Joe’s ready to put on a show
Hawthorne preps for final year at Colby
It’s only fitting that incoming senior Joe Hawthorne plays for the Colby Hornets football team. He’s very much like his high school’s mascot, darting around the field, stinging opponents with bruising tackles, and making an absolute nuisance of himself with eye-popping plays.
Fast, elusive and strong, Hawthorne was one of the Hornets breakout stars on the football field in 2019, surprising many with his outstanding play. Perhaps the biggest person surprised with how well he played at linebacker last year was the man himself.
“I really struggled my sophomore year trying to play linebacker,” Hawthorne admits. “That might seem like a surprise, compared to how I did last year, but I really had to develop, watch and learn.”
Teams might not have been aware of who Joe Hawthorne was last year, but in 2020 he’s a secret no more, and that’s just the way Joe likes it. One of only a handful of seniors on the team this upcoming year, Joe wants to make an even bigger impact in his final year at Colby High.
“I definitely want to top off my senior year. I want to be better. I want to have at least one highlight play each game, you know?” Hawthorne says earnestly.
“I want at least one game-changing play in each game, a play that really gets the crowd and team fired up.”
Do-It-All
Hawthorne brings a level of versatility to the Hornets that few players on the team possess. Over the years he’s done it all, going from linebacker to running back to wide receiver, and even handling kick-off and punt return duties.
The term “plug-and-play” is an extremely apt descriptor for Hawthorne, who seems able to seamlessly play any position on the field. But like all things, that versatility took work, and a lot of it.
“I know last year I watched a lot of film, and I’ll be doing that this year too. Even though we won’t be playing the same teams as last year I’m hoping to be able to recognize the formations, and that should help me out there.”
Film study is just one component to Hawthorne’s success. The other is the time spent in the weight room, adding muscle and speed to his frame, going from a skinny and wiry frosh to a 5’10”, 170 pound tackling machine.
As a junior Hawthorne finished second on the team in tackles, as well as receiving yards. His season was further highlighted when he reeled in his first touchdowns.
“I just felt that I was going to get at least one. I couldn’t wait to have it, and when I got my first one, it was just such a great feeling.”
Hawthorne enjoys those glory moments, but scoring touchdowns and taking down quarterbacks seemed a million miles away just two years ago, when he was one of a handful of sophomores taking reps on varsity.
Like all players, Hawthorne had to pay his dues before he could enjoy the Friday night lights.
Learning from the best
Hawthorne seems perfectly suited to his position as a linebacker, where he loves to initiate contact, but all that moving around on each side of the ball his first two seasons made for a steep learning curve.
He adjusted, but there were struggles along the way - both on the field and in the film and weight room.
“I’ll be honest, my freshman year I barely played defense. If we were up by a lot that was the only time I played,” Hawthorne explains. “So, I go my freshman year not playing, and then my sophomore year, I was mostly on offense since we had a good linebacker crew, so I didn’t play a whole lot then.”
Those early year struggles were frustrating for Hawthorne, but he learned from his mistakes, and took heart from his coaches and their trust in him. He also made sure to listen to upperclassmen Matt Kunze and Reece Kellnhofer.
“I will say my sophomore year when I was running plays on varsity, Matt Kunze and Reece Kellnhofer, they really helped me out. They were super great leaders.”
Hawthorne was glad to practice with the varsity squad, but being younger and inexperienced sometimes made him feel isolated from the team. It was Kunze and Kellnhofer who helped him make sense of plays and schemes and offered encouragement when he needed it.
“I was a sophomore and you had all these older guys playing, and I don’t have any siblings that got me into being friends with all these older guys. I’d go to the weight room, and I didn’t have any one to lift with since all my friends were elsewhere, but Matt really helped me out, and sort of took me under his wing.
“He was a phenomenal linebacker, so I looked up to him,” Hawthorne says. “I guess he saw something in me so he took it on himself to help me. I would not be the linebacker I am today if I did not have him helping me.”
Fulfilling the potential
Hawthorne finished 2018 with 12 tackles, including his first sack and three
JOE THE SHOW forced fumbles. It was a strong start, and fired up his competitive nature. By the time his junior year rolled around, he was practically chomping on the bit to get out and play - even if he wasn’t entirely sure what position he would be.
