La Salle-Peru senior Nick Hachenberger started playing football as a second grader.

All through youth football, he played running back, but when he got to high school, he was moved to linebacker.

“It was definitely a big transition,” Hachenberger said. “I actually never really learned the techniques or form tackling even. I mean, they go over it in youth, but when you’re not playing defense, you don’t go into it as much.”

Over the last four years, Hachenberger transformed from a defensive novice into a tackling machine.

In eight games this season, Hachenberger made 81 tackles for an average of 10.1 stops per game and had 13 tackles for loss. He was voted All-Interstate 8 Conference.

For all he accomplished this season, Hachenberger is the 2025 NewsTribune Defensive Football Player of the Year.

He’s the sixth L-P player to earn the honor since it debuted in 1987 and the first Cavalier to claim it since Levi Reed in the spring 2021 season.

“Nick had a very good season,” L-P coach JJ Raffelson said. “Nick has been a tremendous linebacker. Over the last couple years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching him; he’s really developed, especially from his junior year to his senior year. A lot falls on you when you become the senior, and you become the guy. He really stepped up and played his part. He helped lead our team.

“I’m excited for his future. I know he wants to continue playing in college. I think he has a bright future. I’m really proud of the player he has become.”

Hachenberger credits his base knowledge of football and film study for helping him make the transition to defense.

“At all levels they always stress watching film and just watching football in general also helps a lot,” Hachenberger said. “When you watch a lot of football, you just pick up on a lot of stuff subconsciously and you learn how to do it.”

Hachenberger spent several hours per week watching film by himself outside of team film sessions.

“From watching film, recognizing the kind of offense you’re going against, reading your guards, that kind of stuff,” Hachenberger said about what made him a good linebacker. “It was more so the mental part of the game.”

That part of the game helped Hachenberger be a menace in opposing backfields with 13 tackles for loss.

“It was just reacting fast,” Hachenberger said. “I played the run first. If the guard was my key and I recognized they were pulling, I just hit my assignment fast.”

Raffelson, a former linebacker at Western Illinois University, said Hachenberger had a better grasp on the game and his assignments this fall.

“He has always had a knack for the ball,” Raffelson said. “His junior year, you could tell he was still a little raw to the game and understanding reads, understanding coverages, understanding where all fits are, why you fit where you do. As he grew into a senior, you can really see how he understood everything that was going on. He knew his leverage and played with good pad level. He was a tremendous player as a junior, but he really stepped up his senior year.”

Raffelson and Hachenberger both said the Metamora game - with the Redbirds led by Northern Illinois University recruit Jaiduan Cranford - was among his better games with double-digit tackles. Hachenberger also felt he played well against Metamora, which went on to advance to the Class 4A semifinals.

Raffelson said there was a noticeable void in the defense when Hachenberger missed the second Ottawa game with an injury.

“You could see there was a difference because he’s a leader and was a senior captain,” Raffelson said. “He was a big part of everything we did. During the week he was out, he was at practice helping guys out. That’s what leaders do.”

Raffelson called Hachenberger more of a leader by example.

“Guys saw how he was,” Raffelson said. “They saw he was on practice on time, that he was in meetings on time, that whenever he had bumps and bruises, he saw the trainer on time. He did everything the right way.”