Fullback’s role in 73-0 win made him The Star’s high school football player of the week
Eudora High School football head coach Drew Steffen said senior Braylen Hoobler’s best trait is his leadership — both on and off the field.
Steffen said Hoobler is committed to getting better every day during practices, during film study sessions and in the weight room. Hoobler also helps coach a youth football team with his three younger brothers, and doing that has helped him see both sides of the game and understand why coaches do certain things to get the most out of each player.
Outside of football, he studies hard in the classroom, volunteers daily to help clean the cafeteria and picks up janitor shifts during the football offseason and summer.
“Braylen is the definition of a leader by example,” Steffen said. “He is driven to be his best and outworks everyone around him. Our team sees this and rises to his level because of his determination and commitment.”
Those qualities were on display when Hoobler’s performance against Schlagle High School on Oct. 6 earned him the honor of being The Star’s high school football Player of the Week.
Every week, The Star reaches out to high school football coaches in the Kansas City area for their Player of the Week nominations. The nominations are collected for a weekly poll, which is open from Wednesday to midnight Thursday. We received 2,186 votes from our readers for this week’s poll.
Hoobler has been a starter for the football team since his freshman year, playing wide receiver on offense and linebacker on defense. This year, Steffen asked him to learn how to play fullback to build depth at the position in case of an injury.
An injury did occur and the opportunity for Hoobler to show how far he’s come appeared. As soon as Hoobler took the handoff, it looked like he’d been playing fullback all his life.
He rushed the ball nine times for 166 yards and five touchdowns in Eudora’s 73-0 victory over Schlagle. He added nine tackles on the defensive end, with one of them credited as a tackle for loss.
“This situation occurred and he took the opportunity and ran with it,” Steffen said. “He did everything we asked of him and I can’t wait to see him perform tonight.”
Eudora will need Hoobler’s leadership and playmaking abilities against Tonganoxie High School on Friday. Tonganoxie is looking to rebound from their 30-29 loss to Louisburg High School on Oct. 6.
Other players nominated this week include:
Jashaun Holliday, Bishop Ward: 144 receiving yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in 54-28 loss to Santa Fe Trail
Brady VanDonge, Basehor-Linwood: 301 passing yards and three touchdowns in 28-25 win over Lansing
Ja’Quarey Williams, Washington: 124 passing yards and two touchdowns, 137 rushing yards and one touchdown, five tackles in 48-24 win over Wyandotte
Bryce Noernberg, Olathe South: 146 rushing yards and four touchdowns, 152 passing yards and two touchdowns in 51-0 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest
TJ Johnson, Van Horn: 245 rushing yards and two touchdowns, 32 passing yards, six tackles in 50-18 win over Summit Christian
Jack Cornell, Olathe East: 181 passing yards and four touchdowns in 42-14 win over Olathe West
Isaiah Mozee, Lee’s Summit North: 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 38-20 win over Liberty
Devin Wilson, Lee’s Summit West: 14 tackles. two interceptions and a pick-6 in 31-7 win over Raymore-Peculiar
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 2:59 PM.
