Experienced upperclassmen to lead Eagles
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HUBBARD -- Always a tough out on the gridiron, the Hubbard Eagles hope to soar in 2025 with plenty of experience on the field. A large group of upperclassmen are eyeing their shot at putting all of the pieces together.
Of course, playing in the treacherous Northeast-8 will battle harden any squad, but Eagles coach Brian Hoffman is excited for the fall slate ahead.
"So far, I've been pleased with the effort of the players. Right now we have a pretty good mix of veterans and new players for us this season. We have a larger senior class than last year, this group is around 17," Hoffman said. "This class in particular, a lot of those guys played since they were young sophomores, even freshmen. We have some game experience, we return six on each side of the ball.
"There's pros and cons to having to play early. Sometimes when you have a lot of sophomores that have to play early, sometimes that's not a great thing, but sometimes it's a benefit as they gain that experience. We've had a pretty good group in terms of throughout the summer workouts, and so far in leadership. We've had some new guys come out that have never played before that we hope can help and contribute to our team this year as well."
Hubbard's home schedule includes contests against Brookfield, University Prep, Howland, Poland, Lakeview and Girard. Road trips will take the Eagles to Wilmington (Pa.), Niles, Struthers and South Range.
"Our league is rigorous. I think that our league is really competitive -- good coaching all across the way. All of the teams are competitive. I would anticipate that it's going to be no different this season," Hoffman said. "It'll definitely prepare us, you can't have any let downs. You have to come out of the gate playing good football.
"(Non-conference) is very important to set the tone for the season. Build that confidence that your team needs. It gives an opportunity to gain that experience, prior to playing in some big games."
OFFENSE
Hubbard graduated former starting quarterback Alex Hackwelder, leading to a new position battle between senior Braydon Songer and junior Dylan Bucher.
Songer is a former all-conference wide receiver, hauling in 53 passes for 673 yards and seven touchdowns.
"Alex did a very nice job for us the last couple of years. He was like a quarterback slash fullback, you could count on him to get you tough yards between the tackles, we'll miss his presence," Hoffman said. "But, I feel good about Braydon coming in. He's very athletic and capable of making plays for us."
Over in the backfield, seniors Michael Hazimihalis (658 total offensive yards) and Rome Odem and junior Antonio Burkley will earn a majority of the touches. Seniors Brady Krisuk and Bobby Thompson will man the tight end position.
The wide receiver group will feature some new faces from the basketball program, but senior Terry Miller and junior Byron Moss carry over experience in the room. Adding into the mix for playing time will be seniors Jakob Hayes, Kenyen Franklin, Anthony Clark and junior Colton Yobe.
"All of those guys have taken reps so far in 7-on-7s, a lot of it is learning and the learning curve, but have looked really good so far." Hoffman said. "7-on-7s are one thing when you're running around in shorts, but when the pads come on, that kind of separates football players from 7-on-7 players, so we'll see how that translates. Obviously the learning curve of learning systems and plays and routes and concepts, there's a lot to try to process for those guys. So we're not going to try and overwhelm them, but it definitely can help us. Anytime you can get additional guys out there that can make plays, it helps your offense."
A trio of rocks return up front in the form of juniors Jayden Smith, Illias Maillis and sophomore Landon Kettering.
Senior wide receiver Matt Chaney, who hauled in nearly 400 yards worth of receptions and four touchdowns last year, will miss a majority of his campaign due to a knee injury. He's someone that Hoffman hopes can return at some point this fall.
"He's another one of those guys for us that's been a great player over the past three years and a two-way starter, so not having him out there to start the season is definitely going to hurt us," Hoffman said. "Hopefully some of those other guys can help pick up the spots a little bit here and there until we're able to get him back in the lineup."
DEFENSE
Sophomore Mitchell Fink returns experience on the defensive line with Thompson and Burkley (73 tackles) as a trio of returning starters. Senior John Schiraldi and junior Elijah Cochrane will support on the line as well. Odem and Krisuk will each see some linebacker action alongside sophomore Giovanni Smaldino.
Over on the secondary, Hazimihalis (122 tackles, six for a loss) was an all-county selection a year ago at the safety position.
"He flies around and makes a lot of plays at safety for us." Hoffman said. "He's a big play guy. He made some big plays in returns last year, offensively he did as well catching the ball and running the ball out of the backfield. Defense I think is his number one position or what he likes the most and what he excels at."
Songer (103 tackles, three for a loss, and two inceptions), Miller, Clark, Moss, Hayes and Franklin will all mix in on the corners, with Bucher adding time at safety.
"It would be nice if you could add depth to your team. I know the mentality is that you want your best players on the field and I get that, but it's a long season and things happen," Hoffman said. "You have to make sure your other guys are ready to go, and at least have them in the position that if they need to play on Friday night and help your team, they're in the position to do so."
SPECIAL TEAMS
Helping out from the soccer program are seniors Trent Reinard and Caleb MacKay, while junior Nate Reel will suit up again on the gridiron. Last fall, MacKay was 17-for-19 on point after attempts, with two successful field goals.
"Those guys will help our football team, it's nice to have," Hoffman said. "I remember when I first came over, we had linemen kicking off. Sometimes you'll find a good lineman that can boot it, but when you have linemen that can only kick the ball and squib kick it, it makes a big difference when you have a kicker that can push it down the field and give your defense some added field position."
Songer will retain punting duties, giving Hubbard options on fourth down opportunities. Also, Hazimihalis and Odem will return kicks, among other players.