By Dimitrios Kontogiannis, staff writer
When Indian Trail High School and Academy finally got a varsity football team in 2011, then Coach Mike McKay stepped in and took the job as the team’s first head coach in the school’s history.
Until January 2017, he was also the only head coach to ever be at the program. Jan. 12, 2017 would be McKay’s last day at Indian Trail. In February 2017, Paul Hoffman was hired as the new football coach, marking the start of a new era. Recently, The Pulse had the opportunity to ask him a few questions and learn more about Hoffman, who is also a special education teacher.
Q: At the time of this interview you are 3-3, 3-1 in conference, what would you say about successfulness of your season so far?
A: Growth is our measurement of success. We are working to get better every week and I believe we are succeeding at that.
Q: What were your expectations going into this season and what are your goals going forward?
A: Get better every week. Fundamentals, skills, execution, mental toughness. Going forward, my expectations will become higher as the program demonstrates it can handle it. It is an ongoing process.
Q: Coach Mike McKay was the only head coach this program ever had since it began in 2011, so there are definitely some expectations, how do you handle them?
A: I was hired to set program expectations and execute them. That is what we are in the process of doing. I chose IT, and I’m glad they chose me, because moving to Kenosha was the best situation for my family and professional career. Of all the high school’s I was looking at for head coaching vacancies, IT and Kenosha had all the components needed to develop a successful program and give my family the environment we desired.
Q: You had a lot of success as an assistant on Fillmore Central’s staff in Harmony, Minnesota. How do you plan to translate that success to Indian Trail?
A: It all begins in the weight room. Team chemistry and mental toughness are not random results. They are built through hard work and long hours of training and practicing together.
Q: Coach McKay never used a tight end in his formations at Indian Trail, while you decided to utilize the tight end position. Why opt for the tight end?
A: It’s important to widen the edge and give the defense another gap to defend.
Q: Who’s been the team’s MVP so far this year?
A: I don’t believe we have one person. It had been a great team effort all year.
Q: What have you learned in your past experiences on and off the field that you bring to Indian Trail.
A: Patience. I’ve been coaching for 18 years, with eight different programs, and I have coordinated both sides of the ball at the college level and coordinated both offense and strength and conditioning at the high school level. Each of those stops I have learned different tools that have prepared me for this role.
Q: Coach McKay got us to the playoffs a couple times, but could never really take us into a deep playoff run, how do you plan to break though?
A: I have been a part of teams that have made deep playoff runs (two state championships). It takes talent, consistent execution, mental toughness and some good luck.
Q: Over the season you have favored a more run-happy offense than a pass-happy one. Why?
A: Personnel. Also, successful teams tend to run more than pass.
Q: What would you consider to be a successful season this year?
A: If we show improvement through the finish of the season. If we continue to work on the factors we control, it will be a successful year.