Last week on Thursday night we had our final hooray for our 2023 Patriots Football team with our awards night. Our HT Patriots finished with another successful season. Our third year in a row of having a first round home game and winning the game to move on to quarterfinals. We had the top three teams in 9B football on our regular season schedule and ended up losing to the State Champion Avon Pirates in the quarterfinals. We finished within the top 8 of all 9B schools; not bad. Great job Patriots! We look forward to next year to see what the HT Patriots can accomplish.
I want to again thank all of those who supported us, traveled with us, and cheered us on. It is much appreciated. I thank all of our families and their continued support of our players with meals, snack lunches, and drinks. A special thanks go out to Wilbur-Ellis for painting our field, Heartland State Bank for meals and snacks, Hitchcock Volunteer Fire Department for water, Mandy Miller for dealing with me throughout the season, Jeff and Michelle Clark for all of their assistance with meals and setting things up, our assistant coaches wives for dealing with their schedules throughout the season, and My wife, JoEllen for all of her physical labor getting the field ready, love and support throughout the year.
Our Friend of Football this year is Shari Steinheuser. Shari supported our team helping out at our youth football camp and assisting with field prep. I appreciate her support.
Our managers: Cambree Hoekman, Katelyn Schroeder, Sienna Stoner, Laina Puffer, Matthew Salmen, and Aiden Frankenstein. Ball boys: Gentry Puffer and Neil Salmen.
Our Most Improved Player: Preston Wipf
Our Special Teams Player: Payton Chasing Hawk
Our All Purpose Player: Brendan Nowell
Our Lineman of the year and All State Team Lineman: Jackson Maynard
Our All Around Player (MVP) and All State Team Linebacker: Erik Salmen
Our Patriots Award: Mikael Nielson
Academic All State: Cameron Noethlich, Brendan Nowell, and Erik Salmen
I appreciate our seniors and wish them the best on their next stage of life: Cameron Noethlich, Brendan Nowell, Mason Tschetter, and Isaac Van Scharrel are looking into an Ag related study near by. Jackson Maynard would like to stay in the area to possibly study athletic training, teaching, and/or coaching; he has a walk-on offer to BHSU right now with maybe more to come. Erik Salmen has committed to BHSU for a football scholarship; he is not sure what he plans on studying at this time. They all are a great group of humble young men. Thank you Seniors. Signing off on another successful season.
#GoPatriots