Colby (OnFocus) – The Colby Hornets are primed for a big season in 2021, with a strong returning cast of players on both sides of the ball.
Hornets’ Head Coach Jim Hagen, veteran of 31 years on the Colby coaching staff, took time to share with our readers for our season preview.
OnFocus Football Season Preview: Colby Hornets
Coaching staff:
Jim Hagen – head coach
Robbie Smazal – assistant coach
Logan Rosemeyer – assistant coach
Jon Kleinschmidt – assistant coach
Jimmy Flink – assistant coach
Henry Sanchez – assistant coach
2021 Colby Football Schedule
Offense: key returning players:
Brent Jeske – returning quarterback, led team in rushing a year ago with 639 yards and 9
touchdowns. Threw for 346 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interception. Best overall athlete on the team
Mason Voss – returning starting running back with 247 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns
Brandon Voelker – returning TE with 7 catches for 139 yards.
Carter Grewe – returning offensive guard who is outstanding blocker and Channel 7 All-Star
Derek Jeske – returning offensive tackle
Corey Steen – returning offensive tackle
Brayden Boyer – returning center on offense
Tristen Stange – returning offensive guard
Brody Decker – returning split end
Caden Healy – junior who will see plenty of playing time. Has breakaway speed
Defense: key returning players:
Brent Jeske – returning inside linebacker, being highly recruited by D3 and D2 schools along with some D1 interest. Excellent size and speed with great work ethic. All-region as a junior
Mason Voss – outside linebacker
Brandon Voelker – returning safety/OLBer
Carter Grewe – returning defensive end
Derek Jeske – returning defensive tackle
Corey Steen – returning defensive tackle
Tristen Stange – returning inside linebacker, excellent instincts
Caden Healy – safety with excellent speed
Andrew Jeske – returning defensive end. Tall, quick and long and he is difficult to block
Lucas Karl – returning cornerback
Mateo Lopez – cornerback
Conference outlook:
Three teams have left the conference to go 8-man. We are looking to be a contender at the top of the conference with a goal of making it to the play-offs for the 15 th consecutive season.
Keys to your success on offense:
We have 9 returning starters on offense with the addition of two talented junior running backs. Experience offensive line and we have speed at the skilled positions. We will need to be able to run the ball effectively to set up the pass. A big question mark will be our pass game and giving our quarterback time to throw the football.
Keys to your success on defense:
We have 8 returning starters on defense with the addition of two talented juniors in the
defensive backfield. We have an experience defensive line and linebacker core. The defense
as a whole has speed and will play very aggressively. Key is not allowing the big pass play.
Behind the scenes: Who are some of the people that help your program succeed?
The people who help our program succeed are the knowledgeable assistant coaches who help teach the players the fundamentals and help implement the game plan from week to week. Parents play a big role in getting their son to practice, filling out paperwork, washing their equipment, encouragement and support and the list could go on. Others who play a big role are the middle school coaches and CUDA who at an early level help develop fundamentals and skills needed to evidently be used at the varsity level. The custodians play a role by keeping our locker room clean and the football lined and ready for football games.
What is Colby football all about? What does it mean to be a member of the Colby Hornets football program?
The Colby football program is about developing young men and teaching them about the game of football and about life. Teach them football fundamentals which will help win games but we also want to teach about things such as being on time, being a leader on and off the field, be unselfish and be a team player. Make the school and community proud by putting a disciplined team on the field who play with heart and enthusiasm. There is a rich tradition at Colby and the football program. There has been a lot of success over the past 50 years with many wins and play-off games and play-off wins, along with 5 State Championship appearances.
2021 Colby Football Schedule
Coach’s comments: anything else you’d like to share?
I would just like to say that I am extremely blessed and proud to be coaching at Colby for 31 years now. I take a lot of pride in how things are run within the program and I take great pride in the facilities ranging from the locker room equipment, practice field, game field, bleachers, press box, etc. For the 2021 football season, I am hoping for an exciting season and we should put a team on the field that will be extremely competitive and fun to watch.
We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected]!
Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
