4 titles -- 1967-68 in A, 1975 in AA, most recently 2016 in AAA
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