Hampshire focused on building a strong culture, fostering team spirit

Hampshire’s football players broke the huddle at a recent 7-on-7 with their usual words.

“Team.”

“Whips.”

It’s a slogan that the Whip-Purs have adopted for a while now. It’s not just lip service.

“We like to do everything together as a team,” Hampshire senior quarterback Max Jacobs said. “We like to drive together as a team, we leave as a team, we break as a team. We wait until everybody gets to the huddle. It’s really just who we are.”

That is the culture that Hampshire coach Shane Haak believes he is building as he heads into his third season. The Whip-Purs are coming off a 1-8 season, and the program has just one winning season over the past decade.

But many of Hampshire’s seniors have been with Haak since Day 1. The foundation is being set for future success.

“Year in and year out we focus on our culture, our work ethic, we focus on our mentality,” Haak said. “Are we selfless? Are we worried about our teammates? Are we coachable? Are we disciplined? Can we be self-disciplined? Those are some of the aspects of our culture that lay the foundation.

“If you don’t have the foundation, all the other stuff, the X’s and O’s really don’t matter. Every offseason it’s getting that stuff.”

The Whip-Purs continued that offseason work July 22 in a 7-on-7 at Kaneland. Hampshire players such as senior receiver/defensive back Chris Whetstone believed the experience to be beneficial.

“You get to see your team competing together to play against other competition,” Whetstone said. “Compete, perform well, see how we can do under pressure, and get better every day.”

While not the same as 11-on-11 in pads, Haak called the outing another building block.

“There is a lot of mental stuff to improve on,” Haak said. “Offense it checks stuff, defense it checks stuff. It’s good to get this on film, and it keeps us tightening stuff up. That is what summer is for, and it’s great to compete against other teams.”

Whetstone likes the progress the Whip-Purs seem to be making during the grind of the offseason.

“It’s not just about what happens during the season; it’s what happens all year round,” Whetstone said. “We have a really good culture. It’s basically you give 100% effort every moment you can, focus on your team together, do everything with togetherness, and grind every day to make yourself better. We are always trying to raise the bar.”

Whetstone is one-half of what looks like a dynamic combo at receiver/defensive back with fellow senior Jaxon Currie. They’re not the biggest targets at 5-foot-9, but at the Kaneland 7-on-7 they seemed to constantly get themselves open and never dropped passes thrown their way.

“They are two of the guys that bring experience back,” Haak said. “They play multiple positions, they try to lead by example, they have good football IQ, they understand the game well. They do a good job taking that information and sharing with the guys.”

Jacobs, another senior, was the quarterback getting many of the balls to Currie and Whetstone.

“MJ, his best quality is his leadership,” Haak said. “He’s a plodder that comes to work every single day. He’s dependable and reliable.”

Whetstone said this offseason has been about playing together as a team, lifting, getting stronger and working hard.

Hampshire opens its season Aug. 29 at home against Jacobs.

“We’re all about being supportive of all our teammates, doing the exact same thing no matter who we’re playing. Coming out hard, playing physical and fast,” Jacobs said.

“We have a lot of older guys helping younger guys. It’s a really good culture that coach has built.”