BASCOM, Ohio — Hopewell-Loudon overview:
2023 Record: 12-1 (Advanced to 3rd round of Playoffs)
Head Coach: Brian Colatruglio (9th year)
Top Returning Players:
Braylon Martinez, Senior RB (3rd Team All-Ohio)
Aiden Ewald, Junior DL (Honorable Mention All-Ohio)
Jack Colatruglio, Junior WR (2nd Team All-SBC)
Wyatt Crow, Senior DL (Honorable Mention All-SBC)
Wyatt Crow, Senior DL (Honorable Mention All-SBC)
Brayden Brickman, Senior DB (Honorable Mention All-SBC)
Mason Reinhart, Junior LB (Honorable Mention All-SBC)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 @ Carey
WEEK 2 8/30 @ Pleasant
WEEK 3 9/6 vs. Danville
WEEK 4 9/13 vs. Gibsonburg*
WEEK 5 9/20 vs. Lakota*
WEEK 6 9/27 @ Margaretta*
WEEK 7 10/4 vs. Willard*
WEEK 8 10/11 ?
WEEK 9 10/18 vs. Woodmore*
WEEK 10 10/25 @ Calvert*
*Denotes Sandusky Bay Conference River Division game
Hopewell-Loudon football is no stranger to success, claiming the conference title for the last four years in a row. They are most recently coming off a 12-1 season.
"That is the expectation. To be in the hunt for a league championship, and make deep playoff runs and our guys embrace that and but it doesn't happen over night and it doesn't happen by accident," said head coach Brian Colatruglio. "They're putting in the work and trusting the process we have in place and the results and all the fun stuff comes later on down the line."
Senior running back Braylon Martinez said the tone was set his freshman year by the then seniors, who instilled the blue-collar mentality amongst the team.
"They made it to the state final four and set the tone for everybody to be honest," he said. "We work hard in the weight room, work hard in the practice room. We want to be just like them."
The team was undefeated with 12-straight wins before falling to Patrick Henry in the regional final last season.
But with a new season quickly approaching, they are hungry to uphold the expectations and go further.
"We've built a program here since we were freshmen," said Willem Nutter, senior left tackle. "Like Braylon said, those seniors were amazing athletes and they just built a program around us and we've been building it up ever since."
Nutter tore his ACL and meniscus and could only watch his team from the sideline last season. He said the injury offered a different perspective of appreciation for the opportunity to play another season thus making it all the more important to uphold the standard.
"It showed me to take every moment and realize what you have and it can go away in an instant," he said. "It made me realize you got to work hard every moment. Had therapy three days a week at 7 in the morning, had to go in there for an hour every day. Do all that and it just motivated me to be the best player I could cause it could get taken away in an instant."
The Chieftains open the season against Carey on Aug. 23.
WTOL 11 SPORTS BIG BOARD FRIDAY: