HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: An alum returns home

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By Jacob Unmacht, Hempstead juniorDUBUQUE - It's been 36 years since Mike Hoskins received his diploma from Hempstead High School, but he couldn't stay away.Hoskins decided to come back and take the job as defensive coordinator for the varsity football team. He has coached at the high school and collegiate levels, and has accumulated more than 31 years of experience since leaving Hempstead.During his career, Hoskins has coached at Loras College, Southern Oregon University and Rockford College. Coaching at the college level can be different than coaching in high school for many reasons. More strategy needs to be used against coaches who are smarter and the players run faster and hit harder.“The two biggest differences are the maturity of the kids and the fact that you can recruit who or what position you want,” Hoskins said. “In high school you have to use your own hallways to recruit kids.”Defense is, debatedly, the harder side of the ball to play. Athletes have to disrupt the offense and try to stop them from moving the ball, even though the offense practices tirelessly to get the plays to run smoothly. Defensive players also don't know which play is being run, which makes it that much more difficult to stop a productive offense.“Over the years I have coached on both sides of the ball,” Hoskins said. “I became strictly a defensive coordinator when I coached college ball. The beauty of coaching defense is that you can take over a ball game without ever scoring a point.”Every coach has goals for a season, whether it's developing a program, trying to bounce back after a tough season, taking a team to the playoffs or winning a state championship.“We need to bring back the physicality of Mustang football,” Hoskins said. “During the Bob Timmerman era we were known as the most physical team in the state. We need to bring that back.”In sports like football, athletes can't play as individuals. They have to work together as a team. Sports can help people come together who have never met before the season and can build bonds between athletes.“The thing I enjoy the most is the relationships you build with your team,” Hoskins said. “I enjoy watching the young men I have coached become successful men and fathers. I still have conversations with kids I coached in the 80s and many of these guys are in their late 40s.”Hoskins  has filled the empty hole on varsity football and the team is welcoming him with open arms.