Defensive back has grown with program
By: Bob Nuse
Sascha Hopson is in his third season as a starting safety for the Princeton High football team.
Three years as a starter means Hopson has plenty of experience. But he has also had to learn a little something new each year with the Little Tigers.
"It has been a little different for me every year," said Hopson, a senior co-captain at Princeton. "My sophomore year we ran a 4-2-5 set because we had a lot of guys who could play defensive back. Last year we ran a 4-3. And now this year we’re running a 4-4, with just three defensive backs. So I’ve pretty much played in every system you can run."
And Hopson has played well in every one of those systems. Last year, he made four interceptions to rank among the leaders in the Colonial Valley Conference. This year, he’s one of the experienced players on a young Princeton team that will be looking for its first win tonight at Notre Dame.
"We’ve done a lot of different things with him," Princeton coach Steve Everette said. "Even as a sophomore, we would keep him close to the line of scrimmage and we were almost able to utilize him as a third linebacker. Then last year he tied for the conference lead in interceptions. The other thing about him is that he is ridiculously smart about the game of football. He’s a big football junkie and I’ll take a whole group of guys like that all the time.
"This is his second year as a starter for us. He spent the last two years being a second team all-conference player and we’re hoping this year he’ll crack the first team."
Hopson has progressed as a player each season and this year could be his best individually. But what he would like most is to see the Little Tigers build on their win total, which reached six last year.
"I’ve been happy, but you can never be completely happy if you don’t win," said Hopson, who also occasionally plays some receiver on offense. "I always feel like there is more that I can do and more that my teammates can do. That’s what we work on in practice. Our goal is to win and we have to work hard in practice to do it.
"I remember my freshman year at the football banquet, coach Everette handed out keys and told us we were the keys to the future of the program. He said we have to get better, and we have gotten better. We have gotten to the point where we should be a playoff team. Last year we were close, but we were a little unlucky. But it was fun to have a season like that."
Hopson is the kind of player the Little Tigers have tried to build around. The roster is never a big one at PHS, so they make due with what they have. Having a player who is able to adjust from year to year as Hopson has makes things easier for Everette and his coaching staff.
"We try to put the kids in the best position they can be in to help us and still have an opportunity to be successful," Everette said. "Sascha is a captain and he’s able to strengthen whatever position we have him playing. As the kids change, we try to change with them.
"When he started, we played five defensive backs because we had a lot of that type of kid who could play the nickel. Then we went to a regular 4-3 because we had another linebacker, and this year we’re playing more of a 4-4. That puts some extra pressure on Sascha as a DB, but we think he can handle it.
"He’s the leader back there. He responsible for a lot of the on the field stuff and he’s able to change things on the run."
Hopson will close out his high school career this year and is hoping to continue playing at the next level. Right now, he’s an example of a player who came into the Princeton program with little experience and just improved every year.
"I started playing football my freshman year and I was on the JV team," he said. "Then my sophomore year I moved up to varsity and started. I played last year and felt like I had a pretty good season."
And there is still hope that this season can be a successful one for the Little Tigers, even with their 0-3 start. It certainly doesn’t get any easier being at Notre Dame tonight.
"We’re looking forward to it," Hopson said. "It’s a Friday night game, which is always exciting. It should be fun. We started out with three games at home and now we have five away games in a row. But that’s fine. I love playing away games."
Added Everette: "I hope we play them tough. We want to give our kids the opportunity to make plays. Notre Dame is your typical Notre Dame team this year. They’re big and tough and we know we have our work cut out for us. But we’ll come ready to compete."

