31 August 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Wildcats are coming off of a two-loss season, but they still call the loss in the state semifinals ‘disappointing.’
Now, Hayden football is bigger, faster, stronger and ready for a new season.
“Football’s kind of like a year-round sport,” offensive and defensive tackle Ian Mead said. “We have weights during the summer, spring, winter, everything. So, we’ve kind of been waiting since the end of last football season for this season to start up.”
Head coach Bill Arnold is conditioning his players harder than before.
“We have guys going both ways more than we have in the past,” Arnold said. “I want to make sure we don’t have any quit. I felt like last game of the year last year, when the chips got down we kind of laid down a little bit. We want to make sure we put our best foot forward.”
The team returns a lot of starters on both sides of the ball, but had some key contributors graduate.
“What this group has that maybe [the 2022 team] didn’t a little bit is they’ve got a little bit more quickness and speed out there, just not quite the beef that we had, but we’ve got a lot of heart,” Arnold said.
That heart stems from the upperclassmen, especially the seniors. They feel responsible for keeping up the team’s success.
“The little things really matter,” wide receiver and defensive back Cooper Coleboch said. “We’ve been conditioning a lot more. Attendance has been a big thing. Everything comes into play when you’re trying to win a state championship. We’re just doing everything we possibly can to make sure we’re playing Thanksgiving weekend.”
Each senior sees the plaques and trophies in the locker room every day, and wants to add to the collection.
“I want to be that guy for the freshmen and the sophomores,” Mead said. “I’m a guy they can come to if they have any questions about how to play the game and make sure the Hayden football team stays successful for years to come.”
Hayden plays Olpe on Friday to try to get Arnold his 200th career win.