By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After a dismal 0-9 season, the Sacred Heart Knights are under new management as first-year head coach Jeremy Hopkins steps in looking to right the ship.
“We’re in the process of trying to change the football culture here,” Hopkins said. “We haven’t won very much over the last few years and we’re trying to change that. There’s no magic formula, you just have to get in and put in the work and our kids have done that.”
While the Knights bring back a big group of returners from a season ago, the team still features a great deal of youth, with just four seniors lining the roster.
“Experience is a strength of ours but we’re still young,” he said. “We’re going to play a lot of juniors and underclassmen but I’m confident that our boys will be ready to go and that they’ll be a competitive football team this year.”
One of the biggest returners comes in the form of junior Evan Bogart, who will reprise his role as the Knights signal caller for 2022.
“I think Evan is ready to go,” Hopkins said. “He was voted as one of our two captains by his teammates and they really respect him. He’s trying to get better at his craft, the question is can we keep him healthy. I’m confident that he’ll be ready for whatever comes his way physically.”
Bogart will be assisted in the backfield by a strong committee of running backs this season, including Cam Clevelend, Thomas Cheney, Landen Pilcher, and Doyle Marshall.
The offensive front will be lined with Adrian Panuco, Orlando Torres, Riddick Goss, Andy Marshall, and Leon Rowe, while Sean Riordan, Michael Matteucci, Jett Samuelson, and Cam Yohe headline the receiving corps.
The Knights won’t completely overhaul their offensive scheme for the upcoming season but will need to make adjustments to keep defenses guessing.
“We want to make sure we’re maintaining a balance offensively,” he said. “If you get too run-heavy or too pass-heavy you’re giving an advantage to the defense. I don’t know if we’ll get there right off the bat but I envision we’ll get there eventually.”
On defense, the Knights will return another big group of starters who will look to take a big step up after allowing 50 or more points in six of their nine games last season.
The biggest strength of the Sacred Heart defense will be in their linebacking corps, where Adrian Panuco, Thomas Cheney, Cam Cleveland, and Landen Pilcher will get back to work along with sophomore Leon Rowe.
In the defensive trenches, the Knights will return Orlando Torres, Andy Marshall, Evan Bogart, and Jason Marrs, while Sean Riordan, Cam Yohe, Michael Matteucci, Bryson Gotti, and Carson Lehmann will patrol the secondary.
Despite the recent struggles of the program, the players in the Sacred Heart locker room have chosen to come into the 2022 season with a renewed sense of purpose, which has inspired Coach Hopkins ahead of his inaugural season.
“I sat down with every player on the team this week and about 60% of them said right away that they want to change the program and win,” he said. “As someone who’s trying to do just that I can’t ask for a better start with a better group of guys.”
The Knights will kick off their 2022 campaign on Friday, September 2nd when they host Wichita Trinity.
For continuing coverage of Sacred Heart football all season long stay tuned to the Salina Post.