“I didn’t know where I was going to play, but I was excited since I knew I’d be doing a lot more work on varsity,” Hawthorne says. But even he was surprised when he was made starting linebacker.
“Last year I didn’t have the most experience. So it was a challenge, but it got me better prepped for this year.”
Hawthorne was new and raw to the role of starting linebacker, but his speed, smarts and strength was quickly apparent to anyone watching film. His highlight reel on Hudl shows a player that’s both patient and explosive, and when he hits, it’s with all the force of an anvil.
Joe’s numbers sky-rocketed from a dozen tackles in 2018 to 55 as a junior, including four tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. Hawthorne helped the Hornets make the playoffs for a 13th consecutive season, and Colby won their Level one playoff game on the road over a favored Cumberland Beaver squad that loved to air out the ball.
After the season ended Hawthorne hoped he might earn some sort of postseason recognition. What he wasn’t prepared for was how much his peers respected him. “We’re sitting there at the end of the year party, and I was thinking maybe I’d get honorable mention,” Joe says. “So, they read off all the honorable mentions, and I didn’t hear my name called. . . . but then when they said my name for second team, I was just shocked. It’s a great feeling to know others see what you’ve done.”
My time to step up
Hawthorne will be one of seven seniors on the 2020 squad, and he’s now in the same position that Kunze and Kellnhofer were two years ago - acting as a mentor for younger players.
Teaching the game to newcomers is all part of Colby’s culture, and Hawthorne has already taken a few players under his wing and helped nurture their game.
“It just helps the team overall because if there’s a kid that has a question, I know I can help out, since I’ve played so many positions. So if a kid has question at tight-end, even though I’m a wing-back, I can help him out there too and hopefully answer their questions.”
He knows there’s a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to keep Colby’s winning legacy alive and well. If that means his own numbers go down to make way for the team’s success, he’s more than happy to do so.
“Putting the Colby uniform on, it’s just like this family feeling. To be a Hornet is a great feeling because we all have such a tight bond as a team. I want to have that great team feeling, where everyone works to be better, strives to be better, pushes each other,” Joe says.
It’s that sense of family that gives Hawthorne even more motivation. While he has the opportunity to play, his father never did, with work on the farm keeping him away from the field.
Now whenever Joe puts on the pads and records a tackle, scores a touchdown or makes a play, he knows his dad is right there with him, sharing every play that he makes.
“My dad never got the chance to play since he lived on a farm and didn’t have the time. So he doesn’t know a lot about the sport but he gets the gist of it,” Joe says. “For me, it’s just another great thing about putting on the pads, being able to play for my dad.”
He’s also looking forward to being in the Marawood Conference this year and finally having a chance to settle with friends who is better - Abbotsford or Colby.
“I am definitely excited. I know guys from Abbotsford. We’re already talking. We’re all excited to play - during the game it’s going to be war, but after the game, I can picture us all just sitting back and laughing later on. I definitely think Abbotsford is going to be a fun game.”
READY FOR PRIME TIME -Colby’s Joe Hawthorne, center, delivers a jarring tackle to Osseo-Fairchild’s Brice Shimon during the Hornet’s 2019 season opener. Hawthorne finished as Colby’s second leading tackler and receiver last season. He earned Second Team All-Conference Cloverbelt honors as a junior linebacker. He’s poised for bigger things as a senior.SUBMITTED PHOTOS/TERRI VOLLRATH
IN THE MIX -Joe Hawthorne helps tackle Regis’ Tristan Root during the Hornets second round playoff game. Always in the thick of things, Hawthorne is hoping to elevate his game to even greater levels and wants to bring Colby football its first Marawood Conference crown this fall.TP FILE PHOTO
STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS -Joe Hawthorne delivers another signature tackle, using his balance and strength to bring down a Spencer/Columbus Catholic player. Hawthorne is one of a handful of returning seniors in 2020, and he’s hoping to build on last year’s season, and extend Colby’s playoff streak for another year. He also wants to mentor new players and set a standard that future Colby Hornets can follow. SUBMITTED PHOTO/TERRI VOLLRATH
