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HHF/GID Interview with Leo Head Coach Jared Sauder


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HHF Interview with Leo High School Head Coach Jared Sauder
 
Leo has two D1 recruits returning in the trenches and lots of experience everywhere as they look to take the next step in the post season.
 
Hello Coach and thanks foir joining us at Hoosier High School Football
 
Question 1
For starters, how have your summer workouts and team competitions been going thru June and July, and what specific areas have you been working on to prepare your team for fall football?
Response
We feel that our summer program has been good so far. We completed all of our football related activities in June and had good attendance and had some really good joint practices with a couple of programs. The core of our summer program, however, is our strength and conditioning program, which we continue through the end of July. What we are seeking to accomplish the most in the summer is to build on our strength and conditioning. We want to make sure our players are at their strongest and in the best shape that they can be in by the time we start practice on August 2nd.
 
Question 2
Coach, you have built a program that is consistently in the running for a conference championship and is always a threat to make a run in the post season. What is the core identity of your program today in terms of your offensive and defensive approach, and in the attitude that is instilled in your players as they come up through the feeder system and eventually reach the varsity?
Response
As a program we very much believe in a physical style of a play that starts on the defensive side of the ball. We still believe that sound, physical defense is the cornerstone of our program, and that stopping the run is the most important aspect of good defensive football. On the offensive side of the ball, our approach is a physical running style of offense out of the Power T formation. We also put a lot of emphasis on the kicking game and making sure we are preparing correctly to win special teams on game nights.
Our youth league has been an essential part of our overall program development and we have been blessed to have really good youth coaches and leaders who have invested a lot in our kids. We have also been fortunate enough to have a youth league that is run through our program and high school, so we have been able to teach the younger kids our techniques, philosophies, and schemes from the time they enter our youth league in 3rd grade all the way through their senior year.
 
Question 3
What are your overall thoughts on the Northeast 8 Conference? Who are some of the programs that you see making consistent improvement? How would you evaluate the overall talent level, coaching and level of play you see weekly in league play during the season?
Response
The Northeast 8 Conference is a great, competitive conference, not just in football, but really in all the sports. In our conference, you have to be ready to play every Friday night because there is great talent and well coached football teams who will beat you if you don’t prepare properly. That level of competition really makes the season fun and prepares you for the post season because you must be at your best every week. Teams like East Noble and New Haven have always been solid programs with a lot of talent and both Norwell and Columbia City have been very good teams and programs who have consistently improved the past several years. It also seems like every year there is a team or two that steps up and has a great year, so you really do have to be ready to play at a high level every week.
 
Question 4
Every coach loves to have a D1 recruit on their roster, especially one in the trenches who can have a big impact on controlling the line of scrimmage. You have the great fortune of having two such players, 3 Star recruits Landen Livingston and DJ Allen. How are the two young men progressing this summer, and what impact have they had/ will have on your past and future success?
Response
You are correct in saying we are very fortunate to have both DJ and Landen. Both have had great summer attendance and are very hard workers in the weight room. They are very committed to their training and have added to their strength and athleticism. Not only are those two young men great football players, but both are also great leaders and young men of outstanding character. They have anchored both our offensive and defensive lines the past two years and have been a very big part of our success in the past, and we consider them very important to our success this year on both sides of the ball. Like I stated earlier, we base our philosophy on running the ball effectively and stopping the run, and obviously those two guys play a huge role in that. More importantly, they are both great role models for our younger kids in how they act and lead and will have an impact on our program years into the future.
 
Question 5
Who are some of the other key returnees that will be making a difference for your team this fall?
Response
We have a very experienced senior class with some key people returning at many spots. Wide Receiver/Tight End Rylan Crawford (who is committed to Illinois State) is back. Rylan is an outstanding athlete who also is a key member of our defense at safety. Outside linebacker Tanner Jackson is also back. Tanner is a three-year starter and 1st Team All Conference player. Mason Sheron also returns this season after missing last year with an injury. Sheron was a junior all state selection as a sophomore and is an impact player on both sides of the ball at running back and defensive end. Joining Sheron in the backfield are seniors Carson Hoeppner (who also returns at outside linebacker) and Kaeden Miller, and juniors Max Loeffler and Ethan Crawford. All had significant minutes last year and we see all of them competing for spots and contributing this season as well.
Joining Allen and Livingston up front will be senior Sam Htoo at center and junior Collin Butler, who returns at offensive tackle.
 
Question 6
4A has long been a class dominated by the private schools. Either locally or downstate, you've got to get past the big privates to win a state championship. You have an elite level public 4A program. Regardless of the existence of the Success Factor, what kind of effort will it take to take that next step and move past the privates to get your team into contention to win a state title?
Response
Well, for us, it obviously starts with Sectional 19, which is a very competitive and tough sectional. When you have to get past great programs such as East Noble, and NorthWood, you can’t look too far ahead to the state championship. It will take tremendous effort by our entire team and great improvement throughout the year to be able to compete and win a sectional championship. Right now, that really is the next step for us. Every team in the state would love to get to a state championship, but our focus is on improving every day and getting ourselves into a position where, as a team, we are playing our best football in late October and where we can compete for a sectional championship first. To do that, in any class in the state, is very difficult and something that everybody on the team has to commit great effort to.
 
Question 7
How would you rate your strength, conditioning and speed development programs against your peers in Northeast Indiana, and do you feel this is an area of strength that you can leverage to close the gap between yourselves and the very top schools in 4A?
Response
I feel we have committed to building our strength and conditioning program. I am not sure how we stack up to other programs in Northeast Indiana, but I know that there are a lot of teams that place an emphasis on strength and conditioning and do a great job with their programs. I believe that if you would research the best programs in the state you will find programs that are highly committed to strength training, conditioning and speed development. We are always looking for ways to improve in this area. We strongly believe that working on our strength and athleticism is the most important component to our program’s improvement. I do think it is an area where any team can “close the gap” against other programs who are the top schools in their class.
 
Question 8
What is your general philosophy on non conference scheduling, and do you have any opportunities in the future to possibly step up and schedule some 5A or 6A competition?
Response
We are fortunate to have the ability to schedule two non-conference games during the first two weeks of the season. I think scheduling quality opponents can be helpful but there are many other considerations that have to go into those decisions than just saying you have to schedule “bigger schools”. Travel considerations, time constraints, and just finding an opponent that fits in your schedule can be difficult things to do. In Northeast Indiana it is difficult to schedule 5A or 6A schools since the SAC plays a full conference schedule. It would take some considerable travel for us to schedule larger schools, which we would consider doing if we felt it was in the best interest of our players and program.
 
Question 9
Given the talent returning this fall, is this a team that can possibly break thru and make a run all the way to Lucas Oil?
Response
For us it is one step at a time. While we have a lot of talent returning, we also know that there are many other teams in our sectional and beyond who also have a lot of talent returning. We always tell our players that our three main goals are to improve every day, win conference, and play in November. If you are fortunate enough to still be playing in November, then you are playing for a championship every week. If our senior class leads well and we get great effort by our entire team, we feel we can put ourselves in a position to accomplish our goals.
 
Thanks Coach, and best of luck to you and your team this coming season.
 
Tim Phillips
Hoosier High School Football

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