High school football 2023 preview: Get to know Hoopeston Area/Armstrong-Potomac

Aug. 24—Love of the game

Hoopeston Area/Armstrong-Potomac players like to hit people. That aspect of the game is what drew the trio of Brady Linares, Kendrick Sigerill and Landon Freeman to the sport. "I started playing when I was 4," Sigerill said. "I remember my first time getting hit inspired me to play. You get to hit, and the sport overall is fun. It builds bonds. That's all you can ask for." Freeman was attracted to the sport as well thanks to his past with wrestling, which required many of the same skills that football does. "That gave me the basis of being able to tackle pretty well," Freeman said. "t's a similar sport in terms of physical contact." Linares considers it the favorite among other sports he's played. "It's just a fun sport to play, honestly," Linares said. "Started playing my freshman year. I played soccer before and just got bored with it. You get to hit people."

Season outlook

The Cornjerkers made their first playoff appearance since 1993 under coach Matt Leskis in 2021, finishing 8-3 before regressing to 3-6 last season. First-year coach Carrick MacDonald, a Pennsylvania native who arrived in Central Illinois by way of Louisiana, will try to chase another playoff berth in his debut season with the program after spending a school year with Fisher's program. Two titans in the Vermilion Valley Conference, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin and Salt Fork, loom large early on. "We can get over those humps, and I still expect to compete in those games," MacDonald said. "Our message has been, 'Why not us?' You look at a team like Bismarck, and they are who I want to be like. Consistently make the playoffs and always compete for a conference championship."

Playoffs ... or bust

The Cornjerkers' offense will look a bit different this season than it has in the past, with an emphasis on the ground game as the team's preferred option. "You look at film in the past and Hoopeston was throwing the ball a lot," MacDonald said. "We're getting away from that. We're going to be more ground and pound, but that being said, we're still going to have the ability to stretch the ball down the field." The team isn't having any problem adjusting to MacDonald's new-look schemes on either side of the ball. "I really like it because there's more to football than just doing certain stuff," Linares said. "There's a lot of responsibilities now, both offense and defense. I think he brings a lot to the team."

Odds and ends

Freeman is among those on the Cornjerkers' roster that attends Armstrong Township High School, which is roughly a half-hour drive from Hoopeston Area Senior High School. Luckily, Cornjerkers defensive coordinator Nathan Gayheart is a teacher at Armstrong and offers a helping hand when it comes to making the commute to practice. "Coach Gayheart and I have a lot of conversations," Freeman said. "It's a lot of scrolling through various social media. Sometimes I'll have my AirPods in and listen to music." Freeman prefers to make that drive by himself on Friday nights, however. "He provides transportation on most days, but if it's a home game on Friday, I'm driving there," Freeman said. "It's a decent drive." The trek doesn't go unnoticed. "It means a lot," MacDonald said. "It tells me how much he loves football. He's been a great kid to get to know. Unbelievably coachable. He's a 'Yes, sir, no sir,' type of kid. He's asking great questions every day."