Hart football is making a big move this year as it steps up to the
West Michigan Conference Lakes, swapping places with Manistee in a
divisional realignment. That makes the Pirates' schedule a lot more
difficult this season, but coach Joe Tanis is quick to point out it also
opens up some exciting opportunities.
"We are going to play
teams that Hart hasn’t beaten in anywhere from 20-40 years," Tanis said.
"In some ways, I think that alleviates a lot of the pressure
on us. We can just go out, do what we do and see what happens. While
the conference is changing, our mentality, our standards and the way we
approach everything will remain the same."
The Pirates
graduated Halen Boos and Kyle Greiner, their top two rushers from last
season. However, they bring back all-conference performers Haegan Hansen
and Keaghan Monroe, who likely slot in as the top ball carriers this
year. And they have their quarterback, Kolton Rockwell, back for his
third varsity season. Rockwell, Tanis said, may not get a lot of the
accolades as he doesn't ring up big numbers, but he's as important to
the offense as anyone.
"He knows our offense almost as well as I do, and we have developed a
language and understanding with each other that allows us to do some
things we probably couldn’t otherwise," Tanis said. "What says a lot about Kolt, though, is what we ask him to do in our
offense. We ask our quarterback to be a lead blocker, and he has
completely embraced that role. He does it really well and is incredibly
unselfish. Having somebody entering his third year in that position
gives us the ability to do more schematically."
Only one
full-time starter is back up front in junior Carlos Salazar, but Wyatt
Johnson got lots of work over the course of 2025 due to injuries ahead
of him, and his versatility adds a lot to the offensive line. Grady
Anderson replaces graduated three-year starter Hollis Rockwell IV at
center, and Zayden Smith will be in the mix as well. Freshman Landon
McCulley looks to have an immediate impact, and Tanis said he is already
one of the strongest kids in the entire program.
The Pirates
have several inexperienced players to be excited about. Senior Mason
Guikema will play football this fall for the first time, and his
physical tools give him a chance to be involved quickly. Sawyer Boos,
Jordan Thies and Jose Arredondo come up from the JV and will be factors.
Two-way junior Elijah Anastasiades did some good things for the varsity
and was unselfish last year as a sophomore and now will get his shot to
be more active as a receiver and part of the defensive secondary.
"He is a great kid, he really cares about
football, and I think he is ready for that opportunity," Tanis said.
Hart's
schedule changes this year aren't limited to in-conference. The Pirates
open with Division 8 playoff team Reese and close with a bigger school,
O-K Gold Conference foe Wyoming. Archrival Shelby is a non-conference
game due to the divisional change. The Lakes race appears wide open this
year, with defending champ Ludington, Oakridge, Whitehall, Montague and
Orchard View - which Hart nearly beat last year in cross-division play -
all with reasons for optimism.
The Pirates hope to make a name for themselves as they take on this new challenge.
"One thing I really respect about this group is that every
kid who chose to come out for football this year made an intentional
decision to take on the challenge of moving into a much bigger
conference," Tanis said. "That builds a lot of trust. These kids have shown a
willingness to be fearless in a lot of ways.
"What
we are focused on is becoming the most intentional and connected team
we can be. We want to be a group that shows up day after day with a good
attitude and consistently responds to adversity at a high level. Those
are the internal factors we can control, and that is how we will measure
our success."
