HANNAN HAWKS 2024 VITALS
TRAINER: Steve Soper (first season as head coach, eighth at the school)
Offensive Coordinator: Soper
Offensive run: Spread
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Daniela B.
DEFENSE RUN: Several
EXPECTED STARTERS
* indicates the returning starter
OFFENSE (5 RETURNING STARTERS): QB *Brody Smith, Sr.; RB Riley Jones, 2nd year; RB Ryan Bordelon, 2nd year; WR *Hayden Alonzo, Sr.; WR *Tripp Acrement, Sr.; WR David Chimento, Jr. or Hunter Lay, 2nd year; OL *Brad Boudreaux, Sr.; OL Jude Monier, Fr.; OL *Elijah Williamson, Jr.; OL Brennan Jarrell, 2nd year; OL Max Hand, Fr.
DEFENSE (4 RETURNING STARTERS): DL *Jared Mueller, Sr.; DL *Luke Higgs, Sr.; DL Liam Benton, 2nd year; OL Aidan Mulholland, Sr.; LB *Reed Long, Sr.; L.B. Mitchell Cummins, Sr.; LB Greyson Dupree, Jr.; DB *Keaton Wheeler, Jr.; DB Carter Speerly, 2nd year; DB Paul Hoyt, 2nd year; DB Aiden Roy, Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PK *Ethan Bearden, Sr.; P Greyson Dupree, Jr.; LS Luke Higgs, Sr.; RET TBD.
SCHEDULE
All games are Fridays at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. All District 7-4A games are marked with an asterisk.
6 SEPTEMBER Northlake Christian (A); 13 September Ascension Day (H); 20 September Catholic-PC (H); 27 September Federal Christian (A); 4 OCTOBER Saint Thomas Aquinas (H); 11 October *Pearl River (A); 18 October *Loranger (H); 25 October OPEN; 1 November *Lakeshore (A); 8 November *Franklinton (H).
THE HARDEST GAMES: at Lakeshore (Week 9); against Franklinton (Week 10).
2023 REVIEW
Record 2023: 0-10, 0-5 District 8-4A (last place), did not reach the playoffs.
RESULTS OF THE 2023 REGULAR SEASON: 1, Chalmette, L 40-13 (0-1); 2, ED White, L 52-21 (0-2); 3, Ascension Catholic, L 40-16 (0-3); 4. Northlake Christian, L 23-10 (0-4); 5, St. Thomas Aquinas, L 60-39 (0-5); 6, Franklinton, L 50-17 (0-6); 7, Salmen, L 45-14 (0-7); 8, Loranger, L 79-54 (0-8); 9, Lakeshore, L 56-28 (0-9); 10, Pearl River, L 58-32 (0-10).
Outlook for 2024
There was no team in the community that had a more challenging 2023 season than Hannan. Injuries and a midseason coaching change resulted in a winless season, but all is not lost for the Hawks. The team showed its toughness by battling through injuries and being a better team in Week 10 than it was in Week 4. That’s a positive.
Hannan hopes to carry that positive energy into the new season, and it looks like they might be able to do that. The offense has some good players back – quarterback Brody Smith and receivers Hayden Alonzo and Tripp Arcement. The Hawks will rely on sophomores Riley Jones and Ryan Bordelon to replace the performance of Brennan Obey, who transferred to Fontainebleau. The stage is set to build on last season’s offensive success.
Defensively, things are only going up. The Hawks allowed 50 points per game last season as injuries hit the defense even harder than the offense. The good news is that all of the younger players who competed last season are a year older and bigger. With four returning starters, there are some signs that the defense is improving.
The team handled the midseason coaching change about as well as could be expected, and it should do better this season. Coach Steve Soper was stripped of his interim job in November, giving the Hawks an entire offseason to make changes. Players said they could see a difference, so that’s a good sign. But there are still challenges ahead. How quickly will three junior offensive linemen adjust to college football? How will an inexperienced secondary fare? The good news is that the Hawks have a favorable schedule, so if they stay healthy, they can make improvements in 2024.
EXPECTED END: 3-6 overall, 0-4 in District 7-4A. No playoffs.
