Hampshire looks to build momentum after breakout spring season

HAMPSHIRE – Hampshire enters the 2021 fall football season with a group full of talented and experienced players and, perhaps most importantly, a well-earned upbeat outlook.

The Whip-Purs were the Fox Valley Conference’s biggest surprise in the 2021 spring season, going 4-1 and finishing with a 33-21 victory over Crystal Lake Central in a matchup of teams that took second in their divisions.

“Years in the past, everybody would come into the program and be like, ‘We’re not a winning team’ and kind of accept it,” tight end-linebacker Devin Yeats said. “This really brings a confidence boost. I worked throughout my high school seasons trying to prove we can be a winning team, and going 4-1 really just puts a stamp on that, that we can do something great here at Hampshire.”

The Whips’ only loss came against powerful Huntley, 48-18, in Week 5 of the spring season, abbreviated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hampshire, which ended a 24-game losing streak in Week 8 of the 2019 season and won its last two games that year, stretched its winning streak to five before falling to the Red Raiders.

It was Hampshire’s first winning football season since 2015 (6-4).

[ Photos: Hampshire football gets ready for new season ]

“It builds a lot of momentum,” offensive lineman Patryk Barnas said. “In years past, we’ve struggled a lot with our record and lost games, but finally we’re turning it around and we want to carry that into this year.”

The Whips experienced an interesting day Monday, the first day football teams across the state could practice. Everything was fine outside until about 4:30 p.m., when lightning in the area forced them to a classroom inside. Then, about 5:15, a tornado warning was issued, and they switched to another classroom designated for that occasion.

Jake Brosman has a lot to look forward to in his fourth season as Hampshire’s coach.

“We had a great winning atmosphere around us [in the spring],” Brosman said. “Positivity was lifted. We have a lot coming back. It’s the best team we’ve had at understanding the rules. We have a handful of guys starting for their third year. It makes it smooth in practice.

“We’re coaching kids up, we’re calling something out, and they know what to do. Our mental part of our game is much stronger than it’s been in past years, which is awesome.”

Quarterback Tyler Fikis threw for 871 yards, fifth among area players, and completed 64.8% of his passes as a sophomore. He also led the Whips with 317 rushing yards.

“It helps to know the offense a lot more,” Fikis said. “Last season there was some uncertainty. Now I feel more comfortable and confident playing quarterback. I know everyone a lot better now, and that chemistry has been built over the last season.”

Fullback Ray Hill returns in the backfield, but most other Whips who carried or caught balls are gone, including Jack Rummell, a big-play receiver last spring who is a senior but has moved to Tennessee.

Brosman wants to use Yeats (6-foot-3, 203 pounds) more on offense after mainly playing safety. Hampshire will benefit from having Barnas (6-3, 285), Ryan Miedema (5-10, 260) and Mike Freeman (6-2, 205) back up front.

Junior Tristan Villarreal will be in the mix at running back, where his speed will be a factor.

Brosman hopes the Whips’ next step can be to consistently win in a rugged FVC that includes Huntley, which has been to the Class 8A playoffs six consecutive years, and perennial Class 6A powers Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge.

“Making sure we didn’t just sneak a few in in a COVID season,” Brosman said. “I want to see that we can be consistent and perform at that level on a year-to-year basis. Establishing that winning tradition and keeping it going.”

The players feel they made the best of a tough 2020 when the pandemic disrupted everything.

“It was hard for everyone. We really lifted instead of sitting on our butts and put in the work,” Barnas said. “Also, I feel like Brosman was new, and it took a while in transition, but we got the momentum to start building the program up.”

Yeats agreed.

“Everybody in the summer before my junior year (2020) had a real big trust in everybody else,” Yeats said. “We all got each other to the workouts. We never went into the season thinking, ‘Oh, we’re not going to be good.’ We went in there with the highest hopes and went in there to execute and get things done.”