The Archbishop Hannan Hawks are starting a new era in 2024 as interim head coach Steve Soper was given the full-time head coaching gig at the end of last year. After a rare winless season in 2023, Coach Soper is focused on getting his players better starting early in the spring and summer.
“Spring was a brand new experience for our kids as far as new offensive scheme, new defensive scheme so it was a chance to go out there and lay the ground work and see what everybody can do. We had a good spring. We ended things with an intrasquad scrimmage. Instead of going out and playing somebody, we figured to double up the reps with our guys and really just seeing what everybody can do and where all those pieces are going to fit.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
“Our three big goals this summer was being bigger, faster, stronger. The guys have been going after it running, jumping, and lifting. We are building the foundation of what we are going to build off on in the fall.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
Getting ahead of things in the spring allowed Coach Soper to get a deeper understanding of the entire personnel including the younger players.
“We definitely had some new kids come out. Hayden Roy is going to play safety for us. He is a good physical kid that can cover some ground. Our starting quarterback Brody Smith, who is here today, actually didn’t participate in spring. He is a baseball guy and had a little injury, but it was a chance for our two younger guys to get some experience. Mainly, with two new schemes on both sides of the ball, it is nice to go out and seeing what all could be done and where all those pieces fit.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
Being a coordinator on both sides of the football before, Coach Soper knows how to coach either side and used the offseason to adjust to his team’s personnel.
“I am going to be running the offense. The good thing about football is that nothing is new. It just gets reinvented. It is about getting the terminology down and we are going to be in more spread than in the past. We got a really good group of wide receivers so we are going to take advantage of that.”
“Defensively, it is basically the same when learning the terminology and in the grand scheme of what we want to accomplish. We brought in Don Kelly to run the defense.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
Like Coach Soper mentioned, the Hawks’ talented quarterback Brody Smith will have some good weapons to throw the football to in senior Tripp Arcement and two time All-District selection Hayden Alonzo.
“On the offensive side of the ball, we have Brody Smith at quarterback. He is a great athlete that plays shortstop on the baseball team. He is going to do great for us. Hayden Alonzo and Tripp Arcement are two great receivers in space.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
While the offense has some playmakers in the passing game, the defense will rely on its veteran experience in order to be a more productive group this upcoming season.
“On the defensive side of the ball, Luke Higgs and Jared Mueller are two returning guys on the defensive line. I am really excited about them. Reed Long, Hayden Roy, and Mitchell Cummins are guys that can really play and are seniors for us with the exception of Hayden. We are excited about them.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
With the new district realignment, there are a couple of new additions and a notable departure from the district, but for the most part, the schedule is pretty much the same also including the non-district matchups.
“Our district is pretty much the same. Salmen is moving up into the 5A district. We still have the main group of Lakeshore, Pearl River, Loranger, and Franklinton. That is still going to be the same. Non-district wise, we kept Northlake Christian and St. Thomas Aquinas on the schedule. We did pick up Catholic Pointe Coupee, Covenant Christian, and Ascension Episcopal. Those are some good teams that hopefully we can compete with. It’s always nice to change up in those two years to get fresh faces and to change it up a little bit.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
For Coach Soper, every game is going to be an important game and the Hawks will be taking it one week at a team in order to get back to the playoffs.
“Every game is big for us. Northlake and STA are big games. They are close to us besides our district games. There’s always a pretty good crowd. Northlake has a great following and our fans do as well. It will be a good atmosphere at their place. St. Thomas Aquinas, being as close as we are, they travel well. It will be interesting to see. Those are great schools and great programs. They have a great following plus our district. They are greatly coached too.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
Coach Soper has been with the school the last couple of years and he is enjoying every moment of it because of the support and backing that he has from the administration, faculty, and community.
“We are very fortunate to have a great administration, teachers, and faculty. Hannan is a great place. It’s not just a football program, but it’s also the baseball program, the basketball program. It is one big Hannan group. We couldn’t have asked for a better admin group. The teachers do wonders with our kids and other coaches. It is a great organization.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
“We have a great following. Friday nights are always special as far as any place. We have a good showing community wise and people are behind our kids.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
The Archbishop Hannan Hawks are entering into a new season of optimism and the team is excited to put their hard work to the test in front of their fans.
“The biggest thing is that we are excited about this fall and we are anxious to get underneath those lights and get into the swing of things.”
Archbishop Hannan High School Head Coach Steve Soper
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