Interview
Radio Host: “So today on our morning show, we
have the great pleasure of speaking with Connor Hope, head football coach of
the Saint Michael’s Spartans. I am
especially honored since I played middle linebacker and special teams on the
2005 state championship squad. “Welcome coach, I’ve really been looking forward
to having this sit down. This sort of
marks your fifth annual visit to the station to share your thoughts of the
previous season.”
Coach Hope: “Always glad to sit down with you Jon and
discuss insights about the past season and those in the future.”
Radio Host: “So first off, disappointed with the
season’s final outcome?”
Coach Hope: “We won eight games, schedule was tough,
had a few key injuries. This was a
fabulous team. Five or six of the
seniors will be playing division two or three ball in college. I’m proud of the effort made in every game,
regardless of the final outcome.”
Radio Host: “If I’m correct in my history coach,
you’ve now led the team for twenty-six years.
You have six state titles and fifteen conference titles. My oldest brother was a member of your very
first team. You were sub-five hundred
that year. How did you build the
Spartan’s into what they are today?”
Coach Hope: “You teach consistency. You teach respect. You teach faith.”
Radio Host: “I remember you telling the team once,
during my years, that God doesn’t take sides on the field and that we should
have the ultimate respect for our opponent, because God stands also at their
side.”
Coach Hope: “Underestimating is always a common
mistake. Never belittle your
opponent. Never believe he is, in any
way, less than you. Play the game to the
best of your ability and know that your opponent will do the same. It’s also important to remember that what
takes place on the field is a game. For
most, it will have little to do with their success or failures in life.”
Radio Host: “There are a lot of coaches out there who
would disagree with that philosophy.”
Coach Hope: “But none of them coach the Spartans.”
Radio Host: “You use to say, ‘Play aggressive, but
not foolish’.”
Coach Hope: “All the championships in the world can’t
replace your dignity. You can win
hundreds of games and lose your soul. I
like to look myself in the mirror every day and remind myself to keep my soul
intact.”
Radio Host: “So the final game of the season, Greg
Stanton goes out with a concussion in the first series. You sub with Kyle Worth. He hadn’t had a lot of time under center this
year. I took it he was third
string. Why play him in that game?”
Coach Hope: “That was a tough game. Both teams lined up pretty evenly. We lost, but not because of Kyle. The Owls played a solid game. They made a couple plays we failed to
make. In the end that was the
difference. When it came to Kyle going
on the field, I felt it was deserved. He
has improved very much over the last two seasons. When Greg was named starting quarterback,
Kyle gave the team no less. He worked as
hard as a backup as he did when he thought the starting job might be his.”
Radio Host: “Different reaction if the team was still
playoff eligible?”
Coach Hope: “No.”
Radio Host: “I always like your simplest answers the
most. Do you recall the final series against Cloverton in 2005? We had the game in hand, up by a few dozen
points. Tommy Rayne, the halfback, broke
a long one and purposely ran out of bounds.”
Coach Hope: “As I remember, the score was 44 to 6. Cloverton hadn’t stopped Tommy much in the
second half. There was less than two
minutes. Cloverton’s defense was so beat
up that year. I considered just having
the QB take a knee. Tommy needed five
yards for the single game record. I
think he gained 55 on that carry.
There’s pros and cons to every decision we make in life. If it feels honorable at the moment you
shouldn’t second guess the decision the following morning. Tommy got the record and we didn’t pad the
score… any more than we already had.”
Radio Host: “Consistency, respect, faith, you pray as
a team, on the sideline, in front of the fans, in front of the opposing team.”
Coach Hope: “For twenty six years. I’ve had to remind a few administrators that
they wore a collar. Saint Michael’s is a
Catholic high school, a private school.
I think Catholics… and all Christians should pray more often. I’ve always had the team pray for unity,
safety and strength. I always asked them
to pray for their opponents. I know
there are places in this world where prayer is silenced. If one person claims offense, the one who
prays is chastised. Here, at Saint
Michael’s we build a foundation, faith is our rock. If the element of faith is part of our… game,
and of our life, how can we not pray for our enemy?”
Radio Host: “Meaning the team across the field?”
Coach Hope: “See I’m wrong. There are some life lessons taught on the
field.”
Radio Host: “Final question coach. I understand Western State made you an offer
again. Have you ever considered moving
on from the high school ranks and maybe stepping into a collegiate program?”
Coach Hope: “I don’t think that team in South Bend Indiana
is looking at me, so it’s safe to say that I would not consider moving to a
college team. My purpose is here, on the
sideline of the Spartans. Could you
picture the reaction of a non-religious school’s administration the first time
I suggested praying for the opponent… and doing it on the sideline?”
Radio Host: “Can’t say it’d be positive.”
Coach Hope: “It’s what our world has become. Be a Christian, just don’t let people
know. Don’t wear an outward expression
of your faith. Those of us who do, who kneel
in public, who praise God in public, we are labeled as foolish. We are told that our actions offend others
and that we have no right to be offended in return. Here, I can approach coaching from a Godly
standpoint. I can share Jesus and my
love for a game. Maybe, through my words
or actions, I touch one player’s soul every couple years. It’s enough, because it’s what God has called
me to be.”
copyright 2018 - Donald P James Jr
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